KINETIC

"I'm going to the capital soon and I'll be staying there for a few days." Clay said as he looked down from the top of the city walls.

"Did they call for you or is there something you need to do?" Rene asked.

"Both actually. Our families were all taken to the capital and I'd like to check in with my family. I've also been asked several times to attend a meeting with the Supreme Commander.

This is the only opening I've got so I have to go now. Captain Wenlow will be taking command of the city while I'm away." Clay explained.

"Okay. I don't want you to waste any time but could you check on my family as well? I'd really appreciate it..." Rene asked.

"Of course. Connor should be at the capital right now so I'll get his help with it if I have to."

"Thank you. I guess I'll see you when you get back then." Rene said with a bashful smile on her face as she turned and left.

Clay stood at the top of the wall, looking down on the city, for quite some time before he finally started heading for the Gate.

***

A day has passed since Leonard massacred the cultists and his entire squad was acting different towards him.

None of them would look him in the eye and most avoided talking to him whenever possible. The healer was an exception to this since he's seen many ability users perform ridiculous feats that would terrify a regular person.

"Don't worry about it too much. They're only scared because it's the first time they've really seen how powerful our abilities can be.

Once they have had the time to process everything, their attitude will change. They won't treat you the same as before but that won't necessarily be a bad thing since they'll mostly be more respectful." The healer said, shrugging his shoulders at the end.

"Maybe. Don't you think I went too far... Killing them is one thing but what I did..."

"No, Captain, I don't think that. You fought to protect the people of that town and to defeat our enemy, what's wrong with that?

So you were aggressive, why is that so wrong? Because of how you went about it, none of those cultists managed to hurt anyone once we arrived." The Healer said.

"So you're saying it's alright because it saved more lives?" Leonard asked.

"Yeah. If you aren't dealing with your enemy quickly and effectively then you're giving them the chance to hurt innocent people or the comrades beside you."

"You're right... It was necessary." Leonard said, accepting the reality of the situation.

After the cultists had been dealt with, Leonard came to realize that his own horse had run away. According to those who saw it happen, the horse was terrified of him and didn't hesitate to run.

Because of this, Leonard was now riding in the back of the carriage. The injured woman and her son William were both in the carriage with him.

'She's not getting better. Even with the constant healing that's being applied to her she's somehow gotten worse.

He might not be the best healer but he's still better than average. I know the healers don't all heal the same way.

Some speed up you bodies natural healing while another might be healing you directly. Maybe someone with a unique way of healing could help her... ' Leonard thought as he watched the woman struggling to stay alive.

From his side, on their own horses, Leonard overheard a conversation between two of the soldiers in his group.

"Were finally heading back."

"Yeah, we've been out here for long enough. A month is no joke."

"I'm just glad we're heading to Zoren instead of Drom. I've got a lady there I've been meaning to see again, if you know what I mean."

"It's still gonna take us another day to get there so don't get too excited."

Leonard's attention drifted away from the soldiers as he went into his own thoughts again.

'Zoren. The others are all either in Drom or the capital, well they were the last time i heard from them. Nila was on a similar mission to me so there's a good chance she was directed there as well, maybe I'll get to see a familiar face after all.'

The sound of a high pitched scream broke his train of thought. The injured woman was thrashing her arms and legs as she screamed in pain.

Leonard quickly moved to the woman and grabbed her arms, pinning them to the carriage floor.

"W-What's happing to her!" William shouted as he backed away from his mother.

The healer knelt beside her and began using his ability to heal her. A look of disbelief appeared on his face a moment later and he stopped using his ability.

"What are you doing!? Why aren't you healing her!?" Leonard asked with an urgent tone.

"Because her body is rejecting the healing. I can feel my energy bouncing off her skin instead of sinking into her body like it should. I've never experienced this before..." The healer replied.

Leonard looked back to the woman, he could feel her trying to push him away as she kicked and screamed.

Her eyes suddenly opened and it immediately obvious that something was wrong. The whites of her eyes had turned black and her pupils were glowing a soft purple. Streaks of white started to appear in her hair while her fingernails turned black and extended.

"What the fu..."

As the words left Leonard's mouth the woman's arm slipped out of his hold. She balled her hands into a fist and punched him in the face.

Leonard's skin turned to metal before her fist could reach him. He didn't bother trying to dodge since the punch didn't seem to hold any power to it.

The fist slammed into his face with an unexpected amount of power. A loud singing sound was heard and Leonard's body was sent flying out of the carriage.

The entire squad came to a halt as Leonard rolled along the ground for several meters, creating a small dust cloud behind him.

As his body finally came to a stop, he stood up and while dusting himself off. 'How is she so strong! Wasn't she dying up till now?' He thought to himself as he looked to the carriage.

The woman was now standing in the back of the carriage, William and the healer were both standing as far from her as they could be without leaving the carriage.

In the few seconds he wasn't looking, her body had changed even more than when he was holding her down.

Her skin was now red and a third eye had appeared on her forehead along with some horns. Her hair was completely white now and her body seemed to have gained some muscle and grown taller.

These were all extreme changes but the one that caught Leonard's eye the most was the large pair of leathery wings on her back.

Whole her skin was a light shade of red, the wings were much darker, giving them a distinct appearance.

Leonard immediately recognized her appearance and started running at full speed towards her. The carriage had continued to move without him for a bit before coming to a stop and was at least 50 meters away.

Still, with his speed, Leonard was able to cross a space of several meters with every step. His huge mettalic form crossed half the distance in only a few steps.

But even with all that speed, he was still to slow to stop the woman as he leathery wings started to flap and lift her into the air.

She spun in the air as she ascended, facing towards the direction the squad had been traveling towards.

She flapped her wings again and took off towards the derection she was now facing, not looking back even once.

Leonard slowed down, coming to a half next to the carriage. He stopped using his ability and climbed into the carriage.

William was traumatized and sitting in a corner holding his knees to his chest. The healer was visibly shaken and couldn't stay standing due to his legs wobbling.

"What was that just now!?" The sqaud leader asked in a panicked tone as he brought his horse to the side of the carriage.

"She turned into... Into something I guess..." Leonard answered as he looked up at the sky. He could still see her as she flew away but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"I've never seen anything like that." The healer suddenly said as he held his hand over his heart, trying to calm himself down.

"Neither have I, but I know who has..." Leonard replied.

'Well, they've seen something similar with John. If I remember correctly, they didn't say anything about him having wings...' Leonard thought.

"Squad leader, we have to follow her. I don't know exactly what's going on but we can't just let her go. She's heading in the same direction as us so it's likely Zoren city is her target." Leonard said with a serious expression.

"Alright. Let's get going then."