The scream didn't just pierce the air it shattered the fragile peace of the Central Hub. It came from the highest floor the observation roof. Within seconds, the Hub transformed into a hive of frantic motion. A wave of curious onlookers, fueled by a morbid need to see the horror, surged toward the spiraling iron staircases. Lucidia, Ash, Aero, and the others were swept up in the tide, their boots clashing against the metal gratings as they ascended toward the dark.
When they burst onto the roof, the atmosphere shifted. It was a gloomy expanse of venting pipes and lightning rods, shrouded in a heavy mist of soot and cold rain. Dozens of people crowded the ledge, whispering in hushed, terrified tones. Near a massive brass chimney, a man was scrambling across the stone floor, his hands trembling as he gripped the soot-stained ground. He looked back at a small silhouette standing in the shadows, his eyes wide with a primal fear. "Run! Run for your lives!" he gasped. "That freak... that little girl... she's going to kill me!"
The effect was instantaneous. Half the crowd, seeing the sheer terror on the man's face, turned and bolted, trampling over one another to get back to the stairs. But the other half the ones too curious or too frozen to move stayed, watching as the shadows parted. Mugen didn't wait for an explanation. The giant mechanic, driven by his own suspicion, unslung his massive axe. "I've had enough of you freaks! You're behind this mess, aren't you, you little brat?!"
Mugen launched himself forward, a mountain of iron and muscle, but he never reached her. Mid-leap, his body jerked violently. A sickening twangnlike a heavy wire snapping into place vibrated through the air. Invisible, shimmering strings caught Mugen in mid-air, wrapping around his thick limbs and throat. The giant was slammed into the floorboards with a bone-jarring thud. With a series of sharp, mechanical tugs, his own body betrayed him; Mugen was forced down into a perfect, humiliating bow, his forehead pressed against the cold stone before the small figure.
"Trying to hit a little girl, are you? How rude," a high, melodic voice drifted through the mist. The girl stepped into the light of a flickering Aether-lamp. She was a vision of bright, candy-pink hair tied into bouncy pigtails, her dress a flurry of pristine lace and ribbons that looked like a hallucination against the grime of Asgard. As she looked up, the remaining onlookers gasped. Her eyes weren't human within her irises, neon-pink lines swirled in hypnotic, jagged spirals.
Aero, despite the danger, let out a nervous whistle. "Whoa... why are you so cute and terrifying at the same time!"
Ash, the noble, didn't share the sentiment. He stepped forward, shoving past Aero with predatory precision. "Step aside, retard," he hissed, eyes locked on the girl. "Hey, you! Little girl!"
Eevee tilted her head at a sharp, unnatural angle. "Little girl? How old are you, boy?"
"None of your business, little girl!" Ash snapped. "Why did that man scream? What did you do to him!"
Eevee scanned Ash from head to toe, her gaze like a cold needle. "You look about seventeen... am I right?" Ash gasped, his breath hitching as his composed mask flickered. How did she know? Eevee's spiral eyes spun with a mocking glint. "As for me? I'm twenty. Haven't you heard to respect your elders, boy?"
The silence was heavy. Ash stared at her, his pride wounded and his mind reeling. Eevee gave a chilling, melodic giggle. "The man was just angry because I came up to this cautioned floor. But then he saw my face and fell down. How pathetic." She looked down at the pinned Mugen, then her eyes snapped over to Lucidia, ignoring everyone else. "People are so fragile when they see something they don't understand. Don't you agree, writer?"