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Location: Arpeggio City, Sed High School.

Time: 08:50am.

Year: 2090, December 14th.

I stayed silent for quite a while. I was still trying to get Joseph out of my head. I kept focusing on what was important right now; visiting that Avian doctor in school and asking him about the meds he gave me. I was still shaken up from them, even though my headaches and hallucinations had gone.

Once we walked through the main entrance, I tapped Joseph on the shoulder, telling him that I was going to go to the doctor's office. I told a little lie, saying that I had to pick up another prescription. He gave me a concerned look, and walked away slowly. I walked the other way, not looking back, and walking quickly down the corridors to the office.

The room was easy to spot. I peered through every window until I found the one with an Avian in the window. I went up to the door, but didn't bother knocking. Instead, I pushed the door open, and saw the doctor lying back in his chair, his eyes closed. He made almost no sound at all. When the door closed shut, he opened his eyes immediately, and stared at me.

"So, how are the meds going?" He asked suddenly. "That's what you're here about, right?"

"I threw the second dose away." I admitted. "You didn't tell me about the side effects."

"What kind of side effects?" the Doctor asked, looking more interested than puzzled.

"Hallucinations." I began. "I almost completely lost control of my body; my vision is worse than before. The only good thing that came out of those drugs was a lack of headaches."

We both stayed silent for a while. The doctor reached for a clipboard and pen, and began writing something down. Once he was done, he looked up at me, then back at the clipboard.

"I'm going to remove you from your usual lessons." He said suddenly. "I'll have to inform the school about this; so for the time being, you will be under the care of some of my ‘acquaintances'. They should be here in the next hour or so."

I was surprised. He seemed to be overreacting to this. It felt very sudden that he would remove me from school, and place me under ‘care' of some of his co-workers. It was almost as if he was expecting this result. Either way, I decided to play along and wait for the Doctor's acquaintances to arrive.

I waited just outside the school grounds. I was staring into the sky, trying to clear my head. The sky was always a shade of green. In the day, it was a light green; but as it turned to night, the sky turned to a sickly green color. The whole world was messed up. Tyr City was still made of metal and brick, Vega City had been completely abandoned, and Nulline Metropolis was filled with crime syndicates and cults. Arpeggio, on the other hand, was made of all kinds of materials. Wood, brick, metal; the variation in materials had a rather beautiful effect on the city; though we were the most sensitive city out of the four.

The city was the furthest from Tyr, and we were almost separated from the two other cities. The area that we lived in was also a hotspot for Demons. Luckily, the city was supported by large pillars known as Arches, around half a mile tall; so as long as no one went below the Arches, they wouldn't be ripped to pieces.

I lowered my head, and faced the road. I hadn't noticed the long black car on the other end of the road. I wondered how long it had been there for. I also noticed that there was someone inside. It was hard to see since the windows were jet black, but two people had stepped out. The first was a tall dragon, with blood red scales; he was dressed in a long black coat, and past that, more tight black clothing. The second person was dressed the same, but wore an armband on his right arm. I looked at the symbol; it looked like an egg with one wing projecting from the tip. I suddenly realized who I was looking at.

The second person was a tall wolf; even taller than the Dragon. He was an Arch-Angel. The symbol showed that much, but one other feature hit me. His right eye was replaced by three diagonal scars. It looked as if he had been clawed by something unnatural.

I immediately thought that something was wrong. I didn't feel cold, but I started to shiver slightly. I clenched my hands and backed away before the wolf approached me.

"A little birdie told me you have a gift." He laughed, reaching for my arm and clenching it tight. "Let's make this as simple as possible."

He dragged me over to the car and shoved me inside. I was alone in the back seat. The Dragon and the Wolf were sitting in the front. It was until I was in the car that I noticed that I had a pair of handcuffs around my wrists. I stayed silent, out of fear; as well as interest. I wondered where they were taking me, and what would happen once I arrived.

***********************************************

Location: Arpeggio, Militia Compound.

Time: 09:30am.

Year; 2090, December 14th.

The car had stopped, and I was dragged out of the car. I noticed the building in front of me. I had seen it regularly when I went running. It was like a large block made out of brick. I also noticed a red and yellow striped flag painted on one of the sides. It was the local militia symbol. The people of Arpeggio policed themselves, which was convenient, since hardly any other countries had the forces to spare.

I was walked down dozens of corridors before finally coming to a stop. The Arch-Angel pushed me into a small room and shut the door. I was partly thankful; I couldn't stand being next to such a person. The room wasn't empty, though. Inside were a long, bare table and two chairs on opposite sides. Someone was sitting on one of them.

On the chair to the opposite side of the room, sat a German Shepherd. He looked like he was in his forties, and his fur was starting to sprout grey hairs. His hair was cut short, and he wore the same outfit as an Arch-Angel; but instead of the usual symbol, it was replaced by a small pendulum.

"I really should teach that brute how to knock." He muttered. "Please, sit."

My hands were still cuffed, making it awkward to sit down on the other chair. The Shepherd pulled out a short knife and drove it upwards, breaking the metal chain on the cuffs.

"Any reason why you had to use these in the first place?" I asked, indicating the broken handcuffs.

"We needed to make sure you wouldn't resist." The person replied. "Anyway; I'm the Administrator. And you are Kobalt Kaiken; am I right?"

I nodded slowly. Someone had been keeping their eyes on me, it seemed.

"We've been watching you for some time now." He continued, leaning forward. "You seem to have regular problems concerning you vision."

I clenched my left hand. I didn't like anyone talking about my headaches or vision problems.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. He didn't look like a doctor, so he didn't have a cure; so I guessed that he was planning something else.

"I'll get straight to the point." The Administrator replied, putting on a more serious face. "You're vision is almost completely uncontrollable; but with our help, you can turn that problem into one of our solutions."

"I've heard about your kind." I said, grimly. "So I'm guessing you want to train me and turn me into one of those Arch-Angels."

"Very sharp of you." He laughed. "That's exactly what we were planning; but now that you're aware of this, we'll give you two options-."

"I can either accept your ‘help'." I interrupted; "Or I can leave, and forget about this whole mess you've got me into. Am I right?"

The Administrator simply nodded. He looked angry, stressed, and confused in the end. He waved me out of the door, where I was dragged away by the Wolf again. It was an awkward ending to a discussion. Maybe he didn't figure he had to say anymore. I was given the choices, now I had to decide. I was pushed into the car again, and driven off.

The car ride was a short one, and I got back to the orphanage just as Joseph was approaching the doors. He saw me get out of the car, and waved me over. Once I shut the car door, it sped off, and we were left alone, outside.

"Where were you?" Joseph asked, concerned. "No one told me you would be out for the day."

I stayed silent, and walked through the doors with Joseph following close by. We reached our dormitory, and closed the door behind us. I could safely open up to him now.

"Joseph." I said; "What would you say if I was given the choice of becoming an Arch-Angel."

"You're joking, right?" He asked. "Look, I've seen Arch-Angels before. Half of them are no good, two bit mercenaries; the other half are a bunch of broken down children who were forced to become like the first half. You and I could never fit into either of those options."

"We're not talking about you right now." I replied. "We're talking about me. I...I haven't been completely honest with you."

"What do you mean?" Joseph asked, sitting down on his bed. "What have you been hiding?"

That was one of the hardest points of my life. I completely opened up to Joseph about my condition, what the headaches meant; but not how I felt about him. By the end, he looked as if his mind was spinning. He finally returned to the first subject.

"You're going to become an Arch-Angel, aren't you?" He asked, not looking at me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, trying not to look up. "I'm really..."

By then, I was starting to choke on my words. I had a lump in my throat, but I wasn't crying at all. I saw Joseph get up and walk over to my bed. He sat down next to me, and he did something that we would both remember for the rest of our lives. Joseph had brushed my hair to one side, and kissed me straight on the lips. We both closed our eyes, and held each other tightly. It seemed to last forever, until Joseph slowly backed away, and stroked my head.

"If you do become an Arch-Angel." He whispered. "Will you still remember me?"

"I will never forget you." I whispered back. "I love you more than my own life; but this is something I have to do."

"I understand." Joseph replied, pulling me towards him so that we were both lying on the bed, still holding each other. "But just stay here for the night. Just us. Together."

We both stayed silent after that. We fell asleep in each others arms. That was the last night that we would ever spend together, as Fox and Wolf.

Tomorrow, I would begin my training. As one of Arpeggio's Angels.