titles are lame...

Iori had disregarded the others after his scream of warning, feeling that he had done his part and more to help these people. He had put his life in danger yet again, just to warn these people of danger that might not even have chosen them. As he ran, Iori passed by one of the group members, a single man who, instead of doing the sane thing and running AWAY from the monsters, seemed to be walking towards them. What truly shocked Iori was not that the man was moving towards the monsters, but instead, that he was walking. He was not rushing, he moved slowly, calmly, as if he had all the time in the world, as if the creatures offered no threat to him whatsoever. The sheer insanity of it drew a strange response from Iori, he slowed his running until he stopped completely, back turned as he stood stock still, roughly eight meters behind the walking man.


It was only as his heart began to slow and the sound of his own blood racing died down in his ears, did Iori realize that the noises were gone. Those horrific sounds that told him those aberrant gorilla creatures were still chasing him, they had ceased to reach him. Iori was dreading what he would see if he turned. For whatever reason, somehow, he knew that if he turned around whatever he saw would terrify him to his very core, that seeing and being chased by the gorillas would be nothing compared to what he would see. Swallowing this rising feeling of hysteria, Iori turned, and what he saw caused his world to begin to spin. The monsters had been defeated by one of the group who Iori hadn't even seen move, but who's movement he now registered after double-checking and the walking man. It made no sense. Iori had seen a half dozen of the creatures completely annihilate the group of people he had teleported among when he had answered his cell phone. Almost as soon as they were brought together, the gorillas had burst into the decimated building, and had begun the slaughter. Rushing off, Iori had ran, he now realized, at least two kilometers before he had encountered these men. These super-humans.

Then another of the men had spoken, another man's movement he hadn't recognized. At first Iori tried to speak but then the thought of the supermen interceded and he found himself feeling a bit light-headed. It was too much for his overtaxed mind. As Iori's mind attempted to comprehend all of what had occurred within the last hour or so, and it failed, Iori collapsed to the ground, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.

"I'm not dealing with this..." He switched out. Blue flames swallowed him whole, froze in motion, and shattered like glass leaving a very stoic nearly identical boy in his place. Ciro turned to look at his company, but mainly Grana who seemed all for moving forward and getting out. "Don't forget, Grana, we wouldn't have been held up as he were, we wouldn't have had to deal with this, if you and Ryoji had not fooled around. This is a place of business, of life and death, there is no room for idle conversation, or kind gestures. It's either your life or his, in a general sense, life. And getting yourself killed just so you can say hello and shake a hand is not a smart idea..."

The telekinetic looked at the fallen body of the boy. "This is not a contradiction...So say nothing about my action and what I just said." He turned and walked away from the group. He raised his hand and rolled his wrist around a time or two. The body of Mikoto lifted in air and followed them. He wasn't mad at Grana, he had yet to actually experience the hardships of Psyren, same for Ryoji. But they would learn just as Chatha and he did. They may not change as drastically as the two, but they would certainly change. Fighting for your life did that to you. You were presented with morale problems. Do you dash across a worm infested desert to save the life of a lone Drifter, or remain in your safe spot and keep walking? Do you help every last person you see, or only those that effect you directly? Psyren wasn't a gentle land. It was a place of give and take. You lost to gain, and gained to lost. That was how this world worked. The sooner these boys understood it, the better chances they had at living.

Grana caught Iori as he fell from being unconcious, he groaned thinking he would have to carry this guy he barely knew. But Ciro emerged, and used his powers to lift him up. Good idea Ciro, Grana thought.

He ran up to Ciro who was in front of the group, "Ciro I take account into what you said, this land is different I do not want to hold you back. That is not my intention, infact I want to go on and figure out this place. I believe we are being summoned here for a purpose, not to simply gain powers and kill."

Grana said thinking about it. "But I will not let this world change who I am, and my person. Of course I will change somewhat, infact maybe a little more maturity is good for me. It would keep my mom off my back." Grana said grinning

"But tell me Ciro how many times have you came to Psyren?" Grana asked him, as they walked forward.

Ciro kept walking. The Drifter felt nothing from telekinetically lifting the male. It was as easy as breathing for humans. He listened to Grana talk and felt nothing. He wasn't happy for him. He wasn't proud of him. He wasn't mad at him. He was just listening. He sighed at the end of it though. "It's easy to point out flaws and traits of others and say 'I won't be like that.' But with no knowledge, no experience, saying that is as much true as wishing upon a star is helpful..." His tone was flat and even. He wasn't mocking or scolding Grana, just informing him. "Choice is an illusion, created between those with power and those without. Merovingian."

He had to think about the question presented though. How often had he been to Pyren? It was hard to say. It was like hair on your hand. You did it for a while, but eventually they blended together. "A fairer question is how long I've been here. At which I'd tell you a total of a year and a half." All the while he never slowed his pace or looked to see if the others were keeping up. He knew Chatha would, Ryoji was a maybe. "Chatha, Take this time to please explain Psyren, our goal, and the purpose of each trip.”


((Posted from BB pardon any errors.))

So he wasn't the only 'new guy' around - and not the only one to bring a whole bunch of Tavoo with him. Ryoji actually cracked his knuckles, fixated the Gorilla-like monsters - and was thrown away and catched like a ball on a baseball-field. Was he THAT much of a nuisance on the battlefield that he was in the way when fighting himself? Normally, he would've protested. But not only Grana slowly started to realize something. These people... both Ciro, and Chatha. Did not use their powers to protect, but to destroy that which was in their way. Like war machines, in fact.
Following behind Grana, he was now at the complete rear. Chatha or Ciro would call him careless or stupid for that. Ryoji himself, he knew that he could take out Tavoo with his fire just fine. In fact, Ciro only saw a fraction of it by now, same for Cide - if he had used his full fire against the wolves, it would've been a complete and utter waste. Looking up at the thick membrance, his hands behind his head, it was the miracolous power of the daydreamer that kept him from loosing his step and falling flat on his face. In other words: Experience with walking while the head is in the clouds and above. Not like there where clouds in Psyren, but the idea was the same.
"Seems like you've got your share of knowledge, Ciro. Maybe I'm just a kid, but..." Looking down from the membrane, the boy with the yellow scarf looked forward to their 'leader'. "I think we have at least one choice. We have this PSI - so it's our choice what we will do with them. Destroy, or protect. As for me... I've decided. I'm a moron, so I won't go back on my word, since I'm stupid enough for that." Suddenly raising his right hand to the side, he snapped his fingers without looking. Another one of those wolf Tavoo had been sneaking nearer, and was now yapping in surprise, before burning to ashes when the core snapped from intense direct heat. A conversation while trying to move quickly through this area wasn't easy, and not without danger.
"I'll use my powers to protect, not to destroy. Prometheus Flame is a fire that burns to preserve life, not to end it. That's... my way. I just wanted to say that, and I'll probably shut up now. We need an exit from here."

Chatha laughed at Ryoji's comment about wether to choose to destroy or protect. He really was naive about the world of Psyren "Ryoji, in Psyren those words are two sides of the same coin, hell even in the present thats still true. One cannot protect without destroying something. If you wanted to protect your life or even your friend's life agaisnt something in Psyren you would have to destroy it. Even in the present I had to threaten someone with their life just so that they would leave me alone." Chatha said this from experience. It was after his second trip to Psyren, he had made friends with a couple of the other Drifters. All three of them had just awaken their powers, with Chatha being the least confident in his powers. It was on their third trip together that they ran into a group of Tavoo that were different from the rest. They were worm-type Tavoo, quick to move around in the sand, and had killed his friends within minutes of trying to fend them off. He had some how made it back to the present. It was after that incident that he did not use luck and instead started move through Psyren using his head. He quickly improved his ability both when in and out of Psyren.

Coming back to the now, he turned to the two new people who were still awake. "So now onto the important details." Chatha sprea his arms "Everybody welcome to Psyren, formally known as North America. Our goal to reach the exit gate, that is shown to us by the payphone we start at. Once there we are brought back to the present ending the round. Our goal is to keep making it back to the present which in turn lowers the points on our card until it hits zero. When that happens you have completed the game. To see the points you have and the rules of Psyren, just take your calling card and place it on your forehead. I recommend you do this after you get home, and not now." With that said, he faced the direction they were heading in and continued to keep up with Ciro.

A man is entitled to his own beliefs, but there is always a choice

Grana thought to himself, but decided to leave it alone. In life there is always a choice, no matter how bad it looks. Thats what Grana learned from his own experience, not from Psyren but his normal everyday life. That is also one of the things his father told, that he remembers. "A man always has a choice." He holds it dear to him. But decided to let the topic go.

"North America, no way is this North America! This looks like a dessert wastland. Its like no-mans land."

Grana being curious looked at his card, and placedit on his forehead. It read 98 points. Grana put it down. "So I dont know if thats good or bad. You said game Chatha, is this realy supposed to be a game. A game that deals with the lives of others...Either the man who created this game is insane or this is much more then some game..."

(the points might change, I just forgot on how many points u start with in the manga.)

"You and your precious ideals will change after a while. This is North America and the game we play is a life or death one. If you don't want this future you had best be prepared to cast aside morales like 'I won't change' or 'I will never kill' It all becomes troublesome and worthless here. The Tavoo are deadly, their masters are worse. They are the reason this place is like it is. You find Cide to be rash, insane, but is he? Is it so crazy to wish to do what it takes to live? If your family or friends turn on you, would you allow them to kill you just to avoid taking a life? And if you answer yes then, what about the hundreds or thousands they kill? Is their death not on your hands? The norms, and rules of the Present do not work here. Those questions are rhetorical, just think about them." The Drifter continued walking as he spoke, and as he did his tone was inquisitive, curious, not critical or angry. He continued to "carry" Mikoto's body, but it didn't seem to bother him still.

When faced with situations like that one has choice, to either let their family kill them for the sake of love.Or Free their family from what has happened to them, and put them out there mercy. Of course the weak one, would let the family kill them because the lack the strenght to kill them. But It shouldnt be thought about, as killing them. Think about it as doing what is right, not only for you but for others aswell. If a family is willing to kill you, then that is not family not anymore...

Grana started to think about his brother Jacob, and what happened that night. He hurt Grana but of course Jacob was still family. But what would Grana do if Jacob threatend the life of his family, would Grana be merciful. Thats what he was debatting in his head...He had no answer. Grana felt like answering Ciro rhetorical questions, but left it alone. He wanted to find out if this realy was North America or not.

"So I guess, we would be walking in the middle of what right now. New York city, since thats the Empire State building right there." Grana pointed to the building, it was covered in sand and nearly destroyed. But one could still recongize it.

"So I guess this is the future...freaky dont ya think?"

"No. You get desensitized to it after a while, and start thinking of only one thing..." He looked back to Grana and stopped walking. "When you can get the fuck out of this game..." He dropped Mikoto's body rather carelessly from it's low height of five feet. His blue eyes were trained on Grana. "And right about now, I'm thinking you're having doubts about who we-" he motioned to himself and Chatha "are and if we are 'safe' to be around. Maybe you think we're heartless beasts who should be tolerated only until you can seal us away or grant us death, something I myself wouldn't be opposed to. But...if that is true, and that's a big if, why should I let you live?"

He began to sit down and as he sat, the sand rose to form a thick chair. He sat there looking at Torino with stoic eyes. "Why should I let you and Ryoji live if you two may become a threat? I could just kill you, set you up for failure by having you break the rules...Why not do that? Would it not just be so much easier? Would it not be...safer? Obviously, if I believe this...why haven't I killed you yet?" He sat there and just spoke. It was as if this was a casual chat. Maybe Ciro had done this before, and if he had, who was it with and where were they?

"Perhaps deep down, you know we are not threats." Grana said looking right back in Ciro's stoic eyes.

"If you and Cide and even Chatha thought I was a threat, you would have killed me right in that room. But you didnt. And yes I do believe you two are threats, but I have travelled with you this far. So I trust you, of course your actions can be questionable. But who am I to question, experienced drifters who have done this for so long. I know I have no plans on killing or betraying any of you. You should know atleast that much, unless I have given you a reason not to believe that?"

Grana stood actaully wanting to move forward then have a discussion. But from the look on Ciro's eyes he wasnt going to move.

"But you had a choice when you first met me, kill me or let me live. Not only did you let me live, you started training me so I can be prepared for this world. Now why would you do this, if you truly believe I am a threat to you? Cause you know I am not and neither is Ryoji or this guy. So why arent we moving forward?"

Iori's mind, in it's desperate attempt to keep it's understanding of reality logical, had bestowed pleasant dreams upon Iori's rather unnatural period of unconsciousness. The dreams centered around Iori's hope of becoming a professional tennis player. But then, just as Iori was about to be named the champion of Wimbledon, Iori was jolted awake by his sudden descent. Confused, Iori could only groan as he lay on his back, staring at the strangely cloudy sky. "Weird. I could have sworn it was sunny before I.." then, the memories of what had occurred over the last hour or so returned, and he suddenly began to scramble, desperate to reach his feet once more. Once he was back to his feet, Iori looked left and right, with his mussed up hair, wild eyes and trembling flesh, Iori's terror was clear for all to see.


Finally, once he was confident that the monsters that had pursued him were gone, Iori settled down, falling backwards, onto his bottom Iori trembled only more furiously. Taking in the faces of those around him, Iori began to speak rather weakly. "How....you....." he frowned and then, after a few steadying breaths, Iori tried again. "You guys killed those monstrous gorilla things" Iori pointed out "How did you do it?" Iori questioned, his voice suddenly steady as he requested answers. "They've gotta be wizards or psychics or something." Iori thought to himself. As he thought of it he shivered once more, though this time, as he shivered his nose, though he paid it no mind, began to bleed and he felt his head begin to lighten a bit.

Ciro was silent for a moment and kept his face void of feelings. He was smiling inside though. And slowly, very slowly, he let it show. The smile wasn't warm though, it was very cold. It would rival a storm in the middle of the worst of winters. "I like a challenge. Of you challenge are you to me if you can no more shake your wings than use them to fly?" He arched his eyebrow. "Why aren't we moving forward? That's not a group question. That's a personal one..."

He looked at Iori. "Welcome to Hell. And what's your name?" He still didn't move. Why he didn't move remained unknown, but nothing Ciro did was without a point. If one thing was obvious about Psyren, it was that getting called there always had a purpose. If no map was shown, it meant this was not an A to B mission yet. Ciro purposefully ignored the boy's question. It wasn't his place to ask questions yet, especially after he and Chatha went out of their way to save him. As far as he was concerned, they didn't owe him an answer. But he would answer all questions at some point.

"I think I know why you train us, instead of killing us. Even you can't win against the 'masters' of the Tavoo by yourself, am I right?" Ryoji had been silent once more, thinking to himself. Yes, he would be forced to destroy things. The daydreamer knew that. But as long as he destroyed to protect, he could remain himself. Protect his time, protect other Drifters, protect his own life. Not enjoying battle, but doing it out of it being necessary. He was not going to enjoy this - never. Having a power was not without cost. Looking at Ciro with his blue eyes, his gaze was warm, just like his small stile - an extreme opposite to Ciros cold expression that made him look like a personized Devil.
"However, I have no plans to betray anyone, and I think you know that. You have your way to do things here, Ciro, and the same goes for Chatha. And if we want to get out of this game, we'll have to work together at some point." Looking at the just waking up boy, Ryoji instantly thought about himself when he was here at first. Stunned, he had been standing around with a blank mind until the first nosebleeds of emerging PSI started, and without Ciro, he would be dead by now. This new guy reminded him of that.
"You're in Psyren - though hell fits just as good as that, like our leader here said." He didn't care about the fact that this leader didn't want to tell the new guy anything just now, obviously. "You had the dumb idea to use the Call Card, just like we had. And what he used was PSI, the power that lies dormant in the brain of any human - we're all Psychics. And before long... you'll join the club. If you feel light-headed, that's because of that. You can call me Ryoji."

"The personal choice is your own Ciro, you stopped moving." Grana said to Ciro looking at him. He raised an eyebrow, infact he was getting quite annoyed with this. He didnt like when people ask questions that they already knew the answer to.

Ciro knew we was following him, since he has been here so many times. That would be the obvious choice. So if he stops moving, then we dont know where to go. I dont see why thats a personal choice on me...Perhaps he knows something, is going thats why he stopped. Whatever it is, I hope its a good one. From what I have seen so far, these "trips" are completely useless.

Grana rubbed the temples of his head, to ease him down. He took a deep breath and let it out. Then looked at Ryoji as he spoke, who was no threat which Grana knew.

"So why did you stop moving Ciro? im pretty sure you dont like to waist time."

Grana asked him, but this time he wasnt looking at him. He was looking around to see if anything was coming or anytype of clue. He had no problem having a discussion about trust or moral codes, or even ones self. But not in a place like this, shouldnt be having a discussion in the middle of this place.

Ciro looked at Ryoji with those same wintered eyes that he had for Torino. He was silent for a moment before shrugging. "Possibly. It's situational. But there are plenty of others I could have besides you two. I pushed you both to your limits and then some. Would you truly say I am crazy? I'll admit my methods are harsh, but would you say that you're worse because of it? That my teachings did nothing for you?" He arched a brow at Ryoji, and it was obvious the question was asked for him. He knew Torino's thoughts already, but Ryoji was different....stubborn.

He let a chuckle flow from his lips at the next set of his words. This kid was something else. But before him, Torino demanded attention. "Ask yourself this, Torino. Am I really holding you back? You preach about choices and having free will...So use that. Nobody said you had to follow me. You chose to. So now, choose...Will you lead? Or will you follow?" He smiled coyly at him. Pushing buttons was his gift.


He returned his attention to Ryoji and was about to respond when he answered the newly awakened boy's question. A flick of irritability crossed his face before it returned to it's genuine apathetic state. He just chuckled and shook his head. "Naivety is always amusing...Fine then, Mr. Man..." Ciro looked up for a moment and smiled looking back at Ryoji. "Get ready to live up to the standard you set for yourself...Then you can answer all the boy's questions, handing over information freely, and never obtain anything." Ciro smiled a knowing smile. Something was coming, coming big, and he knew it. He could hear it, feel it, he could picture it. "Torino...I look forward to seeing you in action." He smiled warmly. His face suddenly became friendly but it was an eerie friendly. The kind that you might see from people who knew a danger was coming and refused to say a word.

Chatha was no longer listening to the conversation but had instead zoned out, and was looking up ahead. Something felt wrong. Placing Rise in his ears, to increase his hearing, Chatha concentrated, but came up with nothing. He should have felt relived but his only cause him to worry more. He was getting the feeling that something familiar was about to happen, but could not put his finger on it. Releasing his enhached hearing, Chatha walked up to Ciro and whispered to him that he was going to go check ahead. Odds are this would be suspisious to the others, not that Chatha really cared at the moment. Walking away from Ciro, Chatha left the group and disappeared over a nearby sand dune. What was this feeling he was getting. Could this danger zone, be different than the others in Sector B? Whatever it was, Chatha knew it wasn't good.

About ten minutes into his scouting, Chatha noticed some sand move in front of him. Weird, why would sand move, when there is no wind? he asked himself while creating a rifle. It was seconds after Chatha had the rifle in his hand that not one but three worm-type Tavoos emereged from the sand.

"Shit" Was all Chatha was able to say before firing nine shoots, three at each Tavoo, where their body touched the sand, hoping that would buy him some time. Placing Rise in his legs, Chatha made his way back to the sand dune that he had climbed, knowing that the group who still be on the other side. Just as Chatha was coming over the top, the worm Tavoo, appeared behind him ready to strike. Using his right foot, Chatha pushed himself off while turing his body towards the Tavoo, firing as many shots as he could get off, which was twelve in total, before landing on his knees and sliding down the sand dune still facing the Tavoo.

Grana looking around still heard Ciro's words, "And I have chosen to stay. It would be foolish of me to travel out here alone. I will not let my pride, stop me from seeing the smartest choice."

Then he heard Ciro speak. "Torino I look forward to seeing you in action."
This made Grana raise an eyebrow.

Grana started to use sence rise in his ears, when Chatha left to hear if things were going ok. He heard firing, and only figured one thing. He used rise on his sight and saw Chatha facing three worm like Tavoo. His heart started to beat, tremendously. "Ok Grana they are not bugs..." He whispered to himself, so no one would hear.

He thought about the sitaution, then in a blink he was off heading towards Chatha the only thing left was the sand that lifted off his feet where he was standing. He was using rise the fastest he had ever used it before, moving at speeds equal to Chatha and Ciro if not faster. He dashed right past Chatha, who was firing his shots freezing parts of the worms. With one good jump Grana was high into the air, facing the center worm. His fist was pulsing with green energy, he was storing up ever since he heard Chatha's shots.

He looked at the worm in mid-air. "Soul Purge!" He released his attack on the worms head. The force of power sent Grana back into the air and the worm's skin began to crack. He didnt hit its core but the Worm's skin was cracking and breaking It most likely wasnt getting back up, Grana dashed towards it and crushed its core with a kick. He used that kick to bring himself back into the air.

Grana still in the air, turned his body and prepared to land a heel kick on the second worm. He released another soul purge from his foot, making even more cracks on this worm then other. Grana landed on the floor, but quickly used rise to jump back up punching the worm's core releasing another soul purge. The worm landed back, and Grana landed right beside it. His fist releasing green sparks, there was one worm left.

"Chatha! you got that one?!" he yelled over to him. Grana's heart was beating fast, but he wasnt near tired. He just never had a fight like that.

I wonder if thats why Ciro stopped moving?

"We'll see, Ciro. Everyone has their own way about things, and I am indebted to you. The training was hell, but without it, I would be dead by now. Without Rise, those wolves alone would've been enough to rip me to shreds." Ryoji still had that truely friendly face - a face you didn't expect in Psyren. It seemed almost as out of place as Ciros smile towards Torino. Even though he knew how much stronger than him Ciro was, the boy was still nice towards him, friendly, and acted like he was just anohter type of friend. In fact, it was maybe the strangest thing about the Drifter.
Of course, Ciro also knew that Ryoji could get cocky and annoyed when he had to fight, quite easily, in fact - while Ryo knew that Ciro had this homocidal side to him, the killer he was, and the frightening power Noir could unleash. A power that was more destructive than his own flames.
"Information that helps people to stay alive is something I'll gladly-" the boy couldn't finish his sentence, as, in the distance, first shots where heard, and Grana dashed off. With a quick look, Ryoji saw the 'things' - worm-Tavoo. This was quite reminding of his first trip to Psyren - but those worms where bigger, and longer. Not good. The nice smile suddenly changed into a more serious expression, as the Burst inside of his mind was activated, and the Prometheus Flame wanted out.
"We should continue this AFTER saving our skins. However, I want to prove something to you. I am..." The ground right behind the newcomer began to break open, but he was quickly pushed to the side. Ryoji was staring right into the giant mouth of a worm-Tavoo.
"Not weak." Summoning two of his fire-blades, called Dragon Teeth, at the same time, and slashing through, the worm backed off, light ablaze. His core seemed to still be underground, though, and the fire wasn't spreading quickly enough to go down that far. Jumping above the worm, Ryoji snapped the fingers on both of his hands, sending down a double fire cone into the pained worms mouth that tried to bury itself underground again. Landing behind the hole the worm made, it turned into ash. Suddenly, the wind in the area started to pick up again, shaking through the clothes of Ryoji, blowing all the dust he had gathered once more away. His skin still looked just as pale as before, though. Holding his scarf with one hand, Ryoji closed his eyes and tried to sense the other worm-Tavoos that surely were around here somewhere, searching for PSI-Signatures. He couldn't use his actual hearing, since he had no way of amplyfing it.

Iori's shivers had ceased but though his outer flesh had ceased it's incessant trembling, he found that his stomach was lurching quite violently, and it caused him to double over as the uncomfortable sensation persisted. Suddenly, something rose from his throat and Iori jumped to his feet only to bend at the hip as he spewed half digested foods and bile all over the sandy floor where he had been sitting but moments before. As the world seemed to swim around him, Iori reached out, expecting for his hand to hit something solid enough that it would support him. Unfortunately, all Iori got was a handful of air so he ended up falling straight to the ground with a thump and a groan of pain. Clutching at his stomach, Iori stared dead ahead, disregarding the group that had saved him.


After the spasms in his stomach had passed, after how long not even Iori was certain, Iori got to his shaky knees and sat on a chunk of cement, his burning hot face in his hands as he stared through his spread fingers at the ground beneath him. Gasping for breath, Iori looked up, having just remembered that the stranger with the bad attitude but creative language had asked him about his identity. "I'm....Mikoto Iori" he whispered, his voice shaky and soft, but carrying, mostly because Iori was not certain he could say it again if need be. Falling backwards, Iori straightened out on the flat piece of cement, his eyes closed and his body burning up with a fever he was not sure how he had gotten.

"God..." he whispered, a tear streaked down his face as he spoke "I just want to go home" and then the tear was followed by others and Iori was out bawling, his mewls of fear and suffering having turned into sobs separated only by his sniffles as he attempted to drag tendril after tendril of his mucus back into his nostrils.

Ciro just sat there and smiled as those who spoke, spoke. He ignored Chatha's running off as he was sure he sensed what he, Ciro, did. His dark eyes fixed on the boys before him. All of them new to this game, and all of them with a past to shape who they were. He wondered what kind of power this new kid would have. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when Chatha returned with company. "Fucking...Seriously Chatha?! You're the THIRD PERSON to bring this crap back with them..." He sighed and dropped his head. He was so tired of Tavoo....

The boy sat there though all the same and decided to observe. When a worm made a dive at him he raised his force field two feet around his body. The worm crashed into it and was flung back and burrowed underground somewhere. He looked at Iori to see what the new boy would do. Would he watch in awe as Chatha, Ryoji, and Tori did their part? Or would he try to defend himself? Ciro hopped it would be the latter but he was dead wrong. The boy actually cried. Ciro couldn't help but stare at him. "Seriously? Are you really crying? Look um...Mikoto...You don't have a choice now...No...You do.'

Ciro extended his barrier to include Iori and held out his hand. He crafted a sand dagger with his telekinetic ability and willed it to land in front of the crying boy. "You can stick with us. Learn about what you are now, this place, learn about your power and how to use it. You can grow strong and overcome any in your ass. OR...you can take that dagger and kill yourself...The choice is yours. Personally? I'd pick the first option. And feel special...I didn't offer this to those two. I personally oversaw Torino's training...or at least a good portion of it. And Ryoji...well...I'll take partial credit for getting him to this stage." Ciro smiled. He was oblivious to everything around him. Cide took notice of Ryoji who so desperately tried to prove he wasn't worthless. Cide had to admit it, the kid had spunk. He wanted something and nothing was going to stop Ryoji.

Iori's cries soon turned into howls, his hysteria only adding to the mix of crazed emotions and thoughts that ran through his head and out his eyes. The crying was helping. Despite the fact that it was creating noise that would probably attract more of the creatures, Iori could not stop, he couldn't stop the emotional overflow that was helping him balance what was going on within his head. Battling a fever, desperate to understand what was going on, lost, battered, bruised, tired and homesick, Iori might as well have been transported directly into his grave. It was only when the sound of other conversations died away that Iori's howls began to die out long enough for him to hear. Taking his hands away from his eyes after a few final wipes, Iori turned to look at the man who had two names.


As the knife floated Iori couldn't help but twitch in fear. "Psychic. Definitely. Not like those other monsters. This is just like the stuff you read in Shounen Manga" Iori thought to himself, and the thought of Shounen Manga got him thinking of Japan, and the thought sent a shard of burning hot glass into his chest, making him wince. In the middle of Ciro's sentence, at the part of the statement where he proposed that Iori kill himself, Iori felt like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. The thought of killing himself seemed attractive, almost intoxicating. Licking his lips, Iori extended his trembling hand, his fingers were shaking so bad that he nearly dropped the knife as he curled his digits around the handle. Staring at the knife, a memory burst into Iori's mind, like some sort of cerebral firework.


In his memory, Iori was at the table as a child, around the age of ten or so, and his mother was cutting some sort of vegetable. Iori, having been a clumsy child, had knocked over a glass, causing it to shatter across the kitchen floor, and it drew a startled reaction from his mother. She had cut her thumb, and as she stared at it, Iori had leaped from his position at the table before placing the bleeding thumb into his mouth. At first reacting with startled frustration Iori's mother came to understand that it was the only thing Iori could think of when it came to treating wounds and so she had kissed him tenderly, upon his forehead. The feeling of his mother's lips against his forehead had elicited a blush from Iori and he had strolled away, intent on getting the broom to sweep up the mess he had caused with the broken glass as his mother fussed over it. It was there that the memory began to fade.


As Iori seemed to come back to the real world from his rather vivid reminiscing, he felt only the heat of his fever and he got to his shaky feet, his fever reeking havoc with his sense of balance. Iori tightened his grip on the knife, but his gaze was long off the blade, instead he stared at the man who had been identified as both Ciro and Cide by his companions. "Sorry" Iori whispered, dawning a rickety smile that he hoped was confident but actually looked more like barely contained insanity "But I'm going to keep this knife. You guys have super powers, I need something too" he justified in a joking tone. "Also" Iori began, and he bowed deeply, falling to his knees before he dipped his head low, so close to the ground that his hair actually skimmed it. He looked like some sort of demented turtle, but in Japan, it was one of the most respectful bows one could perform. "Please. You mentioned teaching those other men and that I had power. Please, teach me to utilize my power so I can return to my mother" Iori requested with a look of determination that would make action movie film stars jealous.

Ciro smiled as he watched the boy's reaction. The desire, the will, the longing, it was all so clear to him. He wanted out of this Hell called Psyren, he wanted to be rid of it all. As his hand became outstretched to take hold of the sand dagger Ciro couldn't help but smile even more. He tilted his head a bit as his eyes glazed over. He was gone, he wasn't thinking about suicide anymore. Ciro frowned a bit. He waited until the boy was done having his "moment"

We could just kill him now. Be rid of his whiny body...Nobody here would blame us. How could they? Torino is as loyal as a puppy, Ryoji would be mad but he'd get over it after a lovely chat, and Chatha...well I doubt Chatha would even care enough to say anything. What do you say, cher? Shall I have my beloved Noir end it all? Be free of this cry-baby? Look for a new Drifter, one who can handle pressure? Cide's voice rang inside of Ciro's head and it was so tempting. But he shook his head. No...We'll see where this goes. He might be more useful than we give him credit for... Cide sighed dramatically and Ciro knew he'd be rolling his eyes. Cide was quiet though, he said nothing.

Ciro looked at the barrier around them, though it was invisible he knew it's shape and range, and looked passed it to see the attacking Tavoo. The worm continued to crash into the barrier, and every time it got flung back. Bruises began appearing on it's head. He shook his head. "Idiots..." He looked back to Mikoto as he came to. He gripped the dagger and Ciro arched a brow. But then he began speaking. Ciro shrugged and smiled. "Fine...But I have one rule and one rule only. We do shit MY way...Don't like it? Then leave." He snapped and the dagger fell apart in Iori's hand. "Fight with YOUR power, not someone else's. I'm not heartless...most of the time....though, so don't worry about these guys. A dagger would help you kill them about as much as a feather hat would stop a raging robot..." He looked at the final worm as it charged again.

The telekinetic dropped his barrier. He used Disruption to influence the area around him. His chair began to lift up and so would Iori. The worm kept coming and Ciro smiled. He held out his hand and a large rock lifted up. He broke apart some of it to form a long and sharp spear. Just before the worm got locked up with the Disruption field he launched the spear to penetrate it's Illumina Core. The worm stopped, turned to dust, and Ciro shook his head. "Worthless trash...not even a struggle..." He released Disruption and him as well as Iori dropped the ten feet drop. It didn't seem to phase Ciro even if he was just sitting there.

He stood up and the chair fell apart. "Well, let's keep moving. Telephone booth is over yonder." He said it as if it was a fact, and it was. He walked casually forward. He hummed to himself silently as if everything had gone according to plan. In truth, none of this was planned out, he was just pleased with the turn out of things. But they didn't have to know that.

"I guess not then." Grana didnt wait that long for Chatha to respond, but it was a fight how long was he supposed to. Grana dashed towards the last Tavoo worm, and punched it hard across the jaw. He then kicked it high before it could get away, and destoyed its core with his next attack.

He landed down on the sand, with slight breathing. He looked up into the air, and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He spit on the sand, some of it got in his mouth. "I really hate bugs..."

He started walking back towards the group.

Ciro smiled back at Grana. "They're worms not bugs. I can show you bug Tavoo one day if you want me too." Ciro manipulated the sands to create a swarm of buzzing bees to hover around Grana. The telekinetic laughed lightheartedly at this and turned his now soft face to Ryoji. "I suppose you're not half as worthless as I thought. Glad to see my training and that of Dai's paid off...Cide might actually grow to fear you."


Fat chance, Ciro! Why the hell would I fear a wuss like him?! So he took down a worm big deal. I've slaughtered hundreds more powerful than a stupid ass worm!

Ciro ignored Cide and turned his attention onto the newest member of the pack. "And you...Where to start...Oh geez...If you really want to learn more, I CAN help you. But it's not me who is going to unlock your powers, it's you. It's not me who has to have the will, it's you. And it's not me who really cares if you live or die, it's you. I can provide you with the path to be strong, but it's you who has to choose where that path leads you." He pointed to Torino. "Just don't turn out like him, and we might get you to live through the month!" He smiled teasingly at Torino and turned on his heels.

He walked a few more feet over a large dune and pointed down. "Telephone and target right there. Come come. Let's go home...Oh. And as far as how I know it's there, I scouted this area before a while ago." Ciro slid down the dune on a large rock and jumped off as it crashed into the bottom. "See you in the past..." He inserted his card, picked up the phone, and was gone...


:: EXIT ::