My name is Gael, and for more than half of my fleeting life, I have served as the Elemental Master of the Gatekeepers—or "heroes", as the good people of Elthrea would sometimes call us.

I suppose those folks meant it as a compliment, even though I personally do not find that designation flattering. After all, my first and primary goal of becoming a Gatekeeper was not to gain exalted monikers or earn the applaud of others. At that time, I simply wished to make the world a better place.

But twenty years have passed since I have joined the Gatekeepers, and the world is not a better place. Every now and then, I still hear news of entire cities being obliterated by Distortions, and my fellow Gatekeepers dying to the Anomalies that caused it. On a worse day, I might hear a report of a Gatekeeper being possessed by an Anomaly, and what is left of his or her team being unable to function—usually temporarily, but sometimes permanently—after having to slay their own comrades. 

It's the same old story that has marked the motions of life since time immemorial, and it is the same story—I'm sure—that Klaus Yeager, our Chief of Logistics, will impart once he's finished crossing the distance between the door to our office and my desk.

"I hope you're not too busy at the moment, Rubrene. But Lennard is having some trouble with the Mirage Anomaly at Allegro, so we need you to help out over there." As expected, Klaus's arrival only brought news of trouble. The bland monotone of his delivery was, likewise, emblematic of this grind.

"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm not busy, Klaus. I still haven't finished the report for the last mission that you have been pestering me to complete." I flicked my thumb towards the sheaves of papers scattered across my benchtop. They have not been touched since the last time Klaus requested me for a progress update. "How urgent is the situation in Allegro anyway? Because having 'some trouble' with Anomalies is part of our job description, and if the base have to send aid to every Gatekeeper who is experiencing 'some trouble', we'd need to double our forces, don't you think? Maybe even triple."

The Logistician's countenance remained impassive, but the twitch on his shoulder betrayed his likely desire to throttle me for that flippant response (and, presumbaly, being reminded of my late report). He might have gotten away with it too, with his father being the Head of the Gatekeepers and all. Fortunately, the Logistician's obsession with keeping order at base prevented him from violating the Gatekeeper's Code of Conduct, so I needn't fear that Klaus would retaliate to the annoyances I often cause him with bodily harm.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do I have to come flailing and screaming about our comrades' troubles with Anomalies to make them sound more urgent to you?" I tried to suppress a laughter at the mental image of our immaculate Logistician flapping his limbs about while crying like a lunatic, although the deepening frown between Klaus's dark brows signaled that I was not successful in that endeavour.

Neverthelesss, it's probably a bad idea to continue provoking the man, so I quickly rise from my seat, tugging at the frayed strap of my old satchel as I circle around the desk. "Alright then. If it's so urgent, I hope you've prepared a decent transport. Anything else I need to know about the situation in Allegro before I leave?"

"You'll find out when you get there," came Klaus's frigid reply. I suppose he's unwilling to waste any more of his precious time dealing with me than necessary. "Now go. Rhyton and his drake have been waiting at the bay since five minutes ago."

I rolled my eyes at that last remark. Klaus might consider tardiness as a Gatekeeper's cardinal sin; but knowing Charles Rhyton, he'd probably be more disappointed that I didn't make him wait even longer.

And I was right. When I got to the Lepton Bay—stretching just outside our Diamane Base's West Wing, and overlooking the Valent Sea—there was Charles, draped over Lugh's back like a dish rag hanging on a clothesline, seemingly unmotivated to even be alive.

It took three hard proddings at Charles's forearm to arouse the Dragon Rider from his listlessness, and then a few more fiddling around with Lugh's saddle to find a comfortable sitting position, before we were finally ready to leave the isle and fly eastwards to the Lapis Peninsula of the mainland.

Grasping onto Lugh's back ridges until I could feel my knuckles twinge, I brace myself for a world of pain. Travel had always been my least favorite part of field missions. Spending even just two minutes being battered by the frosty air while rocked about on top of Lugh's hard scales is still two minutes too long.

But eventually, the deafening howl died down, and the gentle thud beneath us signaled that we were finally back on solid ground

"Alright, Rubrene, we're here." Through the wheezing in my ears, I could hear Charles announce our arrival with the enthusiasm of a man who had been ordered to watch grass grow.

"Would it hurt you to drop me off a little closer to the actual destination, Charles?" I grumbled, once my vision cleared enough to realize that we've landed about two thousand yards away from Allegro.

Charles shook his head vigorously. "No can do. I don't want to risk having Lugh possessed by that Anomaly, and neither do you."

I frowned. Charles's excuse was, admittedly, quite reasonable. An Anomaly that managed to possess another creature would be able to use its host's powers in addition to its own unique Distortion effects, and fighting a dragon with Anomalous powers was definitely not something I look forward to. But still…

"There's still no evidence that all those cases of rampaging animal attacks were due to Anomaly possession, you know," I shot back, hoping that this would convince the Dragon Rider to fly me closer to where I'm supposed to be. "And even if Sir Sylvaron's hypothesis that animals are more susceptible to Anomaly possession is true, I doubt a Mirage Anomaly would be powerful enough to possess a dragon."

"If that's the case, the possibility that it would do any serious damage while you walk there is also very slim, so what's your problem?" Charles responded with a shrug, and before I could open my mouth again to argue, Lugh had twisted his torso sideways to throw me off his back. The dragon and its rider took off the moment they were free of me, and disappeared behind the clouds within a few seconds.

Charles should really find another job.

I probably should too.

But I dammed the doubts and regrets over my life choices as I walked past the long stretches of green pastures that Lapis is best known for. The wild goats calmly grazing on the grass seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the very fabric of reality was being torn apart in the town nearby.

It took me almost half an hour, but I finally reached Allegro. The towering city gate was unguarded, and I walked down an empty cobblestone street, passing tall, uninhabited buildings along the road.

It seemed that the usually bustling town had been completely evacuated. However, aside from the crystalline spires that broke out from the roads and several building structures, I saw no sign of the Mirage Anomaly that was supposedly menacing this place. The Gatekeeper sent to deal with the problem three days ago, Lennard, was staring at one of the glass-like pillars protruding in the middle of town square, where the Distortion effects were most concentrated. Clearly, the very image of urgency.

"So, Lennard. What's the problem here? It's only a Mirage Anomaly. You shouldn't be—"

"Hi, are you Gael Rubrene?"

I stopped on my tracks. A small waif, about twenty years in age, suddenly emerged from behind Lennard, staring at me with a pair of large, silvery-gray eyes.

"Er, who is this? Your daughter?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. It was a stupid question, of course. No sensible Gatekeeper would bring their friends or relatives into the battlefield, and the girl—with her willowy, auburn hair and fair complexion—doesn't even resemble Lennard and his (now graying) red spikes and tanned skin.

The girl immediately responded with a laugh, so bright and carefree, that I was momentarily lulled from the fact that we're in the middle of a theater of war. It was very unsettling.

"Obviously not. She's a new recruit. Her name is Celestine Alcott…" Lennard's awkward glance vascillated between me and the strange girl, before his expectant gaze finally settled on me. I shifted my own towards the crystalline tower he was inspecting, and broke off a piece of the stone for later study.

"I didn't know you also babysit new trainees, Lennard. But I hope this is not the reason you requested 'reinforcements' from the base." Having to look after another Gatekeeper—especially an inexperienced one—is not a responsibility I'd trust myself with. "So, what are her abilities?"

"Well, that's the thing, Rubrene. No one knows. She's been infused with the ammolite spellstone, but her powers hasn't manifested yet, so—"

"Hold it. Why did you bring her here then?" I interrupted, barely managing to contain my indignation. It's not Lennard's doing, of course, but to send someone who is basically a civilian into a field mission is extremely irresponsible—even if it's just to take down a Mirage Anomaly.

"Regardless, I suppose it's good to finally meet a kindred spirit." I tried to soften my tone as I gave the enigmatic new recruit another glance over. She's the only other Gatekeeper I know that has a compatibility with the ammolite spellstone.

"That's right. What kind of powers can the ammolite spellstone grant its users, anyway?" The girl inserted herself into the conversation like a rudder cleaving through the waves. "The Personnel Development sent me here, hoping that an exposure to the Anomaly would trigger my abilities, but they still wouldn't come out. Do you have any ideas why? And how did yours appear? Show me, show me."

I goggled at the diminutive ball of enthusiasm for several seconds. Then I closed my eyes and counted one to ten. I'd sooner deal with a Grand Anomaly than this barrage of insolent questions and requests. "I'll tell you later," I finally told the new recruit, before turning back to Lennard. "Where is that Anomaly anyway? It's been really quiet so far."

The other man ran a hand through his own hair sheepishly. "As embarrassing it is to admit, we've lost track of it. One moment we were trying to contain the Distortions it was causing, and the next, it's gone. Like it never existed in the first place."

Well, this is new. Anomalies don't just suddenly disappear like that. And, as tempting as it is to declare that the danger is gone, and the mission is clear, unexplained phenomena such as this could lead to worse problems in the future. "How, exactly?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking for assistance, would I?"

"Fair enough. So, did you notice anything unusual when the Anomaly went kaput?"

"Afraid not. Was too busy focusing on the battle, you know."

I shook my head in exasperation and began walking towards the eastern part of the city, while the other two left for the western sector, to look for anything that might clue us in on what had happened. However, without knowing what exactly we're supposed to be looking for, I'm not confident about our chances of success.

I strolled through the alley leading to the Old Town district and peeked into a couple of small, quaint cottages—constructed in an older era before they began combining residential houses and commercial functions into giant buildings—while holding out my Aural Compass to check for anomalous activities. However, aside from the crystal-shaped distortions, I saw nothing out of ordinary.

Soon, the sun began to set, casting an orange tint onto everything under it, and the realization that I might have to spend the night—and perhaps the next few days—in this place began to dawn on me. Hopefully, the fact that Klaus didn't send provisions when he despatched me to Allegro meant that Lennard had brought enough for the three of us to survive this mission, but I needed to make sure.

I had barely moved a few steps when a dark blur suddenly whooshed past, smashing me into the nearby building. Alarm bells started ringing as my right shoulder exploded with pain. I quickly forced myself to limp back to the town square, where I saw Lennard and the new recruit were already waiting.

"Hey, did you two see that bla—" I began to ask, but the words stumbled back into my throat as a bizarre hum proceeded from Lennard's direction. "Lennard…?"

The Kinetics Expert turned to my call, but he was no longer the comrade-in-arms I once knew. His sclera has turned black, and his pupils blazed like a fiery furnace—a definite sign of an Anomaly possession.

Well, damn.

This is going to suck.