[??? | Antarctic | Several Hours]
"Gah…!"
Hundreds of meters from the area of conflict, Noah gasped out for air as his body was finally able to move again, holding his throat as sweat left his pores from the intense encounter.
"...I'm alive…" He remarked.
Standing in front of him with a small smile was the azure-haired companion of his, "Thanks to me, of course."
"Yeah…thanks," Noah said, returning to his feet, "Still, why'd you show up?"
Leaning against a pile of solid snow, Yukio retrieved a small badge from his pocket, tossing it over to Noah, who caught it.
It was a tiny retriever, only made to relay signals, which led Noah to be perplexed by what its meaning was to his question before realizing.
"...Asiimov's distress signal," Noah deduced.
"Yup," Yukio said, "I'm technically a Sentinel still–well, after that stunt, I'm as wanted by them as you, but I was shown that signal, too. I realized you'd succeeded in defeating Asiimov, then realized what that meant when I remembered what the distress signal was for in the first place. Figured you'd need a hand."
"Yeah," Noah minimally responded.
They were far enough not to be detected, but it was definitely not somewhere Noah nor Yukio felt like sticking around with the presence of all ten Sentinels nearby in the apathetic tundra.
"Anyway, I'm sure you've realized it now, but the Sentinels are no joke," Yukio said.
"You can say that again. Thanks for the warning, by the way–wish you would've told me Asiimov was that capable," he replied.
"Ha-ha!" Yukio laughed, "I did warn you, though. Anyway, let's head back home–or well, for now."
"What do you mean?" Noah asked.
"We can save that for later. I mean it though, let's get out of here. If we stick around too long, they'll catch on, then we'll seriously be toast," Yukio insisted with a laugh.
It was certainly something he could agree with after experiencing the terrifying, mysterious power held by Elias as he nodded and put his hand on the azure-haired, Japanese man's shoulder.
"You need a proper, clear sight in order to warp right?" Yukio asked.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Just a hunch," Yukio smiled, gently pressing his fingertip against Noah's forehead, "Here."
Temporarily overwriting Noah's vision was a clear view of his neighborhood and his home, in complete detail. This was enough of a catalyst for his ability, allowing him to safely teleport.
["Spatial Warp"]
In an instant, they both vanished from the bitter Antarctic, traversing the world before reappearing in the backyard of Noah's home.
The shift in temperature was jarring, going from the frostbite-inducing cold to the warm, soothing temperature of California autumn, surrounded by a lush backyard and yellow-leaved trees.
"Your teleportation is way better than mine, I'm jealous," Yukio chuckled, looking around.
"Whatever," Noah said, heading inside.
As he walked in through the backdoor of his home, he looked around, making sure nobody was home or that specifically, no unwelcome visitors had forced their way in.
BUZZ. BUZZ.
He had almost forgotten about his friends and multiple girls, who happened to be friends. After returning to his hometown, his phone signal returned as he found himself flooded with messages, responding to them orderly.
Just as he finished smooth-talking multiple girls and reassuring Emily he was alright, along with finding a host of messages from Miguel for dating advice, he heard the rattle of a chip bag behind him.
As he turned around, he saw Yukio with his legs kicked up on the kitchen table, opening a bag of chips from his own kitchen pantry and digging in without any shame.
"Seriously, dude?" Noah raised an eyebrow.
Yukio looked at him, responding while chewing, "What? I used a lot of energy saving your ass, man."
"Whatever," Noah shook his head with a sigh, "What were you talking about earlier, anyway? If I had to guess…You're thinking I should relocate."
"Bingo," Yukio pointed to him with a mouthful of chips, swallowing them before continuing, "The Sentinels already know you live here. After what you did to one of their own, they'll strike with impunity. Even with the both of us, I don't think it'll end pretty–not with Elias around."
That much seemed true after experiencing firsthand what sort of power was held by Elias as Noah pondered it, sitting down across from Yukio at the table.
"What was that ability, anyway? It was like anything he said invoked an 'absolute' command–my body responded to his words against my own will," Noah asked.
Yukio finished off the bag of cheese-powdered chips, crunching up the bag and tossing it to the garbage bin, "It's as you've guessed: Elias' words can twist reality. Nobody knows how his System grew to such a state as he was already in the nineties when the current Sentinels were formed."
"He wasn't affected by my time-stop…How is that a part of his system?" Noah asked.
"That…I don't know," Yukio said, "Sorry, I wish I did. To be honest, Elias is the main reason I was stuck obeying the Sentinels. One word and he could end my life just like–that."
Representing the severity of the man's power, Yukio snapped his fingers in tandem with that last word before leaning against the table, ruffling his own azure tufts.
"That's why it'd be best to relocate. You'll never be able to lower your guard for a second if you stay in this city. Think about it: with the combination of our abilities, it'd be easy as cake to stay under the radar," Yukio suggested.
"I won't," Noah sternly answered.
"--" Yukio looked at him as if he had a screw loose, "Did you…hear anything of what I just said? Maybe the part where Elias could kill us with a word? 'Cause to me, that's good enough of a reason to hike it across the globe."
"I–" Noah opened his mouth to respond before being interrupted.
DING-DONG.
Amidst their conversation, the doorbell rang, taking both of the cautious, tired individuals by surprise.
"Expecting anybody?" Yukio asked.
"...No," Noah replied, slowly getting up as he approached the front door.
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