-RUNE-

Kevlon nearly fell over, astonished.

"Rokada?" he said. "As in the Heroes Council member?"

"Yes. He just up and vanished this past Monday."

Rokada was widely known as one of the strongest heroes on Vandar, so for him to just vanish like this was certainly uncalled for. "We have no intel on his location?"

"I'm afraid not. He was last seen entering his room in this tower on Monday. Then he just disappeared."

"And what are you doing to find him?"

"I'll send out a search team. That should be enough."

Kevlon, obviously angered by this answer, slammed his fist down on the wood table. He still remained the only one standing, facing the rest of the seated council. "Damn it, Fayre, this isn't a laughing matter. We're talking about one of the world's greatest heroes here. One puny search team won't even come close to the required manpower needed for this investigation."

Fayre, taken aback by Kevlon's attitude, stood up so she was at eye level with him. She began to yell back in response. "As a member of this council, I feel that each of us, while powerful, is responsible for their own safety. You said it yourself! We are the strongest heroes, are we not? Rokada can find his own way back to Hero Tower. If not, then he may consider himself replaced." she eased off slightly. "Is that understood?" Kevlon sort of stood there for a moment. She repeated herself, louder and more intensely this time. "Is that understood?!"

Kevlon squinted a bit, then walked out of the room. As he exited, he spoke. "If you truly have that little respect for anyone else on this council, then maybe you don't deserve a spot on it yourself." He rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. 'What a bitch!' he thought to himself. He returned to his quarters.

As he sat on his bed, he looked out over the rural wasteland below. The asteroid had caused a phenomena called an "impact winter", where the dust in the atmosphere blocked sunlight, cooling the planet temporarily. This only lasted about a decade, though, before all the waste from the air fell back down to Vandar's surface, creating not only a disgusting landscape, but a dangerous one at that.

Out of his window, Kevlon could see the dirtied planet thousands of feet beneath him. He wondered if Rokada was out there somewhere.

His question was soon answered, however, when he heard a voice from behind him.

"You know, Kevlon, looking out at the dreary world out there will get you nothing."

Kevlon spun his head around to find Rokada leaning against his doorframe, arms crossed.

"Rokada?" he asked. "Where have you been?"

The hero stood straight up, beginning to walk towards the window as he spoke. "That shouldn't concern you," he said, staring out through the glass panels. "All you need to know is that I don't need any rescuing."

Kevlon was still in shock that the disappearing hero was standing in his room. "Are you staying here?"

"No. I have other business to attend to. But know that I'm fine on my own. Farewell."

Before he could even blink, something appeared on the window. Kevlon quickly noticed its nature as it started beeping and flashing. He threw himself to the ground, but it didn't matter. The force of the explosion pushed him towards the inside wall of his quarters. By the time he got back to his feet, it was too late.

Rokada had vanished once again.