Chapter 280

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> *Rei and I were partners.*
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*- Kuyo*

This is the 280th episode of *unORDINARY*.

## Synopsis

Remi presses on, asking Kuyo what he knows about Rei and his killer, Volcan. Taken aback, Kuyo asks how Remi knows the name, and why Blyke and Isen seem familiar with the matter. Remi does not let him sidestep the question, and demands he answer about what he was doing when Rei died. With a sigh, Kuyo admits that he was indeed present. Outraged, Remi's next line of inquiry revolves around how Kuyo could bear to live with himself after leaving his best friend's body, allowing public leaders to tarnish his legacy. Kuyo replies that if he hadn't left, there would have been *two* bodies in that alleyway. They had lingered around Rei's corpse, ensuring that it didn't go anywhere. Isen asks what "they" have to do with Volcan. Kuyo shocks the students by revealing that there was more than one EMBER operative that night. Remi asks for the whole story. Kuyo explains that he was partners with Rei during his X-Static days.

*Their work primarily revolved around the mysterious ability-amplifiers that brought about unrest in the low-tier districts. The drugs in question drove gangs to wage war for the chance to obtain them. X-Static and "Ponytail" came across one victim of such a conflict, and found a vial of the stuff on his person. X\_Static wondered if the man's murderer had planted it. The duo, aware of EMBER's hand in this crisis, were surprised when one of their operatives approached them. Any notion that this fellow might also be a vigilante is quickly put to rest when he ignites his claws and moves in for the kill.*

*The crime-fighters barely reacted in time and activated their own abilities in self-defense. Ponytail was unable to land a hit on their nimble adversary, but X-Static was able to execute an acrobatic maneuver in order to get behind the operative and tase him. They deduced that injuries on the victim were the handiwork of this criminal's ability. But before they could question him, X-Static was dealt a major blow by their opponent's accomplice: Volcan.*

*Ponytail was driven back by Volcan's relentless barrage. Having wounded and separated the vigilantes, the EMBER operatives regrouped. Volcan's partner noticed X-Static struggling to get back up, so he sunk his burning claws in his back in order to keep him down. Incensed, Ponytail tried to save his partner, despite X-Static urging him to save himself. But he proved no match for EMBER's forces. In a last-ditch effort to save Kuyo, Rei used the remainder of his strength to grab onto their adversaries and charge up his strongest attack. Before the end, he asked his friend to take care of himself. A gigantic lightning bolt crashed down on Rei and both EMBER operatives.*

Kuyo finishes by saying that when he later went back to the scene in order to find a trace of EMBER's handiwork, he only found that both Volcan and her partner were unscathed by Rei's final blow. In no shape to do anything about the dire situation, he left. Isen and Blyke remain silent, awaiting Remi's reaction. Kuyo offers his condolences and apologizes for failing her brother so horribly. Remi replies that she's grateful to finally have some closure. She then extends an offer to Kuyo: she provide the help he's been looking for on the missing persons cases, if he helps her settle the score with Rei's killers.

## Appearing Characters

* Remi
* Kuyo
* Blyke
* Isen
* Gang War Casualty (flashback)
* X-Static (flashback)
* "***Brims***" (flashback)
* Volcan (flashback)

## Appearing Abilities

* Flame Claw (flashback)
* *Conjure: Blades* (flashback)
* Lightning (flashback)
* Regeneration (flashback, possibly)