《The AKP Diaries》 Chapter 0: Prologue Once upon a time¡­ ...No. These tales are not works of fiction. Everything in this novel is a legitimate fact. These are not fairytales, nor epics, nor fantasies. These are¡­ THE AKP DIARIES In the prospering continent of Gihen, five great nations bearing inhuman abilities waged war against one another in hopes of conquering the land. To the east lay the first recorded kingdom to have ever existed - the nation of Latrium. King Josiah Trugo once commanded over the united lands before the people dispersed, going on to form their own nations in disapproval of his rule. To this day, Josiah continues to lay his claim as the supreme monarch of Gihen, though the people would say otherwise. Ruling over the snowy northern lands was Queen Cleo Osiris of Duratus. The powerful queen commanded soldiers who used the cold environment to their advantage, luring foreign invaders into ice-cold pits to freeze to their death. Though Duratus¡¯ defense was impeccable, it could not expand much further than the north due to the soldiers being accustomed to the everwinter environment. Their conquest south proved to be futile as they were forced to retreat under the hands of the western beasts. King Gaius Vernox commanded the mighty warriors of the western nation, Bestia. Together with his brothers, the king spread his terror all over Gihen as he and his army ruthlessly decimated everything in their path, adversary or not. Their seemingly unstoppable conquest, however, would eventually be thwarted under the rise of a temporary alliance. Gladiore Winters was a former general who defected to the south to build his own kingdom, Infernum. King Gladiore sought a vision that differed from his former nation, leading to his untimely defection during the peak of the war. Though his defection would not be forgotten, it would ultimately go unpunished as he forms a temporary alliance with the central kingdom. In the heart of Gihen was the kingdom of Esper, ruled by the usurper Augustus Pluto. Augustus did not take Gladiore¡¯s betrayal lightly, though he was eventually convinced by several parties to participate in a temporary alliance to take down Bestia. Esper and Infernum arose victorious from the battle, and King Augustus would continue his conquest of foreign lands as he fully severed ties with Gladiore, dubbing him an enemy of the crown. The conflict between these five nations would last for centuries, being dubbed the Quint War. Though these five nations were the main participants, their conquests reached far beyond the lands of Gihen. Across the sea was a small, independent island devoid of any supernatural capabilities. Lavia - A once thriving nation turned to chaos after being conquered by Esper. A brutal onslaught led by the Esperian general Adiran Mordegarde quickly overtook the much weaker Lavia, marking it as Esper¡¯s territory during the majority of the Quint War. Decades later, when the Quint War ceased and much of Lavia¡¯s resources were spent, the Esperians departed to return to their land. Lavia was left in a state of disarray made even worse when monstrous demons suddenly appeared in the northern half of the country. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The demons began slaughtering everything in sight, be it animal, plant, infrastructure or human. North Lavia was left in a wreck as the remaining Lavian survivors were forced to flee to the southern portion. For years the Lavians had trapped themselves inside, building a huge wall on the border separating the north and south halves of the nation to keep the demons out. One individual however, was sick of feeling caged. Ricard Mayhem took matters to his own hands by forming the demon hunting organization known today as Palladium. Starting out as a small group of talented individuals, it had quickly grown to become an organization consisting of the most powerful people in Lavia. With the concrete goal of purging every last demon in Lavia, Palladium left the south to do business in the north. Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company known as Eternal Drive would assist Palladium in their endeavors by supplying them with performance-boosting drugs. These drugs, however, would still prove inefficient against the heavy hitting demons of North Lavia. Devising a new strategy, Palladium shipped corpses of the weaker demons to the south in order for Eternal Drive to inspect them and deduce their weaknesses. Eternal Drive, however, had a different goal in mind and ended up changing society forever by starting the Demediom Project. By combining the genes of a demon with a human, Eternal Drive created superhumans that inherited the abilities of the demons they were mixed with - demedioms. This strategy would prove highly effective as Palladium began purging more northern areas with ease, eventually managing to successfully cleanse the entire northern region of Valcove where the officers would permanently settle. Little by little, Lavia was reclaiming itself as an entire city dubbed The Northern Sanctuary was built under a brand new, massive structure laid above them - Palladium¡¯s official headquarters. Unfortunately, with a tool as powerful comes corruption and irresponsibility. Little did Palladium know that Eternal Drive used some of its own demedioms to exert an abuse of power in South Lavia, eventually becoming the most powerful megacorporation the nation had ever known to exist. Even Palladium, which was mostly composed of demedioms, would think twice about standing up to the megacorp. Eternal Drive had not only used the demons to create superhumans, it also used their genetic mutations to advance its technology to heights humanity had never seen. Monopolization grew rampant and any who dared to oppose were quickly crushed under the weight of oligarchic capitalism. With this, an invisible contract was set between the two organizations. Eternal Drive would continue to supply Palladium with demediom serums, provided that the latter does not involve itself in Eternal Drive¡¯s business in the south. Eternal Drive would push Lavia further upwards when the decision to erect an impenetrable barrier surrounding the border of the island was enforced. Possessing the most advanced technology in the world, Lavia could not bear to suffer another invasion from the likes of Esper and the rest of the Quint War participants. Decades later, Palladium would lose even more of its leverage over Eternal Drive after a Magnitude 9.3 earthquake struck Lavia with Valcove at the epicenter. An architectural miscalculation led to the collapse of a major structure located in the west wing of Palladium Headquarters, toppling over the sanctuary below. The exact amount of casualties was never declared, but one thing was made clear to the public - Palladium¡¯s incompetence ended up killing far more individuals than the demons ever did. Palladium¡¯s reputation tanked after the incident, giving Eternal Drive an excuse to finally withdraw their funding. The megacorp however, would learn that Palladium and foreign invaders are the least of its worries when a massive breakout of human experiments occurs, leading to the fall of the first Eternal Tower. Though the current CEO of Eternal Drive Damon Estreval managed to restore the tower, the damage done during that night would prove to be disastrous for him when several wronged individuals grouped together with a shared hatred of the megacorp. ESTREVAL MUST DIE Chapter 1: The Archers Diary ABANDONED CONSTRUCTION SITE TERMINUS, GRATA - 4:57 AM A white sedan drives through empty streets under the darkness of early dawn. The sun is still nowhere to be seen with the stars and moon blocked by a humongous wall towering over the city; the only sources of light come from the vehicle itself, as well as the occasional blinking from the broken wall lights. The car eventually stops near a bent pole, with two men stepping out of the front seats. The individual on the left is a young, lean man. His wavy, short hair is as dark as his pupils; a distinct jet black that stands out in a crowd of blonde and brunette Lavians. His cohort is an older, middle-aged man with hazel brushed up hair. His eyes are a dark shade of green and he sports a brown, almost greying goatee. On his wrist is a gold watch that shows the current time: 4:57 AM. The older man opens the trunk, pulling out two shovels as he hands one over to the younger man. They begin to walk through the broken road filled with abandoned vehicles accompanied with shattered windows and broken headlights, while moss grows out of their windpipes. Passing through rubble and abandoned shops, the two men eventually arrive at an empty construction site. A stationary crane sits in one corner, steel beams rest on a small mound in the other. The older man glances at the younger one as they enter the construction site proper. ¡°You ready to dig?¡± The older man asks. ¡°Sure, but shouldn¡¯t we leave this to Palladium?¡± The younger man retorts. ¡°Palladium¡¯s busy with some demon terrorizing Yundash.¡± The older man states as he thrusts his shovel into the ground, starting to dig. The younger man follows suit. ¡°Just feels like we¡¯re doing their job.¡± Says the younger man as the two continue digging. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you want?¡± The older man sarcastically asks, as if to annoy the younger one. ¡°I want to kill demons, not look for shit that¡¯s buried in god knows where.¡± Answers the younger man as he digs more aggressively. ¡°Right¡­ I bet you just want to see your prince charming again.¡± Replies the older man in a mocking tone. ¡°Yeah¡­ He¡¯s probably dead. I just wish I could have gotten the chance to thank him.¡± ¡°For what? Abandoning you?¡± ¡°For saving my life.¡± The younger man sternly declares as the older man sighs. ¡°I thought you¡¯d have known better by now, but you gotta get over your obsession with Palladium.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not obsessed¡­ You know damn well why I wanna join them.¡± The younger man retorts. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand¡­ why you¡¯re still so hung up on them¡­¡± The older man says, panting heavily. ¡°Are you forgetting that their¡­ incompetence damn near wiped out¡­ an entire city?¡± He continues. The younger man stops digging and gives the older man a stern look. ¡°Of course I remember. But I also know that there are some things in life too precious to let go of. You, of all people, should understand.¡± ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not trying to invalidate your childhood trauma. I¡¯m just saying maybe you should give it up. Just stay here and enjoy living like this, instead of risking your life everyday in Valcove.¡± The older man says, trying to bargain with the younger man. ¡°Living? This¡­ This isn¡¯t living. Not when there¡¯s so much out there.¡± The younger man says as he continues digging, while the older man rolls his eyes. His mind drifts back to that day¡­ 15 YEARS AGO ALTAIR RESIDENCE ROSCHER, GRATA - 6:21 PM A little boy is in awe watching the news on a tv in a small room. The boy looks awfully similar to the young man of the present, the difference being his eyes are full of innocence and hope, lost in the eyes of his now-older self. The news is broadcasting an incident in Valcove, the place where Palladium Headquarters is located. A young woman and her infant were saved by a man with long, straight blonde hair sporting a Palladium tag, Rank S, from a demon that resembles a beetle. With one swift strike of the blonde man¡¯s forearm, the beetle is blown to bits with an explosion. ¡°Nick!¡± The voice of a child calls out from down the hall. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m almost done watching!¡± The boy replies. The bedroom door creaks open as a girl walks in. She resembles Nick, but with longer black hair and is slightly taller. She sports an angry look on her face as Nick continues to watch the news. ¡°Come oooon!! Are you seriously gonna ignore me on my birthday?¡± The girl says, stomping her foot on Nick¡¯s carpet. ¡°Look, Candy! He¡¯s so cool!¡± Nick says as he points to the Palladium member on the television, now being interviewed by a reporter. ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s so lame! That restaurant dad picked is way cooler! So come on already, dad¡¯s¡­ waiting for you!¡± Says the girl as she yanks Nick away from the tv. The two children arrive downstairs, where their father awaits them. He too, has black hair accompanied with a full beard. ¡°Are you two ready to go?¡± Their father asks. The two nod. ¡°Oh, have you given Candace her gift yet?¡± The father asks Nick. Nick runs across the living room to the kitchen. He searches the lower cupboard and pulls out a box wrapped in pink ribbon. He hands it to Candace. ¡°Go ahead and open it, Candace.¡± Candace rips apart the ribbon to unveil a metal box. Inside the metal box is a bracelet studded with diamond hearts. A shocked expression forms on Candace¡¯s face before quickly turning into a huge smile. ¡°Really?? You got this for me?!¡± She asks Nick. ¡°I chose it, but dad¡¯s the one who bought it!¡± Replies Nick enthusiastically, rubbing the back of his head in pride. ¡°It cost a lot of money, but nothing the best scientist in Lavia can¡¯t buy!¡± Says the father as he laughs. ¡°But I thought you were retired?¡± ¡°I am, and that¡¯s why someday, I¡¯ll teach you the importance of saving so you can get the things you want!¡± The father replies. Candace hugs Nick tightly as their father looks on, a smile on his face. She wears the bracelet and adjusts it to her wrist size. All is well for the happy family. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go! You two are going to love this place.¡± Says the father as the three step into his grey sedan. Beside the freshener is a wedding picture of a couple. In the picture is the father, who is younger with a much less grizzled beard, and their mother who passed a year after Nick¡¯s birth. On the back is a handwritten note: Rose Sirchen and Raymond Altair, 06/05/1989. Raymond adjusts the picture as he steps on the pedal, and the family go on their way. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Nick asks. ¡°Whole In One! It¡¯s a huuuuuge restaurant underneath the Nazendel Bridge!¡± Replies Candace. ¡°They have all the food you want, so don¡¯t hold back!¡± Says Raymond as the two children grow hungrier by the moment. NAZENDEL DRAWBRIDGE EVERNIGHT, NAZENDEL - 6:41 PM Twenty minutes later, Raymond slows down the car as they arrive at the Nazendel bridge, surrounded by countless skyscrapers. Raymond begins to park the car as he notices a huge puff of smoke coming from the biggest skyscraper, the Eternal Tower. He brushes it off for the time being, and the three step out of the car and make their way down the staircase leading to the restaurant. The Altairs proceed to enjoy themselves on Candace''s Eighth birthday. From choosing a wide array of delicacies ranging from venison, to seafood, to pasta, topping it all off with a black forest cake, dripping with melted chocolate. Stuffed from their celebratory meal, Raymond decides to bring the children to the nearby theme park to burn what they just ate. During their tenure inside, Nick manages to snag the grand prize of a huge, black teddy bear by managing to hit a bullseye on a miniscule target with a toy bow. He gives it to Candace, another gift aside from her priceless accessory. NAZENDEL DRAWBRIDGE EVERNIGHT, NAZENDEL - 7:46 PM The three begin to return home after a fun evening, the family stuffed and fulfilled. On their way, several distraught citizens can be seen either running away or frantically trying to open their cars. Raymond senses something awry, and begins to speed up, overtaking several other cars in the process. As they approach the toll gate separating Nazendel from Grata, a huge amount of traffic blocks their path, forcing Raymond to slow down. Beside their car is a security guard communicating on his walkie talkie. Raymond opens his window to speak with the guard. ¡°What¡¯s the hold up, officer?¡± Asks Raymond. The security guard puts down his walkie talkie. ¡°Nazendel is currently being put on lockdown sir.¡± Replies the guard. ¡°And the reason is?¡± ¡°Classified information sir. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t release it to the public until the issue has been dealt with.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you owe us an explanation as to why we can¡¯t return home?¡± ¡°¡®Fraid there¡¯s nothing I can do about it sir. Perhaps you could book a night at the Mibuki Hotel while things settle down.¡± Raymond gets increasingly frustrated with each reply from the guard. He sticks his hand out the window to let the guard know of his serious intent. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand me quite well, so let me rephrase myself. Today is my daughter¡¯s 8th Birthday, and I want to end the night on a good note. It only takes 20 minutes to go from here to our home, but if you keep holding us up-¡± Before Raymond can finish his sentence, gunshots can be heard firing from a distance. At the very front of the toll gate was a frustrated civilian who broke through the barrier. He was unable to come very far though, as his car was gunned down by a drone that detects bypassers. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Raymond exclaims as he frantically tries to cover the gruesome scene from the two children¡¯s eyes by grabbing the passenger seat and blocking the view with his arm. Fortunately for him, Nick was about to drift asleep. Candace on the other hand, was wide awake and wary of the situation. To make matters worse, the ground suddenly shakes with such high intensity that the security guard beside the Altairs¡¯ car loses balance. Raymond looks back at Candace. ¡°It¡¯s okay baby, just stay calm alright? We¡¯re just being held up by a bit of traffic.¡± Raymond asks the confused Candace as she nods. He reaches over to kiss her and Nick¡¯s heads as he tears up. Nick wakes up groggily. Candace worriedly looks around as the trees beside the road start to fall over, and a psychotic laugh echoes through the forest. The security guard begins to pick himself back up after losing balance and draws his gun, shooting at the sky. It is futile, however, as a bald, buff individual marked with the letters ¡°PA¡± on his forehead lands on top of him, crushing the security guard and splattering his insides onto the car window. Candace is horrified and hides herself and Nick under the seats as Raymond recoils from shock. The radio suddenly switches from pop music to a news report. ¡°Breaking News! Nazendel is being put on lockdown after the murder of President Baron Rivers. Several crazed demedioms are reportedly on the loose following the incident. To all residents of South Lavia, please refrain from going outdoors in the meantime. More to come in a few.¡± The radio reverts back to pop music. Though the two children managed to stay hidden, the lunatic demediom notices Raymond and picks up their car, tossing it towards the toll gate. Nick blacks out from the impact. The psychotic demediom proceeds to gruesomely slaughter everyone around him. The security guards try shooting him to no avail. Suddenly, a huge blast of wind pushes back the lunatic, the first time he had been affected by an attack tonight. Limping through the debris of wrecked cars is an injured Raymond Altair, who begins to square up with the lunatic. The lunatic picks up a piece of the road and chucks it towards Raymond, but Raymond slices it apart with his wind. He sends several wind slashes toward the lunatic, and cuts him up in several parts of his body. Raymond begins to gather wind around his fist, and punches the lunatic square in his stomach, making him fly. As he flies through the air, the lunatic begins to rotate his direction and aims straight towards Raymond. He punches with all his might, but Raymond dodges at the last second. The lunatic¡¯s punch creates a large crater in the middle of the road, and makes shockwaves that catches Raymond off-balance. Because of this, Raymond loses his footing, but the lunatic dives straight towards the children instead. Raymond quickly pulls the vehicle containing Nick and Candace towards him with a vortex of wind. The children safely land, however¡­ Before Raymond can counterattack, the lunatic drives his fist straight through Raymond¡¯s chest, making the latter cough copious amounts of blood. Meanwhile, Nick begins to wake up after being knocked out from the impact of their car being thrown earlier. He looks over to Candace, who is bleeding profusely from her head. He reaches over to her, but she is unresponsive. Her newly given bracelet, shattered and spread across the ground; the stuffed bear¡¯s head hanging from its neck. Nick approaches the road to try and look for help, but instead he witnesses his father¡¯s death, as Raymond falls to his knees and curls up on the ground in a pool of blood. In just a few hours, the happy family that celebrated a birthday had been stripped to only one member left. Nick sees a needle poking out from the car compartment. He pulls it out, revealing a syringe with a very vivid blue fluid. He remembers seeing a similar-looking liquid from when his father showed off his collection. 1 YEAR AGO ALTAIR RESIDENCE ROSCHER, GRATA - 4:03 PM Several sets of cylinders containing fluids of various colors are lined up horizontally on a table in the Altair¡¯s basement. Raymond picks up one containing a vibrant, orange liquid. ¡°Do you know what this is, Nick?¡± Asks Raymond. Four year-old Nick shakes his head. Raymond pops the vial open, as smoke comes out. ¡°If you want to join Palladium, you have to know. These liquids are demon blood harvested from the demons roaming North Lavia.¡± Says Raymond, the vial still open between his fingers. ¡°As far as I know, Palladium is largely composed of demedioms. Do you know what a demediom is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a human with demon powers!¡± Nick answers confidently. ¡°Correct! When you mix the blood of a demon with the blood of a human, the human inherits the demon¡¯s abilities and becomes a demediom.¡± 1 YEAR LATER WESTERN NAZENDEL EXPRESSWAY EVERNIGHT, NAZENDEL - 7:55 PM Without hesitation, Nick sticks the syringe into his shoulder, and injects the demon blood into his veins. It¡¯s messy and his own blood leaks out, but he gets the job done. Unbeknownst to him, this syringe was Raymond¡¯s planned gift to him on his 10th Birthday. Unfortunately, circumstances had changed and the gift arrived a bit too early. As the lunatic begins to approach their car, Nick zaps the lunatic with a blast of electricity. The lunatic is caught off guard, but picks himself back up. Nick continues blasting him with electricity, but the lunatic eventually powers through the pain and stomps on the ground, creating a shockwave that knocks Nick over. Before the lunatic ends the Altair bloodline, a sudden explosion hits him, blowing up half his body and his entire face. A man with blonde hair walks up to the body, and fires another explosive blast, making sure that the lunatic stays dead for good. He approaches Nick, who notices that the man sports a Palladium tag, Rank S. He is indeed the very same Rank S from the news report Nick watched earlier, but Nick was too out of it to recognize him. The man shakes Nick to see if he¡¯s okay, but Nick passes out. BELLVINE CLINIC ROSCHER, GRATA - 9:36 AM ¡°Ah, he¡¯s waking up!¡± A voice calls out as a five year-old Nick groggily opens his eyes. He stares at the dusty cement ceiling, muting the voice in the background as memories of last night come crashing to his brain. His father, Raymond Altair coughing up blood. His sister, Candace Altair, bleeding out in the backseat. Nick briefly hyperventilates before being tightly gripped on the shoulder. Nick looks towards the arm that grabbed him, seeing a blonde man with a Palladium tag labeled ¡°Rank S¡± - the very same man who saved him. ¡°You alright, kiddo?¡± The man asks. ¡°Wh- where am I¡­?¡± Nick responds as the man sits on his bed, facing away from him. ¡°Some Roscher clinic¡­ Sorry, I¡¯m not very familiar with the area.¡± The man replies as he turns towards Nick. ¡°You did good out there, holding your own against the bad guy-¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my dad and sister?¡± Nick demands. Silence overtakes the room as the blonde man looks over to his side, hiding his gloomy expression from Nick. ¡°They, uh¡­ They¡¯re in a better place now.¡± Nick clutches his bedsheets as he begins to tear up. The blonde man puts his arm around Nick, patting him on the back. Their attention is soon diverted as the sole door in the room opens with a young woman sporting white scrubs walking inside. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s awake!¡± The nurse exclaims as the blonde man nods. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asks as Nick stays silent. ¡°...¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re the medical expert here, but I think he should get some more rest.¡± The blonde man replies, signalling to the nurse that they should talk outside. He nods at Nick as the two adults leave the room, with the door only closing part way leaving a tiny gap. Nick stares to the desk on his left, seeing Candace¡¯s shattered bracelet. ¡°So¡­ any update on the kid¡¯s family?¡± ¡°I already informed you sir, didn¡¯t I? His father died of blood loss and his sister died of shock.¡± The nurse answers as Nick secretly eavesdrops, listening intently. ¡°No, about his other relatives.¡± The man clarifies. ¡°We looked into his records and unfortunately we couldn¡¯t find any other relatives. His father was a bigshot, but he must have been a runaway or a foreigner, somehow. ¡± Says the nurse as the man scratches his head. ¡°What about financial compensation? It¡¯s E-Drive¡¯s fault in the first place that those demedioms went wild, right?¡± ¡°Damon Estreval put out a statement earlier regarding the incident. All he said was that they apprehended all the rogue demedioms. No mention of any compensation for the victims of last night¡¯s disaster.¡± Explains the nurse. ¡°Ugh¡­ Surely this kid¡¯s an exception, right? His father was the previous head scientist of the demediom project¡­¡± ¡°Sir, I understand that you lack knowledge because you hail from the north, but you shouldn¡¯t expect any sort of accountability or recompense from Eternal Drive. No matter the circumstances.¡± The woman says as the man looks at her disappointedly. ¡°Okay¡­ Hold on, lemme talk to the kid.¡± The man says as the woman nods. He heads back inside, surprised to see the door still open. He brushes it off, thinking Nick might not have understood the conversation. ¡°So, um¡­ Do you have anyone you could stay with?¡± The man asks as Nick shakes his head. The blonde man briefly contemplates before putting his hands out, signalling Nick to wait as he heads back outside. After a few minutes, he enters the room once more. ¡°Alright. I can¡¯t leave a kid like you alone, especially after what you¡¯ve just been through.¡± The man tells Nick. ¡°Now, because of my hard work, my boss gave me permission to stay here in South Lavia for about a year. Is it okay with you if we live together during that year?¡± The man asks. A few days ago Nick would have been elated. He was going to be in the presence of a Palladium S-Rank officer for the next year, yet at this very moment he felt numb having just lost his family. With no choice but to accept the man¡¯s kindness, Nick silently nods. ¡°That¡¯s great! Let¡¯s get to know each other, yeah? My name¡¯s Rhyne Fortuna.¡± The man says as he sticks his hand out. Nick stares at the hand before reluctantly shaking it. ¡°Nick¡­ Altair¡­¡± 15 YEARS LATER - PRESENT DAY ABANDONED CONSTRUCTION SITE TERMINUS, GRATA - 5:21 AM Still digging, the two men continue to converse. ¡°So, what would you do if you had the chance to meet prince charming?¡± The older man asks. ¡°Thank him for saving me, ask him why he left so suddenly, then request him to teach me his ways.¡± Replies Nick. ¡°Pfft. Have I not taught you enough?¡± The older man says in response, briefly scoffing at the absurdity of Nick¡¯s remark. ¡°I don¡¯t think you get it. Palladium Rank S¡¯s are a different breed.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Palladium this, Palladium that¡­ Those glorified pest control bastards could never be on my level.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, man.¡± *THUMP* Nick stops digging as he realizes something underground is blocking his shovel. ¡°I think I got it!¡± Nick states as the older man puts away his shovel. The two begin wearing gloves on their hands, and proceed to dig manually. After some digging, the two manage to pull out a large metallic box. Nick opens the box, revealing an unloaded assault rifle with several rounds of ammo inside a separate plastic bag. Nick looks over at the older man. ¡°All that digging for one gun?¡± ¡°Trust me kid, they¡¯re gonna need a lot more after that Yundash demon is done whooping their asses. Expect more transactions in the next week.¡± Replies the older man. Unbeknownst to the two, they were not alone. Something creeps from under the ground while the two men talk, and burrows its way out. A large shadow looms over the two men as they turn their heads towards it. A huge, grotesque worm, about 16-feet long and 5-foot wide towers over the two. It opens its mouth, bearing several rows of gums and razor-sharp teeth. The inside of its mouth resembles a shredder with blades circling at every nook and cranny. It lunges towards the two, but they manage to dodge. Nick jumps upwards towards a roof, while the older man rolls to the side. The worm chases Nick as he runs through the rooftop, devouring everything in its path. Before Nick reaches the edge of the rooftop, he jumps towards the side and manifests a huge, metallic greatbow out of thin air. Nick pulls back the bow¡¯s string made of pure energy, and releases, shooting an electrically-charged arrow straight through the worm¡¯s upper section, frying its insides and stunning it momentarily. Though the worm suffered a fatal wound, it wasn¡¯t enough to kill it. Before the worm can move again, the older man steps forward, his right hand glowing a light, mundane rainbow hue. The older man makes an upward slash motion with his right arm, severing the worm in two pieces. Nick lands on his feet and charges his bow once more, shooting the worm¡¯s decapitated head to seal the deal. ¡°Shit¡­ I thought Terminus was cleared?!¡± Exclaimed Nick, looking down at the worm demon¡¯s corpse.. ¡°Guess your Palladium didn¡¯t do a very good job scouring the area.¡± Says the older man as he picks up the box containing the firearm. ¡°This thing wasn¡¯t here last week.¡± Said Nick, a panicked expression on his face. ¡°It was. We just weren¡¯t aware of it.¡± Says the older man as he lights a cigarette. ¡°Who knows how long that thing¡¯s been burrowed underground.¡± The two exchange brief glances, both not wanting to stay in the area any longer. ¡°You should get back to Aeternum.¡± The older man tells Nick as he goes for a puff. ¡°What about the transaction?¡± Asks Nick. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it. You go back and warn the others of ever coming to Terminus. We don¡¯t know what else could be lurking here.¡± Nick nods as the older man hands him the keys to the car they drove in earlier. He steps into the car, and inserts the key. Before he starts up the engine, he takes a look at the rear view mirror. Tied underneath is a polaroid picture containing four people: Nick, the older man, a young man with flaxen hair and a young woman with jet black hair, strikingly similar to Nick. As he turns the car around, so does the picture. On the back is written: 03/24/2015 Evergreen Friedman Williams Altair NEVERGLOW Nick drives off into the distance, with the sun peeking over the massive wall. To Be Continued¡­ Chapter 2: The Flowers Of Eternity EVERGREEN RESIDENCE B NEXOS, AETERNUM - 6:33 AM Nick parks his car in the driveway of a modern suburban house. He steps right in front of the door as several blue lights start scanning him. The scan finishes, displaying Nick¡¯s name and portrait as well as opening the door itself. Inside, Nick is greeted by the same woman in the polaroid, eating cereal in the dining room. She looks half-awake, wearing pyjamas with her hair being a total mess. One of her eyes is still struggling to stay open, but she still perseveres and looks up at Nick nonetheless. ¡°What the hell, Nick¡­. Why are you back so¡­ early?¡± Says the woman as she yawns the last word of her sentence. ¡°Do you want me to leave?¡± Jokes Nick. The woman looks back at him, arms crossed, unamused. ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything later. Is Luke up?¡± Nick says in a more serious tone. ¡°Yeah. He texted me that he¡¯s already at Neverglow.¡± Replies the woman as Nick removes his shoes and steps inside, entering a sizable living room with a flat-screen television attached to the wall. ¡°Then we should move along, too.¡± ¡°Just gimme a sec- I haven¡¯t even finished my breakfast yet.¡± Says the woman as she takes another bite of a half-consumed bowl of cornflakes. ¡°Did he say anything else?¡± Nick asks. ¡°Just that he was leaving earlier to cover his shift for the day.¡± The woman says as Nick stares at a nearby glass. The woman notices this, and asks him a question. ¡°Do you want some water?¡± The woman asks as Nick nods. She waves her hand towards the glass, making it levitate towards their water dispenser as it floats across the room, filling it before finally making it levitate back towards Nick. He grabs it and sits down adjacent to the woman. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and browses the internet. Several news articles greet him: S-Rank Demon appears in Yundash! Entrance is barred for the time being. Remembering the victims of the Great Lavian Earthquake. The Demediom Project and its consequences. Mass protest in Briken - 18 injured, 2 dead, 6 arrested. Want to be part of the change? Join PALLADIUM, and help cleanse Lavia one demon at a time. However there was one article that caught Nick¡¯s eye and caused him to stop scrolling. It reads: WARNING! Illegal weapon smuggling on the rise. Please report any suspicious activity in your area. Nick shows the article to the woman, who remarks. ¡°We¡¯re getting pretty famous, huh?¡± ¡°Right. We¡¯re bound to have E-Drive on our asses soon.¡± Nick comments as he takes a sip of water. ¡°How long do you think¡¯ll take ¡®em before they find us out?¡± Asks the woman as she continues eating. ¡°Could be as soon as tomorrow. But it¡¯s not like they¡¯re gonna do anything. They have bigger priorities than some measly arms dealers.¡± Nick replies. ¡°Who knows. We are breaking the law, after all. They could pull something to send a message to the public.¡± ¡°Like what? Execute us on live TV?¡± Nick asks. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t put it past them.¡± The young woman replies as she finishes her bowl of cereal. ¡°I¡¯ll go get dressed. You sure you don¡¯t wanna eat?¡± The woman asks. ¡°I kinda lost my appetite after what happened this morning. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fill you and Luke in once we get to the greenery.¡± Replies Nick. the woman nods and heads upstairs to get dressed. Nick stares once more at the headline before continuing to scroll onwards. NEVERGLOW LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 7:15 AM Time passes, and the sun has finally risen, though partially concealed by several clouds. Nick parks his car near a sidewalk. An alleyway near the sidewalk is filled with graffiti; numerous skulls, a huge hourglass, a boomerang, and a ringed planet surrounded by purple clouds. Nick and the woman step out of the car, and walk towards a wide greenery. Passing through archways with vines looping around them, the two arrive at a two-story flower shop. A canvas is located at the top, with a single word written in calligraphy: NEVERGLOW The two step inside, only to be greeted by the young man with flaxen hair, wearing leather gloves asleep at a counter with a computer and registrar. The two exchange glances before slamming their hands on the desk, creating a very loud thud. The man wakes up, drooling from his mouth, and looks up at the two, irked at his idleness. Nick proceeds to inform the two of what occurred earlier that day. NEVERGLOW LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 7:22 AM ¡°What? I thought that was the point of the wall; to keep demons out!¡± The man speaks, fully conscious now. ¡°It attacked us from underground, so maybe it crawled under the wall.¡± Nick replies. ¡°Huh. You¡¯d think they''d have a failsafe for that kinda stuff.¡± The woman replies, referring to Palladium. ¡°It makes sense. Terminus is one of the most neglected places in Lavia.¡± Nick notes. Past the gigantic wall in Terminus lies the territory of North Lavia, which Palladium is much more focused on. ¡°But I thought Palladium got rid of all the demons there?¡± ¡°Do you honestly believe that, Luke? They¡¯re just padding achievements to make them seem more impressive.¡± Replies the woman, annoyed at Palladium. ¡°Hey, come on Celeste, I¡¯m sure it was just an oversight.¡± ¡°You said 15-feet long! How the fuck could they have missed that?!¡± ¡°Zack and I missed it too. Listen, whatever the issue is, Zack¡¯s reminder was to stay away from the Grata border for the time being.¡± Replies Nick, calming Celeste down. ¡°Great. So we¡¯re stuck here managing this flower shop. Just what I wanted to hear.¡± Luke says sarcastically as he lays back defeated on his chair. Celeste turns toward Nick. ¡°When¡¯s Zack coming back? The transaction should be over by now.¡± Celeste asks Nick. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there¡¯s nothing to worry about. You know he can handle himself.¡± ¡°I-I know but like¡­ On the off chance that Palladium double-crosses him¡­¡± ¡°That is NOT going to happen.¡± Nick assures Celeste. Chimes ring as the entrance door swings open. An old lady walks in. She looks towards Luke, who is managing the counter. ¡°Excuse me young man, do you happen to have any carnations in stock?¡± Asks the old lady. Luke looks over to Nick and Celeste sitting on the couch ahead of him. ¡°Uhh, just hold on a sec ma¡¯am, I¡¯ll check our stock real quick.¡± Says Luke as he turns on the computer. A few seconds pass as Nick and Celeste both receive notifications of a message in their group chat. The message reads: wheres our carnations On the fourth shelf, dipshit Celeste replies through her phone. ¡°O-oh yeah! What colours do you want? And how many?¡± Asks Luke. ¡°Oh dear, my daughter loved the pink ones. I¡¯ll take two, if that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Two pink carnations- coming right up!¡± Says Luke as he stands up from the counter, reaching out to get carnations from a shelf nearby. He opens the shelf, revealing a beautiful array of flowers. Purple, white, red and yellow carnations are present, but he retrieves two pink flowers. He hands them over to the old lady. ¡°That¡¯ll be 85 dies.¡± The old woman hands over three coins, two of them containing the symbol ¡°40¡±, and one with the symbol of ¡°5¡±. ¡°Thanks, and come again.¡± Luke says as the old lady leaves the shop. Nick and Celeste look at him with smirks on their faces. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good at this.¡± Nick says, poking fun at Luke. ¡°Shut up, man. My shift¡¯s over now; it¡¯s your turn to take the wheel.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯ve only had one customer!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been here all morning! And it¡¯s not my fault the flower business is dying. E-Drive¡¯s replacing everything with their tech nowadays. I mean, can you believe it? Holographic flowers?¡± Says Luke as he joins the two on the couch, sitting on the arm. He grabs a remote and turns on the TV situated in the corner. An action movie plays in the background, to which none of the three pay attention to. ¡°I kinda get it. Real flowers just die in a few days. But those holos last forever.¡± Replies Celeste. ¡°But the real thing is just different. When flowers no longer exist, people will regret ever replacing them with technology.¡± Celeste ponders for a bit as Luke continues. ¡°It¡¯s why my parents started this business in the first place. They grew sick of all the artificial shit E-Drive¡¯s been shoving down our throats.¡± ¡°Hence Neverglow.¡± Nick replies rolling his eyes, beginning to understand what Zack meant about bringing up past events every time the opportunity would arise in a conversation. ¡°Exactly. Nobody maintained greeneries and plants began to die out. Hell, it¡¯s beginning to happen with pets as well. People really think a bunch of lights can replace sentient beings.¡± Luke states disappointedly as the movie shows a man and his robotic dog attacking other people. ¡°So I say fuck ¡®em! Fuck Eternal Drive, the shit that they dish out, and whoever shills for them.¡± Luke continues. ¡°...You¡¯re right. Fuck Eternal Drive.¡± Nick agrees with Luke as he smiles. Celeste reflects on Luke¡¯s words regarding artificial beings, remembering the old lady just moments before. ¡°You guys hear what that old lady said?¡± She asks as Nick approaches the front desk. ¡°Yeah. Loved.¡± Replies Nick, emphasizing the D. ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t catch that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s awful. No child should die before their parents.¡± Nick states as he sits behind the desk. 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