《The Tragedy of A Gladiolus》


 Monologue (Fate)

    Ah yes, welcome to the show! I¡¯ve been looking forward to seeing you. For a second, I thought you wouldn¡¯t have come to the show. I was sooo worried!


    Well, I guess that there was nothing to worry about after all.


    Anyways, please make yourself comfortable just before the show starts. And don¡¯t worry, you have the absolute best seat in the house. Your seat is at the very first row after all, there is certainly no better view than the one you¡¯re on.


    Oh¡­ The show is about to start! I hope you enjoy it all the way, alright?


    ¡­


    Do you believe in fate?


    I know, a strange question to be asking and I won''t be able to know your answer either. Even then, I do hope you would at least listen to me for a second.


    What is fate?


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    It is a concept conjured by humans who couldn''t comprehend certain events that happened, yet could not quite chalk it up to simply just coincidence. Of course, it could really have been just mere coincidence, but calling it ''fate'' simply had a much more romantic twinge to it, no?


    You could say all of this simply is just my own ramblings. In a way, you would be right! What I am saying are simply ramblings and they aren''t really worth much in the context of our conversation.


    Uh... I meant a monologue. Either way...


    You don''t have to remember every word I say, it''s not so important. Just think of it like me pondering about life and its meaning, like always.


    The first story played on this stage would be about a woman, a Goddess to be exact, having to deal with a rather fun case of a man trying to create a God by his own hands. Yes, insane! After all, no sane person would try and create a God out of thin air.


    But the world they live in is different, you see. You can¡¯t use your knowledge and logic of your own world to understand how this all works. Ah, but you don¡¯t have to worry too much, it will be explained to you in due time anyways¡­


    Hopefully you will be able to understand it.


    So, dear audience, I will ask you the same question I asked you earlier when this show is over.


    Do you believe in fate?

 You Cant Fit Two Lion In The Same Den, Especially When One Is Still A Cub

    "Can you kill a God?"


    His voice pierced through the rowdy crowd and thumping music that surrounded them, the near nonsensical screaming and laughter matching to each beat of the music playing, each ups and downs echoing in their ears like a matchmake in hell.


    A Friday night, and the bar was in full swing.


    "Why did you ask me that question?" Amelia''s black eyes looked up from the glass of whiskey on ice she was holding onto.


    "Think about it. Gods have existed in Arknis since before the existence of humanity and they continue to roam the land with us until now. And yet, barely few have seen them before. It makes them sound more like mere myths that are much more common in ¡ª"


    "Are you done with your bullshit?"


    Those dry lips of his curled slightly, just barely forming a smile. Though no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not hide the amusement that was overflowing, slowly seeping through his every movement.


    "Oh my, did I get on your nerves, Miss Amelia?"


    Her eyes narrowed. "Depending on how you would define getting annoyed."


    His burst of laughter blended with the intense beat of the music, sounding sharper the longer it went on. She sighed, taking the last sip of her drink, leaving behind the ice cube. It spun as she placed it back on the table, stopping the moment he stopped laughing.


    "You''re so interesting, Miss Amelia."


    "Do you have to insist on calling me ''miss''?"


    He blinked, then chuckled. "Well, it''s a way of showing respect to you, isn''t it?"


    "But the way you call me that isn''t quite a show of respect."


    His voice was dripping with contempt as he called her ''miss'', like it was the most disgusting thing he had ever had to utter. His fingers tapped on the table, his body leaning forward until his chest was pressed gently against it.


    "Well then, what do you want me to call you?"


    "Call me by my name, Icarus."


    He giggled, high and harsh sounding, like nails scratching against the chalkboard. "Oh, by your name, is that so?"


    "Is Amelia even your name?"


    She took in a slow, deep breath as she heard that question. She adjusted herself, sitting more upright as she rested her arms on the table. Her gaze was firm and steady even with the voices that were starting to get a little too loud for her ears.


    "Did you know I asked you out?"


    When neither of them talked, the music, laughter, chatter and faint whispers filled in the air between them. It was not a good place to talk about business, but what she wanted to talk him on was not business in the slightest. Her gray eyes stared right through his orange ones, her pupils reflecting flames that burn more than within his gaze.


    Her words were like a bucket of cold water, dimming those flames, but it was only temporary. He groaned, leaning on the couch instead. The booth did not shield them from the views of others, she could already feel some having their eyes on them. But the booth felt like it was a private enough space, a mere glass wall to everything else between them.


    "You know me well, don''t you?"


    His eyes looked away this time, unwilling to stare into hers any further. "Depends on you define well."


    "You sure are witty."


    The background noise tried to drown out everything between them, yet there was no use, the tension growing as strong as the sound of someone singing.


    "Why did you come?"


    "I wondered what you have in store for me, Amelia."


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings."Now you''re calling me by my name."


    "Is that really your name?"


    "Generally speaking, those who have the title of ''Guardian God'' don''t need to change their name."


    He snorted. "At this point, I felt like you''re giving me a bit too much information."


    "But all of this is important for your progress, isn''t it?"


    His whole body posture seemed to relax, giving her a shrug. "True, but I could''ve just found them on my own anyways."


    "Those aren''t generally available to the public."


    He snorted again, that snort slowly turned into an amused chuckle. This time, it was less annoying and far more bearable, though it still felt like he was mocking her.


    "When I decided to do this, do you really think that I don''t have my own ways?"


    "Of course you do. But those ways could get really concerning."


    "So, you think that there is a traitor within your little group that is willing enough to send me information on taking you guys down?"


    She shook her head. "That is not possible. Those information are locked behind security access that most of the regular workers don''t have access to."


    "So unless one of the division leaders decides to betray us, it is not possible for anyone within Arknis to give you the information."


    "And yet here you are, giving it for completely free."


    Her head tilted slightly. "I consider it as a welcoming gift to you, Icarus."


    "Besides, Icarus isn''t even your name, is it?"


    She turned her head, not bothering to look at his reaction to those words. She called out loud enough to a passing server, asking them for another glass of whiskey without the ice this time. She watched the way the ice clinked against the glass, the ice had melted enough that there was a visible thin layer of water mixed with those faint drops of whiskey.


    "You''re fucking with me." His teeth gritted, even spatting those words out took him a lot of strength.


    She leaned on the table, whispering the next few words as if she was sharing a secret between them.


    "You know I''m not here to make friends, you know partially the reason why I am here. So if you could, I want you to enlighten me, Icarus."


    "Do you really know the consequences of your actions?"


    His reaction was odd, in a way. Those eyes that were avoiding hers all along had returned back to face them, like every time he looked away he was simply acting. Perhaps he just had been trying to hide some part of himself away from those invasive eyes. However, now he stared at her the same way she was staring at him.


    "I''m insulted that you think I''m a child."


    She grinned, those unreadable eyes of hers had an amused gaze to them. She moved back a little, propping her head up on her palm. A few loose strands of her black hair rested close to her eyes, making her gaze hidden once more.


    "I''m not sure why you feel the need to put up an act."


    He chuckled once again, yet this laughter felt different from all of his previous ones as if her words had affected him in a way that he had not quite grasped.


    ¡°Do you think all of this is an act?¡±


    ¡°That I don¡¯t hate you? That I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking about? That this isn¡¯t me?¡±


    She took in a deep breath, moving that few strands of hair away from her face. Her tone shifted slightly, turning even colder than he could have possibly imagined. ¡°No, I don¡¯t quite mean that.¡±


    ¡°What I mean is that you¡¯re pretending to be more of a sane person than I am right now. When in fact, we both knew that we are just as insane as each other.¡±


    That grin that was plastered on his lips felt like it was forced there, the corner of his lips stretched so much that if felt unnatural, even if the corner of his eyes had crinkled, his gaze remained that abyss that mixed hatred and insanity.


    Yet she was more sure than ever before, this is him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong. Only an insane person would be crazy enough to try and create a God by their own hands, no?¡±


    The server came back, handing her the filled glass of whiskey. The amber hue gleamed in the light, when she looked down at it, she felt like she was looking right into his eyes.


    ¡°Amber would suit you better.¡± Amelia mused.


    Icarus retorted. ¡°And red would suit you incredibly.¡±


    She raised her cup to the air, then murmuring, ¡°Cheers to a brand new adventure.¡±


    He laughed once again, his whole demeanor made her feel like she was staring into the eyes of a beast that was waiting for a chance to tear into her body, then very slowly tearing her to pieces, making sure that she would feel every single pain inflicted on her body.


    She drank all of the whiskey in one go, then slammed the empty glass on the table. She stood up, adjusting her jacket with a shrug.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯m sure we will meet again very soon, won¡¯t we?¡±


    His grin now was much less strained, going back to something far more natural and relaxed. ¡°Of course, Amelia.¡±

 You Have No Say in the Matter

    Arknis, as a joke, everyone would call this place ¡®Purgatory¡¯ even if technically speaking, a purgatory did exist in Arknis.


    The name of the world existed before the ¡®office¡¯ and it was the Guardian God¡¯s decision that decided to name it after the world. Nobody had ever brought up the thought of changing it to something else since the name fitted the reason why the ¡®office¡¯ even existed in the first place. It was a good enough name yet nobody¡¯s suggestion could ever surpass this name.


    White walls and floors, the lights absorbed and bounced off of the floors making it feel way brighter than it actually was. Those who had come here for the first time thought it was heaven since it fit the description of what heaven is described to be; there were some that were terrified by the sheer white, reminding them more of the sterile environment of a hospital.


    For people like Amelia, who had worked for far too long here, the hue was akin to an annoying old friend. She hated being here, but it was so familiar that it was comforting, even if it meant having to put up with some particularities that came with them.


    Arknis would never quiet down during work hours ¡ª frantic footsteps, rustling of paperwork, long conversations about work or mundane things, shouting out orders from across the hallway as well as the occasional apology from accidentally bumping into each other. It was not completely possible to avoid accidents, especially when it involved too many workers that were demihumans with varying traits.


    Luckily the doors to every division were large and wide enough that there were no cases of demihumans breaking them. Although she was sure that this was only the case since there probably had been too many cases of it happening before her reign.


    The usual mumbles of ¡®good morning¡¯ were thrown her way as she walked down the hallway, she either replied back or just gave a lazy wave (waving with one hand). She maneuvered herself through the crowd rather easily, not putting too much mind to the chatter happening around her. She stopped just as she reached the front of two large wooden doors, having patterns of flowers and veins etched into them.


    The door swung open, her eyes immediately landed on her assistant, Diane. The white-skinned woman was standing close to her own desk, their eyes met almost immediately. Her usual polite and friendly smile greeted her just as she gave her a nod.


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Amelia.¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too.¡±


    She walked right past Diane, sitting down at her desk as her eyes glanced at the two piles of paperwork that were on it. She said nothing, though Diane still took out her notepad from her white coat. She flipped through it, then settled on today¡¯s note that she marked down since yesterday.


    She started her usual briefing. ¡°You have two meetings today, but you aren¡¯t required to go. And¡­ Marcus requested to see you during lunch time.¡±


    ¡°Reason?¡±


    ¡°Classified and urgent.¡±


    ¡°But not so urgent to call me right into the division early in the morning.¡± Amelia retorted.


    ¡°Right. But I believe it would be best if you don¡¯t keep him waiting for long.¡±


    Her hand continued to glide through the paperwork, signing one after another, throwing the finished ones onto the growing pile on the ground. Her face remained mostly stoic but Diane saw that she saw a flash of intrigue in her eyes.


    ¡°Did he say anything else?¡±


    ¡°No miss, that was all he said.¡±


    She looked up briefly, her eyebrows furrowed at that. She sighed, going back to working on her paperwork while Diane continued to rattle off whatever was left on her notebook, only the things that she needed to let Amelia know.


    The office settled down to the noise of paper, pen and slow breathing. Diane¡¯s desk was adjacent to hers and had as much paperwork piled up on her long wooden desk as Amelia¡¯s. They went back to their usual style of doing their things on their own and only interacted with each other if necessary, or if one of them decided to take a short break.


    Morning passed, the sunlight that came through the two windows on either side of Amelia¡¯s side was much harsher. She blinked, she went through the very last paperwork on her table just as the first round of lunch time came around. The clock beside the door struck 12 p.m. just as she looked up from her desk, her eyes briefly glanced over to Diane, noting that her assistant was still absorbed in her work.


    The chatter around her was much more different than earlier, now the workers were much more interested in what the canteen crew had made today as well as already making plans for what they might get up to after work. It was still packed nonetheless, she had to squeeze her way through the hallway just to get to the Surveillance and Investigation Division (S&I).


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    After a quick scan from the sensor hidden above the giant metal doors, it slid open to reveal the insides of the division.


    Holographic screens floating above solid blocks of metal, some integrated inside of it. Papers stacked upon each other on them, a few workers dressed in either a white trench coat or white collared shirt stand close to their own tables, whispering something amongst each other. There were much less of them at this time, though some of them still stayed behind since they had chosen to have their lunch an hour later.


    And the person she was looking for immediately met eyes with her.


    Marcus, dark gray-haired man with a stoic face. Some people joked that he had a ¡®resting bitch face¡¯ and honestly, she could see why they would feel that. His thinner lips formed a natural thin line, his eyes always seemed sharp yet passive, like a knife that hung up in the kitchen.


    He gestured for her to follow him along, leading her to one of the few meeting rooms. She locked the door behind her, watching as his dark blue blazer swayed slightly as he placed a file on the table. He pulled out the seat as she approached, choosing to stand beside her as she looked through the file.


    ¡°Golden paper.¡± She murmured under her breath.


    ¡°I think you would be more surprised at what the request is.¡±


    She clicked her tongue, her head tilted slightly as she read through the whole file carefully. There was not too much change in her facial expressions, remaining that amused interest that she had since she realized it was a request from none other than ¡®Gaia¡¯.


    She closed the file as she spoke, ¡°Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s good for them.¡±


    His face scrunched just enough that she could notice it. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that¡¯s the first thought that went through your head.¡±


    She placed it back on the table, leaning back on the chair, forcing it to incline so she could stare at him comfortably.


    ¡°You already saw that phrase they used in their request.¡± She shrugged. ¡°They said, ¡®it¡¯s up to you to decide the best course of action to take in this situation.¡¯¡±


    She snorted. ¡°You already know what they mean whenever they use ¡®best course of action¡¯ in their requests.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t just something that you could just leave it be, Amelia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m going to just leave it be.¡±


    She gave him a light shrug, ¡°But I¡¯m not going to overly involve myself in something like this. It¡¯s bad enough that someone is trying to create a God by their hands, but it¡¯s not so bad that I will order a constant report on the progress.¡±


    He resisted the urge to slap himself in the head, deciding to just drag his hand across it.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying this so simply that it makes me concerned¡ª¡±


    ¡°Marcus.¡±


    He stopped as her tone shifted into something far more serious, he straightened his back, his hands resting behind his back. He could not help it, hearing that tone made him react the way a trained soldier would to the commands of their commander.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that Gaia wouldn¡¯t just let a mere human act the way they are right now if it doesn¡¯t benefit them in the long term.¡±


    She sat upright on the chair, her hands interlaced and resting on the table. Her head turned slightly so she was staring right into the eyes as she talked to him. That mere aura around demanded his utmost attention, every bit of it that he could ever spare to anyone. But Amelia¡¯s facial expressions remained neutral despite the aura around her, making the atmosphere even more tense.


    ¡°Benefit isn¡¯t quite the right word for them¡­¡± She looked away briefly. ¡°Goal might be a better word to describe exactly what they wanted.¡±


    ¡°I understand why you¡¯re so stressed about this.¡± She sighed, even if she knew her words were not going to be the most comforting, she had to say it to him anyways. ¡°But there isn¡¯t much either of us could do aside from just letting this play out.¡±


    ¡°As controlled as possible, of course.¡± She added, which worked in easing his nerves slightly.


    His tensed shoulders relaxed, but he was not completely at ease. She understood why this all would get on his nerves so easily, considering his past and all, it was natural for him to act this way towards this request. She was not as harsh as she usually would have, although she believed she had no reason to go to that extreme.


    ¡°You already have information about him?¡±


    ¡°All of the data currently available in the system and a little bit more.¡±


    An amused grin appeared on her lips, making him raise an eyebrow at what she intended to do.


    ¡°Send everything into my phone. I will have a look later.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± He replied with a nod.


    As she got up to leave, she threw him another question. ¡°Marcus, did you want to discuss this because you were concerned at the possibility of him acting outside of what was expected of him?¡±


    He blinked, yet that hint of surprise only flashed by his face. ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    ¡°Because the man in this case is far more unpredictable than most of the major cases I¡¯ve ever worked on. So I can¡¯t be so certain that everything will turn out the way it was supposed to.¡±


    ¡°Do you not trust me?¡±


    Those five simple words combined into a loaded question, yet he did not have much hesitation in his reply.


    ¡°I trust you with my life. And I would continue as long as you show no signs of acting outside of what was expected of you.¡±


    She could not help but chuckle at his response, shaking her head in the meantime. ¡°Ah, you say that so coldly, it breaks my heart~¡±


    Marcus did not react much to her words, just turning his attention back to whatever was already on his mind before all of this. There would never be a dull day at Arknis after all. She gave him a wave as she left the room.


    ¡°Make sure you have lunch. Your head won¡¯t work well in an empty stomach.¡±


    He retorted, ¡°You should worry about yourself first before worrying about others.¡±

 First Meeting (Part 1)

    Icarus, the name that belonged to the man that had flown too close to the sun.


    Amelia had wondered if that name was chosen ironically, if he had predicted his own fate, or if he had chosen that name simply due to what it represented. She would not be too surprised if it was both in some ways, though unfortunately, she also knew that the man would not satisfy her curiosity.


    Arknis itself is made up of a bunch of planets, which would not be all too different from what the other worlds are like, but it is quite different from the other worlds. There are no such things as galaxies or universes within Arknis, only planets that made up the world in its entirety.


    And right now, she was on one of the more unique planets.


    A planet without a magma core in the middle of the sphere, which allows different living beings to live underneath it. The two types of beings that lived underground in such a way are classified as ¡®creatures of the darkness¡¯ which includes vampires, demons, ghouls, undead and so on.


    Erebon is the home of the demons.


    A place where the sun could never reach, chaos and destruction go hand in hand like tea and milk and stability being a myth and reality at the same time.


    She knew that no looks would be thrown her way despite feeling like she was small within the crowd. Generally speaking, demons were naturally much taller than humans, though they were not the tallest species by average, that would have to go to the giants.


    She came here due to a mere hunch after reading through all of the current information the office had on him that he would be here. Though Erebon was a giant underground city that was basically half the size of America so trying to find one person was like trying to find that one particular ant.


    Although she knew that she could trust her instincts, to a certain extent.


    Naturally in a city like this, there would be a lot of places that were the definition of shady.


    Moros¡¯ Bed ¡ª Contrary to what some might think of the name, it was named after the Personification of Death due to what sort of deals that ran this area. Intel that was highly confidential, some even ancient, the kind that was lost to time; Jobs that most sane living beings would not dare to take on, not even the demons; Things that some would pay anything for just to get their hands on it.


    As for the bed part, within this dimly lit tunnel system there was a constant thing in the middle of it all, something everyone that operated here tried to move once but somehow was unable to. It looked like a bed straight out of a vintage shop, heavy, thick wood that had patterns engraved into it. Even for the eons the tunnel system had existed, it still stood firmly, not even looking more than a day old.


    She knew that she could ask Moros personally, but she already figured what sort of response the damned demon would give her.


    Some knew her, though they did nothing other than just give her a nod, acknowledging her presence. They knew to keep themselves to their stores that were carved out by themselves within the place, besides, they knew it was not beneficial to them if they tried to pick a fight with the demi-goddess.


    Although not everyone played by the same rules here.


    ¡°Miss~¡± A sickeningly sweet voice reached her ears as she turned her head to the side.


    She recognised the woman near immediately, Voval, a demon with horns that were white at their base. Her thin tail swished around, wagging like an excited dog as she approached her. She was one of the other demons that ran Moros¡¯ Bed. It had always been a running joke that everyone that operated within the place would introduce her as a succubus to the new customers and newbies.


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    They were not that wrong, since it was a half-truth.


    She followed the demon along without much of a second thought, which led her to the store personally owned by Voval. Her store was still dimly lit like the rest of the area, though it was far more luxurious.


    Bright and shiny ceiling lights, the gold accessories that littered around the area as if it was only trash. The more common gems were thrown along with the gold, though they were all placed in a way that it would not stand out much, somehow still fitting into the entire store just nicely. Her store was much larger than all of the other stores, having a few large tables at the front.


    She brought her to the back, where a much larger golden table awaited them. She gestured for her to take a seat, sitting directly in front of each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you came down here.¡± Voval¡¯s head tilted like an adorable child trying to gain someone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°About 100 years ago, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°You must have come down here for a particular reason.¡±


    ¡°Same goes for why you called me here.¡±


    Voval raised her thin arm, gesturing for the guard standing close to the door. ¡°Bring us some tea, darling. The shipment that we had just gotten yesterday.¡±


    The guard nodded and quickly left the room,


    ¡°For you to come to Moros¡¯ Bed again after so long¡­ You must be dealing with something incredibly important right now.¡±


    ¡°Were you going to come find me, dear?¡± There was a subtle shift in her tone, but Amelia knew that it was not anger.


    ¡°Well, I was just going to look for whoever I think has the intel I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    The guard returned just in time, holding a tray of teapot set in his hands. He poured them both a cup of tea, resting the tray on the table. Her eyes looked down, seeing the faint red hue of the tea.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were into importing tea yourself.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a new interest I have taken on.¡±


    ¡°Just like that man you¡¯re trying to look for.¡±


    Amelia did not rush to reply, taking a sip of the tea first. ¡°It¡¯s mildly sweet, the refreshing kind.¡±


    Voval¡¯s smile had gone, replaced with a genuine look of confusion. She did not have to ask for answers, knowing that the goddess would give it to her anyways.


    ¡°The taste and fragrance in your mouth lingers like an annoying fly that just wouldn¡¯t leave you alone. You have a great taste in tea.¡±


    Since Amelia said it so seriously, Voval was debating on if she should say something as a reply. Yet she was not done yet. She rested her arms on the table, leaning forward just enough that the demon would notice it.


    ¡°That man has talent, even if he is using it in a very unconventional way. But I for one would suggest you keep your hands to yourself and not intervene in this matter any further than you should.¡± She dragged a smile on her lips. ¡°This is for your own benefit. And I¡¯m telling you this as a token of appreciation for every transaction we had done before.¡±


    Voval¡¯s face fell, an unreadable gaze clouded over her oval light pink eyes. Amelia¡¯s smile slowly turned into something more natural, though morphing into a faint smirk.


    She took in an exaggerated breath, even if the tension in the room should have made her breathe that way, Voval could tell that it was not affecting her in the slightest. ¡°Well, there aren¡¯t many that lived long enough to know and remember the tales of people like us.¡±


    ¡°The few species that have lived far too long include dragons, wyverns, demons and angels. And demons are the easiest to find since Erebon isn¡¯t much of a secret to anyone. With how the general demon species worked, you would have a far better chance finding old, ancient tales here.¡±


    She raised her hand, cutting off Voval as she parted her lips. ¡°I know you have no intentions to overthrow me. After all, you don¡¯t have too much on me either and someone like you isn''t too interested in anything else other than the entertainment a situation like this brings.¡±


    ¡°As a customer of yours, I would just like to warn you that you should stick your nose out of situations that are too beyond your knowledge.¡±


    Her smirk turned into a wide grin as she asked, ¡°So, could you be kind enough to tell me where Icarus is? Or should I do a deal with you to find out?¡±