《Eternal Requiem》 Prologue I _In the beginning there was nothing, Then God created Heaven and Earth. So they say¡­. *** "Madame, Your Highness Your brother is here to see you." "Brother?" "You mean Devira? We haven''t spoken since the moment we came to being." "Let Him in, but be weary of his actions." "Sisterrr it''s been yearsss, the pleasure is all yours " "What do you want Devira?" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "You see sister Thea, I have this problem that''s been bothering me for centuries now." Devira smiles slyly. "How does this relate to me, is there something you require from me?" "No sisterr you are quite mistaken." "I haven''t come here looking for something, I''ve come here to get rid of something." "What? Speak clearer what is it you want from me!?" "Simple sister, to change the Universe." "This universe has existed far too long with two forces balancing it, I have grown tired of watching you and your ''light'' disrupt the natural flow of the universe, that is me, I think its time for a change." "What! what manner of fuckery you speak!", Thea shouts aggressively. "We Gods exist to balance this universe one cannot rule what is light without darkness and darkness without light, even if you did try to kill me, we are unable to destroy each other." "Sister you don''t understand I''m not here to kill you, I''m here to fix you." [As if on que a massive wave of shadow demons appears from Devira''s Shadow] "You have two choices Sister merge with me Orjoin me, as You said, we can¡¯t kill each other so the there is only one way to fix our universe." "Sire we can''t hold up much longer!" Thea, raises her hands, "Alright Devira, you''ve left me no choice." "Isn''t that......, A Universe Level Spell, Restrain herr!" Devira yells. "Brother, You''ve won but also Lost" Thea Lets out a massive wave of energy. *** Prologue End. Prologue II Why do I exist? What¡¯s my purpose? Why do I always feel empty? Am I real?... Kage, Kage! Wake up! Huh What the hell? Sara!? Mikey!? Anyone!? Kage cried as he frantically started searching all the rooms in his orphanage, blood stains covered all the walls and floors the bright red glistening under the moonlight. ¡°What happened here, where is everyone?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°It¡¯s coming from the back.¡± As Kage crept up to the end filled with dismay and curiosity he opened the door ¡°OH, your finally awake¡± ¡°Who are¡­.¡± Before Kage could finish speaking his eyesight drew towards the grinding sound, the bodies of his friends, his only family the people who made him feel alone, being slowly grinded into a bloody mass of flesh. ¡°Why¡±, Kage stuttered as tears flowed down his cheeks. ¡°Is, this a nightmare!?¡± ¡°Yes¡± said the mysterious figure. ¡°it¡¯s the nightmare known as life, and I¡¯m afraid for you its about to come to end.¡± ¡°Why! What did I do to deserve this¡± cried Kage? ¡°It¡¯s not what you did it¡¯s what must be done, you are nothing and never will be anything your only purpose is to die.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, kill me! who said I wanted to live after this, everyone I care about is gone¡± Kage cried. ¡°You misunderstand me You will not be killed by my hands¡±, ¡°Then why what did my family do to you¡±, ¡°Nothing I only needed to get rid of your only attachment to this world so that I could send you back to where you came.¡± ¡°Why who sent you who am I!¡± ¡°Your gonna have to ask him when you get there.¡± Who!? ¡°God.¡± Prologue End Sound of Lost Hope I always used to think that as long as you keep your hope alive through the worst of times you might eventually reach a light at the end that makes your suffering worth it. Guess I was wrong. *** I don¡¯t know where I am I don¡¯t know where here is, the first thing I heard when I woke up was the buzzing of flies I was covered in shit, I was shit, That¡¯s what it felt like being chained in a dark errie basement It didn¡¯t take long to realize I was someone¡¯s slave. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why! I shouted this for days Why!? My screams echoing across these walls of my despair, of my hate Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Why? That¡¯s all I want to know. Why me. After a week or so I¡¯d been starved to the point of death, My will broken My mind in despair, I didn¡¯t have the strength to even speak After another week had passed Someone came and fed me, it was a man dressed in black his entire eyes were back He stared into my eyes and started muttering something, but I couldn¡¯t hear The flies kept buzzing in my ears After he finished his muttering, he left with a satisfied look on his face The next day he came in and beat me Broke my jaw and ribs I took it in silence. This happened every day after that I hate it I hate it I hate it. Is this hell? I thought. What sin did I commit to deserve this? The goddamn flies won¡¯t stop buzzing in my ear. I want to die. *** ¡°Slave!¡± my master Pedria shouted I¡¯ve been here two months and that bastard hasn¡¯t even asked for my name. ¡°slave!¡±, I¡¯m calling you Why have you taken so long to come? "Master I¡­¡± I started to He hits me again Do not explain yourself to me slave ¡°I have called you for¡­¡­¡­¡± Day by day I was given excruciating tasks designed to further break my will It was as though he was more interested in breaking me to my very last fiber than owning a slave, He succeeded. ¡°Is that clear, Slave?¡± Pedria finished I nod in silence and pull out an orb ¡°Where did you get¡­¡± His voice drowned out by the buzzing in my ear The rest I don¡¯t want to remember. The buzzing stopped. Sound of Survival I¡¯ve never killed a person before. It¡¯s disgusting The way the screaming grates your ears. The sight of a corpse burning The flesh peeling, the smell¡­ ¡°Blurgh¡± I couldn¡¯t stop vomiting I am a murderer now, I want to say I care, That I feel guilty, But I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t feel anything I¡¯m lost, I¡¯ve been lost for a long time The only thing I can feel is my want, to survive and for answers. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. *** ¡®Grrrr¡¯, a hideous beast growl menacingly at me It looks like some sort of cross between a bear and lion with horns It¡¯s been two weeks since I entered this forest, Its atmosphere filled with gloom The trees tauntingly waving their branches at me, As if to mock my stupidity for entering their forest. The place where I was held captive was situated right on the outskirts of this forest, The other side a cliff drop to hell. Right now, I¡¯m beginning to think I should¡¯ve taken the cliff¡­ I don¡¯t think I can go on any longer the creatures of the forest constantly stalk me, Waiting till I sleep or lose focus, to jump at me, I haven¡¯t slept in days, I¡¯ve been eating poisonous berries and mushrooms to survive Worst of all the buzzing, It won¡¯t stop. ¡°Kill me already!¡± I yell ¡°You¡¯ve been digging at my skin any moment you get, why don¡¯t you just eat me and get it over with!¡± ¡°Come on get it over with¡± I say as my legs give out and I slump to the ground My skin crawls as it approaches it face looks ready to devour me But its eyes... The buzzing stops. ¡°You¡¯re trying to help me!?¡± It growls at me more menacingly it lashes out at me again pulling flesh of my arm Agh! I think it¡¯s trying to pull me up ¡°I can¡¯t go on any longer I¡¯m poisoned already¡± I.. I.., before I could finish, I start sputtering blood Is this it? My head getting lighter, my mind fuzzy Last thing I saw were massive jaws about to maul me as my eyes shut. Sound of Survival II .... ¡­. ¡­. I-. My eyes open Im moving? ¡®Grauu!¡¯ The beast? Im on it? It rescued me, why? Noticing my arousal, the creature stops If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Grahh! I jump off, almost immediately my knees buckle, as I crash to the ground Ahh! I hadn¡¯t realized how weak my starved body was Gruuh! The beast beckons me to get up ¡°Just leave me beast let me die!¡± I yell Grrr the beast snarls as if disgusted in me Baring its fangs it approaches looking me dead in the eye GRRUUUAAAHHHH! With on massive roar as if telling me to stop being a pussy I, I¡¯ll go with you *** It¡¯s been two weeks, the beast still hasn¡¯t left my side It hunts for me defends me from other creatures. Maybe I can survive, Long enough for me to get some answers atleast Maybe.. Grauhh The beats beckons for my attention As I look in its direction a feeling wells up inside me, One I have never thought I would feel Joy. A Village. Sound of Reality Blood? why am I covered in blood What I smelt All I saw. Men in robes Men with swords They¡¯re running towards me I can¡¯t hear them My ears The buzzing Make it stop Help¡­ Me¡­. .... ¡­. Agh. A ceiling? I¡¯m on a bed? Ah I see that you have recovered If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. In front of me stood a man in a priest¡¯s robe holding a peculiar staff, his eyes stared blankly past me as if he were peering into an abyss. ¡°I- who are you, where am I?¡± ¡°I am a healer,¡± he said still staring into the distance ¡°You were found near the remains of a demonic creature¡± ¡°Are you one of them?¡± ¡°No, I was attacked by that creature, then¡­¡± I start The man ignores me ¡°If you have rested enough, the boss would like to have a word with you¡± he says as if forgetting the last two minutes of conversation I¡¯m standing in a dimly lit room faced a burly man with an intimidating stare. ¡°I am grateful for your hospi- ¡° ¡°You owe your life to me boy¡± the boss growls ¡°Correct?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Say it¡± ¡°I owe my life to you sir¡± ¡°Good,¡± he smiles beginning to light a pipe ¡°I have a few questions on where here is Sir¡± I begin to ask Staring at me coldly Boss says ¡°You do know saving your life wasn¡¯t free right?¡± ¡°As well as the healing you received¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have any money¡± Smiling slyly, he says ¡°your life that¡¯s what you¡¯re paying with¡± Two men armed with daggers approach from behind me ¡°This isn¡¯t some fantasy land kid, where everyone helps each other for free¡± Boss continues ¡°This is reality¡± ¡°You will either work for me¡± ¡°Or die to repay the breath so generously saved you from losing¡± ¡°Understand that Your life belongs to me now¡±. ¡°Now what was your question boy?¡± Echo of Reality ¡°Hey stop thief!" Shouted a short plump man at the sight of me pickpocketing his wife. Now here I am on the run from the town¡¯s guards. Yet again. I¡¯ve been here for a couple months now; working my life off for Mr. Jiseppi, the leader of a ¡®private company¡¯ that rescued me, supposedly. ¡°Hey, I said stop¡± shouted a guard firing an arrow at me I just narrowly avoid it crashing hard into the wagon of a village trader ¡°You mottherf-¡±, the trader yells but I¡¯m already making up distance ¡°Stop!¡± The guards continue inaccurately firing at me I keep running, my calves are burning like hell This is the town of Lyfia, an obscure village that on one side is nothing but forest, and the other a desert. A place where nobodies born and die. ¡°Three of them!¡± I yell as I stumble into an alley The closest place from this village is a massive ¡®Holy¡¯ city, one week away on foot however no one can survive a day through the desert Raising my hands in the air as I see the guards approaching, ¡°I give up, take me in.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. As the three men cautiously move towards me a group of cloaked figures appear from the shadows swiftly slicing their throats off The sight of blood gushing out their throats doesn¡¯t even phase me anymore, as I silently loot the corpses, Another day at the office I guess. *** (¡°Kill, Sell Kill, remember this pattern because it¡¯s your life¡¯s motto¡±) ¡­¡­ The first thing the boss taught me on his ¡®Business¡¯ ¡°Thirteen! Stop daydreaming and walk faster, I don¡¯t like being in this forest as is¡± ¡°I was thinking about what we do¡± I say ¡°You know, you¡¯re getting pretty good at this¡± Scowling at him I walk slower lagging behind ¡°I want to kill boss Eleven, I can¡¯t do this anymore¡± ¡°Look I told you we¡¯ll find the right opportunity, I¡¯ve been doing this longer than you, How you think I feel, being a number, Look let¡¯s get to meeting place quickly, we¡¯ll talk about this later,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡­.¡± Numbers that¡¯s what we are to the boss I was the thirteenth member he roped into his ¡®business¡¯, Eleven been here since he was a child, he¡¯s right I need to be patient ¡°This is the place thirteen¡± eleven says as we approach a clearing in the forest A cloaked figure is there ¡°Weapons¡± he rasps, ¡°you have them?¡± *Nodding* ¡°payment?¡± As he reaches for his coins, I notice gold piece of paper up his sleeve ¡°On second thought¡± Eleven says, rushing towards him stabbing him into his neck Green blood gushes out, was he not human? ¡°Eleven what hells!¡± Grabbing the paper from the humanoid creature¡¯s corpse, he says ¡°Another lesson boss taught us, if the client has something more valuable than what they¡¯re paying, Kill them and take it.¡± Echo of Evocation ¡°You, you have to make a decision now, die for me or die by me!¡± ¡°¡­...¡± ¡°You have three seconds One Two Thr...¡± [Jissepi] ¡°Are you positive this leads to something of value?¡± [Eleven] ¡°I have reason to believe so boss, we found it on the client, snakemen don¡¯t usually carry maps unless it leads something important¡± Jissepi pauses to think for what feels like an eternity, determining whether he wants to get his grubby hands on this potential treasure There¡¯s nothing he won¡¯t do for wealth and power, Nothing I won¡¯t do to see him dead. [Jissepi] ¡°You know no one¡¯s ever survived a night in the desert, right? If there¡¯s anything there of value it is indeed mine, One Eleven and thirteen, the four of us will go, anything happens always remember you are my human shields, understand?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Yes boss!¡± *** Finally sunset It¡¯s already been a day walking in this desert walking on the hot sand bare feet is a different kind of torture. Why was I sent here, I keep thinking back to ¡®that¡¯ day? Maybe this is all a nightmare, and I haven¡¯t woken up yet, Maybe¡­..., [Eleven] ¡°Question Who are you, really Thirteen?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, I ask myself that same question, You?¡± ¡°My name is Omari, across this desert there¡¯s the kingdom of Soterra, where I¡¯m from, some call it the grand magic city¡± ¡°Then how did you end up here?¡± ¡°Ten years ago, there was a civil war, during the chaos a as people tried escaping from the city, I was a child back then, so I don¡¯t remember much, one of the mages I think used a teleport magic to help me escape, one thing led to another, and I ended up in debt to the boss.¡± ¡°Sounds like there¡¯s something you¡¯re not saying.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t usually overshare.¡± [Eleven] ¡°You haven¡¯t told me your story yet¡± ¡°¡­. My name is Kage and.¡± I shrug ¡°And?¡± Thirteen presses ¡°I got lost I guess¡± ¡°And you say I hide things¡­¡± ¡°Would you two shut up and walk further up front, the boss needs you to be far enough ahead in case there¡¯s monsters so he can escape!¡± [Eleven] ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you be leading the charge Number One?¡± [One] ¡°I¡¯m the boss¡¯ most trusted ally, you two are in debt to him, now do as I say before I¡­..., Aghh!¡± Just as he¡¯d been talking an arrow flew through his right shin One falls face first into the sand ¡°Behind you!¡± shouts Eleven I take one step forward The sand below my feet somehow feels cold Or maybe, am I¡­ Scared? Cold sharp claws press against the front of my throat A raspy voice hisses behind my ear ¡°Move and you die!¡± Sound in the Sands The desert, Funny how the scorching murderous heat of the day becomes so frigid and lifeless at night. The cold hard wind that slaps you across the face, The mosquitoes buzzing at smell of blood, The sharp claws pressed firmly on my neck ready to tear out my esophagus in a moment¡¯s notice, The dark shadows of overhead clouds projected on the sand. It all feels somehow, Enchanting. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Kill me then!¡± I yell shoving hard backwards. Jissepi appears from the shadows stabbing the humanoid creature in jaw Blood sputters everywhere as it attempts to shout for help [Eleven] ¡°Arrows incoming boss!¡± Grabbing One¡¯s body Jissepi defends the shots One flails around frantically eventually ceasing all movement If he wasn¡¯t dead yet he is now [Jissepi] ¡°You two, in front of me now¡± he says flinging One to the side ¡°We have to keep moving.¡± I give Eleven a look, This may be the best chance to get rid of the bastard He shakes his head giving me a scared look Fuck it I¡¯ll do this on my own Baring my dagger, I walk towards the boss I can almost taste it, Murder. When did I become so insensitive? Was I always like this? I feel the drops of sweat sliding down my arm, My heart thumping slowly I tighten the grip on my dagger as it feels moist in my hand Everything sounds so noisy Maybe if I do this, It will end I raise my hand to his back Everything stops Silence, I hear my heartbeat My lungs are bursting, I try to exhale, nothing comes out The cold desert air, I can¡¯t feel it anymore. I¡¯m in¡­...Water? Sound of Fear I¡¯ve always wondered, what makes Jissepi the boss, What stops everyone from killing him, It¡¯s one man. Yet, their reaction is always the same, Fear. I used to think he¡¯s only strong because has ¡®employees¡¯ to do his dirty work If I got him alone the playing field would be even, Now, As I drown in suspense. Gasping for just a tiny bit of air I understand the fear. [Eleven] ¡°Boss¡­... I think he¡¯s learnt his lesson, you still need us to be shields, unless you¡¯re planning on killing me too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only going to say this once ever¡±, Jissepi says releasing me ¡°If I must use my magic on anyone again,¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. YOU WILL DIE ¡°I¡­f, if...I¡­., If I try to kill you again, I say coughing for air ¡°You¡­...will die¡± Pouncing on me Jissepi repeatedly wails on me with his fists ¡°Are you trying die boy!?¡± ¡°More beastmen will be after us soon, we have to hurry and find what¡¯s so important to them¡± Jissepi says walking off. *** [Eleven] ¡°Ho do you do that?¡± ¡°What¡± ¡°That thing with your face, against the boss¡± ¡°¡­.?¡± ¡°Your face was emotionless the whole time you were choking, even when he was beating you,¡± ¡°What about your face Eleven? You were scared shitless, why didn¡¯t you tell me the bastard could use magic?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t sense it¡± ¡°No¡± ¡®That¡¯s why everyone fears him, How he keeps us in check, He has something no one else in these parts has, ¡°Which puts him above us.¡± ¡°Glad you understand,¡± Jissepi says somewhat dauntingly behind us ¡°I am the boss of you and everyone in these parts, He who owns everything will be me!¡± I look down at sand, tempted to challenge him What¡¯s the point of any of this, maybe I should let him kill me? Why even bother trying to escape, freedom isn¡¯t guaranteed I may meet another bastard with magic like him I wish the earth would just swallow me up, Disappear. [Eleven] ¡°Boss, Thirteen, the sand!¡± Almost as if I jinxed it the sand started pulling us down ¡°I can¡¯t get out!¡± Jissepi yells I try moving my ankles, but the hunger of the sand is too great It continuously devours us Eleven frantically struggles to get himself out scared for his life I look at Jissepi, The look on his face Makes me Smile Fear. Sound in the Sands II How many times has it been now? That I¡¯ve come close to death I can feel Its touch slowly creeping up to me, Sheer Cold. I can hear the stifles of my two other companions just nearby Although, Deep down I never thought they were real, That this was real, Everyday I suffer, I think, Maybe I¡¯m still asleep, Maybe I¡¯m in coma and can¡¯t wake up Maybe I¡­... I died that night and this my hell. The more I look for answers, You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The more Questions I ask The lower and lower I sink into the earth The less despair I feel I do not care anymore. *** *** ¡°Thirteen, Thirteen are you Alright?¡± ¡°Huh, Eleven?¡± I blink, Its pitch black. [Eleven] ¡°I think we are in some kind of cave under the desert¡± ¡°How did we get here?¡± [Eleven] ¡°Last thing I remember was suffocating in the sand, when I awoke, I was here¡± ¡°I see you two are still alive¡± Jissepi¡¯s voice booms from somewhere in the dark ¡°Yes boss, what should we do now?¡± Eleven says half mockingly Ignoring Eleven¡¯s tone Jissepi continues, ¡°Light this place up boy, I give you permission¡± ¡°Yes sir¡± Eleven then proceeds to mumble under his breath I watch in amazement as bright yellow balls of fire form out of thin air Eleven, you? You can use magic? I Question astonishingly Only the basics, boss forbade me form practising it I want to question him more, but I can tell he¡¯s hiding something form Jissepi ¡°Let¡¯s look for a way out¡±, I change the subject Looking around I can see that we are in some sort of yard, a massive tree stands still in the center, its leaves all withered out, branches hollowed out the dirt around us which presumably was grass is now covered with armor clad skeletons. Jissepi Is already looting corpses He is strangely silent, ¡°We are in a castles courtyard¡± Eleven says examining the walls ¡°Judging by the architecture and the limestone used on the walls¡±. [Jissepi] ¡°Then we are guaranteed to find something of great importance Do not forget what we came here for, For me, This castle is mine and everything that comes with it I want it all. Jissepis Elegy ¡°Marvelous! Simply exquisite! I am keeping this!¡± The more and more valuables we came across the more excited Jissepi got, continuously claiming everything that had any monetary value As we got further into this old castle exploring the rooms that were oddly fully furnished, An eerie feeling of dread loomed over me, Almost as if the walls itself were watching me. ¡°Boss¡±, Eleven says looking unnerved ¡°We need to find out soon we lost all our supplies when we were attacked and my magic won¡¯t last much longer, I fear we may die of hunger or thirst¡± ¡°We will figure that out once we get to the throne room,¡± Jissepi says absent mindedly Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! He¡¯s caught up in his own greed, doesn¡¯t even realize what situation we are in. Something about this ruin feels off How did an entire castle end up underground? Why did whoever live here leave everything behind As Eleven¡¯s magic gets dimmer, the more I feel a presence lurking in the dark as the shadow that looms over us grows larger soon to envelop us all in darkness. *** ¡°I think this it!¡± Jissepi exclaims in front of massive double doors. By the looks of it someone boarded them shut. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t¡±, I say feeling an uneasiness coming from behind the room along a buzzing sound, [Jissepi] ¡°I make the decisions around here, And I say, We should.¡± As the doors burst open light floods the area The three of us stand in awe at the room before us a massive throne sits at the head of room encrusted with gems, Above the throne a gold framed portrait of beast looking down at the entire room Sandstone statues are scattered around the entire room some look like humans some beastmen, they all bear weapon as if defending the throne. A chandelier hangs over the center room with a blue flame that makes me feel warm just by looking at it. ¡°You two have done me well,¡± Jissepi rejoices as he makes his way through the room Moving cautiously Eleven and I follow closely behind THUD! The sound reverberates throughout the room the moment we reach the center ¡°The door!¡± Elven yells in dismay ¡°Trap!¡± I Yell back Its already too late, The motionless statues begin moving. Sound in the Stone ¡®Hurrrrghh, Hurrrrghh¡¯ I can hear the heavy as breathing of Jissepi and Thirteen as we stand back-to-back in a circle of fire surrounded by countless stone zombies Quiet, yet loud Emotionless, yet angry The demeanor of the stone monstrosities both terrifying yet sorrowful ¡°I can¡¯t hold them back any longer!¡± Eleven yells ¡°Give me a minute longer!¡± Jissepi yells back breathing heavily as spurts of water exit his hand ¡°Aghhh!¡± Eleven cries falling falls back ¡°I¡¯m out,¡± ¡°Pass the shield I¡¯ll try to hold them off!¡± Running forward with all my strength I ram into the stone men my shoulder aching painfully ¡°Ahh Boss! Any moment now!¡± I shout as I immediately start getting pounded on Jissepi raises his hand as he counts his fingers down 3 Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. 2 1 As he lets down his hand a swirl of whirlpool of water envelopes the around stone men toppling them as it sweeps toward the back of room ¡°That¡¯s all I could pull off for now!¡± Jissepi Shouts ¡°We must move before its stops.¡± ¡®Badump, badump¡¯ I can hear a heart thumping heavily Is it mine? As we scramble towards the head of the room, I glance at Jissepi he stares passionately at the throne everything he¡¯s ever wanted huh I gaze at Eleven his fiery red hair dripped in sweat, his eyes droopy and tired. I look behind, the statues in a whirlpool at the entrance to this chamber Why would Jissepi direct them there? ¡°Here.¡± Jissepi says as we approach the throne, ¡°We can build up our defenses here and destroy all the stone zombies¡± ¡°I thought we were going to escape; we can¡¯t fight those off!¡± I press. ¡°We can¡¯t leave either, I want everything in this place!¡± Jissepi says baring his dagger. ¡°We can¡¯t¡± I protest ¡°You, you have to make a decision now, die for me or die by me!¡± Jissepi says erratically. ¡°¡­...¡± ¡°You have three seconds One Two Thr...¡± I pounce on him before he finishes, hammering down my fists, Jissepi lunges forward at me biting into my shoulder, As I flinch back in pain Jissepi lunges forward stabbing his dagger into my left shin, The jolt pf pain overwhelms my senses I don¡¯t even feel the other stab left of my abdomen, ¡°E..Eleven!¡± I stutter as blood spurts out my mouth, He stands motionless enchanted by the blue flame overhead Waling my fist desperately I manage to stun Jissepi with a blow, I immediately wrap my arms around his throat squeezing as hard as I can Jissepi struggles frantically pounding his fists into my back I won¡¯t let go. For a split second our eyes meet as I continue to choke him He mumbles something about hell I can¡¯t hear him over the buzzing sound in my ear, My grip loosens, my head getting light I can¡¯t tell if Jissepi is still alive as I slump down on top of him Everything going blank. Jissepis Elegy II Sunlight? Warm rays bathe down as I lay on a patch of grass Am I dead? No, something about here feels familiar I notice a massive tree in the center of the yard, The courtyard? ¡°Jissepi!¡± someone calls Alerted I try to turn only to realize, I can¡¯t control my body. ¡°Jissepi!¡± a man in armor approaches ¡°Stop lazing about in the courtyard and get back to work your water cleaning-magic is very useful to us.¡± ¡°So..Sorry sir,¡± I say?? ¡°I was cleaning the courtyard walls and I fell asleep¡± ¡°Well don¡¯t let it happen again. If you want to become a royal knight as you say you¡¯re going to have work much harder Water Boy,¡± the knight says mockingly ¡°I will work as hard as must sir!¡± I say clenching my fists This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I pick up a bucket and start to walk off, my vision once again going blank ¡­.. Ughhh The stench I try to open my mud filled eyes to see My ribs feel broken I hear people laughing Thwogg! Aghh, The toe of an iron boot kicks into my stomach ¡°How do you like that, Mr. ¡®Magic Knight¡¯,¡± A voice bellows mockingly followed by another kick. ¡°You must think that you¡¯re above us, you¡¯re important, because you can use magic!¡± He says with another kick. ¡°Hear this,¡± the person continues, ¡°You will never own anything of value in your worthless existence, you will always and forever be the water boy!¡± I continue getting stomped on as everything goes black once more. ¡­ ¡°Jissepi, you are a knight, have you no honor?¡± A knight scolds I lay naked in a room surrounded by liquor and women ¡°Come have some,¡± I say, ¡°Who cares about this kingdom anyways it¡¯ll eventually so to shit.¡± ¡°How dare you speak against your kingdom like that!¡± The knight yells ¡°Ahh what does it matter,¡± I scoff drunkenly ¡°When everyone here ends up dead I¡¯ll build my empire on its ashes, I¡¯ll own everything¡­...¡¯¡± The knight begins to speak but the room begins shaking ¡°I think were under attack!¡± the knight shouts ¡°I¡¯ll see you in hell!¡± I shout back as the everything fades away ** ¡°Would you two stop!¡± Shouts Eleven¡¯s voice Jissepi shoves me off his body as Eleven conjures blue flames at the again approaching stone statues ¡°Incinerate them.¡± Jissepi orders, ¡°Then I can claim this ruin as my own!¡± Eleven looks down towards me, ¡°look thirteen, no Kage there¡¯s so much more I had to explain to you about me, about everything, but remember what I said about the right opportunity, It¡¯s too late for that now.¡± ¡°What are you talking about Eleven!?¡± Jissepi Barks, ¡°Incinerate the statues for me right now!¡± Eleven¡¯s eyes begin to glow while his hair burns up ¡°I was waiting to use this when it was just me and boss alone,¡± he continues ¡°I¡¯m sorry for taking your life Kage, I¡¯ll see you in hell. Royal Flame Explosion!¡± Eleven, no Omari¡¯s body bursts into a violent purple flame The heat immediately popping Jissepi like a balloon A rain of blood falls as the force of the heat launces me into oblivion. Desert Symphony The sun beams down upon an empty dessert, no speck of life to be found, a desert of death. The sand burns, scorching hot, hotter than usual, the normally still sand in a state of motion, Each grain slowly slipping down into a crater of purple flames, the flames and sand battle relentlessly for supremacy as three figures lay still in heap of rumble, ¡°What was that explosion?¡± One says struggling its feet ¡°Could it be the phantom flame in the throne room!?¡± ¡°Sir the rest of our men got crushed by the rubble,¡± the second beast-like figure states ¡°The only survivors are you, I and¡­ him,¡± he scowls at third a figure who remains silent ¡°It must be those thieves we couldn¡¯t catch earlier¡± the first figure says as he wipes the dust off his face, his lion-like features begin to show ¡°We should not have followed them sir¡± the second one, a lizard like fellow, laments ¡°We lost good men, for what? Revenge!?¡± The third figure remains silent his empty violet eyes in sullen agreement. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The three make their way through the burnt ruins, ¡°Is that a body!?¡± The Lizard beast-man exclaims as they enter the destroyed throne room- ¡°-Or is it a corpse?¡± He continues, ¡°this must be what¡¯s left of the thieves, serves them right.¡± ¡°Seems like there was a fight here,¡± the lion beast-man adds, ¡°There¡¯re stab wounds over this body and its severely burned!¡± ¡°What the hell could¡¯ve happened here?¡± ¡°A fight among thieves,¡± the lizard man laughs ¡°At least we can leave knowing they got what they deserved¡± the lion beast-man scoffs Let¡¯s get back home we must report this to the general, what we heard earlier¡± Two of the beast-men leave while the third stays behind, He looks at corpse, its black colored eyes still open, as it stares blankly, emotionless ¡°Huhhhhhh!¡± the beast-man lets out a huge sigh ¡°You need this more than I do¡± he says taking out an azure crystal. *** *** Why am I not dead yet? The scent of my flesh nauseating as it burns slowly, bit by bit I feel every second of it. Is this my requiem? What I get for burning that bastard? This can¡¯t all be for nothing, I still haven¡¯t got my answers yet I can¡¯t die¡­. not yet¡­¡­. ¡­.. Urrrgghhhhhh, everything hurts am I still on fire? I¡¯m still in the throne room, how did I survive that blast? I notice the silhouette of something animal-like slowly leaving through the rubble ¡°Who are you!¡± I call ¡°¡­¡­.¡± No reply as it continues to leave Ahh! my legs hurt to lift; I¡¯m still wounded bad, how am I still alive? The moving figure stops and faces me ¡°What are you called?¡± he asks staring at me blankly Something about its demeanor feels, Relatable. ¡°Kage¡±, I reply ¡°Your wounds are not healed, if you can fight through the pain, you have enough energy to leave and get treated.¡± He then turns around and proceeds to leave I don¡¯t say anything. Is this another chance for me? I have to get stronger, no I have to get smarter Song of the Phantom Flame Don¡¯t stop, Keep on going, Don¡¯t stop Keep on going Don¡¯t stop, I keep repeating this to myself as I painfully stumble through the dark underground What was I thinking going deeper down? Due to the explosion a path was revealed under where the throne stood, I could¡¯ve ignored it, escaped the ruins, but there¡¯s no guarantee I¡¯ll survive, This is my only hope¡­. What lies down here? I must find out. The blue flame, where did it go? Why was Elev¡­ Omari enchanted by it, what did he see? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! The walls vibrate more and more the deeper I get, Thump, Thump, thump, thump Thump, thump, thump Thump, thump, thump Almost like drums, is someone playing a song? Enterrrr? Wellcomee? Enterrrr? Wellcomee? Enterrrr? Wellcomee? The words echo while blue light begins to spread, the walls becoming more visible, I can just barely see the carvings depicted on it; Flames, A party, A fight, Musical notes, Statues? I almost forget my pain in curiosity, a feeling of intrigue stirs within me For the first time since I got here, I wonder, Is this really a different world? An alternate reality? Different time period? I always thought myself in hell, The people don¡¯t feel real, there are monster-like people, magic, - -nearing the light everything goes silent A blue flame stands still, It gives no heat. ¡°Can you,.. Can you hear me?¡¯ A voice frantically calls from the flame ¡°Can you,. Can you hear me?¡± It repeats ¡°I hear you!¡± ¡®This is a pre-recorded message from: Anonymous¡¯ ¡°After Years if searching I finally found it! I knew it existed I knew there was a way! If anyone finds this message, that came from the other side, you have to send this back, DON¡¯T COME! we can¡¯t, the balance must remain, please get this message back, I¡¯ve left some money and supplies down here, whatever you need, Just please keep the balance! Or God¡¯s wrath will be upon us all!¡± ¡®Message End.¡¯ The flame goes dim. Prelude of Struggle I stare and stare and stare the ¡®flame¡¯ remains dim yet to me it sheds much light, What could this mean? I reach out to it, immediately it retracts into a device it emits from, A projection? A small cord runs from the device to what looks like a motor, it spins slowly letting out a near silent hum What is this place? Looking around the barren enclosure is a small bench which a few dusty cloaks which I immediately drape around my naked body, and a rectangular box ¡°Achoooo!¡± I let out a sneeze wiping away the dust from it ¡®U.C MILITARY PROTOTYPE,¡¯ It reads A feeling of intrigue flows through me as I open it to reveal a sleek black bow, and a few arrows, tucked in the corner of box is pouch of coins, gold and silver, a compass and a single flashlight. Taking everything, I immediately prepare to leave, the effects of whatever that beast-man did to me is beginning to wear off as a feel a slight hunger, although I would like to investigate more, I have to survive Omari spoke of a kingdom past this desert, that¡¯s my goal. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. As I leave, I shine the torch on the room giving it one last look. At head of the rooms hangs a skeleton with a sign strapped to its chest, Here ¡®rests¡¯ the Court Jester. *** The sun burns my already burnt face as I drag myself through the scorching sands, bow and arrow strapped to my back, My will to survive strapped to my heart, It¡¯s been two days since I started walking, my fatigue setting in, my morale in gradual decline What if I¡¯m Going the wrong the direction? Looking frantically at the compass, I¡¯m still heading west Good. More signs of life begin to show as I continue further west, cacti are now a common sight I even passed an oasis a while back ¡°Uhhhh!¡± I let a sigh of relief as I spot a massive tower in distance, it looks days away, but I have something to walk towards¡­... ~Another day passes my journey feels like an eternity, lights and trees come into view the more I walk, If this turns out to be hallucination, I¡¯ll... I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do anymore, Brushing off the dark thoughts I continue trudging on *Two days Later* ¡®Schewppppp!¡¯ Uh water! finally I¡¯m out of the desert. I soak in a river that flows through a shallow forest, A road leads through the forest, At least I can be sure there¡¯s life here. Using my arrows to ¡®spear¡¯ fish, I replenish myself and carry on. *** A Gold tower stands shining brilliantly in the distance, smaller towers surround it creating a glamourous view, it gives the appearance of both a castle and cathedral. ¡°Is that a zombie?¡± someone whispers seeing me walk past I¡¯ve encountered a few people following the road out the forest, At first, I was relieved to see humas again, but I¡¯ve been met with many fear and scornful glances. The Kingdom of Soterra a sign reads. This is where Omari was from? The main city entirely surrounded by walls, Men dressed in templar armor guard the gate. ¡°State your purpose for entry¡± a guard demands as I approach them ¡°I need to see a healer.¡± He looks at me from top to bottom ¡°Ahh well you¡¯ve come to right place~¡± he smiles, ¡°This is the holy city known as Soterra And just like God here we welcome everyone Right this way.¡± Sound of Dedication ¡°I will dedicate myself to God, and use it heal, I will dedicate myself to God so you can be healed.¡± A priest chants while using his magic on me, A feeling of euphoria washes over as the feeling of pain is finally gone. My hair begins to regrow and my flesh reformed All this free of cost? - -Since entering Soterra I¡¯ve never met such polite people before, the guard led me through the bustling streets to the Royal Cathedral, where I was immediately attended to. This place isn¡¯t half bad. ~~~ ¡°You need to dedicate yourself and quit doing drugs.¡± the priest instructs me after healing. ¡°Drugs?¡± I ask ¡°I detected A high concentration of magic-stone dust in you, Dedicate yourself and stop using.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I protest, ¡°what are the effects of this drug?¡± ¡°In small amounts it sends all your magic to the brain causing feelings of bliss, In high concentrations it puts your body¡¯s magic in a constant state of flow numbing all other senses, it can even restart a stopped heart if used exactly at that moment,¡¯ The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Then that must explain how¡±- - ¡°Please stop using¡± the priest continues cutting me off, ¡°Dedicate yourself to God.¡± ¡°I will Sir,¡± I say trying to avoid further confrontation with the priest, ¡°I will be taking my leave,¡± grabbing my stuff I head out. ¡­ Soterra¡¯s streets are all clean and well kept, most of the buildings are painted white with a goldish tint, It feels like I¡¯m walking through the most peaceful place in existence. ¡°Good day sir,¡± ¡°Good afternoon,¡± ¡°May god be with you.¡± Everyone I pass greets politely, For the first time in while I, don¡¯t know what to do next Where do I go from here? Should I leave and risk more pain and suffering out there? What about the blue flame, the warning? Should I dedicate myself?... ¡°Do not dedicate yourself!¡± A voice shout almost immediately as the thought crosses my mind. There¡¯s some sort of commotion happening in a nearby park- - ¡°Don¡¯t dedicate yourself!¡± a short girl with pale blue hair in disheveled clothes shouts ¡°Excuse me,¡± I say making my way through the people crowded around the girl, ¡°It¡¯s their way to control you!¡± the girl continues ¡°Are you lost little girl?¡± someone asks, ¡°Dedicate yourself and you may get helped¡± another person adds ¡°Come I¡¯ll show you to the priest,¡± someone grabs her, Pushing them away she jumps backward ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Do not dedicate!¡± she cries Her eyes meet mine, I can see both the sorrow and determination in them, ¡°You sir please you must believe me!¡± ¡°What other option is there if I don¡¯t dedicate?¡± I say beseechingly then walk off leaving the commotion behind me. *Back at the cathedral* ¡°Are you ready to dedicate yourself?¡± a priest asks seeing me enter ¡°I am willing to but first you must answer my questions¡± ¡°Ask away, God teaches us to be honest after all¡± ¡°Question one; what does it mean to dedicate yourself?¡± ¡°It means you will become closer to God and never be sad or unfulfilled ever again in your life,¡± ¡°Question two; I thought this was a kingdom, not holy city?¡± ¡°It was but ten years ago the King chose the path of righteousness¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a civil war ten years ago?¡± The priest demeanor changes. ¡°There was a minor squabble from the non-believers but that was settled quickly¡± the priest says agitatedly ¡°Question three what happened to the former government?¡± I press "King Flint unfortunately passed due to er illness and his son, Prince Omari went missing since.¡± Holy Sounds Dong ! Dong! Dong! A bell rings throughout the town as dusk draws near By the eighteenth elegant stroke, a peaceful silence sets. The people of Soterra are always at peace, always happy, The perfect nation, All minds here are dedicated and happy, All minds but one... ¡­. I stare at a portrait of the ¡®last royal family¡¯, my mind thoroughly confused, The king stands gloriously his face depicted sternly with a long red mane of a beard, His wife beside him a beautiful woman with sparkling red eyes and a beautiful smile that exudes her love for the boy that stands between them, flaming red hair like his father a face blissfully unaware of the struggles he would soon face. Omari, I don¡¯t know how I should feel about this, We never were really friends, so I¡¯m not surprised he¡¯d hide this, But what am I feeling? I saw him blow himself up, he intended to kill all of us back there. What am I feeling? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It¡¯s definitely not sadness Regret? He lost his home and for years suffered while others thrived happily, I feel his regret for not ever making it back, for not fighting back Meanwhile I survive and peacefully live out my years here, No, I have to get out of here, I can¡¯t stay, I don¡¯t belong. ¡°Sir,¡± I bow to the priest, ¡°I thank you for hospitality, but I will take my leave now.¡± ¡°Dedicate yourself before you go?¡± The priest implores I¡¯m already making my way through the cathedral I will dedicate myself to finding the truth, Finding my truth *** The roads are empty as the moon draws into the soon night sky. The lights that illuminate the city are a sight of awe Although it may be quiet and empty I feel weirdly safe walking alone. ¡°State your purpose?¡± a guard asks as I approach the gate ¡°I wish to leave¡¯¡± He looks at me directly in the eyes, ¡°Dedicate yourself and you may leave¡± ¡°What, why must I, I¡¯m leaving?¡± ¡°Dedicate yourself and you may leave,¡± he repeats ¡°I don¡¯t need dedication, I need to leave¡¯¡± ¡°Dedicate yourself and you may leave then¡± The guard adamantly refuses to let me pass Should I turn back? Head to the cathedral become ¡®dedicated¡¯? How do I get out of this situation peacefully? ¡°I will not dedicate myself to your cause,¡± ¡°I say calmly, I have my own cause to fulfil, let me pass and you may never deal with me again.¡± What would your cause be? the guard scoffs ¡°Is it to stand against us? Are you by chance an opposer? A sewer rat!? We dedicate ourselves so that we can be with God, like God and serve God You may not leave here ever unless you are like us!¡± he rants ¡®What if I¡¯m not asking anymore?¡± I threaten getting irritated ¡°Look,¡± the guard laughs, ¡°God, who loves all beings still punishes those who stray and like him I will not hesitate to punish you¡± Cautiously I draw my bow, while my mind races in thought; Should I be reasonable about this? Agree to head back to become one of them? Reaching backwards I draw an arrow ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± ¡°You are not permitted to,¡± the guard sneers, dedicate yourself and you may stand a chance!¡± Raising his hands, the guard lets out a blast of wind launching me into a solid stone wall Unholy Sounds Everyone, Omari, The blue flame, My mind can¡¯t stop buzzing, All the commotion, All the thoughts, I can¡¯t stop feeling things, Why do I have to deal with this right now?... ¡­.¡°Looks like we have a non-believer here! The guard bellows at my dazed body that lay on a rubble of bricks, Feels like I was hit by a truck... ¡°Dedicate yourself or suffer the consequences!¡± the guard continues, A small crowd begins to gather from the commotion ¡°Is that one of them!?¡± A man queries looking at me in disgust ¡°He isn¡¯t,¡± the guard answers, ¡°this one¡¯s on the fence, but with God¡¯s guidance, we can help his poor soul choose what side to go to.¡± ¡°Take him to the Head!¡± a woman yells, ¡°he¡¯ll surely ¡®fix¡¯ him¡± ¡°Yes!¡± someone else agrees, ¡°pick him up the Head will ¡®cure¡¯ him!¡± ¡°Whaaa...?¡± I say dazedly as a crowd of people near me ¡°Get away from me!¡± Stumbling to my feet, I scramble away from the crowd. ¡°Don¡¯t run we can help you, dedicate yourself and you will never have to run away!¡± The crowd of people builds as I run further away, back into the city, The beautiful lights now feel like signals of despair as they point towards me alerting the people to my location, no matter how hard I try to hide. ~ Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ~Now fully into the night the streets which once felt safe, feels like a well-designed mouse trap. Agghh! I turn a corner and a bright light flashes on me ¡°The non-believer!¡± someone shouts. Vwooosh! A strong blast of wind flies just past me almost connecting with my face Aiming an arrow, I fire a shot spectacularly missing, Immediately I run for it! Gripping my bow tightly I fire another shot which also misses, I can¡¯t do this! Maybe I should let myself get caught, it¡¯s not like these are bad people, just a little bit too passionate¡­. ¡­...¡°Get off me!¡± A girl¡¯s voice screams, I turn the corner to catch my breath, the crowd still hasn¡¯t spotted where I went yet- -¡°Untie me!¡± a girl demands, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, untie me!¡± Huh? Further up the street a short girl is being carried away by two women, Ducking behind a stall I try to avoid being spotted- -¡°I won¡¯t dedicated myself to your bullshit!¡± the girl continues, ¡°Your Head Priest is a fraud!¡± The girl from earlier? Maybe she knows something that can help me, I can use this situation to my advantage.- -¡°I can use magic!¡± the girl warns, ¡°don¡¯t think I won¡¯t hesitate to freeze you to death! Wait till I get my hands free , And little bit of time to prepare, You just waumph!¡±- I crash right into the women, bow first, knocking them to the ground, The bow lights up from the force of the impact, Technology? - -No time to think about that now, ¡°Come on!¡± I Yell to the girl cutting the ropes with an arrow tip, ¡°Did you believe me!¡± her freckled face lights up in delight, ¡°No time to talk we have to find a way to escape this city!¡± ¡°No can do, there¡¯s no way out,¡± ¡°Then where do we go!?¡± I gasp picking up the pace, ¡°Were you not the one who rescued me? Without a plan, haha you¡¯re a funny one¡± she laughs ¡°Come on!¡± she directs, ducking into an alleyway, then climbing unto a roof, ¡°Keep up!¡± ~~~ The moon shines vividly as the cold night silently flows on, Lights flash desperately in search of someone as two figures make their way through the city, Badump!! My body crashes hard atop of a roof as I just botched a leap across two houses ¡°Don¡¯t say Anything!¡± I bark noticing a slight smirk, ¡°Let¡¯s keep going¡±¡­, Squeezing between narrow alleys, Crawling under tight passages, Running atop roofs, We reach a shack in the southeast area near the city walls, Its rundown dilapidated look, like a stain on the canvas of the perfect design of this city. ¡°Over here!¡± the girl nudges to a latrine to back of said house, Chanting something a light swiftly flashes at blinking speed ¡°Jump!¡± She pushes me forward into the pit, A rush of hot air wraps around me, As I weightlessly fall into the abyss- -Splash! I land directly into a body of water, ¡°Ahh where are we?¡± ¡°Welcome,¡± the girl says falling in right after me, ¡°Welcome to the Un-Holy city, God¡¯s Anus.¡± Sounds in the Undergound ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! today I, the great magician, Pinoki, will blow your minds!¡± A short man smiles at the small crowd gathered around him, his thin lips curling mischievously. ¡°I shall conjure a being of decisive strength, (for a brief time only), that you can speak to and learn your fate! For just one small fee of one silver, my good people, I can blow your mind! Thank you, Thank you!¡± the little man says as some people offer him donations, pleased at the intrigue he¡¯s generated. ¡°Prepare yourself people! I summon upon thee the being of change!¡± A puff of smoke envelopes the area while the little man quietly slips away ¡°Hey, you!¡± a man shouts noticing him sneaking away, ¡°you scammer! After The scoundrel!¡± At the same moment the crowd begins to chase the little man, two bodies splash into the nearby waterway, A blue haired girl, whom everyone recognizes and a silver-haired man with an expressionless face. ¡°Ha haa!¡± The little man exclaims, ¡°my summoning is complete! I was just er stepping back just in case they fell unto us, Well, aren¡¯t you going to get your questions out, the man continues deceitfully, Might as well get your money¡¯s worth¡±¡­¡­¡­... ¡­¡­ ¡°Where exactly are we?¡± I ask the girl as we wade out of water, ¡°My names Lyra by the way, and we¡¯re technically under the Holy city, but not really, Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. It¡¯s too complicated for me to explain.¡± She shrugs ¡°So, magic?¡± I question ¨C ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell me your name,¡± she ignores my question ¡°It¡¯s Kage, and why are those people staring at us?¡± A crowd of people eagerly gather around us as we exit the water, ¡°Are you really a being of change?¡± A girl asks. ¡°Lyra, where have you been off to?¡± someone else asks, A sea of questions rain on us before I myself get a chance to ask a question, ¡°What are you assholes going on about!¡± Lyra bellows, ¡°We weren¡¯t summoned by any magic and Kage isn¡¯t some powerful being, he can barely jump roofs, who ever told you all that is a filthy liar!¡± ¡°Speaking of Liars here¡¯s one,¡± a Burly man says, dragging along a little man in tow, ¡°Look who I found trying to sneak away!¡± ¡°Pinoki!¡± Lyra exclaims, ¡°I am not even surprised, of course you¡¯d do this, the most deceitful man in the Under City!¡± ¡°Lyraa~ it¡¯s been so long,¡± Pinoki smiles still being gripped tightly by the burly man, ¡°Funny you are calling me the most deceitful man, when you¡¯re the most na?ve woman in the unholy city, Tell me have you managed to change the minds of the self-righteous pricks top side? Don¡¯t tell,¡± he turns looking at me, ¡°Is he one? Did you finally convince one of them, hahah!¡± Pinoki laughs ¡°Bastard!¡± Lyra scowls, ¡°no Kage isn¡¯t one of ¡®them¡¯¡± Turning to the burly man she says; ¡°can you kill him, please!¡± ¡°Wow, wow!¡± Pinoki struggles, ¡°I¡¯ll give you people your money, back I was just having a little fun, see?¡± He reaches for his pouch, ¡°Here!¡± he throws it into the crowd, ¡°Let me go!¡± *** Pinoki and Lyra continue barking at each as we walk along a short dirt path, I gaze at the surroundings; No sky in sight when I look up just darkness, The atmosphere humid, the place lit dimly, The Waterway we fell into leads into a settlement in the distance, Although humid, dark and dirty , this place feels somewhat lived in... ¡­.¡°Can you stop dazing off? Lyra pinches me on the arm, ¡°I have some things I wanna ask you¡± ¡°As Do I.¡± Pinoki chips in, ¡°Why are you still here!¡± Lyra Barks, ¡°don¡¯t you have more people to go scam after losing your coin pouch.¡± ¡°Hardly.¡± Pinoki smiles, taking out another pouch, ¡°That other one had fake money, you don¡¯t think I¡¯d really get caught that easily?¡± ¡°Go away then scammer!¡± Lyra pushes him, ¡°I¡¯m intrigued to know what happened to you top side~¡± Pinoki sings ¡°Also curious to what ¡®He¡¯ will have to say about you going off on your own.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t care what ¡®He¡¯ thinks! Lyra snaps, ¡°the coward¡±- -¡°Whose ¡®He¡¯?¡± I butt in ¡°Ask him yourself,¡± Lyra points Looking forward to the settlement we approach A Blonde man stops his pushups noticing us arrive Waving at us, he goofily smiles, ¡°Lyra! How have you be¡­.¡± Noticing me his smile fades ¡°Thunder God Punch!" A surge of lighting erupts out his fists as he aims directly at my head. Sounds in the Underground II Instinctively grabbing my bow, I push it forward into the incoming blow, The surge of lighting from his punch, charges the bow which lets out a wave of energy knocking us both apart. ¡°Apollo!¡± Lyra shouts, ¡°He¡¯s on our side let him be!¡± ¡°Something about his energy feels off,¡± the blonde man murmurs getting back to feet, ¡°Why would after all these years, someone topside decide to change their mind and help us!? He¡¯s probably a spy! Lighting strike fist!¡± His fist sparks as he charges towards me Loading an arrow I fire at him, as it launches from the bow, it glows releasing a blast Vwashh! lightning surges as it connects, sending the man flying back ¡°You¡¯re a magic user!?¡± he sputters ¡°I.., I don¡¯t know,¡± I gasp ¡°but I can tell you that I¡¯m not a spy for the Holy city!¡± Loading a next arrow, aiming at him I say, ¡°I¡¯m not even from this kingdom I¡¯m just trying to find some answers, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± he grunts getting back up, ¡°Lyra, if you vouch for him, I¡¯ll have to take your word, but I¡¯ll keep an eye on him, he has the eyes of a killer.¡± The young man stomps off clearly pissed at getting knocked down¡­ This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡­. ¡°He¡¯s not usually like that, I promise,¡± Lyra assures ¡°That¡¯s Apollo he¡¯s usually a goof, but most here see him as a leader, since he¡¯s the only member of the royal family left, after prince Omari went missing.¡± ¡°Your prince dead.¡± I say bluntly strapping back my bow, ¡°Huh!?¡± She retorts, ¡°what would an outsider, know of the prince, stop being so cynical, Come on let¡¯s carry on!¡± she changes the subject ¡°Where¡¯s the short man?¡± I ask noticing him missing ¡°Huh Pinoki?¡± ¡°Check your pockets quick!¡± Lyra orders Checking I find that my pouch of coins has disappeared ¡°That scoundrel,¡± Lyra scowls ¡°I¡¯ll pummel him next time I see him!¡± *** ¡°Here we are,¡± Lyra directs, we approach the northern-most house in the settlement, it¡¯s by far the biggest, compared to the ones we passed on way here, the path through the settlement, desolate and unsightly, Lyra explained how since there¡¯s no day or night here, the people of different settlements rotate between sleep times¡­. ¡­¡­The wooden floor creaks as I enter the house, lit up in dreamy orange lights, ¡°Patricia!¡± Lyra shouts her voice ringing through the quiet house A slender girl with jet black hair swings her door open ¡°Have you no manners Lyra! You dare call the queen by name!¡± ¡°Stop being such a stuck-up Karina,¡± Lyra chirps ¡°Where is the Queen, I want to see her.¡± Karina eyes me distrustfully, ¡°who is he?¡± ¡°An outsider ¡®I rescued¡¯ from the topsiders,¡± Lyra brags, ¡°the poor soul would have been one of them by now if weren¡¯t for me,¡± Karina rolls her eyes disbelievingly, ¡°the Queen¡¯s upstairs,¡± she says then abruptly slams her door. ¡°This is an orphanage run by the Queen,¡± Lyra explains as we walk up the wooden staircase, ¡°The Queen took in all the children who lost their parents during the civil war, ten years ago, Although not much of us stay here anymore¡±- -¡°Lyra?¡± A dainty brunette woman with sullen red eyes sits with a pipe, in her small bedroom, Immediately I recognize her face. ¡°Omari¡¯s mother?¡±¡­ I blurt out The queen looks at me alarmingly, ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Only from a portrait¡±- -¡°This is Kage, Lyra introduces, ¡°he¡¯s from outside the city, I managed to save him before he got ¡®dedicated¡¯, like every other outsider that enters the city.¡± The queen gives a fake smile, ¡°pleased to meet you,¡± she says Her eyes seem disappointed, does she still expect Omari to return? ¡°Queen¡­.¡±, I try to put into words, ¡°I come bearing the will of your dead son.¡± Interlude of Questions Tears flow down the Queen¡¯s cheeks as I recap my experience with her son, working for Jissepi, ¡°He sacrificed himself so that I could live,¡± I lie to queen, Omari clearly intended to kill me as well, but I have to be smart about this. ¡°Though he may be gone, his will lives on within me,¡± I finish. Standing silently in the room for a few minutes the queen cries silently, Lyra stares at me in disbelief, ¡°Kage,¡± the queen swallows, ¡°I thank you for at least giving me closure on the whereabouts of my son, you may stay and rest up here for now I need some time alone, I will speak with you later.¡± We silently exit the room while the Queen sits calmly smoking her pipe. ¡°I¡¯ll show you to my room so you may rest up,¡± Lyra whispers. ¡­¡­ ¡°I have some questions.¡± Lyra demands, as we sit atop the bed in her room ¡°What would you like to know?¡± I yawn, ¡°I have some questions myself¡± ¡°Was what you said about knowing the prince true?¡± ¡°Yes, we were er¡­colleagues,¡± ¡°Where were you from originally then?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Lyra rolls her eyes at my evasiveness, ¡°What was that magic you used earlier?¡± she points to my bow ¡°I¡¯m not sure either,¡± ¡°Huhhh you¡¯re just as bad as Pinoki she accuses, ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know their magic?¡± ¡°Can you explain it to me?¡± ¡°You can ask the queen all the important stuff later,¡± Lyra shrugs, ¡°I don¡¯t really get those sort of things.¡± ¡°Can ask I you some questions now?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± she says reluctantly ¡°Why were you in the holy city if you live down here?¡± ¡°Be¡­¡± Lyra pauses hesitating to answer, ¡°Because everyone is content now.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°This house was where we all grew up, after the war, I remember we planned to get strong and reclaim our city, or to leave the city entirely, Now everyone¡¯s ok with a life down here, Pinoki, Karina, Apollo, you met those three, Pinoki¡¯s a scammer, Apollo is set on leading this place, Karina¡¯s the only one who still lives here and that¡¯s because she¡¯s the most attached to the Queen, I¡¯m the only one who still wants to live with an actual sky above my ahead, call me na?ve I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°You could always dedicate yourself,¡± I joke ¡°Haaa! Why didn¡¯t you though? I saw you up there, back when we first met,¡± Lyra questions ¡°I was thinking about it, but I realized there are still things I must do, ¡°Like?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that out yet,¡± ¡°So, help me!?¡± the girl implores, ¡°we can take back the kingdom,¡± ¡°Not my fight really.¡± ¡°Then what was all that, ¡®Omari entrusted me with his will¡¯, nonsense you told the Queen!?¡± ¡°¡­.I wasn¡¯t entirely lying about that, his regret, I feel it, he wanted to return one day and save you bu-¡° ¡°-then join me?¡± ¡°But, as I was saying his fight is not mine, what purpose do I have in fighting for a place I don¡¯t belong to? I escaped death so many times, I don¡¯t think I can put myself in harm¡¯s way again.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re a coward,¡± Lyra scowls, ¡°I thought you being the first person I met who wasn¡¯t already ¡®dedicated¡¯, meant something, now I see I was wrong for bringing you here!¡± she angrily turns pulling up the thin covers over herself, ¡°I¡¯m going to rest, touch me and I¡¯ll freeze you to death.¡± The Bows Hymn An air of awkwardness fills the room, Lyra lays silently, clearly not sleeping, while Kage sits and contemplates his next move. Should I help Lyra? My goal is to get as much information as I can about this place, I feel no attachment to Lyra or her people, I need to think about this smartly. Picking up my bow I quietly exit the room. On my way out I spot the girl, Karina, from earlier she doesn¡¯t say anything except stare distrustfully, she stands arms folded, watching me as I leave the house. *** The void looms overhead in an empty area of land a little ways up from the orphanage, the ground covered in wood and other supplies, presumably for construction, endlessly stretches out into the distance¡­. U.C Government I read, engraved unto the bow as I examine it, The name sounds familiar, but I can¡¯t seem to recall ever hearing it being mentioned, My memory of before here foggy, I only remember the trauma I felt¡­ ¡­¡­Vwoop! I fire an arrow at some scaffolding in the distance, it narrowly missing for the fifth time, I have to get better at this. Squeezing the grip, I attempt to fire another shot The bow clamps down on my hands lighting up, If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Ahh!¡± I exclaim as it crushes down on my knuckles, ¡°Ahhh!¡± The bow folds itself over my hand squeezing with immense force The pain excruciatingly awful, ¡°Ahhh!¡± What is this!? The force of the bow presses down hard on my hand folding itself into a glove-like shape, covering most of my hand leaving only my fingers exposed, What is this, magic or technology? ¡­¡­!! The pain lingers in my hand after the bow stops transforming, all that¡¯s left is a strange glove-like device, strapped to my right hand Examining it I see an empty slot on its topside while under it a touchable interface, Pressing it, a stinging pain runs through my hand once more as it expands into a bow again. ¡°What form of magic is that!?¡± A voices approaches Turning I see the young man from earlier I had an altercation with, Apollo I think he¡¯s called. He walks towards me glancing at the bow ¡°I usually come here to train at this time.¡± he states stretching his legs ¡°Aunt, the queen, told me that you knew Cousin Omari.¡± I forgot that he would be related to Omari. Pinoki did say he was a member of the royal family. Vwoop! I fire an arrow in the distance, ¡°I barely knew him, we just ended up in the same circumstances, though he was there longer than I, he was a strong one.¡± ¡°Look, Apollo fumbles, ¡°I don¡¯t apologize for attacking you earlier, since I still don¡¯t trust you, But I do admit we got off on the wrong foot,¡± Apollo says proceeding to do squats ¡°I don¡¯t really care either way, I don¡¯t blame you for attacking, I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone new to a place like this either.¡± I say running to get back the arrows I fired. Apollo starts to say something but stops, An awkward tension looms ¡°Well...,¡± I cough grabbing my arrows, ¡°I¡¯ll see if the queen is ready to have a word with me,¡± Squeezing the grip of my bow, it retracts back onto my hand, hurting less painfully than before. Apollo eyes it but says nothing, At least I don¡¯t have to carry around a bow strapped to my back, Leaving Apollo rigorously training his body, I head back to the orphanage. *** Lyra frowns seeing me re-enter the house ¡°Thought you ran away¡± she says mockingly ¡°The queen is ready to speak with you ¡± Karina, who sat at the table in the main room, pipes in. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll see her now,¡± I awkwardly reply Lyra follows as I make my way to the Queens room. ¡­ The queen smiles daintily upon us entering the room, ¡°I heard from Lyra that you¡¯re interested in learning magic among other things,¡± ¡°Indeed, I am very,¡± I try sounding formal Lyra¡¯s voice groans from behind me ¡°In exchange for my information will you be willing to assist me with something?¡± the queen offers She looks at me pleadingly, Lyra steps on my foot, as I¡¯d been thinking about it for a couple minutes I will be happy to hep you in any way¡± ¡°Very well then¡±, she smiles, ¡°Let us begin.¡± Melody of Magic A soft bell tinkles, Colorful lights swirl dreamily, enchanting its onlookers. ¡°Art~,¡± ~It can be defined by what you express that has meaning or attachment to you,¡± a dreamy voice speaks, ¡°In this world, the highest form of art is magic.¡± The colors scatter , forming an undiscernible image, ¡°How each person chooses to express their art is up to what they see themselves as,¡± the voice continues. The image becomes more visible, forming a picturesque sight of a wavy ocean of sparkling color, before fading into a cold gray void. ¡°What do you see?¡± Quizzes Queen Patricia, ¡°Nothing, a gray void.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, What does this say about my magic?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of this happening before, you may not have any magic type at all,¡± the queen reckons ¡°Does that mean Kage can¡¯t learn magic?¡± Lyra quips ¡°Not external at least,¡± ¡°Would you mind explaining the types and attributes?¡± I inquire confusedly The Queens conjures an orange flame in one of her hands while a water swirls in the other, ¡°You see this?¡± she explains every person is either born with two attributes or one, Having one being a bit rarer,¡± Lyra grunts proudly from behind I¡¯ll assume she has one attribute, ¡°What two attributes one has solely depends on how strong their magic will be,¡± the queen continues, If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°All attributes counter each other in some way, If you have types that counter each other like me,¡± She begins conjuring a foggy mist that envelops the room briefly, ¡°Your magic may be weaker individually but in exchange you may gain a third sub-attribute, Most people have the wind-fire combination, which means, they are either primarily wind users or fire users, Internal users, use their magic to boost their physical strength or even attack with elements Regular external users, can cast low to decent strength magic, be it for attacking or however they choose to express their magical art, Summoners, which are external users with one attribute, like Lyra, generally are rare, unlike normal users with two attributes, single attribute users have a high output of magic, they can summon the full extent of their magic, like explosions blizzards, etcetera,¡± ¡°Did Omari have a single attribute?¡± I ask remembering his explosion, ¡°Y, yes¡­.,¡± The Queen stammers and pauses for a bit, ¡°Take this,¡± She hands me a small book with a blank cover, ¡°You can read more about the type combinations on your own time, I am very sorry about you not having one,¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I reply taking the book, ¡°You were a great help, but what I really came here for was to ask was about the state of this kingdom, What happened ten years ago? Queen Patricia clenches her fists as she recalls something presumably traumatic her red eyes glow sadly, Lyra leaves the room, not wanting to be reminded, ¡°Ten years ago, back when this was still the magic city of Soterra, A strange man arrived, I don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s a man, or even a human, Anyway, this man called himself a priest from the forgotten kingdom that now is known as the desert of death, He said he only wanted to help us, to pass his wisdom, we allowed it, And just like he said he would he, healed or soldiers, our sick, We suspected nothing, He began to spread his wisdom like he said, In a matter of months, more than half the kingdom believed in him, in his god, Still, we suspected nothing, There wasn¡¯t, even a civil war like they tell people, It was a massacre.¡± The queen¡¯s eyes tear up remembering the dreaded past ¡°Then how did you get to this place?¡± I press, trying to avoid an awkward situation. ¡°The only people killed were the high-ranking military officials and members of the royal government and family,¡± she wipes her tears and continues ¡°Besides Apollo, who never had parents, everyone who lived in this orphanage witnessed their parents being murdered, Be it by their family friends, or one parent killing the other. Still the city still remained relatively peaceful, No uproar was started, just the people who had any semblance of power were being killed, Some managed to escape the city before a barrier was put up, Most of us went into hiding thinking of ways to escape, It wasn¡¯t very long until we started getting caught one by one, That¡¯s how this place was created, We ran under the city, but not quite.¡± ¡°Then what exactly is this place?¡± I query Queen Patricia grimaces, ¡°A magic seal you can call it, but honestly, this is a prison, or at least it used to be, We took the key and locked ourselves in.¡± Lighting a pipe, the Queen puffs away silently, exhausted from recollection, Her story feels like its missing something. ¡°I¡¯ve shared all I can, my request for you, I¡¯ll ask it later.¡± She puffs ¡°Wait, what happened to the king, when was he killed?¡± I notice he was never brought up, The queen sighs, ¡°He was the first one to be converted.¡± Lyras Verse ¡°So, what do you plan on doing?¡± Firing an arrow at a wooden beam, I look at Lyra, still deep in thought, Everything feels so confusing now, I was told the king died, yet the queen says he was the first to be dedicated, Then where is he now? And what about the priest, the queen mentioned, he was from a desert kingdom? Aghh! What do I do next? ¡°Kage! You¡¯re out of arrows.¡± Lyra states I¡¯d been continuously grabbing an empty satchel for the past few minutes, ¡°Sorry, got lost in thought,¡± ¡°Are you still planning to coward out?¡± Lyra probes ¡°I¡¯m planning to get back the arrows I fired,¡± ¡°Stop ignoring my question!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I just haven¡¯t made my mind up yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to make your mind up about? you want to leave the city the only way is through the church.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°If you put it that way, I can always just choose to join them,¡± I tease, Lyra frowns at me, while I gather my arrows, I may need to start making more of these soon. ¡°Lyra, you¡¯ve been asking me what I plan on doing next all this time, so I have to ask What is your plan?¡± I press, ¡°I... I she stutters, I¡¯ll think of something, I just need people to join me first, So, I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m in this for nothing, for myself.¡± The girl stares determinedly at me, not a plan she has, but still, she thinks she can win, She maybe in fact the most na?ve person I¡¯ve met so far. ¡°Show me your magic?¡± ¡°Wah?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always threating about freezing people, but I haven¡¯t actually seen you do it, Show me?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just ask a person to show their magic like that,¡± she prattles ¡°You¡¯re a solo ice user, correct?¡± ¡°Ho-¡± ¡°-You made it obvious, now show me, I at least need to know if you¡¯re capable¡± ¡°I should say the same about you, can barely land a shot!¡± She points to my bow, ¡°You know what I survived through before making here, You were there when I told the queen, I can handle myself, can you?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± she grumbles, ¡°I¡¯ll show you my art.¡± Closing her eyes, a wind begins to swirl around Lyra, the temperature drops as she shouts; ¡°Snowy wind!¡± A cold breeze blasts towards me engulfing me in snow ¡°I didn¡¯t say aim at me!¡± I cough, climbing out of the huge pile of snow ¡°You demanded to see my magic, So, what do you think? That was my weakest spell,¡± The snowflakes sparkle daintily, the shape rigid almost like uncut gems, Though cold, it feels, Warm, ¡°I think¡­, I don¡¯t know you well enough to judge your magic.¡± Lyra rolls her eyes annoyedly. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll freeze you,¡± ¡°Will this snow melt?¡± I ask looking at the pile of sparkling snow ¡°It¡¯s magic, that¡¯s a dumb question,¡± Lyra retorts ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°All magic eventually disappears, no matter how strong it is, unless it¡¯s Eternal magic¡± ¡°What¡¯s Eternal magic?¡± ¡°A myth,¡± Lyra shrugs ¡°Hmmmm, Ok, I¡¯ll help you¡±-, Lyra slaps me hard on the back, ¡°I knew you¡¯d come around!¡± - ¡°After I¡¯ve helped the queen with her request,¡± I say rubbing my back ¡°But first, come with me, I need a guide.¡± ¡°Where to?¡± Lyra asks ¡°To find ourselves a thief.¡± Melody of Magic II ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is!¡± Karina persists, ¡°we haven¡¯t spoken in months, You can ask Zinnia, or Darius, they¡¯re the only ones he visits these days.¡± ¡°Well thanks for nothing.¡± Lyra retorts, ¡°Come on Kage, let¡¯s go.¡± Karina frowns at the girl, ¡°you know, you¡±- ¡°Don¡¯t care, leaving¡± ¡­.. ¡°What¡¯s the issue between you two?¡± I ask as we walk to our next destination, the small settlement now active with people who generally seem to ignore us passing by as they go on about their business, ¡°She hates me.¡± Lyra says blankly, ¡°Or at least she used to,¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°My older brother killed my parents and hers as well, ten years ago, She resents me, used to bully me a lot when we were younger because of it.¡± ¡°And I suppose you resent her now?¡± ¡°I guess you can put it that way¡± she shrugs ¡°Where is your brother now?¡± ¡°Dead I hope, If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Here¡¯s the place,¡± Lyra says glad to change the topic, A small house stands quaintly, covered in lush green vines, It¡¯s the first I have seen of plants here. ¡°Old man Herb!¡± Lyra shouts, ¡°Come around back!¡± A voice shouts back, Making our way around the house, a glass house stands in parallel to the house in front, inside, rows of crops being grown stay. An old man sits in chair at the head of the glass house, using magic ¡°Lyra, I haven¡¯t seen you in quite some time, where did you wonder off to? And who is your friend?¡± the old man observes ¡°He¡¯s an ally,¡± Lyra replies, ¡°and I was er busy with some things, We came here looking for Zinnia, and by chance Pinoki?¡± ¡°Zinnias inside,¡±- Old man Herb points to the house, the light magic emitting from his hands fades briefly, - ¡°And Pinoki¡¯s hasn¡¯t been over here lately.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been very helpful old man Herb,¡± Lyra thanks, ¡°We¡¯ll go see her now, come on Kage.¡± ¡°Wait, old man, may I ask what your magic is?¡± ¡°Kage, you can¡¯t just go around asking to know people¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright Lyra,¡± the old man smiles, ¡°This,¡±- He raises his and the brilliance of the light increases -¡°Is how we grow crops without the sun, using my special attribute magic¡± ¡°Special attribute?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not from around here, are you? Lyra I¡¯m curious to know where you met such a person, Special attributes are an evolution of normal attributes the old man explains, Its exclusive to single attribute users, When I was a boy, I used to have fire magic, but even as a single attribute I was still weak, Eventually after hard training and struggling it evolved into light magic, and I used it to make a name for myself in the royal army, Due to err, the events I witnessed ten years ago, my light evolved further into sunlight magic,¡± He lets out a wave of light illuminating the area before letting it fade back into nothingness, ¡°For attributes to evolve one must experience intense emotions or trauma, Take Lyra for instance, most of the children from her orphanage are both lucky and unlucky to have experienced something that made them stronger and has scarred them for life as well,¡± ¡°Very interesting,¡± I say ¡°Thank you for showing me this old man,¡± ¡°It was nothing, just take of this one.¡± he nudges to Lyra She rolls her eyes ¡°I can handle myself.¡± ¡°Anyways, it was a pleasure old man, Lyra and I will be on our way.¡± Zinnias Melody A petite girl with dark brown hair stands steadily in focus her eyes pressed to a plant plot, ¡°Grow Grow, Grow!¡± The plant refuses to budge, ¡°Why isn¡¯t this working!¡± the girl groans dismayed ¡°Zinniaa~¡± a voice sings, Zinnia turns around to see someone very familiar, as well as a stranger, ¡°Lyra!¡± she exclaims hugging the girl fondly ¡°I¡¯ve missed you!¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long,¡± Lyra blushes, ¡°and I¡¯m not that far away,¡± ¡°I heard you went topside for days, Is he one of them!¡± Zinnia looks to me eagerly ¡°He¡¯s from above,¡± Lyra replies, ¡°but he¡¯s¡±- -¡°You¡¯ve managed to convince one of them!¡± Zinnia interrupts, ¡°This means we have a chance of getting back up to our city! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ooh I¡¯m so excited!¡± ¡°Zinnia! calm down, He wasn¡¯t one of them, he came from outside the city,¡± Lyra exhales ¡°Huh? Then what¡¯s he doing here?¡± ¡°He knew the prince and¡±- -¡°Wha! The prince is alive! Oh my gosh! I can¡¯t believe this I have to tell Darius¡­.¡± ¡°No, Zinnia,¡± Lyra says frustratedly ¡°The prince is dead, Kage is going to help the queen with something, Then he¡¯ll help me save us all!¡± ¡°Help you save us?¡± Zinnia says blankly ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Wah! ¡°Why aren¡¯t you getting all excited now, I¡¯m going to save us.¡± ¡°So anyways,¡± Zinnia ignores ¡°is the prince really dead Kage?¡± ¡°He was such a hero!¡± I fib dramatically pressing my hand on my forehead, These two girls amuse me, ¡°He sacrificed himself for me!¡± I continue ¡°I owe him everything!¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Zinnia says sympathetically ¡°You know, I used to like him when we were younger, I knew he¡¯d grow up to be an incredible man!¡± ¡°Indeed, he did, he was the type of person to¡±- -¡°Shut up Kage!¡± Lyra snaps, slapping me in the back of my head ¡°Stop fueling her!¡± ¡°Zinnia, Look, have you seen Pinoki lately? He stole Kage¡¯s pouch.¡± ¡°Pinoki? He¡¯s probably in the new settlement they just finished building, he told me he was trying to get money to spend there.¡± ¡°Thanks for the info, Zinnia, we¡¯ll¡±- -¡°What¡¯s your magic Zinnia?¡± I ask ¡°Huh?¡± Zinnia says surprised ¡°I.. uh ¡°It¡¯s a special attribute, but I can¡¯t use it anyway,¡± she says dejectedly ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I¡­.,¡± she pauses and looks at me deciding if to tell me, ¡°I can¡¯t grow anything, on command, Only when I get excited or emotional my ma- -See!¡± she points to a plant pot in front of us, it begins to sprout in a manner of seconds a light green vine protrudes from the soil. ¡°That¡¯s, actually amazing¡± I watch as the plant grows in real time, ¡°It is?¡± she asks, ¡°You have the magic to create life, Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± ¡°I never thought about that way,¡± Zinnia beams ¡°Can we go now Kage?¡± Lyra grumbles, The two leave while the girl takes out an empty pot, She places a single seed on the soil, ¡°Ok,¡± she breathes ¡°Live!¡± Sound of Deception ¡°What are you looking at?¡± A man growls angrily at me staring, ¡°What is your problem?¡± ¡°He¡¯s new here,¡± Lyra interjects trying to diffuse the situation ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The man says suspiciously ¡°Umm, nothing, we¡¯ll be on our way!¡± The man eyes us dubiously as we continue on ¡°Kage, you need to stop staring at people, you¡¯ll get us into trouble,¡± ¡°I was trying to see what he was doing,¡± ¡°Well not here, This new settlement is different.¡± ¡°Different?¡± ¡°Unlike everyone here who is just trying to get by, the ones here are interested in money and pleasures,¡± ¡°Where do they get the money from, or even some of these items?¡± I question looking around at various vendors we pass, ¡°The person in charge here also runs a guild of thieves, they operate topside, gathering supplies for us, They¡¯re actually the reason¡±- -¡°Hey stop you thief!¡± A voice shouts, commanding our attention Ahead a little man is being chased by a lanky man ¡°Hey that¡¯s Pinoki!¡± Lyra points Spotting us the little man runs our way, ¡°Boss!¡± he pants grabbing my right hand, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking all over for you!¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± I exclaim pulling my hand feeling a painful surge, ¡°What did yo-¡± ¡°-Are you his boss!? the man chasing Pinoki catches up Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°N-¡± ¡°-He is,¡± Pinoki loudly talks over me ¡°What you have to say to me say it to my boss as well,¡± ¡°You awful liar!¡± Lyra inputs ¡°You have no boss!¡± ¡°Shut up girl!¡± Pinoki rasps ¡°Just because you hate me doesn¡¯t mean you are allowed to call me a liar! You spiteful girl!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll freeze you to death how about that for spiteful!¡± Lyra threats ¡°Hey!¡± The man still stands in front of us angrily ¡°I don¡¯t care about this little squabble between you I just want my magic stone that he stole,¡± pointing to Pinoki ¡°Give it back!¡± ¡°My that¡¯s a pretty awful accusation!¡± Pinoki gasps mockingly ¡°I am afraid to tell you that you have got the wrong person, I¡¯m no thief.¡± ¡°Show me everything you have then!¡± The man demands, ¡°all of you!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Lyra snorts, ¡°I think not, why would I help him steal anything, Try to search me, I¡¯ll freeze you to death!¡± ¡°Err, the both of them will be just fine,¡± the man gestures to Pinoki and I ~~ ¡°See nothing!¡± Pinoki gloats after we¡¯d emptied all pockets and showed our pouches The man scratches his head frustratedly, ¡°I was sure it was you,¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad,¡± Pinoki sings ¡°If this is any consolation, I don¡¯t hold it against you for randomly chasing me, As a matter fact,¡± Pinoki hands the man a gold coin from my stolen pouch, ¡°Take this as my sympathies,¡± ¡°You are good person,¡± the man thanks him gratefully ¡°I thought it was you, when I saw you running, I apologize.¡± The man leaves while Pinoki smiles at us cheerfully ¡°Whew! got out of that one easily,¡± he grins, ¡°you guys came at the right time,¡± Lyra grabs him by the collar dragging him in tow ¡°One, give Kage his pouch of money back, Two, give back whatever you stole back to that man, And three stop being a thieving scoundrel, or I¡¯ll pummel you into the ground!¡± ¡°Ow, ow, ow!¡±, he struggles, ¡°you¡¯re hurting! I was going to give Kage his wallet back, I was just borrowing it see?¡± He dangles my pouch in his hand, ¡°As a reward for helping me out of this situation,¡± Pinoki patronizes, ¡°here you go,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t actually care much for this anyway,¡± I say taking it back, ¡°it¡¯s not even originally mine¡± Lyra frowns at me, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to smack him around a bit?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we should resort to violence,¡± Pinoki states slipping out of her grip, ¡°Now, since I gave you back your pouch, my umm, item I slipped to you, I want it back¡± ¡°What item? You never gave me anything,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, I slipped it in your hand when I bumped into you¡± I do remember feeling a slight shock when he grabbed my hand, the strange device there was an empty slot at the top of it, he must¡¯ve slipped something in, ¡°You mean this?¡± I say showing him, rested in a slot below my knuckle a dark blue stone glimmers slightly, ¡°Yes, good you had it , now take out I want back,¡± ¡°It won¡¯t budge,¡± I say fidgeting with the device ¡°Let me see,¡± Pinoki grabs roughly, the device lets out a surge shocking us both ¡°Ahh! What the hell was that!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it can be removed¡± Lyra observes, ¡°You don¡¯t say¡± Pinoki grumbles rubbing his hand ¡°What a waste of time, I was going to sell that! You have to help me get another one then,¡± ¡°Not our problem,¡± Lyra chortles, Turning to me Pinoki implores, ¡°help me this once? it¡¯s the least you can do for taking my magic stone.¡± ¡°Your stone!-¡± Lyra begins ¡°-I¡¯m listening Pinoki, what do want me to do?¡± A Euphoric Sound Vwoosh! A stream of water explodes off in the distance, via an arrow I just fired ¡°Whoa!¡± Pinoki exclaims, ¡°how did you do that?¡± ¡°I think my bow absorbed the power of the magic stone.¡± ¡°Huh that¡¯s impossible, against the laws of nature¡± Pinoki eyes my bow suspiciously wherever that was made, I know for sure it wasn¡¯t here,¡± Retracting it back to my hand, I look at the little man in the eyes ¡°I just randomly found it,¡± I say blankly ¡°No clue where it came from,¡± ¡°You could make some serious money from that you know,¡± ¡°Alright I showed you what I can do,¡± ignoring his previous statement ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Ah~ah~ah~!¡± He sings, ¡°I can¡¯t spoil that, You will see it eventually, Now come let¡¯s continue on, A pity Lyra refused to join us though.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll meet back up with her later,¡± I reply while surveying the area Which seems weirdly empty, unlike the others that bustled with people, Houses stand looking haunted and lifeless, Does anyone live here?...... ¡­¡­.¡°It right up there we¡¯re heading,¡± Pinoki points, A single building stands apart from the rest here, streams of colorful lights flow out of it, as we near it a slight hum can be heard from inside UMPH! The door swings open upon the force of a body being launched out, a man hits the floor ¡°Please I need more!¡± he begs, A figure in a mask walks outs after him You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Then bring more money!¡± A feminine voce demands, ¡°We don¡¯t accept beggars!¡± ¡°Please just a little while longer!? I¡¯ll get more, I promise!¡± Oomph! The masked figure kicks the begging man in the ribs ¡°Get out of my sight!¡± Noticing Pinoki and I the person turns in our direction, Pinoki fakes a smile at them before they enter back into building. ¡°We have to be cautious here Kage, these people aren¡¯t to be crossed as you can see,¡± He points to the man on ground clenching his ribs, ¡°In here,¡± Pinoki directs stepping over the man Giving him one last glance before heading in I drop a single silver coin. *** Dum dum dum dum A soft beat hums repeatedly as entranced bodies move to its rhythm, Colorful dreamy lights flood the room adding to the atmosphere of unadulterated pleasure that engulfs every person here. ¡°Uhhhh! This is the stuff!¡± a man says absorbing the power of a magic stone, his eyes begin glowing sky blue, ¡°Heyy~ you,¡± a woman calls out to me, ¡°I¡¯ll show you good time if you¡¯re interested?¡± ¡°Ignore them Pinoki instructs, everyone here has lost themselves to pleasure, This is club Hedon the only source of pleasure you¡¯ll find down here, But I like to call it the only place where you¡¯ll find a large gathering of people with depression,¡± he quips ¡°What exactly are we supposed to do here Pinoki? Now I see why Lyra refused to come with us,¡± I say annoyedly, observing the people entranced in the pursuit pleasure, ¡°Nah, I think Lyra¡¯s banned from ever coming here,¡± Pinoki remarks ¡°Wait what, banned?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me all, I know is that the leader refuses to allow her here¡±. ¡°Hmmm...¡± As we speak a masked person approaches us ¡°Pinoki?¡± they gesture ¡°I came to speak with Tori,¡± the little man replies, Nodding, the masked person beckons us to follow, Making our way through the hedonistic crowd we reach an office situated in the back of the building. An auburn-haired woman with large transparent crystal earrings sits twirling a whip. ¡°Did you do what I asked?¡± She interrogates the moment she sees Pinoki, and I enter ¡°And who is he? The woman points her whip at me, ¡°Well, ummm, Tori, about that,¡± Pinoki hesitates, ¡°I did get the stone like you asked but-¡± ¡°-But what?¡± Tori interjects. ¡°I destroyed it, I butt in, not wanting to draw attention to my unique bow, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I destroyed it,¡± I repeat, ¡°I thought he was going to use it as a drug, so I smashed it.¡± ¡°Pinoki is this true?¡± ¡°I heard no lies,¡± Pinoki smiles, glad that I decided to take some blame. ¡°My friend, Kage is new here, so he doesn¡¯t understand some things,¡± ¡°What does that have to do with the fact that you were asked to do one thing and you failed!¡± ¡°Wai wai wait! Listen,¡± Pinoki urges ¡°I technically didn¡¯t fail, and I brought someone else to join us as well,¡± Tori cracks her whip threateningly, ¡°You think you can just come in here with a random civilian and expect me, or the leader to allow you to join us!?¡± ¡°Ha! You must be more na?ve than that girl Lyra,¡± ¡°Kage¡¯s not a regular civilian, He is actually form outside the city, tell her Kage,¡± Pinoki says pinching my arm desperately, Before I can speak up Tori¡¯s earrings begin glowing, ¡°Yes boss?¡± she answers Some sort of communication? ¡­¡­. ¡°Mhm, I understand boss,¡± her earrings stop glowing, ¡°Kage, you knew the prince , saw him die¡± She looks directly at me, ¡°Wah?¡± Pinoki inquires confusedly ¡°How do you kn-¡± I start ¡°-Our leader knows everything that is said here, As a matter of fact, Pinoki, you¡¯ve done well, brought back something more valuable the than magic stone, And as per the request of the woman in charge, Kage, Pinoki, you are permitted to join us, Welcome to the Sewer Rats.¡± Darius Verse ¡°Why would you join up with them?¡± Lyra fumes, ¡°I thought you said you wanted to sell the stone?¡± ¡°I lied obviously¡± Pinoki scoffs, ¡°Look, I needed to join up with them, that way I could go topside¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know,¡± Lyra sighs, ¡°you¡¯re impossible to talk to.¡± ¡°What about you Kage, you can¡¯t just go around joining groups, Especially ones that commit theft.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t join them on purpose, but I am curious to see how they operate,¡± I assure, ¡°Which reminds me, why did they ban you?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Zinnia?¡± Lyra says dodging my question looking around the living room of old man Herb¡¯s house, ¡°She¡¯s supposed to be here right now,¡± ¡°Stop ignoring me,¡± I press, ¡°Why did they ban you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, might be because of the fact that I begged them a lot to take me topside or it could be something else,¡± she murmurs softly ¡°Maybe their leader doesn¡¯t like me.¡± ¡°Who is their leader?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, no-one does,¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Pinoki adds, ¡°She just showed up three years ago and started secretly building a settlement, Some people theorize that¡¯s she¡¯s a former criminal that used to be locked here, back when this was a prison void.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Heyee!¡± A voice rings ¡°We¡¯re ba~~ack!¡± Zinnia¡¯s cheerful face enters the room, as well as a tall muscular, handsome young man, He smiles, his piercing blue eyes lighting up, at the sight of the people. ¡°Ughh,¡± Lyra groans, ¡°these two,¡± ¡°I thought you liked Zinnia?¡± ¡°I do, but not when she¡¯s with Darius,¡± ¡°Lyra!¡± Darius greets ruffling her hair, you really need to stop sneaking off to places, Why is a little angel like you going off all alone?¡± ¡°She is an angel, isn¡¯t she?¡± Zinnia prattles, ¡°You¡¯re an angel too~¡± Darius compliments ¡°Oh, for God¡¯s sake,¡± Lyra grouses ¡°I am an angel that will freeze you both to death, if you start being all lovey-dovey here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that Lyra,¡± Zinnia implores, ¡°Heyy, Pinoki!¡± Darius attempts to change the topic, ¡°You still a filthy thief or have you changed? ¡°Are you still talking to blue flames, or have you changed?¡± The little man snaps back, making the mood awkward, ¡°Umm, Darius this is Kage, who I was telling you about, he¡¯s not from the city.¡± Zinnia introduces, ¡°Yeah, I heard from Apollo what he¡¯s seen,¡± extending his hand to me, ¡°I¡¯m Darius,¡± ¡°Kage,¡± I say shaking his hand, covered in bruises and welts, He must train a lot, just his passive strength is enough to crush my hand, ¡°Nice try Pinoki!¡± Darius barks drawing a dagger, ¡°You just tried to pickpocket me, I know your magic,¡± ¡°I was just testing your skills,¡± the little man insists (Huh? I didn¡¯t see any movement from Pinoki, What did he do?) ¡°You try that again and I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re the one seeing blue flames,¡± Darius threats, ¡°What¡¯s this about blue flames?¡± I whisper to Lyra, ¡°Darius doesn¡¯t like to talk about it,¡± she replies, ¡°I¡¯m not ashamed of it or anything,¡± Darius interjects, clearly hearing us talk ¡°I¡¯ll go make some tea,¡± Zinnia excuses herself, ¡°When I was younger,¡± Darius continues, I came across a blue flame that spoke, I can¡¯t remember what it said, but that no-one believed me when I told them it talked, It¡¯s all in the past now anyways ¡± he sighs, ¡°Darius was known as the biggest liar back then,¡± Pinoki adds Darius scowls, and the two begin arguing, while I contemplate his story, (A blue flame? Did he hear what I heard, from the one in the desert? Are there more? I have to find it.) ¡°Where did you see the flame?¡± I question ¡°Huh why are so interested in it?¡± Darius quizzes suspiciously, ¡°It was in one of the towers,¡± Pinoki smirks beginning to say something, but Darius gives him a stern glance, He remains quiet. (Should I tell him about the flame I saw as well?) Ting! Ting! Ting! A soft bell rings at the door (Wait does the door have a bell?) ¡°Nobody¡¯s there.¡± Lyra states swinging the door open ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°That was our que,¡± Pinoki says getting up ¡°The leader calls Kage, It is time for us to go topside.¡± Uncovered Lyrics ¡°We go in we, take what we need, magic stones, gold, anything useful that you can carry, We get out,¡± the leader, a masked slender woman in a black cloak instructs, Even though she¡¯s right in front of us her voice sounds distorted. (Could this be her magic?) ¡°I have a question,¡± Pinoki pipes up, ¡°How do we get back down here?¡± ¡°I was getting to that,¡± the leader exhales, ¡°First, step into the circle,¡± she directs to where other cloaked members of the Sewer Rats stand, A ring glows forming a spiral image as we step inside ¡°Wear these,¡± she hands us jet black cloaks similar to her own ¡°They help us-¡± ¡°-Blend into the shadows easier when moving,¡± I say cutting her off, ¡°I¡¯m familiar with them.¡± ¡°I figured that much considering where you came from,¡± she says a bit gloatingly, or maybe that¡¯s the distortion in her voice? ¡°You forget our lady hears everything said here,¡± Tori explains, ¡°We are leaving now,¡± the Leader continues, She mutters something and the ring around us begins glowing, What feels like an updraft of wind knocks me off my feet, the surroundings begin fading out of existence as I start feeling weightless and free¡­. ¡­. ¡°Get up,¡± a voice orders (we¡¯re here already?), Looking around I see we¡¯re back at the old shack at the corner of the city, The sky a welcoming sight to see, is pitch black, lit up with sparkling stars, ¡°I already told you what to do, take these,¡± the boss hands us similar masks ¡°Someone will be waiting here to take you back down, and if you find no one here, channel your magic through the mask and say this¡­¡­...¡± She tells us the password. *** ¡°Whew!¡± Pinoki exclaims as we hop rooftops across the city, ¡°Finally free to do as we like!¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Anything within the limits of these walls,¡± ¡°Is that what you needed me for? To help you steal.¡± ¡°Not really, with my magic I could probably steal from everyone here and not get caught... Stop for a bit,¡± Pinkoi says stopping abruptly making a large thud sound on the roof of someone¡¯s house. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what my magic is since we¡¯ve made it this far, See?¡± He dangles my money pouch in his hand, Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°How did you get that back?¡± I check my pockets, ¡°Look down!¡± He points showing me his moving shadow, ¡°That¡¯s my magic, I can use my own shadow as an extension of myself, Alright let¡¯s continue moving he says hearing voices from below,¡± ¡°Why show me now?¡± I ask landing from a jump, ¡°Or even why get caught stealing that magic stone in the first place then?¡± ¡°Because it wouldn¡¯t be fun if I didn¡¯t,¡± Pinoki prattles, ¡°Let¡¯s head for the cathedral, I don¡¯t feel like stealing anything that isn¡¯t from someone important, Although, speaking of important people, what was Tori talking about when she said you knew the prince? ¡°You didn¡¯t hear from Lyra?¡± I drawl, ¡°I knew him for a bit, saw him die, I even lied to the queen and told her how noble his sacrifice was to save me, when he really was just a coward like the rest of us,¡± ¡°Ha! And they call me a liar,¡± Pinoki titters, ¡°Well, you did lie to me about your intentions for wanting to come here, and about the stone, among other things,¡± ¡°That¡¯s to add to the fun! We can¡¯t all be boring like Darius,¡± ¡°What¡¯s the story between you two? I noticed the tension back there,¡± ¡°Mm well Darius an I¡­.,¡± ¡­.¡°Guards!¡± He pauses beckoning me to stay low as the, templar dressed, guards pass by. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Pinoki continues now that guards are out of vison, ¡°Darius and I owe each other in a weird way, He made me into the person I am today as I did him.¡± He goes silent as we continue moving on silently for about a few minutes. ¡°Are you going to elaborate further?¡± I ask ¡°Do you go around telling strangers your business?¡± He retorts ¡°¡­. Huhh,¡± he sighs, ¡°see that tower, on the right,¡± he says pointing to the magnificent cathedral tower in the near distance, ¡°That is where I saw Darius, when we were children, trying to jump off, I didn¡¯t try to stop him or anything, I just shouted coward expecting him to jump, He never did. That¡¯s all I¡¯m telling you about it, Now can we talk about more interesting matters?¡± ¡°That was interesting,¡± ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m starting to regret bringing you here,¡± Pinoki frets ¡°You didn¡¯t, you got me roped in, I¡¯m just here for the ride,¡± *** ¡°Locked! I¡¯m so excited!¡± the little man exclaims stood outside the doors to the back of the former castle now turned cathedral, ¡°For a locked door?¡± ¡°No, to be able to use my art as intended!¡± Pinoki¡¯s shadow extends slipping under doors, a soft click can be heard as it unlocks. ¡°Come on in Kage, danger awaits!¡± Pinoki¡¯s eyes gleam excitedly, (He¡¯s not acting like his usual self, Then again, I don¡¯t know him enough to determine that.) I cautiously move through the silent cathedral, while Pinoki carelessly wanders around, without regard for making a ruckus, ¡°Here.¡± he throws me some magic stones, ¡°I collected these with my shadow, since we can¡¯t go back empty handed,¡± ¡°Then why did we really come here?¡± ¡°The tower, Darius saw the flame is that way he points,¡± ignoring my question ¡°I¡¯m going to the library to err gather some information.¡± Pinoki scurries off hurriedly leaving me standing in a dark empty hallway thoroughly puzzled, (What is with his change of attitude?) Cre~aak! A door opens causing me to instinctively crouch into the shadows, A hooded figure walks past in the direction of the tower. (Should I follow?) The steps become softer the farther away the figure gets, I begin to trail, carefully trying not make a sound, Thud! The sound of a door closing reverberates thought the cathedral, Almost scaring the life out of me, Following the path, I approach a spiral staircase going both down and up. (This must be the entrance to the tower.) Taking the path downwards, I come across a single room, the door unlocked, filled with old furniture and miscellaneous items. A slight hum fills the room, A familiar hum, Anoo! I cover my mouth preventing a loud sneeze, caused by lifting a dusty curtain, below it a familiar device sits, (Just like the one form the desert!) A motor connected to a strange device, but this one doesn¡¯t emit a flame, Nothing happens when I touch it. (Is this what Darius saw?) The machine hums steadily, no matter what I do nothing happens, (Maybe it was a hallucination I saw back in the desert, But a blue flame? It can¡¯t be a coincidence that someone else saw the same thing, Can it?} Retracing my way back to the staircase, I head up this time eventually coming across a study, Hearing voices, I quickly crouch behind the open doorway, ¡°You have done well as the head priest former king Flint,¡± ¡°It is because of your guidance master that we were able to dedicate ourselves to you,¡± Cautiously peering into dimly lit room I discern two figures, the hooded one form earlier, and a redheaded figure in a bright white-gold gown. ¡°Flint,¡± the hooded figure speaks, ¡°it is almost time for me to leave, originally I was planning to leave you here, let you become one with god, but I have decided that I wish for you to join me on my journey to enlighten yet another nation,¡± ¡°Master, I am flattered I will go wherever you ask!¡± ¡°Very well then, soon we will commence the enlightenment, and everyone be it dedicated or not that lives in this city will indeed become one with God!¡± the hooded figure laughs removing his hood, ¡°Even you, the person currently spying on us, will have no where to left to hide!¡± Interlude of Escape Run Before I can think of anything it¡¯s the first, I do, Run (Who was, no what was that?) Run ¡°Aghhh!¡± I trip from hurriedly making my way down the spiral staircase, causing me to roll uncontrollably Run Oomph! My head hits the floor as I crash to the bottom of the stairs, blood starts gushing out, everything starts spinning, Run Picking myself, I continue on ignoring the pain, Run (I saw beastmen before, but that thing wasn¡¯t one of them.) Run Crash! A vase hits the floor shattering as I accidentally knocked it over in my haste, Run What is this feeling? Fear? Despair? Anger? Hopelessness? Curiosity? Intrigue? Or is it all of them? Run Badump! ¡°Oww Kage! Why are you¡­¡± Pinoki notices my bleeding, ¡°Did someone attack you?¡± ¡°W.e. h..v..e t..o g..t . out,¡± I mutter ¡°What!?¡± ¡°Out!¡± I point towards the way we came in Pinoki¡¯s face lights up in glee ¡°An escape! I¡¯ve dreamt of moments like these! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. What are you waiting for, let¡¯s go!¡± Run The exit door bursts open as two figures leap through swiftly moving into the night, Pinoki is acting quite jovial, despite the situation, Strapped to his back I spot the outline of a few books (He came to steal books?) Run ¡°Are you sure we were being chased?¡± Pinoki asks dejectedly as the cathedral becomes more and more distant behind us, ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions,¡± I reply, ¡°just- -Run¡± Pinoki grabs my arm forcing me to a halt, ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere until you tell me what you¡¯re actually running from because there¡¯s nobody behind us, furthermore, were on top of a roof, and there¡¯s nobody in sight for¡­¡­¡± Run ¡­¡­ Boom! The house we were above explodes instinctively Pinoki uses his shadow to push us upward, the blast of the explosion assisting in knocking us to the rooftop adjacent He looks at me, fear begin to show in his face, jovial demeanour gone, ¡°Kage, I think we should- -Run¡± The cold nights wind blows against my face, a sound continuously ringing in my ear, (Am I lightheaded?) My sweat mixed with blood dries as I press on a little way behind Pinoki, No-one is behind us, the night still peaceful and empty, but still we know, We must, Run ¡°There! Pinoki shouts as we near the old shack, ¡°Let¡¯s get back quickly!¡± ¡°What took you two so long!¡± A distorted voice bellows, The leader confronts us, ¡°Everyone else is already back, I only waited, to see what was so important that would take you this long...¡± She notices Pinoki¡¯s frantic expression and my bloodied face ¡°Where have you two been?¡± ¡°Leader we can talk about when we return,¡± Pinoki implores ¡°Why!?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ll kill them¡± a voice thunders The hooded figure from earlier appears out of nowhere, ¡°I am afraid I cannot let you rats burrow back into your hole this time,¡± He enunciates ¡°I was going to let you all live peacefully in your little ¡®sewer,¡¯ but,¡± he points to me, ¡°This one has overheard something I don¡¯t want to be known just yet, so sadly enough you three will have to forgo the enlightenment, and die right now,¡± ¡°You dare threaten my life!¡± the leader challenges ¡°Use the mask to return,¡± she whispers to us, ¡°I do threaten your life,¡± the figure yawns, ¡°and escape, you shan¡¯t,¡± he points one finger forward, A ball of earth forms hitting the leader directly in her face, Her mask shatters, as blood begins to flow down her cheeks, ¡°Karina!¡± Pinoki exclaims, ¡°you were the leader?¡± ¡°No time!¡± she yells, her voice no longer distorted, ¡°Sound blade!¡± Her arm begins vibrating forming a chainsaw-like blade, ¡°You two can still use your masks, Go!¡± As we¡¯d been speaking the hooded figure had been using his, magic to form a massive stone ¡®roof¡¯ overhead. ¡°My mask is broken!¡± Pinoki quavers, ¡°it must have been from the explosion from earlier, Kage! You¡¯re the only one left with a mask,¡± The figure drops the stone, Karina jumps at once shattering it, the broken debris still hit us like hail stones, Firing an arrow, I hit the figure¡¯s leg causing a stream of water to knock him off balance, (That magic stone came in handy after all,) ¡°Pinoki!¡± I yell, ¡°extend your shadow to all of us, the moment I open the gate pull us all down simultaneously!¡± ¡°Ok, I can do that,¡± he obeys (Ahh my head is spinning; the noise won¡¯t stop)¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°Kage the password I told you!¡± Karina shouts stumbling to her feet, ¡°do you remember?¡± ¡°Ready!¡± Pinoki affirms Staggering to the entrance, I grip the mask tightly (Can I even channel magic through this?) Doof! A ball of black flames lands near me as the figure gets up ¡°I said no escaping!¡± I squeeze the mask even harder, The mask glows displaying a spiral pattern, ¡°Sound daggers!¡± Karina attempts to push the figure back ¡°Any time now Kage! Squeezing the mask as hard as I possibly can, I whisper the password softly ¡°A bad King fights till the war is done A good King knows when it¡¯s time to- -Run¡± An Addictive Sound ¡°Well¡­., Another day at work, Amirite?¡± Pinoki jokes, now that we are back safely in the unholy city, Karina frowns her bloodied face disapprovingly ¡°Give me your mask Kage¡± she whispers, as the other member¡¯s approach ¡°Boss!¡± Tori exclaims what happened, ¡°Did you have to deal with those two?¡± she says observing our bruises, ¡°We had a little trouble with some, err, guards,¡± Karina¡¯s voce sounding distorted once more, ¡°It was nothing, But umm, for now, I don¡¯t want anyone going topside for a while¡± ¡°Are you sure, boss? You know our business is reliant on our frequent trips,¡± ¡°Look,¡± Karina says tiredly, ¡°I need to rest, ¡°You two,¡± she turns to Pinoki and I, ¡°You know where to find me, we¡¯ll discuss this later¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­Sooo,¡± Pinoki quips awkwardly, at my bloodied face ¡°You want some ice on that?¡± **** ¡°Aww aww aww aww!¡± Zinnia squeals ¡°Stop acting like its hurting,¡± Lyra scolds, arms folded angrily waiting for me to be treated, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you fought them without me, where¡¯s that deceitful Pinoki gone? Said you were simply going to get some magic stones and get out, What even happened up there? ¡°Well-,¡±I start ¡°-And I can¡¯t believe you had the audacity to come crawling here all bloody and battered expecting free health care after constantly stalling to help me reclaim my city, But you gladly go up to help steal from!¡¯ ¡°Your over reacting Lyra, you very well know that¡±- A door barges open as Karina storms into the room, ¡°Look who finally decided to leave that house,¡± Lyra sneers, ¡°Fancy seeing you here,¡± ¡°The magic stones you have, give them,¡± she demands ignoring Lyra I give the stones Pinoki handed me earlier, Absorbing It Karina moans and slumps into a chair, ¡°Karina, are you okay?¡± Zinnia questions Lyra watches on bewilderedly If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Get out,¡± Karina says dryly ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The two of you go, I need to speak with Kage alone,¡± ¡°Who do you think you are!?¡± Lyra clearly offended, ¡°You can¡¯t just barge into someone else¡¯s home and make demands like that! How about you leave!¡± ¡°Get out,¡± Karina repeats absorbing a second stone, her eyes glowing sky blue, ¡°Don¡¯t make say it a third time,¡± ¡°How about no, then,¡± Lyra challenges ¡°Maybe we should go for a walk Lyra?¡± Zinnia implores ¡°Feel free to go by yourself then, I¡¯ll be here hearing what is so important that Karina has to speak to my ally, Kage, about,¡± ¡°Huhh,¡± Karina shrugs, ¡°Get, Out!¡± Her voice creating a sonic blast knocking Lyra across the room, ¡°You bitch! Lyra picks herself up, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± A cold wind begins to build around Lyra, I don¡¯t even hear as Karina soundlessly hops to her feet and leaps Lyra, Grabbing the back of her head she slams it down hard into a table, The loud thud reverberating throughout the house, ¡°Take her and go,¡± Karina instructs Zinnia to the unconscious girl on the floor Slumping back into a chair she absorbs yet another stone, ¡°Would you put that bow away,¡± I¡¯m not going to fight you, ¡°Sit,¡± she points to a chair besides hers, ¡°Just being on my guard,¡± I say retracting the bow ¡°Don¡¯t know how much I can trust you,¡± ¡°Ha! funny coming from an outsider, I could say the same of you¡± ¡°What do you want from me?¡± I ask sitting beside her, ¡°I thought you could hear everything that happens here, what could I possibly tell you?¡± Karina does not reply, her eyes still glowing as she disassociates, ¡°I don¡¯t hate her you know she says dazedly, I mean I used to, but that was because she looks like him,¡± ¡°Are you talking about Lyra?¡± ¡°My father worked so hard to get us in a good position with the royal government, all for what to be murdered?¡± Karina continues, I hated that she looked like him, that she shared the same blood as him, Till one day I thought if I hate someone who killed my family, that I barely knew, so much, Then how does she feel? he killed her parents too, difference is she was related to him, Her own flesh and blood. By the time I realized, it was too late she already resented me as much as I did her, every time I ever tried to apologize or show her, I care, we just fight and hate each other more.¡± Karina sighs going quiet, we stay silent like that for minutes, ¡°Why tell me this?¡± I break the silence, ¡°Why not, maybe because I feel like you¡¯re not going to be alive for much longer, Or maybe it¡¯s that you¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met that isn¡¯t addicted to something,¡± ¡°Like you?¡± I gesture to the magic stones, ¡°No, like everyone here. Haven¡¯t you noticed? Everybody is hooked on something, the difference between what I do and what they do is that I don¡¯t hide it, I embrace it, created a place where ppl could fall into their desires without care, Tell me Kage, what are you addicted to?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t have an addiction,¡± ¡°Sex, money, drugs, attention, I can give you all,¡± Karina¡¯s voice becomes hypnotic sounding ¡°What is it? Or do you feel at all? Back up there when that person was attacking us, I saw your face, you didn¡¯t seem that fazed by it, no fear, no despair, But yet you were running from him, why?¡± ¡°Because I knew I had to escape,¡± I reply entranced by her words, ¡°I do feel them, fear, despair, pain, I feel them all¡±, ¡°Then what takes away those feelings Kage,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± ¡°What makes them stop is what you¡¯ll be addicted that¡¯s why I say everyone has something to be addicted to, Now, tell me why that man wanted to kill you back there?¡± she changes the topic ¡°Because I overheard them, he was talking to someone called Flint,¡± ¡°The King? bastard is still alive huh,¡± Karina rasps ¡°I think he¡¯s the head priest currently,¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± I continue, ¡°the other person, told him that the enlightenment was soon, and everyone down here as well as there will become one with God, whatever that may mean,¡± ¡°My guess is everyone become dedicated permanently,¡± Karina yawns, ¡°Look Kage that sounds bad and all but, honestly let them, we can¡¯t keep living down here forever, it was inevitable,¡± She gets up, ¡°I thought you would have something more sinister to tell me, that¡¯s why I came here in the first place, now I know it wasn¡¯t that serious,¡± ¡°What do you mean not that serious? everything you¡¯re fighting for, ran for, hid her for? It¡¯ll mean nothing.¡± I get agitated by the girl¡¯s response, ¡°You Survived just to give up?¡± ¡°Look, Kage, in case you haven¡¯t noticed, we already gave up, what do you think, We were planning to build ourselves a nice little kingdom down here? Have children who will never see the day¡¯s sky? The plan was to always die peacefully here, Then again you can be like Lyra, and die fighting, that¡¯s why I gave her the key, we have to use temporary seals to come and go because I gave her the ticket to her own downfall, You¡¯re lucky you are an outsider Kage you don¡¯t have to share our fate, Here,¡± she throws me the remainder of the magic stones, ¡°keep them, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± Versus Verse ¡°Aghh¡± my head hurts terribly, is it from my injuries, or these thoughts that won¡¯t stop? What do I do next? Without anyone, what do I actually do for myself? Is this my addiction? To get wrapped up to people, to their problems. Whether it was Jissepi, the blue flame, Omari, Lyra, Pinoki, I keep following someone else¡¯s path, no matter what I do, Do I enjoy it? ~~ ¡°¡­¡­¡­..,¡± The sound of two arguing voices draws Kage¡¯s attention, ¡°I¡¯ll kill her, I swear, she¡¯s not getting away with that!¡± ¡°Lyra calm down, don¡¯t go doing something reckless, talk it out.¡± Zinnia and Lyra re-enter the house, all but empty, as one person sat quietly deep in thought, ¡°Where is she Kage?¡± Lyra demands barging in, ¡°The audacity of that bitch!¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone, left a while ago.¡± Kage replies blankly, ¡°Well, at least tell me what was so important that she came here to tell you!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Answer me, Kage!¡± Lyra says agitatedly, ¡°I¡¯m not in the best of moods right now,¡± ¡°Why do you want to die Lyra?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Wild of you to assume she would kill me,¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about Karina, I¡¯m talking about your addiction¡± ¡°My addiction?¡± ¡°Why do you want to die?¡± Kage repeats The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°That¡¯s a stupid question,¡± Lyra retorts ¡°Zinnia, I think you may need to check Kage¡¯s wound for internal bleeding¡± ¡°You¡¯re not actually na?ve, are you?¡± Kage continues ¡°You just want to die, but instead of killing yourself, you want to be killed, You want to be murdered,¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Lyra denies ¡°You say you want to reclaim your city, but the truth is that you want to die, while being know as the girl who fought for her city,¡± Extending his bow, ¡°I¡¯ll grant your wish, if you want,¡± Pointing it directly at Lyra, ¡°Do you, Want, To die?¡± ¡°Kage, I don¡¯t know what Karina told you, but I¡¯m not the mood for this, I already got my ass kicked once today, It¡¯s not happening again¡± ¡°Can you two stop?¡± Zinnia pleads. Kage fires an arrow that becomes a stream of water, Immediately Lyra reacts with a freezing wind, the clash of the two creates a small glacier between them, Aiming another arrow Kage attempts to fire, but Lyra unexpectedly tackles him to the ground, grabbing a handful of arrows from his quiver she breaks almost all of them. ¡°Do You want to die!?¡± she spats, Shoving her off, Kage connects a right jab to her jaw, she pounces back on him like a wild cat, hammering her fists to his face, Lifting her, Kage slams her back hard on the ground, Instinctively Lyra wraps her legs around his neck still raining her fists on top of his head, reopening his wound, ¡°Ahhw!¡± She moans as Kage repeatedly slams her over an over trying to get her to let go, Zinnia¡¯s pleads to stop fighting goes unheard as the two mercilessly beat each other, ¡°Mmgh!¡± Kage grunts beginning to lose air form Lyra¡¯s leg choke, He flails his hands around trying to land a hit, ¡°Augh!¡± Lyra releases her grip on Kage poking her in the eyes she begins building up magic, ¡°Your done Kage!¡± ¡°Would You Two Stop Please!¡± Before either person could react, massive vines grow from the hardwood flooring entangling them both tightly. ¡°Zinnia!¡± Lyra struggles, ¡°Get me out of this! You only need to restrain him not me!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Zinnia orders, ¡°I have been yelling at you to stop fighting for minutes now! I don¡¯t know what has gotten into you, Either of you!¡± ¡°I was giving her what she wants,¡± Kage breathes, ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m talking here!¡± Zinnia continues, ¡°Lyra, I don¡¯t know if what Kage said about you having a death wish is true, but I can say is that you need to stop being so selfish and think about others for once, We get it, your fucking brother killed your family and now you¡¯re scarred for life, Cry me a river! Look around, I watched my mother kill my father and older sister, with a stupid smile on her face! As a matter of fact, look at every single person down here, almost anyone can relate to what you are going through, if you would stop thinking about self for once! Maybe that why you met Kage,¡± she says turning to him, ¡°I may not know you well, but I can tell you have a big heart, you just need to get your emotions in check! You think I didn¡¯t notice you constantly asking about people, you frame it as intrigue or curiosity, but I think you just care, You are the first person I¡¯ve met that goes out of their way to ask about random people they just met, but then you act all moody and quiet saying just a little to be noticed but a not enough to be cared about yourself. Almost like you¡¯re a child who¡¯s just learning about meeting new people.¡± ¡­Zinnia pauses taking a huge breath ¡°All I¡¯m saying is you two, Need, To stop, Fighting!¡± she yells, simultaneous causing her vines that held the two, to violently swing, launching them both out separate windows, Crash! The glass breaks as two bodies land outside, ¡°Sorryy! That was an accident, I¡¯m still bad at this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lyra stumbles up looking at Kage ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kage staggers up looking a Lyra, They both turn heading separate ways. An Addictive Sound II Thinking back to being in the desert, mentally, was it easier? I only ever had one stream of thoughts to deal with, my survival, I never had thought about people, I got a lot killed, didn¡¯t care, Stole from them, wasn¡¯t bothered. Back then I felt nothing, So why is it now? Why do I feel everything now? ¡°That will be three silver,¡± a vendor says gruffly handing me a stack a of his crafted arrows ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much sir.¡± his tone changes upon me handing him a gold coin, ¡°You needn¡¯t be this kind sir,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I reply dryly ¡°You won¡¯t be alive for much longer anyway; this is the least I can do for you.¡± The man stares confusedly as I walk off. ~~ What Karina said still sits we me, Everyone here has their own form addiction to cope, I keep thinking about the ¡®enlightenment¡¯ that figure spoke of, Becoming one with God. Maybe that¡¯s not going to be so bad¡­... ¡­¡­. ¡°Hey, get over here you scum Pinoki!¡± A voice shouts, ¡°Which way did he go!¡± Another voice adds ¡°He went the direction of the club!¡± ¡°Come on let¡¯s teach him a lesson!¡± The loud voices in distance trail off (Pinoki huh. Is this what he¡¯s addicted to?) Following the loud shouts between the two voices, I make it back on the path to club Hedon, The area as empty as I¡¯d last seen it, lifeless houses cast their shadows down along the trail, ¡°Aghhh!¡± A cry sounds echoing across the houses ¡°Oww!¡± A scuffle of some sort can be heard from the voices. From the shadows between two houses Pinoki emerges dusting his clothes ¡°Who¡¯s next!? Oh, it¡¯s you Kage, I saw Karina heading up here she told me about your conversation-¡± ¡°-Pinoki,¡± I cut him off, ¡°Tell me, what are you addicted to? Is it the stealing? Or the Lying?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°What, have you been talking to Darius recently?¡± Pinoki questions sounding annoyed ¡°No, I¡¯m asking this to know for myself, Back up there, you seemed so happy up until we fought, no, nearly escaped, that person,¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Pinoki shrugs gesturing for us to start walking, ¡°I need to know why, so I can find something I can be addicted to myself,¡± ¡°Hmm , that¡¯s surprising, I thought you were like Lyra, and Apollo, the na?ve type with a hero complex, It hasn¡¯t been long since you¡¯ve arrived and you¡¯re already acting like one of us.¡± Pinoki jokes ¡°There¡¯s nothing any of us could do to be heroes anyways, it¡¯s much easier to get lost in your own addiction, Like you,¡± I retort, ¡°I guess your right in a way Kage, but also wrong, I don¡¯t like the stealing, I don¡¯t like the lying, I¡¯m not addicted to any of it,¡± ¡°Then why do you do it, what keeps you going?¡± ¡°What I live for is the thrill, You steal someone¡¯s purse, they see you, start chasing The feeling of being on edge, will I get caught, will I escape? Call me pathetic, I don¡¯t care, But all I ever wanted to experience since, I was boy, was adventure, I¡¯ve read so many books about people going on adventures meeting bad guys they¡¯re no match for, but it always works out in the end, The thrill. What adventure can be found here? I tried wandering deep into the void once,¡± he pints to the black distance, ¡°All I found was a graveyard of skeletons from people to whom could not live without something to be addicted, there¡¯s nothing there no secrets no mysteries, it¡¯s just a an easy way to kill yourself or go completely insane.¡± The flashing lights gets brighter as we near the club. ¡°This way,¡± Pinoki turns into a house adjacent to the club, The boards creak and dust raises as we step inside the dimly lit interior, In stark contrast to the colorful club of pleasures just across from it, ¡°Is this your house?¡± ¡°Nah, it belongs to someone in the club, they never leave, so I err acquired it for my purposes, Haven¡¯t you noticed this area, all dead and empty? It¡¯s because no one leaves that club anymore, all of them content with this lifestyle,¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you content with it as well?¡± I ask, ¡°I wish¡­,¡± Pinoki sighs, ¡°Unfortunately stealing and escaping does not always equal thrill, sometimes its despair, What I felt back up there when we were attacked-¡° ¡°-You don¡¯t want to feel it again,¡± I finish his sentence ¡°No, Kage, I have to feel it again.¡± Pinoki removes some floorboards revealing a wooden box, its contents contain a generous number of coins, daggers, a book which he withdraws, among other miscellaneous items. ¡°I stole this from the cathedral¡¯s library,¡± he hands it to me; The art of Dispelling and Unsealing, I read ¡°A book on magic, what is this supposed to be for?¡± I query curiously ¡°It¡¯s the extent of my addiction,¡± Pinoki answers vaguely, ¡°I can no longer be content with just cheap thrills, I have to experience the earth, The only way I see fit to obtain that now is with the knowledge of that book,¡± ¡°In exactly what way?¡± I press, ¡°Like I¡¯d tell you that,¡± Pinoki scoffs, grabbing back the book ¡°I¡¯ve already overshared enough, you are still a stranger to me after all, Although¡­. I¡¯ll tell you a bit more, if you ask Lyra for me, th-¡± ¡°-No thanks,¡± I say, leaving the little man alone in the dim, gloomy house. **** ¡°Uhhhhh!¡± Someone exclaims, as I sit in corner of the colorful, lively club, fideling with the device on my fist. People bounce around mindlessly indulging in their pleasures, The magic stone stuck in the bow-glove, now cracked and its color faded, (Almost out of power, I may only have a few more uses with this left.) ¡°You need something?¡± a woman eyes me seductively ¡°No, I¡¯m just observing for now,¡± I shake my head, at the nude woman ¡°Well, you surely won¡¯t be happy like us from just observing,¡± the woman dances off back into the crowd. (Is this really happiness though? or as Pinoki says, depression. Seeing all these smiles, and happy faces, It disgusts me, They don¡¯t smile because they¡¯re happy, but because they aren¡¯t, Why do I even care? Why should I, I don¡¯t know them, Maybe what Zinnia said about me is right. My experiences, Jissepi, even before that, it broke me to the point where I don¡¯t want anyone to experience that hurt, I¡¯ve seen so much despair, that I just want to see happiness now, Maybe that¡¯s my addiction, the happiness of others, Not this temporary kind of enjoyment, The absolute kind.) ¡°You look down bro,¡± a guy dressed in nothing, but his underwear comes up to me his eyes glow brilliantly, veins from pop from his face as he dazedly smiles, ¡°Try absorbing this stone, sure to raise your spirits,¡± ¡°Not interested in temporarily ¡®raising my spirts¡¯,¡± I shrug him off, ¡°Suit yourself, bro, we are trapped in a depressing magic prison after all, might as well enjoy it.¡± (This is a magic prison huh.) **** ¡°What do want now?¡± Pinoki groans looking up from his book, ¡°Have you decided to ask Lyr-¡± ¡°-No,¡± I cut him off, walking into the dim room. ¡°Listen, about your plan-¡± ¡°-I already told I¡¯m not telling you what it is,¡± Pinoki chides ¡°I don¡¯t care about your plan, I came to ask for your help, With my plan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been like an hour since we spoke last, what plan could you have thought of?¡± Pinoki reasons, ¡°I want to force the people of this city back out into the sunshine,¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Pinoki¡¯s lips curl into a sly smile ¡°I am not entirely sure yet, but since this place is a magic prison essentially, I¡¯m going to¡­¡­¡± (Am I talking out my ass here, or can I really do this?) ¡°Go on,¡± Pinoki presses ¡°I want to collide this city into Sottera.¡± Cheerful Sounds ¡°Who does he think he is! I was the one that brought him here in the first place, I swear It is to be Karina who did something who him, I¡¯ll get her back for this!¡± Lyra fumes, sat on the back of Apollo amidst his pushups, ¡°Mmhm,¡± he grunts motioning for her to get off, ¡°Karina¡¯s harmless, Apollo says wiping the sweat off his face, ¡°I don¡¯t think she has anything against you,¡± ¡°Maybe to you,¡± Lyra scoffs, ¡°but you weren¡¯t there, she knocked me out before I could even react! Then, when I came to and went back, Kage was rambling about stuff, before attacking me too, He¡¯s lucky Zinnia was there, or he¡¯d be history.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Apollo listens, ¡°what exactly was the ¡®stuff¡¯ Kage was rambling about? Surely it had to mean something, he doesn¡¯t strike me as the talkative type,¡± ¡°Err,¡± Lyra hesitates, ¡°I wasn¡¯t even paying attention to the nonsense he was saying, It was silly stuff really,¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Apollo presses ¡°Yeah, Anyway,¡± Lyra quickly changes the topic, ¡°Then Zinnia used her magic and restrained us both, and I was thinking woah I didn¡¯t know she could do that,¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Apollo chuckles, ¡°I wish I could¡¯ve seen that, Somehow, I can¡¯t picture Zinnia angry¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± As the two converse jubilantly, they don¡¯t notice the approaching figures, ¡°Apolloo!¡± Pinoki calls out, ¡°I have been avoiding you for a while now,¡± ¡°Ugh, Pinoki,¡± Lyra Groans, ¡°And him,¡± she stares daggers at Kage approaching with Pinoki, ~~~ You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Well¡­ ¡°Lyra steps, impatiently waiting for me to say something, ¡°What are you here for?¡± Apollo speaks up noticing the tension, ¡°You know this is where I come to exercise, I¡¯m assuming you were looking for me?¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± Pinoki affirms, ¡°Kage and I need your assistance,¡± ¡°With?¡± Apollo inquires, ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± ¡°We¡¯re listening,¡± Lyra asserts ¡°While you¡¯re at it why don¡¯t you let Kage do the talking, he¡¯s awfully silent right now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re awfully lively for a person that wants to die,¡± I snap back, ¡°I- she starts, ¡°Lyra?¡± Apollo turns to her confused, ¡°I think I need an explanation from all of you,¡± he instructs bossily ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯m just as lost as you,¡± Pinoki quips, ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ The four stand in an awkward silence for a few minutes¡­¡­... ¡­¡­¡­.¡°Because I¡¯m just like him,¡± Lyra blurts out, ¡°My brother I mean, No matter how hard I try to care about people, Just like him I feel like I don¡¯t, Besides you guys, who I know, Not you Kage, But outside of us, our group form the orphanage, I feel cold hearted, just like him, When he killed our, no, my parents, he wasn¡¯t even dedicated yet, he just wanted to, because it was a good opportunity, to test the extent of his cold heart, They say your magic reflects your inner self, his was ice, just like me, No matter how much I say I want to ¡®save¡¯ everyone, I fear that one day I¡¯ll reach to his extent, cold hearted, remorseless, I have to die, die trying to save everyone, That will at least be my family¡¯s legacy,¡± Lyra concludes with a heavy sigh, ¡°Are you happy now Kage? Is that what Karina told you to get out of me?¡± ¡°Lyra, cruelty isn¡¯t hereditary,¡± Apollo and I say in unison, His glance meets mine and he nods, ¡°You are actually really na?ve after all,¡± I laugh ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What he¡¯s saying is that if you really were cold hearted, like your brother, you wouldn¡¯t think of dying to protect everyone from you, That contradicts itself,¡± Apollo points out. ¡°I may not know much about magic,¡± I chime in, ¡°But as you said, a person¡¯s magic reflects themselves, From what I¡¯ve seen, your magic is snow, not ice, And just like snow, cold on the outside it may be, But it¡¯s really just soft, dainty, beautiful.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lyra voices something but doesn¡¯t finish, ¡°Darius!?¡± Pinoki and Apollo exclaim simultaneously, I turn half expecting to see the muscular man appear. ¡°No,¡± Pinoki explains, ¡°We mean you, have you drunk a Darius potion recently?¡± ¡°You are saying corny things he would say,¡± Apollo adds jokingly ¡°I cringed,¡± Pinoki chortles ¡°I get why you are usually quiet now, if those are the things you go around saying¡­...¡± ¡°Achoo!¡± Darius let¡¯s out a sneeze, ¡°Sorry about that Zinnia, anyways as I was saying, I think it¡¯s amazing how you restrained them both with your magic, ¡°I didn¡¯t know I could do that,¡± she chirps ¡°I always had a feeling babe, your magic reflects yourself after all, and just like you it¡¯s serene, yet deadly, helpful yet beautiful.¡± ¡°Aww¡± Zinnia blushes, ¡°This is why I¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t explained yourself to me yet Kage,¡± Lyra declares annoyed at the three joking around, I nod to Pinoki, his demeanor becoming somber, as we both reiterate, our experience fighting that figure, his possible intentions and my plan. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m confused, Karina is the leader of the rats?¡± Lyra bleats, ¡°I already knew actually,¡± Apollo chimes, instantly receiving a hard shove from Lyra ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell me?¡±¡± ¡°Why would I, besides me, only the queen knew what Karina was up to, where else do you think she got the key to the seal that keeps us down here? What I¡¯m worried about is what Kage said about this ¡®enlightenment¡¯, what can we do about it?¡± ¡°Nothing actually,¡± Pinoki states dryly, ¡°that has nothing to do with Kage¡¯s plan,¡± ¡°A crazy plan at that!¡± Lyra remarks, ¡°How do you suppose we carry out such a thing?¡± ¡°We start here, Why do you think we came looking for Apollo in the first place?¡± I explain, ¡°Apollo, can you help us kick some ass?¡± Hedons Elegy Dum? Dum, dum dum? Dum? Dum, dum dum? An infectious beat urges its listeners to dance. I know you need it?, I need it too?, I know you need it?, It¡¯s good for you?, I know you¡­...... A masked figure sings, repeatedly, almost hypnotically, as people effortlessly sway to the tune, their eyes glow sky blue, minds float high above the metaphorical clouds. Club Hedon, founded three years ago when a mysterious masked woman appeared and had it built, off the back of her frequent excursions to the Holy city, She would offer the people rewards, money, drugs, a place to indulge them in. Soon after, money once again became a common resource, traded in the Unholy city, Prior to this, people lived in fear and uncertainty of their inevitable downfall, Now they are artificially at peace, Lost in themselves, Until¡­¡­. Zaap! ¡­¡­¡­¡­. Boom! A surge of lightning, strikes club Hedon, directly hitting the magic crystal powering the club, causing a minor explosion The colorful lights go out, the hypnotic music silences. ¡°What, was that lighting!?¡± ¡°Is it a storm?¡± ¡°How can there be a storm down here idiot!¡± The hedonistic crowd argue amongst themselves in confusion over the sudden outburst. OOMPH! A body launches across the room though a wall, crashing into the group of people, ¡°One of the rats!¡± Someone exclaims, ¡°Are we being attacked?¡± Through the newly created ¡®entrance¡¯ in the wall a person steps though, His blonde locks pointed upward now, hazel brown skin glowing as sweat drips off his muscles, his blue eyes cast an intimidating stare, ¡°The bastard cousin!?¡± someone identifies him, ¡°It¡¯s Apollo?¡± ¡°Why are you attacking here, have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°Get him!¡± Apollo cracks his fists upon noticing the masked members of the Sewer Rats approach. ¡°This is private property bastard, You can¡¯t use your status as a technical member of the former royal family to go on a rampage here This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. You must suffer the consequence of your actions!¡± They member¡¯s charge forward to attack, Before they can move any further an arrow fires from behind Apollo, Hitting the ceiling overhead a gush of water begins to fall, While simultaneously a blast cold wind hits the falling water freezing it into a curtain of ice. The people gaze in awe at the sequence, ¡°Eh em¡± Apollo clears his throat, trying to find a bossy tone to use, ¡°I would like to formally apologize to you all, I don¡¯t mean to intrude on your pleasure, but unfortunately, This is the only way for us-¡± ¡°-Only way for you to what!?¡± Tori walks forward, her whip in hand, She cracks it loudly releasing a surge of lighting of her own, ¡°Do you have a death wish? This is a business you just barged into, causing a ruckus! There is nothing you can say, No excuse in the world will save you from this punishment!¡± Tori lashes her whip forward at Apollo, He lunges forward attacking her head on, Crack! The whip smacks Apollo right on his chest, he stumbles back in pain, before lurching himself forward again Thumph! Before Apollo could strike, Tori slumps to the ground unconsciously ¡°Wah!? Apollo looks around confusedly ¡°Well, that was easy.¡± a sly voice says entering the room, A shadow from under Tori makes its way back to the little man, ¡°Pinoki, I had it; you didn¡¯t even let me attack yet!¡± Apollo complains, ¡°I was making things easier for you.¡± the little man drawls, ¡°We came here to tear down this establishment and maybe knock out some of the sewer rat members, Not have one on one battles with them.¡± ¡°I guess that is correct,¡± I interject approaching through the hole in the wall with Lyra, ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to see how that fight would turn out between the two¡­¡­¡­.¡± A group of the masked members gather, drawing near us ¡°We have you cornered so what is this about knocking ou-¡­.¡± Snowfall strike! A strong blast of snow blast right at them, ¡°That would¡¯ve been you Kage, if Zinnia didn¡¯t interrupt,¡± Lyra boasts gesturing to the now struggling masked men in a heap of snow, ¡°What do you want from us?¡± one of them pleads ¡°This is just a way for us to send a statement to the person in charge¡± I step forward,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The building goes silent, Deafeningly silent, ¡­¡­. I attempt to speak but I can¡¯t even hear my own voice, I look to Lyra and the others, she¡¯s shouting frantically but we hear nothing, What is this? ¡°What is wrong with you people!¡± Karina¡¯s voice groans through the quiet abode ¡°Don¡¯t answer that, Oh, wait you can¡¯t,¡± Her voice echoes from somewhere nearby, ¡°Back here,¡± she directs, Glancing at Apollo, he nods to affirm we should go on Leaving the defeated members behind we make our way to back, where Pinoki brought me previously to Tori¡¯s office. ¡°Shut the door behind you,¡± Karina instructs taking off her mask as we enter, She sits behind table, a pipe in hand mirroring that of the queen. ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± Lyra demands finally able to hear her own voice again. ¡°I used my sound magic to mute the entire building,¡± she explains lazily, ¡°And aren¡¯t I the one who should be demanding explanations?¡± ¡°We did this so we could ask for your assistance,¡± I reveal ¡°Ha!¡± Karina laughs, ¡°You barged into my establishment, destroyed almost everything, attacked my men, and say it was for my help?¡± ¡°Are you delusional?¡± ¡°It had to be done, This place had to be destroyed, that way the people will have some time to prepare for what¡¯s coming,¡± ¡°Prepare for what, that so called enlightenment? Can¡¯t wait for it actually¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that Karina, They have to prepare for the collision of both cities.¡± ¡°The what of what?¡± Karina puts down her pipe turning to Apollo ¡°Why are you joined up with this, I thought you were the hero type? I¡¯m not surprised that the thrill addict and depressed snowflake would go along with something this idiotic, but you.¡± ¡°How about I turn you into a snowflake,¡± Lyra growls ¡°Hey Hey! No need for that Apollo tires diffusing the situation immediately, Karina,¡± he starts, To me this a lose-lose situation, the way I see it is that we can sit around and get consumed by our addictions while waiting for our eventual downfall at the hands of someone else, Or we can do it ourselves, That is to choose how we go out, Sometimes the only way to save someone is as simple as giving them a choice, Live or die?¡± Apollo finishes, ¡°I think it¡¯s time you stopped running away from that choice,¡± I add to his statement, ¡°So, what your saying is that I should not aim to live out the rest of my days enjoying my pleasures,¡± Karina breathes ¡°But instead help you fight For a chance to fight In a battle that can¡¯t be fought, You sound ¡®higher¡¯ than most of the people who come here Kage, I kind of like that actually,¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°Will you help us or not?¡± Lyra questions blandly, ¡°With your attitude, I might not, But, I, like this one, Kage I mean, He interests me, So, for the sake of following my desires, I will listen to what you have to say, Now explain to me in great detail exactly what you want me to do.¡± Karina urges ¡°We have to go back topside again soon, Pinoki pipes up, ¡°And after what happened last time, they may be expecting us, We need your team for a diversion, your skills for stealth,¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Karina thinks, ¡°What exactly is so important that you need to go back up for?¡± ¡­. ¡°Umm,¡± Pinoki scratches his head, his glance meeting mine, We both let out a laugh, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Lyra presses, ¡°Well, umm, you see,¡± Pinoki says awkwardly ¡°We don¡¯t know yet.¡± Prelude | Diamonds are Forever ¡°Do you even understand the structure of this city?¡± Karina quizzes, ¡°Surely Pinoki, you could have at least told him that much,¡± ¡°I¡¯ve piecing together a rough idea,¡± I answer, ¡°From what I learned, we are under the city but not underground, a seal of sorts, correct?¡± ¡°Let me stop you there,¡± Karina interjects, ¡°You are correct but, I don¡¯t think you understand the full scope of this, Besides me only the queen knows exactly,¡± ¡°Knows what?¡± Apollo inquires Karina turns to him, ¡°You know where all our magic stones come from right?¡± ¡°Of course, from the mines under the city, We can¡¯t access the mine though, since the entrance is outside the walls, That¡¯s why you go around stealing them from the people above,¡± Apollo concludes ¡°Right, but inside the mine there is¡­.,¡± Karina stops, ¡°There is what?¡± I press, curiously ¡°Ughh, I can¡¯t explain it with words alone, Come, we must go visit the queen,¡± she says getting up ¡°Her magic can display images, you will understand what I mean, from her,¡± ~~~ ¡°Who is she?¡± someone whispers, as we pass through the rubble of the club, ¡°Is she the leader, or their ally?¡± Curious eyes lay on Karina as she walks mask-less with us, ¡°You know, no one has ever seen me here without my mask, as far as who the person ¡®Karina¡¯ is, she has never left the orphanage of the queen for years.¡± ¡°Lucky you,¡± Lyra sarcastically remarks, ¡°Maybe it is time I let all this go,¡± Karina ignores Lyra, sighing at the remains of her club, ¡°You know why I stared charging people fees to be here, It wasn¡¯t for money or anything like that, Its because people won¡¯t get hooked, They won¡¯t believe in anything you give them for free, Artificial value creates a false sense of happiness when obtained, But it is happiness non-the-less, So why not we enjoy it? Bare this in mind Kage, I am not helping you because I believe in anything your doing, I am only following my desire.¡± ¡­. Pinoki raises his eyebrows looking at me ¡­. I shrug back, (Aren¡¯t we all following our desires in some way.) This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. *** The queen sits quietly her pipe in one hand and a book another, the cover reads: Art of D ¨C ¡°Patricia!¡± Her door swings open, as five people enter, ¡°Karina?¡± The queen looks up surprised, putting down her book, and you¡¯re with others? It has been a while since I last saw you lot together like this,¡± ¡°Well enjoy these eight seconds,¡± Pinoki says walking out, ¡°I¡¯ll be downstairs if anyone needs me,¡± ¡°He never really did like me,¡± the queen sighs, ¡°Chh!¡± Apollo snorts leaving as well, (Weird) The tension increases now that I stand here alone with the queen, Karina and Lyra, Lyra steps her feet impatiently by the door, Karina¡¯s usual stoic composure now gone, as she acts flustered, (Really weird) ¡°Um, Patricia-¡± Karina starts, ¡°-I am assuming you came to ask something of me?¡± The queen guesses, ¡°Yes, I need you to explain the structure of our ¡®city¡¯ to Kage,¡± ¡°Is there any reason in particular for it?¡± ¡°I saw the king recently,¡± I state flatly ¡°Kage! You can¡¯t just go blurting things out like that!¡± Lyra harshens, ¡°In the cathedral,¡± I continue disregarding Lyra¡¯s statement, ¡°He was talking to someone, who I believe is the priest you described to me as the one responsible for all of this, He said that he was leaving soon, but before he does there will be an ¡®enlightenment¡¯ of sorts, I don¡¯t know what it means but I can only assume its not something good.¡± The queen looks taken aback at the sudden influx of information, ¡°What do you want, me to do about? Or rather what can we do?¡± she asks regaining her composure, ¡°I don¡¯t think we can,¡± I say grimly, ¡°We fought, the priest, Only manged to escape him by a hair.¡± ¡°Is he stronger than Darius?¡± Queen Patricia turns to Karina ¡°He may be, I haven¡¯t seen Darius fight in quite some time,¡± ¡°Is he the strongest person down here?¡± I ask ¡°In terms of strength, he is, but, the queen, in sheer amount of magic power would be stronger, If it wasn¡¯t for him constantly using his magic to grow crops, old man Herb would be ahead of them both.¡± Karina explains ¡°Didn¡¯t we come here for something?¡± Lyra says impatiently by the door ¡°Ah yes, you wanted to know about this ¡®city¡¯s structure¡¯,¡± the queen remembers, ¡°I can show you, but you will have to tell me what you¡¯re planning to do with that information after,¡± ¡°I promise,¡± Karina assures. ~~ The room envelops in a light dreamy fog, colors swirl around, ¡°This, is the city of Soterra,¡± the queen waves one of her hands and the lights form into a small model of the city, ¡°Under the city, are the mines, here, is where we maintain our supply of magic stones,¡± The lights change forming a crater of sorts, with a path that spirals downward, in the center sits massive glowing crystal-like shape, ¡°In the mine,¡± the queen continues, ¡°you can find magic stones, crystal and the rarest ones, diamonds, Before I continue, I will have to explain the three, Magic stones which I assume you¡¯re familiar with, contain limited amounts of magic power of a specific attribute, The amount depends in the quality of the stone, this also applies to all three, Crystals can contain a combination of elements, they hold more magic than stones, and are mostly used as power supplies or for various utilities, Diamonds can do everything crystals can with the exception that they can absorb and release large amounts of magic, Compared to the crystals and stones which can only output magic, and when that magic is used up, they become obsolete, Diamonds are forever.¡± The image of the mines expands, focusing only on the crystal-like shape in the center, ¡°This, is a massive diamond,¡± the queen gestures, ¡°it powers the entire kingdom, And is also, where we reside.¡± ¡°Wait?¡± I stop her questioningly, ¡°We are inside a diamond?¡± ¡°Mhm, every time you travel in and out of here, you get temporarily converted into magic, You see that void,¡± Queen Patricia points outside her window to the dim void overhead, ¡°Whenever magic is used here it gets absorbed into that,¡± ¡°How is that plan of yours coming along again?¡± Karina says provokingly ¡°What would happen if you were to release all the magic from the diamond?¡± I ponder outward ¡°If it were possible, what purpose would that achieve?¡± The queen probes ¡°I want to bring the people of this ¡®city back into the sunlight, even if they die, get dedicated or whatever it is, At least they¡¯d have on last time under a real sky to decide what they really want,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not with this silly plan, just so you know,¡± Karina adds, ¡°Then go away please!¡± Lyra, who had been silent the whole-time, snaps, Karina does not respond, not in mood for a confrontation with the boisterous girl, ¡°The only way you can try to release a large amount of magic from the diamond, would be at the point where its magic connects to the city above,¡± Queen Patricia continues, ¡°I do not know where that point is, even if I did, I am not sure how one could release everything stored within the diamond at once,¡± ¡°I think you have helped me enough as it is,¡± I say thanking her ¡°I have something in mind already,¡± Lyra and Karina eye me quizzingly, I gesture for us to leave, (I need to think about this some more before I tell anyone.) ¡°Wait Kage,¡± the queen stops me before I leave her room, ¡°My request, surely you have not forgotten that you promised?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± I lie, ¡°You can tell me now, I will do it at once,¡± ¡°No, I was I reminding you,¡± she smiles gratefully, ¡°Now isn¡¯t yet the time, I fear,¡± ¡°Oh, well I will look forward to helping you with whatever it may be.¡± ¡­¡­. Kage exits the room, leaving Queen Patricia once again alone in her room, She relights her pipe and picks up her book, casually skimming through the pages, On the cover it reads: The Art of Deception. Warning Sounds ¡°Are you ready for this Kage? You¡¯ve been crouched in one position for hours now, When last have you slept?¡± ¡°I was trying to figure out why I¡¯m doing this,¡± I look up, at Karina. (After what happened in the desert, I promised myself, that I¡¯d never find myself at deaths door again, My face may have been fully healed, but my body wasn¡¯t, The burns, scars, they cover me like tattoos, forever to remind me to stay smart, I can¡¯t end up in that position ever again.) ¡°Then, have you figured it out?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because I want to.¡± **** ¡°Boss, are you sure about this?¡± Tori complains, ¡°they destroyed our business! Why should any of us help them?¡± Karina lets out a huge sigh, ¡°Would I reveal my face to you, any of you? If this was not something important, You all know me well enough to know that I am not a woman who is not driven by morals or self-righteousness, I do what I desire, what benefits me,¡± ¡°I understand boss, but I cannot let that cheap shot from your friend,¡± she scowls at Apollo, ¡°Go un-reprimanded,¡± ¡°Hey, that wasn¡¯t me who hit you,¡± Apollo protests, ¡°Quit lying,¡± Pinoki chimes in, ¡°You needn¡¯t be afraid of her now, that you¡¯re face to face, might as well accept the consequences of your actions like the hero you are.¡± ¡°You dishonest little-¡± Apollo starts ¡°-eh em, shouldn¡¯t we be focusing on our current objective,¡± Pinoki cuts him off, ¡°Enough with these distractions, Karina, are your people joining us topside, or not?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think are,¡± Karina replies watching Tori and others walk off in the distance, ¡°There is nothing for them to gain from this,¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need them anyway,¡± I assure, ¡°We don¡¯t need a large group of people to go searching all over the city, we only need to make a visit to the cathedral once more, If the there¡¯s one point, the diamond connects to the city it has to be in there,¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too sure about that,¡± Karina counters, ¡°didn¡¯t the queen say she didn¡¯t know where it was, if it was in the cathedral, she would have known,¡± ¡°How about we just go and find out?¡± Lyra yawns, ¡°I¡¯m tired of standing around discussing everything, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°You are the one with the main key,¡± Karina points out ¡°You can come and go as you please, what are you waiting for?¡± Lyra feels around her neck then gasps, ¡°I don¡¯t have it! Where did it-¡± ¡°-You mean this?¡± I reveal a small pendant with a spiral insignia, I¡¯d been keeping on me, ¡°When did you get that?¡± ¡°When we fought, I didn¡¯t challenge you for no reason, Karina told me she gave you the key, I knew it had to be on you, But didn¡¯t know where, I aggravated you to use our fight as an opportunity to search you and take this, the spiral shape is similar to the one that the masks with the temporary seals have, I figured this was the key, ¡°You¡¯re worse than Pinoki!¡± she grabs the pendant back form me, ¡°You stole this from me, not to mention searched my body, pervert! I went through a lot to get this you know,¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t¡± Karina disputes, ¡°You kept coming by my club everyday begging Tori to join, until I eventually got annoyed and gave it to you,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was you back then,¡± Lyra scowls, ¡°Now it makes sense that you would ban me.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I banned you to keep you away from what I do,¡± Karina retorts ¡°Keep me away from what you do, or keep me away from you? Just admit it, Karina.¡± ¡°No, I di-¡± Apollo facepalms. Pinoki starts whistling to himself, I fiddle with my bow, as the two girl begin to argue. **** Birds chirp happily flying across the clear blue sky, The wind blows barley, as the hot middays sun beams over the Holy City, formerly known as Soterra. Five hooded figures discreetly make their way through the city Karina at front, silently heading the group while Apollo follows at their rear, ¡°Good day to you¡± Someone greets as we move through the streets, ¡°Something feels off,¡± Pinoki whispers, ¡°Where are the guards? After what happened the last time, we were here, I would have expected them to be on heavy alert,¡± ¡°Maybe they thought you got scared off, and won¡¯t dare return anytime soon,¡± Lyra teases ¡°As if!¡± Karina, up head scoffs. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of the guards are a match for me anyway,¡± Apollo boasts, ¡°What I am worried about is encountering the person Kage spoke of, He sounds terrifying.¡± ~~ ¡°Pinoki,¡± I nudge the little man, ¡°What is it?¡± he jumps, ¡°I¡¯m on edge right now¡± ¡°I have to ask, now that we¡¯ve made this far, If you already have a plan of your own, why did you choose to follow mine?¡± ¡°Well,¡± he fidgets slowing his pace to let Apollo pass, ¡°My plan would have only benefited I and I alone, The book, on dispelling magic, I was trying to learn it, If could dispel all magic in the kingdom for even a few minutes, it would¡¯ve been enough for I alone to escape, Though, because, the entire function of our city, depends on magic, dispelling meant cutting off their life support, That¡¯s why I wouldn¡¯t tell you.¡± Pinoki picks up his pace again walking up, clearly not wanting to discuss this any further. *** ¡°This is it,¡± Lyra gazes up at the glorious cathedral, ¡°How sure are you again, about the diamond point being here Kage?¡± ¡°Is fifty five percent sure good enough for you?¡± I reply She rolls her eyes, ¡°Apollo will stay here outside, I¡¯ll enter from the back, you three can enter from the front with Pinoki¡¯s stealing magic,¡± ¡°It¡¯s not stealing,¡± Pinoki protests, ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± the girl says moving away without a sound, Leaving Apollo by the entrance, the three of us make our way up to the doors, ¡°Ok !¡± Pinoki takes a deep breath ¡°Let¡¯s g-¡± Before he can continue the cathedral¡¯s doors swing open, There stood a smiling face, cold grey eyes, a face of human, but somehow, I can¡¯t tell if it is. ¡°The priest!¡± Pinoki and I exclaim in unison, he draws his and daggers and I extend my bow while Lyra steps back preparing her magic. ¡°Oh, there no need for that,¡± the ¡®Priest¡¯ still smiling, ¡°I knew you¡¯d come back, so I ordered all the guards to let you move freely, As a matter fact, I¡¯m allowing you to roam this cathedral freely to your liking,¡± ¡°What do you want from us in return?¡± Pinoki asks slightly lowering his guard, ¡°Oh, nothing of course, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot, ¡° Pinoki gives me a questioning look, ¡°You and Lyra go inside,¡± I order, ¡°Karina¡¯s probably inside already, you can meet up with her there, I¡¯ll keep this one busy.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lyra inquiries hesitantly ¡°Yes, now go,¡± The Priest moves out the way to let the two pass, still with an eerie smile on his face. ¡°Ah, I remember you as the one who overheard me the last time, Your heart, I sense is unfettered, briming with such potential, yet disgustingly neutral, Ughh, what do you want from this life that still you are on the fence?¡± ¡°What do you want from this city, that you destroyed their entire government, killed and traumatized many,¡± I counter ¡°You like asking questions but not answering them, don¡¯t you? Very well, I shall indulge you. I never did any of those things you accused, I just showed them way, Thought them to dedicate themselves, so that they can be happy, And well, Are they not?¡± ¡°Brainwashed seems like a more fitting word, you are saying people willingly betrayed, murdered, their family members, friends for your god?¡± I snort ¡°I had nothing to do what that, I just showed them the way,¡± he repeats, ¡°And the god they worship isn¡¯t my god, I am the God.¡± (God? This cant be right, the more I look at him, I don¡¯t get the feeling of another human, and he doesn¡¯t exactly look like a beastman either, Is he really a God?) ¡°Mmgh,¡± the ¡®God¡¯ frowns, ¡°I expected you to have a more surprised reaction, your face¡¯s still the same, you really are an interesting fellow, When I told to the King, he immediately fell to his knees, and dedicated his life to me, Will you do the same?¡± he says, passive-aggressively, Immediately, I raise my bow, on my guard, ¡°You are certainly not human, but a God? Nah,¡± I say disbelievingly, ¡°I¡¯ve suffered a lot, and through it all I kept hoping and praying-¡± ¡°-That you would survive,¡± he finishes for me, ¡°yet here you are standing in front of the one who made it all possible.¡± ¡°Your wrong, I kept hoping and praying that I¡¯d die, I wanted out, yet here I am, standing in front the one who claims to be the one who made it possible, I don¡¯t know why, Or what my purpose may be, For now, I¡¯ll settle for giving people a chance, I may not be able to save them, But with just a chance they may be able to save themselves,¡± ¡°Your dumb,¡± he says childishly ¡°Those people are going to become one with me, I am going to absorb their magic, into me, Do you not understand! There only ¡®chance¡¯ you have is to become dedicated, The ones who are will painlessly become one with me, It will in fact feel euphoric, If you refuse, you¡¯re just going to have to feel every single drop of magic leaving your very soul, Excruciatingly painful it is That is your choice, Huuh,¡± he sighs ¡°I only did this to make up for overreacting and attacking you the other night,¡± ¡°What if I kill you right here, right now then?¡± I bluff pulling back an arrow on the bow string. ¡­.. Behind the ¡®god¡¯ Karina approaches, soundlessly thanks to her magic, ¡°Threating me is crazy, are you trying to waste your life?¡± ¡°No, but you are.¡± ¡°Wa-urghh!¡± A dagger pierces the back of his throat, blood gushes from his mouth His cocky demeanor replaced by panic as he frantically directs his hands to his throat, trying to stop the bleeding Two more daggers appear form the shadows beneath his feet stabbing behind his knees, The ¡®god¡¯ falls to his knees, Pinoki and Lyra come running up behind Karina ¡°Did you find the point?¡± I ask, ¡°Yes,¡± Karina replies, ¡°the center tower,¡± ¡°Freeze dry!¡± Lyra blasts the struggling ¡®god¡¯ on the ground, With one last spurt of blood, the body stops moving, ¡°Was that i-¡± Clap Clap Clap A figure approaches, ¡°That was really good teamwork from you,¡± a voice patronizes ¡°The priest!? I thought we just¡­¡±Lyra starts, ¡°You what? Killed me? Girl with your pathetic ice magic,¡± don¡¯t make laugh ¡°You, over there,¡± he points at Pinoki, get your shadows any closer to me and I¡¯ll have your head in my hands, Same goes for you soundless girl. Don¡¯t be alarmed any of you all, I¡¯m not going to kill you, for now at least, Leave here now, and you can keep your lives for a while longer, My objective is already complete.¡± The figure turns its back to us walking away, ¡°I think he gave us a pretty good choice,¡± Pinoki quips ¡°I second that,¡± Karina adds Lyra says nothing. The four of us hurry back out, meeting back up with Apollo at the entrance ¡°Did you find it?¡± He asks ¡°Yes, but something was off about this Karina explains, The cathedral was empty besides a few harmless priests, there were no guards, the King, who is supposed to be the head priest wasn¡¯t there either, The tower that the diamond connects to was also filled with an abundance of magic circles, It was all so peculiar, I think we should head back for now and re-assess this.¡± ¡°Then what are we waiting for!¡± Apollo gushes, **** **** Smoke, Thick black smoke It fills the air, Screams, Screams of fear, Screams of agony, Screams, ¡°What!?¡± Lyra gasps, ¡°The city!¡± Apollo gasps, ¡°Oh no,¡± Pinoki stares, ¡°Shit!¡± Karina exclaims The unholy city is engulfed in flames. ¡°I am not ready for this.¡± Blazing Crescendo A dark abyss filled with screams of agony, as a raging fire burns out, Some would call that hell, But for the ones within that abyss They call it home. Slash! A dagger grazes my shoulder, I just barely manage to avoid being hit, Whack! My bow hits squarely on the attacker¡¯s head, they stumble backward as blood starts spilling out, Whack! I hit them again Whack! Whack! Thump! Thump! The foe slumps to the ground, blood gushing from their head, barely breathing. ¡­..? Lyra looks queryingly at me ¡°I ran out of arrows.¡± ¡­.. ¡°I think that was all of them.¡± We both look at our surroundings, Bodies, lay still and bloodied, Some unconscious, Some dead. ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Lyra mutters ¡°How could this have happened? The queen assured us that the only ones who can enter and leave here at will is us, who has the key.¡± ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right about this,¡± I say looking at a plume of smoke off in distance. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that priest said, back up there, about his objective being complete This was planned-¡± BOOM! A loud explosion reverberates through the void, catching our attention, ¡°Karina went that way,¡± Lyra points out, immediately sprinting in that direction, I follow behind trying to match her pace, ¡°I was under the assumption that you didn¡¯t like Karina?¡± ¡­. She mumbles something under her breath ¡°What?¡± ¡°JustbecauseIdon¡¯tlikeherdoesn¡¯tmeanIdon¡¯tcare¡± She rambles quickly continuing on, (This girl) Looking behind us I watch the bodies one more time, people who lived down here killed from the ones above, And them, Killed by Lyra Killed by me, A girl who thinks she can¡¯t feel and another who feels everything at once, both fight now for people who by all means we should not care about, Even as I hear the traumatizing screams echoing from all directions, I¡¯m unaware of how I should feel about it, These are people dying after all. ¡­¡­ A tower of fire burns at the end of a trail, scorched corpses line the path as the fire slowly consumes every house nearby, If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I feel the heat from here,¡± Lyra pants We stand at beginning of a familiar trail, Club Hedon. Once a building illuminated by colors filled with ¡®happiness¡¯ in contrast to the dark houses before it, Now illuminated by blazing flames, that share its light with the other houses, Only this light does not share happiness, Only death. As we contemplate approaching a slim figure slowly stumbles away from the site, Lyra hurries towards them at once, Karina. At the front of the partially destroyed club Hedon two parties argue, ¡°We are the disciples of the holy city¡± a man dressed in knights armor states ¡°We mean no harm to you only to purge this place once and for all, we have come,¡± ¡°How dare you lunatics¡± attack us Tori steps forward, ¡°Our boss may not be here, but we are still the ¡®sewer rats¡¯ A name you gave us mind you!¡± Tori arms her whip, lightning cackling form it, The other members gather behind her facing the group of ¡®disciples¡¯ Stab! A spear penetrates one member directly through his skull in an instant, ¡°Zack!¡± Someone wails ¡°We mean no harm,¡± the knight repeats himself ¡°Dedicate yourself to us, and all will be forgiven, there is still time,¡± Fire ball barrage! The sewer rats, adamantly refusing his offer let out an onslaught of magic attacks in response, The two sides clash, One by one members from each side drop down ¡­ ¡°Dedicate yourarghhh!¡± The knight tries speaking but someone silently comes up from behind piercing a dagger into the back of his throat, ¡°Leader!¡± Tori exclaims at the sight of Karina, ¡°are you o-¡± boof! A small explosion blasts Karina backwards, The main brunt of the explosion hits the rest of the ¡®disciples¡¯ killing them, ¡°Shit!¡± A voice frets, ¡°I missed!¡± ¡°Leader are you ok?¡± Tori rushes towards her, the other members stay in front the club on guard for the mysterious attacker Karina nods, ¡°The blast mostly missed me; what kind of psycho kills his own people?¡± ¡°Kakakakkaka!¡± the voice cackles, its location still unclear, ¡°That was only a waring blast, There is still time to joins us after all, You woman with the whip, I know all you seek is validation, from someone of power, Dedicated yourself to us and the highest being of existence will validate you! There is still time,¡± ¡°You think I would betray my people! For your pathetic lies!¡± Tori growls ¡°No, I¡¯m offering you a chance to truly be happy, I have told no lies, Ask you so-called leader, she¡¯s seen our God, and fought him even.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him Tori, or any of you, he offers nothing but death!¡± Tori looks at Karina skeptically, We have followed you from day one without ever knowing how you looked, or who you were, there is nothing anyone could tell, or show us that would change our loyalties.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too sure about that~¡± the voice sings, BOOM! Before anyone could react, a massive explosion engulfs the area Bloodcurdling screams echo from within flames, Everyone burns, except for one, Karina watches on as the fires conveniently burn around her ¡°Tori!¡± Karina yells ¡°She¡¯s going to meet God now,¡± the voice whispers directly into her ear, Karina quickly turns around only to face a wall of flames, Aghh! she pulls back, the flame slightly scorches her face and hair, ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you around, or maybe not,¡± the voice laughs drifting away in the flames, Karina stands silent surrounded by the fire, a woman not driven by things such as morality or empathy, she does nothing but watch the flames, She could end it all right now, jump into the blaze, but her convictions are simple, ¡®Do what I desire¡¯ What is desirable about death? She stands still watching the fire, listening to the agonizing screams of her own people, The heat of the flames drying her tears. **** ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Karina shrugs away Lyra who¡¯d grabbed her hand, Her silky black hair now ashy and burnt on the ends, face tear stained, ¡°Karina,¡± I query, ¡°what-¡± ¡°They¡¯re all dead,¡± Karina blurts, ¡°Tori and the others, I didn¡¯t even see the cowards face who did it!¡± ¡­¡­. I remain quiet not knowing what to tell the girl, ¡°We¡¯ll find the bastard and kill him!¡± Lyra tries to console ¡°No,¡± Karina refuses, ¡°I¡¯ll find him myself, You meet back up with Apollo and the others, escape here, or hide.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for you to push me away Karina! I¡¯m not going anywhere, Your-¡± Smack! Karina slaps Lyra squarely across the cheek, ¡°I¡¯m not pushing you away! I¡¯m protecting you, That¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever tried to do, We¡¯re not children anymore! Those things I said to you back then, I didn¡¯t mean it, I was just looking for someone to blame, I don¡¯t want you to die Lyra!¡± Karina slumps to her knees, her emotions giving in Lyra holds her cheek, taken aback at usually calm girl¡¯s outburst, I touch Karina¡¯s shoulder, which she immediately brushes off, (What can I do in a situation like this, What should I be feeling right now?) ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die either¡± Lyra mumbles, ¡°I still dislike you, But I don¡¯t hate you, I¡¯m helping you, and because I want to, Despite everything, Get yourself together, and let¡¯s go find the others together,¡± Lyra storms off into the distance, partly because she was surprised at Karina¡¯s outburst And partly because she was ashamed, the person she disliked, who she thought hated her¡­¡­ ¡­¡­.. With Lyra out of earshot Karina lets her tears flow once more, Her mask now truly falls, The stoic, desire driven girl now gone, left with a sensitive, emotional girl who cries silently. (Addiction is supposed to take away the pain we feel, or at least that¡¯s what she believed, but as I see her now, it¡¯s clear that it only suppresses it, The feelings, fears, pain, it only grows, and as you lose yourself more and more into pleasure, the dam of unexpressed emotion builds until it eventually will burst.) I sit next to the sullen girl, (There is only one thing I can do right now,) I embrace her She doesn¡¯t try to push me away, her tears flow even more, She sinks her head into my chest I continue to embrace her. The flames behind us slowly dissipates, everything Karina built, now ashes, I continue to embrace her, The bodies of everyone who believed in her vision, now burnt corpses I continue to embrace her, The fire she felt, though as hot as it maybe Could not compare to the warmth of an embrace. Ghost Town | Interlude ¡°It looks like your little ¡®experiment¡¯ was successful after all, head priestess,¡± ¡°It is because of ¡®him,¡¯ giving me the time to do this, Now his patience shall finally reap results, head priest,¡± ¡°Very well then, my queen, wouldn¡¯t you say it¡¯s time to wrap this up?¡± *** *** ¡°P..P..Please, no, I don¡¯t want to die, I¡¯ll dedicate myself, please!¡± A man begs, pinned to the ground by two spear-wielding knights, ¡°All will be forgiven if you dedicate yourself, However, the limit on how many of you we can forgive has been met,¡± The two knights shove their spear into the man at once, ¡°We are sorry it had to be this way, It was the will of g-¡± Oomph! A knee crashes into the man at a remarkable speed, his face almost collapsing inwards, the knight falls to the ground unconscious, ¡°Hya!¡± The other knight thrusts his spear around trying to hit the speedy opponent, ¡°Lightning knee-, -Strike!¡± Another fearsome knee strike rams the second knight with skull cracking force, he also slumps down unconscious¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°Killing them would have been easier you know,¡± A muscular man wielding a great sword pitches ¡°Then I¡¯d be just like them, Darius, we have to show we¡¯re better than that,¡± ¡°They attacked us Apollo, the severity of our retaliation is justified,¡± Darius argues ¡­. Apollo takes a while before responding, ¡°You¡¯re right, we are fully justified, But killing isn¡¯t the only option, There is a difference between being backed into a wall and the only escape being to kill the person blocking you, Then being in fight that can end with both parties alive but choosing to kill your opponent, Why kill when it can be avoided?¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Darius says beginning to come exasperated by Apollo¡¯s preachiness, ¡°I get you, no need for the lecture, You¡¯re really still that same scholarly child from back then, a little less scrawny though,¡± ¡°We all had to change in some way,¡± Apollo reminisces, ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to see what became of Omari¡± ¡°From what that Kage fellow said, he got what he deserved,¡± Darius scoffs ¡°I still don¡¯t quite trust him, Kage I mean¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Apollo agrees, ¡°Lyra likes him, and she doesn¡¯t like anyone if that¡¯s anything go by, so I guess he¡¯s alright,¡± ¡°Where is she now?¡± Darius asks ¡°We split when we got back here, I came looking for you and Zinnia, who knows where Pinoki went, Lyra stuck with Kage and Karina went to find her people,¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe she was the leader of those thieves, rats, or whatever they call themselves, Karina was always such an emotional girl¡± I wouldn¡¯t have guessed it, ¡°Nah she¡¯s pretty strong, and good at hiding her feelings,¡± Apollo assures ¡°I knew form the start actually,¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you two were in a-¡± ¡°-Let¡¯s not thread back on old ground,¡± Apollo cuts him off ¡°It¡¯s ok bro it happens,¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Darius receives a hard shove from Apollo ¡°How strong is she though, like in fights?¡± Darius changing the topic, ¡°Not much in raw strength, but definitely in agility, plus her magic allows her to move without a sound,¡± ¡°Hmmm, interesting,¡± Darius mulls, ¡°What about Kage, is he strong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, I could beat him easily, however he did catch me by surprise when we first we met, I don¡¯t think he can use magic either,¡± ¡°That¡¯s disappointing,¡± Darius says lifting his great sword ¡°Would have liked to spar with him,¡± ¡°You know you can make yourself a smaller sword,¡± Apollo informs, ¡°What¡¯s the point of having sword magic if you only ever make one sword with it?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fun if I didn¡¯t,¡± Darius swings the giant blade ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like Pinoki¡­¡­¡± Darius signals him to quiet, ¡°Someone¡¯s coming! he whispers¡­...¡± ¡­.. **** ¡°Sooo¡­ Are we going to talk about it?-¡± ¡°-No!¡± Karina and I say in unison The three of us continue to walk quietly. After regaining her composure, Karina suggested that we see the queen since she would know what to do. ¡°I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t encountered any more of those ¡®disciples¡¯,¡± Lyra notes, as barley any people can be seen with the exception of the unconscious bodies and corpses around. ¡°It¡¯s almost like someone defeated them all,¡± ¡°It must be Darius,¡± Karina guesses, ¡°I¡¯d forgotten what an absolute beast he is¡± ¡°What exactly is his magic?¡± I inquire curiously, ¡°Sword magic I think,¡± Lyra replies ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Another special attribute,¡± Karina explains, ¡°He started with earth magic, it evolved to iron magic I believe, and then ten years ago, it became sword, Like old man herb who went from fire to light to sunlight, they are the only people we know of whose magic evolved twice,¡± ¡°Unlucky,¡± Lyra comments, ¡°I¡¯d rather have a basic attribute if it means not being mentally scarred,¡± ¡°What if there was another way to evolve your magic?¡± I ponder outwardly ¡°Doubtful, if there was it¡¯d be taboo,¡± Karina refutes ¡°The entire concept of evolving your attribute is built on your personal experiences, It¡¯s like growing up without ever living, your body maybe grown but where would your mind be, Still a baby? Magic is an extension of oneself for it to change form you must change with it as well,¡± ¡°Is that wh¡­¡­.¡± I begin A giant sword crashes straight in front of us, The sword disappears immediately, and a figure dives from behind it, Without hesitating Karina leaps up striking at it, midair, knocking him down, ¡°Lightn- -Karina?¡± The figure, Apollo, relaxes, ¡°I was about to knock you out,¡± ¡°Reckless, You could¡¯ve at least stayed in hiding long enough to see who was coming, instead of blindly attacking!¡± Karina scolds, ¡°Good to see you too,¡± Darius walks up from behind a destroyed wooden shed where he was waiting to ambush, ¡°Did you find your people?¡± Apollo asks ¡°They¡¯re dead.¡± The girl answers dry, ¡°Where¡¯s Zinnia, is she ok?¡± ¡°She¡¯s with old man Herb,¡± Darius replies ¡°Strange,¡± I think out loud ¡°What is?¡± ¡°This place, it feels weirdly abandoned, Even with the deaths, there was more people here, and not to mention the lack of any the ¡®disciples¡¯ from before,¡± ¡°You mean the knights?¡± ¡°We beat them all I think,¡± Darius says ¡°No, I¡¯m sure there were more,¡± ¡°You think they left?¡± Lyra surmises ¡°Do you still have the key Lyra?¡± Karina questions ¡°No!¡± the girl frantically checks for it ¡°It¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°Pinoki must have taken it,¡± I guess ¡°Does that mean he fled? Bastard!¡± Lyra fumes, ¡°I¡¯ve known Pinoki the longest of us all,¡± Darius speaks up, ¡°I don¡¯t think he ran off, Scheming something, he maybe, but not running, Besides there¡¯s nowhere to run to.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Apollo opines ¡°Where is he now?¡± *** Groups of people arrive at the base of the central tower in holy cathedral, among them, the returning knights from the unholy city, as well as residents of said city. ¡°Welcome back to the real world, No, welcome back home,¡± one of the cathedrals priests¡¯ addresses them ¡°We promise those who have chosen dedication eternal happiness as you become one with God, Right this way and change your life for the better!¡± The small crowd shuffles along slightly skeptical and guilty, Within the crowd a familiar short man draped in a black hood, moves with them, He didn¡¯t come with the crowd, but snuck in¡­ (Oooh this is so exciting! I¡¯m like a secret spy sent to find my enemies weakness from the inside. I¡¯ve read about things like this!) This man is none other than Pinoki, He follows the priest eagerly, Probably the only one here so. The priest leads the group through to the main building of the cathedral, directly to the former throne room. (Amazing! I never saw the throne room before, That one chandelier lights the whole room? And what¡¯s that?) Pinoki stares in awe at a magnificent human-sized magic diamond sat the in place of the throne, ¡°This is the monument of God,¡± the Priest guides, ¡°Place your hand on it and transfer some magic to it, you shall then be forever connected to God,¡± The small group of people move about nervously, not willing to touch the diamond, ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± a voice says A woman familiar to Pinoki steps up (That¡¯s!-) The diamond glows as she places her hand on it, her body turns pale and wrinkly, she looks almost corpse-like before the color regains, ¡­.. She now smiles brightly ¡°I¡¯ve seen the light! It¡¯s all true, this is God!¡± ¡°Oh my! Then we should all touch it at once!¡± Pinoki says loudly in a monotone, tying hard to disguise his voice, The group seem to like this idea, moving together towards the diamond, (Good, now I can get a closer look without being forced to touch it) Pinoki strains his eyes as hard as he can to peer into the diamond but can¡¯t discern anything because of the glowing caused by everyone touching it, (I have to wait last after all.) ¡°You in the cloak,¡± a priest notices the man standing about, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you dedicated yourself yet?¡± (Shoot! I¡¯m going to get caught at this rate, Think! Think!) Pinoki¡¯s eyes dart around the room as he quickly forms a plan, (Two guards by the door, two priests, I have enough daggers, I could take them all, but this crowd of newly dedicated people might attack me, I can¡¯t take the chance,) His eyes land on the window at right side of the room, the dark night sky looms out, (That¡¯s it!) ¡°You,¡± the priest continues, ¡°do you not hear!¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Pinoki says apologetically, ¡°I sometimes space out, I¡¯ll dedicated myself now,¡± He extends his hand out armed with a dagger and chucks it upward at the chandelier above knocking it down, The room goes black, The diamond no longer glowing provides little light, Pinoki peers into it, (What the hell. Is that God? I have to get back!) ¡°What is this!¡± the guards by the door demand Crash! The sound of glass breaking echoes though the room. ¡°Light magic!¡± A priest illuminates the room once more The window at the side now broken open ¡°Though the window!¡± a guard points, ¡°he couldn¡¯t have gone far!¡± As the attention of every person in the room stay locked onto the window, A little man slowly creeps out the door. Nobodys Sound Drip Drop Drip Drop Each drop falling slowly and methodically, causing small ripples in the puddle below My skin scrawls at the chilling sight, Karina turns her face away disgusted Lyra stares at it distraught Darius calmly investigates the area around, Apollo says: ¡°Thank you, Thank you. old man, May you rest in peace,¡± The body of the former royal knight hangs upside down from the ceiling in his house, His body beaten, covered in burns as the blood from his wounds slowly trickle down into a pool below. ¡°This was a ceremony,¡± Apollo grimaces, ¡°In the old days of our kingdom, knights that were caught committing treason or as deserters was sentenced to be beaten bloody, and then be hung upside down so that they could slowly die of blood loss.¡± ¡°Who could have done this? I know he¡¯s old, but he is still really powerful It can not have been a regular knight.¡± Karina comments ¡­. ¡°Zinnia was with him, Zinnia was here, There are clearly signs of a fight, I don¡¯t see her body, Where is she?¡± Darius rambles anxiously. ¡°Look at the vines on the floor, She tried fighting, She was here, We have to find her!¡± ¡°Calm down, Darius,¡± Apollo coaxes ¡°We-¡± {BRRRRRRRRR} The floor trembles, everything starts shaking (An earthquake?) ¡°Come see this!¡± Lyra says standing by the door. ¡­.. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Karina staring at the cause of the tremor ¡°If so then-¡±Apollo starts ¡°-We have to hurry now!¡± Darius yells, *** ¡°I can protect myself Herb,¡± Zinnia protest to the old man, ¡°I know you can Zinnia, but Darius would not forgive me if I let something happen to you,¡± ¡°Darius isn¡¯t my parent, Not normally at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even going to ask what you mean by the that,¡± the old man grouses, ¡°Whatever is happening out there, its best we stay out of it, No need to put ourselves in harm¡¯s way, It isn¡¯t worth it Zinnia.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Zinnia starts to say something ¡°Tut,tut,tut, You¡¯ve really gone old on me Herb,¡± A voice speaks crashing through the roof ¡°What happened to that brave knight from so long ago? Are you really that scared to fight now?¡± Zinnia and Herb stare surprised at the figure, Draped in a glorious white robe with gold highlights, His hair crimson red, matching his eyes that smile happily at them, ¡°King flint!?¡± Herb exclaims ¡°That¡¯s head priest, but I will allow you to call me king.¡± Zinnia, stand back,¡± Herb cautions ¡°Why should the girl Herb? Both of you should take me on at once,¡± ¡°Solar strike!¡± Herb jumps at him without waring Flint darts back narrowly dodging the hit ¡°Waw, you¡¯ve really resorted to cheap sucker punches now Herb, where is your knights honor?¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I have no honor for a King who betrayed his people Solar blast!¡± ¡°Emperor¡¯s wall!¡± A crimson wall of flames blocks the old man¡¯s oncoming beam ¡°Wrong move Herb, I¡¯m giving you one last chance¡± ¡°Solar- Before he the old man could continue a tower flames blast upwards from beneath him ¡°Herb!¡± Zinnia runs to his side, ¡°Vine- she starts, but a flaming fist hammers down on her head, the girl slumps down unconscious, Y, you, Herb stumbles to his feet, Umph! Flint gut punches him ¡°Dot worry, I won¡¯t kill her, You one the other hand,¡± ¡°..w¡­k¡­y...¡± the old man wheezes ¡°What was that you said? Kill me please? Very well then, as your king, I shall you execute as a knight.¡± *** ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°Ugh my head!¡± Zinnia groans opening her eyes ¡°Zinnia?¡± a feminine voice whispers from across her, ¡°Queen?¡± Zinnia still seeing foggy, The queen lay on floor across from girl, both chained down, ¡°What happened to you? Why are you bleeding?¡± Zinnia notices Queen Patricia¡¯s injuries ¡°I beat her obviously,¡± Flint¡¯s voice booms as he enters the room, ¡°What do you want from us,¡± the queen begs ¡°Hmm well you see, my former love, I don¡¯t want anything form you, Murdoc does, He wants to kill everyone, however that boy Darius may be able to defeat him, so you two will be used as bargaining chips,¡± Flint laughs to himself pleased at the fear in Zinnias eyes ¡°No, he mustn¡¯t queen Patricia refutes ¡°Shut up woman, I don¡¯t need you alive remember that.¡± ¡°Then kill me,¡± Patricia challenges ¡°No, my Queen!¡± Zinnia, ¡°stops leave it¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Zinnia but I can¡¯t let this man get what he wants,¡± Struggling to her feet the queen attempts to lash out at him He lazily avoids her kicking her back to the ground ¡°Stop!¡± Zinnia cries ¡°Make me then,¡± Flint jeers stomping on the queen ¡°Stop!!¡± The girl yells trying to use her magic, Everything goes dark Both the Queen and King vanish ¡°Lady Patricia!?¡± Zinnia calls ¡°Anyone?¡± *** ¡°Aghh!¡± a woman falls backward, A massive tree grows between her and Zinnia its roots digging through the floor, the ground begins to tremor, ¡°What happened?¡± Flint inquires, barging into the room ¡°I was trying to break her, but she used magic in the illusion that somehow worked out here¡±, Zinnia lays softly on a bed her head wrapped in a dreamy orange mist, ¡°The tree isn¡¯t stopping!¡± the king yells, Its roots now beginning to move whilst underground, ¡°Get the girl then!¡± the woman orders, ¡°we¡¯ll finish the process in the cathedral¡± The former king attempts to get near Zinnia a roots springs up in front of her almost taking off his shoulder, ¡°The tree, it¡¯s defending her! I¡¯ll have to blow it up-¡± *** ¡°It¡¯s coming from the orphanage!¡± Apollo points, as we near the giant growing tree, Darius already a long distance ahead of us in a perilous sprint Do you think the Queen is, ok?¡± Lyra asks Karina ¡°I hope so,¡± Karina replies Apollo doesn¡¯t comment instead picking up speed, ¡°Do you hate her?¡± I say catching up with him ¡°¡­.. No, she hates me,¡± ¡°Damn, Darius is really fast,¡± he changes the topic, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Stop being so nosy Kage, if didn¡¯t know any better I¡¯d have thought you were a spy¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious, I¡¯ve noticed that both you and Pinoki don¡¯t seem too fond of her,¡± ¡°Pinoki hates her not me¡± Apollo tells ¡°He says that she jeopardizes his claim of being the most deceitful person here or something like that,¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I don¡¯t understand what he means by that,¡± ¡°And why do you ¡®not¡¯ hate her¡± ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate the underlying tones of that question Kage,¡±, Apollo jokes ¡°Like I said before she hates me, been like that since I was born, My mother, her sister, died giving birth to me, and no one besides her knew who my father was so I had to be raised by my aunt, the queen, She sees me as the person who killed her sister,¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m surprised she doesn¡¯t hate me then if we go by that logic, Shouldn¡¯t she also hate me for ¡®killing¡¯ her son?¡± I bring up ¡°Maybe she does you never know¡­¡­¡­...¡± ¡­¡­¡­ Darius approaches the massive tree growing out from the queen¡¯s orphanage Two voces can be heard conversing inside ¡°Goliath sword!¡± A sword as big as a tree, forms in his hand with one swing Darius fells the tree, while simultaneously cutting through the wooden house Thud! The tree hits the ground, Apollo and the others now arrive catching up to Darius ¡°Whew!¡± He wheezes as the massive sword disappears, ¡°That one was a bit too heavy¡± ¡°Reckless again!¡± Karina fumes, ¡°Zinnia could be inside!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dumb,¡± Darius asserts ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have done that in the first place if I thought she was going to get hit!¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Welll~ done my boy,¡± a voice familiar to Karina sings ¡°And here I was planning to blow it up, How may I repay your favour?¡± ¡°Show yourself!¡± Karina bellows ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten that voice you bastard!¡± ¡°Sound girl? You survived the fires after all, I was planning to go back for you, but it looks like you brought yourself to me,¡± The figure emerges from behind the fallen tree ¡°The former king,¡± Lyra scowls ¡°What did you do to Zinnia and the Queen!?¡± ¡°Nothing-¡± ¡°-Let me speak to them love,¡±, a voce cuts him off Queen Patricia walks up elegantly from behind him, Both Lyra and Karina let out loud gasp Even Apollo looks shocked, Darius clenches his sword tighter, unphased by the reveal, ¡°You, this can¡¯t be true!¡± Karina stutters ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is Karina, from day one, I¡¯ve never cared about any one of you, You see this whole underground has been an unvoluntary training grounds for you, The ones with most potential, the magic most useful to God, were put into a situation where they could evolve, then sent here,¡± ¡°I thought you-¡± Lyra starts fighting back tears ¡°-Cared?¡± Patricia laughs mockingly ¡°I care about serving God, I cared about my sister, my son,¡± her eyes staring daggers into Apollo and I ¡°You, Lyra weren¡¯t even considered as potential, we wanted your brother, however he took the path of the occult, long before God ever arrived here, He killed your family by his own will, Same goes for you Apollo, you are not considered, you didn¡¯t even evolve your magic, still using basic lighting Such a disgrace your mother!¡± ¡°Is that all they meant to you!¡± I press angrily ¡°People u can manipulate, use, for your false god!¡± ¡°Watch your mouth boy,¡± the king antagonizes ¡°This is a joke, you people are a joke,¡± I continue ¡°You throw away, your kingdom, your loyal subjects, For someone who calls himself God!?¡± ¡°We did what was best for this kingdom,¡± the queen disputes ¡°Then how come your son isn¡¯t here with you? Why didn¡¯t Omari stay with you? Why is he even dead right now?¡± ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE MENTION MY SON! He¡¯s not here because of non-believers like yourself! He¡¯s not alive because of YOU! Who even are you, Kage? Nothing! Nobody! A person who should not be alive right now! My request for you I¡¯ve been wanting to ask for so long, Was for you to die! Die Kage! Die please, So that at least my son¡¯s requiem can be released,¡± ¡°Well-¡± I start (What do I even say to that? I am noth-) Lyra slaps me hard on the back her eyes watery, ¡°That makes you one of us then, a nobody, Huhh,¡± she takes a deep breath ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough of this,¡± Her eyes now go cold and emotionless, ¡°Honestly, I just want to kill this bitch, Karina, how about you?¡± ¡°I-, I can¡¯t,¡± the girl still taken back at the revelation, her only reality now collapsing in on itself, ¡°How about we serve them justice without killing,¡± Apollo offers, ¡°She is still my aunt after all,¡± ¡­¡­ Darius says nothing his eyes still fixated on every little movement form the king ¡°I maybe be a nobody,¡± I start, Everything that you said maybe true, But at least I am alive, unlike your pathetic son, he was nothing but a coward, Even to his death, he killed himself to avoid getting killed What an absolute fool, Just like his parents,¡± (I choose violence,) ¡°You are threading on thin ice, boy! We only want Karina and Darius alive, You three however, are disposable,¡± The king¡¯s fists flame a crimson red, his demeanour like a tiger ready to pounce at its prey (I might regret this) ¡°I¡¯m done talking, Done asking question,¡± The bow forms in my hand ¡°Fight me!¡± Lifting the bow, I point it to the king¡¯s head, Reaching back, I¡­¡­... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ I forgot I¡¯m out or arrows. Minds Mezzo ¡®I have to get smarter.¡¯ (Those were the words I told myself when I survived the desert, But did I really, All of I¡¯ve done since then is make bad decisions.) Boom! Darius tanks an explosive blast from the king, he subsequently retaliates with a massive swing of his sword, creating a gust that quells the crimson flames, (Why did I even want to help these people again? Do I really care? Or am just using them as a distraction.) Thud! Apollo hits the ground forcefully, The queen cackles pleased at her doing, (Just when I thought I had my emotions in control, I lose it, make a rash decision, When did I get like this? Or was as I always like this? Before I got here, Who was I?) ¡°I.h.ve..h.r!¡± Lyra shouts something, but I can barely discern it over the ¡®voice¡¯ in my ear, Her voice. Lyra looks in my direction Is she asking for help? Does she want me to help? To fight? What can I possibly do?) K... K.g. Ka.. K..e Kag. Kage! ¡°Fight me!¡± Kage aims his bow at the pair preparing to fire, then: Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ Nothing. He isn¡¯t frozen by magic, enchanted nor paralyzed, Kage stands statue-like, his arrowless bow points to his fear, ¡°How pathetic, The boy is scared stiff! What happened to all that talk? You are actually the joke, Hahahaha!¡± the former king laughs ¡°You¡¯re worried about the wrong person!¡± Darius chucks his great sword at Flint rushing at him, Flint narrowly dodges but the sword immediately vanishes, Darius slashes out from behind him, grazing the man who currently holds the title of head priest, ¡°Aghh You ruined my holy garb!¡± Flint grouses at the ripped garment, Apollo noticing Darius¡¯ que springs into action against the queen, ¡°Get Zinnia! He yells to Lyra The girl nods and begins sprinting towards the partially destroyed orphanage, Karina paces back and forth, still trying to figure out where she stands in this, The battle ensues. ¡°Lighting God Fist!¡± ¡°How shameful,¡± the Queen mocks dodging Apollo¡¯s attack, ¡°Adding ¡®God¡¯ to a basic lightning attack does not make it any more powerful boy, ¡°It sounds strong though, and still hurts a ton,¡± Apollo retorts ¡°I¡¯ll show you power! Steam Blast! An outburst of steam gales onto Apollo, the pressure of the hot wind drops him to his knees, ¡°You can train however much you like, but your magic will never get any stronger, How you are my sister¡¯s son still baffles me, it¡¯s no wonder she kept your father secret from us, He must be even worse than you!¡± ¡°Say what you want Aunt,¡± Apollo struggles to his feet ¡°I always knew you felt this way about me, It is kind of refreshing to hear you speak to me truthfully for once, Lighting knee-¡± ¡°-Steam geyser! Before Apollo could attack a column of steam rises from beneath his feet knocking him into the air¡­...... ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡°Vertical Slash!¡± Darius continues his onslaught of attacks on the king, pressuring him back, ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this Darius, my boy,¡± Flint acknowledging the man¡¯s strength, ¡°Think about it, you can be a part of a greater cause, What is higher than being a ¡®disciple of God¡¯ himself!¡± ¡°You¡¯re stronger than I thought,¡± ignoring the offer, Darius rams the fuller of his sword into Flint, ¡°Ahhhg!¡± The former king tries to evade but gets knocked down, ¡°Fine, Ignore me! I was going easy to show you, I care, I acknowledge your power, Murdoc does too, Unfortunately, I will have to beat you into submission, Crimson Explosion!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°I have her!¡± Lyra shouts, emerging form the debris with a dazed Zinnia in tow, Though, now conscious, the girl¡¯s perception of reality remains hazy, ¡°Get her to Karina and get away!¡± Darius orders blocking another mini explosion with his blades surface, ¡°I¡¯m not running away!¡± Lyra refuses obstinately¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. (Everything I¡¯ve ever known has fallen apart once more, Should I see it as a blessing, or curse? The art of sound was given to me, A girl who hated silence, could now willingly create her own, Now I see it has it evolved even further, But what is higher than sound?) ¡°I won¡¯t be running either!¡± Karina asserts, Lyra nods to her pleased... (The only way forward for everyone is by putting these two in the ground, Kage, Kage! You hear me, don¡¯t you? I sense a change in you, Has your magic evolved as well? Kage!) Karina now at Apollo¡¯s side finally joins the fray. (Kage. When you¡¯re ready to move again, I hope you choose to fight with us.) ¡­¡­¡­¡­ (Karina? She was speaking to me. It wasn¡¯t the buzzing this time?) My arms pain from being suspend in the same position for minutes (Has fear consumed me once again? As I face someone with the power to crush me My mind harkens back to Jissepi, At every turn, every try, he put me down, Beat me into obedience, Using just his raw strength, Forced me to shut off my emotions, Made me like this, I can¡¯t be put in a situation like that again. I won¡¯t! Is that why I¡¯m afraid to fight, Jissepi¡¯s ghost haunts my very existence, But if I don¡¯t fight, Wouldn¡¯t he eventually catch me?) ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t be running away as well!¡± Shaking myself I spring into action. Murdoc is God ¡°I taught you were scared!¡± Darius huffs as I reach to his side, ¡°I needed some time to think,¡± I reply ¡°Can you make arrows with that magic of yours?¡± ¡°Best I can do are really thin rapiers,¡± ¡°That will have to do!¡± ¡­. ¡°You have to explain that to me someday,¡± Darius says as I retract the bow, Checking the magic stone slot, I see its empty now as I¡¯d used up all the water magic from the blue stone earlier, along with rest of my arrows, Vwoom! Flint launches a fireball at Darius and I, ¡°I may not be allowed to kill you Darius,¡± the king growls, ¡°But I am quite irritated right now, Move aside let me erase the outsider at least,¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you with that!¡± Darius deflects the attack, ¡°Axe slash!¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Lyra!¡± I shout to girl in the distance, she currently briefs Zinnia on the current situation ¡°What!¡± she shouts back, ¡°You have any magic stones on you!¡± ¡°Why!¡± ¡°Do you or don¡¯t you!¡± ¡°I have one!¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Throw it!¡± Lyra chucks the stone in my direction, I superbly miss it. ¡°You are so bad at this!¡± Lyra mocks, I refrain from answering, picking up the silver stone, (Hopefully this works) Inserting it into the slot a stinging pain surges through my hand, signaling its connection, Extending the bow, I fire a test ¡®arrow¡¯ it doesn¡¯t go far but creates a piercing wind, (Wind magic this time,) ¡°Eeeyyyaaahhh!¡± The queen shrikes, Karina has her pressed to the ground, Repeatedly scratching at her face ¡°Why! Why! Why! You were the last person I looked up to! You gave me idea to start the Sewer rats you helped me through every step! Why!¡± Patricia¡¯s lips curl into a sly smile ¡°Because I needed you, to build up strong magic users You see this wasn¡¯t Murdoc¡¯s doing, he wanted to raise powerful people to serve him, himself, But I told him it would not work Only intense emotions can build strong people, Be it traumatic events or extremely happy events they both can change you, That¡¯s why I organized the events of ten years ago, The plan was to show you all hell, quite literally, thus forging you into the perfect weapons, Then break you mentally so that Murdoc can use you as he sees fit, It is sad that my experiment didn¡¯t work as intended though, almost everyone here became borderline useless due to their own depression, Why is it that the people with most potential are always held back by themselves? That¡¯s why I got you to create club Hedon, a place of unbridled pleasure, If I can¡¯t get them with trauma, What about pleasure, addiction?¡± Punch! Punch! Punch! Karina continually pummels her fists down on Patricia, ¡°Was my whole life to you an experiment!¡± ¡°I¡­I¡¯m afraid so,¡± the woman coughs up blood ¡°One by one we planned to bring each of you up, Sadly, we¡¯ll be taking you all to Murdoc at once.¡± ¡°Who is this Murdoc you keep mentioning!?¡± Karina presses ¡°¡­.. Murdoc is God¡± Queen Patricia¡¯s body begins releasing a dense fog ¡°Head priest!¡± she yells, ¡°All of them!?¡± he answers ¡°Except the outsider I want him dead!¡± she replies ¡°Very well!¡± ¡°What are you talking about!¡± Darius demands, close to exhaustion, no matter how many blows he lands, the king does not falter. ¡°Well, this impromptu sparring session has finally reached its climax,¡± Flint smiles ¡°I give to you all a-¡± Royal Explosion!¡± KABOOM! Flint extends his arms, and draws his legs close forming the shape of a cross, An outpour of crimson flames flow from him like a tsunami It consumes us. This fire, it takes me back to the desert once more, Omari, his son had done something similar, How poetic is it, Back then I had narrowly escaped death, ¡°Kage!¡± Lyra¡¯s voice screams through the fire, The heat gets hotter and hotter, Ripping into my skin, Like a rabid beast hungrily consuming its prey I-¡­. The fire¡­. Omaris Elegy Ting, Ting, Ting, A soft bell tinkles Wah? My eyes open to a luxurious bedroom, my body covered in silk red sheets as I lay in a king-sized bed, plated in gold and fancy embroidery. The atmosphere feels all warm and happy. (What is this? I can¡¯t control my body.) ¡°Mother!¡± I yell ¡°Mother!!¡± Queen Patricia rushes to the room ¡°Yes, my wonderful little angel,¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± I whine, ¡°Tell the maid to bring me my breakfast at once! ¡°Very well,¡± the Queen dotes, ¡°You are becoming more Prince-like by the day I¡¯m so proud!¡± She tuns to leave, Everything starts spinning Slowly fading away¡­¡­ *** ¡°Hahahha!¡± I laugh ¡°You are really funny, Pinoki, I think I¡¯ll keep you around as my friend.¡± A young Pinoki gives me a fake smile, ¡°I am flattered my prince, I do belong to one of the prestigious families of Soterra after all, We shall be the best of friends!¡±¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­...Once again everything fades *** ¡°You are such a spoiled prince!¡± a gruff man donned in armor, harshens to me ¡°Do not go around acting all condescending to people! Be more respectful to people Omari, You never know when you may need someone¡¯s help, Don¡¯t abuse your authority.¡± Slap! Smacking the grown man hard across his face, I say: ¡°YOU need to be more respectful to those above you, Just because you have been assigned as my personal guard gives you no right to speak to ME how you like!¡± ¡­¡­ The man does not answer, instead nodding gruffly. *** ¡­¡­ ¡°He is pathetic isn¡¯t he Pinoki?¡± ¡°Yes, he is indeed,¡± the little boy agrees ¡°A liar just like his father,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± A boy shorter than Pinoki protests, ¡°I heard the flame speak! It told me something!¡± ¡°What did it tell you? The secrets of eternal magic?¡± I jeer ¡°Ha! That¡¯s funny Omari,¡± Pinoki sneers ¡°No,¡± the boy protests ¡°It said something about going to desert and-¡± ¡°Shut up Darius no one has time for your fibs. My father already checked the tower there was no such ¡®talking¡¯ flame,¡± ¡°A lie created to gain attention I presume,¡± Pinoki adds, ¡°Indeed, it was,¡± I say agreeingly, ¡°Everyone knows that your father died recently Darius, Is that why you want attention? You miss your daddy¡¯s attention? This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I have an idea Darius, Kill yourself. You¡¯ll be with your daddy again,¡± I burst into a fit of laughter, Pinoki remains silent this time. ¡­¡­. *** ¡­¡­. ¡°Glurgghghhg!¡± A boy gargles for his breath as his head is submerged in water, He moves around frantically trying to get out, My hand gripped tightly to his neck, I shove him down further, (Stop, stop please!) I pull him out ¡°Uwaahh!¡± the boy begins to cry. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted your book back?¡± I prattle ¡°Well, it¡¯s at the bottom of the lake, Did you see it Apollo? Or shall I put your head back down?¡± The boy cries helplessly, ¡°Why are you treating me like this Omari? Aren¡¯t we family?¡± Chhh! I spit in his face, ¡°You are no relative of mine! I refuse it! You killed my, Aunt, Made my mother sad! She hates you just as much as I do, she just won¡¯t show it, But me.¡± I submerge the boy heads in water once again (Take me out, Get me out of here I don¡¯t want to see this, I don¡¯t want to experience this anymore, The feeling of his body wriggling in my hand The sound of him drowning, It¡¯s so vivid What kind of dream is this? Or am I really living this?) ¡°Omari!¡± the queen¡¯s voice calls, She approaches, catching me drowning Apollo, ¡­.. I pull him out hurriedly, ¡°Yes mother?¡± ¡°I was calling to say dinner is ready, Would you stop playing with that child already,¡± ¡°Sorry, I got caught up in the fun, I¡¯m coming in now, Say mother, do you know that girl Zinnia? She¡¯s cute, I think I shall have her as mine.¡± ¡°Then so it will be my little king,¡± Queen Patricia ignores the wailing Apollo, we both walk off chatting pleasantly with each other, Apollos cries continue to echo through my mind as everything fades out again ¡­¡­.. *** ¡­¡­. ¡°Go then do it!¡± I dare Darius stood at the top a tower near the windowsill ¡°Jump! Jump! Jump!¡± I insidiously hype the boy, Pinoki stands behind me silent. Darius keeps staring at ground below, A stream of tears flowing down his cheeks, ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± he wails ¡°Coward!¡± I mock ¡°Am I right Pinoki?¡± Pinoki nods his entire body quavering, ¡°Wahhhhh!¡± Darius runs past us his hands covering his face tying to hide the tears, He darts down the tower steps too afraid to take his own life. ¡°What a cowardly liar!¡± I say in disgust, ¡­.. *** ¡­.. ¡°You! Knight, I you to order show me how you-¡± Umph! The knight slams me hard into a wall, (His pale blue hair, that face, he resembles-) ¡°Who do you think you are, boy!¡± ¡°I am the prince of Soterra, put me down at once!¡± ¡°I know what you are the knight snarls, I asked who you were because all I see is a brat getting ahead of himself,¡± His piercing blue eyes looks at me murderously sending chills down my spine, ¡°Just because you are the prince does not mean I can and will not hesitate to kill you!¡± ¡°Yo-¡± I try to speak, but my body starts getting cold Bone chillingly cold. ¡°I¡­I¡­I¡­I¡­ I¡­I¡± All I can do is stutter from the immense cold, The knight puts me down and walks away smugly Leaving me in a freezing heap. (Lyra¡¯s brother?) ¡­¡­... *** ¡­¡­. ¡°It¡¯s all a lie! Don¡¯t you see!¡± a boy rants ¡°What are speaking of Pinoki?¡± I probe ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m done, I don¡¯t like you Omari! I never did, You are a monster! I¡¯ve been lying to you this whole time, Lying to myself, I¡¯m not like you, I can¡¯t be, What you did to Darius, No, what we did to Darius I¡¯m done.¡± Pinoki storms off angrily leaving me speechless, ¡­¡­ *** ¡­¡­? I¡¯m back in the bedroom once more, however the atmosphere feels different this time, It¡¯s cold and, grey, I can hear screams from outside, ¡°Guard!¡± I Call The knight I remember slapping, enters the room at an instant ¡°Yes, my prince?¡± ¡°What is the meaning of those screams?¡± ¡°I was told there is a civil war taking place taking place right now I¡¯m to be protecting you,¡± ¡°Or, very well then,¡± I say bored ¡°Get my breakfast,¡± The man stomps out of my room irritated (This is the day,) Crash! A body burst through the door flying across the room, ¡°What is the meaning of this!?¡± I demand at the sight of the guard collapsed on the ground ¡°H-¡± Immediately I hush as the knight with the blue hair enters, His fists soaked in blood, He bears a sadistic smile, ¡°Stay back prince!¡± My guard orders, I crawl behind the bed ¡°Now, now sir,¡± the blue haired man says, If you are planning to fight me. You will die,¡± ¡°What has gotten into you, Brandon!¡± The guard questions, ¡°You would betray your kingdom in a time like this!¡± ¡°My kingdom?¡± Brandon scoffs, ¡°I¡¯m just here for the prince, I have nothing to do with the current events, Now let me have him, I won¡¯t harm you, if you do, Are you really willing to die for that brat?¡± ¡­.. ¡°Alright, Take him,¡± the guard grunts sceptically convinced ¡°You¡¯re right, He is not worth me risking my life, No respect that brat.¡± Brandon moves over to me, grabbing me up, I don¡¯t even struggle or fight back Frozen in fear His bloody hands stain my clothes, ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, sir,¡± Brandon smiles, The air getting colder. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...!! As the door closes behind us The guard remains in the room, An icicle lodged in his skull, dead. ¡°I can¡¯t have witnesses now, can I?¡± Brandon jokes ¡­.. *** ¡­.. ¡°Get up boy! Enough resting,¡± ¡°Urhh!¡± my body feels sore I open my eyes to a blazing campfire, a dark night¡¯s sky looms overhead, mosquitoes buzz around relentlessly ¡°We have been travelling for weeks now, Sir Brandon, What are you planning to do with me?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good question¡± Brandon thinks ¡°I guess I just wanted a little brother, All I have is a sister, she¡¯s cute and all but still not what I wanted, Hopefully she dies,¡± ¡°So, you won¡¯t kill me?¡± My sprits rising ¡°Nah, I lied about wanting you as a little brother, I¡¯m probably going to drain every drop of your delicious magic for my err purposes, then sell you off, Your useless to me, I only said I wanted you as a younger brother to make you feel optimistic for a solid three seconds, Just so I can drag you back into despair, Hahahha!¡± Brandon sprawls over laughing uncontrollably (This guy is crazy, Is he really related to Lyra?) ¡­.. *** ¡­.. ¡°Here we are,¡± a mysterious cloaked figure says, The three of us stand in front of a familiar house, (Is this? The place where I woke up) ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting outside preparing my teleport magic, to get across that desert,¡± the cloaked figure says, ¡°Come on Princey~¡± Brandon says cheerfully, ¡°The ¡®Blackmagic¡¯ dealer is inside here,¡± ¡­¡­.. Everything fades out. (No, no I wanted to see more! Blackmagic dealer? This was the place I woke up in before, Trapped for months, What happened here?) **** ¡°Eleven!¡± Jissepi barks, ¡°Teach Thirteen how things are done around here, He won¡¯t comply!¡± (That¡¯s me.) In a puddle of blood on the ground is my body, naked and beaten, (I remember this all too well, being beaten into compliance by Jissepi,) ¡°Thirteen!¡± I whisper after Jissepi had left ¡°You have to comply, If you want to get out of here, I have a plan to kill him, comply and I¡¯ll let you on,¡± **** **** ¡°I¡¯ll see you in hell,¡± Boom! End of Elegy. Sound of Solace Where? .¡­?? ¡°Look who finally decided to get up, Had a good snooze?¡± ¡­.?? Urrgg (Is this another dream?) Blinking profusely, I attempt to discern the area, The void surrounds me, all directions coated in an endless night sky only without the stars, The ground littered with bones, skeletons, The figure of a short man in armour stands in front me tapping their feet impatiently, ¡°Kage? Can you hear me? Does your mouth still work?¡± Though muffled by the helmet, I recognise that voice, ¡°Pinoki?¡± ¡°Who else would be?¡± ¡°Where am I Pinoki, what happened to everybody, and why are you dressed like a knight?¡± ¡°Slow down Kage, one question at a time, I guess I¡¯ll have to catch you up to everything,¡± he sighs ¡°How long have I been out?¡± ¡°A little over a week¡± ¡°What!?¡± A beam of light flashes briefly in the dim void, A little man comes hurrying along his eyes glowing with excitement. (I have to tell Kage and the others about this!) Boom! The sound of an explosion echoes, followed by lights beaming upward, (Hmm, people just left, It¡¯s coming from the direction of the orphanage) Pinoki speedily makes his way over to the site, ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°What in the hell!¡± he gasps The entire area now completely scorched, only Darius¡¯ massive sword remains, it lay on top of something, steam erupting from below, ¡°Errrrghhh!¡± Pinoki struggles to drag the sword off !!?? ¡°Kage!?¡± Pinoki looks in terror at the steaming body his hair burnt off skin charred though the strange device still remains fastened to his hand, unharmed. ¡°Does this mean it¡¯s all over? Is everyone else dead too?¡± Pinoki laments ¡°Kage, I¡¯ll be joining you soon.¡± Pinoki begins walking, past the rubble, Past the few people who remain, now scrouging around like rats, Past the despair Past everything he walks as all view of life fades into the background, his shadow magic pulling Kage¡¯s body in tow, The deeper into the void he gets more skeletons begin appearing, people who wandered into the void People like him, who gave up too¡­... ¡°Pinoki! Pinoki? Are you hearing me?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Pinoki turns around confusedly at the void to see where the voice is coming form ¡°Karina? Am I hallucinating?¡± ¡°Pinoki?¡± ¡°Umm, yes voice that sounds exactly like my dead acquaintance,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dead and were not acquaintances,¡± ¡°Ok I have officially gone crazy¡± ¡°Would you shut up and listen, Pinoki I don¡¯t have long so I¡¯ll be as brief as possible, We got captured by the king, Murdoc, the name of the man they call God wants us for something sinister, The queen is a lying bitch Kage maybe dead, They also want you too, My magic evolved again that¡¯s why I can communicate with you from where I am, I need you to help me rescue myself and the others, That¡¯s all.¡± Karina blurts ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me the adventure isn¡¯t over?¡± Pinoki¡¯s face brightens, he smiles widely, ¡°One final mission, do or die, eh?¡± ¡°Would you quit with the thrill obsession Pinoki!? this is serious, Where are you now?¡± ¡°Deep in the void,¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Were you planning to die-¡± ¡°-No,¡± Pinoki cuts her off, ¡°surely not, I came to put Kage to rest, it¡¯s the least I could do for the poor guy.¡± ¡°He really is dead.¡± Karina¡¯s voice sounding disappointed ¡°Sadly,¡± Pinoki relents, walking over to the body, ¡°Even though I knew you for a short time, you were a great ally,¡± he places his hand on Kage¡¯s chest, ¡°¡­? Wait! His heart is still beating?¡± **** ¡°I have been checking every day to see if you would awaken, Are you even human at all?¡± ¡°What else happened?¡± I press ignoring, Pinoki¡¯s question, ¡°You stole the key from Lyra and left us remember?¡± ¡°Well, err, I had a sneaking suspicion something was off the moment we returned to the unholy city being ransacked, I went back to the cathedral and sure enough groups of our people were being escorted in to be dedicated, I snuck into the group to see the process.¡± Pinoki pauses his eyes glowing with excitement, ¡°Well¡­.¡± I wait impatiently, ¡°I¡¯m building suspense, wait,¡± Pinoki gushes, ¡­¡­ ¡°So, when I got to the throne room there was a diamond there, but¡­. In it was a person, But not just any person, A baby! ¡°What?¡± I ask dumbfoundedly, ¡°¡¯God¡¯ is a child?¡± ¡°Well, not exactly, I¡¯m not too sure on the details, but I presume the process of dedication is nothing more than a power transfer, and maybe some form of hypnotism. Who knows how old that body actually is, Speaking of bodies, Put those on,¡± Pinoki points to a pile of armour on the ground near me, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well first of all Kage your naked and secondly¡­...you¡¯ll find out, Also, we need to find you a healer, being bald does not suit you,¡± *** A cold evening breeze slightly touches my face through the cracks in my helmet, Pinoki and I make our way through the peaceful city, formerly known as Soterra, People bustle around happily greeting each other at every passing, blissfully unaware of the reality of their ¡®Holy City,¡¯ I hate it. ¡­¡­. ¡°I like this,¡± Pinoki comments as we both gorge down on some stewed mutton and potatoes at a local dinner, ¡°I don¡¯t like meat,¡± I reply, even though I ravenously devour it, my stomach feels bottomless at this point, ¡°No not the food, I mean the life, being a knight, people respect you for no reason, plus the food is dirt cheap, If I, wasn¡¯t you know, me, I would be content with this lifestyle,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is why we¡¯re in this armour¡­¡± I groan, ¡°Of course not, The reason is to recue Karina and the others, I don¡¯t want to do it alone, an adventure is more fun with multiple people,¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t an adventure,¡± ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Pinoki sasses ¡°So, your plan?¡± I ask finishing up the meal, ¡°Well¡­...¡± **** ¡°Good afternoon!¡± A guard greets, ¡°Pleasures,¡± Pinoki replies as we both step inside the cathedral, ¡°Are you serious?¡± I whisper, ¡°all you needed to do was wear their armour to get inside,¡± ¡°Hmm, well if you put it that way, I guess I could¡¯ve done this sooner, Buttttt what fun would it be alone. This wa-¡± ¡°I know the way,¡± (I¡¯ve only been here a couple of times, yet I know the layout like the back of my hand, That dream, it has to be real, I feel like I¡¯ve lived here, I know where the kitchen is, all the bedrooms, even a stash of gold I saved and hid as a boy, No, that wasn¡¯t me, What am I thinking, It was Omari, his memories.) ¡°Would you stop daydreaming Kage? Listen I have been using my time as a guard to get familiar with the area, I knew I had to think this cleverly I couldn¡¯t just come barging in trying to rescue anyone, And so far from the information I have gathered, Zinnia is in the central tower, the queen took Apollo somewhere upstairs to deal with him personally, The rest are in the cells, The ¡®enlightenment¡¯ they spoke of won¡¯t happen until Murdoc has subjugated the ones, he deems most useful,¡± ¡­¡­.. A guard looks at us suspiciously as we head down to the basement area, He says nothing letting us pass, ¡°Security here is pretty lax,¡± Pinoki explains ¡°Since everyone is connected to ¡®God¡¯ they don¡¯t necessarily have to doubt each other¡¯s intentions,¡± ¡°L¡­M..O..!¡± ¡°L¡­M..O¡­N..!¡± Bam, Bam, Bam! The moment we step into the cell-area the atmosphere changes becoming thick and musty, faint shouting accompanied by banging can be heard, ¡°Wou¡­Y.o..t.p.w.th.t..e.ba.g..g!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°I.wi.l..kil..t.em!¡± ¡°Making..ise.won¡¯..h.lp¡­u!¡± ¡°It will!¡± ¡°Lyra!?¡± Pinoki calls, The banging stops, ¡°Pinoki!?¡± ¡°See. I told you he was coming,¡± Karina¡¯s voice gloats, ¡°I never said he wasn¡¯t,¡± ¡°Yes, you did, you said he would probably run away,¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be helping Zinnia right now doing your whispering?¡± ¡°I am, stop pestering me¡± ¡°I am not pes-¡± ¡°-I see you two are doing well for captives,¡± ¡°Kage!¡± The two girls exclaim ¡°You survived!¡± ¡°Just barley,¡± I say approaching the cells, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Darius supposed to be down here?¡± Pinoki asks, ¡°He¡¯s at the end, hasn¡¯t said a word since they put us here, Now hurry up and let us out,¡± The two girls stay in cells both opposite and adjacent to each other, At the end of the row of cells one remains open, inside, Darius, heavily chained to a wall, even his mouth gagged by a chain, Click! Pinoki easily unlocks Lyra and Karina¡¯s cells with his shadows ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Lyra grumbles ¡°Stop complaining and free Darius quickly,¡± Karina instructs ¡°I want us to move quickly,¡± ¡­¡­ Lyra freezes Darius¡¯ chains, we then beat at them continuously eventually they break. Thud! Darius¡¯s feet shake the floor as he drops to it, He doesn¡¯t say anything instead brushing past us gruffly, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lyra demands, He stops and turns, ¡°First, I¡¯m going to get some water,¡± his voice sounding faint ¡°They tried to drain me of my energy to weaken me by dehydration and hunger, After I¡¯ve had a drink, I¡¯ll eat whatever is in their kitchen,¡± He stops and thinks, ¡°We ended up in this situation because I promised Apollo, I would try not to kill anyone, Ultimately that cost us, After we find him and Zinnia, The Queen and King, I¡¯m going to kill them both.¡± Goodbye and Good Riddance Dong, Dong, Dong, The bell atop the tower tolls elegantly as the evening sets in, With each strike reverberating within the walls of the cathedral. Smash! Crash! Thud! Along with the bell comes the sound of destruction, Lyra, Karina and I make our way through the cathedral enroute to find Apollo, Darius and Pinoki head for Zinnia, The sound of his sword crashing down echoes loudly within the walls as well. ¡­¡­. ¡°So, what else can you do now besides annoyingly speak into people¡¯s ears?¡± Lyra asks Karina, ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, I think I can control waves now, that¡¯s how I¡¯m able to send my voice far,¡± ¡°That sound boring,¡± Lyra yawns, ¡°Then go make your snowmen little girl!¡± Karina retorts, ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a child!¡± Lyra starts ¡°Can we please stay focused here?¡± ¡°Shut up Kage!¡± Both girl¡¯s snap ¡°You look like burn toast!¡± Lyra insults, ¡°His head looks like pie crust,¡± Karina adds jokingly, ¡­¡­. ¡°I¡¯ll push you both down these stairs!¡± I say turning to the girl behind me ¡°Ooo, look who has threats,¡± Karina chirps, ¡°I like that,¡± ¡°How about I freeze you so bad you wish the fire killed you !¡± Lyra aggresses ¡°How about¡­. Nah I¡¯ll stay quiet,¡± ¡°What were you going to say?¡± Lyra demands ¡°Nothing,¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± Karina warns, ¡°I hear something,¡± Spak! Spak! We approach a rusted metal door, the sound of a whip cracking can be heard from behind it, Karina makes a signal for us to remain still, She edges silently to the door turning it open, ¡°It¡¯s Apollo!¡± she whispers, Lyra begins to concentrate, preparing her magic, Karina raises her hand counting down the moment for Lyra to attack, One, Two, Three! Karina swings the door wide open, ¡°Snowstorm blast!¡± The forceful snow fires at a figure holding a whip, the cold wind from the blast now engulfing the room as they crash at the back, in a heap ¡°Apollo!¡± Lyra and Karina sputter at the depressing sight His hands tied hanging him from the ceiling, Whip marks tattoo his skin, his body battered and bloodily ¡°Lyra?¡± He smiles weakly, ¡°People are coming,¡± I warn hearing the sound of footsteps from below the stairs, Karina swiftly cut the rope releasing the young man, Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Thanks,¡± he groans stretching, ¡°My wonderful Aunt ordered me to be whipped at all times,¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re, okay?¡± Karina probes, ¡°You don¡¯t have to act all tough Apollo,¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Crack! A whip sparks from behind him, ¡°The figure Lyra blasted getting back up, ¡°Cheap shot little girl,¡± ¡°Tori!?¡± Karina says surprisedly As she does the group of people reach up to the room, Their faces indeed very familiar to Karina, The people who were once part of a group dubbed the ¡®sewer rats.¡¯ ¡°This has to be lie!¡± Karina croaks dumbfoundedly ¡°I thought you all-¡± ¡°-We dedicated ourselves former leader,¡± Tori declares ¡°Back then, in the fire the King, he gave us a choice, Die for a meaningless cause or ¡®repent¡¯ and dedicate to ¡®God¡¯ The ones who refused, burned, and well, Here we are now, But we don¡¯t have to fight former leader, Dedi-¡± Crash! Apollo tackles the girl into a wall ¡°We never did get our fair fight,¡± ¡°Uraahhh!¡± The former ¡®sewer rats¡¯ charge at us ¡°Cover me!¡± Lyra yells Forming the bow in my hand I fire an arrow; the shot generates a wind blast, (Glad I decided to take these from the armoury) Karina reluctantly springs into action against them, ¡°Lightning hammer fist!¡± Apollo smashes down on Tori she wraps her whip around his neck sending a charge through his body, ¡°Lighting element vs lightning element, I like it,¡± he smiles Jerking back his neck he lifts the whip and girl in tow, slamming her down till she releases her grip, ¡°Thunderclap!¡± he hits, ¡°Whip lash!¡± she strikes, ¡°Knee strike!¡± he attacks, ¡°Static surge!¡± she zaps, ¡°Lightning God fist!¡± Smash! Tori¡¯s body crashes through the ground to the floor below, ¡­¡­. ¡°Snowstorm!¡± Lyra¡¯s magic engulfs the attackers in a huge pile of snow, Karina then seamlessly bashes the top of their heads, before they can get up, The foes lay unconscious on the floor, blood pouring from their skulls. ¡­¡­ ¡°I need a nap.¡± Apollo sighs ¡°I slept for a week¡± ¡°Lucky you,¡± THUD!! A massive clash reverberates through the entire cathedral, We all look at each other thinking the same thing, ¡°Darius!¡± **** ¡°Huff! huff! huff!¡± Darius pants after sprinting up the central tower stairs while fighting off a multitude of guards. ¡°Zinnia!¡± He bellows, ¡°Keep it down!¡± Pinoki scolds, ¡°you already made quite a ruckus on our way up,¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it, I have to find her, I can¡¯t lose anyone else,¡± ¡°Nor can I, so keep it down!¡± The two approach the top of the tower, there they meet glowing gem jutting out through the centre, ¡°The diamond,¡± Pinoki observes, ¡°so this is where it connects,¡± Behind the gem, an open door, inside, three figures, two speak, ¡°This girl is impossible¡± a feminine voice complains ¡°It has been days and her mind still hasn¡¯t broken, my illusions make it impossible to discern fiction and reality, unless someone is constantly in her ear telling her, there is no way she would know,¡± ¡°At this rate it will take months to break all of the ones chosen by Murdoc,¡± a male voice replies, ¡°Looks like Karina¡¯s constant talking to Zinnia is working,¡± Pinoki whispers ¡°Darius?¡± He turns to his side, but the young man is already gone, ¡°Oh, for fu-¡± ¡°Heeyaahh!¡± He smashes his sword down hard disrupting the two, ¡°Darius?¡± Zinnia blinks dazedly, ¡°finally you¡¯ve come!¡± ¡°Pinoki get her!¡± ¡°Steam Blast!¡± ¡°Explosive fist!¡± The couple let out a flurry of magic blocking Pinoki and Darius, ¡°Not so fast!¡± ¡°My what a surprise!¡± former queen, Patricia coos ¡°Now we don¡¯t have to waste time trying to find you Pinoki,¡± ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t my number one rival for the title of most deceitful, The queen herself, Now I don¡¯t have to waste time trying to expose you when I can kill you now and get rid of my competition,¡± Pinoki bluffs ¡°A little bit of bravery from you? now I have really seen it all¡± ¡°Steam- Urgghh¡± With one swing of his sword Darius slices the woman in half, ¡°First time we fought I wasn¡¯t tyring no to kill you, The chains are off this time!¡± ¡°YOUUUU!!¡± Flint¡¯s face boils over in immense rage, ¡°YOUUUU!! Pfpt¡­...¡± He stutters and stammers, his moth foaming in anger ¡°God! This one cannot be forgiven, give me permission to murder him where he stands! Explosion!¡± Boom! Explosion! Boom! Explosion! Boom! Explosion! Boom! Irate now Flint bombardes Darius with explosions, Blocking with his great sword, Darius pushes forward, ¡°Cleaving Blow!¡± Vwash! ¡°Aghh!¡± The king just barley dodges half of his right foot gets cut from only the breeze of the impact along with a huge chunk of the towers wall, a fearsome drop looms below, Thorough the commotion Pinoki takes Zinnia¡¯s hand, ¡°Come one, I have to get you out of here!¡± ¡°What about Darius?¡± ¡°He can handle himself clearly¡­ Never mind, Its already over.¡± THUD!! **** ¡°That sounded really loud,¡± Lyra remarks, ¡°I hope that was Darius doing the attacking,¡± ¡°Of course, it is,¡± Apollo scoffs, ¡°Darius isn¡¯t one to lose.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Is that the diamond?¡± I ask as we arrive at the top of the central tower, ¡°It is,¡± Karina replies, Apollo is already running towards the room at the back, ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Was there any other way?¡± He asks a sweaty Darius, ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t,¡± Darius breathes, The queens severed corpse bleeds out on the floor, The elegant white gown worn by the king-turned head priest, now lay plastered to the floor dyed in blood, I can¡¯t even tell where his body is only his parts remain scattered about, Darius pummelled him into a stain¡­ ¡°Goodbye and good riddance,¡± Lyra deadpans at the gruesome sight ¡°I¡¯m sorry Apollo,¡± Darius debates, ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe in killing your enemies, but it had to be done I wield the magic of swords, Essentially all I wield is death, A sword isn¡¯t a real sword unless it brings death upon on its enemies,¡± ¡°But it can spare life as well,¡± Apollo argues, ¡°Let¡¯s all leave first,¡± Pinoki interjects, ¡°We can argue when were safe,¡± ¡°Not a chance~¡± a voice sings, a figure appearing from the shadows, ¡°Murdoc!¡± ¡°A sword is an instrument for savage unholy creatures such as yourselves, I wield the real bringer of death. Magic, An orchestra of both life and death Earth Spire!¡± ¡°Darius!¡± Zinnia screams Spikes protrude from the ground stabbing into Darius ¡°Augh!¡± Darius coughs spitting up blood, He throws his great sword to Apollo as Murdoc grabs him by his neck, ¡°Ta¡­take¡­.it¡­my¡­ requie-¡± The six of us all rush forward at Murdoc, but its already too late, He throws his body out the hole in the wall, A¡­. A buzzing sound rings loudly in my ear I can barely hear the screams of Zinnia, The shouts from Apollo, Everyone yelling, It¡¯s as if everything is moving slowly¡­... Splat! Darius¡¯ body hits the ground below. Ultralight Beam ¡°We have to tell them soon Zinnia, Its not like we can keep this between us forever,¡± ¡°I know Darius but¡­¡­¡± ~~ (What was that?) ¡°DAARRIIUUSS!!¡± Zinnia shrieks dashing towards Murdoc ¡°Stay back girl, he is already dead I do not want to have to kill you too,¡± Murdoc growls ¡°Heeyaaa!¡± Apollo angrily charges at him ¡°Did you not hear what I just told the girl?¡± Murdoc sidesteps Apollo slapping him across the face, ¡°I am not a patient God, Do not test me!¡± ¡°You are no God!¡± Apollo tries to strike again, ¡°And who are you to say that I am not? Apollo, is it? I believe this is the first time we have met, Stay down!¡± A heavy gale of wind forces onto Apollo pinning the young man to the floor, ¡°We have to get rid of him now!¡± Karina whispers in our ears ¡°Pinoki go for the legs Lyra and Kage distract him, I¡¯ll finish it,¡± We all nod in agreement, ¡­¡­ Vwossh! I fire an arrow which turns to a wind shot, Lyra adds to my attack with a blast of snow ¡°Are you people even listening?¡± Murdoc, countering our attack with his own wind magic ¡°I am g-¡± Pinoki¡¯s shadow emerges to the back of him, stabbing him behind the knees, ¡°Augh!¡± He buckles down, Karina swiftly darts up and slices his throat, ¡°I would have restrained him,¡± Apollo gets up as the magic forcing him down dissipates ¡°No, he deserves death!¡± Zinnia sputters, A bevy of vines grow around the girl, ¡°I know how you feel Zinnia, we can¡¯t stress on it now!¡± Karina tells the weeping girl, ¡°We should prioritize our escape,¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t say you could leave,¡± A woman enters the room her face beaming, a smile twisted, Though different the appearance the condescending voice remains the same, ¡°You didn¡¯t really think you could kill a god?¡± she, Murdoc, laughs ¡°I am he I am she I am them I am God, Now stand down and offer yourselves to me, forgiveness can still be attained,¡± ¡°We know what you really are!¡± I fire an arrow directly at Murdoc¡¯s head, the wind-powered shot spectacularly misses, ¡°That was just a warning!¡± I lie trying to cover up my inaccuracy, ¡°Go ahead then,¡± Murdoc dares, ¡°shoot me, kill me again, I promise, I will just walk right back though that door with a different body, I am immortal! Is that not what you would call a God?¡± ¡°You are a child!¡± Pinoki speaks up ¡°I saw your true face!¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± Murdoc face twitches slightly, clearly annoyed by Pinoki¡¯s remark, ¡°Dedicate yourself to me Pinoki, Right now! No one can see the face of God without first becoming one with me!¡± Murdoc assumes an attacking stance, ¡°He¡¯s not using the earth magic again, or his wind blasts!¡± Karina¡¯s voice whispers in our ears ¡°His magic must vary depending on what form he assumes,¡± ¡°Whirlwind kick!¡± Murdoc pounces at Pinoki, ¡°Ha!¡± Apollo blocks with Darius¡¯ sword, ¡°So, what, are you an internal magic user now?¡± Apollo probes ¡°I am everything human! Whirl- -Ark!¡± Vines wrap tightly around Murdoc; he struggles gasping for air, The body getting redder as it swells from the pressure¡­. Crack! Murdoc stops moving blood seeping through the bodies skin its broken bones stick out, ¡°That was for Darius!¡± Zinnia breathes ¡°This might be our chan-¡± Pinoki starts but another body already climbs the stairs, This one, that of a muscular bald man his body plated in armour¡­. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡­¡­ ¡°You know what I hate most about dying? The pain, Why should I, A God, have to experience even a modicum of mortality?¡± Murdoc rants, ¡°At this rate we will be fighting him forever,¡± Lyra grimaces, ¡°He cannot be killed!¡± ¡°What about the main body?¡± I bring up, ¡°If we destroy it what would happen?¡± Boof! A ball of rock hits me directly in the gut, I crumple to floor clenching my stomach ¡°You are beginning to upset me boy!¡± Murdoc huffs ¡°Be careful with your words! Anyone tries to leave this floor, I will send you to meet your friend Darius in hell!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you again!¡± Zinnia screams sending more vines at Murdoc, Rock launch! Murdoc directs his attention to, Zinnia firing a slew of rocks at the girl, ¡°I am getting bored of you girl! Do not make me kill you!¡± ¡°Lightning knee strike!¡± Umph! Apollo leaps in to attack but Murdoc counters with a rock-hard uppercut, As he lurches back in pain Murdoc begins beating at Zinnia, bursting open her face she begins bleeding, ¡°Bastard!¡± Lyra spats Jumping onto Murdoc¡¯s back ¡°I¡¯ll freeze you to death!¡± She digs her nails into his neck preparing a spell, Murdoc falls on his back letting his full weight crush the girl ¡°Who are you again, Lyra, was it? Do not think your life is safe! I never selected you, your free to die! Rock fist strike! Mounting on her chest, he starts beating into Lyra as well, ¡°Lyra!¡± Stumbling up, I fire an arrow at his face, but he hardens it into stone, ¡°Wait your turn Kage~ Your next!¡± ¡°Surely you won¡¯t leave me out?¡± Karina grabs Murdoc from behind in a rear naked choke, ¡°Kage, Pinoki! You two go kill his main body, we¡¯ll keep him restrained here! ¡°Ahhhh! Don¡¯t you DARE!¡± Murdoc swings around furiously trying to shake off the girl, Lyra gets back up and begins pummelling at his face ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡­.. Pinoki and I race past glowing diamond in the tower, to the stairs, ¡­. ¡°What in the-!¡± No even far down yet, we encounter a chilling sight, Scores of people waiting on the spiralling staircase They stand motionlessly grouped like sardines just staring up at us, It feels eerie, ¡°I think they go all the way to the bottom,¡± Pinoki notes looking down the stairs ¡°These people are alive, Just empty,¡± I say waving my hand in front of one of the blank faces, their eyes follow my hands motion, (Creepy) ¡°If this is Murdoc¡¯s infinite supply of bodies to switch to, Should we kill them all while we have the chance?¡± ¡°That would take forever Kage, how long do you think Karina the others can hold him back for? Our best option is to slip through them like this,¡± Pinoki tries squeezing through the crowd, ¡°Ack!¡± A hand outstretches from the crowd grabbing Pinoki by the throat, ¡°I told you,¡± Smash! He drags Pinoki¡¯s face through the wall, ¡°You cannot leave!¡± ¡°Run Kage,¡± Pinoki groans, ¡°Too late!¡± He grabs my throat as well ¡°Hyuh!¡± I pull out an arrow stabbing it into his hand His grip doesn¡¯t release. ¡°I have felt worse pain than that, don¡¯t make me laugh!¡± Smash! My face goes into the wall as well, ¡°Pinoki, I will not kill because I want his body, But you,¡± Smash! He does it again Smash! Again, Smash! And again, My skull feels like it ready to turn to dust, I feel the blood building up inside my head, (My brain must be bleeding) ¡°Aiyeee!¡± Pinoki war-cries jumping on Murdoc¡¯s back ¡°New plan Kage, get back upstairs!¡± Stumbling dizzily, I get back to the top ¡°L.ra,¡­.Ka..r¡­i...?¡± The words won¡¯t come out Murdoc¡¯s previous body now dead on the floor Lyra slumped next to it a stone spike jutting out her leg Apollo¡¯s face is covered under a stone slab, Karina and Zinnia both lay semi-conscious, ¡°I thought I told you to kill his body,¡± Karina says faintly ¡°I¡­..tfd¡± I drop down in agony Crash! Pinoki¡¯s body flings up into the room Murdoc walks back up dusting his hands, ¡°Finally, some decorum here, Now Apollo my boy, you have really proven yourself to me today, Originally, I had no plan to use your body, but as I¡¯ve punished Darius, I¡¯m now in need of a new body so you will do quite nicely, Sadly, however Kage and Lyra, I don¡¯t need you weaklings, uninteresting magic as well, you two will be absorbed into my magic during the ¡®enlightenment,¡¯ Any last request though? I am a benevolent god after all,¡± ¡­¡­.. Karina whispers something in my ear, (I need just a little more time) ¡°The¡­¡­truth¡­. you¡± I reply ¡°My¡­. last request,¡± Murdoc sighs heavily ¡°I am God, that has always been the truth, But I¡¯ll play along with your request, I will assume you¡¯re asking about my ascension to Godhood?¡± ¡°¡­. Ye¡­yes,¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Murdoc says eagerly, ¡°I shall indulge, It all started almost two hundred years ago I¡­¡­., ¡­¡­¡­...Prepare to be shocked, I was actually born a human,¡± ¡­¡­.. no one reacts. ¡°I know awful right?¡± Murdoc continues with his story, ¡°Across the desert, although back then it wasn¡¯t a desert, but that¡¯s another story, Anyway, across was a small village called Lyfia, where I was conceived, We used to constantly fend off against beast-men attacks, A lot of people died blah blah blah, In summary, I got tired of the tedium of mortality and went to visit a man, on the- Well you don''t need to know where, simply put, the Blackmagic dealer, At the time he was in possession of the body of God, So, he said, I sold him half of all organs I had multiple of, just for a small taste of the God¡¯s flesh, What a wise trade-off I made, it was then I became a demigod, I had the power to control people but not just any form of control, Share minds, control emotion itself, Long story short I used my home village of Lyfia as the perfect testing ground for my newfound god power, After mastering it I made my way to the kingdom of Asad, the now desert, With my power I had a prosperous life there, butttt, This is when I ascended into becoming the God you know today!¡± Murdoc now invested in his own story, ¡°I was an old man at that point I knew life was not long for me, so I went to Furlheim City¡­. Actually, I won¡¯t get into that, all I will say is that after I left, I had obtained a diamond which I sealed myself in, from then on, I could not only control minds but now absorb magic, via methods I will not explain, With each absorption I grew both stronger and younger stopping at a baby but by that point I already had absorbed thousands of people, I then renounced my humanity fully becoming God!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. As Murdoc had been talking a small vine slowly crept to me, to all of us, its leaves glowing warmly, Karina had whispered that Zinnia¡¯s magic evolved but she just needed time to use it, Slowly extending my arm I grab the glowing leaf, a wave of warmth washes over my body, my pain slowly fading, ¡°Huh?¡± Murdoc puzzles, ¡°Why is your hair growing? Don¡¯t tell me you had healing magic all along- -Keuk!¡± Rolling to my back I fire an arrow straight through his throat, ¡°We have around six seconds till he comes back up here again!¡± Pinoki yells hoping back up to life, Running to the staircase, I fire a shot down, And then another And another, Another Another Another Another Zap! ¡°Aghh!¡± The magic stone breaks sending a soft shock though my hand, my arrows now fire as normal shots ¡°Water stream!¡± Pressurized water blasts up from below, ¡°We have to take him as a group!¡± Apollo proposes ¡°No, we have to prioritize escaping! Pinoki argues, ¡°We can¡¯t keep up with the number of bodies he has!¡± ¡°What do you suppose we do then Pinoki, jump off tower!¡± ¡°Enough with the arguing,¡± Karina interrupts, ¡°Does it really matter if we live or die? either way it will both be for nought,¡± ¡°You two forget, the diamond is right there, and I have the key to return to the unholy city!¡± Pinoki clarifies ¡°I have had enough of this!¡± Murdoc bellows, ¡°That was the last straw!¡± (I forgot that diamond was what contained the ¡®unholy city,¡¯ What was my original plan again? To collide both cites together) ¡°Karina!¡± I yell, ¡°Is there any way to extract the energy from that diamond safely!?¡± ¡°Not without destroying the entire city, both of them, What are you thinking?¡± ¡°Something crazy I fear, Zinnia, can your vines protect us from an explosion?¡± ¡°I can try,¡± she replies, Water crash! Murdoc attacks in a fit of rage Lightning strike! Apollo jumps at him Snow blast! Lyra goes right after Shadow attack! Even Pinoki joins in, Bodies begin piling up as Murdoc relentlessly rushes up at us, the more times we kill him, the angrier he becomes, Moving over to the glowing diamond, I press my hand on it (This device can extract the power of magic stones and use on arrows, Maybe it can extract this too) ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± I smash the device on my hand into the diamond, nothing happens, (Think! How do I get this to work?) Taking out my dagger I raise it taking a deep breath (Here goes nothing) Umph! Stabbing it into my other hand effectively nailing it to the diamond while simultaneously transforming it into the bow, (It hurts, It hurts bad,) Painfully placing an arrow, I aim down at the diamond, ¡°Zinnia now!¡± I fire, The dagger falls out from inside my hand as the surge pushes me back, ¡­¡­¡­ (It¡¯s) Vines creep slowly up my skin covering every inch of my body, A colourful light beams upward everything starts shaking violently I can¡¯t even see Karina or anyone else, the light blindingly bright (It¡¯s beautiful) ¡°What have you done!¡± Murdoc¡¯s voce shouts angrily, Everything fades to darkness as the vines cover my face, Even though I hear Murdoc¡¯s constant barking, The sound of the ground violently shaking, walls collapsing roof crumbling down, I can¡¯t help but feel safe, Basked in this ultralight beam The Bells Final Sound What defines an act as being good? Is it a choice you make that benefits the people around you? Or is it based on a sense of morality, If so, what defines morality? BONG! The bell gongs heavily as it crashes to the ground, the tower it hung from crumples as well, Some people pray for God to save them as the very house they live in crush them to death, Beams of light erupts from the shaking earth up into the late night¡¯s sky, symbolising the collision of two cities. At the cause of all the carnage, in the now rubble of the fallen cathedral, a single tree grows What kind of tree is it? Does it matter? The tree steadily grows in the midst of an earthquake, In the midst of people dying, Atop the grave of the destroyed cathedral, gracefully it grows. **** ¡­¡­ (It¡¯s so dark, Am I still wrapped in Zinnia¡¯s vines? It feels warm in here, Peaceful) ¡­¡­. Cut! Tear! ¡°Aghh!¡± I raise my hands blocking the ray of sunlight beaming on my face, My eyes water adjusting to light, ¡°Found him!¡± Apollo calls He grabs my hand helping me up from the small enclosure (Wow) I gaze in awe at the destruction around us, the cathedral now a broken mess giant roots protrude from the ground spreading itself across the entire area supporting a beautiful tree. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t believe we stayed in those roots for an entire night,¡± Pinoki comments approaching, ¡°Do you guys think Murdoc is dead?¡± Lyra asks ¡°He can be anyone he wants, as long as they¡¯ve dedicated themselves to him,¡± Karina shakes her head ¡°Unless the main body is destroyed,¡± Pinoki inputs, ¡°And I do recall it being in a diamond, so chances are he is alive-¡± ¡°-Zinnia did you create this?¡± I interrupt gazing up at towering tree, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to, I was trying to cover us.¡± ¡°No, It¡¯s beautiful, In a poetic kinds of way, Life sprouted around death, What kind of tree is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she answers modestly, ¡°We¡¯ll have time to figure out names after we¡¯ve confirmed Murdoc¡¯s death¡± Lyra says tartly The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°This might be the best opportunity we have to end this for good,¡± Karina agrees, ¡°Even I concede that he must die,¡± Apollo says clenching Darius¡¯ sword tightly, ¡°That¡¯s all well and good,¡± Pinoki pipes up, ¡°But, How do you suppose we find him in this wreckage?¡± **** ¡°Wrong way again, this is where the right tower was,¡± Apollo says ¡°How can one person be this wrong!¡± Lyra chides ¡°Pardon me for not knowing the layout of a building that was reduced to pebbles!¡± he snaps ¡°You literally grew up here as a child!¡± ¡°I basically grew up in the library and that was ten years ago!¡± ¡°Then you could have at least read the floor plans!¡± Lyra argues ¡°You make a good a point Lyra,¡± Apollo says sarcastically, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t seven-year-old me be interested in reading floor plans for castles!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that tone!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that serious you two,¡± Karina interjects, ¡°We can keep looking¡­¡­...¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Finally, these towers came down¡± Pinoki remarks looking at debris ¡°Never had any good memories associated with them¡± ¡°Was it because of what happened with Darius and Omari?¡± I ponder out loud, ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Pinoki asks surprisedly ¡°I¡¯m a good guesser,¡± ¡­¡­. Pinoki eyes me suspiciously but says nothing, Grrrr! I hear a familiar humming sound from beneath the rocks, (That motor-like device managed to survive?) ¡°What are you doing?¡± Pinoki watches, as I begin clawing away at the rubble, ¡°Looking for something, Are you helping me or not?¡± Pinoki and claw away at stones eventually uncovering the machine, ¡­¡­ ¡°What do you suppose that is?¡± Pinoki awes as I lift the motor and the small device connected to it out of the rubble, ¡°I wish knew,¡± Setting it down again, it begins to hum gently, the smaller device starts to glow projecting a ¡®blue flame,¡¯ As the light flashes on my face, I hear: ¡®This is a pre-recorded message from: Anonymous¡¯ ¡°This might be my final message, I am currently staying in the Kingdom of Soterra, they have treated me with gracious hospitality, I have also learned a lot about magic stones from them and its applicability, I plan to incorporate it into ¡®the prototype bow¡¯ but they lack the knowledge I need on absorption magic, which can only be taught in a kingdom called Asad, I do not know if I may survive the trip. Also, before I end this recording, because I am placing this ¡®audio projector¡¯ in an area where someone may encounter it accidently, I have to warn you, These messages can only be heard by one person, only after that person has died the device will reset then someone else will be able to hear it again.¡± ¡®Message End.¡¯ ¡­¡­.. ¡°Kage?¡± Pinoki looks at me earnestly, ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at that for a minute now, What is it?¡± ¡°Pinoki, Would you believe me if I told you I heard it speak?¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Would you two stop looting and come on!¡± Lyra yells bossily Pinoki gives me a quizzing look and walks over to the rest of the group ¡°The sooner we get this over with, the newer adventures we can commence,¡± he smiles, **** ¡°Where am I! Where am I!¡± A girl digs desperately over a pile of shattered glass, concrete and roofing, Her hands bleeding profusely but it does not bother her, ¡°Where am I! Where am I! I have been digging all night! Those blasted unholy scum! I should have just killed them, Or started the enlightenment sooner I would at least have more power, Furlheim City has stronger people anyway, I can take all my ¡®followers¡¯ there, Yes, Rebuild, even stronger I can¡¯t die! I am GOD!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Tori!?¡± Karina queries as we approach a girl frantically digging while monologing to herself, ¡°You survive-¡± Zap! The girl sends a shockwave at Karina, ¡°My, my, how fortunate for me Every single one of you is still alive, Now I can personally punish you as I see fit! This travesty you caused shall not with go without reprimand I promise you that!¡± ¡°Murdoc!¡± Zinnia identifies the foe, ¡°He is in Tori¡¯s body now!¡± Lightning strike! ¡°Wrong!¡± Murdoc alliterates ¡°I am not in her body, I am her! That is the power of dedication, Of GO-¡± Ooof! Apollo tackles Murdoc to ground restraining him, ¡°He is only as strong as the body he uses,¡± Apollo assures, ¡°Zinnia, Lyra keep him tied, We¡¯ll dig up his main body,¡± ¡°YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT! DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS ON GOD!¡± ¡°Hiyah!¡± Apollo smashes Darius¡¯ sword onto the rubble loosening it, Pinoki, Karina and I begin clearing through it. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡°Leave that alone! Keep your hands off it!¡± Murdoc fights and struggles watching as Zinnia¡¯s vines pull the diamond form the earth, Pinoki warned us against physical contact as he might absorb our magic, ¡°Sooo,¡± Apollo looks at it hesitantly ¡°Do we really commit murder? I mean he looks like a baby in there,¡± ¡°PUT ME DOWN!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go changing you mind in the last minute!¡± Lyra jeers ¡°He has lived long enough!¡± ¡°Do it for Darius,¡± Zinnia coerces ¡°End it with his sword,¡± ¡­.. Apollo breathes heavily ¡°Ok,¡± ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll make you an angel My right hand man!¡± Murdoc now begins to plea, But its already too late, with one powerful swing of Darius¡¯ blade, Apollo hits the diamond, Crack! It doesn¡¯t break but cracks slightly, ¡°Again,¡± Lyra orders Crack! ¡°Again¡± Crack! ¡°Again¡± Crack! ¡°Again¡± Crack! All the while Murdoc screeches, begs and pleads for Apollo to stop, His squeals ear grating, (This is uncomfortable,) CUT! Finally, it splits in two, Tori slumps unconscious as the connection between her and Murdoc breaks, We all stand in silence watching the blood pour out, (The blood of ¡®God¡¯) ¡­¡­.. Further off in the distance, the fallen bell of the cathedral lay, Who knows if by chance or sheer coincidence, The moment Murdoc¡¯s body slices in two, The bell rolls forward just a little, Giving one final, BONG! Sound of Serenity ¡°When are we going to stop this fa?ade?¡± ¡°What fa?ade?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with us, We don¡¯t know what we are, We don¡¯t know where we are, We can¡¯t remember what our purpose is,¡± ¡°We? Who is we?¡± ¡°Are we playing dumb now, look at us, We are we and we are we,¡± ¡°..? You are me?¡± Surrounded by nothing but darkness I face a figure that looks identical to me. ¡°Now we understand¡± ¡°We want us to get our priorities straight Otherwise, we will take control!¡± My doppelganger, begins to walk slowly towards me , with a big unnatural smile its bright white teeth looking like miniature knives, the smile just gets wider and wider till his jaws now resemble that of sharks. (I can¡¯t move! My body won¡¯t cooperate!) I just stand there still in fear waiting like an offering as the massive draws open wide and- ¡­. ¡°Uhh! Huh, huh!¡± I spring from under the covers sweating and breathing heavily. (It was dream) ¡­. ¡°My that must have been quite the nightmare,¡± a voce whispers in my ear, ¡°Ahh!¡± I fall back off the bed ¡°Karina? Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were this easily spooked¡± ¡°I¡¯m not I just had a bad dream¡± ¡°About?¡± ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± I avoid her question, ¡°Watching you sleep,¡± ¡°What, Why?¡± ¡°Because I find you both interesting, and suspicious, I always feel like you¡¯re hiding something.¡± ¡°After all we¡¯ve suffered through,¡± I frown ¡°Ok then, tell me what that ¡®thing¡¯ is, you have on your hand, that turns into a bow, What magic is it?¡± ¡°I have a name for it, it¡¯s called ¡®The Prototype¡¯ and I told you before its some kind of technology¡±, ¡°That isn¡¯t even a real word Kage,¡± I let out a weak sigh, ¡°Ok, what else do you think I¡¯m hiding?¡± ¡°Hmm, let me see, Your age, and where you came from,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember, is that really even suspicious?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Karina replies dryly, ¡°Ok, well...¡± I yawn, ¡°I don¡¯t see you telling me your age,¡± ¡°Why? Do you think I¡¯m young? Or older than I look?¡± She asks playfully, ¡°What kind of question is that? I know Apollo is seventeen so you can¡¯t be that far off from him,¡± I assume ¡°Apollo is the youngest of us actually, well along with Lyra,¡± Karina explains, ¡°Darius was the oldest at twenty-five, but I guess now that he¡¯s dead, Pinoki is, at twenty-three, Zinnia is year younger than Pinoki, And I¡¯m three years behind her,¡± ¡°So, nineteen?¡± I guess ¡°Hmmm,¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I figured you were older,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment,¡± Karina concedes ¡°Well, is that all of your suspicions addressed?¡± I ask tiredly, ¡°No, there is just one more, What do you desire Kage?¡± She drags her finger gently across my chest, ¡°What desires are you keeping locked up inside there?¡± ¡­ Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°You know it¡¯s only of the two us in here,¡± She moves closer speaking in a soothing tone, ¡°All you have to do is ask Kage¡± ¡°What do want me to do?¡± ¡°Well¡­.¡± I grab both her hands pulling her close, I can feel the temperature of her hands instantly rise, her pulse racing fast, Edging my face close to her ear I whisper: ¡°Can we¡­. Can we play a game of chess?¡± **** ¡°Move that part over there!¡± Slam! ¡°Not there, you idiot! I have to do everything by myself!¡± A man quarrels frustratedly with other men for not following orders, Minding my business, I continue on with my work, It¡¯s been two months since Murdoc¡¯s fall, Apollo an I have been helping around the city, aiding in the construction of new buildings, It took a while, but Soterra has slowly been finding its footing, The first week after Murdoc was killed was much worse, Some people couldn¡¯t accept his death, and took their own lives because of it, You would think we¡¯d be seen as heroes, but it was the opposite, We took away their happiness, their peace, even inadvertently killed dozens of innocent people in the process, But they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to antagonize us either however, While they lived prosperous for the past decade, people suffered hiding the unholy city Rarely they would see sunshine, In a way they understood, this outcome was their fault, it was inevitable¡­. ¡­¡­.. ¡°I always wonder, Was there a better way to go about this? Or was death only way,¡± Apollo walks up next to me, Darius¡¯ sword strapped to his back, he carries it everywhere with him now, ¡°It already been done, all you can do is move forward, no use reopening closed wounds,¡± ¡°Easy for you, an outsider, to say,¡± Apollo taunts ¡°I¡¯m just glad I won¡¯t have to stay here much longer,¡± I say wiping the sweat off my face, ¡°Where are you planning to go?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t figured that out yet, well, not until Pinoki finishes gathering everything we need, Ever since the well you know, It¡¯s been hard to find a map in one piece,¡± ¡°Pinoki¡¯s going with you?¡± ¡°Yeah, he wanted the ¡®adventure,¡¯ plus I think he¡¯s sick of this place.¡± ¡°So am I,¡± Apollo sighs ¡°Then come with us.¡± ¡°Not possible Kage, I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but I¡¯m the last living member of the royal family, everyone expects me to take charge,¡± ¡°So, that system ended when the walls of the city fell,¡± ¡°I know, but if not me, who? No-one wants to take charge, everyone has been left scared from Murdoc,¡± ¡°So have you,¡± I reply dryly ¡°You don¡¯t owe the people of Soterra anything¡­.¡± **** ¡°I really think only I can do this!¡± ¡°Why though? What¡¯s gotten into you, Zinnia, you aren¡¯t usually one to take up leadership roles,¡± ¡°I know, but I want to make Soterra a prosperous kingdom, Even before Murdoc took control, we never made relations with other nations or great cities, I want to change that, start exporting our magic gems, start building relations,¡± ¡°Do you think the Apollo would just easily hand over what little authority he has left to you? More so, would the people readily accept you?¡± Lyra debates with Zinnia ¡°I am willing to try¡­.¡± ¡­. ¡°What¡¯s all this chatter about?¡± I stride into the room, ¡°Surprised your still here,¡± Lyra retorts ¡°Why, are you going to miss me when I leave?¡± I reply teasingly ¡°What do you want Kage?¡± she ignores, ¡°Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re in the middle of something,¡± ¡°Sounded like pointless bickering to me,¡± Zinnia, I need to speak with you, Alone,¡± Zinnia gives Lyra a look, ¡°Five minutes,¡± Lyra says annoyedly stomping out the room, ¡°She hates it here,¡± Zinnia sighs, ¡°After years of associating this city with the ¡®enemy¡¯ She just can¡¯t bring herself to be comfortable living here. I assume you have something important to tell me Kage?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Darius,¡± I say slightly surprising the girl, ¡°I have not told anyone about this yet, but I feel like I have to share this with you, Zinnia looks at me quizzingly ¡°This may sound crazy but, I see things, No, I experience things that I¡¯m not sure if is real It usually happens for dead people, I see their memories, live it, Back when Darius died, I caught glimpse of his memories, I know why you want to be the leader of the city, what you and Darius want to tell others, I was there, I saw it, I felt it,¡± Zinnia¡¯s face goes red, ¡°Are you saying-¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone until you¡¯re ready to yourself,¡± ¡°Why did you decide to tell me now?¡± Zinnia asks ¡°I¡¯m leaving, soon so that saves me from the awkwardness of it all,¡± I¡¯m already walking out the room, ¡°Wait Kage, I have a request,¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I turn, ¡°Could you¡­¡­¡­.¡± *** ¡°Stop sulking, Lyra, I wasn¡¯t talking to Zinnia for that long,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not upset about that,¡± Lyra grunts She kicks up a stone, it knocks into some equipment left scattered on the ground, we stroll around the site, In front of the giant tree, over the grave of the cathedral is the construction of the Soterra ¡®City Hall¡¯ a while back, the people came together to decide what should be done with cathedral/castle¡¯s wreckage, After a lot of deliberation, I (told Apollo to say) proposed to rebuild it as city hall, instead being ruled by the royals it can serve as an inn and meet up spot to discus issues in the city¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what I should be doing right now,¡± Lyra continues, ¡°Zinnia is already talking about things like leadership, Apollo might as well be the de facto king, I haven¡¯t seen Karina in weeks, and Pinoki is going adventuring with you or whatever,¡± ¡°We are not,¡± I stop her, ¡°He is just overly excited about leaving,¡± ¡°It¡¯s still going to be an adventure knowing Pinoki, both of you will be involved in something crazy in no time, I had one goal, save the people of the unholy city, and die a hero while doing it, I wasn¡¯t supposed to make it this far,¡± ¡°That was a stupid goal,¡± I chide, ¡°Make a new plan Lyra, Brandon must still be alive you know,¡± ¡°How do you know that name?¡± Lyra eyes me mistrustingly, ¡°I never mentioned my brother¡¯s name, Start talking Kage!¡± She steps up menacingly in my face, ¡°No need for the aggression,¡± I say stepping back, ¡°I can tell you, but, You will have to agree to one thing¡­¡­.¡± *** ¡°Kage! My comrade!¡± Pinoki beams, ¡°It is almost time for us to leave this godforsaken land and seek out adventure!¡± ¡°Do you have the map?¡± I ask flatly, ¡°Indeed, I do, took a while but I finally procured one intact,¡± he hands it to me, ¡°Hmm,¡± (Strange layout) ¡°How far does this map show?¡± ¡°I believe up to Furlheim city, I also have a compass, a lot of magic stones and gold, I err acquired via methods, and I have this book on magic if you need to read up anything,¡± he hands me a familiar black book, ¡°Where did you get that?¡± I grab it ¡°I always had it on me, ¡°he smiles slyly, ¡°Ever since I stole it from you a while back.¡± ¡°I knew it looked familiar; the queen gave me this when I first met her,¡± ¡°Well then you should thank me for stealing it or it would have been ashes right now,¡± Pinoki tries to flip the situation ¡°You know what, You make a fair point¡­¡­¡­¡± *** I stare up the tree towering over Soterra in distance, ¡®The tree of life¡¯ I named it as it was born amidst death, Tapping my feet impatiently I stand by the entrance to the city, a slight nervousness bubbles inside of me, (Last time I was here, I got chased down into the abyss that was the unholy city, What awaits me this time?) ¡°Aghh!¡± Pinoki finally arrives heaving along four heavy bags, ¡°I am already regretting this adventure if it means lugging these around the whole time,¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have overpacked,¡± I say taking two of the four bags, ¡°Says the person who wandered through the desert for days relying on the random chance of finding an oasis to survive,¡± Pinoki retorts, ¡°I recall it being easier than carrying around bags filled with bricks,¡± I lie ¡°Ha-ha, very funny,¡± Pinoki says sarcastically¡­. ¡°Let me hold one.¡± a person approaches, ¡°Apollo?¡± Pinoki looks surprised ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Kage asked me three days ago to come, I talked it over with Zinnia for a while and well, Let¡¯s go already, I am sick of this place,¡± ¡°You don¡¯t hear me complaining,¡± Pinoki grins handing him a heavy pack, ¡°You literally were just complaining,¡± I bring up, ¡°Go talk to your mysterious blue flames,¡± Pinoki snaps back ¡°What blue flame?¡± another voice asks, as someone else walks up, ¡°Lyra, you too?¡± ¡°Kage told me to come two days ago,¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that Pinoki,¡± I say catching Pinoki¡¯s disapproving glance, ¡°We both know that the two of us should not be venturing into God-knows where, alone,¡± ¡°Well, an adventure is always more fun with multiple people, in the novels so I¡¯m ok with this,¡± Pinoki concedes, ¡°You should have at least told me yesterday when I gave you the map that they were coming,¡± ¡°It must have slipped my mind,¡± ¡°Is there anyone else you asked Kage, or can we go now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s everyone,¡± I say handing Lyra a bag, ¡°Then let the journey begin!¡± Pinoki rushes through the gate, Following behind, I turn taking one last look at ¡®the tree of life,¡¯ Its leaves flutter majestically in the calm mid-morning breeze, each leaf glows colourfully as they refract the sunlight, ¡°Goodbye Soterra,¡± I walk out, ¡°May you blossom into a place of serenity.¡± Soterras Postlude ¡°Excuse me, but could show us where- Hey! I¡¯m speaking to you!¡± Lyra fumes, as the person swiftly brushes past her. ¡°The people out here are weird,¡± Apollo observes, ¡°What do you mean ¡®out here¡¯?¡± Pinoki snorts ¡°We are still in Soterra, Soterra¡¯s outskirts to be precise, the people here must have heard rumours of what happened within the city walls they fear we may convert them,¡± ¡°That¡¯s dumb,¡± Lyra sates ¡°Thank you for that ground-breaking opinion, Lyra¡± I taunt ¡°Aww!¡± She kicks me on the shin ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate the sarcasm,¡± ¡°What¡¯s her problem?¡± I whisper to Pinoki ¡°She¡¯s probably still emotional after Zinnia told us her pregnancy yesterday,¡± ¡°Wait?¡± ¡°She told you all already?¡± ¡°You say that as if she told you before us,¡± Lyra answers, overhearing us ¡°I already err, figured it out myself, and confronted her about it, I thought she wasn¡¯t ready to say anything, after all that¡¯s happened, She wants to make Soterra a better place for her and Darius¡¯ child, I even accepted her request,¡± ¡°What request?¡± Apollo queries, ¡°She asked me to take Lyra with us¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± Lyra croaks, ¡°So, I¡¯m a charity case?¡± ¡°No-¡± ¡°-I¡¯m going back!¡± she turns around angrily, ¡°Lyra wait no!?¡± I grab her, ¡°Take your patronizing hand off me Kage! I¡¯m clearly unwanted here!¡± (This girl is impossible) ¡°Lyra wait! ¡­¡­¡­¡­. I¡¯m scared, Scared to travel alone, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s out here, That¡¯s why I brought you all with me, I¡¯m not strong, I can¡¯t¡­. ¡­. No, I don¡¯t want to get captured, or put back in the position I was before I ended up here, I can¡¯t do this alone, I don¡¯t want you here is right, because I need you,¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Greaaatt,¡± Pinoki mutters under his breath, ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a day yet and Lyra is already being self-destructive, and Kage emotionally inconsistent,¡± ¡°Emotionally inconsistent?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re the only one who quietly observes things, Kage, I¡¯ve noticed how your always constantly switch moods within minutes of each other, One minute your quiet and broody, next you¡¯re oversharing fears to Lyra,¡± ¡°He is inconsistent, is he?¡± Lyra agrees re-joining the group as if nothing had just happened (Look who¡¯s talking) ¡°So where are we going exactly?¡± Apollo changing the topic, ¡°Well, since the map we currently have is pretty limited, the only place we can go is Furlheim city,¡± Pinoki replies, ¡°Anyone know anything about Furlheim city?¡± I ask, ¡°I know my mother moved there before returning to the kingdom to have me,¡± Apollo speaks up, ¡°that¡¯s about it, Even though our people in Soterra are pretty closed off, she was one of the few to branch out,¡± ¡­¡­ This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The sky today a clear blue, allowing the sun the blast its full force upon us we trudge through the outskirts of Soterra, we encountered many smaller settlements in the area but never stopped to visit, as the four of us all eagerly await our exit of this area. **** ¡°I think this is where Soterra ends,¡± Pinoki¡¯s eyes glued to the map, ¡°If we follo-¡± ¡°-Let¡¯s go that way,¡± Lyra points, heading towards a column of trees up ahead, ¡­.. ¡°It¡¯s really cool in here,¡± she comments entering the area surrounded by lush trees, their leaves overlap with each other above us, blocking the now evening sunlight from reaching the space below, a spring erupting water patters cheerfully as if inviting us in, ¡°Maybe we should set up camp here,¡± Apollo advises peering at the sky, ¡°The sun will be setting soon, Plus, my feet hurt.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Bzzzz, bzzzzz! A mosquito buzzes annoyingly by ear Slap! Trying to hit it I smack myself hard on the face, ¡°¡­¡± Lyra¡¯s lips curl into a smile, she quickly turns so I won¡¯t notice, The night now setting in, the four of us sit around a campfire under the cover of the trees, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that bag was heavy you because packed it full of rice, Pinoki? Apollo notes watching Pinoki unpack the supplies, ¡°What¡¯s the problem? I¡¯ve been reading up about what food can last for long, we don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be traveling for, I also packed an abundance of beans and flour as well, That way we can survive for a few weeks at most,¡± ¡°Ugghh¡± Lyra groans, ¡°I¡¯m really going to die of eating infinite amounts of beans and rice by the end of this,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so cynical about things, There¡¯s water and flour too¡­.¡± ¡­¡­. Crack! ¡­? A branch breaks behind me, (Is someone else here?) ¡°Are there any dangerous animals around here?¡± I caution to the group ¡°No clue,¡± Apollo yawns, ¡°even if there was, I can handle it,¡± (Maybe I¡¯m just being paranoid) ¡°Thought~you~could~run~away~from~me!¡± A voice hisses in my ear, ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± I shout alarmingly drawing my bow, ¡°No one¡¯s there Kage, calm down,¡± Lyra assures, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that?¡± ¡°No, didn¡¯t see anything either,¡± ¡°Are you sure Lyra!?¡± The voice now booms around us, Apollo jumps up gripping his sword, ¡°Show yourself!¡± he demands ¡°I won¡¯t ask twice!¡± ¡°Or else what!?¡± Vwzing! Apollo swings the sword horizontally sending shockwave around the area ¡°The next one will be much worse,¡± he threats ¡°Huhh, fine!¡± The voice sighs, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough fun, I guess I¡¯ll reveal myself now,¡± The voice transitions from being raspy to a familiar feminine voice as a certain woman emerges from behind the thick bush, ¡°Karina?¡± I say relievedly sitting back down next to the fire, ¡°You followed us?¡± Lyra sounds somewhat pleased, Karina sighs again slumping down next to me, dropping a bag she carried down, Pinoki slides curiously towards the pack. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you left without telling me anything,¡± Karina complains, ¡°Last I saw you was about two weeks ago, when you were in my room that time, You disappear mysteriously without telling anyone where you go, it¡¯s not like I knew where to find you,¡± I explain ¡°I¡¯ve been in the villages around the city, I couldn¡¯t stay in there any longer, I saw you four travelling together earlier, so I followed you,¡± ¡°And the thought of just calling out to us never once crossed your mind?¡± I say annoyed, ¡°It did, but I¡¯d rather surprise you¡­.¡±. ¡­. ¡°Daggers, more daggers, magic stones, a bottle of water, That¡¯s it?¡± Pinoki critiques, emptying the contents of Karina¡¯s bag, ¡°How exactly were you planning on surviving with these?¡± ¡°Hmmm, Step one, use the daggers to hunt animals, step two drink the water, Is that good enough for you?¡± Karina drawls ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still ¡®using the magic stones,¡± Apollo probes, ¡°No, I¡¯m practising ¡®general magic¡¯ with them,¡± ¡°General magic?¡± I inquire beginning to search for the book on magic, ¡°Its magic that isn¡¯t specific to any one attribute,¡± Pinoki hands me the book, ¡°How did you get this ba-¡± ¡°-Magic that anyone can use, healing magic sealing, illusions,¡± He continues ¡°I¡¯ve been using sealing magic, by imbuing my soundwave magic into gems I can communicate from long distances, before when I just had sound, magic I could only communicate with one person and I had to be close by, now I can do it with many,¡± Karina explains, ¡°Sounds like wireless technology,¡± I comment, ¡°Here you go again with these made-up words,¡± Lyra chortles, ¡°All because you don¡¯t want to tell us what magic your bow uses,¡± ¡°It¡¯s not made up,¡± I defend, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to explain it you, ¡®the prototype¡¯ is technology, I think, So was the blue flame I told you about,¡± ¡°We never heard the flame speak like you said you did,¡± Apollo inputs, ¡°so we just have to take your word for it, Kage,¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to find more, I feel like its connected to me somehow, maybe the person who left the messages can somehow lead me back to where I came from,¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here for the adventure Pinoki,¡± states blankly, ¡°Hopefully Furlheim city isn¡¯t anything like how Soterra was,¡± Lyra ponders, ¡°If it is, we can always get Kage to reduce it to rubble, like he did with our city,¡± Karina jokes, ¡°Ha-ha, very funny¡­.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. ****. The night passes by and the now five of us, traverse onward to a city we know nothing of, The terrain brimming with life happy and unbothered, thrushes sing happily looking down curiously at the strange travellers, Rarely we would encounter other people, but when we did, they lived in full blend with their surroundings almost like they were roommates with nature itself. ¡­¡­ ¡°I wonder how far those mountains stretch for, they¡¯ve been directly north ever since we left Soterra,¡± I say looking north at the cold sliver peaks, We now travel across a flat moor, the silhouette of buildings can be seen up ahead, (The city must be close) ¡°I wonder what secrets lay there¡± Pinoki speculates, ¡°Nothing but death I assume,¡± Lyra replies cynically, ¡°Awful assumption to make,¡± Apollo starts, Bam! The sound of a clash commands our attention, picking up the pace we head towards the sound ¡°Shhh!¡± Karina, in front, orders, noticing human figures, We cautiously move forward to what looks like an altercation between three people¡­. ¡°I thought we were going to be fair about this!¡± One man says as he stumbles bleeding out, ¡°All is fair in war,¡± the other two sneer, ¡°taking our competition out one by one is the best chance the ¡®coalition¡¯ has at being number one!¡± the man of the two crows, ¡°Say hi to your other members for us!¡± the other figure, a woman sings, grabbing the bleeding man by his face, His body sets on fire, the other two watch laughing, as he turns to dust, ¡°That makes-¡± the woman begins but notices our group ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Y-¡± Lyra begins hotly ¡°-We are merely travellers minding our business,¡± Pinoki cuts her off ¡°Would you mind telling us how close umm, Furlheim City is?¡± ¡°Huh? Haven¡¯t heard anyone call the city by that name in a while, you¡¯ll see it when you pass this field,¡± the man responds, The two don¡¯t seem bothered by us witnessing them murder someone. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± Pinoki pushes us on eager to escape the sights of these two strange individuals, ¡°Wait,¡± the woman calls out, ¡°Since your obviously newcomers here, I¡¯ll give you some advice, It would be wise if you allied yourself with an organization, guild or group in the city, Or you might not survive,¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­. Leaving the two behind we continue onward, Karina twirls her dagger nervously, Lyra walks at a faster pace than usual Apollo constantly feels his back for Darius¡¯s sword, Pinoki whistles excitedly, Even I feel the tension, Though unsure what awaits us, we know that for sure, This is going to be interesting. Sweepstakes! (Youre a Winner) ¡°Huh-huh-huh-huh!¡± Breathing heavily, I grip the prototype tightly, sweat erupting from the pores in my hand as I pull back an arrow. (Ok, I can do this) ¡°This is going to be easy,¡± a heavy-set man standing across me, laughs cracking his knuckles. (From-his-gestures-I-have-to-assume-he¡¯s-an-internal-user-maybe-a-variant-of-ground-or rock?-Or-maybe-this-is-a-subversion-he-could-be-a-physically-strong-external-user-maybe-even-summoner-If-so-my-best-bet-is-to-outspeed-him-using-a-water-arrow-followed-by-lightning-but-if-he-is-uing-a-variant-of-ground-maybe-I-should-use-a-water-ice-combo?) ¡°Stop standing there quietly, are you getting cold feet?¡± the man growls, ¡°Or are we going to do this!?¡± ¡°Huh~¡± I take one final breath, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± **** ¡°You¡¯re a winner! You¡¯ve chosen to eat at right place!¡± a smiley waitress says coming to take our orders, ¡°This is not what I imagined,¡± Pinoki comments, picking an order from the menu, he then subsequently passes it around the table for the rest of us to choose, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a place so busy,¡± Lyra looks out a window, ¡°It seems like visitors like us are commonplace here,¡± Karina observes, ¡°I feel like a winner, these prices are so cheap,¡± Apollo immersed in the menu of foods, It¡¯s been a couple hours since we encountered the two peculiar people, on the path here, the rest of the journey, to our relief was uneventful, Unlike the kingdom of Soterra, who¡¯s main city was surrounded by walls with guards monitoring the only entrance, Furlheim, an octagonally shaped city, seamlessly transitions from the lush backwoods into the city, no walls, no guards to restrict our entry, it felt as though the city itself was welcoming us in, The atmosphere though cold and grey was not without liveliness as the litter-covered streets hosted a diverse number of individuals all in groups, some carelessly going about their business, others shouting loudly trying to attract customers, We had not been here for even a minute before people started trying to sell us things, dozens of vendor stalls line up almost every street, offering clearly fake magic stones, and other miscellaneous items for suspiciously cheap, amounts of prices, It wasn¡¯t even the vendors alone like this, dozens of inns, dinners, weapon shops, you name it, were all scattered about almost every corner of the city, each coupled with their own distinct logo to prove their individuality from each other. Walking into Furlheim felt akin to entering a casino and being bombarded with different ways to lose your money, After observing as much as we could for a few hours, we finally gave in and decided to try one of the many diners. ¡­¡­.. ¡°About time,¡± Apollo grumbles hungrily as the waitress finally brings our food, Lyra looks at my plate scornfully, I ordered simply salad and beans, but she says nothing, ¡°Not bad,¡± Pinoki chows down, ¡°I was skeptical of it being good given the prices as well the other diners nearby, quantity usually means less quality,¡± ¡°I wonder what¡¯s the reason for the all the similar stores,¡± Karina inputs looking out a window, ¡°More-so, what do you reckon those oval-shaped buildings are about,¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. She points out to a dome-like structure in the near distance, similar to most of the commercial establishments in this city there seems to be an abundance of them as well, within walking distance of every area, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for storage or meetings,¡± Pinoki guesses lazily, ¡­. ¡°So, what exactly do we do here?¡± Lyra speaks up, ¡­.. (Is it just me or does something feel¡­) ¡°Kage? Kage!?¡± Shove! ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been quiet since we got here,¡± Lyra states tartly ¡°I was thinking about something, what were we talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were having one of those ¡®dreams you told us about,¡± she probes ¡°No, and that¡¯s not how it works, I think,¡± ¡°I find it unsettling that you can snoop around my memories,¡± Apollo opines, ¡°That¡¯s not how it works,¡± I repeat ¡°The things I saw with you, were through the eyes of Omari, his memories, though it felt like it was me, like I was physically there living it,¡± ¡°Ehh, let¡¯s not bring those matters that up,¡± Apollo says uncomfortably, ¡°I¡¯m haunted by Darius already I don¡¯t need to be reminded of Omari,¡± ¡°Haunted?¡± I ask curiously, ¡°I mean this,¡± ¡­¡­. He taps the sword strapped to his back, ¡°Darius¡¯s sword, it still hasn¡¯t disappeared yet, Magic is meant to disappear, no matter what type, however there is a rare exception, it happens to only those with true conviction or deep regret, it could be something as simple as summoning all the magic you will ever have to blow yourself up, or leaving back a part of your magic, that will not go away till the purpose intended is fulfilled, I thought killing Murdoc would make it disappear, clearly it didn¡¯t, I can only guess what Darius wants me to with this, His Requiem.¡± ¡°Maybe its to find your father,¡± Pinoki brings up, ¡°your mother must have met him when she lived here right?¡± ¡°Nah, not interested in finding him,¡± Apollo drones, ¡°the fact that she did not tell anyone who he was, means he¡¯s either dead already, a crook or something worse, I¡¯ve read enough novels to assume that much,¡± ¡°Awful assumption to make,¡± Lyra teases ¡°he could be a model human being you don¡¯t know,¡± ¡°Hmm, maybe your right,¡± he replies sarcastically ¡°maybe he¡¯s just an angel, so much so that my mother forgot to mention him.¡± ¡°Speaking of lost family members,¡± Karina looking directly at Lyra, ¡°Maybe we should find your brother, and kill him,¡± ¡°And you look at me like that, because?¡± Lyra scowls, ¡°I obviously don¡¯t know where he is,¡± ¡°I never said you did¡± ¡°Then why the look?¡± ¡°I wanted to see your reaction,¡± ¡°Why, you think I would care? I hate him just as much as you,¡± ¡°I sincerely doubt that Lyra, He killed my family for fun, not even because of Murdoc made him,¡± ¡°He killed my family too,¡± ¡°He is your family Lyra,¡± ¡°I hate him, just as much as he hates me,¡± ¡°He still spared you though hating you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Go back to being quiet Karina, I don¡¯t have the energy to go back and forth with you right now,¡± ¡°You seem pretty full to me,¡± ¡°You sound pretty annoying to me, so shut up,¡± ¡°Or what? We both know who¡¯s stronger between us,¡± ¡°Well-¡± ¡°-And I¡¯m also faster than you¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cut me off!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t finish speak so technically you cut me of first,¡± ¡°Probably because what you were saying was garbage,¡± ¡°Like your brother.¡± ¡°Ok? You think I¡¯m going to defend him because you said that?¡± ¡°No, I was just checking your reaction again, to be sure you really don¡¯t care,¡± ¡°Have I met your oh-so marvelous expectations?¡± ¡°A little, maybe if you toned down the bitchy-ness, I might buy it a bit more,¡± ¡°How about I turn up the cold?¡± ¡­¡­. Pinoki raises his eyebrows giving me a look, (Don¡¯t give me that look, I¡¯m not going to stop them) I turn my gaze to Apollo giving him a nudge under the table, ¡°This is a good meal,¡± he mumbles ignoring me, wanting nothing to do with the conflict, **** ¡°It was three copper, right?¡± Pinoki says handing the owner of the diner the money for the meal, ¡°I can tell you are new here,¡± she beams, something about her smile makes me feel uneasy, ¡°What if I demanded three gold instead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± Pinoki says dryly, ¡°We¡¯ll be lea-¡± ¡°-I¡¯m serious traveler sir, I want more money,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we all.¡± Pinoki gesturing for us to leave, ¡°Since you are new here, allow me to explain to you how things are run here in Sweepstake City,¡± Taking out a ring with a spiral insignia the woman places it on her finger, ¡°Huh? I thought this was Furlheim city?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been called that in a long time,¡± the big-boned woman cackles, ¡°You see, ever since our new mayor was elected, he removed all laws, taxes and mandates, giving us just one rule: Anything that you desire be it money, respect or status can and only can be won via battle, "Her ring begins glowing, the light spiraling around all of us, it feels similar to travelling to the unholy city, My body getting lighter as the light whisks us away¡­¡­¡­... ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Where is this! Lyra yells,¡± looking around the structure, The walls encrusted with presumably magic gems, giant crystals hang from each corner of a circular curved roof, they emit bright lights, illuminating the arena-like area below, (Are we in the dome structure we saw earlier?) ¡°I¡¯m sure you must have noticed these, all around the city,¡± the woman now appearing with four other waitresses from her diner, they all smile happily like starved dogs who¡¯s just been given their first meal in months, ¡°This is one of our many challenge domes,¡± the woman continues, ¡°We settle all our disputes here, it only takes one win to become the richest person in the city, I apologize kind travelers, I bear no grudge against you, this is all business, However, since you are unfamiliar with our culture, We promise to go easy on you.¡± Interlude to ? Pain, why do we feel it? A pulsing sensation that disrupts your entire focus demanding all your attention, Makes us wince, makes us moan, makes us cry, Why do we feel it? With pain comes additional feelings as if all packaged together as one deal, The feelings of fear, sadness, despair, agony, annoyance, they all coincide from just a single sensation If I stub my toe, I¡¯ll wince, grimace at the pain, I¡¯ll be annoyed, limp around for a bit, But the pain will always eventually go away, Right? And with the pain goes all the residual emotion, I¡¯ll no longer be bothered, So, what is it about being inflicted pain on by others, What is it that, Makes me get, So infuriated. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Chh!¡± Apollo spits out some blood dragging his sword behind, ¡°Aww!¡± Pinoki limps out ¡°I can¡¯t believe they beat us so easily,¡± Lyra complains, ¡°It was over in only a few minutes,¡± Karina say annoyedly, ¡°They weren¡¯t even stronger than us, how did we lose so bad!?¡± Apollo adds, ¡°Even took five gold instead of three,¡± Pinoki whines (Sweepstake City, that¡¯s what they called here, a place where anything can be a prize) ¡­. ¡°That would explain all the similar stores and vendors around, they lure in new people like us and teach us the hard way how their city is run,¡± Karina presumes ¡°I¡¯m already bored of this place,¡± Pinoki drawls, ¡°I would say we look for a place to stay the night, but I¡¯d much prefer camping out somewhere that isn¡¯t here,¡± ¡°What happened to your adventurous spirit?¡± Apollo jokes, ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m tired and I just got beaten by a group of maids,¡± ¡°We all did,¡± Apollo replies¡­. The five of us dejectedly walk through the streets of the city, on our way out, though night-time the streets still remain crowded, everyone traveling in groups, Never we would see a person by themselves (Is it dangerous to be alone here?) ¡­¡±Some more than others,¡± Pinoki says teasingly nudging a bruised Lyra, Lyra grunts frustratedly, shoving her way through a group of people walking ahead of us, ¡°Hey, watch where you¡¯re walking girl!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to you!¡± a lanky man calls angrily at Lyra, ¡°If anyone asks, we don¡¯t know her¡± Pinoki whispers half-jokingly, ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± Lyra aggresses ¡°Do you know who we are girl, show some respect!¡± ¡°Is there a problem!¡± Karina intervenes, ¡°My, er sister here isn¡¯t good with courtesy,¡± ¡°We are members of the Hunter coalition,¡± the man says braggingly, Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡­¡­ Karina and Lyra both stare at him blankly, ¡°Ugh, you must be visitors, The Hunter coalitions is one of, if not the biggest faction in this city, soon we will be the new power in charge, so let your sister and the rest of your friends know, show some respect next time to see us!¡± The man turns beginning to huff off ¡°How about we fight then!¡± Lyra challenges aggressively ¡°Wah?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that how things work here, you fight to settle disputes?¡± ¡°Lyra, stop being irrational,¡± Pinoki hisses ¡°let¡¯s get out of here,¡± ¡°I demand you show me respect,¡± Lyra continues ignoring Pinoki, ¡°What is? The man looks around confused, ¡°Some kind of joke? You want to battle us? Hahahahahaha!¡± he bursts into laughter, ¡°A traveler who probably hasn¡¯t spent at least a week here, is issuing challenges Don¡¯t tell me is that why you and your friends all looked bruised, Hahahhahaha You lost a battle with another group, didn¡¯t you? Tell me what faction they were from, The service group? The construction company? The Order? The merchant alliance?¡± ¡­. ¡°Are we going to fight or no-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be on our way,¡± Karina says placing her hand over Lyra¡¯s mouth, ¡°No, wait,¡± the man, noticing a small crowd gathering, takes out a spiral insignia ring, ¡°I want to teach visitors like you a lesson about respect,¡± (not again) ¡°Not again,¡± Pinoki groans as if reading my mind, **** Vwhip! I fire an arrow but its already too late, a woman charges at me, a stream of wind emanating from behind her, greatly boosting her speed, Punch! That was her first attack, I crash to the ground face first, across from me Pinoki simultaneously gets knocked down as well, Slam! Apollo¡¯s sword falls to ground, him right after as a roundhouse kick from a foot coated in solid rock connects to the side of his temple The loud man Lyra antagonized has not moved yet his eyes trained on the girl ¡°Snow-¡± A ball of pressurized water smack her right on the jaw, ¡°Hahaha!¡± The man laughs as Lyra sprawls backwards, Smack! Lyra¡¯s cheek goes red, Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! ¡°Know some respect next time girl,¡± he gets off the beaten girl ¡°Alright we can leave these trave- Aghh!¡± A dagger silently pierces his hip ¡°What the hell!? Kim!?¡± He calls looking over to one of his comrades seeing her sprawled out bleeding on the ground, she was supposed to be fighting¡­... Umph! ¡°Don¡¯t put your hands on Lyra again!¡± Karina kicks him in his gut ¡°You bitch!¡± He spits, ¡°This isn¡¯t a part of the rules!¡± ¡°Oh, My mistake, I seem to be at a loss for what the rules here are,¡± ¡°High wind strike!¡± ¡°Rock fist!¡± The others immediately pounce on Karina pummeling her down ¡°This is why I hate outsiders,¡± the man splutters, ¡°You¡¯re a Winner!¡± A voice echoes throughout the dome accompanied by the light carrying us out, ¡°This isn¡¯t over travelers!¡± the man grunts limping up trying to save face for the small crowd of onlookers, ¡°At first, I was going to toss you around for a bit then invite you join the hunters, however, now that opportunity has passed, Get Kim,¡± he turns to his comrades, ¡°We need to get treated¡±¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Is it just me or does the sky look mesmerizing tonight?¡± ¡°Shut up Pinoki,¡± Lyra throws across a stone, ¡°I¡¯m trying to sleep,¡± The five of us have not moved a muscle since our second beatdown down for the day We lay sprawled across the street for what feels like an eternity now, Few people pass and the ones that do simply step over us going about their way ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone sleeps here, It¡¯s late at night, and Furlheim city is just as active as it was during the day,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean Sweepstake city Kage,¡± Apollo jokes ¡°I already miss being out in the wild, remember that morning when Kage woke up late from a nightmare and started firing arrows like crazy, He killed like three rabbits on accident, Good times,¡± he sighs ¡°That was two days ago Apollo,¡± Karina monotones ¡°It feels like centuries ago,¡± ¡°I blame Lyra.,¡± Pinoki speaks up ¡°All we had to do was mind our business and leave but Lyra just had to be mad at everyone and everything¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s trying to get herself killed again,¡± Karina states ¡°oh, for heaven¡¯s sake! Why is it that every time I do something remotely violent, The first thing you¡¯ll say is, ¡®she might be trying to die again,¡¯¡± ¡°Because that was your entire motivation for the better half of ten years in the unholy city,¡± Karina retorts ¡°I left that plan behind in Soterra that¡¯s not what I want anymore,¡±: ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡­.. ¡°What about you Karina,¡± Lyra dodging the question, ¡°You¡¯re still carrying on the same shtick about desires this, pleasures that, If pleasures are all you want, why did you follow us all the way here?¡± ¡°Look who learned to counter argue, I am surprised, Lyra, But we were talking about you don¡¯t change the-¡± ¡°-No, no, no, you don¡¯t change the topic, Karina, what do you want, why are you here? And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because of desire,¡± ¡°Ok since you desperately want to know so bad, I have no reason, Back in Soterra I already had come to terms with our inevitable death in the unholy city, all I wanted to do was die drowned in pleasure, but since I¡¯m free from that now, I guess I don¡¯t know what to do, nothing truly pleases me, that¡¯s¡¯ why followed Kage, from how he acts I can tell nothing pleases him either, Maybe if I follow him, I might find something that makes me happy, Well, that and the fact that I still am extremely suspicious of Kage, He gives me secret psychopath vibes,¡± ¡°I thought it was just me who felt that from him,¡± Lyra agrees ¡°I am right here.¡± I assert, ¡°But are you really Kage? Who really is inside there, that you keep hidden, What feelings does he harbour? Anger? Regret? Fear? Lust~?¡± ¡°Ok, this just became awkward,¡± Apollo buts in ¡°Can you two go back to arguing, Pinoki and I were making bets,¡± ¡°Who did you bet to win Lyra probes,¡± ¡°Umm, I rather not say...¡± ¡°Eh? ...¡± ¡­ ¡­.¡°Hello?¡± An unfamiliar voice calls ¡°Huh?¡± A young man dressed fully in black, towers over us, speaking in a forced raspy voice "I¡¯ve noticed you were laying out here in the cold dead of the night, Were you by chance robbed?¡± My Bleeding Wound ¡°Another member ¡®missing,¡¯ they¡¯re sending us a message, At this rate, maybe we should comply,¡± ¡°No boss, we mustn¡¯t, they can¡¯t break the rules and be rewarded for it! We mustn¡¯t back down!¡± ¡°I know that but, I refuse to risk any more lives,¡± ¡°Just give it a little more thought boss, we can¡¯t let them take advantage of us!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t make any rash decisions I promise,¡± ¡°Good, then in the meantime, I¡¯ll look for more¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± **** ¡°How long were you watching us?¡± Karina interrogates the mysterious person, He runs his fingers through the white steak in his otherwise jet-black hair, nervously. ¡°Watching you? I¡¯m afraid you have it all wrong, I was going about my night when I happened saw you five laying here,¡± he says in forcefully ¡®mysterious¡¯ voice, ¡°I have to assume someone robbed and left you here beat up?¡± ¡°Hmm, out of all the assumptions you could have made, you just happened to guess that?¡± Karina presses , ¡°Well, err, umm, things like that are a common occurrence here,¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Lyra asks blankly, ¡°Who I am isn¡¯t important, What I have to offer is¡± ¡­.. The five of us exchange both cautious and curious looks, ¡°What do you want from us exactly?¡± Apollo using an intimidating voice of his own, ¡°Nothing more than a mutual agreement, I can teach you how to not get swept again and in return you can help me by temporarily joining my cause,¡± ¡°There are plenty people in this city, why don¡¯t you ask them, We¡¯re not interested,¡± Karina yawns ¡°Everyone here is already allied to a faction, and most visitors like you rarely last a day here before leaving, there are so many things to experience they miss out on,¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°What a coincidence then,¡± Pinoki quips, ¡°We were planning to leave as well, and as far as experience goes, you just ruined our ¡®stargazing¡¯, the best sight in this entire city, And if we are talking about smell, well, mmm, mmm, mmm, Do you guys smell that? It¡¯s quite an exquisite, pungent odor that one can relate to smell of a male cow otherwise known as bull¡¯s excrement,¡± ¡°He¡¯s calling you a liar,¡± Lyra interprets, ¡°Just hear me out at least, I can give my word that I¡¯m being honest,¡± he extends his arm, (On his wrist, isn¡¯t that?) ¡°Where did you get that?¡± I reach out, ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± He cautiously pulls back his hand ¡°Where did you get it?¡± I repeat ¡°I got it from my um, job you could say,¡± ¡°What exactly is this job of yours?¡± ¡°I am an adventurer,¡± ¡°Tell us more¡± Pinoki perks up, his interest caught, ¡°Well¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Claude! Clau~auddde! ¡° A girl calls, running up, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking all over for you, Don¡¯t go wandering all over by yourself, without me, Claude!¡± ¡°*Cough, cough* I¡¯m in the middle of something right now Amelia,¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with the fake voice?¡± ¡°Fake voice? this is how I always talk,¡± ¡°Quit pretending, and why are you in all black, don¡¯t tell me you took these out from the guild storage room,¡± ¡°Do tell us, ¡®Claude¡¯,¡± Karina jabs ¡°You see what you did Amelia,¡± the young man¡¯s voice no longer deep, he argues with the girl who just came up ¡°What did I do!?¡± ¡°I was trying to recruit some new members to our faction, and you just had to run your mouth!¡± ¡°I did nothing of the sort, How is a sister to feel knowing her brother left her alone to wander a dangerous city?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that crap, ¡®Sweep¡¯ isn¡¯t dangerous, you¡¯re just trying to avoid the fact that you ruined a good plan,¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t going to work anyway Claude, Nobody is going to fall for the whole mysterious man who goes around teaching outsiders the battle formula!¡± ¡°It could have worked, now I will never know¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t working,¡± Pinoki inputs, ¡°You are bad at negotiating,¡± ¡°My head hurts Apollo randomly says, ¡°Physically and mentally, I¡¯m tired. I want to sleep, Can you two leave maybe come back tomorrow,¡± ¡°Apollo, we are literally in the middle of street,¡± Lyra reminds ¡­¡­. ¡°You two, seem like ok enough people, can you show us somewhere we can stay without getting scammed and then beaten up?¡± He turns to the siblings, ¡°The guild does have extra rooms you will have to agree to join if- ¡°-Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said, I want to sleep, it has been a long day, whatever offers you have, save it for later,¡± ¡°Alright then I can agree to that,¡± the young man beams relived to at least have gotten someone a chance to convince the group, ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Can we really trust these people?¡± Pinoki whispers as we trail behind the two, following them to their ¡®home¡¯ (On his wrist, I¡¯m sure that was a watch, A digital one at that, that is the first time I¡¯ve encountered technology that I¡¯m familiar with, I have to find out where it came from) ¡°I think we should listen to what they have to say,¡± I confide to the others ¡°We can use them to get to a solid understanding of Furlheim, then we can figure out our next move¡± Karina agrees *** I need you? I wanted you? Come to me? Ecstasy? Distorted vocals coupled with delayed guitar strums echo from within, a miniature but grandiose mansion-like structure, its outer walls, a faded black color, are filled with detailed lines and patterns, it looks so ancient, so rustic, a bright light emanates out into the night from the closed windows overhead, in tandem with the curious music. ¡°You can put that away, this isn¡¯t an evil ploy I promise,¡± the young man, Claude notices Karina¡¯s dagger out, ¡°This is, where we stay, ¡®the institute¡¯,¡± he goes over to main door, ¡°Prepare yourself to be amazed.¡± Institutionalized ¡­¡­ ¡­.. ¡­. ¡­.!! ¡°Hey!¡± Bam, Bam! Bam, Bam! Claude embarrassingly bangs on the door, He¡¯d been trying to open if for a few minutes now, ¡°Who keeps locking this door! Hey! I hear the music I know you¡¯re up!¡± Bam, Bam! Bam, Bam! ¡­. ¡°What!¡± the door swing open, An auburn-haired female stands in a nightgown ¡°I told you stop locking this door when I leave,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you two left, and maybe if you didn¡¯t lose your key, we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation¡± ¡­. She notices our group, ¡°I don¡¯t want to know,¡± she turns heading back inside, ¡°I have nothing to do with this either,¡± Amelia, Claude¡¯s sister heads in right behind her, ¡°Sorry about that, where was I again, Prepare to be ama-¡± ¡°-Nice place,¡± Karina comments already inside, ¡°How did you¡­ I didn¡¯t even hear you,¡± ¡°Are you guys coming in?¡± Karina ignoring the boy, Lyra shoves her way past him, so does Pinoki and Apollo, only I remain standing outside, ¡°I barley know them myself,¡± I say noticing his disapproving expression, ¡°Are you going to let me in or¡­¡± Claude silently steps out of the way, allowing me to walk into the warmly lit ¡®institute¡¯ as he¡¯d called it, Indeed the inside was as amazing as he had hyped it to be, the walls covered with gem encrusted portraits depicting what seems to be the history of this place, a royal-like staircase flows through the room heading to an upstairs that consists of just hallways with doors lined up presumably bedrooms, the warm yellow lights illuminated every corner of the institute, shining down on the magic circle-like floor patterns, though beautiful to look at, they show signs of wear, the whole building does, The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Giving the place a homey, lived-in feel. An enchanting bassline hums throughout the institute, (I wonder where it¡¯s coming from) ¡­¡­. ¡°This is the only room I could find, right now, with more than one bed,¡± Claude showing us into a spacious room with two beds, ¡°You can rest up here, in the morning we can discuss ¡®business¡¯,¡± The door closes behind him, ¡­¡­ ¡°What have we just gotten ourselves into,¡± Lyra groans, ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t handle, Hopefully,¡± ¡°Easy for you to say Kage, You¡¯re the weakest one here~¡± ¡­¡­Apollo already dozing off, spread across the entirety of one bed, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure, I can beat Lyra,¡± ¡°Do not start with me, Kage¡± ¡°It was a joke, Kind of.¡± ¡°We can always rob them and sneak out,¡± Pinoki proposes ¡°That idea doesn¡¯t sound half bad,¡± Karina assents ¡°We are not robbing anyone, if they were planning to do something they would have already, ¡°Unless they¡¯re waiting for us to sleep to do it¡± Lyra replies cynically ¡°I hate that you make a good point,¡± .. ¡°Sooo, should we all stay up?¡± Pinoki queries ¡°You can sleep if you want, I¡¯m staying up,¡± Lyra yawns ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to take a little nap?¡± Karina jabs ¡°I¡¯m good, I just need something to keep me busy,¡± ¡°Well~ since it is just us alone in here, how about we-¡± ¡°No.¡± Lyra and I both cut off the girl, **** ¡°The average person sees a fight, as an expression of violence, Both opposing fighters, usually charge at each other, with the goal to unleash the most damage possible, That isn¡¯t the case here in Sweepstake however,¡±¡­ The five of us sit around a large table in the ¡®mess hall¡¯ of the institute, listening to Claude as he explains their ¡®battle formula¡¯ His sister, Amelia sits quietly by his side, hasn¡¯t said a word to us, ever. Besides us, only a few other people are here chatting along with each other. Rays of sunlight streak through the stained-glass windows, the light seeping into the room projects the artistic window, designs along its walls. ¡­ ¡°When the mayor got voted in and created this system, he based it off his experiences as a high-level fighter, You see in battles of power it is said that the weaker the people who fight are, the longer the battle will last, So, it¡¯s only logical that a fight between two highly experienced fighters would surprisingly be shorter, because at that level it wouldn¡¯t be a battle of strength, but strategy, We were taught to think of battle like a chess board, but when two pieces get close enough to each other, instead of attacking, they both play a game of rock paper scissors, the one who moves right wins the fight, If you move even a little too rushed, your opponent may see what you¡¯re going to play and counter easily, That¡¯s why you guys got swept, it wasn¡¯t because you were weaker, your opponents just played rock to your scissors,¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Karina muses, ¡°What can you tell us about the spiral rings?¡± I press on curiously ¡°This?¡± he shows his ring, I know it has something to do with the mayor and ummmm,¡± ¡°It was created by the mayor,¡± his sisters speak up, ¡°You are always so bad at basic knowledge, Claude,¡± ¡°Hey, I just explained the entire formula to them,¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s all you think about!¡± ¡°At least finish explain it to the people,¡± ¡°¡­.. People say the mayor is a ¡®crazy¡¯, because of his warp magic that he imbues in all the rings, Activating them sends you to the nearest challenge dome, where all fights take place, when a battle is over, they automatically send you back to where you were when you initiated it,¡± Amelia rambles nervously, ¡°Did everyone get all that?¡± Pinoki jokes ¡°I heard enough to know that next time I see that loud, man who kept bragging about being a hunter, I¡¯ll pummel him for sure ,¡± Lyra states, ¡°Just because you had it explained to you does not mean you will win,¡± Karina counters ¡°If you don¡¯t believe in me, just say so Karina,¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what this about,¡± ¡°Anyways,¡± Apollo stopping the two girls form arguing, ¡°How does this relate to the city being called sweepstake, and well everything else,¡± ¡°Simple,¡± Claude replies, ¡°It has to do with the one rule he gave us, Anything can be won, that includes his place as mayor, But everyone really likes him as mayor, that and he¡¯s impossible to beat so they all moved to next best thing, Wealth and influence¡­.¡± ¡­.. Stomp! ¡­.. Stomp! ¡­.. Stomp! ¡­.. Stomp! The loud thuds cause Claude to stop talking, ¡°What is that?¡± Pinoki speaks as we all look around alarmedly ¡°Is it an earthquake?¡± ¡°No,¡± Claude points to the mess hall¡¯s doors, that begin to open, ¡°That is our boss.¡± Grazioso ¡°Huawahh!!¡± a loud yawn reverberates throughout the room, a muscular old man struts his way in, His eyes scouting the people sat in the room, ¡°Where is Saito!? Do not tell me he¡¯s still sleeping right now, after keeping everyone else up last night with his music!¡± ¡°I actually slept really well, Giichi sir,¡± a brown-haired man who sat at a table with the Auburn-haired girl from last night, informs, ¡°Shut up Josh, I did not ask for your opinion,¡± ¡°But-¡± the man starts ¡°-Are you really going to argue with your poor old boss? My old heart may not be able to handle the back and forth.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Josh says nothing, Giichi smirks pleased, beginning to whistle as he sits down with his breakfast, ¡­. ¡°Hey, you, with the silver hair I forgot your name, stop staring at me please,¡± he catches my stare, ¡°Umm, you never met him before, Giichi sir,¡± Claude explains ¡°I didn¡¯t? Well in that case, What do you think you are barging into my institute, stranger, get out!¡± ¡°No, boss I brought them¡± ¡°Them? Are all you of you strangers?¡± he peers at our group, ¡°We have had so many members, I tend to forget who¡¯s who,¡± Claude lets out a large sigh... ¡°This is our guild master, Giichi, he¡¯s kind of, er, eccentric but means well,¡± ¡°Are these people your clients, Claude?¡± ¡°No, I am trying to, umm, temporary recruit them,¡± ¡­¡­. The old man¡¯s demeanor changes, ¡°We talked about is yesterday, Claude, it¡¯s dangerous for us right now¡± ¡°Exactly why we need more people boss,¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± he eyes us earnestly this time ¡°You, familiar looking muscular man with the sword, can you fight with that or is it just for show?¡± ¡°I can, and we have not decided on joining whatever this is just so you know,¡± Apollo trying to sound extremely masculine, (I think he¡¯s intimidated) ¡°We were listening to Claude here, explain everything to us, before you interrupted,¡± Apollo asserts, ¡°What do you want to know?¡± The old man says knocking Claude off his seat, taking his place ¡­¡­. ¡°I was telling them about the factions,¡± Claude grumbles, ¡°What could a baby like you know about the factions, ¡±Sir Giichi scoffs, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I came when I did or you would have said the wrong thing,¡± ¡°I was going to tell them what you taught me¡± Claude argues ¡°Ehh, with your bad memory, I doubt that¡± ¡°What do you mean my bad memory, you just now could not differentiate between strangers and actual members!¡± ¡°Are you really going to bully this old man, Claude?¡± ¡°¡­...-¡± ¡°-Can you tell us what we need to know already, or should we just leave,¡± Lyra interjects ¡°You are an awfully boisterous little one,¡± Sir Giichi says patronizingly This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ll freez-¡± she starts ¡°-So, Claude was telling us that because everyone likes the current mayor and how no-one can beat him, they decided to go after wealth and power instead,¡± Karina speaks over Lyra ¡°No one can beat him,¡± Sir Giichi says mockingly, ¡°I could deal with that fool easily, But I digress, It is correct that no-one will challenge him, not just because of his strength or because he is well-liked, it¡¯s in part due to his faction, The Mayoral Mafia, You see, because of the mayor¡¯s laissez-faire approach to leadership, this entire city is run by the people itself, we created a system of factions, to prevent all-out battle between every single citizen, which in turn gave birth to a constant competition for supremacy amongst the factions,¡± ¡°And this institute is one of those factions?¡± I ask ¡°Yes, but we existed before the concept of factions was a thing, Furlheim City aways had an adventures guild,¡± ¡°How many factions are there?¡± ¡°I know there are seven major ones counting this one, any other faction would be a subgroup, My breakfast is getting cold, Claude,¡± ¡°The Service group, are the ones who run the inns, diners and are responsible for most other acquirable services,¡± Claude takes over as Sir Giichi begins eating his breakfast, ¡°Overall, they hold the least influence or power here, The Construction company, does just as the name suggests, they hold a lot of influence, but remain unbiased mostly, The Merchant alliance are the wealthiest of us, I¡¯m sure you have seen at least ten vendors since arriving here. The Order, is the most secretive, no one knows their true agenda, only that they try to maintain the order here, by any means necessary, The Hunters, the ones who beat you, do anything for money or prestige , they are always on the ¡®hunt¡¯ for superiority.¡± ¡°And what do you, the adventurers do?¡± Pinoki presses on curiously, ¡°We used to go out and explore the Southern Rocklands and Northern Frostlands for artifacts, as well as doing other smaller helpful jobs, but as of late, the Hunters have been taking our jobs, slowly trying to take our influence and replace us, They even declared war on us.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Sir Giichi still chewing, ¡°Is that why these people are here Claude? I told you already, we are not risking any more lives, that includes strangers!¡± ¡°Boss, listen, we can¡¯t compete with them how we are now, we need more people with us, Their strength won¡¯t matter as long as they learn the strategy for battle, even the hunters are bound to this rule.¡± ¡°Umm, excuse, none of us said we were open to allying ourselves with you,¡± Karina inputs bossily, ¡°Your city politics does not sound very appealing,¡± Pinoki agrees, ¡°sadly I would have been interested in joining your guild if it was not for the complexity that comes with it,¡± ¡°The city is not that bad,¡± Claude protests, ¡°There are a few things I would like to know,¡± I speak up ¡°Depending on your answers I¡¯ll join right now,¡± ¡°Ok, very well then, ask away,¡± ¡°The watch you were wearing last night, Where did you get it,¡± I ask interrogatingly ¡°Watch? You mean the artifact? I can tell you about it, even show you our artifact room, but that information is only allowed for members of the guild¡± He smiles slyly ¡°Ahahah! You do know a few negotiatory tactics Claude.¡± Sir Giichi guffaws slapping the boy hard on his back, he lurches forward the slap echoing throughout the mess hall, ¡­. Amelia smirks a little, before catching a venomous gaze from her brother, She promptly responds to his gaze by giving him the finger. ¡­. ¡°Then I¡¯ll join, as long as you can tell me where you found the ¡®watch¡¯, your faction conflict does not bother or concern me¡± I say dryly, (I might be making another rash decision, but this is the only path I can see forward right now) ¡°You¡¯re a weird one, aren¡¯t you,¡± Sir Giichi comments, ¡°First time I¡¯ve heard someone name an artifact, Or maybe second, hmmm, You know back in the day,¡± he gets into a reminiscing mood, ¡°Let¡¯s save that story for another time,¡± Claude stops him, used to his boss¡¯s long stories, ¡°Kage are you sure about joining them,¡± Karina questions, ¡°If you are, then I will as well, I did say I was going to follow you for a while and I mean it,¡± ¡°*cough* I¡¯mwithKageonthistoo,¡± Lyra mumbles out quickly, ¡°¡­.. ¡° Apollo grunts something his face full of food,¡± his expression doesn¡¯t seem to be sold on the decision ¡°Hhhhh,¡± Pinoki sighs, ¡°this better be fun,¡± ¡°The institute is always open to new members, but as I told Claude before, I¡¯m not putting anyone¡¯s life in danger, For any reason,¡± Sir Giichi informs sternly, ¡°However, since we have been telling you a lot about us, I now want to know about you, Where are you five even from?¡± ¡°Four of us are from Soterra, Kage, the one with the silver hair, is secretive about his whereabouts,¡± Karina replies, ¡°I told you I don¡¯t remember where I¡¯m from,¡± ¡°Okay~ And I said I believed you Kage,¡± ¡°If I was Lyra I would have an insult for you right now,¡± I retort ¡°Then think of one Kage, I dare you,¡± ¡­¡­ Lyra whispers something my ear ¡°I¡¯m not saying that¡± ¡°I already heard it,¡± Karina says gloatingly ¡­¡­ ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re from Soterra? it is rare to see anyone from that kingdom these day,¡± Sir Giichi recollects, ¡°You know, we had member from Soterra back in the day, a headstrong woman she was, always knew what she wanted,¡± ¡­. Apollo perks up immediately ¡°Was her name Emmaline?¡± ¡°You mean, Emma? Do you know her?¡± ¡°Only in name, she¡¯s the only person from Soterra I heard of that came to this city, She is my mother,¡± ¡°You¡¯re her child? Then this must be fate for us to have met, How is she now?¡± ¡°She umm died giving birth to me,¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Sorry to hear she passed,¡± Sir Giichi sympathizes , ¡°What about you father then, I¡¯m assuming he did not take her death lightly, those two were always so annoyingly close to each other,¡± ¡°You know who he is?¡± Apollo asks surprised, ¡°You don¡¯t? Don¡¯t tell me he died as well,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I never met him, or know he is,¡± ¡°Something must have happened to him then, he wouldn¡¯t have left you, he was always so orderly and just with his decisions and actions, A good man he was,¡± Sir Giichi reminisces ¡°Maybe he¡¯s dead,¡± Apollo forces a yawn, trying to act nonchalant, ¡°If so then that¡¯s a shame, he was brimming with so much potential, hopefully some of it passed on to you and your¡­. Half-Brother? Cousin?¡± He gestures to me, ¡°Huh, You mean Kage? We are not related,¡± ¡°Really? Then why do both of you resemble Raguel?¡± Sounds Like a Coincidence Coincidence. What does that even mean? A series of random actions that happen to be connected to each other Or is it something unseen guiding seemingly unrelated things together, Why can¡¯t I recall anything before waking up in that house? Why did I meet Omari? Why did I go to Soterra and get as involved as I did? Why did I see Lyra¡¯s brother go into the same house I woke up in? Why can I even see these things? How is it all connected? These thoughts lingered in my mind for the rest of day, After Sir Giichi and Claude finished explaining everything we needed to know, we were formerly signed in as members of the adventure¡¯s guild. ¡®Why did things turn out like this?¡¯ was what I thought when we were given our own individual rooms, ¡®What were the odds of me making it here?¡¯ I thought when Claude and his sister toured us through the Institute, The more I get closer to my truth the more questions get placed in my way, ¡­¡­¡­ (Maybe.) ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°If you think too much your head will explode Kage,¡± ¡°Karina? You do know we have our own rooms now, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m checking up on you, you have been out of it this whole day,¡± ¡°I was thinking things over, also Giichi sir said he wouldn¡¯t tell us more about the ¡®artifact¡¯ until he could fully trust us, so there is not much I should be doing right now besides thinking of what to do next.¡± ¡°Giichi is quite an ¡®interesting¡¯ old man,¡± Karina comments ¡°He is incredibly sporadic, one moment he¡¯ll be mature and listening then he¡¯ll suddenly start acting like an eccentric old man, Kind of reminds me of you Kage,¡± she sidles up next to me on my bed, ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m an old man?¡± ¡°Sometimes I think you are, Then you act like a lost child other times, Like now,¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to piece everything together in my head,¡± ¡°You know coincidences do exist right Kage? Just because an eccentric old man said you sort of resemble a man, who we are not one hundred percent sure to be Apollo¡¯s father, does not mean you have to spiral into infinite confusion,¡± ¡°I know it does, but knowing my history with coincidences I have to overthink it Karina, Do you know how lost I feel, how lost I¡¯ve been feeling, since¡­.¡± ¡°How about you change what you¡¯re thinking about then,¡± Karina whispers soothingly, ¡°Giichi is going to show me, well us, a full map of this ring tomorrow, so if anything, we can always start making plans to go somewhere else, I am still not sold on the whole ¡®Sweepstake city¡¯ aesthetic,¡± ¡°Ring?¡± (Have I heard that term before) ¡°What about it?¡± she rests her head down on me, ¡°Nothing, I forget that¡¯s what the earth is called¡± ¡­¡­. Hey there you? Looking for a brighter season? The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Need to lay a burden down? Hey there you? Drowning in a helpless feeling? Enchanting vocals pulsate throughout the rustic walls of the institute, catching my attention, ¡°Saito, I think he¡¯s called, who¡¯s playing that, I have yet to meet him and ask how he does that,¡± ¡°He is using a ¡®sound diamond¡¯ obviously,¡± Karina yawns ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I used one when I operated club Hedon, back in Soterra,¡± ¡°How does the music get into to the diamond then?¡± ¡°Sound is a general magic, anyone can learn it and imbue it into diamonds,¡± ¡°I thought that was it was a special attribute like what you had?¡± ¡°The sound magic I had was different, as it was attribute based, I could do more with mine besides the ability to create sounds like its ¡®general¡¯ counterpart,¡± ¡°Where do you get the songs from to play?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, most music-sound diamonds are found with songs already in them, it¡¯s said that people put them there a long time ago, from a past civilization, I do know however that magic can travel from gem to gem once they are still in the earth itself, so that¡¯s how the music got spread around,¡± (Music that lasts eternally) ¡°I never noticed the music at club Hedon actually,¡± I reply, ¡°They were more subtle than the ones played here,¡± ¡°Ahh club Hedon,¡± Karina reminisces, yawning again, ¡°Simpler time it was back then was, till you had to ruin it,¡± ¡°I was trying to save the people from themselves,¡± ¡°Intoxication, euphoria and lust, they were happy Kage, even if artificially,¡± ¡°Then can you really call that happiness Karina?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the pain I felt when I saw it all burn in front of me, was definitely not artificial, Question Kage, If losing something makes you feel sadness, Then, the thing you lost, Doesn¡¯t that mean it made you feel happy?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m going to bed now Karina,¡± ¡°Wait, one more thing, You remember, what you did when I was crying, when I thought I lost everything that day?¡± ¡°I hugged you?¡± ¡°Kage¡­¡­. Could you do it again?¡± **** ¡°Can you stop doing that Kage.¡± ¡°Doing what, Lyra¡± I dazedly reply to the girl, ¡°Zoning out when someone is talking, I am really starting to get tired of that,¡± ¡°I was making note of the area, we are not familiar with the city, so I have to take an account of everything I see,¡± ¡°Well make notes to me Kage, you do not always have to talk everything with yourself, I am right here,¡± ¡°You usually get angry when I tell you anything,¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because you only ever talk to me when it is to make snarky remarks,¡± ¡°I make regular remarks, you¡¯re just a bit soft,¡± ¡°I¡¯m a woman¡­ we are more sensitive with things like that,¡± ¡°Nice try Lyra, Karina isn¡¯t like that at all, don¡¯t try to drag all women down with you- -aww!¡± Lyra stamps her heel on my foot, ¡°See what I mean!¡± I hop around gripping my foot, ¡°Would you two behave,¡± Claude barks, ¡°We are in a public area, you¡¯re making the guild look bad,¡± ¡°I thought you said this was the good part of town,¡± Lyra jeers ¡°It is to us,¡± Claude answers, walking in front of us with his sister, Amelia, who rarely says anything to anyone but him, He was supposed to show the five us around what he described to be the ¡®better parts¡¯ of Sweepstake city, but Apollo stayed back at the guild to talk more with Giichi about his mother and father, Pinoki and Karina have already disappeared off on their own somewhere, so all that was left was Lyra and me. ¡°There are still battles here, but not as much as you would find anywhere else in the city,¡± Claude is explaining¡­¡­. Though, not to extent of how Murdoc made Soterra there is a certain level of cordiality and peacefulness here, even the designs here contrasts that of the majority city, The white moss-covered colonial bricks, that support most buildings, the calm trees that sway cheerfully in the midday breeze, Rarely people would greet us, but when they did it felt somewhat refreshing, I have already gotten used to nonchalant crowds of Furlheim, after being here for only a few days, (Claude is not wrong about thi-) ¡°Claude is not wrong about this being a much less hectic area of Sweepstake,¡± I remember to talk to Lyra, ¡°There are a lot less vendors here as well,¡± Lyra replies, slightly pleased that I didn¡¯t keep my thought to myself this time, ¡°This is basically our territory,¡± Claude listening in to Lyra I, ¡°The guild that is, Since the ¡®Sweep¡¯ is effectively run by its people, every faction has unofficially taken control of their own area, this being ours, You can see by the older building designs here, this is some of the last remnants of how Furlheim city was,¡± ¡°Do you like it here?¡± I ask ¡°It may look bad to newcomers like you, but this is a really nice place, once you get used to constant battle for wealth and supremacy,¡± Claude assures ¡°I may not have said this yet, but the hunters were actually a faction born from under the adventurer¡¯s guild, We used to have more members just a few years ago, but some got unhappy with us being a neutral faction, they wanted to be the dominant power, so the split off, creating their own group, slowly amassing influence, Now they mean to surpass us by any means,¡± ¡°You look like you aren¡¯t that old Claude, so why are you acting so passionate about what basically is just your job,¡± ¡°It is not just my job,¡± Claude scoffs, ¡°Amelia and I are twins, and besides each other our only family is the guild, Before that we used to live in these very streets,¡± ¡°She speaks less than even Kage,¡± Lyra eyes a quiet Amelia holding on to her brother¡¯s hand, ¡°Amelia isn¡¯t much of talker when it comes to anyone other than me and Sir, Giichi,¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°Beautiful,¡± I whisper, ¡°hah? Lyra stumbles back awkwardly ¡°I just realized how beautiful this place, can be, The mix of people here, it feels like one big pot of different cultures mixed together¡±, ¡°Is this what you usually talk to yourself about, Kage?¡± Lyra chortles ¡°Not usually, You said I should talk to you instead of thinking everything to myself,¡± ¡°Yes, but can¡¯t you find a more normal way to say things,¡± ¡°More normal? As we were walking through the city, I noticed the diverse mix of people here, I reiterated my thoughts on it to you thereafter, What do you mean make it normal?¡± ¡°Sometimes I feel like you¡¯re a child, Kage,¡± Lyra groans ¡°Karina told me something similar, funny enough,¡± ¡°What were you saying about you and your sister again, Claude?¡± Lyra ignores my remark ¡°Nothing, just that the guild was our only family,¡± ¡°What happened to your real family?¡± she presses, ¡°Our parents, if that¡¯s what you mean, they¡¯re both dead, Died ten years ago, when-¡± ¡°-Ten years ago?¡± (Around that same time didn¡¯t Lyra lose her parents too? Karina, Pinoki, Zinnia, Darius, Soterra became the Holy city ten years ago as well) I look at Claude and his sister as he is telling his story, (What are the chances that I would meet someone like him,) ¡°Ten year ago?¡± Lyra is talking ¡°That¡¯s a coincidence-¡± Magic Mezzo Vwoosh! Apollo swings his sword deftly, blocking an arrow from me, ¡°You¡¯re getting better at this,¡± I comment switching out magic stones, ¡°We¡¯d been both been practicing for a while, I only just found out how to remove magic stones from the prototype without letting them break first, ¡°We both are brother,¡± Apollo teases Thwock! I fire a rock-coated arrow at him, he blocks it instinctively ¡°I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t like me saying that¡± Apollo breathes ¡°No, I was testing your reflexes, I am one hundred percent sure we are not related,¡± ¡°How so?¡± Apollo throwing a fake punch at me, ¡°Let¡¯s just say I don¡¯t think I¡¯m from around here.¡± I dodge his punch almost tripping on my own feet, ¡°Karina¡¯s right you are secretive,¡± Apollo huffs ¡°You and Karina talk? I¡¯m surprised,¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Kage?¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve only ever seen you two speak a few times within the span of time we spent traveling, on our way here, You and Lyra are pretty close though, I can tell she enjoys your company the most of us,¡± ¡°Karina and I, let¡¯s say have an awkward relationship,¡± Apollo faking a sword swing at me, ¡°Awkward how?¡± I press, blocking his swing with by bow, ¡°We were¡­ kind of together for a while, but it was weird, I didn¡¯t really like her, I just thought taught she liked me, so I was glad that somebody liked me, But then it turned out she didn¡¯t like me it was smore like desired me, at that time,¡± ¡°¡­..?¡± ¡°Like I said it was weird, I don¡¯t think it was weird for her though, Karina is such an upfront woman, She hasn¡¯t changed that much since we ended Murdoc¡¯s reign of peaceful terror, Actually no, I take that back, she is a lot more mellow now, Play nice with her Kage,¡± ¡°What about Lyra?¡± I ignore his last statement, ¡°Lyra and I have always been close, she always complains to me about any and everything, and I always listen to her, that¡¯s our relationship, she¡¯s my oldest friend actually, We first met after the ¡®incident with her brother and my cousin Omari,¡± ¡°What incident?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you haven¡¯t snooped around Omari¡¯s and probably mine as well, to know Kage,¡± ¡°I already told you it doesn¡¯t work like that, I¡¯m not even sure If it is real, I could have been hallucinating,¡± ¡°Then your hallucinations just so happen to be accurate, The incident I¡¯m referring too was when Lyra¡¯s brother froze Omari for being disrespectful,¡± ¡°Orr, I do remember ¡®living¡¯ that memory form Omari¡± ¡°See, I knew you were snooping,¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Well anyway, because her brother did that, it caused a whole commotion, Omari had the Queen call in his entire family to apologize, long story short Lyra and I met there I think we were both around four or five at the time, Ahhh, the bad old days,¡± He sighs ¡°Bad old days?¡± ¡°Yeah, because those days were bad but only got worse from there, for me,¡± ¡°Well at least you remember your childhood days,¡± I mumble, ¡°What? Speak louder Kage,¡± ¡°Nothing, I just think it¡¯s sad your own family despised you, Don¡¯t worry Apollo, At least you have me your brother,¡± I joke ¡°Ahhh haaa, I see what you did there, I knew you wanted to joke on it too!¡± Apollo laughs ¡­¡­.. **** ¡°Take these, your challenge rings,¡± Giichi sir hands us the spiral insignia rings, ¡°Figure out it works for yourselves,¡± the old man turning to leave, us in the training room of the institute, ¡°What about the map you said you would show us?¡± I inquire ¡°This old man is tired,¡± he flicks his hand up walking away abruptly ..? ¡°Is he always like this?¡± Pinoki examining the ring before putting it on, ¡°Most of time, yes, boss is a complicated man,¡± Claude replies, ¡°There¡¯s isn¡¯t much to figure out with the rings, all you need to do is approach someone with the intent to fight, flow your magic through the ring and well you know the rest,¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Lyra smiles menacingly at Karina and I, clasping the ring, (Note to self, do not cross Lyra from now on) ¡°So, the mayor, you say, imbues his own magic to every single ring?¡± Karina questions ¡°Mhm, He is a ¡®crazy so his magic type is different,¡± ¡°What do you mean by a crazy?¡± ¡°People with evolved magic obviously,¡± ¡­. We all give each other the same intrigued look, ¡­ ¡°Elaborate on that for us?¡± Pinoki presses ¡°Having evolved magic is extremely rare, only a small percent of all people have it,¡± Claude explains, ¡°And it just so happens that every single person who has is a psycho, I heard it¡¯s because the process of changing your magic type requires you to be driven into insanity,¡± ¡°What if I my magic evolved twice?¡± Karina asks theoretically, ¡°Then the order would already, had you locked up in their asylum The last time we let a ¡®crazy¡¯ roam free, they caused havoc throughout the city,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like you calling people with evolved magic crazy,¡± Lyra states sternly, ¡°Would you like me to call them what they really are then?¡± Claude replies sassily ¡°Monsters.¡± ¡°My magic is evolved,¡± the hot-headed girl blurts, ¡°Are you going to start calling me crazy? Calling us monsters!?¡± ¡­.Claude gasps, taken aback, even his quiet sister, gasps loudly, ¡°Are all of you?-¡± ¡°-I don¡¯t know who teaches you your magic theory, here,¡± Karina lazily interjects before the boy starts jumping to conclusions, ¡°-But in Soterra where we are from, magic theory is much more advanced, You don¡¯t go crazy because your magic has evolved, Magic changes because of a drastic shift in your overall mental state, it just so happens that most people who experience traumatising things that drive them insane, evolves their magic, Their magic is only but a result of the change, not the cause¡± ¡°Is that true? I never heard of that before,¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Soterra isn¡¯t a sharing kingdom, most advancements we¡¯ve made with magic still only exists within the city¡¯s walls, None of us, for the most part, is insane¡­ Lyra is a bit unchanged though,¡± Karina not being able to resist jabbing at the girl, ¡°Funny coming from you,¡± Lyra snaps back, ¡°No, it isn¡¯t, I am perfectly sane my dear Lyra,¡± ¡°Speak for yourselves,¡± Apollo joining the conversation, ¡°I still have regular lightning magic,¡± ¡°Ha! I never thought I would see the the day where Apollo is boasting that his magic is still basic,¡± Pinoki remarks, ¡°I vaguely remember when you used to be upset that your magic did not change,¡± ¡°Hmm, well, that was before I knew that it just meant I was still sane person,¡± ¡°Okay, boast as much as you want, Apollo, I still suspect that you are just hiding your true attribute¡± Pinoki grouses ¡°Not chance, who do you think I am, Kage?¡± ¡°Why am I always mentioned in everyone¡¯s arguments?¡± ¡°Easy target.¡± both Apollo and Pinoki respond simultaneously, ¡­¡­ ¡°If you evolved your magic by not going insane, then how did you do it?¡± Claude now gone from alarmed to intrigued, ¡°Let¡¯s just say we had some harrowing¡­. Yeah, that¡¯s a good word, Some harrowing experiences we had,¡± Karina trying to be as vague as possible, ¡°Well except for Kage,¡± Lyra adds, ¡°He has magic I think, but no attribute,¡± ¡°No attribute!¡± Claude exclaims, Gadump! A body trips over falling through the open doorway, ¡°Saito?¡± Claude identifies the body, ¡°Were you spying on us?¡± ¡°Of course not, Silly of you to ask Claude,¡± the burly young man picking himself up, ¡°I was err, coming down here to the training room to, err, practise some, err battle techniques,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that obvious lie Saito, all you do is play music and laze around all day,¡± ¡°How would you know? Are you spying on me Claude?¡± The heavy-set young man trying to flip the situation, (This is the person responsible for the music?) ¡°Soo~ I was on my way in, and I happened to hear that someone didn¡¯t have an attribute?¡± He quizzes, ¡°You are referring to me, is that why you were spying on us?¡± I confront him, ¡°Pssschh! I already said I was not spying, Kage, drop it,¡± ¡°How do you know my name? We never met before.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Fight me,¡± ¡°Huh? That arbitrary,¡± ¡°Why does he keep doing this,¡± I hear Claude groan from behind me, ¡°You heard me, random stranger whose name I don¡¯t know, Just a little spar,¡± Saito says with instigating intent ¡°I am so confused right now,¡± I whisper to Lyra ¡°Then fight him, simple,¡± the girl whispers back, ...¡°Come on,¡± Saito still challenging ¡°I know you don¡¯t have an attribute, so I won¡¯t hurt you, Much,¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just suddenly challenge a person like that, ¡°Can you?¡± I look at Claude for affirmation, he nods his head, ¡°There is no law against it,¡± ¡°Huhh¡± I sigh, (What is this guy¡¯s problem) ¡°Ok random person who has gone from spying on us, to asking me to battle, I accept your challenge,¡± All I think about now Breathing heavily, Kage grips tightly to his bow and arrow, it aimed directly at his opponent, ¡°Do you think Kage can win this?¡± Lyra asks, spectating with the others ¡°Depends on how good he is at reading people,¡± Karina replies, ¡­.. Claude says nothing, watching the two fervently, with a silly smile on his on face, ¡­.. ¡°This is going to easy,¡± Saito, laughs cracking his knuckles. ¡°Stop standing there quietly, are you getting cold feet, Or are we going to do this!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Kage taking a big breath He fires a magicless arrow first, ¡°That¡¯s all you got,¡± Saito scoffs, Blocking with a mud wall, ¡°Earth-¡± Splash! Another arrow this time erupts into a stream of water, hitting the heavy-set man, Before he can react to it, Kage already has another magic arrow loaded, shooting it straight at his feet, it explodes into an icy breeze freezing the water from before, the lack of friction toppling the big man over, Crash! He hits the ground hard ¡­.. ¡°Aww, Aww, Aww!¡± Saito flinches before Kage even begin to start beating on him, ¡°I concede! I concede!¡± ¡­. ¡°Pfffchchhh! Aahhahahahaa!¡± Claude bursts into laughter ¡°This never gets old! Ohhh! Saito you kill me!¡± ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Lyra looks puzzled, ¡°Saito has never won a battle in his life, Yet he is prone to making spontaneous challenges, I can¡¯t with this guy,¡± Claude wiping his tears, Even Amelia can¡¯t help but laugh, opposed to her usually composure, She laughs infectiously loud, ¡­ ¡°That guy, whose name I don¡¯t know, got lucky,¡± Saito stumbles up to them rubbing his ass, ¡°You can call him Kage, don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t know his name, you already lost to him, A guy with no attribute, That has to be your worst loss to date,¡± Claude mocks ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room.¡± Saito grunts, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get away that easy!¡± Lyra asserts, ¡°You were spying us, tell us why, or I might not go as easy on you like Kage,¡± ¡°Is that a date?¡± He smiles perversely, Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°You can beat me if you¡¯re into that,¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°¡±Wow, wow, wow¡± Apollo raising his sword to the man, ¡°Back up,¡± ¡°It was only a joke bro,¡± he steps back, ¡°He does this with every woman, always thinks they are interested in him¡± Claude explains, ¡°His usual tactic is to challenge them to a battle in which if he wins, they will go on a date with him, He has never won once, even against my sister,¡± ¡°Hey that one was different,¡± Saito argues, ¡°Amelia clearly likes me, she doesn¡¯t talk to anyone but yet spoke to me, That says something, so I went easy on her,¡± ¡°You were annoying me!¡± Amelia suddenly barks, ¡°Look¡­¡± Karina rubbing her forehead, already tired of Saito ¡°What was your reason for spying on us? Tell me now or I will not hesitate to cut your tongue out,¡± ¡­. ¡°I was on my way to storage, for some magic stones-¡± He blurts almost like scolded child, ¡°-And I heard Claude say something about evolved magic, so I listened in for a bit, Until I heard that your friend, Kage, had no attribute, so I thought maybe this may be the right opportunity to get my first, win you know,¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Karina drawls, ¡°Well~ if you lik-¡± ¡°Go away,¡± she shoos the burly man. ¡°Speaking of Kage,¡± Apollo mentions, ¡°Why is he still in the middle of sparring area just lying there?¡± ¡°Aye Kage!¡± Lyra calls¡­. ¡­¡­.. (That was easier than I thought, I understand it now, As long I can outthink my opponents, I can win, And thinking is something I do best) I lay spread out across, the hardwood floor of the sparring section, looking upwards to the transparent crystals that hang from the stone ceiling, (I wonder what color lights they¡¯ll illuminate once night arrives?) The walls are all jagged and chipped from experiencing many spars, or maybe just rigorous training in general, Even a place so violent, feels somewhat warm, feel like a home, (Have I ever had a home before?) ¡°Aghh!¡± (It¡¯s so annoying not being able to recall anything, What frustrates me even more is the fact that it isn¡¯t that I¡¯ve forgotten, more like my mind won¡¯t let me remember, I know it¡¯s in there somewhere, I can feel it) ¡°Hey!¡± Lyra walking over me ¡°Get up, don¡¯t tell me you are gassed out,¡± ¡°No, I was just thinking,¡± ¡°About¡­?¡± ¡°Stuff, obviously,¡± Lyra rolls her eyes, ¡°Where did, that guy, Saito go, Lyra? I had some questions ask about him about the music he plays,¡± ¡°Karina ran shooed him away, I hope I don¡¯t bump into that weirdo again,¡± Lyra grimaces¡­. *** ¡°Soo~ how do feel about winning your first battle Kage?¡± ¡°¡­. I feel like you should get off me Karina,¡± ¡°Not much of a celebrator, are you?¡± she frowns rolling to other side of my bed, ¡°When are you going to stop this, Karina? The desire following and pleasure seeking, I mean¡± ¡­. ¡°Why should I?¡± her entire demeanour changes, ¡°Take away all those things and what would be left Kage? Depression? Existential dread of life without meaning?¡± ¡°There can be more things to life than pleasure,¡± I debate, ¡°Like? Name them.¡± ¡°¡­....¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, Ugh, your already ruined my mood now, Take off your clothes, Kage¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright well I¡¯m leaving then,¡± the girl gets up huffing off, The door slams behind her. (Weird.) ¡°Your weird, a voice comes from a corner of my room,¡± ¡°Pinoki? ¡°Why is someone always in here?¡± I bury myself in the sheets, ¡°I am only staying here just in case that girl, Amber, does not murder me in my sleep,¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Amber?¡± ¡°The rude girl with the Auburn hair who met us at the door when we first arrived.¡± ¡°Orr, her, What did you do?¡± ¡°Well excuse me Kage, how dare you assume I did anything at all,¡± ¡°Since we got here, I¡¯ve rarely seen you, Pinoki, always secretly going off on your own, I can only assume you did something shady¡± ¡°I was doing what any good adventurer would do and that is gather reconnaissance,¡± ¡°¡­? So, you mean snooping around,¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use such a vulgar phrasing, but I¡¯ll pretend like your correct,¡± ¡°Did you find out anything that we should be worried about?¡± ¡°Nothing yet, however I did end up getting caught in Amber¡¯s room rummaging through her, err, clothes, per-say, She walked in on me, And now I fear for my life,¡± ¡°You could have gone to Apollo¡¯s room then,¡± ¡°Not Mr.-goody-good, he would probably offer me up to her on a silver platter,¡± ¡°He is just like his father I hear,¡± ¡°Speaking of that Kage, how much do you buy what the Guild master said about you two being related?¡± ¡°First of all, he didn¡¯t say that he thought that, only because I apparently look similar to Apollo¡¯s alleged father,¡± ¡°You make it sound more complicated than it needs to be, Kage.¡± ¡°Well, what I mean to say that is we¡¯re not related in the slightest, I do have a hunch though, that maybe his father came from the same place as me, Maybe I¡¯m overthinking again¡± ¡°Huh? So, you¡¯re like form the same tribe or race?¡± Pinoki quizzes ¡°Tribe, that¡¯s a guess, is all I can really say, I don¡¯t know, everything is so foggy,¡± (Do I even have a group I belong to?) ¡°On the topic of weird things only you understand,¡± Pinoki¡¯s eyes gleam ¡°I just remembered something,¡± ¡­. ¡°So, I manged to sneak into the first section of the artifact storage room, Noo, I didn¡¯t take anything in case you are thinking that, I have long since changed my stealing ways, Well, anyway there was another door inside, a magic sealed one, not even my shadows could unlock it¡­.¡± He takes a dramatic pause, ¡°Go on,¡± I press on, starting to get intrigued, ¡°I could not see what was inside, obviously,¡± Pinoki continues, ¡°But I did hear a queer humming sound from behind the door,¡± ¡°Humming sound? Wait, Pinoki, you don¡¯t mean-¡± ¡°-Yes, there might be another ¡®blue flame,¡¯ here.¡± Tick, Tick... Cause I¡¯mma slow it up, speed it up, slow it up, speed it up? Metal Fingers feed beats, Grimm Reaper eat it up? Speed it up slow it up, speed it up, speed it up, slow it up? Brainsick, tick, tick, tick, MF blow it up? ¡­. A metallic sound booms from behind a door I stand, the sound like pieces of iron being smashed together coupled with the wailing of sirens creating an all-round eerie instrumental with the addition of the villainous sounding vocals¡­ A sign on the door from which the music plays, reads: Saito¡¯s Domain (This must be his room) Without Knocking I turn the knob of the unlocked door barging into the room, ¡°Hey! What the hell?¡± Saito looking up from a desk, various types of magic gems lay scattered around on it, ¡°Have you ever heard of knocking!?¡± On top of his bed is a cube-shaped magic diamond, its edges are rough and jagged, as magical lights emanate from within their cracks, From the lights, the curious music plays, ¡°Kage?? What do you want, you already won against me, I don¡¯t like people in my room, more so ones I barley know¡± ¡°How do you do that?¡± I ignore him, pointing at the diamond, ¡°I channel some magic into the diamond and the music plays itself, duh, If that¡¯s all you wanted to know you can go now,¡± His body fully blocking the desk behind him, ¡°What are you doing?¡¯ I try peeking over his shoulder,¡± ¡°Why are you so nosy? Its uncomfortable,¡± ¡°Well, since you were spying on us, I figured I would return the favor¡± ¡­ ¡°Well, if you must know, I am trying to figure out how to get old artifacts to work, using magic crystals,¡± he concedes, moving aside, showing me what looks like spectacles? Wires spill out of the temple tips, instead of the ends being cured to go over ears like they normally would, they form something resembling earpieces, Its entire frame bulky, the color in black camo, These were no ordinary glasses. Though worn I could still make out the word engraved into its sides: U.C Government (Words I haven¡¯t seen since the desert) ¡°Where did you find that?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Saito pulls back the artifact, suspiciously ¡°Do you know something about it?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± I lie, ¡°I just thought it looked interesting,¡± ¡°Well, if you must know, more of the stranger artifacts similar to this, we have, comes from the Northern Icelands, Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I am sure you have seen the mountains to the north before?¡± ¡°How do you get there?¡± ¡°No one is allowed, well unless you have permission, The only way to get there is thorough my homeland, far east of here,¡± ¡°You¡¯re not from this city?¡± ¡°Obviously not, half the people you see on the streets aren¡¯t originally from here either, That¡¯s because this is the only city open to any and every one, if you are smart enough that is, There is no requirement to work or to serve, once you join a faction,¡± Saito now gone off on a tangent, ¡°Look at me for instance, even though I¡¯m a member of the adventurer¡¯s guild, I haven¡¯t gone on a single job, ever, As long as the whole faction prospers, everyone eats, regardless, Who wouldn¡¯t like it here?¡± ¡°So, from where you are from,¡± I begin to get curious of Saito origins, ¡°Is it a bad place, that made you move here?¡± ¡°Nah, Bakufu, is a nation that rewards warriors, or the strong, Since I clearly wasn¡¯t, umm suited for that type of culture, I came here, Giichi is relatively famous back home though, He was a really strong warrior, but even he left,¡± ¡°Giichi sir is also from Bakufu nation, you called it?¡± Saito nods putting his head back down his work, clearly bored of the conversation, ¡°Anything else you have to pester me about?¡± ¡°Not right now, I think you¡¯ve told me enough, I¡¯ll forgive you for earlier¡± ¡°Forgive me?¡± Saito scoffs ¡°If that¡¯s all you can leave now, I am busy¡­.¡± ¡­¡­. (Isn¡¯t that?) I notice a familiar shadow slipping out of the room as I turn to leave, ¡­¡­. ¡°Interesting conversation you two had,¡± Pinoki comments joining me outside the room, ¡°What did you steal, Pinoki, I saw that, Did you not say only a while ago that you no longer steal?¡± ¡°I saw he had multiple of those sound-diamonds, so I took one,¡± Pinoki reasons ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like he will notice,¡± ¡°¡­.. I don¡¯t know why you couldn¡¯t have talked to him yourself,¡± ¡°Because that wouldn¡¯t be any fun Kage, I like being the secret spy who directs my unsuspecting pawn into a potentially heated situation, while I gather intel from the shadows,¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m your pawn?¡± ¡°If you put that way it sounds bad, you are more like the trusty but sometimes dispensable ally,¡± ¡°That sounds even worse.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you ask him about the door in the artifact room,¡± Pinoki changing the subject ¡°The flame could be there waiting,¡± ¡°Giichi sir will show us when he¡¯s ready, I¡¯m not in any rush, What is there to even rush for?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Pinoki sighs, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be off to my room now, hopefully Amber isn¡¯t there waiting with a knife or anything, We¡¯ll discuss this more tomorrow, Kage¡­¡­¡± **** ¡°Hurry up! Tick, Tick¡­ When are we going to make our move? We have been waiting years on us, We are getting tired If we make us wait any longer, we will have to Kill them all-¡± !! ¡­.. ¡°Huh!¡± A warm beam of sunlight seeps through the spaces between the curtains, into my room, (Wonderful dream, that was, as usual) Looking around the room I have been using for a few days, I make sure nothing has been moved, Everything still exactly as I met it, (Good) ¡­¡­ (Huh?) As I¡¯m about to leave I notice that there are two cracks at the left side of the door and three on right¡­ Smash! I hammer the prototype into the left wall, creating a third crack, (Got to keep everything balanced.) ¡­¡­ ¡°What kind of tea is this, again?¡± I take a long sip, ¡°Fairy leaves it¡¯s called,¡± Apollo answers, We all sit around a large table in the mess hall for breakfast. ¡°What is your problem, Karina?¡± (Is it just me or do things feel normal for the first time) ¡°Why do you ask Lyra?¡± (Ahh, this tea is good, I don¡¯t recall drinking tea before, or maybe I have?) ¡°Because aren¡¯t usually moody.¡± (The soft feel of tea, its undiscernible sweet taste¡­) ¡°Kage wouldn¡¯t sleep with me last night.¡± ¡°Pfffssscchh!¡± The tea flies out my mouth, ¡°What are we talking about?¡± ¡°Interesting~¡± Apollo twirls a spoon in his tea, giving me a look in which I feel like poking his eyes out for, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do it Kage?¡± Lyra presses teasingly, ¡°Can we talk about something else?¡± ¡°Kage! I swear,¡± Pinoki fuming ¡°If you had only spit just a few more inches to land on me, I would have taken you on a trip to Pinoki Pummel Town! Ugh you ruined my breakfast¡± ¡°¡¯Pinoki Pummel Town¡¯¡± Lyra quotes laughing, ¡°That may be the least intimating threat I have ever heard,¡± ¡°You think I am joking, I swear to Murdoc I would have,¡± ¡­¡­ We all give him plain stare, ¡°Whatt~ too early for the Murdoc being god jokes?¡± ¡­.. ¡°Hey, Amelia,¡± I say noticing the girl at our table silent yet entertained by us, ¡°Where is Claude? You two are usually always together,¡± ¡°He went to get something, he¡¯ll be back any minute now,¡± she replies meekly ¡°Why are so quiet¡± Lyra boldly interrogates, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Leave her alone Lyra, if the girl wants to be quiet let her be,¡± Karina instructs, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright, I am not actually quiet,¡± Amelia speaks, ¡°I just don¡¯t have much say most of the time, I¡¯d rather observe than talk,¡± ¡°Kind of like Kage but less of a weirdo than he is,¡± Lyra comments (She¡¯s obviously baiting me, not falling for that this time ) ¡­. ¡°My, my, Amelia is actually talking to people?¡± Claude now arriving sits down next to his sister beaming, ¡°What¡¯s with the smile¡± Apollo notices, ¡°It happens to be a good morning , my fellow guild mate,¡± he smiles, ¡°You see I have come today, with your first job,¡± Departure! ¡°Why are you more excited than us Claude, haven¡¯t you supposedly been doing these kind of jobs for years now?¡± I ask noticing the boy whistling along by himself, No, years? I¡¯m not that old, When the guild used to get a lot of jobs, I was still too young to take, ones like this, And ever since the Hunter coalition formed, they have been either taking our jobs or just sabotaging them out right,¡± ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t much of adventure like you hyped it to be, You could have asked someone else to join you,¡± Pinoki mutters grimly, ¡°You¡¯re just upset there isn¡¯t anything he can do with his shadow magic,¡± Apollo interprets ¡°Shadow magic huh,¡± Claude says in awe, ¡°I still can¡¯t wrap my head around the fact that you all have evolved magic,¡± ¡°Wrap your head around walking faster!¡± Lyra barks from a significant distance ahead of us, I don¡¯t blame her for being agitated, hot sun beats down us as we traverse a bumpy, bushy hillside, We follow behind, what I can only describe as a quite queer carriage- -From Claude¡¯s excitement, I thought we were about to embark on an exciting adventure, only for it to basically be glorified guard duty, We¡¯re to make sure the ¡®contents¡¯ of the carriage makes it safely to a town under the simple name of ¡®Gate¡¯- ¡°-I don¡¯t know why we all had to come,¡± Pinoki still complaining, ¡°You and your sister could have easily handled this,¡± Claude makes an annoyed sound, ¡°I want you to look over there, Pinoki, behind us,¡± he directs trying to sound mysterious, ¡°What, to see the nice view?¡± Pinoki says sarcastically, ¡°No, you didn¡¯t see the brief flash?¡± ¡°Well, I mean the sun is pretty bright, it would be difficult to discern flashes of light,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stare too much, Pinoki,¡± he warns, ¡°The flash is from a sight crystal-¡± ¡°Sight crystal?¡± I interrupt, ¡°It is a cylindrical shaped object with a magic crystal at the end with the power to increase sight up to large distances,¡± ¡°So, a telescope?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind Kage,¡± Pinoki informs, ¡°He likes to make up his own words and names,¡± (I¡¯m not even going to bother arguing with him) ¡°So, you said someone is spying us?¡± Apollo gripping his sword anxiously, his hands sweating, ¡°They¡¯ve been watching us since we left Sweepstake,¡± Claude tells, ¡°My guess is that they are either regular thieves, or the hunters watching us,¡± ¡°I know you told us before that the hunters don¡¯t like you or whatever, but I need you elaborate on why exactly they would go to this extent,¡± Apollo huffs ¡°Orr we can wait till we finish this job to talk,¡± Lyra inputs as we finally catch up to her alongside the carriage, ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of being watched, Moreso, the sun is hot, I want to be done with this pitiful escort job already,¡± ¡°You are grumpier than I, and I am and old man¡± a face pokes out from inside the carriage, Mr. Godfrey was his name, the person who hired us for this simple task of escorting his ¡®goods¡¯, Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Why would you be grumpy, old man, you¡¯re not out in the sun,¡± she jeers ¡°Well, maybe that is because I own this luxurious carriage, and am paying you to do this,¡± Mr. Godfrey retorts ¡°Your right, this is a pretty nice carriage,¡± Karina¡¯s head pops out from behind him,¡­. (What would that be considered, technology or magic?) I ponder looking at the moving ¡®vehicle¡¯ Its wood, an extremely hard one at that, resembles that you would find on a grand piano, The entire carriage, painted a deep royal-like red color, combined with the addition of gold painted wooden bands around its sides, with detailed curves and carvings etched into its surface, Instead of being on wheels as you would expect, No, as I would expect? Who am I talking to?? Anyway, when stationary it lays flat on its base, each corner has a wide crystal lodged horizontally where said wheels would normally go, the crystals emit a steady flow of wind magic that navigates the carriage up and forward¡­. ¡­.¡±Ahh!¡± the old man jumps, ¡°How? When did you get in here?¡± he snarls at Karina, ¡°You almost scared me to death!¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve gathered, based on what you have in here, I can tell that you are a member of the merchant alliance, correct?¡± Karina ignoring his outburst ¡°A high-ranking member at that,¡± ¡°What else does he have in there?¡± Lyra supporting Karina¡¯s actions ¡°A lot of magic gems, jewelry, clothes, money that kind of stuff, By the looks of things, this guy is planning to move not just carry out a delivery,¡± Karina replies, ¡°You children these days have no respect,¡± Mr. Godfrey fumes, ¡°Hopefully you can put this same energy into protecting me should anyone attack us,¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah,¡± Karina drawls, ¡°Question, old man, Since you¡¯re a part of the merchant alliance, why didn¡¯t you get someone from your faction for this job?¡± ¡­.. ¡°Well, if you must know, I am leaving the city, this isn¡¯t really a delivery task, you¡¯re helping me get to Gate town safely, I¡¯ve er, retired,¡± ¡°Why,¡± ¡°No more questions, If I knew you were going to be this noisy, I would have just gone with the Hunter coalition instead, they are more efficient than you so called adventurers,¡± ¡°Yet, you hired us,¡± Claude retorts ¡°Emmm, well, I was recommended you from someone else, I had no intention of going to your problematic faction,¡± ¡°Recommended by the who?¡± I ask curiously, ¡°The mayor of course, he said I should hire Claude and his ¡®new friends¡¯ for my job,¡± ¡°¡­? Are you friends the mayor Claude? And how does he know about us already? We only just arrived a little over a week ago¡± I press ¡°There! I see the town ahead,¡± Claude points avoiding my question, ¡­¡­ (Weird...) For the short period of time I¡¯ve known this boy, one thing I¡¯m sure about him that is he always tries to come across as mysterious, (This is different) I suspiciously eye him, but I refrain from pressing on the matter more, (Maybe he does not want to speak on it because Mr. Godfrey is here?) ¡­. ¡°Uhhh~ Lyra!¡± Apollo groans, ¡°Can you use your magic to cool me off a little,¡± ¡°I already told you that not what my magic is for,¡± she snaps back ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work anyways, I have snow magic not ice,¡± ¡°Cold is cold Lyra.¡± ¡°Have you ever seen snow in the summer?¡± ¡°No, But I have seen a hotheaded girl use snow magic,¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°You need to stop hanging out with Kage, Apollo.¡± ¡°Why am I being brought into this?¡± ¡°Because that is something either you or Karina would say to me, And we all know Apollo and Karina are not the closest of talkers,¡± ¡°Which makes you think it¡¯s me?¡± I argue defensively (It is me) ¡°Orr, I came up with it by myself?¡± Apollo suggests ¡°I don¡¯t believe that, You would never make such snarky remark to me Apollo, You¡¯re being negatively influenced-¡± ¡°-Stop being so soft Lyra,¡± Karina says tiredly, ¡°The heat is making you grumpy,¡± ¡°Shu- -Huh? Rain?¡± Lyra stops as small pellets of water fall on us, ¡°There, Now can you all focus? This is still a job.¡± Amelia speaks, as she is the one producing the ¡®rain¡¯ ¡°My, how generous of you,¡± Pinoki purrs, ¡°I would be lying of I didn¡¯t say I¡¯ve been curious as to what you and your brothers magic were¡± ¡°I like to call it twin magic,¡± Claude says boastfully, ¡°We are both dual attribute users, Amelia with a wind water combination, and I use wind fire,¡± ¡°Which part of that is twin involved?¡± ¡°We always battle as a duo, I use my flames offensively and wind as to promote movement, while Amelia uses her wind defensively and water to assist,¡± ¡°How would water assist fire?¡± Pinoki puzzles, ¡°Agh, I can¡¯t explain this, You have to be there to see it,¡± Claude gloats, ¡°That sort of thing doesn¡¯t interest me, with my sha- Aww!¡± Amelia kicks the little man hard on his shin nudging to carriage with Mr. Godfrey (Is it that bad to mention having evolved magic to regular people?) ¡°Hey , Amelia, let¡¯s be friends,¡± Lyra smiles, pleased, (This girl.) ¡­.. ¡°Can you make this move any faster Mr. Godfrey?¡± Karina hoping out of the carriage joining us walking alongside it, ¡°I can but I don¡¯t want to be far ahead of you and get attacked only to have to wait for you to catch up, ¡°Well can you move ahead right now,¡± ¡°Why is something the matter?¡± ¡°Possibly¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice,¡± the carriage already gaining speed, ¡°Everyone on guard,¡± Karina warns as the ¡®vehicle¡¯ starts creating distance, ¡°I heard someone just now, They may have been following us for a while now, but have only just gotten close enough where my soundwave could pick them up, Squinting my eyes from the blinding rays of the sun, I peer at the hillside behind us The trail behind is covered in tall bushes, (Could someone be there?) ¡°We know you¡¯re there!¡± Apollo booms ¡°Have you ever heard of subtlety!?¡± Karina hisses ¡°We could have surprised them,¡± ¡°Sorry, the sun has me grumpy I just want this be to over with already,¡± ¡°Move!¡± Karina shoves him hard Fwhick! A dagger comes zipping through the air just missing Apollo¡¯s skull ¡°Good reflexes,¡± a male voice says applaudingly Two silhouettes emerge through the bushes coming into sight, ¡­ (Wait, These people?) ¡°You two!?¡± Claude exclaims as if reading my mind, ¡°Is this what they call fate?¡± a woman sings, ¡°Who would have thought that the very same travelers we went out of our way to give advice on joining a faction, Would go and join up with our enemies?¡± ¡°Truly appalling, isn¡¯t it?¡± Warning Sounds II Crck! A branch breaks causing me to flinch alarmedly, ¡­.!? A bird continues trotting about it minding its own business, (Thought someone made a move there) I can¡¯t help but feel alarmed as tension builds between us and the Hunters, Though the numbers are effectively two to seven, I still remain wary of what our potential attackers might have up their sleeves¡­. ¡°Do you know these people?¡± Pinoki is asking Claude, ¡°You could say that¡± he replies, ¡°They were once members of the guild, Adrik and Marisha, How do you guys know them?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t actually, just happened to, er, run into them, on our way to Furlheim,¡± Pinoki explains, ¡°Ahh yes!¡± Marisha chirps, A woman with long dark violet hair, wrapped neatly in a bun, some wild hairs fall down on her fine but menacing face, her expressive pale brown eyes stare intimidatingly at us, and if that was her intention, It¡¯s working. ¡°They got to witness me eradicate Samo firsthand,¡± she recounts, ¡°So, he isn¡¯t missing? You killed him?¡± Claude growls, ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± Adrik jeers Unlike his standoffish partner, Adrik boasts a more flamboyant appearance, though his head is shaved, it is still dyed purple to match Marisha¡¯s, a tattoo of a dagger covers a scar on his right cheek, that, accompanied by his left, spreads into a wide passive-aggressive smile, even his hollow blue eyes gleams at us, but still threatens us at the same time, This pair makes me feel uneasy, (I should let Claude do the talking, since he apparently knows them) ¡­ ¡°You know killing isn¡¯t allowed.¡± Claude argues, ¡°Inside the city, it isn¡¯t,¡± Adrik counters, ¡°The rules don¡¯t apply out here, No formal battles, No sweeps, We can just kill you without anyone knowing or finding your bodies.¡± ¡°Hah! You can try,¡± Apollo snorts, brandishing his greatsword, ¡°Easy there, big boy,¡± Marisha coos, ¡°You are a brand-new member, yes? There isn¡¯t anything for you to gain throwing your life away to such a beautiful being such as myself,¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°The same goes for your sister and you Claude,¡± Adrik agrees, ¡°You are awfully young, it would be a shame to put your lives to waste,¡± ¡°You turned your back on us, and now you feel like you can threaten our lives, Challenge the guilds influence!?¡± Claude fumes, ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic, we merely just chose to be on the right side of history, The way that old fool ran things were becoming outdated,¡± Marisha spats, ¡°Help people? Stay neutral?? Truly awful concepts,¡± Adrik concurs ¡°And because of that you think you have a valid reason to get rid of us, Replace us? That¡¯s borderline evil¡± ¡°Hhhhhhh¡± Adrik sighs, ¡°Look, boy, every adventurer we killed was given the choice to join us,¡± ¡°Exactly, how are we the bad guys?¡± Marisha agrees (These two are delusional, Are all the Hunters like this?) ¡°Why can¡¯t you just leave us then?¡± Amelia speaks up, ¡°We get it, you have different views than Giichi sir, that does not mean you have to take our place in the city when you can clearly build up your own without taking anyone else¡¯s place,¡± ¡°You obviously don¡¯t know anything about our real goal,¡± Adrik says tiredly, ¡°Ask that old man, why is it that if he wanted, he could be the mayor of Sweepstake, If he wanted, he could even be the ruler of the ring! Yet he locks those requiems away never to be seen, never to be used,¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Claude looks puzzled, ¡°What I am saying is that the only way forward for us is through you,¡± Adrik rubbing his forehead ¡°Consider this your first and only offer/warning,¡± Marisha cackles, ¡°And another thing,¡± Adrik picks up a rock, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be working right now?¡± He chucks the stone with incredulous force into the air, Marsha simultaneously ignites a purple flame around it, The rock zips off like a little meteorite, Thwock! It collides with Mr. Godfrey¡¯s carriage a good distance up the trail, the carriage topples over, immediately setting ablaze, ¡°Apollo, grab Amelia!¡± Karina orders at once- The two hunters take the opportunity to slip away. -Amelia looks confused but concedes letting Apollo sweep her up, A surge of lighting emits from him as he sprints with great speed ahead to carriage, Amelia promptly conjures a stream of water douse the flames before any significant damage is caused, ¡­ ¡°Mr. Godfrey, are you ok!?¡± Claude calls as the rest of us reach to the magic ¡®vehicle¡¯ ¡°Eckh! Eckh! Eckh¡±! The old man coughs crawling out ¡°Was that thieves? Were we attacked?¡± ¡°It was some enemies of us, you can say, but they are gone now,¡± Claude reassures ¡°Then let us not stick around, get my carriage back up, it¡¯s only been charred, no use wasting time out here,¡± The old man says uneasily ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t say anything back there Lyra,¡± Karina comments, ¡°Were you scared? You don¡¯t usually accept threats like that lightly,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see any of you saying anything either,¡± the girl retorts ¡°I was preparing my magic just in case they tried something, You know it takes a while for my magic,¡± ¡°What exactly would your snow do against two fire users,¡± Claude reasons ¡°Marisha¡¯s flames can reduce anything to ashes, and Adrik has internal fire which he uses to enhance his physical strength greatly,¡± ¡°My gut told me not to be rash with them,¡± Apollo inputs ¡°Their magic felt somewhat different plus training using your battle formula has really made me think more before I attack,¡± ¡°There is a rumour that they use ¡®requiems¡¯ to become stronger,¡± Amelia reveals, ¡°Huh, requiems?¡± I interrupt- (From what I¡¯ve learned, requiem is the last will someone leaves behind if they die with full conviction in whatever they wanted in that moment Is there more to requiems I don¡¯t know?) -Even her brother Claude looks confused ¡°They did mention something about requiems, but I didn¡¯t understand what they meant,¡± he says ¡±That¡¯s because you¡¯re always lost in your own mind, Everyone¡¯s heard that rumour,¡± his sister retorts ¡°Amelia how much do you know about requiems?¡± I ask, ¡°Not much, only the rumours, It has been going around that the hunters are using beastmen requiems to increase their own strength,¡± (Beastmen requiems? I haven¡¯t heard about beastmen since the desert¡­) ¡°You are quite an observant young lady,¡± Mr. Godfrey poking his head out of the now again, moving carriage, Though slightly charred it still travels along normally. The pair of Hunters had used damaging it as a distraction to escape, (Or maybe they are still spying on us) Up ahead we near the town of Gate now fully in view, a modest sized river flows directly through the town, two large glass-like arcs loom over the town, on opposite sides of the river, from what I can make out¡­. ¡­¡­.¡°This is the reason I¡¯m retiring from being in a faction,¡± Mr. Godfrey is talking, ¡°The constant battling for who gets the most control of the city, It is awfully tiresome, Especially if I was a member of your faction, I would have retired even sooner,¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the adventurer¡¯s guild Mr. Godfrey?¡± Claude questions, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong with the guild itself, But, The power it holds, That¡¯s a different story.¡± Battle Blues ¡°Ughh!¡± Apollo slumps down in a seat, ¡°Maybe Saito is not wrong for never doing jobs,¡± he says I¡¯m so tired¡± ¡°How are you feeling fatigue for something we did yesterday?¡± Pinoki remarks ¡°Because my muscles are sore, So are my ears after getting a lecture about requiems from that old man, the moment he found out my sword was one¡± ¡°He was giving you good techniques on the best way to market it, since requiems apparently sell for extremely large prices,¡± Karina points out, ¡°Do I look like I am going to sell Darius¡¯s unfinished will?¡± ¡°But now you have options should you ever decide to,¡± ¡°Not happening Karina.¡± ¡°All this requiem talk, bores me¡± Lyra speaks up, ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± Apollo agrees, ¡°I actually find it interesting,¡± ¡°You find everything interesting Kage, If I sat here and explained the correlation of magic and fitness you would probably enjoy that too.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Are you-¡± ¡°-No.¡± Lyra declines adamantly ¡°You¡¯re such a child!¡± arms wrapping around my neck from behind, semi choking me as Karina¡¯s voice sings in my ear, ¡°You¡¯re, strangling me Karina¡± I struggle ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it,¡± she releases me, ¡°You are like a child always asking why and how about everything, I would think you were born yesterday, You really have come a long way from since I first laid my eyes you,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anything about me has changed that much.¡± ¡°You know you have changed a bit Kage, stop pretending, I remember you being broodier, haunted by your past, you were still as curious as you are now but didn¡¯t know how express it fully yet, Now you¡¯re more assertive, Keep this up and you might even start developing a personality,¡± Karina jokes ¡­.. ¡°I¡¯ve already been reading up on magic anyways,¡± I turn my attention back to Lyra ¡°Magic functions exactly as normal physical energy would, correct? That meaning if you would want to use magic for extended periods of time you would have to exercise like normal to build your stamina and general fitness for greater usage of magic.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this for?¡± Lyra turning her nose, ¡°I am not a teacher, and didn¡¯t I just say I found this stuff to be boring, Is there anything normal that interests you at all, Kage?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know, maybe, Everything and nothing at all,¡± ¡°Here we go, with the inconsistency,¡± Pinoki groans ¡°Make up your mind on what you want to be¡­.¡± (What do we want to be Kage? Better yet, Do you remember what we-) ¡°-And there he goes again daydreaming in the middle of a conversation,¡± Lyra complains, ¡°Apollo, we ought to turn Kage into a betting game,¡± Pinoki smiles mischievously ¡°I¡¯ll bet a silver he says something like ¡®what¡¯ or ¡®huh¡¯¡± Apollo concurs, ¡°Two silver, he gets annoyed at us for making up this game,¡± Pinoki raises (Only one way out of this) Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°How about we make this a betting game, on how often Lyra gets angry at someone?¡± I suggest, I receive Lyra¡¯s boot hurling across the room as a response for my suggestion, ¡°I f had any arrows left you would have been shot by now,¡± I threaten the girl ¡°What happened to yours, I thought you just got more?¡± Lyra inquires, disregarding the threat, ¡°I accidentally left them back in Gate,¡± ¡°Such a peaceful town that was,¡± Karina says absent mindedly ¡°Baren isn¡¯t exactly the peacefully I¡¯m looking for,¡± Apollo remarks¡­. Gate town, Even though it¡¯s called a town, it was more a travel hub of sorts The large arcs that loomed over the city were not just for show, They were giant magic crystals with warp magic sealed to them, People like Mr. Godfrey were there to use the ¡®Gates¡¯ to go to other nations, cities or kingdoms that permitted traveling to, Besides the travelers there was not much to see, besides a few vendors and rest stops for people passing through, If there were residents there, we surely did not see any¡­ ¡­.. ¡°I could take over that town,¡± Karina is saying, ¡°Well, we could, Not violently of course, Instead of doing whatever it is we are at this guild, Let¡¯s take the town, start Club Hedon two, Die rich and pleasureful,¡± ¡­.. The four of us stare disbelievingly at the girl, ¡°That was a joke¡± she rolls her eyes, (I don¡¯t think it was) ¡°What¡¯s this about taking over towns?¡± Claude and his sister entering the room, ¡°Nothing important Claude, but since you are here, Are you ready to start explaining what your connection to the mayor is?¡± I interrogate, ¡°Ughhhh¡± Claude groans, ¡°Why are you still pestering me about this?¡± ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t explained yourself yet,¡± ¡°Have you ever thought it is because you are still a stranger to me Kage, I¡¯m not about to start divulging all personal matters with you, I already told you enough as it is,¡± ¡°I used to think the same way about telling Kage my information,¡± Apollo comments ¡°And he still went spying into my memor-¡± -¡­.. Apollo now receives my shoe from across the room, ¡°Do that again and you¡¯ll taste my boot!¡± he hops up, ¡°Can we stop throwing footwear around here?¡± Pinoki mediates, ¡°Lyra started it¡± I taunt ¡°I-¡± the girl starts, ¡°You know what, Fight me,¡± she clasps her ring, ¡°Right now, Kage.¡± ¡°Wait Lyra we can talk-¡± -The light is already swooping us away into the nearest challenge dome. ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡°Come on!¡± Lyra assuming a fighting stance, ¡°Do we really have to?¡± I plead, ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Huhh!¡± (Guess I have to, Judging-from-Lyra¡¯s-stance-she-looks-like-she-might-not-be-planning-to-use-her-magic-maybe-I-can¡­ Wait, This is Lyra I¡¯m thinking about, I don¡¯t need a strategy) ¡°Huwah!¡± I rush at the girl immediately grabbing her arms to prevent any strikes, ¡°Let go!¡± she stomps down hard on my foot, ¡°Aghh!¡± I hop on one foot moving behind her, I then wrap my arms around her neck, in a rear naked choke, ¡°nngghh¡± She struggles around trying to get free I end up falling on my back, but the choke still remains applied, ¡°Aghh!¡± She manages to bite my hand causing me to release the hold, Before I can get back up Lyra scrambles over me landing the first jab to my face, I extend my bow from my right hand blocking the second strike, she flinches back from the pain of hitting against the metallic surface, I leap up to my feet spearing Lyra back to the ground she counters by wrapping her legs around my back and sends up hammer fists to me, ¡°Oww!¡± Lyra moans as I slam my head down her chest stopping her attacks briefly, Using the pause, I roll around to her head applying a headlock, but she anticipates it, biting my bicep, ¡°Mghh!¡± I lurch back in pain, Lyra uses this as an opportunity to box me right in the ear, It painfully sends a ringing through both my ears, It is here I noticed Lyra face for the first time, She¡¯s smiling, (Wait¡­, She¡¯s..., Smiling?) ¡°Hahh!¡± I throw my first jab in retaliation, hitting her squarely in the mouth, ¡°Chh¡± Lyra spits out blood still grinning ¡°Now we¡¯re getting started.¡± **** ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± We both breathe heavily laid across the hardwood floor, staring up at the crystal lights, I don¡¯t know how long Lyra and I have been fighting for, but we are both burnt out¡­ (I get it now, she isn¡¯t always angry, anger is the only way Lyra can freely express herself, She isn¡¯t getting pissed at me because she¡¯s soft, It¡¯s her way of saying she¡¯s feeling something, Lyra doesn¡¯t understand her emotions, so she just picks the strongest one and set it as her default feeling, that being anger, Just like me, except I¡­... Wait, what do I do? How do I feel? No-) ¡°-Have you admitted defeat yet?¡± Lyra breathes ¡°Depends on your answer to my question,¡± ¡°What question?¡± ¡°If you feel any kind of way, just say how you feel instead of converting it to anger, Shame, amusement, annoyance, any of it, just say your what it is next time Lyra,¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question idiot.¡± ¡°Well, you knocked my brain loose,¡± I joke, ¡°And you beat my anger out,¡± she responds lightheartedly ¡°Alright, I concede, I accept defeat Lyra,¡± ¡­.. You¡¯re a winner! Echoes though the dome as the light carries us back at my admittance , ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡°Phew!¡± Apollo whistles, sharpening in his sword¡¯s blade, at the sight of us both reappearing after a long while, ¡°Looks like you two had fun¡± Karina comments looking up from a small table in front of her, an assortment of magic gems lay there, from her general magic practice, ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going to take a bath,¡± I get up sorely Lyra says nothing already making a beeline out of the recreational room, ¡°Wait-¡± Pinoki calls, putting down his book Claude and Amelia are nowhere to be seen, (They must have left) ¡°-Giichi sir came in a while ago when you two were ¡®goofing off¡¯,¡± the little man says ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said¡­...~¡± Pinoki making a dramatic pause ¡°Go on¡­¡± ¡°He is ready to show us what is in the artifact room¡± Watch the Throne ¡°I changed my mind,¡± maybe another time ¡°What do you mean changed your mind? It has only been a few hours since you said you were going to show us the artifact room, Giichi sir¡± Pinoki complains ¡°Ahh well, for an old chap like me a few hours is really long especially when it comes to decision making,¡± ¡°What you just said makes no sense Is this some kind of joke?¡± Apollo says frustratedly, ¡°Of course, not Raguel¡± I see a slight smirk on Giichi¡¯s face which he quickly rubs off, ¡°It¡¯s Apollo don¡¯t act like you¡¯ve forgotten my name¡± ¡°My mistake, But it¡¯s not like I won¡¯t show the artifacts ever again, Just not now,¡± ¡°Ok when then!?¡± Lyra demands bossily ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m thinking, maybee~ In four months¡¯, time¡± ¡°Four months? Now I know you¡¯re doing this on purpose,¡± Giichi can¡¯t help but let out a devious smile this time, ¡°I am too old for games like this, see how my lips just moved on its own,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try that-¡°Lyra starts ¡°-I have to go get checked for this, We¡¯ll talk more about this later ¡®Liar¡¯,¡± Giichi already walking off, ¡­¡­ ¡°Maybe those hunters were right about him being and old fool¡± Lyra fumes, ¡°You¡¯re just mad he called you Liar,¡± Karina teases ¡°He called me Raguel too, which does not sound at all like my name,¡± Apollo inputs ¡°Isn¡¯t that your supposed fathers name though¡± Pinoki replies ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m saying I would have appreciated the false name calling if he picked one that rhymed with my name like Ogogo or something, instead of one that doesn¡¯t sound similar,¡± ¡°Why? That is in no way important Apollo¡± ¡°I know, but I appreciate consistency,¡± ¡°Then you must hate Kage¡± Pinoki jokes, (-_-) ¡°I think Giichi sir is challenging us,¡± I say ignoring Pinoki, ¡°In what way Kage?¡± Apollo inquiries ¡°I feel like he wants us to break into the artifact room ourselves.¡± Pinoki eyes light up at sound of those words. ¡°Mmm, yes you could be right, By telling us that he was finally ready to show us then changing his mind last minute, He most likely dd it to boost our intrigue, subsequently increasing motive to want to go,¡± the little man theorizes ¡°How sure are you about this Kage?¡± Lyra looking skeptical ¡°Well for one, He left us alone, In his office-¡± ¡°-Found it.¡± Karina producing a circular emblem with the now usual spiral insignia I see on everything magic-seal related, The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°We thought the same thing Kage,¡± Karina says, ¡°What are we standing about here for, then?¡± Pinoki getting excited, ¡°Let¡¯s rob this place and leave,¡± Karina suggests mischievously, ¡°What, no, Karina, we are not robbing anyone, We¡¯ll just take a look, They are our accommodators after all,¡± Apollo lectures, ¡°Just a suggestion Mr. angel,¡± Karina jokes¡­¡­ **** Click! The first door of the artifact room unlocks, Pinoki¡¯s shadows slips out from behind the door, he smiles expecting us be marveled, No says anything. ¡­. ¡°Wait!¡± Karina cautions before any of us could move, ¡°I hear footsteps¡± ¡­. The five of us crouch down in the shadows cautiously watching as a person passes through the clustered hallway, ¡°Giichi Sir!¡± the person calls, ¡°That¡¯s weird, I swore I saw someone come down here,¡± The footsteps retreat back out the dimly lit corridor. ¡­¡­. ¡°If he only made a few steps closer, we would have been noticed!¡± Pinoki sounding exhilarated, ¡°This is the type of thrill I live for!¡± ¡°Its good idea we listened to Karina and waited till night to come,¡± I mention, ¡°Don¡¯t kiss my ass too much Kage the night is still young~¡± she crows back ¡°¡­.¡± Crrrrr! The door squeaks loudly as Lyra turns it open, ¡°Stop flirting and hurry inside!¡± she hisses, ¡°We don¡¯t know if someone else might pass¡­.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve been here before, right?¡± I ask Pinoki, Looking around the dim room, it seems to be just regular storage, big wooden boxes scatter the floor, their contents being magic gems and such, some have old portraits and cutlery, along with the boxes, rusted amour stands, and sword racks also fill this section of the room... ¡°I investigated by myself if that¡¯s what you mean,¡± Pinoki replies, ¡°Eckhem! Eckhem!¡± I cough removing the lid off a box, peering at the contents inside: (Wires? A lot of wires?-) ¡°-As I said before Kage, there is nothing in this part of the room that suspicious,¡± Pinoki looking over my shoulder (Not to you at least) ¡°I found the light-diamond,¡± Lyra calls from a corner of the room, She sends a surge of magic through a lime green-painted diamond lodged in the wall, Upon receiving charge, crystals on ceiling illuminate the room, ¡°You idiot!¡± Karina harshens ¡°If you turn on the lights someone might see it coming from under the door!¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t put much magic in, it shall run out quickly¡± Lyra replies indignantly ¡°I was trying to get a good look at everything you can barely see anything here¡± ¡°¡­.¡±. Karina opens her mouth to say something, but the room goes dim once more, making her hold back her statement . ¡°Over here, Kage, Karina!¡± Apollo whispers He stands in front of a wall to back of the room, On it are curious swirling lines and designs, the lines cut off at exactly even distances apart forming a vertical rectangle from the ceiling to the ground, the rest of the wall isn¡¯t marked, only this part, (This must be the other door) ¡­¡­¡­ Grrrrrrr, grrrrrrrr I hear faint humming from behind it (That has to be the ¡®audio projector¡¯) ¡°This is it, Open it.¡± I nudge Karina who has the seal, ¡­. She places it in a convenient circular indent in the wall, and a weird chiming sound rings off, A swirl of light appears on the ¡®doors face¡¯, that begins unraveling itself , Click! The door unlocks. The atmosphere begins feeling thick, as the wall slowly slides open Feels almost as if we just released an evil spirt, (Or maybe I¡¯m overexaggerating this) ¡°Did we just release a ghost?¡± Lyra says as though she read my mind, (Maybe not) I can hear Pinoki¡¯s excited breathing coming up behind me, ¡­¡­. The room is much smaller than I¡¯d imagined, ¡°This reminds me of the walk-in closet Omari had back at the castle,¡± Apollo comments Looking around the- (-What the hell is that?) At the head of the room, stands a chair, (No, I¡¯m not doing it justice calling it a chair) At the head to the back of the enclosure stands what looks like a throne, Leathery-looking spikes jut out from it, two red gems sit firmly in the arm tips, like blood thirsty eyes they stare at me, Stare at us, (That¡¯s what it feels like at least) I stare back entranced in them, Entranced in it, I don¡¯t even notice the little machine in a corner making the humming anymore, I don¡¯t even notice a single stand that contains a curious looking scroll I don¡¯t even notice a crouched shadow behind the, The... My attention encapsulated by the throne, It looks like it was made of scales The spikes protrude from the back, up from the seat, from the arms, the legs, every corner of it, (It looks like death itself) The spikes curve at the top-back of the throne forming a crown, Not one that a king would wear, One a corpse would. ¡°Is this some kind of torture room?¡± Lyra says in disgust, ¡°I don¡¯t think we should be in here¡± Apollo awestruck at the sight (Why is it watching me like that?) ¡°Kage? Are you good?¡± Karina inquires ¡°Yeah, I just¡­.¡± (I have to sit on it) ¡­¡­ ¡°Kage?¡± Pinoki calls ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Move a step further and you will die¡± A thunderous voice booms from behind the throne. Everything Requiem Hello, from the dark side in? Does anybody here wanna be my friend?? Want it all to end? Tell me when the fuck is it all gon'' end?? Voices in my head? Telling me I''m gonna end up dead? Hollowed vocals bounce around the walls flooding the room, increasing the already tense atmosphere, Accompanied with the vocals are soulless-sounding drums, and a guitar that which each strum it feels as though I¡¯m slowly immersing more and more into the mind of the vocalist-: So, save mee? Before I fall? An imposing figure moves up from behind the equally intimidating ¡®throne¡¯ ¡°Can you take that music off?¡± the figure the groans shielding his face from the bright lights coming from a rugged cubic diamond held by Pinoki, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have one now, I don¡¯t want to deal with another Saito¡± So, save mee? I don¡¯t wanna go alone? ¡°Giichi sir?¡± Pinoki aiming the light at the man¡¯s face, ¡°As soon as I heard a voice, I flowed some magic through this to use the light¡± Pinoki stops the music, ¡°What are you doing sneaking up on us like that!?¡± Karina demands putting away her dagger, ¡°You are lucky I am not one to attack rashly or you would be dead right now,¡± ¡°Ha, I would have liked you to try,¡± Giichi sir guffaws ¡°The nerve of you to say I snuck up on you, when you people are clearly breaking into my artifact room,¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s what you wanted old man¡± I dispute- ¡°-Or you wouldn¡¯t be standing in front of us right now,¡± ¡°So, you did figure it out!¡± Giichi slapping me hard on my back, I stumble forward almost falling over on the murderous spike-lain throne, ¡°Whoa! Watch it there boy, you don¡¯t want to end up on that,¡± Giichi pulls me back ¡°Thought I almost died there,¡± I say rebalancing myself, ¡°Siting on that won¡¯t kill you,¡± ¡°Are you sure ab-¡± ¡°-If you sit on it, I will.¡± Giichi monotones, completely serious ¡­.. ¡°Ok old man,¡± Apollo grouses ¡°You have some explaining to do, What is this? Some kind of torture room?¡± ¡°Torture room? Don¡¯t be daft, why would I need to torture anyone,¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s that for?¡± Lyra points to the ¡®throne¡¯ ¡°Before I get into that I must first explain my intention of allowing you to break into this room-¡± ¡°-Which is?¡± Karina presses, ¡°Can I talk for a while without someone interrupting me?¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°I wanted to know exactly what kind of people you were, If you had come in here and immediately knew what everything was, I would have kil- Actually I don¡¯t think we are allowed to kill people here, I would have severed all your limbs and sent you back from whence you came,¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit excessive Giichi sir¡± Pinoki says uncomfortably ¡±Not at all, it isn¡¯t, You see all the artifacts in this entire room are valuable to some degree, But this specific enclosure contains the most important, most valuable artifacts, Requiems.¡± (Requiems? That¡¯s what that throne is?) Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°This for example,¡± Giichi pulls a scroll from podium-like stand near him, ¡°This is the map you were pestering me for ¡®Kyler¡¯,¡± ¡°It¡¯s Kage.¡± ¡°This is probably the least valuable requiem in this room,¡± Giichi ignores me, ¡°But you could become the richest person in at least eight different nations by auctioning off this alone,¡± ¡°How is a map a requiem Giichi sir?¡± Pinoki questions, ¡°Because this isn¡¯t a drawn map, of a certain distance, This is a magic map of the entire ring A one of kind, The creation this map involves the formation of this very guild, Which ties back to one of the reasons I ¡®brought¡¯ you in here, To educate you on the history of the guild,¡± ¡­¡­ No one speaks intently waiting on what the old man has to say, Giichi smiles pleased at the attention¡­ ¡°The legend speaks of a boy called ¡®Takeroumu¡¯,¡± he starts, ¡°His origin isn¡¯t important to the story, but his goal, All he ever wanted, growing up was to explore, See the everything the ring had to offer, He had an unquenchable thirst to know everything, to understand everything, And well, to make things frank, That is exactly what he did, by forgoing his responsibilities, his rights his own well-being, he traveled for days, for months, for years. By the time he saw every inch of the ring he was only in his thirties. No one knows how he did it, or even what he did, but he explored every inch of the ring, Some say only because he had special attribute, it was possible, others see it as proof of how far an unshakeable will can take you, But carrying on, After he saw everything, explored every area, Takeroumu had nothing left to do, no goal no purpose, So, he built a small settlement for himself where he lived alone, overtime people came to hear his story, soon his little settlement became a small village then that village became a town and from that it became Furlheim city, This very building you are standing in, we call the institute, was built by that man. Instead of telling people stories of what he did, he taught them how to do the same, to become adventurers, He lived out the rest of his days sharing his knowledge on adventuring, And when he finally died, this map was what he left behind-¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°What¡¯s in this?¡± Lyra kicks at a large trunk at Giichi¡¯s feet ¡°Were you not listening to my story!?¡± ¡°I heard you, old man, The map is a requiem of some dead man who founded this city and guild, right?¡¯ Lyra summaries, ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself actually¡± Giichi shrugs, ¡°So basically, you told us we couldn¡¯t come here, just so we would, so that you could lecture us, even though you could have just told us normally from the start?¡± Apollo breaks down situation, ¡°No, I let you break in to find out your true intentions, curiosity or larceny,¡± I eye Karina, remembering how she suggested robbing them, She meets my gaze staring back intently (She has no shame) ¡­. ¡°So, on the topic of requiems Giichi sir, what is the story behind the throne?¡± I turn my face away from the unabated stare of Karina ¡°This trunk you were kicking contains many beastmen requiems¡± Giichi seemingly ignoring my question, turning to Lyra, ¡°Well, few that is left of them anyways, some of our former members that went on to be part of the hunter coalition, Stole a majority of the requiems,¡± ¡°What do beastmen requiems do?¡± Pinoki asks, ¡°That depends on the beast that died, Unlike humans, beastmen have stronger convictions and thus, upon death there is a greater chance of them leaving behind a requiem, The effects of what said requiems do, varies from huge strength boosts to being able to access incredibly powerful magic,¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think I ever saw a beastman before, but I have read about them,¡± Apollo comments, ¡°Is it true they want nothing more than to eradicate all humans and become the dominant species?¡± ¡°Completely true,¡± Giichi informs, ¡°Vile disgusting creatures they are, many of the beast requiems here I obtained personally from killing a lot.¡± ¡°I met some beastmen before¡± I speak up, ¡°I used to-¡± (Sell human body parts to them for Jissepi as well as stolen weapons and supplies) ¡°Used to what, Kage?¡± Apollo jabs (Maybe I shouldn¡¯t mention that) ¡°I used to be scared of them,¡± I half lie, ¡°But, back in the desert, I was going to die I think, it was after Omari blew himself up, That was his requiem, I now know, But then a beastman saved me I think¡­,.it¡­¡± (I forgot about that, what ever happened to that beastman) ¡°Are you sure you did not dream that boy?¡± Giichi sir, scoffs ¡°Those creatures are programmed to murder us, feast on us, If you met one you either would not be alive to talk about it, Or you killed it yourself.¡± ¡°Hoping to never encounter one in my lifetime then¡± Pinoki shudders ¡°What about the chair, you never answered Kage when he asked,¡± Karina presses the old man ¡­ ¡°I was getting to that,¡± Giichi¡¯s tone becoming grimmer, ¡°First you have all have to look me in my eyes and say that you will give, not me, but this institute, this guild, your complete loyalty,¡± ¡­.. The five of us exchange glances before nodding simultaneous to the man, ¡°We can agree to that,¡± Apollo being the speaker for us, Giichi smiles, in a somewhat relieved way, ¡°That ¡®throne¡¯ you look at-¡± Giichi breathes, ¡°-is a beast¡¯s requiem but not just any regular creature, That is the requiem of the dragon king,¡± Pinoki lets out a loud gasp, ¡°Aren¡¯t dragons supposed to be extinct?¡± ¡°They are extinct, how that came to be is another story for another time, But this throne is the last piece of their existence, If you sit on it, you will be granted nigh-infinite power, at the cost of your humanity,¡± (Dragon¡¯s requiem huh Is that what those hunters were talking about?) ¡­¡­. ¡°Huwahh!¡± Giichi yawns, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s getting late, I think I¡¯ve shared enough, I have decided that I can trust you all to an extent, You five can go, I have to lock everything back up and change the sealing now,¡± ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t told us about that.¡± I point to the back corner of the enclosure, a sound hums from underneath a thick black cloth, ¡°What? ¡­.. Huh?¡± Giichi removes the cloth revealing the ¡®audio projector¡¯ device ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is, Who put this here?¡± Interlude | Cold Nights ¡®This is a pre-recorded message from: Anonymous¡¯ ¡°This will be my second message, I have been getting used to being in this ring, after months of struggling, I made it to city called Furlheim, even though its significantly better than the warrior nation I escaped from, this place is terribly lawless, between the crime and creature attacks, I don¡¯t know how much longer I will survive here, I had to sell off some of my equipment as artifacts, Currently, I am being accommodated by a guild of adventurers, This message is left somewhere I know no one will notice but if by chance you are listening to this, and do not understand what is happening, write down as much of what I said that you can remember, because no one else can hear this until you die. One more thing for those who are meant to hear this¡­. There was someone before me, I am not the first to come here.¡± ¡®Message End.¡¯ ¡­¡­ ¡°Alright, have you gotten a good look yet?¡± Giichi stands impatiently over my shoulder, (He really didn¡¯t hear any of that?) ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t know who put this here, Giichi sir?¡± I ask ¡°Positive,¡± the old man yawns, ¡°that isn¡¯t a requiem, and I store the magic items and other artifacts in boxes in the regular section¡± ¡°You must have some idea of who the person that put it there, is?¡± ¡°No one comes to mind right now, but I¡¯ll think about it,¡± ¡°Kage?¡± Pinoki nudges, giving me a look, I nod back to him, ¡°Well, this ¡®meeting¡¯ with you has been enlightening for the most part, Giichi sir,¡± Pinoki thanks, ¡°We have a lot to process now, so we will be calling it a night,¡± ¡°What was that about Kage?¡± Lyra whispers, the five of us making our way out of the room, ¡°What was what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, You were staring at that blue flame thingy for a while,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure I can explain this right now Lyra, I need some time to think¡­¡­¡± (Every moment that passes, Every day that goes by, I feel more lost and more confused as to what my existence is, Before I even get the chance to be fully accustomed to my current situation, I get thrust into another) ¡­... ¡°Well, that was something,¡± Apollo yawns, as we pass the entrance to the mess hall, now approaching the staircase to the upper floor¡­. ¡°You¡¯re cheating Josh!¡± ¡°Just admit it Yannick I¡¯m better than you at his game¡± ¡°You-¡± Cheerful voices can be heard from fellow members of the guild presumably playing games in the recreational room. ¡°Anyone else is exhausted from all that information,¡± Apollo continues, the only one of us still trying keep up a conversation, ¡°Yes,¡± Lyra replies dryly Karina who walks along quietly, has been eyeing me intently since I listened to the message in ¡®the flame¡¯, ¡°Who took one of my sound-diamonds!!¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Saito¡¯s angry voice booms through the institute, Pinoki lets a slight smirk slip out, ¡°Looks like Saito finally noticed...¡± ¡­ ¡°Would you shut up, it is night, some people would like to get their beauty sleep!¡± An angry but feminine voice barks back, ¡°What beauty? I wasn¡¯t aware beastmen had that concept?¡± Saito retorts, ¡°Don¡¯t make me get out of my bed!¡± ¡°I already locked my door, Amber; you couldn¡¯t get in¡± ¡°That won¡¯t save you......¡± The two voices argue back and forth along the upper floor corridors, ¡­.. ¡°Well, good night I guess,¡± Lyra says awkwardly heading for her room, Apollo had already left for his, the moment we stepped foot upstairs, ¡°Kage,¡± Pinoki pinches me, ¡°you better fill me in on what you heard, tomorrow,¡± ¡°Mmhmm¡± I sound ¡°Good, just making sure,¡± the little man already walking off¡­... ¡­¡­.. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡­.What?¡± I now stand by the door of my room, Karina still staring at me silently ¡°We passed your room already, is there something you want?¡± ¡°Open the door already Kage,¡± she pushes me aside entering, ¡°We need to talk, But first I want you to take that off¡± ¡°What?¡± I close the door behind me, Karina approaches me with a look of determination, ¡°Take it off,¡± She places her hand on my face feeling around my left cheek- ¡°-Aww!¡± A sharp stinging pain pulsates from my left ear, ¡°Glad this worked,¡± Karina holding an earring with a transparent gem, ¡°Did you put that on me? My ears weren¡¯t even pierced before,¡± ¡°That not important Kage, But if you must know, I sealed some of my soundwave magic in this, and planted on you,¡± ¡°Why?¡± I rub ear gingerly sinking down onto my bed, ¡°You could say you were my test subject, with this gem I can hear you no matter how far you are, vice versa,¡± ¡°Should I be thankful or alarmed?¡± ¡°If I say thankful, how will you thank me, Kage?¡± ¡°¡­. Well now that you¡¯ve got your earring back can you go now?¡± I ignore her tease, ¡°What if I said that I heard what you heard Kage?¡± ¡°Do you mean form the fl-¡± ¡°-The blue ¡®flame¡¯ yes, Who are you really, Kage?¡± she presses ¡°¡­¡­ ¡­¡­.¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± ¡°I hate that I believe you¡± Karina groans, ¡°I am still trying to figure that out myself, I told you this before Karina,¡± ¡°I know but that doesn¡¯t stop me from being suspicious of you, Are you even human?¡± ¡°What kind of question that?¡± ¡°Then why did that voice say he wasn¡¯t the first to ¡®come here¡¯? What does even mean? That makes it sound like he¡­.it, is a beastman,¡± (She really heard all of it) ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I repeat, ¡°What do you know, Kage?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know anything! What do you want me to tell you Karina!?¡± ¡°Why are you getting loud? Calm down Kage,¡± (Why is this getting me upset?) ¡°I hate it, I hate not knowing, Karina, You keep asking me things, expecting me to answer, But it just makes realize how little I know, How lost I truly am, You think I understood anything from that message? I am just as confused as you are I¡¯m tired of needing something explained to me over and over again! My earliest memory is¡­.¡± (What was it again? Being in a forest I think, No, before that, A house? Damnit!) Thwack! I slam my hand into the wooden bed post (Stop taking away my memories!) ¡°Kage, Its okay,¡± Karina crawls up next to me, ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready to remember, you will,¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing Karina, I did not forget, I can still recognize sights, smells, sounds that maybe are familiar to me, But it is like my mind doesn¡¯t want to register it, Doesn¡¯t want to tell me why it is familiar, It¡¯s like being an artist, having an idea to paint, But when you look at the canvas, nothing comes out, It remains blank.¡± ¡­.. ¡°I wish I knew something reassuring to say to right now, ¡° Karina wraps her arms around my neck, ¡°But, I¡¯m no better off than you Kage, I don¡¯t know if the others feel like this, But every morning I¡¯ll wake up, and just stare at sky, half expecting it to be a black void, I¡¯m still waiting on the moment I wake up back in Soterra, in the underground city, I cannot tell you if you will find what you¡¯re searching for, because I¡¯m lost myself,¡± She rolls over in front with her back turned to me as to not show her face, ¡°Then-¡± I start ¡°-No, let me finish Kage, I don¡¯t really even care about who or what you actually are Kage, I¡¯m only suspicious of you because, why else not? It keeps me distracted, doesn¡¯t it? What else would I have to do then, if not? I¡¯m sorry if questioning you all the time gets annoying, But I need something to interest me, I need something to desire, Otherwise, would I be considered human either?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± (What do I even say, Is happiness what all regular humans want?) ¡°Then go-ahead Karina. Be as suspicious of me as you like, Until¡­. I don¡¯t know, but¡­. I will help all of you find your purpose, Find your happiness, Apollo, Lyra, Zinnia, Pinoki, you, I¡¯ll find a place where¡­¡± (I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m saying, I can¡¯t finish that sentence,) ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Karina doesn¡¯t say anything instead pushing her back against me, I wrap my arms around her chest embracing her warmth... ¡­¡­. Badump! I hear the sound of a door getting kicked open, accompanied by Saito¡¯s whining, ¡°Hahahaha!¡± The sound of laughter comes from the floor beneath, ~~~~~ A shiveringly cold breeze blows through the window, grazing my cheek Karina lays sideways in front of me, radiating warmth to counter the cold, It really makes me realize¡­ Only because of the cold can one truly appreciate warmth. Guild Sonata ¡°Kage!¡± The door swings open to Pinoki¡¯s excited face, ¡°Whoa, Didn¡¯t know you two were busy,¡± he notices Karina, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly what you think,¡± Karina speaks over me ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Pinoki says dryly ¡°Look Kage I have been waiting for you to tell me what you heard from the ¡®flame¡¯, I could barely sleep last night, thinking about what adventure this could lead us on!¡± ¡°And you came to my room this early?¡± I yawn, ¡°The sun has only just risen¡± ¡°Well, I wanted you to tell me first before we discussed everything with the others at breakfast, but it seems like you are already busy~¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. We¡¯re not¡­., Hhh¡± I sigh ¡°Any~wayss, I¡¯ll see you at breakfast Kage, tell me all about it then,¡± Pinoki turns leaving the room, ¡­¡­. ¡°-_-¡± ¡°Why are you looking at me like that for, Kage? It¡¯s not like we did anything,¡± Karina pulling the covers over herself, ¡°Get up,¡± I pull them off, ¡°Let me sleep¡± she purrs, ¡°Your room is down the hall, sleep there.¡± ¡­.. ¡°What¡¯s with the attitude Kage?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t any,¡± I answer blankly, ¡°Then come back and cuddle, with me¡± Karina tugs on my arm, ¡°Can you leave please? I have to organize the room¡± ¡°Everything is already organized, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°The bed is uneven¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°It has to be even.¡± ¡°Stop being weird Kage,¡± Karina yawns ¡°If you want me leave, make me,¡± ¡°Ok,¡± I grab her ankle yanking her off the bed, Thud! Karina crashes to the floor Without even flinching or reacting to the bump, she immediately sweeps her legs hard into my ankles buckling me to floor as well, ¡°Oww!¡± Karina crawls over me digging her knee into my gut, She brandishes a dagger to my throat... ¡°Don¡¯t ever do that again.¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. **** ¡°Phew~¡± Apollo whistles seeing me walk up, Him, Lyra and Pinoki sit around a table, Lyra is busy giggling with Pinoki, which never happens, ever. (Bastard went and ran his mouth) ¡°Hhhhh¡± I sit down joining them, with my cup of tea and a book on magic ignoring the three of them, (At least I can get some reading in, I haven¡¯t even fully understood magic yet, and all these new concepts like requiems keep getting brought up,) ¡°What were those loud noises coming from upstairs just now?¡± Apollo tires to interrogate, This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I hold the book high over my face signifying my unwillingness to answer or even acknowledge that question, ¡­¡­.. ¡°How was your night, Kage?¡± Thwack! ¡°Psschh!¡± Lyra suddenly slaps me hard on the back, making me spit my tea out onto the pages, ¡°What is it with you people and back slapping!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know Kage, you tell me?¡± ¡°What is that even supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Come on Kage,¡± Lyra placing her arm over my shoulder, ¡°We¡¯re all ¡®buddies¡¯ here you can tell me anything,¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Why is it that I can never come and meet you guys being normal?¡± Claude and Amelia join us at the table, ¡°No idea what you mean,¡± Lyra says releasing me, retaking her seat, ¡°Whatever¡­., so I heard about this Job-¡± Claude already starts, ¡°Hey Amelia,¡± Apollo deliberately talks over him, ¡°Has Giichi sir already shown you and Claude inside the artifact room?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± she replies meekly ¡°We saw yesterday, The requiems, I mean¡± Apollo speaking almost whisperingly, ¡°It¡¯s ok, everyone here knows about it¡± Amelia reassures, ¡°Well except Claude who doesn¡¯t pay attention to anything,¡± she squeezes his hand, ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you more about them back when we saw ¡®Marisha and Adrik¡¯ because it is an unspoken rule to not talk the guilds business,¡± ¡°That seems fair Pinoki,¡± comments, ¡°I¡¯m good at keeping secrets by the way,¡± ¡°Ehhck ehhck!¡± I fake coughing sounds to that statement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kage? Do you have something to say?¡± Pinoki chortles ¡°No, I just almost choked on this ¡®Bs¡¯¡­., tea Bittersweet tea I mean,¡± ¡°Speaking of things that are bittersweet,¡± Apollo nods toward an approaching Karina, ¡°What?¡± she sits down, noticing the staring eyes, ¡°Nothing,¡± Apollo turns his face, ¡°How was your night?¡± Lyra pipes up, ¡°Hmm besides getting that whole lecture from Giichi, I slept with Kage and that¡¯s about it,¡± She replies blankly, (So glad that I wasn¡¯t drinking tea right now) ¡°Interesting~,¡± Lyra¡¯s cocky, teasing stare makes, me want to go another round with her... ¡­...¡°Since when do you care about my wellbeing Lyra?¡± Karina sounding somewhat flattered by the girl¡¯s question, ¡°For clarification I would like to say we slept next to each other,¡± I put in ¡°Is that what this is about?¡± Karina interprets ¡­. Gadump! ¡°Ahwww!¡± Pinoki receives an empty hardwood cup thrown across the table directly on his forehead ¡°What the hell Karina!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go spreading false rumours,¡± she smiles cheerfully ¡°If anything did happen, I would be the first one to spread it, Like with me and Apollo-¡± ¡°-Umm yeah, so Claude what was that about jobs you were taking about!??¡± Apollo questions, his voice ¡®randomly¡¯ loud all of sudden. ¡°Would you people keep it down over there!¡± An angry voice shouts from across the room ¡°Y-¡± Lyra begins to speak but I immediately clasp my hand over mouth, ¡°Aggh! Don¡¯t bite, Lyra!¡± ¡°Well don¡¯t stop me from talking!¡± ¡°You were about to antagonize that guy,¡± ¡°No, I was going to respectfully tell him to mind his business,¡± ¡°I can still hear you!¡± the man retorts ¡°Let it go Yannick they are still newcomers here,¡± someone else tries calming down the short-tempered blond-haired man. ¡°Claude!¡± Yannick calls, ¡°Can you tell your new friends to be more mindful of others when in the ¡®mess¡¯ next time!?¡± ¡°I think they can hear-¡± ¡°-Claude, Can you tell your old guildmate to be more mindful of his ¡®asshollery¡¯ next time!?¡± Lyra snaps back ¡°Claude, can you tell that rude bitch, that name calling is very disrespectful!?¡± ¡°Claude, can you tell that blonde bozo that I shall call him as I see fit!?¡± ¡°Claude¡­¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to be discussing what we learnt yesterday?¡± I lean over to Apollo ¡°I thought so to, but this is entertaining so I¡¯m not complaining¡± he responds ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Claude, can you tell that ¡®doofus¡¯ in that awful hat and terrible outfit, that I will turn him into a frozen turd if he dare challenges me!?¡± The back and forth continues¡­. ¡°Claude tell than idiot girl that death by supercharged stoning is extremely pain full¡± Whack! ¡°Awww!¡± Who threw a boot at me!¡± ¡°Hey who stole my boot?¡± ¡°What the hell Josh, can¡¯t you see I was in the middle of something!?¡± Yannick now turns his attention to a brown-haired young man of medium build, who wears only one boot, the other foot bare ¡°Why would you attack me for no reason!?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me br-¡± ¡°-Tell it to the lights¡± A light flashes and the two men disappear, presumably in a battle right now, ¡­.. ¡°Well that settles that,¡± Karina taking her seat once more, so does Pinoki ¡°Wait that was you two?¡± Claude asks, puzzled ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you get up,¡± ¡°That was the point, I had Pinoki silently steal that guy, Josh is his name¡¯s boot, and I threw it in the other guy, Yannick¡¯s face,¡± Karina explains, ¡°No need to thank me Lyra¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve handled that on my own,¡± Lyra scoffs ¡°Knowing you, that argument would have lasted forever,¡± Apollo remarks, ¡°No, I was planning on challenging him myself, Teach him a lesson or two,¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be talking about the requiems and other things from yesterday?¡± I interject impatiently ¡°To be honest, I already forgot most of what that old man told us,¡± Lyra stretches her arms ¡°He talked about the beast requiems,¡± Apollo remembers ¡°That ¡®throne¡¯ was one as well,¡± Pinoki adds ¡°Don¡¯t forget that blue ¡®flame¡¯ Kage kept staring at¡± I feel Karina words jabbing at me, ¡°Blue flame?¡± Claude who¡¯d been listening to us, asks curiously ¡°It was just a magic artifact I found interesting,¡± I lie, ¡°I was also really interested in that map,¡± quickly changing the topic, ¡°You mean the requiem of erm¡­ What was his name again?¡± Claude turns to his sister ¡°Takeroumu.¡± She rolls her eyes, ¡°Yeah that, That map is every adventurer¡¯s dream, to explore the entire ring,¡± ¡°The number of thrilling adventures you could have¡± Pinoki salivates, ¡°Mhm¡± I nod agreeingly ¡°I am not one for the adventurous life, but I can¡¯t deny that does sound thrilling, Lands I haven¡¯t seen before, undiscovered or long forgotten places, We have yet to come across an ocean yet and I can only wonder what exists across it,¡± ¡°Ocean?¡±¡­¡­¡­ Everybody looks at each other confusedly, ¡°Kage makes up his own words and terminology a lot, get used to it,¡± Pinoki explaining to the even doubly confused Amelia and Claude, ¡°Own words? What did I say that is foreign to you?¡± ¡°Ocean, that is not a real word Kage,¡± Lyra tells ¡°What do you mean not a real word? Ocean, a large body of water spread across a great distance that separates¡­.¡± My voice trails off, (What am I even talking about?) ¡°Kage,¡± Karina informs, ¡°There is no such thing as an ocean.¡± Da Capo del Hunt ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! A downpour of rain engulfs the city, the midday sky like dusk but with cold, strong gusts of wind, the wet atmosphere makes everything feel all sticky and uncomfortable, Though its only midday, most people are fast asleep due to the cold weather. I sit comfortably wrapped in blanket, by myself in the institute¡¯s library, a book in hand called the Strats for War, by a famous military general of the Bakufu nation by the name of Moon Gyu, Though he has long since died his knowledge left behind on artful military strategies has been very insightful to me¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Kage!¡± A familiar voice calls, ¡°Apollo?¡± I look up from my book, ¡°I thought you would be in here, You need to get out more often Kage, We have been here for a month now, and you have only been on three jobs,¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been taking my time to understand everything, I can¡¯t just rush out into things like Lyra and you,¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I came to ask you about Kage, Have you seen Lyra? I wanted to go somewhere with her,¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s out with Amelia and Claude right now,¡± ¡°Well then can you come with me Kage?¡± ¡°Where, do you see this weather?¡± ¡°Somewhere¡± ¡°Somewhere isn¡¯t a location Apollo,¡± ¡°Will you come or not?¡± ¡°Hhhhh¡± I sigh putting my book, ¡°Where¡¯s my rain-cloak?¡± **** Splash! Splash! Splash! Dozens of footsteps trample along the wet streets, People going about their days like normal¡­. From spending a fair amount of time in this city, I could now easily identify what faction any person belonged just by seeing their outfit or mannerisms, Merchants were of course the easiest ones to pinpoint solely based off their insistence of always loudly promoting their products in the crowded streets, Order members were commonly the only people hat didn¡¯t travel in groups, In dark shadow-camouflage cloaks, they would walk in much slower paces than regular people, not heading anywhere but stalking the streets, ¡®patrolling¡¯ ¡°This way,¡± Apollo directs moving off the primary street, a path that flows directly through the city from north end to south it intersects at the center with the secondary street that goes east to west, Other minor streets converge with the two main ones at other points leading to different subsections of the divided city, the guild being in the northeast end, north being one large field complex where only an imposing mansion stands, the apparent home of the infamous mayoral mafia, the only faction that lacks much, or any physical presence in the city at all. ¡­We step onto a busy street filled with travelers, which I can now identify just by the fact that most have awestruck expressions walking through the city, similar to us when we first arrived, The street we are on is to the southwest of Sweepstake, more ¡®magic-crystal carriages¡¯ drive to-and-from here, this being the service faction¡¯s section of Sweepstake, more bars, inns, pubs, brothels, mail services, things of that sort are commonly found here, I remember this street good as it was where we got beat up by those maids¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you brought me here for food?¡± I complain to Apollo, ¡°¡­...¡± He doesn¡¯t hear me, the rain still falling heavily, It is only because of these rain-cloaks that we both aren¡¯t soaked right now, If Lyra were here, she¡¯d roll her eyes at me if I said I found the concept behind these cloaks fascinating, They¡¯re made by crushing larger wind magic-crystals into much smaller rhinestone-like pieces which are then woven into bearskin cloaks, when worn, the wind magic flows constantly deflecting the rain pellets, Though it doesn¡¯t last forever, since they were made to eventually run out of magic, ensuring these are in constant demand, This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. (Good for business I guess) ¡°Apollo! Are you hearing me!?¡± ¡°What, don¡¯t yell in my ear Kage! What is it!?¡± ¡°I said you better not have brought me here because of food,¡± ¡°Not exactly, We are going to a teahouse, But it is for personal reasons, I didn¡¯t want to go by myself,¡± ¡°Personal, meaning?¡± ¡°This is the place,¡± Apollo pulls into the yard of a quaint wooden house, the yard is filled with colorful flowers of many kinds as a sweet aroma wafts out of the house¡¯s windows, The sight is somewhat jarring, in stark contrast to the rest this street which is lined by a row of inns and more common ¡®sweepstake-like¡¯ looking restaurants, This being the only place with flowers and a more old-timey look, stands out. ¡­¡­ ¡°Good day!¡± Apollo greets as we both step inside, what looks like just someone¡¯s living room, furnished with stylish tables and chairs, floral pattern tablecloths and curtains give the place welcoming feel, Besides us, the only other person here is a man sat at the back of the room wearing a fedora, with a stack of papers next to him The man does not acknowledge Apollo¡¯s greeting as he¡¯s studiously engrossed in his work... ¡°Hello?¡¯ A plump old woman with rosy cheeks and kind eyes, emerges form the back, ¡°Hi, Miss Maria, I hope you remember me from last time,¡± Apollo says ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t forget a handsome face like yours,¡± Miss Maria smiles, ¡°I was hoping you could tell me about ¡®them¡¯,¡± Apollo asks ¡°Indeed, will you and your cousin? have a seat, make yourselves comfortable, I¡¯ll be right over with some tea and treats,¡± ¡°Is this a date, Cousin Apollo?¡± I joke as we take our seats, ¡°That is sentence I never want hear uttered again Kage,¡± he retorts, ¡°So, what is all this about?¡± I question ¡°My parents obviously, I know you might not care that much, but since we settled down in the guild, I¡¯ve been investigating them, you could say, trying to find out from everyone who knew them, well besides Giichi sir, He is uh, hard to talk to,¡± (Agreed) ¡°And those investigations lead you here?¡± ¡°Yes and no, I kind of stumbled upon here by accident, I was coming back from a job and smelt the food, so I had to you know, try some, But miss Maria recognised me as Emma¡¯s son , she said my parents were regular customers of her, so I told her I¡¯d pass back to discuss it more, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care, about who your father was?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t but everyone I heard about him from, said he was such a good person I am sort of curious now,¡± ¡­.. ¡°Ahh there we are,¡± Miss Maria beams as she sets the table with coconut shortcakes, black tea and salted crackers, ¡°I¡¯m assuming you brought your cousin along for this,¡± Miss Maria says pulling a chair in front of us, ¡°No, Kage and I aren¡¯t related, I would hope, I was planning to bring my best friend, Lyra with me, but she wasn¡¯t available,¡± Apollo clarifies, ¡°Well, I apologizes for assuming, Raguel used to talk a lot about his many siblings¡­,¡± ¡°How much do you know about them?¡± ¡°Not a great deal, only the little bits I heard from when they would visit, Emma was always so upfront with her feelings to him, I don¡¯t know what it was, but Raguel always acted like he couldn¡¯t be with her, not because of himself, but because of his family,¡± ¡°Ehh¡ª things like that don¡¯t interest me,¡± Apollo munching on some cake, ¡°I want to know about his family, did ever talk about them?¡± ¡°Only that he had plenty siblings some of which tragically passed away, He was apparently searching for one of them, That¡¯s all I know besides romantic stuff, I¡¯m sorry if I don¡¯t know as much as you¡¯d hoped, these are only things I happened to hear him say, while being here, I was never one to pry into others¡¯ conversation,¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s ok miss Maria, I¡¯m not looking for him or anything, I¡¯m just curious as to what kind of person he was, Any little information helps¡± ¡°Was there anything suspicious or out of place you heard him say?¡± I say interrogatingly ¡°Suspicious? I don¡¯t think so,¡± Miss Maria thinks ¡°Although I did have my suspicions of Emma being someone of great importance, she always talked unintentionally condescending a times,¡± ¡°Sounds like she was the sister of a queen or something,¡± I jab at Apollo, ¡°She very well may have been,¡± Miss Maria agrees, not getting the meaning of my joke, ¡°Now that I think about it¡± she continues, ¡°Raguel always had a weird way of referring to regular concepts, He would say things like third ring instead of ring or mana instead of magic, Besides that there isn¡¯t much else I can tell you,¡± ¡°Thanks anyway miss Maria, I¡¯ve learned a good bit more, and got to enjoy your food,¡± Apollo says standing up to leave already, (Bro we just got here) ¡°I-¡± Apollo starts ¡°-You really do look like a mix both of them hmm?¡± A gruff voice from the back of the room ponders looking at Apollo ¡°Huh?¡± Apollo and I turn to the man dressed formally, a fedora on head which he tips, revealing a receded hairline, but what¡¯s left of his hair is jet black. His stern serious eyes set into sharp well-built face tries its hardest to look pleasant¡­, ¡°Do you know them?¡± Apollo questions ¡°Sorry I just happened to overhear,¡± His thin crusty lips forces a smile, ¡°My name is Ginobelucci, you can say I know them from working together in the past,¡± (Something about this man doesn¡¯t feel right) ¡°How exactly is that?¡± Apollo demands, presumably feeling the same as I ¡°I wouldn¡¯t speak to Mr. Ginobelucci like that,¡± Miss Maria whispers, ¡°He is-¡± ¡°-I¡¯ll tell you everything I know about him; the only catch is you two battle me of course.¡± He cuts miss Maria off, ¡°¡­ Battle? Two on one you say? Kage, You up for it?¡± (Is he not going to put any thought into it before answering?) ¡°No.¡± I reply dryly ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking, of course,¡± I say noticing his expression, (I am not joking) ¡°Great~ ¡° the man smiles¡­¡­¡­... Flash! The light transports us, ¡­¡­. ¡°Ok Kage, here is the plan, you fire arrows at him as a decoy and I¡¯ll use my lighting to boost my speed, striking him the sword, instant win,¡± I nod forming the prototype in my hand, (This plan does not sound good; I have to think of something on my own) ¡°Interesting artifact you have there,¡± Ginobelucci spies, ¡°But I have one better,¡± He pulls out what seem to be, fangs? Putting it in his mouth. (Is that?) ¡°Apollo, I think we need a better plan¡± I say ¡°What do you mea- -I think your right Kage.¡± ¡°Let the hunt begin Grauhh!¡± ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. Thud! Two bodies reappear on the floor of the teahouse, both with claw marks ripped into them, ¡°Oh my!¡± Miss Maria exclaims ¡°You didn¡¯t have to go that far,¡± the woman scolds the third figure to reappear, ¡°I get carried away sometimes, Well I guess I¡¯ll be taking my leave now he looks down at the two, As per my rule I won¡¯t be telling you anything I know, I only challenged you because of who your mother was, she was really adept at magic, I see that you have similar potential,¡± ¡°W¡­w..who are you?¡± Apollo stumbles to his feet, ¡°Nice meeting you two,¡± Ginobelucci with his back turned to us, walking away, ¡°I told you already what my name is, But if you must know, Some also call me the leader of the Hunter coalition,¡± Somebody That I Used To Know My tea¡¯s gone cold, I¡¯m wondering why? Get out of bed at all? ¡°Are you going to tell us what happened?¡± The morning raindrops on my window? And I can¡¯t see at all? ¡°Can you wait a bit Pinoki,¡± Even if I could it¡¯ll all be gray? But your picture on my wall? ¡°Where is Lyra?¡± It reminds me that, tis not so bad, not so bad? ¡°Haven¡¯t see her all day,¡± Apollo sat gingerly, crossed-legged, on the recreation room¡¯s floor along with me, Pinoki and Karina, ¡°I don¡¯t know mayb-¡± The door swings open and a wet, disheveled Lyra huffs in, her clothes are torn in several places, she looks more beaten than Apollo and me, ¡°Here.¡± She drops a brown-gold quiver at my feet ¡°Hmm.¡± Lyra notices my bruises and Apollo¡¯s as well, ¡°What happened to you two?¡± ¡°We should be asking you the same question,¡± Apollo retorts concernedly ¡°I was trying to buy that quiver for Kage, but the merchant wanted more money, I didn¡¯t want to give that greedy bastard any more money, so¡­... I ended up having to fight him and all his goons,¡± ¡°And you won?¡± Pinoki asks, taking off the music ¡°¡­Not the first time, But I did eventually.¡± (This girl.) ¡°Why would you think I needed a new quiver?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for the arrows you keep losing, the quiver is a magic artifact, anytime an arrow accidently falls out, it will get pulled back into it, you can also strap it to your hip instead of back,¡± ¡°Did I ask you to get this? Now I¡¯m confused,¡± ¡°Remember you said you lost your arrows when we did that job to go to Gate,¡± ¡°That was weeks ago Lyra.¡± ¡°Ok, and?¡ª ¡ªOww, Kage!¡± I pull her down to ground by me, ¡°Thanks,¡± I say looking directly into her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t get it twisted Kage, I only got you that, so you won¡¯t have any excuses next time I beat you,¡± She pulls back ¡°Who says there¡¯s going to be next time?¡± ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± ¡°No, no, I am saying that there will not be a next time that we fight,¡± I say preventatively If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°I sincerely doubt that¡ª ¡ªAw! Stop squeezing my arm, Karina!¡± ¡°I have to check your wounds,¡± Karina replies, speaking somewhat caringly ¡°I¡¯m fine don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Lyra puffs her chest trying to seem tough ¡°Well at least put on a better shirt and dry yourself up, you look more or less half naked Lyra,¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be going on job with Claude and Amelia?¡± Pinoki interjects, ¡°I was but he fooled me and said it was important, but it was just to wait on a visitor for the mayor or something, it was boring, so I left and roamed the city for a bit¡± (In the rain?) ¡°Another job from the mayor huh, I would really like to know what Claude¡¯s relation to him is,¡± I say ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, I have to change,¡± Lyra abruptly leaving, ¡°¡­¡­¡­ She¡¯s weird¡± I state, matter-of-factly, ¡°You¡¯re weird too Kage,¡± Pinoki jeers, ¡°I know but she remembered something I said a few weeks ago, probably got beat on multiple times just to get me this quiver because of it, only to shrug it off like nothing, that¡¯s weird behavior even for Lyra¡± ¡°Perhaps she is finally moving on from that self-blaming mindset she gave herself,¡± Apollo remarks ¡°You mean the mindset I gave her,¡± Karina laments, ¡°When we were younger, I used to berate her a lot, tell her how much of a monster she was like her brother, every single day I would¡­. Anyways, Why I did stop wasn¡¯t because I started feeling bad originally, it was because I was still unhappy I thought making her feel as bad I, would bring me some form of resolution, But it didn¡¯t, Then I thought maybe I would find pleasure in being with her friend Apollo, it was fun for a while, but I felt nothing from it, Ultimately, former queen Patricia pushed me to make club Hedon, and it was only after that¡­ I had gotten so high off magic absorption, I realized how much I scarred that girl, All I can do to make it up, now is look after her, I don¡¯t want forgiveness,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Ehem ehem¡± Apollo dry coughs awkwardly, ¡°Oversharing a bit much,¡± Pinoki whispers, then gulps remembering that Karina probably still heard him, ¡­¡­¡­ The door turns slightly and Lyra re-enters nonchalantly, (Did she hear any of that?) ¡­. ¡°Now, what is the story with you two?¡± Lyra sits back down impatiently, Somehow, I can tell she is trying her best not to make eye contact with Karina... ¡­ Apollo looks at me giving me a nudge, ¡°You tell them, or shall I?¡± he asks ¡°You tell, I¡¯m not good at telling stories,¡± I reply ¡°Alright,¡± he turns to the other three, ¡°To make things as simple as possible, Kage and I happened to er, encounter, the leader of the Hunter coalition, We had a little ¡®scrap¡¯ with him and lost,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he knew we were members of the adventures guild though,¡± I add ¡°Waitt, I am going to need you to explain how that came to be in the first place,¡± Pinoki sounding puzzled ¡°We went to a teahouse and-¡± ¡°-You and Kage went out together?¡± Karina coos ¡°Stop making things weird Karina,¡± Apollo monotones, ¡°Back to what I was saying, I went to, you know, learn about my parents, There was this stern looking guy there who recognized me, And he was all like; ¡®Yo I know a lil something about your father, fight me and I shall spill¡¯, And Kage was like¡¯ ¡®Ok we¡¯ll fight you!¡¯ I then reluctantly agreed and got my ass kicked as a result,¡± ¡°You just changed half of the story,¡± I renounce, ¡°You may have phrased it differently, but that man, Ginobelucci was his name, did challenge us to a battle for the reason you said, Butt... I specifically remember you saying, ¡®Kage you up?¡¯ when he challenged us¡­.¡± ¡°Who accepted the challenge isn¡¯t important Kage, what is, is how he beat us, Using a beast¡¯s requiem.¡± ¡°A beastman requiem?¡± Pinoki raises his eyebrows, ¡°What kind was it?¡± ¡°It gave him claw-like and a fang-like features, he attacked us with a special attribute he called beast¡¯s carnage, It seemed wind-based, I could tell because he would slash from a small distance away, but still have it hit us, And his agility was hard to keep up with we couldn¡¯t attack or defend against him,¡± I divulge, ¡°Hmm, you¡¯ve gotten really good at magic analysis in a short time Kage,¡± Karina compliments, ¡°From your encounter with him, Besides getting beaten, What kind of person was he?¡± Lyra asks, ¡°He didn¡¯t seem that bad of a-¡± ¡°He is a pretender, I cut Apollo off, You couldn¡¯t tell, but I could, His pleasant demeanor felt like a farce His eyes were stern and lonely, It was clear that there¡¯s something he wants and won¡¯t rest until haves,¡± ¡°Maybe it is the dragon¡¯s requiem,¡± Pinoki brings up, ¡°I have been investigating myself, And apparently, that¡¯s the reason the hunters are trying to get rid of the adventures, They can¡¯t attack us head on for three reasons, One, Giichi¡¯s strength is feared by even their leader, Two, you aren¡¯t allowed to attack others like that without a formal challenge, Three, the Order would be on them if they did attempt that, in an instant, Their only choice is to ¡®legally¡¯ ruin the guilds status, slowly taking our place and influence,¡± ¡°And how exactly do we deal with them then?¡± Lyra quizzes, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, Claude is the one who said he was forming a plan,¡± Pinoki shrugs ¡­.. ¡°Did someone summon for me?¡± A voice sings from behind the door almost on que ¡°Claude?¡± Lyra calls as the door slowly, dramatically, opens His face sticks though the opening smiling as he surveys the room, ¡°Good, you¡¯re all here, But just to be sure you all came from Soterra correct?¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Apollo answers ¡°Well~ I brought someone back from my latest job, who when I mentioned you all, said she knows you,¡± ¡°Huh, knows us? Who are you talking about?¡± Karina eyes curiously, ¡°Come in.¡± Claude looks to someone behind him, Amelia enters and following her¡­... (What is she doing here?) ¡°Tori!¡± Karina exclaims The woman steps into the room, looking around at us, then rests her eyes on Karina, ¡°Long time boss.¡± Crescendo to Mafia Fwesh! A calm cool breeze blows through the leaves of a grandiose tree, Atop it, a figure sits, their kind green eyes staring off into the distance¡ª ¡­¡­.. ¡°What are you doing here Tori? And how do you know her, Claude?¡± Karina along with the rest of us, utterly confused. ¡°It was a job from... It was from the job, Amelia and I just did, we met her¡± Claude stutters, ¡°You mean the person you were to wait on, was her?¡± Lyra questions, ¡°What business could Tori possibly have in Sweepstake?¡± ¡°I am here on behalf of Queen Zinnia¡± Tori explains ¡°Queen Zinnia?¡± Lyra looks at Apollo who shrugs, (She really was able to make herself be accepted as queen) ¡°Mhm,¡± Tori nods, ¡°Since Apollo left abruptly, Zinnia was the last person of your group who ¡®ended¡¯ Murdoc, no one else would challenge for the position of leader, but acknowledged the fact that Soterra wouldn¡¯t be a kingdom without a king or queen, When Zinnia proposed herself to take charge, no one was for it but not against either, so she became queen though it isn¡¯t official or anything we just call her queen. By the way, the people have dubbed you the ¡®runaway king¡¯, Apollo¡± ¡°Runaway king? I didn¡¯t even run away, nor was I king,¡± ¡°You are the last living member of the direct royal family, the title was passed to you upon everyone else¡¯s passing, Yet you ran away to play adventurer, is it?¡± she frowns disdainfully at the sound of Saito getting into an argument with someone upstairs, ¡°Well, I am glad that Zinnia is accepted at least,¡± Apollo sighs thankfully ¡°She also spread a rumor that you two are married but separated because she had a secret love child with Darius, and you found out,¡± Tori adds ¡°She what!? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse, the fact that she spread that rumor or the fact that I am not surprised she would do something like that,¡± Apollo groans ¡°That does sound exactly like something she would say,¡± Karin agrees, ¡°Glad she hasn¡¯t changed much since losing Darius,¡± ¡°This still doesn¡¯t explain why you are here¡± Lyra presses Tori, ¡°If you must know, The ¡®queen sent me to help establish trade relations as well as travel relations between Soterra and Furlheim, or whatever it is this city is now called, A messenger was sent ten days ago to speak with this mayor, However due to unforeseen circumstances, and by that, I mean this weird ¡®battle culture¡¯ Furlheim has adopted, He was robbed of everything.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why she sent you this time,¡± Karina finishes, I agree you are a capable fighter for this task, But you serving Zinnia is quite surprising to me, I thought you would not show your face again after betraying me for Murdoc,¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I chose the winning side boss, I thought with my best desires in mind, What you taught us,¡± ¡°Well, where is Murdoc now? Furthermore, why still call me boss?¡± ¡°Because my respect for you still stands, I am glad to see you that care at least,¡± ¡°Do not flatter yourself Tori, I am neither upset nor saddened by your sudden arrival, Merely intrigued.¡± ¡­.. ¡°So, from what I gather, you are here to establish relations, between Soterra and Sweepstake, But Claude and Amelia were sent on a job to meet you, How would the mayor, or anyone even know when you would arrive?¡± Pinoki thinking over the situation, ¡°I don¡¯t know, they were there waiting for me when I crossed the south plains, to guide me through the city, then that boy who tries to act mysterious, started blabbing about how he knew other people from Soterra.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t blab, I casually mentioned it,¡± Claude replies indignantly ¡°And the mayor probably knew you were coming,¡± ¡°How? We didn¡¯t make contact with him yet.¡± ¡°He has good ¡®eye¡¯ for things that go on within the Sweep,¡± (That also reminds me of how he knew of our existence without us ever meeting, This mysterious mayor interests me more by each passing day) ¡°And besides I didn¡¯t know Apollo was a king,¡± Claude changing the topic, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go around saying that¡± Apollo scratching his head modestly, ¡°I¡¯m more like a second runner up for the position, If not for Kage convincing me to join him, I would have probably assumed the responsibilities,¡± ¡°That makes you kind of like, Takeroumu then?¡± Claude comments ¡°Who is that again?¡± ¡°The founder of this guild, He left his responsibilities as a warrior behind, to be an adventurer too,¡± ¡°Erm¡­ I¡¯m not really that interested in being an adventurer, Like I said before , I¡¯m only following Kage, well for now at least,¡± ¡°What do you want to be then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to say,¡± ¡°I know what it is,¡± Karina smiles ¡°You better not,¡± Apollo¡¯s face slightly flustered, ¡°I won¡¯t~¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Claude, since Apollo is technically a king doesn¡¯t that give him a right to meet with the mayor?¡± I ask ¡°What are you thinking Kage?¡± Pinoki interjects (I have to meet this mayor) ¡°We¡¯ve been hearing about this infamous mayor who doesn¡¯t rule, but instead welcomes anyone to challenge for his place on top, I want to meet him, And I also want to know what Amelia and Claude¡¯s relation to him is, that would make him personally give out jobs to them,¡± I eye the twins suspiciously, ¡°It isn¡¯t as secretive as you would think,¡± Amelia speaks up, ¡°Claude just feels uncomfortable bringing it up, Ozy, the mayor, feels indebted to us in a way, He tries to help us out at times, but Claude usually adamantly refuses, The mayor is the one that got us into this guild in the first place.¡± ¡°Why is he indebted to you?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Amelia looks at her brother who nods giving his permission, ¡°There are two reasons, One is that our parents, before they died, were members of his faction, the Mayoral Mafia, The other being that the cr¡ª person with evolved magic who wreaked havoc within the city ten years ago, that got them killed in the first place, was his son.¡± (The mayor has a son one with evolved magic at that?) ¡°Where is this ¡®son¡¯ now?¡± Pinoki inquires, Amelia simply shrugs, ¡°Are you happy with that information Kage,¡± Claude drawls, ¡°You¡¯ve been prying to know for so long now,¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m particularly happy, Just more intrigued than before,¡± ¡­¡­ Tori impatiently steps her feet waiting for us to finish speaking, ¡°Are you all done with the greetings? I am here on business after all, When can I go visit this mayor of yours?¡± she asserts to Claude ¡°You¡¯ve only just arrived, rest here first and we shall head a little later, Even you Kage, Lyra and Apollo look quite battered, I think you may want some rest before meeting Ozy¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s, er, a very ¡®engaging¡¯ person¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­. **** Fwishh! A cool evening breeze rushes through the leaves of the massive tree overlooking the city, ¡°Darius, I wish you could see this,¡± a woman sat atop the tall tree mumbles to herself, She gazes up entrancedly, in the bursts of colors made by the setting sun, birds land near her, settling down in their nests preparing for the upcoming night, they don¡¯t feel threatened nor frightened by this woman¡­ ¡­.. Fwoosh! She combs her hand though her dark brown hair as the breeze had blown it amess, ¡°Queen! Queen Zinnia!¡± a voice shouts up from below, ¡°What is it!?¡± she looks down, ¡°We just got word back, via message-diamond, that Tori has arrived safely, she said that the mayor has declined to form relations with us, unless you agree to his one request¡± ¡°What, declined? What does he want, then?¡± ¡°He has requested for your personal attendance,¡± ¡°Me? Ok, do we have any available carriages?¡± ¡°I believe so, yes,¡± ¡°Then get some supplies packed, I shall be on my way.¡± Ozymandias All my style? All my grace? All I tried to save my face? All my guts, try to spill? All my holes, try to fill? The majestic vocals reverberating throughout the mayor¡¯s mansion, greets us within main building, though it appears like mansion from an outside look, it really is a singular building directly connected to others to it giving it a fortress-like look up closely, the other members of the mayoral mafia, living in the connected parts¡­ (Is this place abandoned?) ¡°Does anyone live here?¡± Lyra unintentionally agrees with me Its interior is mostly baren and unfurnished besides blank portraits on the walls and magic crystals hanging from the ceiling. It goes, all my troubles on a burning pile? All lit up and I start to smile? ¡°I wonder why Claude and Amelia didn¡¯t join us here,¡± Apollo ponders as we come end of the empty front section, two wide doors stand slightly ajar, Apollo pushes them open, and the room expands into one wide floor, a massive crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, many a tables and chairs lie about lazily, (A ballroom?) Directly to the back of the wide-open floor, a singular set of stairs that curves upwards, the music flowing down from them. If I, catch fire then I change my aim? Throw my troubles at the pearly gates? ¡°Wait,¡± Karina pulls Lyra back before she goes up the steps, ¡°I think we should call first¡­ Mr. mayor, We¡¯re the visitors from Soterra, here to see you!¡± ¡­¡­.. Bump! Crash! The sound of objects falling, replaces the chorus of vocals, We can hear a someone scrambling to their feet from above, ¡°You can come up!¡± the voice calls back down, Tori steps up first the rest of us follow behind. ¡­¡­. (Odd) The stairs turn, converging into another wide hall upstairs, this one filled with more blank portraits though some of them glow strangely... Southwest section Northeast section Besides the portraits, ten doors line the walls, one at the head and foot of the room respectively, The other eight on either side. Passing each door I notice that they are each labeled with a specific direction. (Do they lead somewhere?) ¡­¡­.. ¡°Ahh, there you are, welcome!¡± The door at the head swings open to a slender, pale, brown-skinned middle-aged man, his round face forces a smile, but it just highlights the wrinkles on his face and bags under his eyes... ¡°Are you the mayor?¡± Tori asks disbelievingly, ¡°For now, I am, unless you want the position?¡± He tries to make that a joke, but it doesn¡¯t land, ¡­¡­. ¡°Umm, so I am Ozymandias, the mayor¡± he introduces himself awkwardly directing us into an unnaturally clean office-like room, I spy some clutter stacked behind a cabinet of the apparent office, If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. (He must have scrambled to get this place clean, That¡¯s what all that noise was about) .¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all,¡± Ozymandias says after the introductions had been exchanged, ¡°I have so many question to ask¡± (Questions to ask us?) ¡°What could we possibly know that you don¡¯t?¡¯ Pinoki basically says what I think, ¡°You all hail from Soterra do you not?¡± ¡°About that,¡± Tori interjects ¡°We¡­ I, am not answering any of your question until you first explain how you even knew of my arrival here, more so, knew about all of us,¡± ¡°Before I do answer that, I would like to challenge you all to a battle first,¡± ¡°A battle?¡± ¡°Not a regular violent one of course, since I am not one for that, I shall add a specific rule for our match, To win, one of the six of you, has to put me on my back, For me to win I have to put all of you on your backs, You win, and I will give up my authority as mayor to any one of you right now, There is nothing in it for me.¡± Ozy smiles slyly, parting his hand through his straight, but matted, black-gray hair,¡± ¡°We accep¡ª¡± Lyra starts, ¡°No.¡± Karina declines, ¡°I am not stupid, I understand how this works, ¡®mayor¡¯, no one would make a challenge like that unless entirely sure they would win, Our ignorance on your magic attribute would guarantee our defeat, despite our numbers advantage¡± ¡°Spot on perception, miss Karina,¡± Mayor Ozymandias compliments, ¡°You are correct, I would most certainly win, I only challenged because I wanted to see you use your magic in person¡± ¡°You say that as if you¡¯ve seen us use it before¡± Pinoki speculates ¡°Mayor Ozymandias,¡± Tori speaks up, ¡°Unlike my, umm acquaintances here, I have not come for a conversation, nor do I care about your magic, I came on behalf of the queen of Soterra, to request an alliance between us, We have a vast supply of magic s¡ª" ¡°¡ªI decline¡± Ozy cuts her off, ¡°I haven¡¯t even finished the proposal yet,¡± ¡°I do not care about any of what you were going to say, If your queen wants to form an alliance, tell her to come here herself I only need to see what kind of person she is A leader is viewed as a representation of their followers.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Tori huffs out of the room slamming the door behind her, ¡°Does she have evolved magic too?¡± Ozy queries ¡°Your queen I mean.¡± ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Karina presses, ¡°Do you know how rare that is? Even doubly rare, sane people with evolved magic¡± the mayor¡¯s previously bored eyes now gleam with excitement ¡°What is your magic attribute Mr. mayor?¡± I inquire ¡°You already know what it is, the light that sends you to the challenge domes, My warp magic, The rings you wear to innate said challenges, are all imbued with my magic, when you challenge someone all the magic in the ring is drained immediately, sending you to the nearest source of my magic, which are the domes, It is a truly efficient system, since the magic expelled in battles goes back into the city itself, And because the outcome of a battle is determined by strategy not strength everyone has a fair chance, And I also get to enjoy the entertainment of it all,¡± ¡°It looks pretty boring in here if you ask me,¡± Apollo quips, ¡°What is so entertaining?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Apollo my friend, Everything that takes place during battles, I see it all. That¡¯s how I knew when you from Soterra, arrived, That¡¯s why I know what all your magic are, Even you with the ¡®glove¡¯ that transforms into a bow that fires magic arrows,¡± Ozy looks at my hand insinuatingly expecting me to form the bow... (This man is strange, but I don¡¯t feel any malice from him) ¡­¡­! Lyra pokes my rib wanting to know what I¡¯d just thought, ¡°He¡¯s weird¡± I whisper to her , ¡­.. Ozymandias makes a disapproving face most likely overhearing me, but says nothing, ¡°Those other rooms, the labeled doors we passed, is that where you watch everything?¡± Karina interrogates ¡°Yes, in a way¡­ Have you noticed the blank portraits around the mansion? Those aren¡¯t portraits, rather magic ¡®screens,¡¯ the crystals on battle domes¡¯ roof, aren¡¯t all for producing light, some are sight crystals, their light captures the action and converts it into magic waves which are sent to designated frames where I can watch and enjoy the fun¡± ¡°I think he is crazy,¡± Lyra whispers back to me ¡°I can show you if you like?¡± Ozymandias gestures out the room ¡°Although that sound interesting, that¡¯s not what we¡¯re here for,¡± I state, matter-of-factly, ¡°Out of all of us, I am the one who wanted to meet you the most, You could say that the talks I heard of you, intrigued me, May I ask mayor Ozymandias, Why are you the mayor in the first place? What made you create a system like this?¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Weakness.¡± I hear the excitement drain out of Ozy¡¯s voice, once again becoming bored¡­ ¡°I wanted to create a way in which anyone could become the richest or the best, with the caveat being that you have really want it, The battles are not just one of strategy but also of wills, who really wants to win more. A culture where strength does not matter, that is what I have made, I do not even want to be mayor, but, no one would have taken my plan seriously if I wasn¡¯t... Now enough about me, I want to know about your magic, Your kingdom, Tell me.¡± He turns to Apollo ¡°How did Soterra survive him?¡± ¡°¡­? What do mean by that?¡± Apollo quizzes suspiciously ¡°You speak as though you are familiar with our nation,¡± ¡°Well, I once lived in a kingdom near Soterra a long time ago,¡± ¡°I find that hard to believe,¡± Karina interjects, ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Soterra has no neighboring kingdoms.¡± ¡°Not anymore at least¡± Ozy replies (Not anymore, does he mean?) ¡°Where were you from Mr. mayor?¡± Pinoki presses as if thinking the same as I ¡°¡­ How about we make things interesting, and you accept my challenge form earlier? You try to put me on my back, and I tell you the juicy details¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing for us to gain,¡± Karina shakes her head, ¡°We will be able to sleep well at night without knowing where the mayor of this city originally came from,¡± (Speak for yourself, I want to know) ¡°Fair point,¡± Ozymandias acknowledges, a sly smile crosses his face ¡°Ok, how about this, You beat me and¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­. I will tell you why I sent Murdoc to Soterra.¡± Asads Elegy ¡°Lyra, ice the floor, we have to take away as much friction as possible, limit his movements, Apollo I need you to hit hard and fast with your sword, as cover for us, Pinoki, you will use your shadows to take Ozymandias down, And Karina, distort the sound around him, make moving around as difficult as possible for him,¡± ¡°What will you do?¡± Lyra inquires, ¡°I¡¯ll use wind arrows to keep him off his balance, while you prepare your magic Lyra, I know you need time,¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Are you ready over there~¡± Ozy sings Vwoosh! Instead of replying I send an arrows in his direction, A swirling light flashes and he vanishes Slam! ¡°Behind you!¡± Apollo strikes his sword down near Karina, but the mayor disappears once more, ¡°I can¡¯t distort his sound if he keeps moving around like this!¡± Karina pants, Vwoohs! I fire a next arrow, spotting him behind Pinoki, ¡°Ok, You still have those earrings we can communicate with, Karina?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°Enough for all of us?¡± ¡°Ah, I get what your suggestion,¡± she hands me an earring, (We¡¯ll us these to communicate instead of shouting our plans) {¡°Everyone hearing me?¡±} I whisper under my breath, {¡°Behind you Kage!¡±} I hear Apollos voice speaking shrilly into my ear, but its already too late Thud! Ozymandias sweeps his feet under me from behind, my back hits the floor hard. ¡°One down four to go,¡± He cackles, ¡°Wai¡ª" ¡­¡­. But his magic already warps me back into his office, ¡­.. (Shit) Scrambling to my feet, I survey the empty room, (Maybe I should¡­¡­) {¡°Kage are you ok?¡±} I hear Karina¡¯s voice in my ear, (I can still hear them, good) ¡°Yeah, give me a minute Karina, I can still help¡± (Think, think, think, The Mayor¡¯s mansion is located in the north section of Sweepstake, That means¡­¡­.) I rush out the office back out into the halls scanning the doors, (The ¡®screen¡¯ where the mayor watches battles in the north section must be...,) I turn open the door labeled north, Large portraits cover the wall one in particular releasing a hypnotic light wave, ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­ {¡°Lyra, move out the way, he¡¯s behind you!¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Kage? How did you see that?¡±} she manages to dodge the mayor who warps away again, {¡°Never mind that, Lyra, I have a new plan, make the entire floor icy, Pinoki, can you hear me as well?¡± ¡°We all can Kage,¡±} Karina informs, {¡°Ok, well Pinoki, use your shadows to keep everyone stable when Lyra does her thing, Apollo can continue to attack, but this time I need you, Karina, to mask his sound as best as you can,¡±} ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ (This feels weird,) Starring into the swirling light emitted from the magic ¡®screen¡¯ I can see all my companions moving around cautiously, It¡¯s like I¡¯m watching them on TV but instead of actually being on the screen, it¡¯s in my mind. (Tv huh) I don¡¯t know what is worse, being reminded of a Tv or not knowing why I know what a tv is in the first place.... (Stay focused Kage, I¡¯ll think about it later) ¡­¡­¡­. {¡°YES!¡±} Apollo victoriously exclaims, After what felt like hours Ozy finally stumbles slightly, which Apollo then wastes no time tackling him down as fast as possible, ¡°You¡¯re a winner¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ***** ¡°I¡¯m surprised you actually got me,¡± Ozy is saying as I reenter his office, the other are already back, ¡°I am not disappointed by your magic¡ª" ¡°Enough games!¡± Lyra grabs his collar chokingly, ¡°What were you saying about sending Murdoc to Soterra!?¡± ¡°You know if I wanted, I could have killed you all back there, I was just trying to make the battle fun,¡± Ozy brushes her off, ¡°Start explaining¡± Apollo demands, as we surround him, (Pointlessly so¡­) ¡°I may have exaggerated that statement¡± Ozy spills ¡°What do you know about Murdoc?¡± I pressure on ¡°Considering the fact that he is responsible for the erasure of my kingdom, I would say I¡¯m quite familiar with Murdoc,¡± ¡°You are from the desert then?¡± I guess, ¡°Before it was a desert it was called the kingdom of Asad, and I was its last king.¡± ¡­. (King?) ¡°How long ago was this?¡± ¡°Long enough for me to forget most of my days living there, But not long enough for the trauma to go away¡­, I was a young king, only sixteen at the time, my father had died untimely, and the responsibility was thrust upon me... however that¡¯s not the point of this story, There was an old man I knew then as Mr. Al¡ª ¡ªno that¡¯s the wrong guy, there was an old man we called Mr. Murdoc, he would always talk about how he was given the power of god which he had used to become quite wealthy in Asad, though at the time most assumed it was just the talks of a senile old man, Then one day he died, or at least I assumed he did, he left a note blabbing something about achieving immortality, we figured it was a suicide and left it as that, But then after a few months had passed he suddenly re-emerged¡­.¡± Ozymandias stops, taking a long pause ¡°Then??¡± Lyra jabs impatiently ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what Murdoc did or how, but he managed to ally himself with the beastmen, and waged a full-scale war on Asad, calling it God¡¯s wrath, This was before dragons were extinct, almost forty years ago, back then if you saw one, death was guaranteed, We didn¡¯t stand a chance. The dragons scorched the earth so bad it became a full blown, desert none of our magic could stop them not even our stone golems,¡± ¡°Why, what did Murdoc want, I know he desired to become a God, why would he attack your kingdom when his goal was subjugation and dedication?¡± Karina cogitates ¡­¡­ ¡°He wanted our soul gem, it was one of the treasures of Asad, said to be the requiem of a dead angel, it can infinitely absorb magic,¡± (Is he talking about the diamond Murdoc sealed himself in?) ¡°Amidst the chaos however, I ran,¡± Ozymandias continues ¡°I left with the gem he wanted and came all the way to Furlheim for refuge, Even my magic evolved to assist my cowardly escape, I managed to live for a little over a year in Furlheim, though back then this city was not as welcoming as it is now, Eventually Murdoc found me once more¡­.. ¡­¡­ He was going to kill me, but he wanted the gem too, So I used it as a bargaining tool¡­¡± ¡°I swear on everything Murdoc, I bound this gem to my very life, if I die it shatters, I¡¯ll let you have it if you promise to go somewhere else, go to Soterra for all I care they are a closed off kingdom become a God there all you like, but spare me, I beg of you!!¡± ¡°That was what yelled to him, plead to him to spare me, He couldn¡¯t tell if I was bluffing about if me dying would shatter the gem, more so, he wasn¡¯t going to take the chance, so Murdoc let me live and went to Soterra vowing to ascend to Godhood and to return for the rest of the ring, After that I¡ª¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°¡ªSo, you¡¯re the one responsible for what happened to Soterra!?¡± Lyra growls, ¡°I did not cause it, though I admit that I did push Soterra ahead of the line, the fact is, it always on the line, he planned to take the entire ring,¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°You speak no lie about that, But I don¡¯t know if I can agree with your choices, You could have done something different, This could have been prevented,¡± Apollo lectures ¡°I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t think so too¡± Ozymandias concedes ¡°I was so young back then, and scared, it was an act of desperation, but seeing you all here right now, I don¡¯t know if I made the wrong decision after all, When I heard some that visitors from Soterra-the city, arrived here, in over ten years, I knew it had to mean Murdoc was defeated, So I put a little extra attention into observing your battles, see your magic, I only wish to meet the one who put him in the ground,¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Darius,¡± Apollo says lamentingly, ¡°His name was Darius, this sword I carry is his requiem, if anyone is taking credit for Murdoc¡¯s death, its him.¡± ¡°Indeed¡± Pinoki agrees, Karina and Lyra both nod ¡°I wish I could have met and thanked him personally,¡± Ozy sighs (Mayor Ozymandias may either be a really good liar or he¡¯s being sincere) ¡°Hopefully, when your queen arrives, I can thank her as well,¡± ¡°About that, why do you want to see her,¡± Lyra probes ¡°Surely we can form alliance between Soterra and Sweepstake without her having to be here in person,¡± ¡°That is true, but the Bellwethers¡¯ Ball is soon, and want her to meet all the leaders of this city, though I am the mayor it is only in name,¡± (The what is soon?) ¡°Mr. Ozymandias,¡± I speak up, ¡°What exactly is this Bellwethers¡¯ Ball?¡± Prelude to Hunt ¡°Zinnia!¡± Lyra exclaims, rushing to hug the girl stepping out of a carriage, ¡°It¡¯s been so long,¡± (A little more than two months actually) ¡°You¡¯ve gained weight,¡± Pinoki jokes, ¡°What are you going to name it?¡± Karina taps Zinnia¡¯s stomach ¡°If it¡¯s a girl Sage, If it¡¯s a boy, Sage,¡± ¡­.. ¡°You really like flowers, don you?¡± Apollo comments hugging the girl, ¡°Queen Zinnia, should I find an inn for us?¡± A sturdy, well-built man steps out the carriage with her bags, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Pinoki advises, ¡°I know you err, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Trevor, I am a former knight,¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t do that Mr. Trevor, I know you seem strong and all, but strength isn¡¯t going to help you here,¡± ¡°Is it that bad?¡± Zinnia looking alarmed, ¡°No, Pinoki¡¯s just overhyping it,¡± Lyra rolls her eyes ¡°Speak for yourself Lyra, you¡¯re saying that because you have already gotten accustomed to the ¡®Sweeping¡¯, Not surprised a violent animal like you would be ok with this,¡± ¡°Shall we have a match then?¡± Lyra sings passive aggressively, (Which is scarier than regular angry Lyra) ¡°I suddenly feel like I have left my umm, sound diamond lying somewhere around the institute, I will see you guys there,¡± Pinoki gulps, speed walking ahead, ¡­.. ¡°Kage~? I noticed you haven¡¯t said anything to me yet,¡± Zinnia confronts me welcomingly, ¡°It¡¯sniceseeingyou¡± I mumble, (Darius¡¯ memories still make me feel awkward around her) ¡­¡­. ¡°Hmm, Has Kage changed at all Karina?¡± Zinnia asks. ¡°I guess, He expresses himself a bit more, but besides that he¡¯s into reading a lot, and he maybe will make a joke once a week,¡± Karina replies, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the attitude he¡¯s developing,¡± Lyra adds ¡°Mhm,¡± Karina agrees, (Attitude?) ¡°Speaking of that, Zinnia, do you know he refuses my advances? I tried to sleep with him twice, maybe more, but he refused,¡± ¡°Maybe he is shy,¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t know, he does like to cuddle a lot, The other night¡­¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°¡­...Interesting conversation they¡¯re having,¡± Apollo walking beside me leaving the girls behind to chatter ¡°I can hear them clearly Apollo.¡± ¡°I know, but I had to rub it in,¡± ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°This city is strange,¡± Trevor observes, also joining beside the two of us, ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it, Apollo assures, ¡°Once you learn to avoid most confrontations, It becomes kind of enjoyable here, And trust me, anything can be a confrontation,¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Shall we simplify it for him Kage?¡± Apollo nudges, ¡°I¡¯ll begin, If you Step on someone¡¯s foot,¡± ¡°Battle¡± I Finish ¡°Stare at someone too long,¡± ¡°Battle,¡± ¡°Speak a bit too loudly in public ¡°Battle¡± ¡°Hold up a line,¡± ¡°Battle,¡± ¡°Something costs two silver, and you pay two silver,¡± ¡°Battle,¡± ¡°Wait, how is that one a confrontation?¡± Trevor stops my and Apollo¡¯s back and forth ¡°If something costs any amount, you pay at least one extra, If its two sliver pay three or they will charge you instead two gold, and if you argue against it, then they¡¯ll battle you,¡± Apollo explains, ¡°Trust us, we learnt the hard way,¡± I add ¡°Hmm, Glad I won¡¯t be here for that long then, Speaking of, runaway king Apollo, how long do you plan to be away from Soterra?¡± ¡°First of all, I was never the king, Secondly, never I hope,¡± ¡°You don¡¯t plan on coming back?¡± ¡°I plan on visiting from time to time, But I am not living there the bad memories are just too much plus, the fact that people still see me as king, I don¡¯t want that kind of that image,¡± ¡­¡­¡­ The conversation fizzles out, us three now walking in an awkward silence, ¡­.. ¡°So, Trevor,¡± I break the awkwardness, ¡°What is your story, do you plan on living the rest of your life in Soterra?¡± ¡°I guess so, though I feel like I haven¡¯t been myself for most of my life, After being dedicated to Murdoc for so long, Sometimes it¡¯s hard just to think for myself again, and it¡¯s not just me, Many people back home feel the same¡­...¡± (The aftereffects of Murdoc¡¯s reign, runs deep within Soterra, huh, How did he even obtain such power? He said it was from a god¡¯s body, But what does that even mean?) ¡­. ¡°Kage?¡± Apollo snaps in front my face ¡°Were you even listening to what Trevor was saying?¡± ¡°Yeah... I heard up to everyone feels the same,¡± ¡­.. ¡°Hhhhh¡± he sighs, ¡°Your something else mann~¡± ***** ¡°Aughhh!¡± Yannick groans watching our group pass through the institute, ¡°I swear there is someone new coming here every other week,¡± ¡°Have some respect!¡± Tori, who had been waiting here for us, barks, ¡°That¡¯s the queen of Soterra you are referring to,¡± ¡°Queen?¡± Yannick¡¯s tone changing ¡°My apologies, madam, I saw you around this disrespectful, mannerless lot, that I assumed you were one of them,¡± He gives Lyra an ¡®eye¡¯ ¡°H¡ª¡± Lyra begins, ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s alright, Zinnia smiles gracefully extending her hand to him, He blushes kissing it and Zinnia flaunts off, ¡°She is really playing up this queen role quite well,¡± Pinoki whispers to me, ¡°I can see that,¡± Pinoki, Apollo and I watch in amusement as she struts about grandly and pompously, when greeting members of the guild, leaving them either charmed or humbled, ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°So, the mayor of this city sent Murdoc to us?¡± Zinnia gasps, After settling down, we filled in Zinnia of our conversation with the mayor a few days ago¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t think he meant bad on us, but as a result of his cowardice, we were forced to pay,¡± Karina explains, ¡°Do not let that deter you from forming an alliance however, we still need to re-establish Soterra, with you as queen,¡± Tori advises ¡°I understand that, and from what I have heard, Sweepstake, it¡¯s called, is ran by the people rather than the mayor himself, so his actions do not represent the city,¡± Zinnia replies, ¡°I look forward to meeting these leaders at the Bellwether Ball, though I do not know too much about it,¡± ¡°I heard that it¡¯s a twice a year, yearly event, where all the faction leaders meet up to discuss the goings on within their faction, the city, as well any issue that may have arisen,¡± Pinoki divulges ¡°Can you all attend then?¡± Zinnia questions ¡°I believe so, if we ask Giichi sir, only battling isn¡¯t allowed that night,¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Mr. Ginobelucci, sir, Since the city has finally recognized us as an official faction, this will be your first time attending the ball as a leader, Is it almost time for that?¡± ¡°Mmm, yes, you are correct, that old fool Giichi is going to be there Which means we can finally stop our charade with the adventurers, Get the beasts artifacts ready Adrik,¡± ¡°Sir, you don¡¯t mean?¡± Adrik grins excitedly ¡°Yes, it is finally time to commence our true plan¡± Ballad of Beasts It was late at night, you held on tight? From an empty seat, a flash of light? ? It will take a while to make you smile? Somewhere in these eyes, I¡¯m on your side? Dreamy vocals wafts around the ballroom accompanied by an organ that plays in a way which makes me feel like floating, the distorted melody is assisted by washed out guitar strums and soothing drumbeats, It make everything feel so, So void, Yet, It feels good. Fall back into place? ¡°I see everything is coming together nicely,¡± Mayor Ozymandias says walking up to us, ¡°You must be the queen I presume,¡± he respectfully gestures to Zinnia, ¡°Yes¡­¡­.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°The music is truly entrancing,¡± I lean over to Lyra, ¡°What, I thought you were looking out for the Hunters, not enjoying music, Kage,¡± ¡°I am, I was just saying,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve arrived yet, nor do I feel like they will try anything tonight¡± Apollo inputs¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ The Bellwethers¡¯ Ball, an event that happens twice a year in which all the leaders and other members of their respective faction, if allowed, could attend. The even was held in the mayors¡¯ ¡®mansion¡¯ most likely due to it being a pseudo fortress, that way any fight or altercation that could potentially occur would be properly contained in here, I walk through the ballroom observing the many guests from all sections of Sweepstakes¡¯ diverse community, only instead of opposing factions arguing or battling, they laugh, share drinks and socialize with one another, however despite this no members of the Mayoral Mafia is present tonight¡­. ¡°It¡¯s funny how right after this, everyone is going to go back to being against each other,¡± Pinoki points out, ¡°I think this shows that though it may be a constant competition for the most influence in the city, the animosity isn¡¯t carried over into their personal lives, its healthy competition,¡± Apollo affirms, {¡°Tell that to the hunters¡±}Claude¡¯s voice scoffs through our earpieces, {¡°By the way, Karina¡¯s magic is really amazing, How can we even hear each other like this?¡±} ¡°Just shut up and stick to your job Claude,¡± Karina orders, {¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll make sure to tell you if I see any hunters moving suspiciously when they arrive, that way you can get Zinnia out safe, quickly, if need be¡±} ¡°Good, now I will be by the alcohol if anyone needs me,¡± Karina sighs strutting off, (This going to be a long night) ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡°Well, actually Kage isn¡¯t from Soterra,¡± Zinnia still talking to mayor when I walk up, ¡°Huh? What about me?¡± ¡°I was asking the queen if everyone from your group was from Soterra but apparently you are not?¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± ¡°Then how did you end up there?¡± ¡°Life,¡± Ozy gives me a puzzled look but doesn¡¯t press on it more, ¡­¡­ ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t think because you are friends with someone important, means you can go wherever you like!¡± Giichi¡¯s loud voice bellows as us, ¡°I was the one who allowed you to come aren¡¯t I? If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Stop loafing around and help your master out of this insufferable conversation!¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°You could have brought more presentable members with you Giichi,¡± a quite lavish looking old, woman sat next to him smirks, ¡°My people are well mannered as well,¡± the woman thoroughly inspects us with visually, as Pinoki Lyra and I move to Giichi¡¯s side ¡°Shut up, you old bat,¡± Giichi retorts, ¡°You only brought your best members to show off,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Pinoki greets the woman graciously, ¡°I am Pinoki of the adventures guild,¡± ¡°They might have manners after all,¡± the old lady says slightly impressed, ¡°You can call me, Miss Pesadora the leader of the Service group,¡± {¡°Kage,¡±}Claude calls, {¡°Ask Giichi sir if that is his girlfriend, to piss him off,¡± ¡°No, are you trying to get me into a fight with the boss?¡± ¡°Possibly, I¡¯m not here so he won¡¯t know it¡¯s me¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Not happening.¡±} ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± A voice breathes down by neck causing me to jump, ¡­ ¡°What the¡ª" I turn to face a man dressed in a half white half black suit, his brown beady eyes examine me suspiciously as he walks circles around me, a grey ¡®cape¡¯ drags behind him, ¡°Leave Kage alone Dexter,¡± Giichi huffs ¡°This one seems strange Giichi,¡± ¡°You are one to talk, going around dressed like that, preaching about order this and order that,¡± ¡°Order must be maintained, if our mayor won¡¯t keep it, I will, Nothing strange about that,¡± ¡­.. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching you,¡± the mysterious man strides away ¡­. ¡°That man Dexter, I can¡¯t make heads or tails of him,¡± Ms. Pesadora sighs ¡°Kage, is it? You for a man, have a very, how to say, appealing face, How would you like to join me in service group instead? Nothing good, can come from being involved in dangerous adventures,¡± ¡°Can you not try to poach my members, right in front my face, you¡¯re almost as bad Ginobelucci,¡± Giichi barks ¡°It was merely an offer,¡± ¡°The offer does sound flattering, but I will have to decline, however my friend here, Lyra, might take you up, she is a bit shy though,¡± I say wrapping may arm around the girl (Aw aw aw!) Lyra digs her finger into my rib ¡°He doesn¡¯t mean me¡± she lies, ¡°My name is Karina, Lyra is over that girl drinking from the bottle of wine,¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Huh? Why is everyone watching me?¡± ¡°You there, Lyra is it,¡± Ms. Pesadora calls, ¡­. Karina looks around confusedly, ¡°I haven¡¯t drunk too much, have I?¡± ¡­¡­¡­ With everyone¡¯s attention on Karina, I quietly slip away, making my way through semi-crowded ballroom back over to where Zinnia is, Apollo is standing there with her still, so are Tori and Trevor, Ozymandias is busy introducing her to a tall, large roughneck-looking, bald man, ¡­. ¡°I am Marshall, the leader of the Construction Company, for the right price we would be willing to help Soterra with any repairs she is lacking,¡± the big man says ¡°I will gladly consider that offer,¡± Zinnia smiles, ¡­. {¡°They¡¯re here,¡±}Claude¡¯s voice alerts, Though he doesn¡¯t need too¡­ The doors swing open, and a strangely warm air fills the room, as Ginobelucci struts in followed by a group of semi-familiar faces, I spy the matching swirl-insignia lockets, that swing from each of their necks, (The hunters) ¡­. ¡°Ahh. Mr. mayor,¡± Ginobelucci instantly notices us from across the room, ¡­¡­. ¡°You have to excuse our tardiness; this is only but my first ball But whom might these new faces be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mr. Bellucci, these are the queen, and king of Soterra by the way,¡± Ozy gestures to Zinnia and Apollo, ¡°King and Queen, you say,¡± he glances at Zinnia before then resting his eyes on Apollo, ¡°Ha!¡± a voice, from behind him scoffs, ¡°I remember this lot, We beat them up a while back, Don¡¯t tell me they were important people?¡± (I remember this guy, the one who humiliated us when we first arrived) ¡°Marisha said they were also part of the adventurer¡¯s guild now,¡± another hunter speaks up, (Adrik and Marisha were those two fire users, I don¡¯t see them anywhere here) ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Ginobelucci sounding genuinely disappointed, ¡°I would have liked to recruit¡ª" ¡°OI OI OI!¡± Giichi pushing his way through the group to confront their leader, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only introducing myself boss,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, you know where you stand with me,¡± ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Zinnia asks, ¡°It¡¯s just common faction animosity,¡± Ozymandias reassures., (I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what it is) ¡°Hardly it is!¡± Giichi spats, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can come here trying to entice my members to your side, Or even worse... If you have a problem, with me let it remain so, only with me.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t boss, As a matter of fact, I never really wanted to take your place or your members, I merely wanted to get you away from home¡­.¡± Ginobelucci sings (Somethings off) ¡°Zinnia maybe you should go outside and get some air,¡± Apollo gesturing Tori to the girl, (He feels the same) ¡­Ch I tug Trevor¡¯s sleeve, ¡°I might be overreacting here, but I want you to take Zinnia out of the city for the now, If nothing happens return in the morning, But if you see anything and I mean anything, go back home,¡± ¡­. Trevor looks at me confusedly but doesn¡¯t question it, instead nodding. ¡­¡­.. I watch nervously as they exit the ballroom, ¡°Why so alarmed,¡± Ginobelucci noticing my tense movements, ¡°I am not going to harm your queen¡± (Not taking any chances) ¡­.. ¡°Has anyone seen Lord Buck!¡± Someone interrupts the conversations, asking around loudly, ¡°He was supposed to be here by now, the leader of the merchant alliance!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Rest in peace to that man,¡± Ginobelucci sighs, ¡°If only he could have lived to see what this city and soon the ring will become,¡± (Wait, is he insinuating?) ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Giichi demands ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. {¡°You need to get out of there, All of you!¡±} I hear Claude¡¯s voice warning frantically, ¡°What is it, Claude? Is something wrong? {¡°No time to question it, get out now!¡±} ¡°Claude?¡± His voice goes silent. Demon Days | Intro The mayoral mafia, A faction that lacked any physical presence within the streets of Sweepstake, But due this however, they were not disregarded as one of the main factions, But revered more than rest. How strong, no, how smart, how elite must these people have to be, for the mayor to resign them to always living near him, to be his personal faction, Surely, they had to be powerful¡ª ¡ªIs what the people of Sweepstake thought, Though they seemed to forget one simple detail¡­. If you were trained from the ground up, to be the best player at chess, Will that same training make you a qualified military strategist?¡­ The mayoral mafia was good, the best even at ¡®sweeping¡¯ their opponents, So good in fact, it¡¯s a shame we will never get to see, only hear¡­ Agonizing screams Tortured shrieks ¡°Helppp meee!¡± Wails of despair that will soon bring the city of Furlheim to a very crude awakening... Being good at battles. Does not make you good at coldblooded murder. ¡­¡­.. ***** ¡°What do you think is happening over there, Tori?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know Zinnia, But we¡¯d better head back to Soterra for now, This is not our problem to solve. I just hope the others make it out alive.¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. Burn Burn Burn The mansion of the mayor, rather the area surrounding the mansion, all set ablaze. The fire as tall the very buildings themselves, spanning across the entire north section controlled by Ozymandias, Any, no, all persons that lived even remotely close to the mayor is most certainly dead. Well maybe not all¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°What the hell did they do!?¡± Claude pants, both him and Amelia sprint their way through the sea of flames, ¡°That was definitely a requiem they were using to create this,¡± Amelia stumbles, ¡°I only hope Kage and the others heard my warning in time,¡± ¡°Hurry Claude, I can¡¯t keep my water magic shielding us for much longer, If this drops for even a second, we¡¯ll both be cooked,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll use my wind to push us both forward, then,¡± Claude suggests Vwoosh! ¡°Come one¡­. Just a little more¡­. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡­¡­. Huh huh huh!¡± The siblings pant finally out of the hellish north, Many city folk are around watching and commenting on the sight, ¡°Ka¡ª¡± Claude taps the earring attempting to make contact with the others, ¡°¡ªShhh!¡± Amelia silences him as two figures also make their way through the fire unharmed, The twins blend themselves into a crowd of onlookers straining their ears to listen to the two¡­ ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Hopefully that seal will keep Giichi at bay for enough time, Shall we go wait at his guild for the boss to arrive, Marisha?¡± ¡°Remember Mr. Ginobelucci said not to engage with them until he arrives Adrik,¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m just excited it¡¯s finally happening!¡¯¡­¡­... ¡­¡­¡­ **** ¡°Aiieeee!!¡± A bloodcurdling shriek pierces through the lively ballroom. A few minutes before, Ms. Pesadora the leader of the Service group, went near one of the windows as she to enjoy some of the cool nights breeze, However, the breeze she felt was by no means cool, it was warm, An unnatural warmth that kept building and building, Then RAAGH! A ferocious flame lashes out through the open window, burning the very skin off the old woman¡¯s face, ¡°Seal the windows and doors!¡± The once cheerful ballroom becomes fearful and panic-stricken as people frantically rush to shut all doors and windows, the room population is cut in half by the time we manage to block the fire out¡­ ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Ahh, You know it feels good when a plan comes together this well,¡± Ginobelucci laughs sipping on a glass of wine, The other hunters all forcefully laugh too, mimicking his actions ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to use that requiem of yours, Giichi sir,¡± he notices the buff old man raising his fists ¡°You see, I brought my own requiem, those flames are not just for show, Just from its heat alone, your very magic is being eaten away at, Only my men and I can use our art properly,¡± Ginobelucci gloatingly twirls the locket hanging from his neck ¡°What do you want by doing this?¡± Ozymandias¡¯ face gone pale, without the use of his magic the mayors confidence, is nearly nonexistent ¡°Hmm, well by doing this the only people who can escape would be us, thanks to the rings you yourself created¡ª¡± ¡­¡­. Punch! ¡°Sit still girl no sudden movements from you!¡± the annoying loud-mouthed hunter gut punches Lyra ¡°And that goes for everyone here! Only us hunters can use our magic properly, Sit still and those of you who haven¡¯t died yet, might get to leave!¡± ¡°Ecugh!¡± Lyra coughs up blood getting back up again ¡°Stop it Lyra,¡± Karina grabs the girl, ¡°you¡¯re only going to get hit more,¡± ¡°How pathetic,¡± the unnamed hunter cackles, ¡°Were you not the same bitch that illegally stabbed me when he first fought!?¡± Oomph! He rams his knee into Karina¡¯s skull ¡°Don¡¯t think I have forgotten! And you, over there, take your hands off that sword or I will execute these girls where they lie!¡± he growls at Apollo, (¡­¡­¡­.) ¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°What a distractive commotion you are making over there,¡± Ginobelucci chuckles, ¡°My dear Mr. mayor, why are you looking around so anxiously, Are you perhaps waiting on your faction to come rushing in to save you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, I have some news for you, You, see the reason I came so late was because, I had to take care of them first,¡± ¡°W..what do mean by that Ginobelucci?¡± ¡°Hmm, nothing much, Do you remember ten years ago when your son went on a rampage and killed a majority of your faction members? You could say that I finished the job for him¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t tell me you¡ª" ¡°¡ªEvery single last one of them. And guess what, their blood is on your hands too¡± ¡°¡­ N..no¡± Ozymandias breaks down ¡°W..Why¡­... Why do this, Ginobelucci!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal really, This is but a mere step in my plan, Yes, Giichi sir, don¡¯t give me that look, All that talk about surpassing your guild was nothing but a farce. It was but a marvelous misdirection, so that you would not suspect my actions I mean what am I a child? Surpass your guild, Take your place? That¡¯s the most arbitrary thing I¡¯ve ever heard! What would I really gain by doing that? Public recognition? A small section of the city for myself?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The old man says nothing instead calmy inspecting the foes, (Is he planning something?) ¡°Not today!¡± a hunter says as if reading my mind, Thud! He clunks Giichi right in the back of his neck, The old man does not falter, ¡­¡­ ¡°Do that again¡± Giichi growls The hunter looks embarrassingly to Ginobelucci who rolls his eyes, ¡°He¡¯s not going to attack you, idiot! As long as I have everyone here hostage, Look, see¡­.¡± Ginobelucci darts forward to the old man, getting so close their noses touch, ¡°Pick five or pick one sir?¡± ¡°What game are you trying to play me?¡± ¡°No game boss, I am giving you an offer, Why do you think I haven¡¯t left yet? Now, Choose five people I should murder right now or give me the one key to that room,¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you are dealing with Ginobelucci, that kind of power,¡± ¡°Shut up and pick a number!¡± ¡°¡­¡­. One,¡± Giichi mutters under his breath revealing a key which he hands to the man, (The key to requiem room,) ¡°Much appreciated boss, you have made the right choice,¡± Sound of Cruelty ¡°We have to either get out of here or take them down now,¡± Apollo whispers, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare play hero right now!¡± Pinoki hisses back. ¡°We have to think this through first¡± ¡°Hmm, and what plan is that you¡¯re thinking of?¡± Thunk! The unnamed, increasingly annoying hunter slams Pinoki¡¯s face onto a table, shattering his earring ¡°Don¡¯t make me, us laugh, right boss? This one thinks there is a way to take us out, even though their magic is suppressed within the flames of the gluttonous crimson boar¡¯s requiem, As long as that heats radiates through these walls, any magic you do output will be devoured¡± (He¡¯s right ) Even I can feel it, not just the heat but something suppressing me, it¡¯s feels like jaws chomping down firmly into my skull with the teeth in my brain. (It¡¯s irritating me to my very core) ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°*****, I trust you will take care of these fine people, now that I have what want,¡± Ginobelucci says to the annoying hunter, For some reasons I didn¡¯t hear what his name was again, ¡°Of course, I will see to it that everyone here is kept at bay for as long as you need them to,¡± ¡°Ginobelucci¡­ What do hope to gain from this? What is your goal?¡± Leader Dexter speaks up, ¡°I don¡¯t want, nor do I demand anything from you, or Mr. mayor,¡± Ginobelucci turns to a frantic Ozymandias, ¡°Why can¡¯t I warp out of here!¡± Ozymandias frets desperately trying to get his magic to work, ¡°Mr., mayor, I want to sincerely thank you, If not for your brilliant invention of these challenge rings, I might have been trapped in here as well¡­.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°He has an artifact on him, all the hunters do,¡± Pinoki grumbles to us, ¡°It has to be what¡¯s allowing them to use magic, normally,¡± ¡°The lockets,¡± I suggest ¡°They are all wearing them, and Ginobelucci keeps twirling his suggestively,¡± (Almost like he wants to know what it is) ¡°Ok, but that still help us, how are we going to go about this,¡± Karina counters, Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°There¡¯s eight of them, including their boss, if we do try snatching one, the others will have us killed in an instant,¡± (Karina¡¯s right we are in check) ¡­¡­ ¡°All I need to do is challenge one of my members here, and I am gone,¡± Ginobelucci still gloating, ¡­. (Maybe I can fire¡­) ¡­. ¡°Hey, you with the bow and arrow, in the back there I see you!¡± ¡­¡­ My heart skips a beat I thought he was talking to me, ¡°Go ahead give it a try!¡± Ginobelucci¡¯s attention diverted to someone crouched in the back of hall, his hand trembles as he grips onto a bow and arrow. ¡°Rockblast!¡± The other hunters immediately ¡®take him out¡¯ ¡­¡­ ¡°That goes for everyone in here!¡± the Hunter coalition leader asserts ¡°Do not think I am not noticing you all whispering and plotting ways to defeat us now! Try to stop me right now! I dare any of you! Just know if you do try, You will die, you will die, and you will die. And also it wouldn¡¯t matter if you did manage to scar me because I won¡¯t be of human flesh much longer...¡± ¡­¡­. (We have to do something now, I can¡¯t take it anymore, This feeling¡­) ¡°Karina, you¡¯re pretty fast without using magic, how confident are you that you can swipe that hunters locket?¡± ¡°Are you trying to send me up as a sacrifice Kage? I can but the chances of me getting killed right after are high, And even so, what would stealing one even do?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I will be the decoy then, I don¡¯t need magic to use my arrows, When I fire an arrow, you have to move at that exact second, And about the locket, throw it to Giichi, if there is anyone that can take care of them its him, they fear him for a reason.¡± ¡°Ok¡­.¡± ¡­¡­.. Flash! ¡°Tonight, everything changes!¡± A brilliant light flashes as Ginobelucci warps away after giving one last declaration, ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Alright, here¡¯s how this is going to go,¡± the tall, loud hunter, whose name I never learnt, gleefully takes charge upon his bosses exit, ¡°If you all sit still and remain quiet, everything will go smoothly, The dawn of tomorrow will mark a new era in the history of the ring!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Do you have a problem with that sweetie?¡± He notices Lyra scowl, ¡°Should I pummel you again so that you get message? I told you not to mess with us back then, Now, that statement holds even more weight right now, Hahahahaha!¡± ¡°That one Karina,¡± I say transforming the bow, ¡°Take his locket,¡± ¡°Are you sure? Kage?¡± I can barely hear what Karina is saying, all sound begins to drown out replaced by an eerie buzzing in my ear, Droplets of sweat rapidly trickle down my face as I reach for an arrow, ¡°Hey! Put that bow down!¡± (It¡¯s been so long...) Da dum da dum da dum My heart thumps anxiously, ¡°Huh huh huh!¡± I breathe heavily (It¡¯s been so long since¡­...) ¡°Take him out! Rockblast! Fireb¡ª¡ª¡± The buzz gets louder, I don¡¯t know what it is, but my emotions, , it¡¯s like they¡¯ve all decided to pour out right this very moment, (I can¡¯t keep them supressed any longer, I have to get this out¡ª This hunter who beat us when we first got here What was his name again? I don¡¯t think I ever learnt it, It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve¡­.) I pull back the arrow aiming directly for his throat, Karina already dashing forward... (Ever since he first beat us, I don¡¯t know why, But maybe I was mad about it? I¡¯m still mad about it? The maids beat us that day as well, but I knew they were doing their jobs, when we lost to them it felt like a learning experience, But this man¡­ He wanted to show off, ridicule us, because we were new at the time, Why I am even remembering this now?) The arrow pierces his neck and blood begins to gush out, Karina swipes the locket immediately and tosses to Giichi Apollo yanks me behind his sword blocking the oncoming magic attacks from the hunters They are angrily yelling something now, The buzzing begins to slowly fade out. As I stand there watching the insect I¡¯ve shot, collapse to floor clutching his neck for dear life, (It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve witnessed the grotesque sight of death) It feels somewhat¡­. Somewhat refreshing. BANG! I can''t do this anymore, Trying not to be ignored Put my pedal to the floor, I spread my wings I let them soar Let them soar-oar, Let them soar ¡°Buddha¡¯s Requiem! Great wall defense!¡± Giichi springs into action the moment his hand clasps the locket, his already muscular frame increasing as he glows an angelic sliver, A wall of glistening quartz forms, shielding Karina from a slew of attacks ¡°Get behind me!¡± Giichi barks to us, ¡°Impact wave!¡± BANG!! A massive wave of energy sends everyone and everything in the room flying, Thud! My back slams hard upon impact with a wall, ¡°Errrghh!¡± ¡°Giichi! Can you not differentiate between friend and foe!?¡± Leader Dexter gets up, rubbing his back gingerly, Bang! Giichi buries a hunters head into the hardwood floor ¡°I told you all to get behind me!¡± ¡°You said that and then immediately blast us all to hell right after! That was not nearly enough time to react!¡± ¡°That sounds like a you problem¡± Bang! Giichi crushes another hunter ¡°N...N... Now isn¡¯t time for disputes,¡± Ozymandias stammers, He seems the most shaken out of everyone here, ¡°G...Giichi, can you tell me how you were able to use your magic? I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t warp away!¡± ¡°Calm down, I thought you were an observant person Ozy, The moment Karina threw me this locket, I was able to use my magic again, I believe it¡¯s a kind of ward, that by passes the requiems effect, Here,¡± he throws one to Ozy, Pow! It hits him like a bullet knocking him backwards, (Was the mayor always this pathetic?) ¡°Ohh, thank heavens!¡± Ozymandias exclaims abruptly warping away, leaving us in the increasingly hot ballroom, ¡­. ¡°Is he coming back?¡± Pinoki inquires alarmedly, ¡­¡­ ¡°Giichi, would you mind telling me what you are doing with such a powerful requiem?¡± Dexter, the leader of the Order pries suspiciously, ¡°No,¡± Giichi replies blankly ¡°Do know the danger you possess to this city? You couldn¡¯t even choose who you were attacking just now!¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Spare me the lecture Dexter, Go bully the regular citizens into your order nonsense, That will not work with me,¡± ¡°I am not trying to get anything to ¡®work¡¯, with you, Clearly, I am trying to prevent problems before they occur, And you trivialize what I do? At least I am not a glorified errand boy that calls himself an adventure¡± ¡°Ooh, nice comeback Dexter, but let me ask you this, what exactly does the order do? Matter of fact, why are we even in this situation to begin with, Could you not have prevented this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ If I was informed of the potential threat of the hunters maybe I would have, but speaking of preventing future threats, who are these new members exactl¡ª¡± ¡­. Before Giichi could reply, a familiar swirl of light flashes signaling Ozymandias¡¯ return, His face ashen white in despair¡­. ¡°They¡¯re really all¡­ dead I went to bring the mafia to help us, but¡­. Ginobelucci was not bluffing, they were caught by surprise Goddamnit!¡± ¡°This is the second time one of your bad decision resulted in many deaths mayor!¡± Dexter verbally attacks, ¡°First it was your son, now Ginobelucci,¡± ¡°Why do you people keep bringing this up all the time!? I already know that! I was there! I could not control what happed he was influenced by someone else, Why I am still being blamed!? Why are you people always placing responsibility on me!? I do not run this city! I do not give anyone orders! You do, the people everyone! Stop blaming me, my hands are already bloodied as it is!¡± ¡°Get a grip Ozy!¡± Giichi shoves him over, ¡°Whine about it later, right now, I need you to warp me out of here, Ginobelucci will not stop himself.¡± ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Ozymandias says regaining his composure ¡°I can¡­ I can warp everyone in here, out at once,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ***** I can''t do this anymore, yeah? When it rains it really pours, yeah? Sahhahahahah! A shower of rain greets us as we warp into the streets of Sweepstake, surprising an already a group of people, there staring at the fire, Though the rain falls steadily, The flames remain unaffected. ¡°What the hell!?¡± someone exclaims, looking at the ¡®forest¡¯ of fires built up behind us, ¡°We were surrounded by that?¡± ¡°All right everybody, get moving, we will handle things here!¡± Marshal, the construction company leader, bosses around trying to contain the situation, ¡°Not here Ozy¡± Giichi says annoyedly ¡°I meant to the guild, send me there¡± ¡°Let me catch my breath first , warping this amount of people drains a lot out of me,¡± ¡°Never mind I will get there myself, ¡­¡­¡­. You five,¡± Giichi turns to us, ¡°I suggests you stop standing around looking silly and help the mayor organize things here, I shall handle our ¡®hunter problem¡¯¡± ¡°It was your massive attack knocked us dizzy,¡± Pinoki complains, ¡°Well, me at least¡­¡± The old man doesn¡¯t hear , already sprinting a great distance a head, ¡°Maybe we should back him up Apollo suggests, I haven¡¯t heard from Claude and Amelia since the fire appeared¡± ¡°I want a piece of that Ginobelucci,¡± Lyra grumbles ¡°Kage are you ok, after that back there?¡± Karina asks concernedly, (The rain feels nice, it¡¯s cool) ¡°Kage?¡± ¡°Uhm, Yeah, I¡¯m fine, let¡¯s go to guild,¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Dexter blocks, ¡°You five, are relatively new to Sweepstake, correct? ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Apollo speaking for us, ¡°Show me your magic, all of you, right now,¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I am not letting you go anywhere until you prove to me, you¡¯re not ¡®crazy¡¯, I noticed how your friend over there shot his arrow into that hunters throat, His face showed no emotion, it was insanely calm.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Kage is always like th-¡± ¡°-I don¡¯t care, show me your magic then¡± Dexter says lowering claw-chains from both his sleeves, ¡­¡­. I spy Karina drawing out a dagger from behind her, (Don¡¯t tell me we have to fight this guy?) ¡°They do have evolved magic Dexter, let them be,¡± Ozymandias intervenes before anything can happen, ¡°You, you¡¯re doing it again, Mr. mayor, first you adopted that boy, I told you back then when he showed signs of being a ¡®crazy¡¯, that we should have ¡®contained¡¯ him, Then you let Ginobelucci start a faction after he violently betrayed his original guild, showing signs of someone we should also contain, but no, you said it was good competition, Now this? These people are all just potential explosions waiting to happen! I will not have another future threat to Sweepstake, roam free!¡± Boom! As if on que an explosion sounds off in the east, (The guild) ¡°We have to get over there now!¡± I intentionally push past the angry man ¡°You are not going anywhere,¡± Dexter adamantly blocks ¡°My people will handle this, What could you and your untrained friends possibly do?¡± ¡­¡­.. (He is right, they might be more capable in handling this, I don¡¯t want to go to fight either, But¡­) ¡°I told you to quit it dexter!¡± Ozy snaps, ¡°Here, I¡¯ll just take¡ª ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡ªthem ,¡± he finishes as we appear in front of the institute, A column of smoke rises from it, the main entrance doors collapsed over, a pile of rocks and rubble in its place, (Giichi hasn¡¯t arrived yet,) ¡°I¡¯ll go back and get Dexter to take care of the other hunters,¡± Ozymandias begins preparing warp away again, ¡°Oh, and guys, one more thing, If you value your lives, I would not advise going in there.¡± Bloody Stream ¡°If things get too serious, we should leave this city for good,¡± Pinoki suggests, looking disdainfully at the rubble of the collapsed wooden doors and bricks blocking the entrance, ¡°We can¡¯t just inconsiderately leave like that¡± Apollo argues, clearing through the rubble with his sword, ¡°Umm, yes, we can, I am here for a fun adventure, I refuse to risk my life for someone I barley know,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Pinoki?¡± a feminine voice calls from behind the clutter, ¡°Amelia?¡± ¡°Lyra recognizing the girl, ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°I should be asking you the same Lyra, after that fire, we thought you all died,¡± ¡°We¡¯re all okay, Amelia,¡± Apollo assures finally clearing a path for us to enter, the girl is crouched down over a scorched body steadily healing it, ¡°Is that-?¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t Claude, He is downstairs fighting off, Adrik, Marisha and Ginobelucci, with Yannick and Saito, I¡¯m tending to everyone else¡¯s wounds-¡± -Thud! As she speaks, we can here the loud thuds and bumps coming from below Thud! Thud! Thud! The bumps get louder and louder, the¡ª Bash! Three bodies bursts through the stone floor, atop what looks like geysers of purple fire, A brown layer of seemingly dirt separates them from the raw fire, but that doesn¡¯t block the impact of their backs slamming upwards through the hard floor, ¡°Claude!¡± Amelia exclaims seeing her brother, ¡°You guys are alive?¡± Claude tries to downplay his pain, noticing us, ¡°Th¡­en¡­.c¡­.an ¡­we swi¡­tch¡­..pla¡­.ces?¡¯ Saito pants, ¡°I can¡¯t fight anymore my mud magic wasn¡¯t made for this,¡± Yannick grunts, wincing at us ¡°Where is the boss?¡¯ ¡°On his way¡± Karina affirms ¡°Good that means we only have to hold these hunters off then¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI beg to differ,¡± Marisha¡¯s body springs upward from below, ¡°We will have gotten what we need by that time, and you all will be dea¡ª¡± Whump! Crack! Lyra doesn¡¯t think twice as she unexpectedly rushes forward tacking the woman back thorough the gaping hole she sprang from, The sound of Marisha¡¯s back shattering against the stone below, firmly wakes us- -no, wakes me up, (This is for real) ¡­.. ¡°Fire ant requiem!¡± Adrik¡¯s angry voice rages ¡°I¡¯ll help Amelia up here, you the rest of you can go help out Lyra,¡± Pinoki proposes semi-cowardly, ¡­. Apollo gives him a scornful glance before diving down into fray ¡­¡­ **** ¡°Heat times two!- -Cross!¡± Adrik sends a straight punch towards Yannick, ¡°Rock head defense! Lighting magic¡ªCharge object Thunder stone rain!¡± The blonde adventurer conjurers a layer of rock over his face tanking the blow, before then retaliating with a barrage of lighting-charged rocks that hit like bullets, ¡°Ha! You single attributes always think your superior, Now watch as I bring you to your knees with both my attributes!¡± Yannick taunts ¡°I¡¯m not impressed,¡± Adrik cockily shrugs, ¡°Fire ant requiem, Dirt hill defense! Marching ¡ª ¡°Lighting slash!¡± Apollo surprise attacks, with the assistance of Karina silencing his movements, commanding Adrik¡¯s attention from Yannick, This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Errgh! You are a persistent lot I¡¯ll give you that,¡± Adrik concedes, ¡°I could say the same of you,¡± Apollo counters, ¡°I have faced much more powerful foes than you, Even that requiem you¡¯re using, Is still inferior to the one Darius left for me!¡± Apollo raises his sword overhead, in a vertical position, ¡°Apollo+Darius combo¡­ Strike!¡± ¡°Enough! Beast¡¯s Carnage!¡± Crash!! Ginobelucci steps in unleashing a devasting attack that rips into everyone fighting, The wind gusts, like fangs, they chomp down into friend and foe alike, ¡°I am sorry you had to get hurt by me Adrik, Marisha, but it was starting to get annoying listening to you struggle to defeat these pathetic amateurs, now if you would excuse me¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­. (Time for Lyra and me to shine) Hidden in a dark corner in the basement area of the institute Lyra and I waited, Me, with my bow aimed at the action, Lyra a bit further in the dark preparing her magic for one powerful blast Sooner or later Ginobelucci would have to poke his head out¡­... Vwhip! The bow string relaxes back into place upon me firing an arrow coated in rock magic, (This is i¡ª) ¡ªSmash! My head gets buried into the stone floor, as a strong wind pulls me towards the hunter leader (How?-) ¡°How? You must be thinking that right?¡± Smash! Smash! He repeatedly slams me down, ¡­. I hear Lyra¡¯s foot shuffling angrily (Please stay hidden, please) ¡°I know you are there, girl, come out and I will kill you after my plan succeeds, Stay hidden and I will come get you myself then make you watch as I murder your friends, via cannibalism~ ~Then kill you the same way,¡± ¡°Snowstorm Blast!¡± Lyra attacks, ¡°Ruuuughhhhhhh!¡± Ginobelucci counters with a ferocious roar deflecting the attack, Thud! Crumble! I can hear her body ¡®fusing¡¯ into a wall, ¡°Now I can wait for Giichi to arrive in peace,¡± Ginobelucci sighs ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t expect it to be this soon you all would escape, That fire surrounding the mayors complex was only supposed to last a little over an hour, Then again, I did make it obvious that the lockets were what allowed us to still use magic, ¡­¡­ ¡°Hmmm, Apollo, is it? Please stay down, I don¡¯t want to have to accidentally kill you, yet Especially since you are the child of my old guild mates after all, Which speaking of, You want to know something funny? I actually know nothing about your parents, I only said that when we first met to gauge your strength,¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Apollo says nothing, only quietly griping his sword lying flat on his stomach, as the blood from the wind-ripped scars on his body, slowly seeps out below him in a puddle, ¡°Is this the part where you monologue your backstory to us?¡± Karina boisterously gets up, leaning her back against a wall, lazily, ¡°Mm not exactly, although, I do have nothing to do while waiting on Giichi, See I need him to witness what is about to happen, Instead of my ¡®backstory¡¯ as you call it, I will share a little about my time in this guild, Contrary to what you might believe, I enjoyed it here, being and adventurer was fun, For a while at least, but the biggest problem this guild lacked was a sense of¡­ A sense of family, living in the guild felt akin to being in a school, you would see your fellow students faces every day, maybe make a couple of acquaintances here and there, but that was it, there was no real ¡®togetherness¡¯, I ¡®know of¡¯ your parents Apollo, but I do not actually know them besides the fact that they were in love, Emma was adept at magic and Raguel was an unselfish-self-righteous asshole if that makes any sense, Adrik and Marisha joined the guild at a later point, I can¡¯t really say we became friends either, it was more like they became my admirers,¡± Ginobelucci lets out another sigh, ¡°A shame they had to be beaten like this, I promised them they would be my first ¡®family members¡¯ ¡­¡­. Well! Enough with the chatting, I wa¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªImpact strike!¡± BANG! ¡°Impact strike!¡± BANG! ¡°It¡¯s over for you Belucci.¡± Without signal nor waring Ozymandias warps into to the room grabbing Ginobelucci¡¯s hands behind his back, he then warps Giichi in who lands two powerful blows, shattering almost all the hunter leader¡¯s ribs¡­... ¡°Chh¡± Ginobelucci spits out blood, ¡°Ha, ha~ I was wondering what took you so long boss, I already opened the requiem room, I was waiting for you to get here before I got started,¡± ¡°Game is over Belucci, nothing is getting started, I have you beat, and as we speak Dexter is rounding up your hunters, And as for you¡ª" ¡°Kill him¡± Lyra interjects crawling out from the rubble of stone she got sent into, she stares at the hunter murderously ¡°You, girl,¡± Ginobelucci looks at her properly for the first time ¡°I¡¯ve seen a face like yours before, those exact eyes ,¡± ¡°Enough with the mind games, you¡¯re already beat.¡± ¡°Oh, I beg to differ boss Carnage release!¡± Vwoom! Slice! A ripping breeze pushes both Ozymandias and Giichi away from Ginobelucci, ¡°You out of everyone should know how the wind fang requiem works boss, as long as you are in my airspace I control the tides of battle, And I was not playing ¡®mind games¡¯ when I said that girl looked familiar, About ten years ago, I saw a man with eyes just like hers, even the same hair color, A man that you~ Mr. mayor, regret not seeing~¡± (Could he be talking about Lyra¡¯s brother?) ¡°Do you know who I am talking about girl?¡± ¡°Heeyahhh! Lyra ignores him instead charging forward, with a dagger, Impact strike! Giichi leaps ahead of the girl pouncing at Belucci, Lucci notices this and swiftly ducks past them, a gust of breeze stirs up from below his feet as he makes a beeline for the artifact room ¡°Yess! this is why I waited for you to come Giichi! I want this to be close, I want you to witness me winning!¡± Thud! Ozymandias warps under the hunter, sweeping his feet, but Ginobelucci anticipates it leaping up only to double stomp the mayor into the floor, ¡°Wheee!¡± Ozymandias wheezes as his chest collapses in, ¡°Nice try, Ozy, but for someone with an ¡®exotic¡¯ magic attribute you are awfully predictable¡ª ¡ªUrk!¡± Two daggers penetrate through Ginobelucci¡¯s chest cutting his gloating off¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡°Even though this isn¡¯t fun, I felt like someone needed to take a trip to Pinoki- pummel town,¡± a little man grins emerging from the shadows, ¡°Karina can get a little credit for masking my presence, by the way,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had it in you Pinoki,¡± Apollo compliments gingerly getting up, ¡°Urugh! Ginobelucci coughs up a set of bloody fangs, his body mass decreases along with his muscle and the intense aura that I felt surrounding him fades, (Is that the wind fang requiem he was talking about?) ¡°You got me, I¡¯ll give you that¡± he concedes, ¡°But I still win, Hurahhhhhhhhhh!¡± Ginobelucci starts spinning his arms generating a strong gale of wind that acts like engines propelling him back-first across the room, Crash! He smashes through the artifact room¡¯s wall, landing right in front of the now open doorway to the smaller requiem room, ¡°Ozymandias warp me now!¡± Giichi barks anxiously, ¡­!!. Its already too late, Ginobelucci drags himself onto the ¡®throne¡¯ BANG! Giichi warps in front of the throne smashing Ginobelucci firmly onto the spikes, ¡°Ehhchh!¡± The sharp spikes impale every point of the hunters body, Thorns begin to fold over his head like crown they protrude from his eyelids, his mouth ,his legs, nose, throat, stomach¡­. (I feel like vomiting) Ginobelucci has now finally achieved his goal of sitting atop the dragons¡¯ throne, Though tatted by thorns he smiles all the while, as his lifeless corpse? outpours a, what feels like, endless, Bloody stream. Dragons Requiem ¡°Kage? You haven¡¯t stopped staring, Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡¯ Dum, dum-dum, dum-dum? ¡°I don¡¯t know Karina, Is he really dead?¡± ¡°Who cares, not our problem,¡± Pinoki interjects, ¡°In light of all these circumstances, happening here, What do you say we take a temporary leave of absence?¡± I feel a slight nudge as something slips into my quiver, ¡°Put that back!¡± I whisper harshly, ¡°Don¡¯t overreact Kage, it¡¯s just a map¡± ¡°The requiem map, We can¡¯t steal that¡± ¡°Shh stop being an Apollo¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Should we go back to Soterra for a while then?¡± Karina giving us both a look, (she obviously heard) ¡°Nah, too soon¡­...¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Now I am going to have to find a way to announce this to the public¡± Ozymandias and Giichi are talking, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to them of course, though I will have to omit everything about requiems being used, But I don¡¯t see how we can explain how Ginobelucci¡¯s body got like that,¡± ¡°Get Dexter to deal with it,¡± Giichi proposes carelessly, ¡°No one knows much about the order after all, they would just assume it was something secretive,¡± ¡°What about those two boss?¡± Claude intervenes, gesturing at an injured Adrik and Marisha, ¡°Amelia, can you heal them?¡± Ozymandias turns to the girl who had been using her magic to assist with the healing of several guild members, ¡°Adrik Maybe, but I don¡¯t think my magic is enough to repair her broken back yet,¡± the girl shakes her head ¡°Why should we even help them?¡± Lyra says looking at the bodies in disgust, ¡°They already killed many of your guild members,¡± ¡°That is true,¡± Giichi acknowledges, ¡°But, if we stoop to their level, then what does that say about us?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Lyra, I don¡¯t mean to be intrusive, but I have to ask, Where is your father right now?¡± Ozymandias puts in inquiringly ¡°Huh? He is dead, why?¡± ¡°Well, Ginobelucci did say you looked like a certain someone who came here ten years ago, and I don¡¯t think he would lie about that randomly,¡± ¡°It was a probably my brother then, ¡° Lyra replies awkwardly, ¡°Do you know where he is now?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t even know he visited this city at all, till you just mentioned it,¡± ¡°Mr. mayor,¡± Apollo noticing Lyra¡¯s uncomfortable expression, ¡°Can you tell me what your interest in him is?¡± ¡°¡­. Well I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard mentions of my son, err, ¡®ravaging¡¯ the city ten years ago, The reason that is, because he met someone, I wish I¡¯d seen, I wish I¡¯d met, someone that changed his behavior. My son, Dante was his name, was infatuated by this person he met, I don¡¯t know who he was, but somehow he managed to convince my son to, ¡®free himself¡¯ by committing mass murder. They left the city after that, without me ever seeing his face, I only have to go off peoples descriptions, It was after that I decided to set up a system in which I could personally view all battles,¡± ¡­.. Lyra remains quiet having nothing to comment on the mayor¡¯s story, She instead whispers something to Apollo, who in turn gives her a soft hug, ¡°I already told, just because you share blood doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re the same, Lyra¡± ¡­ (Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be listening to this) Dum, dum-dum, dum-dum? (What is that sound?) This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Vibrative beats keep sounding off like the strums of a deep bass guitar¡­ (Maybe I¡¯m hearing things again) ¡°Alright everyone out,¡± Giichi orders going near the ¡®throne¡¯ ¡°I have the unfortunate job of cleaning this mess up and I¡ª ¡ªURK!¡± Stab! As soon as the old man had gotten close to the throne, two of its thorns immediately struck out, piercing the old man¡¯s shoulders ¡°Sir!¡± The twins shout attempting run towards him ¡°No, stay back,¡± Giichi drawls, ¡°Tttttttt,¡± Ginobelucci¡¯s voice sounds, though his body remains motionless on the throne, ¡°Did you take me for a fool boss? Why would I stupidly sit on chair of spikes without knowing properly the effects? I did not form the hunter coalition just to inconvenience you Giichi sir, I did my research¡­¡± ¡°Where is that voice coming from?¡± Yannick looks around frightenedly, ¡°The throne,¡± Karina points out, ¡°He has become one with it,¡± ¡°Correct?¡± Lucci sings ¡°But still wrong, See this isn¡¯t a throne¡ª ¡­¡­. Uraag!¡± As he speaks a hellish blackish red, leathery, thorny skull emerges from the throne, ¡°¡ªThis is merely a vessel in which the dragons can be reborn again from, Through me¡± ¡°Buddha ¡ª¡± Crunch! ¡°Ah, ah, ah, Giichi no requiem for you,¡± Ginobelucci snaps forward munching off both the old man¡¯s arms, ¡°Why do think I played possum here? You might have been the only person here in Furlheim, that would be able to kill me as I am now, See the transformation process may take months, and with you out of the way I will for the first time in history, Declare Furlheim as an unwelcoming city, closing it off, I cannot have any other Bakufu warriors, such as yourself, coming over here to kill me¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°I think we ought to leave right now¡± Pinoki suggests, ¡°We ca-¡±Apollo starts But even he realizes there may be nothing we can do here, ¡°Black flame punch!¡± Claude rushes in for the attack, ¡°NO!¡± Giichi bellows, his face gone pale form the endless blood gushing from his severed limbs ¡°I SAID DON¡¯T COME NEAR!¡± ¡°But sir, I can¡¯t leave you like this,¡± Claude close to tears ¡°My, how touching that you want to save him,¡± Belucci chuckles, ¡°But your boss is already dead¡± Chomp! Stab! A thorn unexpectedly springs forward, piercing Ozymandias in the leg restraining him, while Ginobelucci¡¯s draconic skull viciously mauls off Giichi¡¯s head, ¡°Giichi sir!¡± The twins bawl, Amelia already shedding buckets of tears, ¡°AHhhhhh!¡± Ozymandias cries painfully as the spike buries into his leg ¡°Ahhhhhh! Get it out, get it out!¡± ¡°Mmmmm~¡± Ginobelucci munches The disgusting sound of the old man¡¯s bones being eaten makes me want to vomit, ¡°Human meat isn¡¯t that bad, I am surprised,¡± Chomp! He chomps off the torso (I can¡¯t watch this) ¡­¡­¡­. (I need to¡ª) Maybe I was thinking smartly at that moment, ¡°Alright, after that meal I would like to get things going now¡­...¡± Maybe I was being a coward, Or maybe it was my body¡¯s natural reaction, I turned, and stared running, Ran and ran and ran, Ran straight out the institute, Thought the streets of Sweepstake, Across the plains Thought the backwoods, Thought the bush groves, All the way to Soterra But still I kept Running Ran and ran and ran To the rocky trails below Soterra, Past the little river Even through the desert itself, I ran Until I came to Lyfia town once more But I dint stop there I couldn¡¯t stop, I kept running Ran and ran and ran Through the haunted forest below the village Dodging beasts and poisonous plants I finally reached it The house I first woke up in, Still burnt to crisp, how I left it, Diving down into the ashes I bury myself there, (Take me back Take me back from where I came from! Take me¡ª) ¡­¡­.. ¡°Kage, move!¡± Karina shoves me out the way from an incoming tentacle-like spike, ¡°What!?¡± ¡°You spaced out! Ginobelucci is trying to keep us away from leaving¡± ¡°Haa!¡± Apollo chops at a spike, ¡°He doesn¡¯t want anyone leaving here, Weren¡¯t you listening!?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Everyone, get near me!¡± Ozymandias calls his legs nailed to the floor ¡°I may not be able to move but I can warp you out of the city, You heard what Belucci said, Go to Bakufu Giichi¡¯s home nation, Get help there!¡± ¡°Not without my permission,¡± Lucci growls ¡°Urghh!¡± A thorn stabs the mayor in his back, ¡°This-is-my- Requiem.¡± As Ozymandias¡¯ hand drops limp, a portal-like swirl opens up in the room, ¡°Everybody out there now!¡± Apollo orders pushing Lyra through first, ¡°Get up you two!¡± he grabs on to Amelia and Claude who both lay foaming at the mouth, tossing them in, (What the hell happened to them) Stab! ¡°Agh!¡± ¡°I said no leaving!¡± Ginobelucci stabs me in the leg The spike slowly dragging me towards the ¡®throne¡¯ ¡°Kage!¡± ¡°Aghh!¡± I reach for an arrow trying to shoot back at the dragons head, but the pain is too much, I can¡¯t focus properly Slice! Karina cuts the thorn dragging me ¡°Come one Ka¡ª Stab! A spike penetrates her leg in turn, ¡°Its closing already!¡± Pinoki shouts, ¡°Apollo get Karina and go!¡± I order, ¡°Let me¡­...¡± (What is with that loud buzzing!) ¡°I¡¯ll get you both out!¡± Apollo picks Karina up (No, you won¡¯t) Vwoosh! I fire a wind arrow, knocking Apollo forward through the portal with Karina, (You all have goals and dreams to achieve, I don¡¯t, If anyone¡¯s life is the most disposable here, It¡¯s me) ¡­¡­¡­. Draagg! Draagg! (Huh?) ¡°Pinoki?¡± I look up to see the little man still here struggling to drag me out ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much of it Kage, I gave you the map remember, I can¡¯t very well leave it here,¡± ¡°But you could have-¡± ¡°No buts Kage, I am man of adventurer,¡± ¡°Hhhhh!¡± Ginobelucci sighs heavily, ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on killing any of you now, but since you will not obey me, Rauugh!¡± His head outstretches from the throne snaping at us ¡°Ha¡± Pinoki throws a dagger, ¡°You¡¯re too late fiend, We are already-¡± Chomp! His teeth grips onto to the littles man leg, right as we near the edge of the rapidly closing portal, ¡°Pinoki!¡± now it¡¯s my turn to carry him, pulling tightly on to his right arm I limp my way to the light, ¡°Come on! Come¡ª" ¡­.. A cold breeze brushes past my face and I feel myself being sucked into the swirl my hand still firmly holding onto Pinoki¡¯s (I think, I think we made it) Flash! The portal spits me out onto a bushy hillside, ¡°Kage!?¡± I hear Lyra¡¯s voice exclaim before her tone then abruptly sinks ¡°We¡¯re fine, We made is safely,¡± I assure ¡°Kage¡­. What do you mean, we?¡± Apollo asks solemnly ¡°I mean me and Pi-¡± I turn to the hand I¡¯d been clasping on to this whole time, And that¡¯s just it, It¡¯s only just his arm. Postlude | Burn the Rain Furlheim City, or more modernly called Sweepstake city, a place with no barriers, no unfair laws, no prerequisites to join¡­ Despite the fact that you would have to adjust to the, at times jarring, battle system of living, A system in which anything can be won, anyone can be anything, with the only requirement being their own will, Sweepstake was still but a nice place, the crime rates were unfathomably low, in parallel to the unusually high happiness rates per average citizen, Truly a place where anyone could move if they wanted to fit in in, Well, this was all the case till one night, It started with a big fire, And ended¡ª Well who can say how it really ended for sure¡­ But that night, that fire was only but sign, Asymbolic form of the changes that would soon ensue. See that night another fire started, but this one in the adventurers guild, A flame that bore no color but, a flame that was so hot, instead of incinerating you, its burn would hurt so you would be begging to be incinerated, the pain of the flames¡¯ burn would last for days on end, a panarctic burn you could say.. That was what began to surround the city, Inch by inch sector by sector soon Sweepstake city had a ¡®wall¡¯ of its own, One that you could not see, But feel. **** ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± No one has said a word yet, Sitting around a campfire, we begrudgingly stare at the city, now in uproar, a distance away from us, The loud cries and panics echo hopelessly in the cold, dull night, This went on for the entire night. None of us slept, or even moved, just listened. What could we do? Go back there to play heroes? Claude and Amelia still remained unconscious since witnessing their guild masters unsightly death, Bzzzzzz Mosquitoes buzz around us tirelessly attacking Pinoki¡¯s severed arm, (His lies finally caught up with him) ¡°It should¡¯ve bee¡ª¡± I begin to mumble ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t start with that bullshit¡± Apollo gruffly cuts me off Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Pinoki died and you survived that¡¯s it, I don¡¯t want to hear how the wrong person died¡± ¡°¡­.. He kept saying how he¡¯d rather save himself than die for anyone else, Chh! Pinoki never could stop lying¡± Karina laments, wrapping her wounded leg with a torn off piece of her shirt ¡­¡­.. That was the only exchange of words that happened for the rest of the night. ¡­. **** ¡°¡­¡­.!?¡± Wh¡­ Where am I?¡± Amelia finally waking up, she blinks looking around confusedly as the dawn¡¯s sunlight breaks ¡°Dead.¡± Karina replies nonchalantly ¡°You¡¯re not¡± dead Apollo reassures noticing the alarmed look on the girl¡¯s face ¡°Karina is just being snarky¡± ¡°errgh!¡± Claude also gets up groggily, ¡°What happened, Where is Belucci? I¡¯ll kill him, I swear¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªClaude, calm down,¡± his sister squeezes his hand, ¡°Look around we¡¯re not in the institute, anymore.¡± ¡­¡­ Claude takes a minute to adjust to the surroundings, ¡°Whose arm is that¡± he notices the pale, severed limb ¡°Pinoki,¡± I answer tossing it into the fire to burn ¡°Does that mean he¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªHe didn¡¯t make it,¡± ¡°What happed to all of you back there?¡± Lyra presses scoldingly ¡°That guildmate of yours, Yannick, ran away like a coward, You two passed out, And even you Kage, your face went totally blank for a while, We could have escaped much easier if not for you all,¡± ¡°Well, how would you feel if someone, you looked up to, got murdered in worst possibly way, right in front of your face!¡± Claude snaps ¡°When our parents died, we weren¡¯t there to see it, but this time with Giichi¡­ I don¡¯t know what to feel, But Ginobelucci will pay.¡± ¡°Welcome to our world!¡± Lyra retorts tartly, ¡°What do you think we had to experience back in Soterra to get like this, A nice party!? I watched both my parents get killed by my own brother, That same brother that killed Karina¡¯s parents as well, And from what I heard is responsible for yours¡¯ deaths as well, Don¡¯t try to play the victim with me, I know how it feels!¡± ¡°¡­... What do we do now then?¡± Claude replies, humbly this time, ¡°The mayor said, or best bet was going to the Bakufu nation,¡± Apollo informs them ¡°Giichi¡¯s original home, and Saito¡¯s as well, He once told me that the strongest warriors in the entire ring are found there, Hopefully they can help us.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too sure about that,¡± I remark, cynically ¡°Why would they make our problems theirs?¡± ¡°Kage has point, we shouldn¡¯t rush into this thinking we¡¯re going to be offered free help,¡± Karina concurs, ¡°Mhm,¡± I nod, ¡°For all we know¡ª" ¡ªUmph! I get up to stretch, forgetting that my leg had been wounded the night before, The sudden jolt of pain causes me to fall over, inches away from the campfire, ¡°Kage easy,¡± Apollo grabs me up ¡°Your injured¡± Amelia notices ¡°I shall heal you with my magic,¡± she presses her hand on my leg expecting her healing general-magic to begin, in the form of her water attribute as usual, but nothing happens¡­ ¡°Huh? ¡­¡­. Where¡¯s my water ma¡ª¡± Before she can finish a small cloud materializes, over our heads, bursting into a soft shower of rain, the droplets healing our wounds, ¡°Your magic evolved.¡± Karina points out, ¡°I can¡¯t feel my second attribute wind anymore, my water magic is now rain,¡± Amelia says, in awe of herself ¡°Does this mean I did as well?¡± Claude perks up excitedly, ¡°Haa!¡± He focuses his hands, aiming at the falling rain, should he just conjure a regular fireball, ¡­...Beeaamm~ Much to Claude¡¯s surprise, instead of fireball, his flames fire out a bright white color, in the form of a beam, cutting through his twin sister¡¯s rain, The intersection their magics leave behind a mini rainbow, ¡°Yes!¡± Claude grins ¡°I have evolved magic, and I¡¯ve not gone insane!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re happy about?¡± Lyra rolls her eyes, ¡°Yes, because this is a sign that I must be the one to avenge Giichi sir, your friend Pinoki, the mayor and everyone else who died at Ginobelucci¡¯s hand last night!¡± ¡­. Now we all roll our eyes. ¡°Slow down there, soldier¡± Apollo taps his shoulder, getting up ¡°Urahh!¡± He lets a out a big yawn, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve mourned enough, I think its time we get going,¡± ¡°Where to?¡± Lyra asks ¡°We haven¡¯t made a definitive plan yet,¡± ¡°As Pinoki would say,¡± I put in, ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s going to be an adventure.¡± Aimless Sound ¡°Woah!¡± A soft blue light radiates off a scroll I fold open, revealing it¡¯s details to us, ¡°So, this is the requiem map,¡± Karina examines, ¡°The glow of that comes off the blank face of the scroll, projects itself into a screen, of sorts, depicting a map of our current location, ¡°Is that us?¡± Claude points to six white dots jumbled up together in one area, ¡°More importantly, isn¡¯t this supposed to a map of the entire ring, not just this area,¡± Apollo comments ¡°It functions similarly to an ¡®RPS¡¯ than an actual map,¡± I mention ¡°What? Whirlish please Kage?¡± Lyra rolls her eyes ¡°Whirlish?¡± ¡°The language you¡¯re speaking right now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± (Strange, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard that word, No, What am I saying Its always been called that, Did I forget?) ¡°You really are a child sometimes Kage,¡± Karina taunts, ¡°Eh-hem, well anyways, an ¡®RPS¡¯, if I can recall correctly stands for ¡®ringal positioning system¡¯ it basically helps you find your own location anywhere on the ring,¡± ¡°I have never heard of that Kage, Are you sure you didn¡¯t make that up?¡± (Not really.) ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure¡± ¡°Weird Kage names aside,¡± Claude interjects, If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°How is this going to show us where exactly Bakufu is, when its only showing, the area surrounding us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more of a locator map than a guide,¡± I say peering at the ¡®screen¡¯ The image displays and overhead view of the lush greenery and rocky fields a good distance surrounding us, Different colors and dots depict specific landmarks and towns, (I thought it was an exaggeration, but this Takeroumu must have really seen everything there was to see) ¡­¡­¡±Besides¡­¡± Apollo is talking, ¡°We don¡¯t need that map right now, We already know the way to Gate,¡± ¡°Hhhhh, I guess we¡¯ll have time to examine this more later,¡± I sigh folding up the map, beginning to pick up the pace¡­... ¡­¡­. Squish squish squish Our feet trudge along the damp, bushy plains, walking briskly as the town of finally Gate comes into our eyesight, We¡¯d been traveling for almost the entire day, Not a single one of us suggested to even go near sweepstake, however Was it out of fear? No. But because though no one said it, We knew We all knew None of us was even the slightest bit strong or capable enough to do anything, What could we do?........ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ (Nothing, Nothing Kage, That is not what our goal is¡± ¡°Our? Is this?¡ª" ¡°We are us Kage, we told us this before, now hurry up! Neglect these people and go home¡± ¡°Home? Where is my¡ªour home?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..?¡±) ¡°Where!¡ª" ¡°You can¡¯t even be normal in you sleep Kage?¡± Lyra¡¯s faces peers over me ¡°Huh, where-¡± I start, but remember we arrived in Gate town already, stopping to rest in an inn, (One room for the six of us might I add) ¡­¡­.. ¡°Apollo and Karina are trying to organize our passage,¡± Amelia tells noticing me spectating the little room we had no choice to take after leaving most of our funds back ¡®there¡¯ It was either separate rooms and no food or vice versa¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°What do Apollo and Karina plan to get us as far away from here as possible?¡± I ask Lyra, but my eyes are pinned on someone else¡­ ¡°He¡¯s probably going to try the whole ¡®King of Soterra¡¯ thing.¡± Claude sits focused, in a corner, a bright white flame steady in his hands¡¯ (Amazing, I can feel its heat from here, Granted it isn¡¯t that far away but still...) Whap! Lyra slaps me on the thigh, ¡°Were you even listening?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Creeaak! The door swings open to Apollo and Karina (Saved by the door) ¡°I see you¡¯re all up,¡± Apollo passes a quick glance ¡°Well, no sticking around, I am still hungry from yesterday, Let¡¯s leave right away,¡± ¡°Slowdown Apollo,¡± I stop him, ¡°Did you get us passage to Bakufu already?¡± ¡°No, They don¡¯t allow transportation to and from,¡± ¡°Then where are we going?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Apollo sighs bittersweetly, ¡°We are going back to Soterra,¡± Rubato ¡°Everything happened so fast Zinnia, one-minute Pinoki was escaping with us, next, Only his arm made it out¡­¡± Apollo regretfully informs ¡°That is un¡ªfortun ¡ªate¡± Zinnia tries to reply, stoic and calmly, but her voice cracks giving away her true feelings ¡­. ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to act strong around us Zinnia,¡± Karina hugs the girl ¡°I may not have of been as close to Pinoki as you were, but we all grew up with each other, You can cry if you want,¡± ¡°Except for Kage,¡± Lyra puts in ¡°Unnecessary taunt,¡± I attempt to give Lyra a hard poke for once, but she anticipates it shoving me away ¡°Hands off Kage, Just because our challenge rings don¡¯t work anymore does not mean you are exempt from a beating¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°So, from what you told me about Furlheim, does that mean you¡¯re back here for good then?¡± Zinnia smiles faintly regaining her ¡®Queenly¡¯ composure ¡°Not exactly,¡± Apollo hurriedly disputes that thought ¡°We left all our things back in Sweepstake, The only reason we are back is for more supplies so that we can set out to find Bakufu, It was the mayor¡¯s last wish,¡± Zinnia frowns, not too pleased with the idea of us putting ourselves in potentially more danger, ¡°But from what you said about Furlheim being taken over, Shouldn¡¯t we be fortifying the kingdom¡¯s defenses?¡±.......... ¡­¡­¡­... ***** ¡°So, this is Soterra?¡± Amelia says as she looks over the city in awe, from a balcony in the city hall, The city has changed quite a bit since I last saw it, Unlike Sweepstake, which was kind of an unnatural clash of different cultures and people, Soterra oozes but one culture, The streets are lined with tall posts with magic crystals at the top of them that act like a sort of wireless power grid, which sends magic to all the houses and buildings, But functionality aside, The sight of the glowing colors of the magic gems, simply looks aesthetically pleasing. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Despite the fact that Murdoc is but a relic of the past now, his forced teachings, I cannot deny, did some good for this city, The people are all still welcoming and friendly, as before so much so that Amelia and Claude were incredibly surprised by the way people walked around greeting other like it was nothing, Even I was surprised as I¡¯d already gotten used to the crowds of the ¡®Sweep¡¯ that would ignore you, going about their business, In Sweepstake, to get magic power in your own house you would have to buy your own crystal, Whereas here there is a whole system to ensure everyone gets power, ¡°You all lucky to still have a home to go back to,¡± Amelia says ¡°Well firstly,¡± I reply, ¡°This isn¡¯t my home, and I promise, Soterra wasn¡¯t always like this,¡± ¡°hmmm,¡± Amelia mumbles, before it gets awkwardly quiet, ¡­¡­ (This is what happens when you leave two non-talkers alone together) ¡°¡­. Sooo, uh¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªHey Kage,¡± Claude approaches, ¡°Are you making moves on my sister bro¡­.¡± ¡­¡­¡­ **** ¡°Hhhhh¡± Apollo sighs giving his sword a swing, ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to act all grumpy just because you¡¯re here,¡± Lyra lectures, ¡°That is my job actually¡± ¡°You know how I feel about this place Lyra,¡± ¡°So do I, But it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be here for a long time¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Waw,¡± I comment walking up to the two, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day where Lyra was being the rational one,¡± ¡°Kage my good friend,¡± Lyra smiles, (Much to my alarm) ¡°Have you come for our spar?¡± ¡°Eh-hem, eh-hem,¡± I fake cough ¡°My leg is still wounded from Ginobelucci, I am not one hundred percent right now,¡± ¡°Since when? Didn¡¯t Amelia heal you?¡±¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Strange,¡± Karina says pleasantly surprised, ¡°I am usually the one to go to your room Kage What brings you to mine?¡± ¡°I want to talk¡± ¡°About?¡± she motions for me to sit next to her ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel, Pinoki died and, I¡¯m not sure if I am sad, or maybe I don¡¯t care at all, In addition to that there¡¯s something deep in my mind that¡¯s telling me to forget about Sweepstake, It¡¯s not my business to avenge it,¡± ¡°So, your innermost thoughts?¡± (I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what it is) ¡°You could call it that I guess,¡± ¡°Kage, I have to ask, Are you sure you don¡¯t know where you came from, Or even your own age?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve said this so many times already,¡± ¡°I know, but you act so, I don¡¯t know, young, yet old, You don¡¯t even understand your own emotions, yet¡ª Hhhhhh You¡¯re something else Kage,¡± Karina stops herself ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll be taking my leav¡ª" ¡°No, you¡¯re not Kage,¡± Karina pulls me back ¡°You are staying the night.¡±¡­¡­... ¡­¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Be safe out there,¡± Zinnia sees us off as we climb into a magic carriage, ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Apollo assures, ¡°Plus, we have this special map, that always shows our location,¡± ¡°Umm, Queen Zinnia,¡± Amelia speaks up ¡°Soterra is a nice kingdom, I hope to visit here again under normal circumstances,¡± ¡°You saying that makes me happy,¡± Zinnia smiles, ¡°Can we go now?¡± Lyra says impatiently, ¡°Right away,¡± Apollo agrees setting the carriage into motion, ¡­¡­ ¡°We will be alright Zinnia, remember to focus on yourself!¡± Karina shouts back, The magic vehicle swiftly makes its way out of Soterra bumping along cheerfully, Gazing out the window, I watch as all the tress and houses slowly blend into the background one by one, Then, I don¡¯t know if I was imaging things at that moment or maybe it was real, But for a split second my eyes locked with something, Something I think, no, I know wasn¡¯t human, Its eyes were elliptical, looking at it felt akin to staring into an empty void, I squint my eyes trying to get a good look, But then, it stared back¡­ Before disappearing into the background with everything else¡­¡­ Journeys Crescendo Sometimes I need to be alone¡ª? Bitch don''t kill my vibe? Bitch don''t kill my vibe? ¡°Where did you get another one of those sound-diamonds, Kage, Didn¡¯t we leave everything back in sweepstake?¡± ¡°I saw this one lying around the cas¡ª city hall, so I took it.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re stealing now? Very Pinoki of you,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t steal it.¡± Bitch don''t kill my vibe? ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Lyra whistles doubtfully ¡°Bitch don¡¯t kill my vibe¡± Bitch don''t kill my vibe? ¡°What did you say to me, Kage?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡­ It was the song... I was signing it.¡± I sigh frustratedly, trying to diffuse the hot-tempered girl, ¡°Well change it then,¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not how it works, What ever comes on is at random,¡± Bitch don''t kill my vibe? ¡°Poetic, isn¡¯t it?¡± Karina suddenly interjects, day-dreamily, ¡°The song?¡± ¡°No, the art itself, No one knows who or exactly how long ago these tunes were made, but despite the fact that, their civilization is one that has been long since forgotten, their art never died it lived on and eventually integrated itself with the very magic of this ring, Which in turn, is our form of art,¡± Bitch don''t kill my vibe? ¡°It is when you put it that way,¡± I say agreeingly, This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Though we will all die eventually, the art we create is immortal,¡± ¡°Slow down there Kage, no need to get all deep with it, I was just sharing a random thought, You are not wrong, But slow down,¡± ¡°Ughhhh!¡± Claude groans loudly, ¡°Is this all we¡¯ve left to do, Talk about boring stuff?¡± ¡°Is there a problem Claude?¡± Apollo asks, looking back from up front of the carriage, ¡°Yes, we have been traveling for days now, I haven¡¯t even yet got a chance to properly practice my new evolved magic,¡± ¡°Ok, So what?¡± Lyra monotones, ¡°I have to get stronger fast, so that I can avenge, Giichi, and everyone else that is currently suffering by Ginobelucci right now,¡± ¡°Claude, listen,¡± Apollo starts with a preachy voice, (Here we go) ¡°After Murdoc took over Soterra, we waited for ten years, And I can¡¯t stretch enough, how long those ten years were, Ten years¡­ We suffered, fought, used each other,¡± He eyes Karina ¡°Each with some hope, or goal that one day we would bring Murdoc down, ¡° ¡°And you did, what is your point?¡± Claude presses ¡°Let me finish, we did eventually, I even had the final blow, Do you know how I felt after? How we felt? Because it wasn¡¯t happiness, just emptiness,¡± ¡°What do you mean emptiness, you took down the main source of your problems?¡± ¡°Yes and no, Murdoc was our main source of despair, sadness, anger, not the other emotions, yet we made it feel like he was holding them all back, So when he died, we expected, hoped, that maybe our joy would return, will would be revived, But nothing happened, it just left us now hollow, he was dead and so were our excuses,¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± Claude still not getting it ¡°hhhhh¡± Apollo sighs, ¡°Moral of the story, don¡¯t place all of your hopes and dreams into you slaying Ginobelucci, Instead still try to enjoy what you have, We never had this kind of freedom you have now,¡± ¡­¡­. Claude ponders Apollo¡¯s words with a slightly confused look on his face still processing the information, meanwhile his siter Amelia had been listening intently, seems to have understood, as she nods softly to Apollo, (Who doesn¡¯t even notice) ¡°One more thing¡± Karina adding on to Apollo¡¯s speech ¡°Why do you think none of us cried after losing Pinoki, Our main goal was to defeat Murdoc and be free, Anything past that is only a plus,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Slow down there Karina, no need to get all deep with it,¡± I joke ¡°You were waiting to get me back for that,¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t, the opportunity just presented itself,¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ***** ¡°Do you see anything Amelia?¡± Lyra notices the girl, peering intently into the requiem map ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t think we need to map to show us this,¡± Apollo points out of the window ahead of us, ¡°What¡ª" It was the most spectacular thing I¡¯d ever seen at that point, We had been traveling for days, for what feels like, endlessly, through fields, forests, swamps, all manners of mother nature¡¯s offspring, The longer we traveled for, the more I realized how barren¡­. No that¡¯s not the right word, ¡­¡­How harmonized the people were with nature, It soon became common for me to see lush forests and bushy fields with quaint houses and little villages built perfectly into them, But this, This is totally different. All Falls Down Crash! Crash! Crash! If this is your first time hearin'' this? You are about to experience something so cold, man?¡ª ¡°¡ªTake that off Kage, I need to analyze the sounds properly,¡± Karina, along with the rest of us looks up in wonder¡­ ¡­.Glistening streams of water, as tall as mountains, crash down elegantly, before looping itself back upwards and falling once more The water a natural royal blue color, creates, essentially a wall spanning all the way north and south as far as our eyes can see, with no sign of its source, (Where, no, how?) The streams crash to the ground and then flow back all the way up continuously, there isn¡¯t a cliff in sight or different layers of rock to source this phenomenon, (A self-sustaining waterfall?) ¡°This has to be magic, Right?¡± I ask, expecting to one of the others to explain it, but they¡¯re just as baffled as me, ¡°Does it sound safe to pass through?¡± Apollo nudges Karina ¡°Mmm, I don¡¯t think so, We may have to find a way around, See those currents? If we were to try to enter, it would sweep us all the way to the top, We¡¯d probably drown, before our bodies ever make it down again, And even if you didn¡¯t drown, I don¡¯t think anyone is surviving that drop,¡± ¡°Ok¡­around the waterfall it is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible either,¡± Amelia speaks up, ¡°On the map, it doesn¡¯t look like there is a way around,¡± ¡°There has to be one, you may be exaggerating it,¡± Claude disputes ¡°Even if we were to try and find another way, how long would we have to travel for, then?¡± his sister argues, ¡°Well, we can¡¯t just quit here, we¡¯ve already passed many villages with people who told us Bakufu is east, it can¡¯t be much further now,¡± ¡°I never said we should quit, I just said, going around doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea,¡± ¡°Ok, then what do you propose?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Well first we stop arguing,¡± Karina interjects¡ª ¡ª¡°Lyra what are you doing?¡± Apollo cautions to the girl, who¡¯d existed the carriage, now nearing the curtain of water, ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not going in it, I just noticed something strange, I¡¯m getting a closer look,¡± ¡°Wait we¡¯ll all go then,¡± Apollo beckons to the rest of us to follow, He¡¯s gotten slightly more protective of everyone, including myself, Amelia and Claude, since Well do I even need to say why?... ¡­¡­.. ¡°Ahh, I get it Lyra, Why you saw it strange,¡± Karina muses ¡°We¡¯re so close to it yet we¡¯re not getting the slightest bit wet, even the area around is dry,¡± ¡°You think its magic-created water?¡± ¡°Spot on Kage, But still, magic has its limit so whoever has created this scale of magic must be near, or it could be something else entirely,¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Heyaa!¡± Vweam! ¡°Cut it out Claude! Firing magic at it won¡¯t suddenly give us a path forward!¡± Amelia barks ¡°Well, excuse me for trying something!¡± he snaps back, ¡­¡­ ¡°Is it just me or has these two been acting really, ¡®different¡¯ lately,¡± I lean over to Karina ¡°Remember their magic evolved, which usually is a sign that something mentally changed within them as well,¡± (Hmmmm) ¡°Karina, that just made me randomly think something, About you that is,¡± ¡°Okay~ what?¡± ¡°Your magic evolved twice, I didn¡¯t know you quite well before the second time, but I specially remember you being a lot more laid back and passive aggressive, You¡¯re still all that now, but less, you seem a bit more compassionate than when I first met you,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°That is random, but if its your way of flirting I¡¯ll take it I guess,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It was¡­ Hhhh Lyra said I should voice my thoughts more often than not, so that¡¯s what I did¡± I sigh ¡­¡­.. ¡°Well how will we get better at our new magic of we don¡¯t use it!¡± Claude still arguing with his sister, Lyra has wandered a bit further off, wanting to inspect the area more, Apollo following behind making sure she isn¡¯t alone, ¡°Look Claude,¡± Karina says tiredly, ¡°Using your magic is not what gets you better at it, understanding it, as well yourself is what does,¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense what you just said,¡± Claude retorts, but then receives an intimidating eye from the girl ¡°Sorry,¡± he mumbles respectfully ¡°As I was saying, in Soterra our knowledge of magic is the most advanced, as you know, Though it may sound nonsensical, the fact is, you can¡¯t get better at magic by constant usage, It isn¡¯t a muscle, it¡¯s your art, Look at me for example, before my attribute was soundwaves, it was simply sound, and I was much more adept at that than I am at this, mostly because I spent a lot of time coming to terms with myself, and my new mental state, Now, I am still a beginner, just like you two, when it comes to magic, I still don¡¯t understand the difference between my previous attribute and this one, and until just now, I didn¡¯t understand what really changed within me, mentally,¡± Karina looks at me, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I need to, in a way, reintroduce myself to¡ªmyself?¡± Amelia listens fascinatedly¡­. ¡°Yeah sure, if that¡¯s how you see it.¡± Karina yawns¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Hey bitches!¡± Lyra shouts commanding our attention, ¡°Over here!¡± ¡­¡­. Karina raises her eyebrows and I shrug back at her, (This better be interesting) ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡°You could have shouted something nicer like, ¡®Hey friends¡¯ or ¡®Come over my allies¡¯ Instead of being insulting,¡± Apollo is lecturing Lyra as we approach them¡­... ¡­...¡°That wasn¡¯t even an insult,¡± she rolls her eyes, ¡°Kage, were you insulted by me shouting, ¡®hey bitches¡¯ just now?¡± (Please don¡¯t make me sit through another argument) ¡°Not at all¡± I reply¡ª ¡ª ¡°What is it, did you two find something here?¡± Karina changes the topic, not wanting another argument either ¡°Mhm, Check this out,¡± Apollo points at a strange shape on the ground, ¡­.. ¡°Footprints?¡± ¡°Not multiple footprints, just one set, And it isn¡¯t coming from or going anywhere,¡± ¡°The other prints could have faded away,¡± Claude suggests, ¡°Doubtful, if that was the case this one would be gone too, or at least more faded, these have been here for a while now,¡± ¡°So, you think they came through the water at this spot?¡± Karina guesses ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Lyra steps forward, ¡°Nope,¡± Apollo pulls her back, ¡°No recklessness allowed from now on Lyra, Wait, right here I¡¯ll get something,¡± he runs back to the carriage ¡­¡­ We hear the sounds of items being scattered about before Apollo comes running back with a wooden box, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you emptied out our food stuffs on the carriage floor?¡± Karina starts. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later, Now let¡¯s see what happens when I throw this in!¡±¡ª Splash! Vwloop! The wooden box immediately gets carried up by the powerful vertical currents, ¡°What was the point of that?¡± Lyra probes, ¡°I don¡¯t know actually, I just want to see what will happen,¡± (Are these really people I call frien¡ªallies?) ¡°Ok, here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do,¡± I speak up, ¡°If the box does not come back, we can assume it might be safe to travel, we¡¯ll do a few more tests before going though, However if it comes back, then we will know for sure this is a dead end¡ª¡± ¡ªCrash! Right on que the wooden box shoots out of the waterfall smashing on my head, (Of course, it would) ¡°Well, there is our answer,¡± Karina already heading back to carriage, ¡°We still have the map, I¡¯m sure we can tinker with it more, to maybe find other routes,¡± (At least she¡¯s optimistic) ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s a waste of time¡± (I retract that last statement) ¡­¡­. ¡°Hey, you waterfall move out our way!¡± Claude shouts angrily ¡°What¡¯s his problem?¡± Lyra whistles ¡°I¡¯m beginning to see why they called people who got evolved magic crazy now,¡± ¡°Ahh, Claude is just letting his frustrations out right now,¡± Apollo assures ¡°I have people to avenge and you¡¯re slowing me down!¡± ¡°Claude maybe¡­.¡± Amelia starts but shakes her head, coming back with us, ¡°Waterfall, move right now! I challenge you! ¡ª¡± Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! The moment Claude utters those words the crystally, royal-blue currents begin moving more violently than before, (What did he just do?) ¡°What has Claude done?¡± Karina voices my thoughts, Splash! An armored figure leaps out of a forming swirl in the waterfall, ¡°Challenge accepted.¡± Sound of the Beetles Stomp, Stomp, Stomp! Slowly and intimidatingly the armored figure steps closer Though its face is hidden behind a mask of, well, a face, I can feel its gaze passing over us, We all can. It turns its head facing down over Claude, whom it towers over, The beetle like pincers on its helmet now point towards the boy causing him to involuntarily gulp, ¡°Hey, how did you get through those currents?¡± Claude demands trying to sound unfearful Shlingg! The figure doesn¡¯t respond instead lowering a chained mace from its right sleeve ¡°I think he means to fight,¡± Amelia cautions her brother, Apollo is already rushing to the young man¡¯s side, Swing! The mace comes flying at Claude who manages to dodge backwards, ¡°Fire beam¡± he counters The ray of magic pierces the armor but the figure does not even flinch in pain, nor does it begin to bleed, (Is that even human?) ¡°Heeyah!¡± Apollo slashes is sword at the figure, but it defends using its left arm¡¯s steel arm pad, Swinging the flail with its right¡­ Apollo anticipates, empty fading before slashing again but still with no result, ¡°I¡¯ll try to drop him!¡± Lyra calls, preparing her magic, Karina and I dart forward, she throws some daggers at its head, while I fire arrows, Then something creepy happens, Its head starts spinning a full rotation along its neck, as the pincers deflect the shots, (Definitely not a human) ¡°What is that thing!?¡± Claude cries backing away fearfully, ¡°Move!¡± Lyra shouts, opening her arms wide she steps back We all move out of her path¡­. ¡°Blizzard!¡± GWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! A long gale of freezingly cold snow pushes back against the armored warrior, ¡°Now¡¯s our chance!¡± Apollo orders rushing at it The cold affecting the figures armor makes it difficult to move properly, Which is a good thing for us, ¡°Ha!¡± Apollo back slashes behind its knees, Claude using one of Karina daggers also puts in some blows, Karina herself is turning its back into dart board with the number of daggers she¡¯s throwing into it, Even Amelia joins to assist lyra adding her rain into the blizzard attack, If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. All the while the ¡®thing¡¯, does not make a sound, but struggles to escape the onslaught of attacks, (All the violence they were holding back since Sweepstake, finally they have a chance to release it) ¡°Huaaa!¡± I rush forward at the foe joining the others in the attack ¡­¡­! ¡­....! **** Hack! Swipe! Stab! Slash!! After one powerful cut Apollo finally manages to break through the durable steel plated armor decapitating the head of the¡­¡­ The? Nothing? The helmet falls off, though we half expected not to see a human body, We didn¡¯t expect it to be nothing, Just a hollow space, ¡°We¡¯re we just fighting a moving pile of equipment ?¡± Lyra looks puzzled, (Along with the rest of us) ¡°Maybe¡ª¡± I start but then something starts climbing out of the armor, Some¡ªThings. (Beetles?) A swarm of them beginning to pour out of the neck, ignoring us they patter towards the waterfall, ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Karina concedes raising her hands, ¡°I am officially as clueless as Kage, Even I don¡¯t know what to make of this,¡± ¡°¡­..¡± One by the one the little creatures trod into the water disappearing up the currents, ¡°Should we catch one?¡± Claude suggests, ¡°No, let¡¯s see what¡¯ll happen when they all go back,¡± ¡°And what if another one of those ¡®things¡¯ come out again, Kage?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll handle it again then, I have a feeling that won¡¯t happen though¡± ¡°Based on what?¡± Lyra presses ¡°Based on you shuti¡ªnothing¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, I said nothing¡± ¡­¡­¡­ Vwhrilllll! As all the beetles finally enter, part of the waterfall near us, begins spinning out of sync from the rest, The spin starts slow, But slowly, It gets Faster And faster Till¡­ A large gap, opens up, ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Soooo, who is going first?¡± Claude quips ¡°No one,¡± Karina replies frankly, ¡°The space is big enough for the carriage to pass through we can use that, I don¡¯t feel safe going wherever is behind that, to be potentially exposed to who knows what,¡± ¡°Plus, its better we go with our supplies in case it closes behind us,¡± Apollo adds¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ***** (Nervous, Is that what I¡¯m feeling, Or is it excitement? I can¡¯t tell the difference) A rush of anxiety wafts through my body as the carriage steadily passes through the water, A thick layer of fog obscures any sight of what could possibly be ahead of us, Though no one says it, I can tell they¡¯re just as anxious as me, Apollo still has his sword out near him, Karina twirls her dagger near the window The twins are huddled together, M*o*o*! (What was that?) ¡°Did anyone else hear that?¡± Lyra looks around alarmed, ¡°It sounded like a creature growling murderously¡± I nod ¡°Everyone get ready to defend should we be attacked!¡± Apollo orders, ¡­¡­.. The fog slowly begins to fade away M*o*o*! (What is it? What is the beast that¡¯s challenging us?) ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. The fog finally clears, and the evening sunlight, rays through the window where six onlookers peer out cautiously¡­. Mooooo! ¡­¡­¡­. Mooooo! ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Cows? This has to be a joke,¡± Claude groans ¡°Well at least it wasn¡¯t an enemy?¡± Apollo shamefully pulls back his sword, Stepping out of the carriage we find ourselves on a path in between two fenced fields, Cows graze about happily along with other animals, (A farm?) I notice the outlines of several barn-like buildings across the field, ¡°Look, someone¡¯s coming!¡± Amelia warns, An old man leaps over one of the fences barley making a sound, Though a thin blade is strapped to his side, it does not appear that he going to attack us, ¡°Phweehh!¡± He whistles, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be, It¡¯s been a while since we had new visitors here,¡± ¡°So, this is Bakufu then?¡± Apollo inquires, ¡°Yes sir, from that waterfall behind you all the way to the other waterfall,¡± ¡°Who are you old man?¡± Lyra boldly questions, ¡°Nothing but an old farmer, I saw your group enter, so I came to get a look for myself, Not many people pass the entry test you know,¡± ¡°Test, that¡¯s what that ¡®thing¡¯ was about?¡± ¡°Thing? That¡¯s one of our bug golems, and because you beat it, we¡¯re going to have to replace it with an even stronger one now, I guess I¡¯m responsible for that too,¡± the old man sighs, ¡°If you want to get into the main district keep following that path,¡± ¡°How many districts are there?¡± I ask curiously, ¡°Eh? Three, Two are the waterfall districts, this one is the Kuwagata district, and the other is the Kabuto district, The main district where the folk reside is called Tonbo,¡± ¡°Much appreciated kind sir,¡± Karina smiles graciously ¡°Oh, it was no problem,¡± the old man smiles back slyly, ¡°I do have a tiny request to offer in exchange for me giving you that helpful bit of information,¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°How tiny of a request?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, I just noticed that nice carriage you have, So I have to ask: If by chance you never make it back alive from the main district, Can I, have it?¡± Tonbos Harmony ¡°What was that farmer guy talking about, there¡¯s no danger here,¡± Claude reckons Following the long path of fields out like the old man showed, We finally came to west gates of the Tonbo district, a guard is there dressed similarly to the golem we fought earlier¡­ He simply nods allowing us to pass, much to all of our surprise, which Claude then comments about it not being dangerous¡­. ¡­¡­.. Patter-patter-patter. ¡°Interesting place,¡± Karina comments Walking through the town, it¡¯s almost absolutely quiet, But not in an eerie sort of way, A serene peaceful one, So much so, that a large water fountain, a long way ahead, can be heard from where we are The water droplets patter away calmly¡­. (I thought Soterra was a city that oozed of culture)¡­ The houses and commercial buildings are built traditionally in wood, they have quaint sliding doors and little charms outside them, we can even hear some chattering and laughter through their thin walls as we pass by ¡­¡­¡­... Raimon¡¯s Ramen I read from a sign we pass on a small shop, a few men are sat on benches outside it, They wear similar garbs, (What were those outfits called again?) ¡­¡­. They all wear similar kimonos; wooden footwear and their heads are shaven in the quirky ¡®chonmage¡¯ hairstyle¡­. The conversation fizzles out as our group comes walking by, three men eye us curiously ¡°Oi,¡± One nods to us, Apollo nods back respectfully, ¡°Nice sword you have there, Haven¡¯t seen one like it before,¡± another man compliments visually inspecting the massive blade, ¡°Thanks, I er got from a friend,¡± he replies awkwardly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lyra steps forward boisterously Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. (As usual) ¡°You can obviously tell were not from this city, So why aren¡¯t you alarmed or put off by it?¡± ¡°Haha, your boldness will take you far,¡± the owner, I presume, laughs over the counter, ¡°You see there is only one way to enter Bakufu, the fact that you all are here and not dead right now, proves your strength, which is what we value here above all,¡± ¡°Yes,¡± another man agrees, ¡°Any visitors we see here is no doubt strong by our standards, or they would not be here,¡± ¡°Plus, you carry with you a requiem sword,¡± the assumed owner points ¡°Huh? You know what this is?¡± Apollo asks surprised, ¡°Like my friend over there said, You have a nice sword, I am mister Raimon by the way, and the ramen is free if you¡¯d like?¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Apollo¡¯s eyes gleam turning to us pleadingly, ¡°Then we will have some,¡± Karina replies much to Apollo¡¯s joy¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Slewp, Slewp, Chap! Apollo slurps his noodles eagerly, lips smacking together loudly as the food enters his mouth, causing the liquids to fly about¡ª Splap! The drops ¡®wetten¡¯ my cheek, -_- (Can he have a little more decorum when eating? I hate making mess.)¡­. The food is delicious though, I don¡¯t blame him, Dipping my chopsticks into my meat-less bowl, I take out piece of mushroom preparing to eat it, however as it nears my face, I accidentally twist my fingers awkwardly it almost falls out, but I hurriedly clasp it tightly making some juices to fly off it¡­ Now landing firmly on Lyra¡¯s cheek, ¡°Gosh, Kage, can you eat with some manners!? I know you like the food, but you don¡¯t have to show us by the way you¡¯re eating,¡± ¡°I n¡ª" I begin to pretest but stop myself, (Maybe that was deserved) ¡­.. ¡°So, tell me, what brings your group here?¡± Mister Raimon asks, looking over the counter, ¡°Are you here to test your strength by fighting the best, or is it to challenge for a requiem, maybe the Silver mountains you are going to?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± No one answers, not about to talk our business with a stranger, ¡­¡­. ¡°We can¡¯t say exactly why,¡± Amelia speaks up noticing the man¡¯s unhappy expression, ¡°But if it¡¯s possible I¡¯d like to know if there is a leader of sort here, we can have a word with?¡± ¡°Ehh? The chief? If you don¡¯t have something of the utmost importance to tell her, no one is permitted near the chief unless you are able to fight through and kill all of her guards and generals¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take our chances¡± Karina smiles insincerely ¡°I want to get stronger here anyways,¡± Claude says earnestly, ¡°Chhh!¡± A man who had been listening to us scoffs, ¡°Listen boy, just because you were strong enough to make it in here does not mean you have what it takes to survive our training,¡± ¡°Says who?¡± Claude replies indignantly ¡°The high rates of dissertation here, The high suicide rate as well, Some don¡¯t last a full six hours, My advice, enjoy the food and the whatever else you can, that is all.¡± the man drawls ¡°I don¡¯t care, I have to get stronger no matter what, I need to,¡± Claude¡¯s eyes burn with the fires of determination, (Or maybe it¡¯s revenge) ¡°To-ho-ho! Maybe you can make it after all boy,¡± ¡­ ¡°Pardon me mister Raimon,¡± Apollo looks at the store owner, ¡°Could please tell us where the nearest inn is, so we can rest up,¡± ¡°Inn? There isn¡¯t any, We don¡¯t allow travelers into our homes at night,¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s a joke, right?¡± ¡°No, I just said we don¡¯t offer ¡®indoor hospitality¡¯ to travelers,¡± ¡°Bu¡ªwhy? Where will we sleep?¡± ¡°In the streets of course,¡± ¡°Now I know you¡¯re joking,¡± ¡­¡­ The store owner, Raimon¡¯s facial expression remains frank ¡°No, I am not fibbing you, Tonight, or any other night you choose to stay here, You will not be allowed to sleep anywhere that is not the streets,¡± Nights ¡°Well, this sucks, I would have liked to not spend another night in this carriage,¡± Lyra groans ¡°I guess that¡¯s how they do things here, travelers remain outside at night for some reason,¡± Karina sighs, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a test?¡± I suggest ¡°It could be one to test our resilience or patience!¡± Claude¡¯s eyebrows perk up excitedly, ¡°Or they simply don¡¯t trust strangers, This is a warrior focused nation after all,¡± Apollo shuts him down, ¡°Either way we are here to get help remember, Those guys at the ramen shop were at least kind enough to tell us where the Chief¡¯s ¡®grand tent¡¯ is, we only have this night to get through,¡± ¡°I hope what they said about no one being allowed to get close isn¡¯t true,¡± Amelia speaks up worriedly, ¡°We¡¯ll get an audience don¡¯t worry,¡± Karina assures¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. The night commences like normal for the residents of the Tonbo district, after a long day of regular training and chores, Bakufu people like to enjoy a nice cup of tea before bed, Some prefer a late-night spar or a hot bowl of ramen, but none the less, the night goes on like usual, Word had gotten around that new visitors had arrived which always excites the folk, ¡°New opponents to fight!¡± ¡°I wonder how strong they are?¡± ¡°They better not be like that cowardly duo¡± ¡°I hope they leave as soon as possible¡± ¡°I wonder what they are like?¡± All these, were thoughts of the Bakufu people that night, ¡°Maybe I should see for myself¡±¡­... ¡­¡­¡­ **** ¡°Raarw raarw!¡± Apollo snores loudly Lyra kicks at him to stop but he doses not stir (Annoying) Nights in Tonbo are covered in darkness, no one has their lights on ,nor are there streetlights, The only blankets we have is the one of darkness that envelops around us. Tap! ¡­..? (Hmmm?) For a split second I hear but a single step, I look around the carriage illuminated by a light crystal, The twins and Apollo are asleep, Lyra is still fidgeting around restlessly, Karina looks across at me hearing the same sound as I (Maybe it was Lyra) Tap-tap! ¡­ It sounds closer this time, but I can¡¯t see anything near us, Karina seems to know where it is coming from... She gestures for Lyra and me to stay down, Lyra does not notice however, still moving about restlessly, ¡°Shhh!¡± rolling behind her I place my hand over her mouth This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Oomf! She punches me in my stomach Tap-tap-tap! This time she hears the sound and understands, Karina rolls over near the door steadily waiting Tap! Tap! ¡­¡­ The soft footsteps stop right in front of the door Knock-knock-knock! (They¡¯re knocking) ¡­ Karina motions for us to remain still, The person behind the door presumably now listens in, Thankfully Apollo¡¯s loud snoring covers for us, After waiting for a bit, the door begins to turn open slowly, and a covered head pokes itself into the¡ª Whup! Karina axes her leg down on the head, but they reflexively pull back accidentally dropping a small hand fan darting away, ¡°After them!¡± Karina shouts, picking up the item, waking everyone else up Lyra, Karina and I rush out at it, ¡°Claude, light?¡± Amelia wakes up still groggy Her brother nods somewhat confused, he produces a bright ray of light that illuminates the area, A sleek semi-armored figure stands across from Karina, not trying to run away however, it draws a needle-thin sword assuming a fighting stance ¡°You want to fight!?¡± Lyra pounces at them, The person gracefully leaps into the air floating over the girl ¡°Hiyah!¡± Lyra tries to swing a kick Stab! They counter piercing the thin sword into Lyra¡¯s ankle ¡°Aghhh!¡± she falls backwards ¡­¡­ Swipe! ¡°This yours?¡± Karina swings the hand fan at the figure, it opens up revealing its bladed edges which the shadowy figure effortlessly dodges, Swing! Swing! Karina keeps trying, to no avail, land a hit on the target, Their agility rivals that of her own ¡°Ok well how about this¡­ Sonic wave!¡± Beom! A gale-like, high pitch cracking-esc sound goes off as Karina waves the fan, The sound blasts the figure knocking them down, ¡­¡­¡­. They stumble up, the high-pitched frequency disrupting their perception of direction, ¡°Apollo get your lazy ass over here!¡± Karina orders, ¡­¡­ ¡°On it! Ha!¡± Apollo complies running up and smashing his great sword down on the foe, Poof! The person disappears leaving behind a cloud of smoke, which starts building itself into a small cloud over Apollo¡¯s head ¡°Did they run?¡± he looks around Poof! The smoke vanishes and in its place the person once again appears, falling sword-first into Apollo¡¯s shoulder, Stab! The blade pierces his trapezius ¡°Aoww!¡± he drops his sword, as the figure wraps its arms around his neck in a rear naked choke, their sword pointing to his windpipe, ¡°Apollo!¡± Lyra cries, ¡°Kage, shoot them!¡± ¡­¡­ Raising my bow at the foe I¡ª (We¡¯re no match for this person, By the time I let off my shot they¡¯d already have stabbed Apollo, There is only one thing to do right now) ¡°We concede!¡± I raise my hands, ¡°We admit defeat,¡± ¡°Kage what the hell?¡± Claude had now began preparing a magic attack, ¡°Ughh!¡± The foe releases Apollo, he stumbles away light headedly ¡°Wise choice,¡± a muffled feminine voice comes from underneath their mask, Poof! They disappear into one last cloud of smoke. ¡­¡­ ¡°What was that about,¡± Apollo mumbles, ¡°Someone just attacked us, I don¡¯t think they were trying to kill us though,¡± I explain ¡°Why did you surrender like that Kage?¡± Claude presses, ¡°We could have won,¡± ¡°Like I just said, they weren¡¯t trying to kill us, and we couldn¡¯t win Admitting defeat was the best way out of it,¡± ¡°Chh¡± Claude snorts, (Attitude) ¡°We can¡¯t even have one night in peace anymore,¡± Apollo groans, ¡°One night!¡±¡­¡­ ¡­¡­.. ***** ¡°We¡¯re not taking no for answer, I mean it,¡± Claude affirms We stand in front a pyramid-like structure, Actually no, It is built more like a giant tent, an elegant one at that, The ¡®Grand tent¡¯ is what they call it here, where the chief stays¡­ Blowing along its edges are several flags, On their white canvas¡¯ is the head of a dragon with a red ¡®X¡¯ marked across it, ¡°They must either really like dragons or really hate them,¡± Karina whistles, ¡­¡­ ¡°State your intentions,¡± a guard demands gruffly as our group approaches the entrance, ¡°We wish to see¡ª¡± Apollo starts ¡°¡ªNo,¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait, Its important, you see I am, err, actually the king of Soterra,¡± ¡°Never heard of it¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Giichi sent us,¡± I speak up ¡­¡­ Judging from the man¡¯s expression he knows who I am talking about, ¡°Ok, if Giichi sir has message, you can pass it on through me,¡± ¡°Giichi is dead, and¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªOk, you are permitted to enter, I am not to hear of the details regarding his death before the chief does,¡± The guard moves out of the way, along with the other guards who were with him, allowing us to enter, ¡­¡­ ¡°Hmm, easier than I thought¡± Claude comments, Stepping into the grand tent immediately puts us into a large spacious room littered with weapons lining the walls of the open space, (Feels like an armory more than a place someone would live) ¡°Where are the rooms?¡± Lyra looks around puzzled Our footsteps along the soft wooden floor echo within the arena-like room ¡°Is this tra¡ª¡± Poof! Apollo is interrupted by a sudden appearance of smoke, ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°So, you came back for round two?¡± A figure appears this time not in armor, She carries the needle like sword with her, her neck-high black hair is held back by headband as she smiles eagerly at us, her pale grey eyes challenging us to fight, (Is this who attacked us last night?) ¡°Who are you, and why do you keep jumping us,¡± Karina presses putting up her guard, ¡°Ah, I see you still have my fan, and it is you who has shown up to my house, I presume you want a rematch?¡± ¡°Your house? Are you the chief then?¡± ¡°Who else would I be?¡± Sound of Gradual…... Sound of ?...... Sound? ¡°Are you really the chief? You don¡¯t look much older than myself,¡± Apollo confronts the apparent chief ¡°Ok, and you don¡¯t look like you can fight, despite boasting that sword,¡± she retorts, ¡°Are we going to fight or not?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± I step forward, ¡°I don¡¯t like how that one is watching me,¡± the chief gives Lyra a challenging glance, which gets returned, ¡°Why did you attack us last night?¡± Karina presses, ¡°I didn¡¯t attack you, We have more honor in battles here, than that, I was testing your reaction, people fight the hardest when they are unexpectedly cornered, Even though you beat the golem to get here, I still wanted to personally see your strength, And I must say I was disappointed,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Easy to say after jumping sleepy people¡± Lyra growls ¡°Then, let¡¯s go, round two?¡± ¡°No round two¡¯s¡± Apollo tries to mediate the growing tension, ¡°We are here on serious business, on behalf of Giichi sir,¡± ¡°Giichi sir? What does he¡ª" ¡°¡ªHe¡¯s dead,¡± I cut her off blankly, ¡°¡­¡­ How?¡± the chief calms down, ¡°Are you familiar with the dragon king¡¯s requiem?¡± The chief accidentally lets out an audible gasp, ¡°Ok, this is serious, Follow, me, we have to discuss this with my gra¡ªadvisor,¡± ¡­¡­ I look around intrigued half expecting a room to appear out of thin air similarly to how she did, Tap-tap-tap. tap tap-tap tap. tap. tap. tap {--- .--. . -.} She knocks the tip of her sword on the wooden floor making a series of sounds Dhdhdhdhd! The wooden floor shakes, moving, revealing a flight of stairs downward, (That explains why the inside of this ¡®grand tent¡¯ was just one big room) ¡°Stop staring and hurry down, My patience is not infinite,¡± the chief directs, ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Ma¡¯am!¡± A row of guards straighten themselves as we pass by, They line the hallways of this underground... (Hmm, what should I call it?) They line the halls within this underground ¡®grand fortress¡¯ There isn¡¯t much to say about it really, Walking swiftly through the winding hallways, it is built extremely minimalistic most likely due to this being a place of defense in mind, The halls pointlessly twist and turn where they shouldn¡¯t and the walls are bare aside from the crystal lights and guards at every turn, ¡°Do you have to walk through here everyday to leave?¡± Claude asks tiredly, ¡°Yes, that is why I don¡¯t accept meetings, if I had to see to people every day, I would just die, I don¡¯t know why those old guys thought making something like this was a good idea, but I digress, I am the chief so I must¡­.¡± The chief stops herself realizing she had begun to complain¡­ Stolen novel; please report. ¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Ah here we are,¡± We approach two large, quite grandiose wooden doors which the chief slides open, It must have been sound proofed inside because previously when we stood outside it was quiet, but now as the doors slide open , we engulfed by a barrage of¡ª ¡°I told you stop using my Sai as utensils Bane!¡± ¡°That was payback for you cleaning with my gauntlets Natsu!¡± ¡°Eh-hem!¡± the chief loudly makes our arrival know, The room is layered by a smooth wooden floor, in which a couple bell like charms tinkle overhead, a moving painting on the wall portrays a scenic view, (Must be magic)¡­ We enter to two arguing boys, They quickly hush upon noticing the chief, another girl is in the bare but elegant room practicing throwing little knives¡­. ¡°Aki¡ªI mean chief, who are these people? You don¡¯t normally bring strangers here?¡± the young man named Bane peers at us inquisitively ¡°That does not yet concern you, where is Grandad Shiki?¡± ¡°Where he normally is,¡± Bane grumbles upset that he wasn¡¯t given answer, ¡°Come this way,¡± the chief, Aki, looks back at us Brushing past the girl throwing the knives she goes through a door at the side of the room, The ¡®knife girl¡¯ ignores our presence continuing about her practice¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°This is my advisor and also my grandfather Shiki sir, you will refer to him,¡± Chief Aki introduces a well-built old man, his head still full of long grey hair, he smiles at us cordially, his old brown eyes look like they¡¯d prefer going back to sleep (Reminds me of Giichi) ¡°Greeting Shiki sir, I am Apollo, technical king of Soterra, I don¡¯t know if you have heard of there,¡± ¡°Technical king? I am not sure what that entails¡± ¡°Neither do I sir,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°They told me Giichi got killed, grandad,¡± Aki divulges, ¡°Snhh!¡± he snorts, ¡°That old fool was still alive? I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t kick the bucket sooner!¡± ¡°I am afraid that¡¯s not the case sir¡± Karina puts in, ¡°He was, consumed¡­. By a dragon, or at least a transforming one,¡± ¡°What are they talking about?¡± he turns to Aki ¡°You remember how you said Giichi had the dragon king¡¯s requiem grandad? I wasn¡¯t alive when dragons still roamed, But you were, you have experience with this That is why I brought these people to you, This is serious¡± ¡°¡­¡­ You are right, this is serious,¡± the old man says solemnly, ¡°But it is also your job to deal with Aki, You are the chief now not me, I can only give you advice,¡± ¡°Yes, I know that I never asked for your help,¡± ¡°Oww!¡± Aki kicks the old man¡¯s shin, ¡°Now tell me if the dragon that is currently growing in¡­...¡± She looks at us for assistance ¡°Furlheim city,¡± Amelia answers, ¡°Now tell me if the dragon currently growing in Furlheim city poses any threat to us?¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°The dragon king¡¯s requiem is one that has a will of it¡¯s own, who ever was dumb enough to sit on it is slowly giving up their will, soon the king himself will revive and continue on his intended path of consumption, So yes to answer your question it is a threat,¡± ¡°Shiki sir, could you tell us just what exactly the dragon king is?¡± I question, ¡­¡­. ¡°The dragon king is just what we refer to it as, the beastmen don¡¯t have kings or rulers, they usually follow the strongest, which used to be the dragons, You see, a few decades ago, there was some insane old guy, I forgot his name but he called himself god, he went to the beastmen and made a deal with them to help destroy the Asad kingdom, who knows what for, but he also went around to powerful cities and nations and asked them to help kill all the dragons, We didn¡¯t know back then, but he used the beasts for his purposes then got others to clean it up for him, No one knows what happened to that man, I assumed he died from betraying the beats¡± (You have no idea) ¡°But this isn¡¯t about him, you see the battle to destroy the dragons was a long hard one, we were making progress taking down the other beastmen even gaining strong requiems from them, But the dragons, We might have lost if not for our Buddha¡¯s requiems and the assistance we received from divine beings, soon the tide started to turn and the dragons began to fall one by one,¡± ¡­¡­. The old man pauses taking a deep breath, ¡°It, started off as a small dragon, but from the corpses of its fallen species, it would get stronger, eating and consuming getting stronger and stronger, till it even began to kill its own kind cannibalize the other dragons, We called it the dragon king because it became something else, something superior to the regular dragons who were powerful in their own right, Because dragons¡¯ will are so strong, its personality merged with each dragon consumed, becoming a hive of minds, Speaking to it would only resort in a pointless back and forth, It only followed it instinct, Eat, eat, eat, Consume, consume, It took nations of people to finally fell it, but even in death it would not die, leaving back a throne with power to tempt even the purest, to sit¡­ The story after that is a lot less interesting, it involves boring politics and struggles to own the throne, Long story short Giichi, the strongest warrior at the time, was entrusted with it,¡± ¡­¡­.. The room remains quiet after old man Shiki finishes sharing, we process the information¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Two months then,¡± Chief Aki breaks the silence, ¡°Two months that is how long we are going to take to prepare ourselves That is all I need to kill it, I am confident.¡± ¡°Does that mean you will help us?¡± Claude asks eagerly, ¡°Well, it is originally our requiem, and I suppose the Bakufu people will be happy to learn they will get a chance to ¡®stretch¡¯ their blades¡¯ muscles¡± (This doesn¡¯t concern us Kage) ¡°Ok,¡± I nod (Keep going forward) ¡°What can we do to help?¡± ?_? Sound of Gradual Clarity ¡°What do you mean you want us to go back to Soterra, Amelia? We can get stronger here,¡± ¡°Yes, but we can learn more about our new magic there¡ª" ¡°¡ªWell, I said no.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with those two?¡± chief Aki ask, though she doesn¡¯t seem to care at all, ¡°Twin squabbles I guess,¡± Apollo shrugs, ¡°King Apollo, I forgot to ask, Are you really a ¡®king¡¯ of this Soterra like you claim, If so, why hasn¡¯t your kingdom made preparations against the dragon yet?¡± ¡°¡­. We¡­ I didn¡¯t want to get the Queen involved, also Soterra just recently went through some ¡®major¡¯ events, most of our strongest fighters are either dead or badly injured, some are permanently unconscious,¡± ¡°Why? Was there a war?¡± ¡°¡­... It was a war to me, To us.¡± ¡°Ok, well tell me,¡± chief Aki sits herself on a cushion on the floor, ¡°If we are to be working together even briefly, I still need to have some kind of trust in you, What¡¯s more, I may even allow you to stay inside during the night,¡± ¡°About that¡ª¡± I start ¡°¡ªNo questions till mine gets answered please, Who are you people and what happened at Soterra?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lyra looks at Apollo who looks at me, I pass the look on to Karina, ¡°¡­¡­ I guess I¡¯ll tell¡± she sighs, ¡°Remember how Shiki sir said that the man who made the alliance with the dragons disappeared? Well he came to Soterra, bided his time integrating himself as a part of our society, using some kind of mind control ability he acquired Slowly the city became his and the people, extensions of himself, Murdoc, his name, then started plotting his expansion, The ones with the most potential he ordered, or more so manipulated, their family, close friends, anything of that sort, to murder each other in front the targets face, Thence traumatizing them but also making their¡­ Making our magic stronger.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°What happened next?¡± Chief Aki fully invested in the story, Karina gives her look of disgust, ¡°This is not just some story you know!¡± Lyra spats, ¡°No need to get all aggravated by my intrigue, I sympathize with you all, I really do, But you can¡¯t just stop there,¡± Aki replies insincerely ¡­¡­. Karina remains quiet looking the chief directly in the eyes with an adamant look of refusal, ¡°I¡¯ll continue,¡± Apollo says hurriedly trying to diffuse any potential animosity brewing, ¡°Murdoc¡¯s plan was to traumatize us then plant one of his devoted followers, whom he knew we would trust, to look over us for ten years, The former queen, my umm, aunt, was the one he entrusted with that task, she hated my guts, so I never really got manipulated by her, She pushed Karina¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªThat¡¯s not a part of the story idiot,¡± Karina cuts him off, ¡°Hhhh,¡± she sighs ¡°The queen helped us understand our new evolved magic, while she pretended to care about us, the only truth she ever spoke was her honest belief that her son the prince would return one day to ¡®save us¡¯,¡± Karina motions to me ¡°Kage isn¡¯t from Soterra like us, he showed up like any other traveler that happened to wander into the city, Only this time was different, he didn¡¯t get ¡®dedicated¡¯ like all the others, More so than that he happened to know the prince from his, past ¡®experiences¡¯ Maybe it was fate that he met Lyra when he did and ¡®joined up¡¯ with us.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Where are you from Kage?¡± the chief turns to me (The million-dollar question) ¡°I have amnesia,¡± I lie (What even is a dollar?) ¡°Hmm ok, how did you help defeat this Murdoc character?¡± ¡°It was really because of Pinoki¡­.¡± ¡°Who is Pinoki?¡± ¡°He was one of us,¡± Lyra explains lamentingly ¡°He didn¡¯t escape Furlheim with us¡­¡± ¡°Well, he sounds like a valiant warrior I would have liked to meet him,¡± the chief sounds sincere this time, ¡°Well anyway, it finally became time for Murdoc to ¡®acquire¡¯ us¡± Karina continues ¡°After a long series of fights kidnaps and more fights, it was the seven of us, excluding the twins, and including Pinoki, the current queen of Soterra and the creator of the requiem sword Apollo has, it was his last¡­. So, continuing on, Murdoc bashed us around for a while until Kage, in an act of desperation, managed to use his bow¡¯s strange ability to absorb magic to release the magic of a diamond powering the entire city, It effectively leveled Soterra like an earthquake it went on for an entire night, we survived because of Queen Zinnia¡¯s magic, A lot of people died that night including all Murdoc¡¯s ¡®spare bodies¡¯ The morning after we found Murdoc¡¯s main body and finished him off¡­. ¡­¡­. Are you happy now?¡± Karina finishes, ¡°You may have skated over some things in that story, but I understand,¡± the chief approves ¡°By the way where is this bow of Kage¡¯s now?¡± ¡°Around somewhere,¡± I reply vaguely ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I shall allow you stay inside my home as long as you are in the city,¡± Chief Aki declares ¡°Now its your turn to tell us why we weren¡¯t allowed in the first place,¡± I softly demand, ¡°I don¡¯t really know, I was still young back then you may have to ask my advisor,¡± she briskly walks away, (I feel scammed) ¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Now that we¡¯ve got the help of the Bakufu people, should we go back to Soterra and begin preparations there?¡± Karina proposes, ¡°I¡¯m sure there are more places we can go to for now,¡± Apollo replies reluctantly, ¡°We still have this map; it would be a shame¡ª ¡ªWhere is the map?¡± Apollo checks himself, ¡°Did you take it from me Kage?¡± ¡°No, maybe Amelia has it, I¡¯ll ask her when she gets here, her and Claude have been going around asking to be trained, Though I think it¡¯s more Claude than her,¡± ¡­¡­. As I say his name Claude comes huffing into the quarters ¡°She really left,¡± he says frustratedly ¡°Amelia? what do you mean left?¡± Lyra questions, ¡°I ¡®told¡¯ her we we¡¯re staying here to train, but she wanted to go back to Soterra,¡± ¡°She went alone?¡± Lyra shows a bit of worry, getting up ¡°I sent some of our people to see this ¡®Soterra¡¯, she went with them,¡± a voice from behind speaks, making us all jump ¡°Shiki sir? How long have you been in here?¡± Apollo had reflexively risen his sword, ¡°Long enough to be disgusted in how you handle requiems,¡± he motions the weapon ¡°I saw that girl who left had Takeroumu¡¯s requiem, I took it from her, she wasn¡¯t even utilizing it to it¡¯s full potential, same with how you use that sword,¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m not the best at sword fighting, but this sword is heavy,¡± Apollo replies dejectedly ¡°I¡¯m not talking about how you swing it,¡± Shiki sir sighs, ¡°You don¡¯t just use requiems, you feel them,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Look, here,¡± the old man reveals the map he took back, We gather around the old man watching the map¡¯s display that portrays an overhead view of our current location¡­ The view then begins to zoom outward, expanding the area we can see, ¡°How did you do that? I didn¡¯t see you move or use any magic?¡± Apollo asks, his voice leaks of intrigue, ¡°Keep watching,¡± the old man directs, As the image continues to zoom outward the small dots that highlight individual people begin to disappear, traded for a more terrain-esc view, the image portrays a large landmass stretching from each corner of the map, Though not in color we can still see the vast amount of greenery that covers the ring, A majority of it is all nature as a matter of fact, The bottom half of the map has more rocky flatlands than the rest, What intrigues me the most is the fact that there is indeed no ocean , though smaller pockets of water can be identified there is no sea, one could essentially traverse the entire ring on foot, The upper area is all gray, most likely the mountains range that stretches across the entire earth, (Something does not feel right about this) ¡°Do you understand now?¡± the old man closes the map, Apollo makes an indiscernible sound, ¡°I am keeping this by the way,¡± Shiki sir says, ¡°This is our property after all,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± (Was that really the entire ring?) ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Well, I have to go run through the halls a hundred times now,¡± Claude turns to leave the room, ¡°Why?¡± Lyra asks him ¡°I asked that guy we saw arguing, Bane was his name, I asked him to train me, he said he would if I could run though the winding halls a hundred times,¡± ¡­¡­ (We just got here, why is he already this involved?) ¡°That boy is getting consumed by revenge,¡± Shiki sir shakes his head, (That reminds me) ¡°Umm Shiki sir, the chief wouldn¡¯t tell us earlier, But why is it that strangers aren¡¯t given inhouse-hospitality?¡± ¡°Hmm, If I can remember correctly¡­¡­¡­ A couple years ago, two travelers visited Tonbo, they stayed for the night in the former inn, But during the night they murdered the owner in his sleep, stole his requiems and escaped to the Silver mountains, After that the people have never allowed outsiders into their homes,¡± ¡°I assume you never caught the two?¡± ¡°Well since they ran up to the mountains and never came back We assumed they died,¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± ¡°One had magic that allowed for him to teleport so even though they might be dead there are still people who look out for them,¡± Shiki continues ¡°Do you know who they were?¡± I inquire getting more and more interested, ¡°I do not, but I can tell you how they looked, If my memory serves me right: One was of shorter height medium build, light brown skin with straight matted black hair and brown beady eyes, he was the one with the teleport magic, The other: He had pale blue hair similar to your friend,¡± Shiki points at Lyra ¡°His eyes were cold and blue as well, he wielded both ice magic and evolved fire magic.¡± Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) ¡°It¡¯s him, I know it is, It has to be, I can feel it in my bones, Why does he have to follow me wherever I go, Haunt me, I can¡¯t escape his actions no matter where I go!¡± ¡°Get some sleep Lyra, no use stressing yourself on a description We can¡¯t be completely sure it is him,¡± Apollo tries to comfort her ¡°Hmn!¡± Lyra snorts rolling into her futon, It feels much better to be a bed for once after spending days travelling, sleeping in the carriage, ¡°Huwahh!¡± I let out a huge yawn (This has been one long day) ¡°You know you have me Lyra, That person isn¡¯t your family anymore, ¡± Karina states frankly ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Lyra does not reply, ¡°You need to stop upsetting yourself over past relations, I am your family now, we, except Kage, are,¡± ¡°Nice of you to specifically exclude me,¡± I grouse, ¡°Well, you are still a newcomer lest we forget, Kage, You may have had some ¡®crazy experiences¡¯ with us, but you don¡¯t share our history,¡± ¡°Can we all just sleep!¡± Claude barks, ¡°Is someone missing their sister?~¡± Lyra taunts, ¡°She left of her volition, All I said was that we are staying here whether she likes or not,¡± Claude retorts ¡°Orr, so you tried to play the boss,¡± Apollo coos, ¡°That was never going to work, you¡¯re twins You can¡¯t just try to order her around of course she would deny it,¡± ¡°¡­¡­. Cawwwwww!¡± Claude fake snores ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°You all can go exploring or whatever to prepare for our attack on Ginobelucci, I am staying here to get as strong as possible, I want the final blow,¡± Claude mumbles off before actually falling asleep ¡­¡­¡­. The room goes quiet as we lay tiredly letting the night draw us into our subconscious conscious, Slowly drifting away to sleep one by one¡ª ¡­¡­.. ¡ª ¡°What are doing?¡± I groggily wake up to Karina slipping into my futon in the dead of night. ¡°Trying to sleep,¡± she replies, ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can we talk?¡± (No, let me sleep) ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± ¡°Have you figured out what your goal is yet Kage?¡± ¡­¡­ (That¡¯s random) ¡°Umm, right now, we have to prepare to fight a dragon, I haven¡¯t found the time to think about myself¡­¡± I yawn ¡°That¡¯s why you should, Kage, Escaping Ginobelucci really made realize, Well not realize, it made me reprise my old feelings, from Soterra, That feeling of just waiting to die¡ª¡± ¡°No one said we had personally fight Ginobelucci Karina,¡± I assure ¡°Are you planning to run away then, Kage?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just following my flow,¡± ¡°Your flow?¡± ¡°¡­. Something I feel like is guiding me in a certain direction, This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.I can¡¯t explain it but¡­. I don¡¯t know, I just have to follow it for the answers I want¡­¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡°Is that all you care about?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡­.. We both stay quiet for a few minutes¡­ ¡­... ¡°You know I hate silence,¡± Karina finally speaks, ¡°I always like to voice my thoughts and emotions the moment I feel them Be as frank as possible,¡± (How do I reply to this?) ¡°Mhhhm¡± I mutter, Squeeze! ¡°Aww!¡± Karina pinches my leg tightly ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± ¡°Yes, how could I not, you¡¯re so close,¡± ¡°Am I? Because so far, I feel like I¡¯ve only scratched the surface with you Kage¡± ¡°¡­... That¡¯s not what I meant by close, but ok¡± ¡°What goes inside your mind that you are able to keep a straight face no matter the situation? You know I¡¯ve never seen you genuinely smile¡± ¡°Well¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m finished talking, goodnight, Kage.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± (Sweet dreams... I guess?) ¡­¡­.. (Stop thinking about it Kage, just keep going Going where!? Why are you always in my dreams telling me to go somewhere vague? We are not in our dreams, we are we speaking with us, Well, if you are me tell me where I came from, who am I? We are us, and we came from that which we are going to return... What!? ¡­¡­) **** And my head keep spinning? I can¡¯t stop having these visions? I gotta get with it? ¡­¡­ **** ¡°I know the halls are tedious to walk through but you don¡¯t have to be all depressed about it,¡± Chief Aki looks back at me disapprovingly, ¡°Huh? no, I was thinking about something,¡± ¡°All morning?¡± Lyra adds interrogatingly ¡°I had a ¡®strange¡¯ dream, I can¡¯t stop thinking about it¡± ¡°Must have been a nightmare,¡± Lyra taunts, ¡°If you got spooked by yourself, just say so Kage,¡± ¡°It was a lovely dream, I¡¯ll have you know,¡± I retort sarcastically, ¡°Oh, the sweetest of dreams I¡¯m sure~¡± Lyra crows ¡°You lot are annoying,¡± the chief groans, ¡°Is this how all you Soterran people act?¡± ¡°They¡¯re actually much more polite people than us,¡± Apollo interjects ¡°I would think different, since you are supposedly their king, yet you don¡¯t seem to want to be there,¡± chief Aki says sounding somewhat disgusted ¡°I am only king in name, that title holds no power,¡± ¡°Ok, well let me give you some knowledge on our previous chief, He was my father, and he was lazy, got complacent because he didn¡¯t think being the chief meant you had to actually be the strongest, You know what happened to him? He died in a sparring match. Pathetic, After that grandad had me and my halfsiblings, those other three, I¡¯m sure you saw around. We were raised to be the best from the moment we could crawl And I, the strongest of the four, took the title of new chief,¡± ¡°What exactly am I supposed to take from this?¡± Apollo tries to be indignant ¡°I am saying its all fun games when you were given a title for free, unlike others who have worked for it and¡­. ¡­.Here are the stairs, you may leave now,¡± she cuts herself off now that we¡¯ve reached the exit, ¡­¡­ **** ¡°Alright, now that, that business is sorted, where shall we go now for these two months?¡± Apollo tries to sound cheerful but it¡¯s clear he¡¯s still bothered from the Chief¡¯s words, ¡°Apollo, tell me, Do you still have that same goal from before?¡± Karina confronts him ¡°What¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªYes or no,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore¡± (What goal? What are they talking about?) ¡°Stop pretending Apollo, if you want to do achieve that goal stop letting yourself be held back by others opinions, Be selfish for once,¡± ¡­¡­.. The weird exchange between the two ends leaving us four standing awkwardly in front of the ¡®grand tent¡¯ ¡­.. ¡°Is Claude really staying behind,¡± I try breaking the tension ¡°Mhm,¡± Apollo nods, (Didn¡¯t work) ¡°I was thinking we could go to the ¡®Silver¡¯ mountains,¡± Lyra brings up ¡°I remember Saito told me the only way to get to the path up them was from his homeland, So this may our best opportunity to visit,¡± I agree ¡°Another adventure it is,¡± Apollo decides ¡°Pinoki would be excited by this,¡±¡­¡­¡­. ¡­.. After stocking up with more supplies, we headed for the large grey mountains that had been ¡®watching¡¯ us ever since leaving Soterra, no guide was needed to show us to the tall alps¡­. Transitioning out of the Tonbo district, the scenery now, is less field-like and quaint, opposed to the other area¡¯s we came through before, the terrain becomes hard and rocky, Less greenery can be seen overall, despite the fact that we passed a few small rivers no shrubs grow around them¡­ The day passed then night and day again, we didn¡¯t except it to take this long, but the tall mountains gave the illusion of them being closer than actuality¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°Hhhhh We should have brought the carriage,¡± Apollo huffs, ¡°No good it would have done, it¡¯s all rocky here¡± I reply ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°At least there are some people here,¡± Lyra points, As we near a narrow trail leading up to the base of the mountains the outline of a small settlement become visible Well not settlement, rather a couple of ¡®tents¡¯ ¡­¡­¡­.. This is rest stop for people going up the mountain, no one lives here A sign is plastered in front of the tents ¡°Lucky us¡± Lyra says sarcastically now that we see the place is very abandoned, The inside of the tent is dusty and filled with junk¡ª (Wait... Junk?) The inside of the ten is littered with scraps, wires, electrical supplies, old helmets, watches flashlights, you name it (This is where they came from? Am I close?) ¡°What even are all of these objects,¡± Lyra holds up a lens, A red dot beams out of it onto her face, ¡°Move that away!¡± I slap it out her hand, ¡°That could be recording,¡± ¡°What?¡± Whrrrrrrrrrrrrr ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ Wait, Do you hear that?¡± A familiar humming sound catches my attention, Whrrrrrrrrrrrrr (Could it be?) ¡°It¡¯s under there¡ª" Karina points to a large pile of rusty metal, Heave! Apollo sticks his sword into the pile moving most of the junk away at once, I hurriedly sift through the rest until I come to the source of the sound¡­ Whrrrrrrrrrrrrr It hums steadily, A blue light appears as I gently pull the device out¡­ Another ¡®blue flame.¡¯ Crescendo to the Second ? ¡®This is a pre-recorded message from: Anonymous¡¯ ¡°The percentages were incredibly low, but I managed to make it! I crossed the void sea, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible to make it back, but right now my priority is survival, None of my crewmates survived the trip however, This could be the breakthrough we need for our science, finally we can have the upper hand! This ring may have the secrets we need, If anyone from the government does follow me, I apologize for stealing the prototype bow, but it is my invention and I choose to finish it here! You already have the original blueprints, I will keep the one I made, and finish it, I will make it into something irreplicable! This might be my first and possibly last message, Godspeed.¡± ¡®Message End.¡¯ ¡­¡­ ¡°Well¡­. What did you hear Kage?¡± Karina presses ¡°¡­. More confusing stuff, I don¡¯t quite understand it,¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Remember a while back when I mentioned the ocean and you all told me that it is not a real thing?¡± ¡°There are rivers, lakes and swamps, Kage, even waterfalls, but in no way could there be a body of water that takes up a majority of the ring,¡± Lyra debates, ¡°I know, but I have been slowly piecing this together for a while now, Maybe there is another ring Who knows how many, One with an ocean, one I came from,¡± (You are so confused it¡¯s funny) ¡°And you got that from the flame?¡± Lyra jabs ¡°That isn¡¯t what was said but I think, no¡­ I know that the person who made it is not from here,¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to need a minute,¡± Apollo sits down, ¡°You have officially entered conspiracy theorist territory,¡± ¡°I can believe it actually,¡± Karina states ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of it of course, This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.But I believe there might be evidence to prove Kage¡¯s theory, Like his bow for example, We¡¯ve all gotten used to it now, Bu the fact that it isn¡¯t like any bow that can be created, Here at least,¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a requiem then,¡± Apollo proposes ¡°That is a fair point, but somehow, I feel like¡­ I am sure that this is different to a requiem,¡± I dispute ¡°Ok, then what do you say we do now?¡± Lyra asks ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, From the sound of the message this is most likely the last ¡®flame¡¯, I was hoping I would get some sort of hint on where the person who made them came from¡±¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ (We are close Kage Close to what? Not close enough, but close nonetheless... ¡­?)¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Kage, don¡¯t go daydreaming on us now,¡± Lyra shakes me, ¡°Eh hemm¡­, sorry, I was umm thinking about something,¡± ¡°Up the mountains it is then?¡± Karina suggests noticing that I had been staring up blankly at them, ¡­.. ¡°Maybe I should go alone, it may be dangerous¡­.¡± Whack! ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Lyra slaps my head, ¡°It is obviously dangerous, you could never make it up alone, Now stop acting weird and let¡¯s go see whatever it is that¡¯s up there¡­.¡± ¡­¡­¡­ **** It¡¯s, been much too long,? I feel it coming on? The feelings getting strong? It¡¯s, been much too long? The feeling¡¯s in my bones? From afar I thought the mountains looked silver because they were snowy, but that isn¡¯t the case, the earth itself is grey, the rocks crumble easily as we struggle for basic footing, edging our way up the rocky slopes, It seems like a deteriorating structure more than it does that of a natural hill. Can you feel it? Oh, can you feel it? Can you feel it? Oh, can you feel it? ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Maybe we should have begged Shiki sir, to keep the map,¡± Apollo grumbles, ¡°It would certainly help seeing our exact location right now,¡± Pressed firmly against a grey slate wall we carefully step across fearing the daunting drop that looms below us, We¡¯ve already climbed a great deal up the mountain, the ground isn¡¯t even in sight anymore, just a blur of the earth below, Strangely enough we encountered no apparent danger¡­ (It has been suspiciously uneventful) ¡°I new we should have taken the other path,¡± Lyra complains ¡°I¡¯ll take the blame for this one,¡± Apollo shamefully concedes, ¡°I should have listened to you¡­¡± ¡°I wish we still had the map too,¡± I add, ¡°There is something about it, that strikes me as peculiar, I would have liked to see the full extent of its abilities,¡± ¡°What do you think was weird?¡± Karina inquires, ¡°Kage¡¯s sees everything as weird or strange,¡± Lyra scoffs, ¡°The story behind it,¡± I answer Karina ignoring Lyra ¡°Why would someone who had fulfilled their goal of seeing everything there is to see on the ring leave behind a requiem after his passing, A map no less, Almost like deep down he knew there was more he didn¡¯t see yet¡­¡± ¡°Or maybe he could have just wanted his followers to achieve his feat as well,¡± Apollo suggests ¡°Hmmmm, that could be true, but then why¡ª ¡ªWhoaah!¡± I had gotten so wrapped up in my thoughts, forgetting where we are, I accidentally lose footing I fal¡ª ¡°Kage!¡± Eerie Sounds Gravity-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay on me? Never let me down gently? Never lea-lea-lea-lea-lea-leave with me? Never let me go no, no? Gravity-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay? You know the feeling of being in freefall, The wind pushes up against you, Feels like the earth outstretching her arms pulling you towards her¡­ In that moment you stop thinking and your body starts reacting, If you are scared, you would wave around frantically trying to grip on to nothing, There is nothing there, What are you trying to grab? If you enjoy it, you would spread your arms wide like a bird, absorbing the breeze as it brushes past you, grinning from ear to ear or screaming ¡°Woooooo!¡± No one is hearing you, Why are screaming? If you are like me, how would you act? ¡­.. I just let myself fall, back-first, No pattern in my movements, just mindless falling¡­. ¡°Kage, try to catch this!¡± I hear Apollo¡¯s voice instructing me to do something, I see a sword falling pommel-first behind me (Catch it? What for?¡ª) oomph! The sword falling faster than me hits me like a rock into my stomach all the air release from my body in an instant, Still, I manage to get a hold of the grip and¡­. (I¡¯m not falling anymore?) The sword floats in midair supporting my weight, it flies back to Apollo and the others who have already made it past the steep mountain side, back on a safe path¡­ Looking at the mountains from this view¡­. It doesn¡¯t seem natural... ¡­¡­.. ¡°Be careful next time!¡± Lyra scolds but I can see the worry in her eyes, Karina rushes in and surprisingly hugs me, She doesn¡¯t say anything. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How did you do that with the sword?¡± I look at Apollo then to the blade ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure, All I can say is that old man Shiki¡¯s words stuck with me, What he said about requiems, You feel them, Instead if thinking I just felt, I poured my feelings on wanting to somehow save you into the sword, Then something in me instinctively felt like throwing it,¡± ¡°Hmmm, So, what happen would happen if it nothing happened, I died, and you lost a sword?¡± ¡°Stop being negative Kage, I had faith I would get back the sword,¡± ¡°¡­. Ok then how about if I do this¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± I toss the sword back over the edge of the mountain, It floats back up to Apollo hands who looks at me disapprovingly ¡°What? I was testing it,¡± ¡°¡­¡± Apollo frowns ¡­¡­ ¡°We should camp here for now and continue on tomorrow,¡± Karina suggests ¡°Here does seem like a good area,¡± Apollo nods surveying the surroundings, ¡°Any idea why the Bakufu people say it isn¡¯t possible to survive here?¡± Lyra brings up, ¡°We have been doing pretty well, Well except Kage,¡± ¡°Maybe there are strong beasts up there, Or even worse... Beastmen!¡± Apollo tries to sound frightening Lyra gives him a blank look, ¡°I wish there were beasts, actually,¡± Karina sighs ¡°I still have this bladed fan from the chief, and I¡¯ve recently started to understand how to use my magic better offensively, I would¡¯ve liked the practice,¡± ¡°Do you not hear any creatures close by?¡± I ask folding out a rug on the rock floor, ¡°The only thing I¡¯m picking up is the wind and occasional splashing, At least we know there is a spring nearby,¡± Karina uses some fire magic stones to create a small blaze, ¡°Hmm, A spring huh...¡± ¡°What do you suspect water now Kage?¡± Lyra probes teasingly, she ruffles into her sack taking out some metal pots which she places on the fire, ¡°No, I¡¯m just. I don¡¯t know,¡± ¡°Did you get the sense knocked out from that fall?¡± Apollo jokes pouring some water in the pot, he then produces a decent sized pack of rice which he pours in, ¡°I did not,¡± I reply indignantly, ¡°When I was being carried up by your sword, I got a good view of the mountain, It looked more like a giant wall to me,¡± ¡°If that was the case then we wouldn¡¯t be able to climb it¡± Lyra disputes her eyes still down in the sack as she rummages through, looking for the right ingredients to use, ¡°It could have deteriorated over time, that could explain why these slopes are so unforgivingly steep at times then suddenly all crumbly like this path we are on now,¡± ¡°One theory at a time Kage,¡± Karina rubs my back ¡°Now come help us set up our meal¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­ **** Eeriness, an atmospheric feeling that, gives one a cold shiver, or a soft uncomfortable vibration. One that says: ¡®This is weird,¡¯ Or ¡®Something isn¡¯t right¡¯ Why do we have this feeling? It¡¯s like a preset alarm in our minds that warns us of danger, Depending on the circumstance it could be a good thing, or a bad one, Bad you say? How can it be bad? If we no longer feel that way then most of us would do more daring activities, Not so? You wouldn¡¯t be reluctant or scared, even if you were about to die, Would you enjoy it, then? ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°Maybe the danger of this mountain was overhyped,¡± Apollo comments We finally near the top and disappointingly there hasn¡¯t been anything even remotely interesting. ¡°Can¡¯t wait for the trip down,¡± I sarcastically add, ¡­.. Clink! My foot knocks on to something metallic, ¡­.. It¡¯s a part, of something, (A¡­. What¡¯s that word?... It¡¯s coming to me, A drone part!?) I pick up the drone piece, examining it, It¡¯s old and rusted most likely been here for years (How did this get here?) ¡°Why is the ground so sooty?¡± Lyra observes, She¡¯s right the rocky floor is unnaturally pitch black and dusty, ¡°Was there a fire here I wonder,¡± Karina theorizes, I spy a few more pieces of junk scattered about, A weird feeling wafts over me, not quite sure what it is, ¡°Huh what¡¯s those?¡± Apollo who had been leading the group points ¡­.. ¡°Get back!¡± I bark as I see what he is pointing at, Protruding from the rocky ground are the ¡®eyes¡¯ of a camera The lenses remain trained on us (I don¡¯t like this) That feeling I feel¡­ This is eerie. Beep! The Rumbling Beep! The lens turns slowly scanning the surroundings, The four of us lay down flat on the slope, there isn¡¯t anywhere else we can hide, We¡¯re near the peak of the mountain the air feels thin and cold now as the sun begins to set, But somehow, I¡¯m still sweating like if it was midday (What is this felling?) Beep! A red beam passes over our heads, The others don¡¯t quite understand what¡¯s going on but they see my alarm and stay down as well, ¡­.. Karina motions to her earrings (Ah, yes, we can still communicate though those) I feel my ear, (Yes, I¡¯m still wearing it) After all the commotion in Sweepstake I¡¯d forgotten about these¡­ ¡°We don¡¯t need to do all this!¡± Lyra hisses ¡°Whatever that is, what makes you think it can hear us?¡± ¡°You can never be sure, Lyra I don¡¯t want you to die,¡± ¡°I understand the sentiment Kage, but if we¡¯re going to hide around like this We might as well go back, we knew the danger!¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°The I¡¯ll go first you three stay back in case anything happens,¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t!¡± Karina disputes ¡°Since when do you put yourself in potential danger for others? You¡¯re acting out of character Kage,¡± ¡­. (Yes Kage, since when do we do that?) ¡°I¡¯ll use this fan, to conjure a sound blast and destroy whatever is making you alarmed, ok?¡± Karina proposes ¡­¡­.. ¡°Ok,¡± I nod Beep! ¡°That sounds like a better plan,¡± ¡­¡­ Karina opens the bladed hand fan, taking a deep breath she pull it back then swings it forward heavily, The sound of the blades dragging across the wind amplifies into a high pitch frequency which permeates itself into a blast of sound mana, A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Bee¡ª BASH! The spectating device gets decimated by the blast, ¡­¡­. ¡°See nothing to be afraid of up here,¡± Lyra assures semi-optimistically, ¡­¡­ With the lens gone we now climb to the ¡®peak¡¯ Apart from the broken pieces scattered around it, nothing else is near the device, Feeling around where it was, I don¡¯t find anything either, The ground feels cold and metallic however¡­ (Is someone watching us? Why was this just here randomly?) Rumble? ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Well, now this feels weird, Is this natural?¡± Apollo looks around confusedly, Finally reaching what we thought would be a regular mountain peak, is very much not so¡­ The slope levels itself the higher up we get eventually setting into a broad, mostly flat, surface, some areas are slightly higher than others, but it still looks evenly placed Like a long wide plain of hard grey rock¡­ (Is this really a mountain?) As far as our eyes can see the ground stretches out completely flat, almost like we are really atop a wall¡¯s surface, ¡°How does it look like this here But from afar you can see the clear mountain peaks?¡± Karina wonders Rumble? ¡°An illusion maybe?¡± ¡°Never mind that, Look at the sky,¡± Lyra points dreamily Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯re this high up, but, Has the sky always spun like this? The supposedly evening sky looks midnight black swirling arounds smoothly Beautiful sparkling stars wave at us playfully as they pass by. (This is extraordinary) It feels like we are watching the ring turn before our very eyes¡­ In that moment we forgot the uneasiness we felt when climbing the mountain¡­ Rumble? ¡°In a way, you can call this a peak,¡± Karina stares enchantedly, ¡°The peak of the ring that is,¡± Rumble? ¡°You¡¯re sounding like Darius,¡± Lyra smirks, ¡°That does sound like something he would say,¡± Karina agrees jokingly, ¡°I wonder what Pinoki would say,¡± Apollo brings up ¡°I think he¡¯d be speechless,¡± ¡­¡­¡­ I can¡¯t deny it, the sight of the dark night sky filled with dots of stars spinning gracefully is so, So Hypnotic, I could stare at this forev¡ª ¡°Alright that¡¯s enough,¡± Apollo taps me on the back, You have been watching that for minutes now, There isn¡¯t much of anything here to see we¡¯re going to have to start preparing for our trip back down.¡± ¡°Wait, what about the other side?¡± I point to the side opposite in which we came, it is the length of a small field away, ¡°What is below on the other side?¡± ¡°Nothing I can see!¡± Lyra calls from up ahead near said edge, ¡­¡­.. Rumble? Making my way to her side, I look over to see what she means¡­. (She¡¯s right.) Could it be due to the darkness of the night, or we are just too high up, but I can¡¯t see anything, It¡¯s like peering into a pitch-black abyss, Rumble? ¡°Maybe if we walk across the top of here, we might find some kind of secret settlement,¡± I suggest ¡°I don¡¯t think so Kage,¡± Apollo disputes ¡°If that was possible there is nowhere to produce food up here, no crops or animals, and on that topic, we also don¡¯t want to run out of our supplies Maybe we can come back and check when we¡¯re more prepared,¡± Rumble? (Is there really nothing here? What about those cameras? What are they for?) ¡­¡­ {Rumble?} ¡°Do guys feel that?¡± Apollo clutches his word alarmedly ¡°It just got into my hearing range,¡± Karina affirms, ¡°It is coming from beneath the ground, but it isn¡¯t close¡± {Rumble?} One of the higher areas a distance in front of us begins to move, breaking apart from the regular ground, The platform then¡ª (Wait, That isn¡¯t a platform) The layer rises up from its flat position slowly transforming into its true form, Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! It activates now standing upright, Red eye-like lenses beam their glance onto us, It moves backwards causing the ground to tremble {Rumble?} ¡°What is the hell is that!?¡± Apollo exclaims ¡­¡­. Once again, I find myself looking at something I am certain I¡¯ve never seen before, But still. My mind immediately identifies it: ¡°Is that a tank!?¡± {Rumble?} EARFQUAKE Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt Dig! BUF! ¡°That won¡¯t be enough Apollo, We need another layer!¡± BUF! Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt ¡°Is this good Kage!?¡± Shoot! Pingk! (Shit! the arrow deflected off) ¡°We have to wait till it stops shooting and make a beeline down the mountain!¡± Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt ¡°What even is this, magic!?¡± ¡°Not ma¡ª" Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt ¡°Apollo another one!¡± BUF! Apollo shoves his sword into the ground for a third time upheaving a thick layer of stone to shield us from the incoming bullets, Just as we were about to leave this mysterious mountain, the earth began to rumble, a layer of what we thought at the time was a higher platform of rock turned out to be a mechanical¡ª I don¡¯t even know what to call it, Standing about thirteen feet or four meters tall, it towers over us, pointing its bulky tank-like arms and torso that went from being flat to forming large gatling guns that continuously fires at us while its camera like head that pokes from the top of its bulky frame stays scanning our every move. A mecha you could call it, Or rather a mechanoid tank. Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt The bullets continue to attack the layers of stone in front of us, (How long will until these stone break away? I have to think of something) ¡°If this is a golem, it is one of the most advanced one I have ever seen!¡± Karina says while deflecting bullets with sound blasts of her own ¡°What did you call it Kage, a tank?¡± ¡°That is the first thing that popped into my head seeing it, I don¡¯t know how or why I know, But I can feel its danger, we should not try fighting it head on¡± ¡°How do we get away then!? We¡¯re at the wrong side of the mountain, I don¡¯t think we can run fast enough to dodge those attacks!¡± Apollo becoming more anxious by the minute, We all are. Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt (Think, think, think! There has to be a way to get out of this!) ¡°I have a pla¡ª¡± ¡ª(Let them die Kage) Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡­¡­. ¡°Snap out of it Kage! Now is not the time!¡± Karina yells in my ear, ¡°Never mind your plan, I think I can get us out of this,¡± Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt Karina presses her hands on the ground, taking a deep breath Rrrrr~ Rrrrrr~ RRrrrrr~ BRrrrrr~ BRGRRRRRR~ First it start as little shake, then it builds and builds¡­. The ground begins to shake violently knocking us all around, Apollo grabs both Lyra and me keeping us balanced. The ground rips apart cracking around the firing mechanoid tank, it sinks down into the crack, ¡°Stop standing around and go!¡± Karina barks seeing as it attempts to climb out ¡°Now is our chance!¡± ¡°Then get your ass up and come on as well!¡± Lyra retorts, ¡°If I get up the earthquake will stop, Leave me here, This is your opportunity to go!¡± ¡°I think not!¡± Lyra harshly yanks the girl up The shaking stops. ¡°We will make a new plan then, one that involves all of us leaving together¡­..¡± ¡­¡­.. ''Cause you make my earth quake? ¡­¡­ For the first time Lyra drops her mask, Oh, you make my earth quake? She looks into Karina¡¯s eyes with deep determination and concern.. ''Cause you make my earth quake? ¡°We are not doing this again!¡± Oh, you make my earth quake? ¡°I am not doing this! Letting another one of us die, First Darius, then Pinoki Not you too Karina, don¡¯t leave!¡± ¡­¡­¡­. Don''t leave, it''s my fault? Don''t leave, it''s my fault? ¡­¡­. ¡°I¡ª I apologize,¡± Karina at a loss for words. ¡°I won¡¯t die, I promise¡± Don''t leave, it''s my fault? ''Cause when it all comes crashing down, I''ll need you? ¡­¡­. ¡°Apollo since you can now make your sword return to you, ¡° I interject into the ¡®moment¡¯ ¡°I was thinking, you can throw it like a spear at the tank¡¯s ¡®head¡¯ disrupting its vision, It¡¯s already climbing out that crack Karina created we still have time before¡ª" ¡ªBrrrrrrrrrrrt It already got out, amidst our ¡®tangent¡¯ and begins to fire once more, (Shit!) ¡°Karina,¡± I gesture to her then Apollo Karina nods understanding my plan¡­ ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Hyuh!¡± Apollo chucks his sword over the rock wall protecting us, at the tank, Lyra and I steady him while Karina makes the ground tremor strongly, Bash! The sword accurately nails the intended target, ¡°Alright run!¡± Karina stops her magic as the machine begins to fall under, ¡­¡­. Leaving behind our heavy packs of supplies we begin the sprint across¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Hhh-hhh-hhh!¡± The novelty has faded, the strange beauty of the spinning sky this close is gone, All I see now is a void trying suck us in spinning greedily as it prays on our downfall¡­ ¡°Hhh-hhh-hhh!¡± Apollo¡¯s sword returns to him slowing him down a bit not that he minds being behind Apollo means to make sure everyone makes it down before him.. ¡°Hhh-hhh-hhh!¡± Lyra huffs, cold air expels form mouth, not from the temperature but rather her own magic, Why is she cooling herself right now? Maybe its her way of dealing with stress. Hhhhhh! Karina trudges on heading the group, her mind still settled on Lyra words, but more so than that she feels somewhat lighter running, She may have realized something about her magic just now, Or maybe herself¡­ Leaving behind our heavy packs of supplies we begin the sprint across the wide but flat ¡®mountain top¡¯ now covered in cracks from Karina¡¯s magic, ¡°Nngh!!¡± I almost trip on the uneven cracks that Karina ¡®created¡¯ Stump! Stump! The tank behind us has once again climbed out the mini crater, (Can it still detect us with its sight obstructed?) Stump! Stump! ¡°I think its catching up to us!¡± Lyra yells (Maybe I can fire a water arrow under it¡ª) Turning behind I expect to see the imposing machine stomping behind us, But it isn¡¯t, its still in the same spot making the loud stomping sounds. (Why would it need to that? Why isn¡¯t it following us?) ¡°This is the way down!¡± Karina shouts back as we approach the part covered in a black layer of soot, Where we saw the first camera poking up from the ground, (Wait, soot? Why would there be soot on this mountain? And what about all the other people who came up here, Where are their bodies?) Slowing my pace, I watch as Karina and the others begin to go down the slope.. Stump! Stump! The noise still reverbs in the background almost like a distraction (A diversion!) ¡°Karina, no!¡± I yell at the top of my lungs, ¡°Don¡¯t go down it¡¯s a trap!¡± Screaming! Pain, Fear, Anger, Agony, Sadness, Laughter, These are all ways one can scream to express their emotions, Someone is screaming right now as I say this, as you read this. How do they feel? Why are they screaming? ¡­¡­. Why am I? Why am I not screaming right now? **** Beeeaaaaaammm! Due to her sharp hearing and reflexes, Karina manages to dodge back, from a second machine emerging, or rather, revealing itself from pretending to be a part of the ground, The black sooth falls from its sleek frame, in comparison to the bulky mechanoid tank we just escaped, Instead of legs this one has tank-like wheels but human like arms, its entire torso to head is shaped like a flashlight It radiates a bright red beam that scorches the spot Karina just avoided ¡°That could have been me!¡± she gasps Smash! It rams it fists towards the girl ¡°Get back!¡± Apollo darts forward blocking with his sword Beoooowwww! The machine¡¯s body begins to glow as it prepares another ray, ¡°This is our chance, We can run past it when it¡¯s like this!¡± Lyra attempts to get past the machine, ¡°Wait Lyra!¡± I call Beeeeaaaammm! As the girl tries to skate past, the mecha releases a smaller beam aimed at her, ¡°Eeeyeyyyaaak!¡± Lyra tries to dodge it though she isn¡¯t fast as Karina She shrieks in pain, just barley managing to avoid the attack, but all it took was a small glance of the beam¡­ ¡°Lyra!¡± Apollo and Karina cry in unison The slight graze of the beam was enough to burn Lyra¡¯s entire back, She sprawls over in a heap the heat instantly evaporated all her blood, A small column of smoke emanates off her back, I can even see the outline of her spine¡­ ¡°STAY BACK!¡± Karina shouts loudly her voice reverberates into a loud blast pushing the machine back, Apollo runs in and scoops up Lyra ¡°Sorry, I¡­really¡­thought¡­we¡­could¡­make¡­it¡­past¡­¡± she mutters painfully Lyra stumbles out of Apollo¡¯s arms, ¡°The¡­other¡­¡®golem¡¯¡­isn¡¯t¡­following¡­us¡­so¡­if¡­we¡­combine¡­our¡­strengths¡­we¡­can¡­take¡­this¡­one¡­out,¡± (How is she even still moving?) ¡°We have to go back to our supplies,¡± Apollo ignores her ¡°Lyra needs to be treated, I¡¯ll tear up some more stone around us for protection,¡± ¡°I¡­can¡­bear¡­the¡­pain¡­don¡¯t¡­let¡­me¡­hold¡­us¡­back¡­¡± Lyra uses her magic to circulate a consistent stream of cold wind around her body, mostly to her charred back¡­ You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Apollo, take her to the supplies!¡± Karina orders, ¡°Kage and I will keep this one back!¡± she nods to me ¡°I don¡¯t think this is good pla¡­¡± I stop myself seeing the look on her face, (What other options do we have?) **** Clink! The tip of an arrow bounces off the mecha¡¯s ¡®feet¡¯, but it then transforms into a stream of water sweeping under it, The machine slips back slightly ¡°Sound wave blast!¡± Karina swings her hand fan blasting at the machine, Beang! It pushes back again slightly, slowly slipping down the mountainside, ¡°Kage dodge!¡± Karina warns Beaaaaammmmm! Karina and I dash out of the way from the incoming beam, A simple strategy, but so far, its proven itself effective, ¡°Again!¡± I say preparing another shot, Clingk! Splash!! Shrrrirrrrrriiiiiiieeeeeennnnn! (Maybe just maybe we can topple this one down) ¡­.. Bam! The machine jerks forward as if reading my mind, digging its arms into the ground supporting itself in a now quadrupedal position, (Fu¡ª) ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t get dejected now Kage we still have other ways to attack, well at least I do,¡± ¡°Are you going to do that earthquake attack again!?¡± Karina nods placing her hands on the ground, ¡°Wait!¡± I stop her, ¡°I don¡¯t think that would work, you¡¯re making yourself an open target by using that, it has to be a quick and direct attack!¡± ¡°What do you suppose, then Kage?¡± (Leave them, let them die) ¡°Umm, My bow, it can channel magic, though primarily I use magic stones, I think I could do it with regular magic as well!¡± ¡°You want to use my magic? I get what you are thinking, Kage, but I don¡¯t know how I can send my magic through your bow,¡± Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrtt! The sound of the other mechanoid tank firing at Lyra and Apollo in the background, increases both our anxiety ¡°Take my hand, Karina we can practice on the fly!¡± ¡­¡­¡­ Retracting my bow back onto my hand I outstretch it to Karina who grabs it, ¡°Not like that!¡± I pull away to readjust Passing finger through hers our hands wrap tightly together like a knot I¡¯m not sure if its just her or he magic but a warmth flows through me¡­. ¡°I can feel it, think it¡¯s working!¡± Karina affirms Beeeeeeaaaammmmmm! A laser fires over our heads We almost forget that we were supposed to be in a fight¡­ ¡°Turn sideways!¡± I order Karina complies allowing me to form the bow while still clasping on to her hand, our chests press against each other, I can feel her fast heartbeats and panickily breathes though her face tries to look as calm as possible¡­. ¡°Ok here we go.¡± Tapping the quiver strapped to my thigh, I pull out an arrow (Only a few left) Brrrrrrrrrrrt Fwoo~ ¡­¡­¡­ The wind blows calmy atop the mountain, the sky spins beautifully while the stars dance like they¡¯re enjoying a rollercoaster ride, There are no birds, no bats, not even an ant lives atop this mountain, Only dust¡­.. ¡­¡­ Dust gathers in swirl below Karina¡¯s and my feet as we both pull back and arrow She winces a bit as the bow draws on her magic (Does it hurt?) Shhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! We release the arrow and it fires like a bullet moving at the speed of sound with the force of a missile, the high pitch sound feels like it¡¯s going to tear our eardrums apart, ¡°Eeeeyyuhh!¡± Karina screams in pain as the arrow rockets away Her face goes pale as the bow starts to consume her magic BANG! BOOOM! The arrow makes contact with the machine which promptly explodes due to collisional force and magic power¡­ ¡°Are you ok Karina!?¡± I let go of her ¡°Never¡­.doing that again¡± she pants faintly (The bow really drained her) Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttt! We can¡¯t even get a moment to rest as Lyra and Apollo are still under fire by the first tank, ¡°Stay here Karina! I¡¯ll go get Apollo and Lyra, then we can make our way down.¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt! ¡°Apollo we took care the other one!¡± I skate under the rock fort Apollo had dug up around our supplies Lyra lays on her stomach shirtless as Apollo warps bandages around her, she breathes steadily trying to calm herself from the pain, (Its freezing inside here) ¡°Is Karina alright?¡± Apollo looks behind me expecting to see her, ¡°She is catching her breath,¡± ¡°Lyra can you move properly, or should Apollo and I carry you?¡± ¡°I¡­can¡­move¡­on¡­my¡­own¡­¡± ¡­¡­. Despite what she says Apollo and I still help the girl up. Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt! ¡°You all stay where you are do not move!!!¡± Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt! The shooting gets louder outside the fort. A loud buzzing starts up again on top of that¡­. (Was it just me or did I hear Karina just now?) BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT! We step out from the stacks of stone surrounding us.. Apollo begins to scream someone¡¯s name.. Lyra though weak also screams.. I stare in dismay¡­. An onslaught of bullets jump us, One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eig¡ª I don¡¯t even know how many, We are greeted by a small group of the robotic tanks, though smaller in size to the first one their fire power is just as great Their bullet greet as we try to make an escape, But so does someone else¡­ Right as the rain of fire began a body dove in front, shoving us back from the attack¡­.. Her body like shield or maybe a target board for the number of bullets that she just absorbed¡­ I stand quietly watching as the blood dyes my face and the bullets go through her into me¡­ Apollo and Lyra¡¯s screams of despair ring through my ears now, but.. Why am I not screaming right now!? I NEVER LIKED YOU The first mechanoid tank that attacked us, after we ran from it, It never moved, never pursued us, At the back of my mind, I wondered why, It wasn¡¯t stuck in one position, so why wasn¡¯t it moving? It just continued shooting making noise, Little did we know that it was slowly reproducing, Reproducing? Reproducing what? How can a machine reproduce? What technology is that? How would I know? I only see what they see and know what they tell me. **** The machine had been secretly creating a mini army that began to gather around the unknowing three behind their fort of stone Karina however not with the group, noticed. ¡°You all stay where you are do not move!!!¡± she shouted warningly But it was clear she was not heard, Something she hated the most¡­. Shrugging off her fatigue Karina shifted into high gear sprinting towards the others, but it was already too late, The ¡®golems¡¯, from her perspective, had them right where they wanted, As Kage began to step out from the walls the firing begun, Lyra and Apollo followed closely behind him¡­ Without hesitating Karina leaped forward moving at the speed of sound, She had never done this before.. There was so much more about her magic she had to learn¡­ A shame¡­ Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttt!! The bullets begin firing indiscriminately, Shove! Karina pushes the three back, but in that brief moment she stopped, it was already over¡­ The bullets flew through her, a pain she had never felt before, she breathes firmly and smiles, as she falls forward into Kage¡¯s arms, The bullets that shot through her hitting Kage as well, But her eyes are already shot out she doesn¡¯t know that¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­ ***** Karina falls into my arms spiling blood, ¡°Kage¡­¡± she mutters ¡°Yo¡­you.. know soemthi¡­.ng? Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.I¡­. N¡­ never¡­. Liked you.¡± She drags her face along face along my letting our lips brush past, I taste her blood as she does so, I think that was supposed to a kiss, Her last one before she di¡ª Everything fades out ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***************** A candle burns illuminating a dim room and a desk which I sit behind, a cool night¡¯s breeze blows through an open window, Something about me feels different though, My hands are smaller my hair longer, I smell a nice familiar scent, my muscles ache however and my feet feel sore, I try to move but I can¡¯t, my body moves on its own, Digging into the desk¡¯s compartment I take out some blank pages, Placing them on the table I take a nearby quill and dip it in ink as I begin to write: Kage, this is a mental experiment I am testing right now, if you are seeing this years from now, maybe I am old by then and have just died, or you could be seeing this a few days or weeks from now, who knows with the level unpredictability in Sweepstake city, I remember you said you saw Darius¡¯ memories when he died, Well I am not comfortable with you snooping around my memories, so this is my attempt at allowing to see what I want, which is this¡­ My goodbye letter, Currently it is the night after Zinnia has arrived, the Bellwethers Ball is tomorrow and I do not have too good a feeling about it, maybe I am being just paranoid. Seeing Zinnia today made me happy, I respect her, and her intentions, the way she acts, She is not living for just herself now, but for her soon to be born child, It made me realize, how selfish I appear sometimes, all I want is to find something that makes me truly happy, But maybe I am purposely telling myself nothing truly makes me happy because I do not know who I will become if I was happy, Almost my entire life I have spent being bitter, I was never happy with Club Hedon back in Soterra, I knew it was not happiness, but it kept me occupied it helped to learn about myself¡­ Kage, Is Lyra still alive right now? If she is, tell her I am sorry for everything for calling her monster, for telling her to kill herself. The fact that we were children does not change the fact that I still feel terrible for it, I know she does not care for me and probably never will, I only hope to fix what I caused in her. Tell Apollo I will miss him, he always acts weird around me, well I guess that is my fault as well, I used him at a point where I was at my most confused, he was too, but it was more than that for him, he has a big heart and knows it, he wants to share that heart with everyone but knows he can¡¯t, I hope he learns to care for himself as he does others, tell him dreaming to be a hero is not a stupid goal to have. Pinoki, somehow I feel like Pinoki might live the longest out of all of us, he may be the most careful care free person I know, tell him, even though I find him annoying at times, I admire your selfish personality, you know what you want for yourself and will get it no matter the means, you love a good thrill or adventure as you call it, I think Pinoki has the most drive of all of us as well¡­ Zinnia, I know she is going to do great things, she has always been my go to person when I needed an escape from the depressiveness of Soterra. She was always so bubbly, so positive, At first, I did not get it and was annoyed, why would someone act so happy and unbothered in situation like this? I thought. Slowly I realized she was hurting just as much as everyone else, difference being that she knew dwelling on the pain amplifies the hurt, Tell her that I am going to meet Darius, we both will be watching over her from now on, Even though I do not believe there is anything after death, (Don¡¯t tell her that though) Kage, we have only know each other for a couple months now, it feels longer that though, I still cannot make out what kind of person you actually are, but something in you, it draws me in, I want it, I need to be near it, I don¡¯t know if the others feel it too, but you are like a walking puzzle, I want to solve you, want to get close to you, see what you are made of, When you speak it feels like I don¡¯t hear one voice but multiple voices, you seem like you don¡¯t care but act like you do, you are as selfish as Pinoki but as caring as Apollo, as hot tempered as Lyra but as composed as Zinnia, I really am so interested in you, From the first time I saw you, I have been enamored by what you are, Kage, I never liked you, I only saw you as someone who could make me complete¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­. I stop writing¡­ ¡­¡­¡­.. Sitting in the quiet I stare and stare and stare at the words. ¡­¡­¡­. Finally, I take the paper and place its edge at the tip of the candle flame, Watching as it turns to ash. ¡°Hhhhhhhhh!¡± I let out a huge sigh, getting up and walking out of the room, into the silent hallway of the institute, ¡­¡­¡­.. My feet doesn¡¯t make the slightest of sounds as I navigate to a familiar room. ¡­¡­¡­ The door opens quietly as I enter the room, ¡°¡­..?¡± A figure wakes up groggily on a bed which I begin to crawl in. ¡°Karina?¡± they notice me ¡°Shhh, Kage,¡± I reply, snuggling next to him, ¡°Let me sleep.¡± End of Elegy. Emotion ¡ªHer last one before she dies ¡°Karina!!¡± Apollo and Lyra cry, Their voices begin to fade out of my ears as I lose touch with reality, My shoulders ache, blood starts gushing from them, Didn¡¯t even noticed I was shot, My legs give away from the pain bringing me to my knees, Ears ring so loud I am sure blood pours from them as well A piercing heat wells up in my chest, It hurts so bad¡­ I can feel my heart beating incredibly slow (Let me take o¡ª) Strangely enough, I feel happy. I feel sad, I feel fear, I feel anger, I feel dejected, I feel hopeless, I feel ecstatic, I feel prideful I feel awe, I feel nervous, I feel stressed, I feel bitter, I feel frustrated, I feel horrified, I feel pleasure, I feel hate, I feel love, I feel hopeful, I feel despair, I feel rage, I feel joy, I feel annoyed, I feel greed, I feel lustful, I feel envy, I feel wrathful. I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel emotion, All of it, Everything. To the highest possible degree, I want it to stop, But then I don¡¯t No I do, Stop, Stop, Stop! ¡­¡­¡­¡­. And my head keeps spinning? Can''t stop having these visions? I gotta get with it? Ooh-hoo? Ooh-hoo? Ooh-hoo? And my head keeps spinning? I can''t stop having these visions? I gotta get with it? Ooh-hoo? Ooh-hoo? Ooh-hoo? And I, and I can''t stop? No, no, I can''t stop? No, no, no, no, I can''t stop? No, no, no, no, I can''t stop? Can''t stop, I can''t stop, I can''t stop? No, no, no, no? No, no, no, no? No, no, no, no? No, no, I can''t stop? No, can''t stop having these visions? I gotta get with it? Ooh, ooh, oooh? Hoo-hoo, ho-ho-hoo? Ooh-hoo? I can¡¯t stop. **** Brrrrrrrrrrt! Pingk, Pingk, Pingk! Vwooooooooooooooooh! ¡°Earhg!¡± Smash! Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Slash! Whack! Push! ¡°Eaghh! Wehh¡­¡­ We¡¯re corned, Dehh¡­. There¡¯s too many¡± Apollo breathes, With an unconscious Kage on his shoulders and injured Lyra at his side, Apollo was forced to swallow his current despair in an attempt to escape the small army of mechanoid fighters, A rain of bullets relentlessly gun at Apollo who uses his, lighting amplified, strength and speed to block the shots, The machines adapted to his abilities however and opted to start attacking directly forcing Lyra to counter them with blasts of chilling snow to sadly no avail as the swarms keep on coming, Like pests the little ¡®robots¡¯ continue their pressure¡­ ¡°Heeyarg!¡± Apollo slashes his sword down on another machine, (¡°They have us at the edge!¡±) Apollo thinks, (¡°I can¡¯t let Lyra and Kage die here! I refuse to let them die!¡±) Apollo¡¯s magic flows as hard as ever in this moment, his emotions are that of fear, and sorrow, but he does not let it hold him back, His internal lightning magic surges through his body stronger than ever before, his blonde locs¡¯ point upward, his muscles drip of sweat and bulge of veins as he grips tightly to, Darius, his sword, The weapon itself begins to grow in size, ¡°Heeerrrrragh!¡± Apollo swings the tree-sized blade cutting straight into the group of enemies, ¡°I won¡¯t lose! Not another friend And not to any golem!¡± he cries Brrt! But as he does¡­ A short spurt.. That was all it took, A short spurt of stray bullets manage to make their way into the thigh of the young man, ¡°Uhhh!¡± Apollo drops to one knee, Bump! Kage falls off of his back, his head making resounding thud on the hard stone, The mechanoids ruthlessly pounce at Apollo, His sword returns to its regular size as he now uses all his might trying to fend off the assault now at the very edge of the mountain, The black void below echoes happily awaiting his arrival. ¡°A..p..o..l..l..o!¡± So caught up in the heat Apollo didn¡¯t even notice that Lyra who had been trying to fight at his side now lay collapsed While dodging an attack Lyra fell on her exposed spine, Now she can¡¯t even move.. ¡°Lyr¡ª¡± Apollo briefly lets himself get distracted, ¡°Uwahhh!¡± And there he goes, Sword in hand off the edge, his tears and blood trail behind him like the taillights of a speedy car racing at midnight¡­.. Lyra watches in horror, unable to move, her emotions right now are sorrow and rage, she has been crying the entire time, Her tears flow endlessly like the Kabuto waterfall of the Bakufu kingdom, ¡­ ¡°Ka¡­ Kage?¡± Lyra cries desperately to the person whom secretly she had become quite fond of, The last person she has right now¡­ ¡­¡­. Kage¡¯s body begins to stir as drags himself up, ¡°Ughh fuck,¡± he stands up ignoring the bullets that are currently lodged in his legs, ¡°I have to get to the next one, right now This is a nuisance.¡± ¡°Kage!?¡± Lyra calls again ¡°Hah? ¡­..? Oh, you poor thing!¡± Kage notices Lyra, ¡°I just want to say, I enjoyed our brief time as frie¡ª ¡ªechkk!¡± Lyra begins to mutter something, but Kage grabs her up by the throat and dangles her over the edge, ¡°This is the best I can do to help you girl, Goodbye.¡± Kage drops her. ¡­.. Brrrrrrrtt! Slamp! Slamp! Thump! The machines pay no mind to this still continuing their attack now focused on Kage, ¡°Ack! This is tedious,¡± Kage winces in pain, Forming his bow Kage aims it at the foes, and, And¡­ He jumps? Jumping off of the edge, Kage fires but one shot, ¡°Die pests!¡± DOOOOOOOM! **** ¡°Huh?¡± Zinnia looks up from watering her plants ¡°What was that sound just now? Reminds of when we fought Murdoc that night,¡± ¡­¡­.. A stray tear slides down the girl¡¯s cheek, ¡°Huh? ¡°Why am I getting emotional?¡± End of Sounds I don¡¯t hear anything, Only silence, Not the good kind where even though it¡¯s quiet, there is still a level of ambience Just blank, Nothing, A grating quiet that makes your ears bleed, Makes them beg for sound¡­ I can¡¯t see anything, Only black, I peer and peer and peer, I know my eyes are open, it¡¯s not dark, There just isn¡¯t anything to see, Just blank, Nothing, An emptiness that makes your eyes burn Makes them plead for sight¡­ I wonder if sight is even real to begin with? Or is it a product of our minds? Is that why I can¡¯t see or hear right now? Is my mind off? Did I fall of the mountain, into the darkness? Am I dead? Somehow, I don¡¯t hate this, I don¡¯t like it either I feel nothing right now¡­ . ¡°Enjoying it here I take it?¡± a voice echoes as a certain person appears before me, Huh, me? Stolen novel; please report. ¡°This is where you belong, I guess,¡± ¡®I¡¯ sigh Why am I looking at myself right now? ¡°Because I could not contain myself, the one that is you, any longer¡± I don¡¯t understand? ¡°Listen, we (I) want us (you) to head straight for ¡®home¡¯ this time, Do not stop and make friends again,¡± What is home? Where is home? ¡°Home is where we can finally feel like ourself, Where I can be me¡± But what about the others Lyra, Apollo? Ginobelucci is still¡ª ¡°¡ªI do not care about that trivial nonsense! Did I (you) really think this was some fantasy adventure where I (you) could go partying with my (your) friends slaying dragons and what have you!¡± I don¡¯t know, is it? Tell me then! All I want is to know! ¡°We (you) already do know, Now finish what we, you, I, started, Go home¡± Fuck you! No, Fuck me Agh, this is confusing! Am I just crazy? I would much rather to be told I am insane right now that whatever this is!? I am tired of this vague bullshit! Can I get a concrete answer for once!? ¡°I (You) am (are) a nuisance to myself (me),¡± ¡®I¡¯ roll my eyes ¡°That is our (your) answer, Now go home¡± No. ¡°Tell (me) you this,¡± I sigh annoyedly, ¡°What do you feel right now?¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°That is correct, nothing! Do you understand now! I cannot believe that I am arguing with myself!¡± I? I thought you called us ¡®you¡¯, ¡®us¡¯, and ¡®we¡¯, Since when do you singularly refer to me and yourself? I thought we were one in the same? ¡°¡­¡­. Go home Kage.¡± Wai¡ª ¡ªThe other me disappears¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ The nothingness around me begins spin right at the moment sucking me into it¡­. ¡­¡­. **** Flap, Flap, Flap , Squawk! Squawk! Squawk! (Birds?) My ears ring from a rush of new sounds.. A ray of sunlight shines on me, as I wipe my blurry vison away adjusting my eyes to the light ¡­¡­¡­ This morning you''ve got time for a hot home-cooked breakfast Delicious and piping hot in only three microwave minutes (Huh, What is this?) Yo, pretty packages of frosted delights? Look, it comes with a toy, he-he, I like that I wanna number four, a number six, and throw in a plastic doughnut Just enjoy the gritty crunch, that tastes just like chicken? Taking a moment to look around, I notice that I am on a hammock bed surrounded by four gray metallic walls, with a singular window, A row of guns are laid out the floor with their ammo scattered about the small room¡­. Wrappers of many bite sizes? Man, are you freaking blind? That''s a rock, All mixed in the potful? Momma''s homemade from scratch? Well, not quite, Toasted over flames, they be tasting quite right? A screen plays, on the wall in front of me, some kind of food advertisement¡ª ¡ªShower my habits while you dine like rabbits With the crunchy, crunchy carrots? - Oh, that''s chicken Gotta have it super-fast! ? A whole lot of breakfast you got time for! Super-fast, super-fast, I come in last? But just in time for breakfast? ¡­¡­¡­. My eyes drift away from the screen the as I notice the little window¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Squawk! Squawk! Sea gulls fly by eagerly searching for their morning¡¯s breakfast ¡°Eerch!¡± The window stubbornly sits in place causing me to struggle a little to slide it open¡­ Vwoo~ A gush of cool salty breeze washes over my face as I peer out, The water below ripples up in the wind, some getting on my face, I can make out a few other boats sailing along in the distance¡­ (Where the hell am I?) ¡­¡­.. **** The morning has broken, and a new day begins as Kage finds himself in some type of seacraft perhaps? Moving to who knows where¡­ Sailing away steadily in a vast mysterious ocean. Orchestral Intro ¡°Oi! Are yuh taking a fooking wank in here or sumin!?¡± My door slides open to a scruffy man with dirt blonde hair, his face and clothes are smudges with grease¡­ Peering at me sternly through his diving googles, his curved nose turns suspiciously as he asks, ¡°Are you good mate?¡± ¡°Who are you exactly?¡± I ask confusedly ¡°Naw, now I know you¡¯re taking the piss, Kage I¡¯ve gotten used to that sarcasm of yours,¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Fack you mate! Hurry up and get to the deck, Stop trying to play your mental games with me!¡± the man slides the door shut in my face ¡­¡­.. Turning it back open I follow him through the hall, (What is this place?) Navigating through a corridor of metallic and grey walls, I follow the man who is already hurrying to his next destination, There are a few other doors that line the corridor, presumably bedrooms like mine, ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Auhh!~ I told yah we¡¯re going to be rich soon after we sell the loot from the last job, Now call me daddy Bulldog!¡± ¡°Grauhh!¡± Some voice moan from behind one of the doors, I quickly walk past it¡­ (Is this another memory? No, that man called me Kage, this has to be reality.) ¡­.. ¡°What the flying fack Steve-o! I told that was my milk it had a fooking label on it for fucks sake!¡± a woman¡¯s voice bellows as I near an open room, ¡°Errh, sorry mate but you forget I can¡¯t read¡± Smack! ¡°Vomit it up then!¡± ¡°Cam on now Dusty, Yah know I would neva hit a lady, don¡¯t go cheap shoting me like that..¡± a man¡¯s sly voice responds Poke! ¡°Agh! My fackin eyes You liar!¡± "I neva said anything bout poking you in da eyes!¡± Tackle! Crash! Walking into a cafeteria I see people sitting around eating their breakfast, However this morning two individuals seem to be having a physical altercation. Bump! The scuffle rolls in front of me, Which I promptly step over, The other people in the room don¡¯t pay mind to my appearance, They all seem to be familiar with me¡­ ¡­¡­ Continuing on I come across some stairs which lead upward¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Vwooh!~ A cool breeze blows ambiently like an organ being played, as my face pokes up from under the floor, Gulls cry happily, waves patter about noisily. Scouting the area, I see that I¡¯ve arrived on the deck, of a metal plated ship which churns along steadily on a blanket of water, All the sounds together combines together beautiful like a natural orchestra or sorts¡­. Standing in the wind I listen to and experience the musical atmosphere¡­.. ¡­¡­. Despite having no need for a mast, the ship still has a large one that serves a symbol of¡ª ¡ª¡°Hmm rare to see you getting up late lord Kage¡± a woman nods to me speaking sarcastically Her eyes are bloodshot red, set into her hard but still feminine face, As she speaks I can see the glimmer of a few false sliver teeth, her head is covered in a cloth with a skull over what looks like a deep-sea trench, but the dyed gray strands of hair still poke out from under it¡­ ¡°May I ask you who you ar¡ª" Stab! ¡°¡ªAghh! What the hell!?¡± She lunges at me unexpectedly driving a dagger into the left side of my abdomen, The sudden jolt of pain causes me to crumple to the floor.. ¡°Did you wake on the wrong side of the hammock mate?¡± in disgust the woman looks down at me, ¡°First yah make me, send someone to wake yah up, Now yah can¡¯t even remember how to dodge?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were going to attack me!¡± I retort indignantly ¡°Pfffttt Its fooking training we do every morning what yah mean yah didn¡¯t expect me to¡ª" Whump! She cuts herself off instead choosing to kick me in the stomach, ¡°Uhgn!¡± ¡°Get up pussy! Did yah have a bad dream last night? Did yah dream that yah were a pussy? Now yah wake up and act like one!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know where I am,¡± I protest ¡°Hah! are yah pulling my leg right now? That warped sense of humor yah have Feel I not getting use tah i¡ª" ¡ªWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!! A loud siren goes off commanding the woman¡¯s attention away from me, ¡°Oi it¡¯s the fed!¡± a man shouts ¡°Go get the captain!¡± someone else yells, ¡°Fuck!¡± the woman spats leaving me and running below deck, (What is happening?) ¡°Go get your weapons!¡± she shouts coming back up armed with two assault riffles ¡°I thought we shook em¡¯ after da last job!¡± ¡°How could they find us again!?¡± someone complains Ddhhdhdhdhdhhd~~ A squadron of boats begin to the circle the deck¡­ This is the International Police Federation, surrender now pirates, or be raided and detained with force! ¡°Fuck the fed!¡± ¡°Yeahhhhhhhhhh!!¡± A man war cries and is met a chorus of cheers from his crewmates, The crew now begins to rush up to the deck weapons in hand, The deck, which was previously empty, barring the miscellaneous items that were scattered about its cold steel floor and the little hut to the head of it where the pilot presumably navigates the craft, now becomes crowded as men and women now line the rails around the deck, their weapons aimed at the incoming boats. ¡°Fiyah!¡± Brrrrrrrrrrt! (That sound¡­ The bullets The mountain.. Karina) Brrrrrrrrrrt! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! One by one the surrounding boats, explode without showing any signs of retaliation, ¡°Ha-hah! Take that!¡± the pirates cheer Pomp! A strange sounding shot goes off, ¡°Ahhhhh! What is thi¡ª¡± The man who had barged into the room I woke up in earlier, begins to spin strangely collapsing in on himself, A single steel ball drops in the place he just stood ¡°Aye what the fuck is this!?¡± a slightly scared voice goes cries Pomp! Pomp! Pomp! Pomp! ¡°Aiyeee! They¡¯re coming from above!¡± ¡°Blasted government tech, We didn¡¯t even hear a thing!¡± ¡°They hid themselves in the clouds shoot u¡ª ¡ªPomp! The number of members begin to dwindle as shots from above rain down, People dressed in riot gear start sliding down ropes, ¡°It¡¯s over! Surrender!¡± Pomp! Pomp! ¡°You won¡¯t take me alive!¡± Brrr¡ª ¡ªPomp! Lying face down on the deck I dig my fingers into my wound letting it bleed more (Please think I¡¯m dead) Soon the whole deck of people disappears in its place small steel balls, ¡°Check downstairs to see if there are anymore pirates, and free any captivates,¡± An officer orders, ¡°Yes sir!¡± The suited men march past me going below deck Brrrt! Pomp! ¡°Die fed fackers!!¡± Pomp! Pomp! I hear a few more shots going off, ¡­.. Buuuuuuuuuummmm! A large horn blares from above, more officers come dropping on to the deck, ¡°Check the area for any ¡®hiders¡¯ and collect all weapons and stolen goods!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Huh? We don¡¯t use lethal force, Why is there an injured person here?¡± an officer finally notices me, ¡°Hello? Are you a one of these of pirates?¡ª ¡ªHuhhh!¡± the officer turns me over, then gasps resoundingly through his helmet, ¡°No¡ª¡± I begin to reply hoping he believes me ¡°Kage is that you?¡± the officer inquires sounding somewhat relived ¡°You know who I am?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me Kage,¡± he takes off his helmet Now it¡¯s my turn to gasp. ¡°Apollo?¡± Plastic Beach ¡°Falling I¡¯m falling Is this how it ends for me? Without saving anyone?¡±) These were Apollo¡¯s thoughts when he got knocked off the mountain, The drop wasn¡¯t incredibly long but to him it felt like that, Hurting both physically and mentally, and now he had to wait to die? Why couldn¡¯t it at least be instant? Splash! His body finally crashes down¡­ But instead of becoming a stain on the ground below, to Apollo¡¯s surprise he lands in water, Jet black water, but water nonetheless, It was ice cold a normal person might¡¯ve passed out from the sudden jolt of hypothermic coldness, But Apollo¡­ The cold only numbing his wounds and jump starting his brain, (¡°It¡¯s not over yet¡±!) thinks Apollo as he begins to swim, leaving his heavy sword behind, With powerful, determined breaststrokes, Apollo makes his way through the lifeless void of a water¡­¡­ **** (Just like that?) ¡°Is Lyra okay? What happened to you? Why are you dressed like that? How did you survive? Where are we?¡± (Just like that?) ¡°One question at a time Kage,¡± Apollo breathes (Just like that?) ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when we get back to the beach, Well we¡¯re almost there anyways,¡± ¡°The beach?¡±¡­¡­. After our unexpected reunion, Apollo quickly ushered me up into the jet he came, The other officers did not question his actions bringing me, who was found on a pirate ship, (Just like that?) (I wonder what kind of authority Apollo has here) (Just like that?) ¡°See how quick that was, we¡¯ve already arrived, come on, we¡¯ll walk and talk,¡± Apollo gestures me out of the craft, I feel like child being shown into their new school for the first time, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to report to your supervisor Apollo,¡± An officer signals to Apollo, he gives me a slightly unpleasant glance before walking to the other officers, (Just like that?) The police jet had landed us on a strip filled with many other flying craft, Stepping out, the now familiar cool wind brushes past my face, (We¡¯re still at sea?) (Just like that?) The revolution will be televised? ¡°I still don¡¯t get all the ¡®sciencey ¡¯ stuff, Where we are now is on what they call, a moving artificial island, it is apparently as large as a small city and serves as the main base of operations of the both the International Police Federation as well as the United Country Alliance, army, or UCA for short,¡± explains Apollo (UC Government, that was the label I saw on the box I found my bow in Are these connected?) (Just like that?) An¡¯ the pollution from the ocean, now with devotion? ¡°This sea carrier is called the ¡®Plastic beach,¡± ¡°As you can see,¡± Apollo points to the shiny grey ground, I can feel the buoyancy from the ocean below us, (Just like that?) Push peace and keep it in motion? The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°It is made entirely of this plastic material as well as umm, Actually I don¡¯t know, I still am at a loss for all of this science business,¡± I can tell Apollo is having hard time explaining what he barely understands himself (The Plastic Beach huh) (Just like that?) Kids gather ¡®round, yeah, I need your focus? ¡°What about you Apollo, how did you get here? I thought you died.¡± ¡°I thought you and Lyra died as well,¡± Apollo replies solemnly ¡°Lyra is alive too?¡± ¡°When we found her, she froze herself in a solid ice cocoon to survive the void sea, After we thawed her, I found out that she was paralyzed, her backbone was shattered, Luckily the science here had a fix for such injuries, but Lyra couldn¡¯t get the procedure yet because of how sick she was, She had been floating around for months, starved, alone and close to death, surgery at that time would almost certainly kill her,¡± ¡°Is she ok now?¡± I query (Just like that?) I know it seems like the world is so hopeless? ¡°Physically yes that was a while ago, she can walk again now, She doesn¡¯t want to hear any mention of you though, so that¡¯s why I assumed you died. What happened back there Kage, after I got knocked off, how did you survive?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know the last thing I remember was Karina dying,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Well, it¡¯s been a year since that¡± ¡°A year!?¡± ¡°Mhmm, When I ¡®fell¡¯ off that mountain I landed in the void sea, You must have swum through it to get here too, right? Although I hear it is impossible to survive in the bone chilling waters due to the sun not reaching there, it is in complete cold darkness, so you never know where you¡¯re swimming, I followed my gut that¡¯s how I made it through to this ring, The Second Ring,¡± (Just like that?) It¡¯s like wonderland? (Is that what here is?) ¡°I was immediately picked up by the military they have guards watching the convergence point They brought me here as a suspect at first,¡± Apollo continues ¡°And now you work for them?¡± I tug on his uniform sleeve, ¡°Well, that is another story, You can say this is how I paid for Lyra¡¯s treatment, But it isn¡¯t a bad job, I¡¯m helping people, And because I am one of four people who can use magic here, I am both valued and feared, Depending on who you talk to, I am given a lot of liberties actually,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Easy on the ego there sparky,¡± a woman whistles as we approach the main entrance, She leans in between the sliding doors stopping them from closing, (Just like that?) Now fascinate me, picture and animate me, ''cause I''m rollin''? ¡ª¡°Since when do we bring criminals in?¡± she raises her thin, curved eyebrows, high into her brunette bangs, looking at me through her commanding brown eyes, ¡°This is Kage, and he is not a criminal, Kage this is Himari she is my supervisor,¡± introduces Apollo nervously (She seems ¡®nice¡¯) I nod to her cordially ¡°Hnn!¡± she grunts at me, ¡°Kage was with me that day we fought your defenders atop the mountain,¡± ¡°Those mechanoids? These are the people who created it?¡± I gasp astonishedly (Just like that?) Deep holin'', click clackin'', crack-a-lackin'', full packin'' (Hey!), mo'' stackin''? ¡°Those are self-replicating mechanoids that we sent to the third ring over ten years ago, that was done out of paranoia after some people came from your ring¡­.¡± Himari sounds like she wants to say more but ends it at that, ¡°I was put off by that information at first too¡­¡± Apollo also stops even though its clear he had more to say, ¡°Umm, so I was trying to explain ¡®the beach¡¯ to Kage just now, but you know my knowledge is limited on these things, Can you give him the rundown?¡± Apollo nudges the woman Himari twirls a loose strand of hair that had fallen from her unkept bun, Pushing it back up, She looks at me mistrustingly¡­ ¡°We¡¯re holding up the entrance, and you still haven¡¯t made a report yet after that mission Apollo, let¡¯s go,¡± she walks beckoning us to follow, ¡­¡­ (Just like that?)Actin'' a fool when I teach? ¡°This is the plastic beach; it is called that because it is made partly of plastic and a new kind of element invented by our science department I won¡¯t be getting in to that with you however¡­ This beach was first created to solve the ring¡¯s pollution problem, As we move along the ocean all plastic gets sucked up and absorbed into the mass of the carrier, which is powered using foundation energy, You get all that?¡± finishes Himari quickly (No) ¡°For the most part,¡± I reply scratching the back of my head ¡°Good now answer my questions and bear in mind that you are in a government facility, If you try to run you will immediately be detained,¡± ¡°Run?¡± (Why does she sound aggressive all of a sudden?) (Just like that?) ¡°I had time to search your face from Apollo¡¯s helmet camera when he first saw you on that pirate craft, Records show that you indeed are not from this ring, no birth dates no family, nothing,¡± ¡°You did that so quickly?¡± Apollo asks in awe of his superior ¡°That is my job, Now Kage, you are called, Your face has spotted multiple times on multiple occasions working with those pirates, You we¡¯re clearly not a hostage on that ship, Does that wound even bother you, or is it fake?¡± she points at dried blood near the stab wound by my left rib (I forgot about that Wait, Why did forget? What is she getting at?) ¡°Kage, is that true?¡± Apollo stands back giving me a disapproving look ¡°My last memory was Karina dying, I don¡¯t know anything about what she is talking about,¡± I dispute ¡°You are indeed lying,¡± Himari takes off a pair of glasses (When did she put those on?) (Just like that?) Welcome to the world of the plastic beach, yeah? ¡°You have to be detained for questioning, along with you crewmates, Kage the pirate¡± ¡°Wait!¡ª¡± Punch! Before I could react Himari lands a near perfect jab to my temple, The room begins to spin as I find myself slipping out of consciousness, ¡°Sorry Kage,¡± Apollo looks at me hesitantly ¡°Just comply with what they have to say, and until then Kage s¡ª¡­¡­¡± Welcome to the world of the plastic beach? Echoes of Interrogation ¡°State your name.¡± ¡°Kage¡± ¡°Last name,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one,¡± ¡°Place of birth?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± ¡°Age?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡± ¡°And you say you suffer from amnesia correct?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°Yes or no¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And that would be your first lie,¡± jots down a stern bald man, who stares intimidatingly at me through his queer spectacles ¡°You say your last memory was of your acquaintance named Karina dying to some of our defender mechanoids, correct?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°Another lie, Ok, Mr. Kage, if you are trying to make yourself look suspicious it is working, Our lie detectors cannot be bypassed,¡± he adjusts his glasses ¡°I can quite literally see through your lies,¡± ¡°That was not a lie,¡± I protest ¡°We have already got statements from some of your fellow pirates, Ten months ago you snuck aboard their ship in the dead of night and slaughtered one of their crew members, planning to commandeer their ship, However you we¡¯re caught, and the Trench Pirates, impressed by your skills, made you one of them instead, Do you remember this?¡± ¡°No,¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Hhmm, Ok, Last week Eden island was raided by the trench pirates and an astounding ninety kilograms of marijuana was stolen, You were seen on camera assisting in the raid, Do you remember this?¡± ¡°No,¡± ¡°Ok, you do not appear to be lying, ¡­.Next question, What is your affiliation to the North,¡± ¡°What¡¯s the north?¡± ¡°It is top secret information that only government officials are aware of, Your crew members said you joined them because you wanted a ship to help you get to the North, Let me repeat myself again, What is your affiliation to the North?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what the north is, nor have I ever heard of it before,¡± ¡­¡­ The man peers at me seriously for a few minutes, trying to discern if I am really telling the truth ¡°Apollo, he is from the third ring, so is his friend Lyra, But from what he told us, you don¡¯t seem to belong there, You can¡¯t even use magic like them, which means you are from another ring, But records here show that you are not from this ring either, Not only that but you were trying to go to the North, the first ring, Are you from the first ring Kage?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± As I fail to answer the man jots down something again before abruptly leaving the room¡­ I sit at a steel table my hands bonded to it by magnetically charged handcuffs, Four cameras at each corner of cold box-like room all trained on me, Everything I do, every sound I make gets echoes around the room The door isn¡¯t even visible once it¡¯s shut just a grey metallic wall¡­ ¡­.. (I went from fighting robots with magic, to being arrested for pirating, Can¡¯t I get even a little time to process anything?) ¡­. The wall slides open, this time the woman from before enters the room, Himari.. ¡°Pirate, that Tielium glove, where did you obtain it?¡± sternly she points to the device on my hand she doesn¡¯t waste a single minute of silence, (The bow? That¡¯s right I still have it) ¡°Shall I repeat the question?¡± ¡°I found it in a desert,¡± Himari approaches me, she takes out a small chip and places it on the surface of the device which promptly snaps off my hands, ¡°Hey, give that back!¡± ¡°This is government technology not even the public has access to this, I have no idea how you could have obtained something like this,¡± .. Spying at her hands I can see that she wears on both hands, devices similar to one I had but hers look much more ¡®finished¡¯ than mine, ¡­.. ¡°You are being processed right now, so you will have to sit tight here for a while longer,¡± Himari turns to exit, ¡°Wait, when can I get to leave?¡± ¡°Leave?¡± she scoffs ¡°I¡¯ve just written up your file pirate, you have committed multiple counts of murder, grand larceny, assault, illegal trespassing and racketeering Maybe in twenty-five years¡± ¡°Twenty-five years for what ?¡± ¡°That is the smallest amount of time you can possibly do in prison, In short, you are not leaving anytime soon,¡± Ode to Aquarium ¡°Take off your clothes and step forward,¡± ¡­¡­ Beeaam! ¡°hmm Stab wound near his rib has almost completely healed itself, Subject appears to have no umbilicus as well, possibly healed at birth?¡± ¡°That does not match with the information we have on subject Apollo who does have a navel,¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­. The x-rays show that the subject also seems to have no¡ª ¡ªThese scans are incredible! his anatomy, We must send this to the chairman at once!¡± ¡­¡­.. Beeaam! A bright light flashes in my face as I stand naked behind a screen (I thought maybe this was the place I came from, But I don¡¯t feel at home, I recognize most of the technology, But it feel so foreign here, And what of this ¡®North?¡¯ Is that where I¡¯m from?) ¡­¡­.. ¡°Alright you can step out¡± someone directs, ¡°What is happening to me?¡± I demand ¡°You are being processed into the system,¡± one of the men behind the scanners peers up at me, ¡°Since you have no previous record in our ring, we have to make sure you are safe to be around other people.. You can get dressed now, the guards will see you to where you belong¡­¡± ¡­¡­. Two officers stand and wait as I put on a prison jumpsuit, they then escort me out of the lab¡­ ¡­¡­ **** ¡°I see yer¡¯ve been getting special treatment compared the rest of us,¡± scowls a man seeing me The guards shove me in a line with the other prisoners, I recognize some from the boat I woke up on, (The pirate crew) ¡°Who are you exactly?¡± I look at the man who spoke to me, His faced is covered with knife slashes and scars, his teeth are all solid silver, his lips turn downwards upon his patchy beard as he frowns at my statement, ¡°Are yer trying to be funny Kage? I¡¯m the bloodey captain, Well I was till we got caught,¡± ¡°I heard you were personally escorted off our ship in a jet by one of the officers, Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.That true Kage?¡± the scruffy blonde pirate who had barged into my room, chimes in, ¡°¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t reply ¡°Tight lipped are yer? No good that¡¯ll do, We¡¯re all going to the Aquarium anyways You can keep quiet if you like but I¡¯ll beat the shit outta yer to get what I want mate,¡± the former captain growls ¡°Enough talking.¡± An officers orders. ¡°Is that yer buddy too Kage?¡± the pirate immediately snaps at me as ¡°I knew yer we¡¯re too good to be true, A natural killer ye¡¯ are, no heart, no remorse I liked that, That¡¯s why I let yer join in the first place, But it seems yer was also a part time rat,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know you; I didn¡¯t tell on anybody about your little pirate club¡± I say defensively ¡°You must think yer being real funny right now, eh? Yer took a bloody fucking jet ride off our ship, while we had got the ol¡¯ containment bullet¡± (This isn¡¯t real) ¡°What¡¯s the aquarium?¡± I ask the other pirate ignoring the former boss¡¯ rants ¡°It¡¯s a fookin amusement park mate..¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Alright you all have been processed,¡± the woman from before, Himari, enters the small holding room where we all stand handcuffed.. ¡°Due to the fact that you ¡®Trench pirates¡¯ attempted to raid a nature preserve island, knowing the repercussions The government has decided that this case will not go to court, and you pirates will serve full life sentences effectively immediately,¡± (Thisisnnotrealthisisnotrealthisisnotrealthisisnotrealthisisnotreal) ¡°Do we get last requests?¡± the grizzly captain raises his hand, ¡°You are Bartholomeus Madison, their leader, correct?¡± ¡°Arr, I go by Captain Bulldog,¡± ¡°Well, umm, captain Bulldog, we don¡¯t make negotiations with criminals,¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t yer gonna listen to my request love?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I was hoping you would give me dick a good ol¡¯¡ª,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Himari doesn¡¯t stay and wait for the criminal to finish instead she gestures for the guards to carry us out The other pirates cheer on the brazenness their leader, ¡°Quiet down!¡± ¡­¡­. **** ¡­¡­. ¡°Prisoner shuttle launching in ten minutes¡± Seventeen prisoners march across area nine, section five, of the plastic beach, otherwise known as the prisoner shuttle and detainment area, it is the furthest area south on the plastic beach, From afar it looks like a regular sea shuttle bay¡­ Here criminals would be interrogated or held temporarily executed or sentenced from, The main prison isn¡¯t located here however, out of fear of potential prison breaks the government had a separate facility built underwater, The seventeen male inmates formerly of the Trench pirates now are being escorted into a shuttle headed for the prison dubbed the Aquarium, ¡­¡­ ¡°Prisoner shuttle launching in six minutes¡± (Everything is happening so fast, To me Karina just died, I was on that mountain yesterday What is this?) ¡­¡­ ¡°Prisoner shuttle launching in four minutes¡± ¡°Wait!¡± someone calls, ¡°Can I get a word with Kage quick an officer runs up,¡± The guards nod allowing him to do so, ¡°Kage, you have plenty explaining to do, those crimes¡­¡± ¡°Apollo I¡ª¡± (I can¡¯t even proclaim my innocence or guilt, I honestly don¡¯t know) ¡°I guess this is it for me Apollo,¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll try as best as I can to get you out Kage, You can explain your side to me then, I know I don¡¯t know too much about you, You¡¯re not a bad person, I can say that much¡± ¡°Prisoner shuttle launching in two minutes¡± ¡°Good luck Kage,¡± Apollo watches as solemnly I enter into the cylindrical shuttle pointed down at water at the edge of the dock, ¡°Was that who you sold us out to?¡± Bulldog jeers the moment I walk in, No officer comes in with us, There is no need, since we are being sent directly into the depths of the ocean, Our hands immediately get blinded to the walls of the shuttle restricting our movements¡ª ¡ªThe deep-sea craft rumbles beginning its departure¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to let yer know one time Kage¡± Bulldog hisses ¡°The moment we arrive, You are fucking dead mate,¡± ¡°Prisoner shuttle launching¡± ¡­¡­. Vwoosh! Without delay the undersea traveler shoots off the Plastic beach, from the prison shuttle bay.. The sea ripples creating mini waves as the crafts submerges into water like a torpedo, heading into the unknown depths of the cold dark sea. Jail Punch! ¡°Yeahhhhhhh!¡± Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! ¡°Kick his face in!¡± Punch! Punch! Whack! ¡°This shit is wild!¡± Thump! Thump! Thump! ¡°Is it okay if I switch sides?¡± Punch-punch-punch- ¡°Kill the facker! ¡­¡­.!!! ¡°Hey! That is enough, This behavior exceeds what you have been permitted!¡± Take what you want? The loud cheering stops as guards begin to rush into the cafeteria, Two inmates had been fighting, or rather one was getting a vicious beating, The guards restrain the attacker, while the other lies a bloody mess, his face indiscernibly beaten, Take everything? One would think it to be a canvas of red paint, Take what you want? ¡°You pirates just got here and are already string things up!¡± Better that I change? ¡°Don¡¯t call me a pirate, I am not one of them,¡± one of the fighters mumbles, His body covered in blood, Violence in the night? ¡°Inmate Kage, you should have thought of that before joining them and committing crimes in the first place,¡± Violence in the night? ¡°Take this one to the infirmary and the other to solitary,¡± Priors, priors? Some guards come and pick up the bloody mess on the ground, He can barley speak now, beaten to an absolute pulp¡­ I¡¯ll be honest? Captain Bulldog was what they called him.. Kage gets tightly escorted out of the cafeteria into solitary confinement, ¡°He destroyed the captain¡± the former pirates whisper among themselves, We all liars? Kage walks away gruffly his clenched fists soaked in blood, Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Not his blood however, but his opponent¡¯s, True to his word the moment they were settled into the prison, Bulldog attacked Kage, He was able to get one kick in before Kage twisted his ankle grounded him and pounded the shi¡­. He beat him really bad in simpler terms.. I¡¯ll be honest? ¡°I thought you said you were going to jump in and get a shot a Kage?¡± the former pirates argue, ¡°Kage said he wasn¡¯t going to fight back And captain said he wouldn¡¯t need any help beating him,¡± ¡°Arr, I guess you right we all li¡ª¡± ¡ª We all liars? ¡­¡­¡­. **** ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Beeeep! ¡°Your week of solitary confinement is over inmate Kage.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please try your best to act civilized within the parameters given to you,¡± ¡°¡­.. Are there any human prison officers?¡± I look up at the figure in a guard¡¯s uniform, ¡°That is not of concern to you,¡± The guards grab my arms, ruffly escorting me out of the dim enclosure¡­ ¡­¡­ Quickly I had leant that most of the prison workers here, were no more than hunks of metal underneath the uniform and helmets, Although humans were still able to apply for prison jobs, Who really would want to work deep under the sea? These robotic workers don¡¯t feel fatigue nor pain, there is barely any weakness one could exploit to use to escape, Not that escape is possible anyways¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°Damn bro you look like shit,¡± says a dark-skinned man with laid back grey eyes set into a tattoo covered face, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Dee¡± ¡°Dee?¡± ¡°Deez¡­¡­ ¡°-_-¡± ¡°¡­.Never mind.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°It was a joke bro,¡± he goes to twirl a strand of his hair only to realize nothing is there, as his head has been freshly cut ¡°I¡¯m your cellmate, they call me Keychain,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Naw I¡¯m serious this time, That¡¯s my stage name, I am actually a, err, musical artiste,¡± ¡°And you were called Keychain?¡± ¡°Cuz¡¯ I got they keys to game, my brother,¡± he extends his fist, ¡°Is there a way to get a personal cell?¡± I ignore it ¡°You sound mad entitled right now bro, Let me guess, former rich kid?¡± ¡°No,¡± ¡°What you in for then?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Yeah you¡¯re definitely a rich kid,¡± ¡°There is a way to earn special privileges here though, talking about personal cells, It involves donating some of your money to various charities and you can get stuff like better cells, longer computer access even a phone, I woulda done it, but I ain trying to be broke when I get out,¡± ¡°If your already rich then couldn¡¯t you just post bail?¡± I suggest ¡°Only if God gone post my bail tonight,¡± ¡°???¡± ¡°I got caught with Tielium weapons bro, Meaning if the gods aren¡¯t going to come back to life and help me, I can¡¯t get bail,¡± (Tielium, I think that¡¯s what my bow was?) ¡°I only got caught because of that goddamn vigilante,¡± ¡°Vigilante?¡± ¡°Have you been living under rock lately bro?¡± ¡°Why are you being so talkative with me?¡± I notice the man¡¯s willingness to feed my curiosity, ¡°Well, you know¡­we are cellmates¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°Cut the bullshit, tell me the real reason¡± ¡°I saw you in that fight¡­ Look, I¡¯m giving you good information here, All I want is for you to have my back, There are people in here that want my head, Until I organize a, err method of getting out, imma need your violent ass to roll with me¡± ¡°¡­¡­. You haven¡¯t told me enough for me to make my mind up yet,¡± (Not that I plant to) ¡°Alright, what else do you want to know?¡± ¡­¡­¡­ **** Undersea ring prison model six, designated name, the Aquarium, This jail houses almost all the second ring¡¯s criminals, it is split into two sections and has multiple layers, The sections being male and female, the number of layers the prison has is unknown, but it is said to go down into the very depth of the ocean, where the worst of worst criminals are put, The government, however, does not believe in withholding the rights of prisoners so they are given certain liberties within the confines of the Aquarium¡­ There exists a library for the prisoners to use as well as a gym, inmates who are permitted can use the computers, and even have their very own smartphone, fights are allowed but if you go too far solitary confinement without food for one week is given out as a punishment¡­ ¡­. ¡°Oi Kage, looks like yer made out of solitary with yer sanity intact,¡± one of the former pirates nods trying to be friendly to me as I enter the cafeteria, ¡°Is bulldog alive?¡± I ask dryly sitting down at his table ¡°He¡¯s recovering,¡± ¡°Well, tell him¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªNo need for threats mate, yer beat him already, he ain gonna fuck with yer again,¡± (What do I do now? Do I really have to live the rest of my life here? Before I ever got any answers?) ¡°Oi yer on a lil¡¯ drugs, or something mate?¡± the man snaps in my face, ¡°Yer immediately zoned out,¡± ¡°Where is the library?¡± ¡°Yer just got of solitary mate, aren¡¯t yer gonna eat something?¡± ¡°Not hungry.¡± ¡°Yer haven¡¯t eaten in a week¡­¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me where it is or not?......¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. {¡°Are you certain these scans are accurate?¡±} a voice speaks over a phone, ¡°Positive sir, his digestive system is different to ours, nervous system as well, reproductive system, The respiratory system is the closest to us but even that is still more complex, I¡¯m not even sure I should refer to him as ¡®him¡¯,¡± {¡°Get everybody who has seen these to sign NDA¡¯s, That includes you Send these scans to my personal drive and then delete them from the government¡¯s database,¡±} ¡°But sir?¡± {¡°Do I have to repeat myself?¡±} ¡°No sir, sorry sir, What will you do about ¡®him¡¯ sir,¡± {¡°Where is ¡®he¡¯ now?¡±} ¡°Currently serving life in the aquarium,¡± {¡°Perfect¡±} ¡°How is that perfect sir?¡± Boop! The other speaker hangs up, ¡°Sir? What are you planning?¡± Who gone post my bail, Lord help me? Human After All The blue flame is what I called it, but here it known as an audio projector, It has become quite outdated in modern times, as the government barred the production of them because of the fact that their audio could only be heard by one person and until said person dies could another hear it, The projector also has a history of being used for nefarious purposes, originally it was created during a previous war as a way to safely send messages to commanders without the risk of leaks. There is a famous story nowadays, of a woman who locked her husband¡¯s, girlfriend whom he cheated on her with, in a safe, and then she recorded the passcode into the projector, the man was given an ultimatum of choosing to either kill his wife or let his lover starve to death in the safe, He killed himself. The way the projector works is by implanting a digital code, like a tattoo of sorts onto the listeners mind, the message is therefore locked to that person until the code deactivates which is only possible via death. Another famous story involves a cult who purposed the projectors for a game they would call the ¡®octopus trials¡¯, where they would kidnap several in-debt people and tell one the code to a large sum of money, the participants were given the choices of share or steal, If they chose to share the game would end right there and the money would be divided among the participants, Steal meant the person who knew the code had to fend for himself against the other participants as they were forced to kill each other for the prize, The game would always end with one survivor. No one chose share. ¡­¡­ ¡°Prisoner Kage, the set curfew time is approaching, and you do not have late night privileges,¡± a guard comes interrupting me from my book, ¡°Can I take it with me?¡± ¡°You do not have library borrowing privileges either,¡± ¡°Hhhhhh, Is there a way to get out of having a life sentence?¡± I sigh ¡°Well, if you did not do the crime then¡ª¡± Slump! I toss the book into the guards face striding out of the library (If that was a real human I would have been assaulted back in retaliation right now) ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Man, you spend too much time in that library,¡± Keychain notes as I climb onto the top bunk, ¡°Is there anything else I should be doing?¡± I tartly retort ¡°No need for the attitude bro, I get it you like books,¡± ¡°What do you like, besides getting into altercations with other inmates?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Firstly, you got my back right? And secondly. I like bitches money and being happy, Mane I woulda been next up in the game if I didn¡¯t get caught,¡± ¡°You said a vigilante took you down?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t get me exactly, but he traced some of my men back to our stash, Do you know how many feds I paid off to keep that hidden? This is why I hate vigilantes~ They can¡¯t be bought, all they care about is ¡®justice¡¯ Makes me sick.¡± ¡°Who was the vigilante?¡± ¡°Some guy people started calling the Messiah,¡± ¡°The Messiah?¡± ¡°People think he is going to finally be the one to take down Satan,¡± ¡°Now you¡¯ve lost me,¡± I sit up becoming intrigued ¡°Are you from this ring mane? You know the crime boss Satan? He has nuclear level power, so not even the government can touch him You had to be alive for the incident all those years ago?¡± ¡°Hmmm, Wha¡ª" ¡­¡­¡­ **** ¡ªPunch! Punch! Pu¡ª ¡°W..w..w..wait! It..it was Shiresha, she got a new man!¡± ¡°What!¡± Keychain exclaims angrily I hold a scruffy man by his collar to a wall, under my foot is knife which he had tried to stab Keychain with, ¡°That cheating bitch, she waited till I got put in, to cheat and now they trying to kill me, from inside jail? Naw, I¡¯m fucking getting out of here soon then!¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re getting out,¡± I sigh dropping the man who scutters away, ¡°Hey man I¡¯ll pay you back for this, You got a family?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Inmate Joshua and Inmate Kage, possession of weapons are restricted regardless of privileges, please hand over that knife, or repercussion will be dealt,¡± around the corner of the cell block approaches some robotic guards ¡°Take it, It¡¯s not like we were going to use it¡± I carelessly toss the blade at guard, ¡°Kage no!¡± Keychain warns ¡°That might count as an attac¡ª¡± As he says this a red light begins to flash from the guars¡¯ helmet, it lets out a silent alarm that signals other androids¡­ ¡°Oh shit, I¡¯m out Kage,¡± Keychain backs away ¡°Attempted assault, inmate Kage, must be detained,¡± The androids push up against me pinning me down, ¡°Hurrah!¡± I break free swinging my fists at them, (Might as well get a few hits in while am at it, they¡¯re not human) Punp! ¡°Aghh!¡± My hand aches from the punch, More guards begin to run up trying to detain me, (I don¡¯t even care anymore) ¡°Hyuh!¡± I thrust my foot forward kicking a row of guards, ¡°Come at me you are not even human, I can hit you as hard as I want!¡± Punch! Whack! ¡°Ergh!¡± ¡°Please stand down prisoner,¡± Kick! Thump! ¡°Why!? Or else wha¡ª¡± BAMN! ¡°Awwgh!¡± A fist hits me hard in the back of my head (Is that another guard?) The robotic guards this whole time have not been fighting, more so rushing in trying to detain me, I turn to face a much shorter guard, they wear a full uniform compared to the others, whose bodies are built with the uniform¡¯s design¡­ (Is that a perso¡ª) ¡ªUhmph! They nail an uppercut to my chin ¡°Uhhechk!¡± Climbing onto me the guard begins squeezing my throat tightly ¡°Wh¡­. Are¡­¡­ Aggggggghhhh!¡± They drag my face on the steel floor Slam! Slam! Slam! (Who the hell is this?) Slam! Slam! Slam! Now they repeatedly slam my face up and down into the, once again, solid steel floor.. ¡°Achk! En..Enough.. I¡­surrender..¡± ¡°Huh?¡± the guard lifts my head and begins to twist my already broken nose, A somewhat muffled voice filled with sadistic pleasure speaks¡­ ¡°Who said I was finished with you?¡± Freeee <Female Section of the Aquarium prison> Smash! ¡°Where!? Tell me bitch!?¡± ¡°I.. d I dunno, dey wouldn¡¯t give away dey location to regular members ,¡± Smash! ¡°You better not be lying to me!¡± A guard relentlessly pummels a female inmate, One of if not the only human prison guard, Who knows for what reason they are here for? ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°I¡¯m going to the male block and speak with your friends there, then.¡± The violent guard huffs away, ¡°There has to be somebody who will talk.¡± ¡­¡­.. I don¡¯t feel pain anymore? Guess what baby?? ¡­¡­ **** The second ring in its entirety is an ocean, ninety percent of it is water, the other ten being the islands of its human inhabitants, Many of the islands on this ring are artificially made or heavily industrialized, The sight of natural trees, bushes , flowers, any plant in general, is extremely rare due to rapid technological advancements, nature was forced to pay the price¡­ There are a few islands that consists of only plant life, and are given the label of maximum importance by the UCA government. (Eden, an island that I was told, I helped in robbing, was one of those nature preserve islands) Almost all island countries of the second ring are allied together to form the United Countries Alliance, or U.C.A for short, with the exception being the Caribbean line, a mini sea that consists of mostly isles and private islands, the government barely has any influence there, The Caribbean is somewhat detached from the rest of the ring, the mini sea is surrounded by whirlpools and rocks which makes regular travel impossible without prior had knowledge of the area.¡ª ¡ªBeeep!? ¡°Prisoner Kage, your two weeks of solitary confinement is over, Please try your best to act civilized within the parameters given to you,¡± (Not even two months yet and I¡¯ve spent half of my time in a box) Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Closing the book, I smuggled in with me, and the finger-ring light, I ¡®borrowed¡¯ from Keychain, I brush past the guard stepping back into ¡®freedom¡¯, After being brutalized from that guard I was sent to the infirmary for one week for my broken nose and jaw, (I feel like they also cracked my skull) After that I was sent straight to solitary¡­. Nothing hurts me anymore? Guess what baby?? ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Fuck, my arm!¡± stepping into the prison gym I hear a man complaining ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if I find out who that guard is, I¡¯m getting their family, friends whoever, they love, they definitely gone pay!¡± ¡°I heard they got fired for be too violent though,¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, I ended up telling bro.. about boss¡­.¡± ¡°You mean¡ª What are you looking at!?¡± they notice my presence, I shake my head at them quickly walking on, (Who was that human guard? Have they left already?) ¡°Aye Kage you finally freee!¡± Keychain greets, ¡°Well not free, but out of solitary, You know what I mean dawg¡­¡± ¡°You left me back there, Keychain,¡± ¡°Hey man, we both couldn¡¯t go down like that, see how you got beat up, couldn¡¯t be me.¡± ¡°¡­.. Any idea who they were?¡± I ask ignoring his previous statement ¡°No clue mane, but I heard they¡¯ve being running a tear through both the male and female sections,¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Trying to get info.¡± ¡°On?¡± ¡°Can we talk about something else dawg?¡± Keychain spies some guards watching us, ¡°hhhh¡± I sigh ¡°I can¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°What exercise? I mean like you have to start off easy, the key is¡ª¡± ¡°No, I mean prison, I hate this, I want get out,¡± ¡°You on life bro, you¡¯ll get used to it¡­.¡± ¡°I should let you get beat up one these days Keychain,¡± ¡°Aye man I¡¯m just speaking facts¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­. I¡¯m so complete in the mode? Guess what baby? ¡­¡­¡­. [What is Tielium?] Not much is known about the makeup of this material, however there is a version available to the public for usage. All weapons concerning Tielium is kept by the UCA government, Though there has been recent leaks that sell for high prices, ¡®if you know where to look¡¯. ¡­¡­¡­ [Who is Satan?] Satan is the name of the rumored boss of an international crime syndicate. (Hmmmm) My eyes peel, staring curiously into the bright library computer screen. Prisoner as only allowed thirty minutes a day of usage¡­ [Is the aquarium prison really inescapable?] I type into the search bar, (I know all my searches are probably being monitored, but I don¡¯t care) The aquarium is the ring¡¯s most secure prison constructed in the Bathyal zone of the ocean, it is physically impossible for anyone without the help of a shuttle to leave or go to the jail. ¡°hhhh, I expected this much¡± [What is the Nor¡ª ¡°Inmate Kage, it appears your time here has been canceled,¡± a guard interrupts me, ¡°Already? I just sat down?¡± (I can¡¯t catch a break here!) ¡°No, I mean your time as a prisoner, it appears you are going to be released,¡± ¡°¡­.? What? How?¡± ¡°Your release has been filed for,¡± And you know damn well? He lift me up every time that I fell? ¡°By who?¡± (Have I fallen asleep? Is this a hallucination?) ¡°You have received a pardon from the chairman of the UCA government,¡± ¡°The chairman? For what? Why would we he let me free?¡± (Is this Apollo¡¯s doing? And if not, Who? How? Why?) ¡°I am afraid that is not within our parameters to know, you will have to ask him yourself, The chairman has requested that you meet him immediately after being released. With that being said, Former inmate Kage you are free to go,¡± And set me freeee!? The Chairmans Intent ¡°Please wait, the chairman will be here soon,¡± Nodding at the assistant, I take a seat, in a somewhat uncomfortably clean office, the chair squeaks as my back presses on the packaging plastic still unremoved from it, Everything looks unused, even the floor is squeaky clean, the desk in front of me untouched, Almost like they are all props¡­¡­ ¡°Ahh, there you are! Glad we can finally meet,¡± A distinguished middle aged man strides in, he smiles flashing a set of perfectly white teeth, set into a chiseled jaw, his full head of hair is obviously dyed a deep black, probably done to hide it¡¯s graying, The man¡¯s commanding blue eyes stare at me as if I were a long-lost pet of his¡­. ¡°Do you know me?¡± I ask immediately ¡°Not personally no, but I know of you, Kage, That is what you call yourself correct?¡± the man extends his hand ¡°¡­. That¡¯s my name.¡± I ignore it ¡°Ah yes of course exactly what I meant,¡± he pulls his hand back awkwardly ¡°Why did you bail me out?¡± ¡°I did not post your bail, I ordered for you to be released, I am the chairman of the UCA, after all,¡± ¡°What does that entail exactly?¡± (I have to pick this man for as much information possible) ¡°The government of the united countries consist of all the leaders of the individual countries, I am the man that sits at the head of that table,¡± ¡°What does someone of your ¡®importance¡¯ want with me then? I am just a lowly criminal,¡± ¡°Ha-ha, Kage, I know you better than that, You know what you are worth.¡± (Know me? And why did he avoid answering directly?) ¡°Shall I repeat my question?¡± I stare at the man firmly, The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I see you as valuable asset to work with from now on, Even greater than I see those other two from the third ring, They may be magic users, but you¡­¡­¡± ¡°Me what?¡± I press on ¡°Am I from this ¡®North¡¯ place that was mentioned??¡± ¡°Well in the case of everyone that isn¡¯t me and you, yes¡± the man paces around the room, he leaves the desk untouched, as if he would rather not sit at it ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Kage, your secret is safe with me My family have known about you since you first ¡®visited¡¯ this ring, You probably don¡¯t remember since you were ¡®sleeping¡¯ back then,¡± (I was here before? Is that why I have prior knowledge of their technology? This man, he definitely knows of me) ¡°What else do you know about me?¡± ¡°Well, that is why I¡¯m here right now, there is so much we can learn about you, If you could just tell me when********** is and how to********¡± {!!!!%%%^^%%%!!!!} (What is that buzzing sound, I can¡¯t hear anything he says!?) ¡°Are you listening?¡± the man looks at me directly, ¡°Umm, could you repeat that?¡± ¡°If you are tired, we can continue this conversation another time,¡± the chairman¡¯s eyes dart around nervously (I wonder what he asked me) ¡°No, we can continue, what was it you asked?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± the man sighs ¡°I realize now, I should have given you proper time to adjust to being out of prison and to this ring, before rushing you with such important questions. We shall have to reschedule this meeting, I am willing to answer anything you want to know, You should have the same mentality towards me as well¡± ¡°Who are exactly, I still haven¡¯t gotten an answer?¡± (More, I want to know more) ¡°Do you mean my name? I am chairman ¡®Adam Second¡¯, In my family tree I am the two hundredth and twenty-first man with that name, Our family name, ¡®Second¡¯ shows that we are the descendants of the first rulers of the Second ring,¡± ¡°Mr. Second?¡± (Name does not ring any bells) ¡°Well Kage, I hope we can continue this conversation when you are well rested, As long as you are on this ring, I will see to it that you are treated well, Any problem you have contact me and I shall fix it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± I don¡¯t reply instead nodding silently to the man (He seems suspiciously helpful to me) ¡°¡­¡­ ¡­¡­...Umm, Tasha!?¡± Mr. Second taps a device on his wrist, immediately summoning his assistant, ¡°Yes Mr. Second?¡± ¡°See to it that our guest is taken care of¡­.¡± Mr. Second leaves¡­ ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. Leaving Kage behind in the room the man hurriedly takes out his phone, The screen shows he was amidst an ongoing call the whole time... ¡°I think I rushed it, I got carried away and started asking them about, you know what,¡± {¡°Did they suspect you, Adam?¡±} ¡°I¡¯m not sure, they gave me a blank look when I asked, they may not trust me enough yet¡± {¡°Maybe we ought to bide our time with them a bit longer, Adam Take care of Kage, give whatever they ask for, But on the names of the dead gods, Do not let Vaughn know Kage is here yet¡±} Interlude to the First The second ring practices something called pseudo-freedom, us citizens are given the illusion of choice, when in reality we are almost always required to follow whatever is mandated by the authorities in power. For example if the government says going deep-sea diving is now outlawed against, everyone is expected to agree with this decision, without opposition or arguments, This isn¡¯t done by oppression or public propaganda by the government, quite the opposite however, if the government learns something new about the ring most likely the public will have access to this information, therein lies the illusion of freedom, The illusion of being in control. If I told you one hundred meaningless truths and then lied about the one that actually mattered, you would believe without question. Furthermore, it would mean that I was never being honest with you in the first place, I was merely setting you up to perfectly believe every single thing I say without a semblance of doubt. This is what I¡¯ve noticed during my extensive research into the UCA¡¯s governing body, They will tell us things like a new island being constructed or their latest invention, But what about the other ring¡¯s? What happened to the Liberty sates? All those islands disappearing, They said it was climate change, But was it really? #Messiahwillsaveus ¡ª ¡°I see that you are already fitting in as one of us,¡± a man taps my shoulder, taking my attention off the computer screen ¡°¡ªN¡­not that I¡¯m saying you don¡¯t have internet and computers in the North..¡± he stutters raising his brown arms defensively as if I¡¯d just attacked him, ¡°Which you are from¡­.I heard?¡± ¡°I, I er don¡¯t remember much about the North anyways,¡± I reply (Or even know if I¡¯m actually from there, The chairman seems to know something differently) ¡°Amnesia, must be awful¡± the young man goes to adjust his glasses only to realize there isn¡¯t any he just grabs his slightly snubbed nose embarrassingly, ¡°Umm, right so, Mr. Second informed me that I was to return your Tielium glove, But there are a few questions I have for you,¡± he once again tries to adjust his absent glasses, gesturing me to follow him to the other end of a quite messy room, which I think is a lab by all the junk and loose parts that are scattered on the floor as well as the number of burnt spots present on the walls and ground, Perhaps an indication of the many minor explosions that took place here¡­ ¡°Do you know how old this is, Mr. Kage?¡± the young man holds up my bo¡ªthe tielium device. ¡°Just Kage is fine, and I happened to find that in a desert, I had no prior knowledge of what it was Incidentally, there was also a message with it in an audio projector, I can¡¯t remember what it said now,¡± I half lie, ¡°¡­¡­. I forgot to formally introduce myself , I go by Metal Fingers or MF for short, And this is some really old tech, like at least sixty years old, almost a century, I can¡¯t believe you found this on the third ring!¡± Metal Fingers briefly forgets his purpose for bringing up the topic, now going off on a fanatical rant¡ª ¡ª¡°Damnnnnnn~ so those rumors are true after all, The mad man really did make it,¡± ¡°Are you talking about the person who left the message and bow where I found them?¡± I guess, trying to pull him out from his tangential wondering ¡°Who was he?¡± I ask ¡°He was the inventor of the first Tielium glove, this very one that you found If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.Honorable Dr. Alfonso Einstein,¡± MF says with admiration ¡°He was bit of a mad scientist, liked to participate in his experiments, but he pushed the boundaries of science itself, Tielium is proof of that! A material which has the durability of titanium, and texture of denim,¡± MF¡¯s excitement glows from behind his contact covered eyes, ¡°Even though I have been ordered to return this original protype to you Mr. Kage, as you are the one who ultimately recovered it, may I ask that you visit me again, I would like to inspect this some more,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but if this is the original version shouldn¡¯t you already know, how it works?¡± ¡°Exactly right, that should be the case!¡± MF prances around like and excited child ¡°Newer models can contain produce a substantial amount of foundation energy before needing to recharge, They also can transform into much more advanced weapons, However this one is a basic bow, and not only that but it does not use foundation energy, It¡¯s workings are so complicated now, that if it were to be damaged or taken apart there is no possible way to get it repaired!¡± ¡°That might be because it has the ability to channel magic,¡± I reply quite enjoying the man¡¯s technological ramblings His eyes open wide as if I¡¯d just got down on one knee and proposed, his crystal blue contacts ready to pop out behind his big brown inquisitive eyes.. ¡°M¡­magic? You mean the power of nature itself? Tha..that¡¯s impossible, oh, Dr. Einstein was more of a genius than I thought!¡± ¡°Is combing magic and technology impossible to do?¡± I press him on ¡°You have no idea, oh the gods must really be dead! For science and nature to mix, that is as taboo as it gets,¡± As quickly as he had gotten excited, Metal Fingers immediately thinks something, that makes his mood drop. ¡°I just realized that this means that no matter what I do, I will not be able to replicate, an art like this,¡± ¡°Art you say,¡± I begin to piece together things myself, ¡°Just like magic is considered art to the people of the first ring, creation, more specially creation in science and technology, is that your art?¡± ¡°That is correct, and that glove, that bow you obtained, was the requiem of Dr. Alfonso, It cannot be replicated,¡± (The bow was really a requiem after all, Wait till Apollo finds out he was right) ¡°Mr. umm, Fingers,¡± I start awkwardly ¡°That isn¡¯t my real name, only what people call me, as you can see I am really fond of my job as an engineer and scientist.¡± ¡°Well, Metal Fingers, I have become fond of you during this conversation, can we talk about engineering some more after this?¡± (This person might be useful to us) ¡°Of course, of course,¡± modestly coughs MF, he then hands me back the device, Which I take with a new found appreciation¡ª (Is appreciation the right word?) With a new found respect of the bow.. (That¡¯s not right either¡­.) ¡­.. ¡°If your memory ever does return Kage, you can tell me about the technology of the first ring? It surely must be leagues ahead of what we have.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Eh hem, Apologizes for umm, keeping you waiting for so long, umm, Mr. Kage,¡± Official Himari approaches me in the waiting are, She uncomfortably tries to be cordial¡­ Ever since I was released from prison the only places I¡¯ve been is the office of the chairman, which is a small building in between the lager government facilities, like the central science facility I am in right now.. After speaking with one of the leading engineers I have been waiting here to be officially ¡®cleared¡¯ and registered as a citizen of the Second ring. (I don¡¯t understand what being in a Science facility has to do with immigration, but I digress¡­) ¡­¡­. Himari looks at me coldly, quite obviously upset that me¡ªa criminal¡ªwas set free. ¡­¡­.. ¡°It didn¡¯t feel like a long wait, miss, I had time to acquaint myself with an engineer, and I also got back the bow you took from me,¡± I try sounding pleasant ¡°¡­.. You mental scan reports are done,¡± she ignores my attempt ¡°Scans show that you suffer from no sign of amnesia, D.I.D, A.D.H.D, N.P.D,BPD, Nothing that can prove that you weren¡¯t in control of your actions while off pirating¡­ So your excuse of ¡®not remembering¡¯ the previous year is still extremely suspicious,¡± ¡°Is that what you came to tell me?¡± I groan, ¡°No¡­ umm, I was given orders from the chairman to process you out of the system which I have done already.. I am just letting you know that I¡¯m still on to you pirate.¡± (So, she wasted my time.) ¡°When can I get off this beach?¡± ¡°Are you that desperate to get back to the north?¡± I sense a twang of disgusts in her tone, (I wonder why the people of the first ring are disliked) ¡°What is your problem with the North, official Himari?¡± I press ¡°I should ask you that question, pirate of the first ring.¡± She snaps back (Me?) ¡°Tell me pirate, what warrants your people to declare an unending war with us?¡± Beach House ¡°Ahhhhhckk! You¡¯re killing me! Put me down Apollo!¡± With one last squeeze Apollo releases me from his bear hug, ¡°Just when you came back, I thought I wasn¡¯t going to see you again, The law here is tight you know,¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I reply blankly, (I feel like he crushed what is left of my bones) ¡°We weren¡¯t even that close to begin with.¡± ¡­¡­ Apollo gives me playful shove, ¡°Stop acting all broody, I know we aren¡¯t best of friends, but I rather have you here alive than dead or worse,¡± ¡°Where is Lyra?¡± ¡°Huhm, so you are just going to ignore what I just said, ok Kage.¡± ¡°Your acting weird, were you always this bitchy Apollo?¡± I receive a non-playful shove this time, ¡°Darius died, Pinoki died, Karina died, I thought you died, and had to live here alone for months with lyra being disabled, I don¡¯t want to lose anyone again, but if I can¡¯t help it, at least you know there is somebody who will cry for you, I made up my mind to make my friends feel as loved as possible That includes you Kage regardless of how long we¡¯ve known each other.¡± (¡­¡­..) ¡°¡­¡­. Karina said she hopes you care for yourself as you do others¡± I bring up suddenly ¡°What when?¡± Apollo¡¯s eyebrows raises inquisitively ¡°After she died, I caught a glimpse of her memories, only it was one she wanted me to see, It seems like she always knew she would die sooner or later¡­ so she a wrote a letter for you all to say goodbye¡­¡¯ ¡°What else did she say about me,¡± solemnly asks Apollo, ¡°Wanting to be a hero isn¡¯t dumb¡ª Speaking of that, Apollo have you heard of a vigilante that¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªOk that¡¯s enough,¡± Apollo cuts me off uncomfortably (Why is he getting all flustered?) ¡°We have a lot of catching up to do Kage let¡¯s go home first then we can talk,¡± ¡°Home?¡­..¡± ¡­ **** ¡°Does she follow you everywhere?¡± I ask Apollo as we pull in front of a house, Though not big enough to be considered a mansion it is still considerably awing to gaze upon The comfy appearance of it contrasts with the meters of gray plastic roads we drove by on the way here, tucked neatly in a corner of the plastic beach It may probably be the only pace with the emptiest ¡®land¡¯ ¡°I told you she is supervisor Kage,¡± Apollo says stepping out the vehicle ¡°You don¡¯t need supervision,¡± I step out behind him Himari does not say anything instead speeding off in the sleek, black government sedan, the moment we exit ¡°At first I was against it, But I don¡¯t mind her anymore,¡± Apollo leads me to stairs at the side of the house, There is no entrance on the ground floor, instead a staircase that leads around the house to the flat rooftop (A bit too extra for my tastes If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.Not that I have any to begin with) ¡°Hmm, sounds like¡ª¡± I start but get cut off from the scenery on the roof, Though the general surroundings of the beach itself is an industrial gray What I gaze at isn¡¯t that¡­ (The ocean from here looks magnificent) The clear blue skies that opens up to the glorious sun which strips itself down and flashes us its golden rays that reflect off the sea giving it a magical look, (Maybe there is magic here after all,) ¡°Where are we on the plastic beach?¡± I turn to Apollo ¡°I believe this is the northwest corner of the beach, to the east of us is a UCA military base that I frequent, but for most my days I stay here preparing myself for the inevitable trip back home. This place was given to Lyra and me, She is rarely here though so it¡¯s just me, and sometimes my super¡ª¡± he stops himself from finishing, Following the young man across the rooftop gallery, we enter an elegant overhead corridor that overlooks the entire bottom floor, although you could consider that the only floor of the house¡­ The corridor circles the walls of the entire house, at the center back point the corridor converges into stairs leading to the main floor which is a massive room that stretches off to the other sections of the miniature mansion¡­. ¡°Where is Lyra?¡± I ask again taking a hold of the polished wooden rail walking down the carpeted staircase, ¡°Lyra also works with the government like me, though she prefers to distract herself more into the work than me¡­. She hates it here, this ring,¡± (There¡¯s something he isn¡¯t saying) ¡°Do you hate it too Apollo?¡± ¡°Not really, besides the whole technology thing, I don¡¯t think here is all that different to what my ¡®ring¡¯ was. Saying that still feels weird. I want to go back home though but, what if....¡± he trails off ¡°It has been a year, you don¡¯t know if Ginobelucci killed everyone,¡± I finish for him, Apollo nods, (Zinnia could very well be dead now, Claude, Amelia, everyone in sweepstake, the guild.) ¡°What if I do manage to struggle and find a way back, only to be met with more death, It isn¡¯t like I could jump back off the mountainside and swim back here, I got lucky the first time¡± Apollo continues ¡°Then what will you do till then, if not return?¡± ¡°Eventually I will go back, but.. for now, I just want to help as much people as possible, If what awaits me back there is death then I shall leave here with more lives saved¡­ Incidentally, supervisor Himari tells me, that time passes differently on each ring¡± ¡°Different as in faster?¡± ¡°Not really sure I think it¡¯s half,¡± Apollo replies guiding us to a moderately large kitchen, ¡°Half of what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know these things confuse me,¡± ¡°Hhhhhh¡± I sigh watching as he navigates to a fridge, ¡°Yet you know how to use a fridge properly.¡± ¡°What is there to learn? Open fridge, take out a food, eat, This might be the greatest invention of humanity,¡± Apollo withdraws a jar labeled FNG Peanut Butter and bread from a nearby cupboard ¡°Now let¡¯s talk,¡± he says making himself a sandwich, ¡°What else did you learn from prying into Karina¡¯s memories?¡± (Shouldn¡¯t I be the one asking questions?) ¡°You tell me, you were the one fucking her,¡± I retort semi-teasingly, ¡°Echh!¡± Apollo chokes on his sandwich, ¡°Fair play Kage, I take it you have seen a bit, But I starkly remember her saying that you slept together,¡± ¡°Ok, keyword is sleep, we slept next to each other I think she didn¡¯t like to sleep alone, Or maybe she just wanted to be near me¡­.¡± (Hmmm) ¡°Apollo, am I attractive?¡± ¡°Ecccchhhh!¡± Apollo chokes for the second time, ¡°I mean you do have a certain feminine aura about yo¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªNot looks idiot, I mean like do you feel drawn to me? Karina said she that¡¯s what she felt,¡± ¡°Hmmmmmm,¡± Apollo watches me for a long while thinking ¡°I guess so, there is something drawing about you, Ever since Lyra brought you, at first I thought you were one of Murdoc¡¯s people by how empty you looked, slowly I realized it wasn¡¯t emptiness it was depth, there are layers to you, and I think maybe it makes people want to be there to see them get uncovered,¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Thanks for kissing my ass Apollo,¡± I joke Instantly I receive a flying slice of bread across my face for that remark. ¡­¡­.. ¡°Another question Kage, why were you with those pirates for almost a year? I know what you got in jail for, and I don¡¯t want to believe it,¡± ¡°Would you believe if I told you I don¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°Hhhhh,¡± this time sighs Apollo, ¡°If you were anyone else¡­. I¡¯ll give you the benefit of the doubt Kage¡± ¡­¡­¡­. ¡° Are you just going to leave it at that!?¡± a voice barks at Apollo, ¡°Huh?¡± We both turn to the doorless entrance of the kitchen area A now familiar strict-looking young woman emerges from behind the white painted wall.. (I thought she left, how long was she listening to us?) ¡°You have stop doing that Himari~,¡± Apollo groans, ¡°I figured that the pirate would finally admit his crimes now, with his friend, How do you even feel comfortable around him Apollo, You know murder is one of the crimes he was jailed for?¡± Himari sates her reasoning ¡°Do you want a sandwich?¡± Apollo points a peanut-butter-covered-spoon in her face lazily, ¡°Stop taking your job so seriously,¡± ¡°You do realize I am in the business of keeping this ring safe, How serious should I not take it?¡± Himari does not even lay an eye on me while speaking, ¡°And I wasn¡¯t listening in on you, at first, I forgot to tell you something, so I came back, and happened to hear you two having a conversation,¡± ¡°Weirdo,¡± yawns Apollo He does not seem to take this woman seriously at all, ¡°So, what is it that you want?¡± The Chairmans Interlude ¡°The plastic beach is considered to be the largest artificial island known to man. It is always on the move and doubles as an instrument used to help keep the ocean¡¯s ecosystem secure as well as a place that houses humanity¡¯s peace keepers, the international police federation and the United countries military.¡± ¡°Could you also tell me about this war Ms. Tasha¡± ¡°Very well, Over a century ago a war was started between the first ring and this one, they have yet to state their intentions What they were given by the Gods is also unclear to us b¡ª ¡°¡ªExcuse¡± I interrupt, ¡°What do you mean given by the Gods?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I am permitted to go in depth on this¡± smiles the chairman¡¯s assistant, Tasha apologetically, ¡°Mr. Second said that anything I want to will be answered,¡± I pressure the woman on, ¡­¡­¡­ A day after settling into the beach house and I have already decided to revisit the peculiar chairman who seems to know more than he lets on¡­ (I¡¯ve gone without answers for too long, I¡¯m not waiting around anymore) ¡°It is part of the unspoken history,¡± Tasha concedes, beginning to divulge the information, ¡°Thousands of years ago when this ring was created, the very first humans started out with the power of science and technology, there was a never a point in history where something as basic as a light bulb was not present, Since the start of time we have always been with knowledge, and that is because of the Gods. There are three rings that makes up¡­ That much is also unclear to us.. We do know however that each ring was given was given their own power, or advancement by the Gods The third ring we know was given the power of nature, or magic they call it, We were given the power of knowledge, or advanced science, What the first ring has is a mystery to us,¡± ¡°Hmm, and is it true time also passes differently on each ring?¡¯ I quiz ¡°It is, we believe the third ring to be the largest of the three, so their time passes slower than ours, from the data we received from the mechanoid tank-bots sent over there, one year here is approximately six months over there, Because of this scientists have theorized that the first ring may be double that of our time¡­.¡± ¡°¡­..¡ª" ¡°¡ªAh, sorry I am late, I hope you have not waited long Kage You can leave for now Tasha¡± Mr. Second briskly strides into the office, for some reason he is wearing a queer mask around his nose and mouth, Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.An extremely pungent odor comes from him, Assistant Tasha quickly leaves us alone¡­ ¡°You have to excuse me, Kage, I came down with the cold today, I trust my daughter was able to feed your curiosity well? Now wat can I do for you?¡± ¡°What do you want from me?¡± getting straight to the point ¡°And do not speak in riddles, I want a direct answer Mr. Second,¡± (That smell is unbearable And why doesn¡¯t this man sit down? Him looking down at me like that makes me feel uneasy) ¡­¡­ ¡°Do you know that people from different rings have slightly different anatomies?¡± Mr. second speaks as if ignoring my previous declaration ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Here our physical attributes have really low low¡¯s and moderately good highs, The average person¡¯s life span is about ninety years, From the biological data we have on that girl, Lyra, The average person on the third ring is as strong as a man in his peak on this ring, Meaning that there must be hundreds of thousands of Olympic level people just casually living over there, Not only that but their life span may be over two hundred years, and that is with the time difference.¡± ¡°What exactly does this have to do with me?¡± (Didn¡¯t I just say not to speak in riddles?) ¡°Everything Kage, you are built differently from us, and the people of the third ring There is so much I can learn from you, So much humanity can learn from you, You are an asset to me, I do not want anything¡± ¡°Am I from the first ring then?¡± ¡°Do you know why we call it the North Kage?¡± (Why can¡¯t he just answer directly? What is that horrible scent coming off him!?)¡ª ¡ª¡°We don¡¯t call it that because it¡¯s actually located in the north, Just like a compass does not actually point to the geographical north, the first ring is not located to the north, The first ring is where everything we know points to Just like a compass that always points north.. They are the closest to the source, They are ahead of us all, the first cardinal direction¡­ The ones given the best power from the God¡¯s¡± ¡°Yes or no would be a simpler answer,¡± I say matter-of-factly, ¡°Why are you making things complicated for me, Mr. Second?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me questions you already know?¡± The chairman counters ¡°As a matter of fact, let me ask you a question, What do you consider to be art Kage? For us it is sci-tech, for the people of the third ring is the power of nature, and the first is¡ª ¡ªFigure out what you consider to be art, and your question of where you came from, may answer itself¡­ Till then, we have nothing to talk about,¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. As quickly as he had arrived he leaves, the weird scent going with him¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ (What do I see as art?) **** ¡°No good,¡± Mr. second tosses off his mask, speaking to a listener on the other end of a phone in pocket¡­.. {¡°They sound like a child don¡¯t you think Adam?¡±} ¡°Mhm, I agree Kage does appear to lack knowledge, and is quite inquisitive¡± {¡°Maybe they are feigning ignorance?¡±} ¡°I am not sure yet ,but that was the strongest knockout gas we have on this entire ring, Kage didn¡¯t even get slightly drowsy. Are you sure this form of experimentation of is better?¡± {¡°I would rather not antagonize Kage, they are unpredictable as is, and we may need them to help us with Satan, and inevitably Vaughn as well, For now this is all we can do,¡±} ¡°I can¡¯t wait till we find a way to get rid of the thorn that is the north,¡± Mr. Second Sighs {¡°They are allies who have helped our technological advancements a lot though Adam?¡±} ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that my lady,¡± {¡°Oh, you are referring to having to keep up the lie then?¡±} ¡°Correct, the farce that is the war in the first place¡± Himaris Verse Every morning Himari Nara awakes up at four thirty, Though not a religious person, Himari still pays her respects to the gods as well as her late father. The first thing Himari does is brush her teeth, after she would routinely exercise as follows:
  • Two minutes stretch warm ups, followed by four minutes of jumping jacks,
  • Four sets of twenty-five pushups, squats, leg lifts and pull pups
  • Two minutes of abdominal stretches, and a cobra stretch,
  • She would then end with a ninety second plank¡­.
After her vigorous workout Himari takes a shower before then eating breakfast, She believes this is the most efficient way to start one¡¯s day, you must not eat right before or after you brush your teeth, also eating before bathing is not as productive, in Himari¡¯s opinion¡­ (¡°What do I have today?¡±) thinks Himari checking her schedule, She is a woman that works multiple jobs within the government, Despite her young age of twenty-three, Himari has been appointed the supervisor of Apollo, who came from another ring, She does administrative work for the Aquarium prison, as well and also is a special agent operating directly under the UCA Chairman, There is another job Himari has recently adopted for almost a year now, but she keeps that one private as it is more a hobby¡­. Himari meticulously plans out her everyday activities leaving no minute to waste, she lives alone, although her mother wants her to stay with the family, Himari would rather not be distracted by her older siblings some of which have their own children, She grew up as the youngest of five so being alone is of no bother to her¡­. At the center of the beach is the residential district, it is where most government officials and officers, reside, Of the center district, Himari lives in apartment complex #7C it is close to a car park which is ideal for Himari that way she wastes less time from home to work Casually she usually dresses in baggy clothes, and for work she wears generic feminine business attires, After getting ready Himari quickly paces out of the complex. ¡°Good morning mis¡ª ¡° Every morning the building guard would try to greet the woman, but she walks so fast past him, he never gets a chance The guard has turned this into a little game for himself where he tries to finish that greeting, He never has to this day. ¡­.. Himari hops into her Hyperion-Delta model three, A car that is powered on foundation, the cleanest source of renewable energy on this ring¡­. The rear mufflers beams light instead of exhaust as the car takes off, Technology on the second ring has been able to develop cars with the ability to temporally soar in the air, though not to great heights it is still only development¡­. (The public does not have access to this feature yet) Himari swoops over the plastics streets and makes her way to her first task of day.. ¡­. Getting out of the car she approaches a large house at the northwest corner of the Plastic beach, Having a key she unlocks the rooftop door, entering down the corridor stairs to a wide living room that doubles as a branching pathway to every other room in the house. Knowing her way, Himari goes to a certain someone¡¯s bedroom¡­ ¡°Get up!¡± she pushes, ¡°Errrgh,¡± the person stirs, ¡°It is half past six Apollo, get up, we have a meeting today with Chief,¡± ¡°I was up all-night last night, give me one more hour,¡± ¡°So was I, don¡¯t act like it was just you last night,¡± ¡°Ugggh!¡± Apollo groans louder, ¡°I have to go to the prison holding to process more pirates, you better be up by the time I get to the briefing Apollo,¡± ¡°mfmsnds¡± Apollo mumbles something indiscernible under the sheets ¡°Where is the pirate you now live with?¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Kage isn¡¯t a criminal, and he already left to see the chairman,¡± ¡°I told you to keep an eye on him,¡± ¡°Look Kage is complicatauuughhh~¡ª¡± Apollo stops to yawn ¡°¡ªKage is complicated, but he isn¡¯t someone to go about thieving and murdering,¡± ¡°There is literal evidence oft, and don¡¯t you find it suspicious how all medicals records of him have been restricted by the chairman? The stab wound he got was never treated but is mysteriously gone now.¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of healing magic?¡± Apollo annoyedly sits up straight as the young lady¡¯s talks made him forget the dream he was having, ¡°Kage has magic like me and Lyra you know, he just does not have an elemental attribute, He could have innate healing or something, I¡¯ll teach about magic another time supervisor,¡± ¡°How come you suddenly turn into a scholar when it comes to matters of the third ring, but still struggle to learn our basics principles?¡± taunts Himari ¡°I spent most of my early childhood in a library¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªActually, I don¡¯t care anymore,¡± Himari checks her watch striding out, leaving Apollo now awake and frustrated¡­. **** ¡­¡­. ¡°Please stand in line and stop making noise,¡± Himari gestures for some officers to carry a prisoner away, Her job here is register all new inmates, or interrogate them if necessary, The law system on the second ring works differently as almost every place has cameras with facial recognition features, once a criminal is caught it is only a matter of processing to get them into prison, Most cases rarely would go to court¡­ Himari prefers to this as it helps with one of her other side jobs¡­ ¡°That messiah is getting on my nerves!¡± some gangsters grumble in the line, ¡°We managed to avoid the feds for so long, and he had to ruin it for us last night!¡±¡­.. Himari smiles secretly to herself upon hearing that. With nothing more to do at the moment she heads to her next destination¡­.. ¡­¡­. **** ¡°I changed them to be much more compact and quicker to use for you Himari, So when you form the pistols make sure to slide your thumb further down than usual,¡± Metal Fingers hands the woman her tielium controller (Glove-like device) ¡°I might need a regular gun with tielium bullets as well¡± Suggests Himari ¡°How come? those trapping bullets are really for police officers, you can set the foundation strength of your tielium guns to stun though,¡± MF counters ¡°Or you implanted that already Daniel? Then never mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s MF, come we¡¯ve known each other since high school Himari,¡± ¡°Yeah but that was first used as an insult towards I remember it correctly,¡± ¡°Yeah but I¡¯ve kinda taken ownership of the name, I like being called Metal Fingers now,¡± ¡°Mmm, well chat later,¡± checking her watch Himari abruptly ends the conversation making her way out of the science facility, She hops in her car driving only a few blocks up to the main government building, As she pulls up she notices Apollo who decided to sprint all the way there He isn¡¯t even fatigued in the slightest Secretly she envies the physical capabilities of the people from the third ring, ¡°You actually made it on time?¡± Himari sometimes forgets when she is sounding serious or commanding , She had originally meant to say this teasingly to Apollo, but it came out harshly, ¡°I literally ran? You need to learn to relax sometimes Himari, Not everyone can be as promptly as you are all the time,¡± ¡°Chief has a job for both of us today¡± Ignoring the statement from Apollo Himari briskly walks into the building, Inwardly she feels a bit ashamed¡­ ¡­¡­¡­. **** ¡°Yo¡­. Ya¡¯ll had lunch yet?¡± a dark-skinned dread headed man dressed in a military camo jumpsuit greets the pair as they enter briefing room, People are just returning from their lunch breaks at the moment.. The man who just greeted them is a former air force pilot, current military chief as well as well a special government operative, Kiefer Sosa, ¡°Not yet,¡± Apollo replies to the question regarding lunch ¡°Good then, sit down my daughter made me extra we can eat and talk,¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t very effic¡ª¡± Apollo gives his supervisor a frown, ¡°Whatever¡± Himari concedes, if it had been a few months ago she would not have accepted any form disrespect from Apollo, but she¡¯s gotten more comfortable with the young man from another ring recently.,.. ¡°You know for an eight-year-old my daughter is really good at cooking,¡± Chief Kiefer takes out a big bowl of fried rice, he then distributes in paper plates between the three, After he produces a bowl grilled of salmon, then another with coleslaw, as well as an assortment of sauces for them to choose¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡°mmm ~mmm Your daughter is really talented sir,¡± complements Apollo chowing down, ¡°Yuh,¡± the cheerful brown eyes of Chief Kiefer, twinkles at that remark ¡°So, about the mission chief,¡± Himari mentions softly, She tires her best to not sound to upfront or cold as to not upset the man, Himari quite enjoys the food herself; it has been a while since she¡¯s eaten a home cooked meal.. ¡°One of our foundation generators we had on Old York Island, was stolen,¡± Kiefer begins to divulge ¡°We have reason to believe it was the Poseidons who currently have been occupying the abandoned Roux island, Because it is surrounded by sharp rocks from all sides a sea approach is not possible¡± ¡°And we also can¡¯t afford to bomb them from above risking the generator explodes, Which gives the government a bad look publicly¡± Himari finishes for the man, ¡°Exactly, correct Ms. Nara. The higher up officials feels like this would be the perfect job for Apollo, of the third ring, to participate in, as he can go all out if he chooses so, without repercussions, Of course you, being his supervisor, will be there as well, along with another person, A more in-depth briefing will happen when you three are prepared, The operation will commence on¡ª¡± ¡°Is Lyra coming with us?¡± Apollo interrupts hearing the mention of a third person, ¡°Lyra rarely answers our calls and when she does it is to say she¡¯s busy already¡± Kiefer sighs ¡ªKnock-knock-knock The three¡¯s attention are diverted to a noise by the door.. ¡°That must be your other partner, Open it fool!¡± Kiefer barks some food flying out his mouth, ¡­¡­. The door opens cautiously, ¡°The chairman¡¯s assistant told me I was to come here¡­.¡± The person begins to speak something but their voice trails off noticing the three eating, More specifically the pair of Apollo and Himari ¡°You¡¯re here too?¡± ¡°Oh, its Kage,¡± Apollo nods approvingly, Himari the opposite¡­.. ¡°Why do we have to work with that pirate?¡± Rocky Waters Grrrrt! Grrrrt! ¡°Aiiyh! ¡° ¡°Aiiyeeh!¡± Echoes bounce off tall commercial buildings during the desolate night atmosphere, Some are screams and some are the sound of bullets firing¡­ A group of men are currently sprinting through the city streets. Further down the road in the direction they came from, a column of smoke builds, Blackening the already dark city, two trucks lay in a burning pile in the middle of the road¡ª ¡°¡ªHe¡¯s behind us run faster you bozo!¡± Grrrt! Grtt! The men shoot desperately at a masked figure chasing them determinedly, Bzzzt! Electricity surges from their pursuer as he steadily gains speed catching up to them¡­. ¡°Fuck you Messiah! You¡¯re not a fed you don¡¯t have to this! Our boss will fuck you u¡ª ¡ªUngh!¡± The masked man darts up and lands a solid uppercut to the man, Seeing this, his ¡®friends¡¯ take the opportunity spilt up and escape separately, Bzzzzt ¡°Unnng!¡± The messiah zips forward taking down a few more of the men in an instant, in doing so, some still manage to escape¡­ ¡­{¡°You didn¡¯t get all!¡±} A voice barks from the communicator in his ear ¡°Relax, I will catch them all soon, But check this out¡­.¡± Turing the wrist over from one of the unconscious men, the messiah takes a picture of a curious tattoo of two letters: MV ¡­¡­¡­¡­. ***** ¡°There are two major groups that run the lawless Caribbean line, The Poseidons, and The Neptunes . They have been at constant war with each other forever, Normally the government leaves them to kill each other out alone, but recently they¡¯ve both been operating out of their areas committing robberies here and there, they may have new leaders, or another goal entirely¡± Chief Kiefer tells us as we zoom through the nighttime clouds in a government jet¡ª ¡°¡ªAnd now they have stolen from us, forcing the government to take action correct?¡± Himari finishes as usual ¡°Correct, this mission has to be under wraps, the government can¡¯t look weak or with fault in the eyes of the public, so you three will be heading in as some of our most capable¡­ If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Well honestly¡± Kiefer drops his formal voice he had been using ¡°I feel like Himari alone and any group of officers can handle this, The only reason Apollo and Kage are here is because the higher ups want to see them in action, So play nice Himari I know how you feel about people form the North, as well as criminals But Kage is an asset to us,¡± (I am standing right here) ¡°I know when to put my mind over my emotions sir,¡± informs Himari arrogantly, ¡°I can work with, the pirate fine,¡± (Still calls me a pirate though) ¡°Ok, here is what is happening, we are far enough out of the range of Roux island¡¯s security system¡¯s signals, if we go any closer they will detect us, You three will have to swim from here, do not make contact until you have destroyed their transmission,¡± ¡°Affirmative¡± Himari nods, ¡°Apollo shall we?¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Calls chief Kiefer as the three stand over the open jet, jump bay, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the swimming equipme¡ª" ¡°Don¡¯t worry chief,¡± Apollo cuts him of assuredly ¡°I got this,¡± ¡­.. Vwwoohh! Apollo jumps out first and shouts: ¡°Darius!¡± On command the familiar sword of Apollo whisks through wind making its way to the young man As the sword reaches Apollo¡¯s hand, it immediately increases in size, Tossing it on the water Apollo lands seamlessly onto the large weapon. (Showing off for no reason) ¡°Hhhhh!¡± I take a deep breath preparing to jump down second, ¡°Don¡¯t bother Kage,¡± Apollo leaps up incredibly from all the way on the ocean into the sky, landing back into the jet (Definitely showing off) ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening Kage? I said, I got this,¡± Apollo takes Himari up and jumps back down on the sword before doing the same with me as well, ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Your magic has really improved since I last saw you use it, I didn¡¯t even know you could make this sword grow,¡± I compliment the man as we float on the sword towards our destination. ¡°Don¡¯t kiss my ass too much Kage,¡± smiles Apollo happy to get back at me from before, (Fair play) ¡°You pirate , what are your abilities?¡± Himari demands ¡°Umm, well, I used to have magic stones to use in my bow, but that isn¡¯t exactly available to me anymore, so I err will use regular arrows,¡± (Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have been requested to be here) ¡°Kage is being modest,¡± Apollo ruffles my hair, (If he does that again I will stab) ¡°Kage can keep his composure no matter the situation his critical thinking is some of the fastest I ever seen, he keep adapt to any situation, and I¡¯m pretty sure even though he does not have an attribute¡­ You can still use general magic right Kage?¡± (Can I?) ¡°General as in?¡± ¡°Healing, sealing, channeling, sound, That type of stuff,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, never tried,¡± (I don¡¯t think I can) ¡°Once he does not slow us down,¡± shrugs Himari ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Are the people of the first ring all like you or are you an outcast?¡± asks Himari to me, randomly, ¡°Kage is from the first ring?¡± Apollo queries surprised, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious Apollo,¡± Himari rolls her eyes ¡°You already know he is from the north,¡± ¡°The north is the same as the first ring? Damn, being here really makes me feel less knowledgeable than I used to be,¡± ¡°Why are you so obsessed with the north?¡± I stare directly into Himari¡¯s eyes, she immediately darts them away from mine, looking towards the sea as the sword moves smoothly over the churning sea ¡°I told you before Pirate, we are at war,¡± ¡°When at war one thinks logically not emotionally, You seem emotionally driven against me, Ms. Nara,¡± (I¡¯m so slick) ¡°Ok~¡± Himari coos, ¡°I see you¡¯ve been doing some research on me as well,¡± (I heard someone say her full name back in the government building, did not do any research on her whatsoever) ¡°Since you were the one that produced all that evidence against me in the first place I felt it only right that I get some background information on you,¡± I continue to fib ¡°That¡¯s another one!¡± Apollo suddenly burst out ¡°Another what?¡± ¡°Kage is also good at analyzing, that¡¯s another skill he has¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± (That¡¯s random) ¡°Ms. Nara, could you tell be more about this war, with the first ring?¡± I go back to pressing the lady ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± sighs Himari ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about, We still know nothing, your people, the north are ways ahead of us There intentions are unknown, When they attack it is always unexpected and always results in death, The reason you think I am ¡®emotionally invested¡¯ in this, is because my father was one of the persons who lost his life to your people, And we don¡¯t even know why¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Realizing she had overshared Himari goes quiet for a bit, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Bang-bang-bang! The bottom of the sword starts bumping on rocks protruding up from the sea below us as land comes into view, All talks between the three of us die out completely. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°We¡¯re almost there, Put on your helmets!¡± hisses Himari ¡°I trust you two remember the plan?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Apollo and I nod in agreement, ¡°Ok, then, Shall we commence?¡± The Love Below {¡°In recent news famous rapper known by his stage name ¡®Keychain¡¯ has reportedly told on his former gang affiliates in order to be let out of the aquarium on house arrest, the hip-hop community is¡±}¡ª ¡°¡ªTake dat off dawg, I now hear sumting.¡± Currently the island is being occupied by members of Poseidon, a ¡®group¡¯ of sorts¡­ A stolen foundation generator was pinpointed to be somewhere on this island, For what reason is yet to be known. Roux island a cliffy landmass located near the south sea, an unpopulated region of the second ring due to the spiky rocks that come up out of the ocean¡­ The barren island contains a singular mansion that can be seen from out at sea, the remainder of the island is filled with artificial trees and bushes These type of plastic plants are fairly common these days despite the fact that it is nearly impossible to grow real plants regularly, the aesthetic of nature has become quite a valuable commodity¡­ The plastic trees stand still barely reacting to the cool night¡¯s breeze as their shadows cast down onto the ground below, And within these shadows is where three figures silently move¡­. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°I nuh hearin nun U sure thy was not a bat?¡± ¡°When lass you hear bats out here? Dem ting prolly done gone extinct,¡± ¡°Ite nah, go ahead and doubt me, watch de news nah, See I ain warn yuh¡­¡± In the upstairs front gallery two armed men watch over the area surrounding the island¡­ ¡­.. ¡°Dawg you hearin dis on d news? D man snitch¡ª¡± one has his eyes glued to a tv screen, ¡°¡ªMeen care bout that, jed, we hava job to do stop fuqin playin arong¡± ¡°All we hadda do is watch u actin like issa big task,¡± the news watcher retorts ¡°Bredda if sumbody sneak pass we¡ª¡± Pheow! ¡ªAll lights in the mansion suddenly go off Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrt! ¡°Aye aye aye!¡± ¡°We hava intrudah!!¡± Shouts followed by gunfire come from below, The two men in the gallery look at each other dumbfoundedly¡­ ¡­.. ¡°See wah I tell yuh!¡± ¡°Lehwe go quick!¡± Picking up their arms the men rush into the lightless mansion¡­ ¡­¡­ **** ¡°We¡¯ve disabled their power, Kiefer sir, I need you to fly the jet closer so that we can immediately prepare for our exit once,¡± Pbzaat! Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Shoot! I¡¯m not getting a signal through yet, Seems like someone else is still intercepting our communications¡ª¡± Pezow! ¡°Ughn!¡± Forming a small gun in her right hand, Himari quickly disables an incoming foe, we both continue to stealthily navigate through the mansion ¡°RAghh!¡± ¡°Get him he hava sword we have guns!¡± Apollo as the diversion, is at the other end of the normally abandoned mansion, (By the sound of things, he is doing well) ¡°Do you want to use one of my blasters?¡± asks Himari looking disapprovingly at the bow in my hand ¡°That is not nearly as efficient for a job like this,¡± (I realized) ¡°This isn¡¯t a regular bow,¡± I reply indignantly (Still can¡¯t do anything special with it) Pezow! She fires another shot at an unexpecting man, The mansion is pitch black right now, if not for the built-in night vision into our helmets, we would be just as lost as the Poseidon members right now, (What exactly even is Poseidon?) Pezow! (No time to think about it now) ¡°So how do we find this generator?¡± I turn to Himari, She ignores me, moving swiftly- but cautiously, through the dark interior, Besides the bullets and yells from the other side of the mansion the only other sound is our footsteps, Instead of tapping the ground normally, each step makes the ground echo weirdly¡­ ¡°Psszt!¡± I poke Himari¡ª ¡­!! ¡ªShe spins around at once and points one of her blasters in my face, ¡°Listen, to our footsteps¡± I slap her hand out the way, ¡°There is something below, and not just another room Do you hear the hollowness? It¡¯s most likely a wide enclosure of sorts,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ My helmet¡¯s heat sensors isn¡¯t picking anything up¡± informs Himari peering at the ground, ¡°Either way we will eventually have to search this whole place¡­¡­" ¡­¡­.. ¡°Aye thy two ah dem!¡± ¡°Shhhh! Doh let dem hear yuh, Gimme d bazooka, Boi ago die tonight!¡± Click! ¡­.!? (What was that sound just now? A gun?) !!!!! ¡°Himari move!¡ª¡± Shove! ¡ªD0000M! ¡°I mange to get us both out of the way as mini rocket shatters a wall which we just stood in front. ¡°Where are they!?¡± Himari immediately springs back up ¡°The balcony up there, I think the shot came from there!¡± I point ¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Oh gosh man! Dey not dead dawg!¡± ¡°Aye-aye watch out hoarse!!¡± Peywum! Peywum! Peywum! Peywum! Peywum! Peywum! Karina lets a wave of energy shots up at the second-floor balcony ¡°Nah thy foundation weapons dawg We hadda get out ah here!¡± ¡°We have a frickin¡¯ rocket an you wah run!?¡± ¡°In case u neva notice d rest ah dem fellas not here, dey either dead or run And I looking tuh run too!¡± ¡°But wah bout the Holy¡ª!¡± ¡ªPWEYUM!! {¡°This is Chief Kiefer have you secured it yet!?¡±} Himari brings her hands together forming her two individual blasters into a slim cannon. While two voices were busy debating whether to stay or run, the government agent fires a devastating blast that drops the second-floor balcony to the first. (Maybe I should put away my bow) ¡­¡­. Almost on que the voice of chief Kiefer speaks into our communicators, ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. {¡°This is Chief Kiefer have you secured it yet!?¡±} ¡°Not yet chief, we are rounding up the Poseidon members right now,¡± {¡°That isn¡¯t priority Agent Nara, the higher-ups specifically said to secure the generator and get out,¡±} ¡°But we still have to detain the criminals sir,¡± {¡°Afraid that isn¡¯t the objective¡±} sighs Kiefer ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°You!¡± I aim my bow at one of the men caught in rubble of the second floor, ¡°Where is the¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªPffft!¡± a man crushed in rubble tries to force a laugh ¡°You really come here with ah bow dawg? I woulda be clowning you rell bad if wasn¡¯t in pain right now¡± ¡°Big man woulda be better off coming with a frying pan and done¡± his companion adds ¡°Is like dem letting anybody in d police nowadays,¡± ¡°Start talking now!¡± Himari pushes Infront of me, (I don¡¯t know if I should feel offended or thankful) Even with the helmet on, I feel like I can see Himari¡¯s visible frustration on not being permitted to arrest these ¡®criminals¡¯ (Why would the government not want to detain the people that stole from them?) ¡°It not here anymore yuh too late!¡± spits one of the men defensively, ¡°It¡¯s still here,¡± from the other side of the mansion Apollo marches in, He barely has any scratches on him (I feel sorry for all those men he fought) ¡°Once I started pummeling, people started talking, They didn¡¯t say exactly but it appears they are building something with it¡± ¡°Building what?!¡± Himari turns back to the men on the ground Churrrrrn! ¡°I now already say, Yuh done too late,¡± the Poseidon member smirks, (Obviously bluffing) Churrrrrn! (What is that churning all of a sudden?) ¡°Chief Kiefer!¡± I press into my communicator, ¡°Do you see any approaching ships?¡± {¡°Negative, The perimeter is secure¡±} Churrrnn! The ground vibrates a little (The floor) ¡°Apollo, Himari below us!¡± Holy Diver ¡°It¡¯s a cave!¡± exclaims Apollo questioningly,The three of us peer down into the abyss beneath the mansion Plop! Himari throws some rocks down and a resounding splash comes back up, ¡°There¡¯s water there, Apollo drop your sword in we can ride it,¡± ¡°Ride de sword she say?¡± Behind us the two immobile Poseidon members mumble with each other, (No use asking them anything) ¡°We will find out ourselves¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. Dropping down to Apollo¡¯s sword below, we land in what seems to be a naturally formed cavern, the walls are grey and rugged with random pieces of stone jutting out, Bats fly around annoyedly at their night being disrupted. ¡­. The sword flows steadily on the grey stream, Himari keeps her eyes peeled on very little detail we come across¡­ ¡°It appears this mansion must have originally built over this cave,¡± She surmises ¡°How Poseidon found out about this, I have no clue,¡± ¡°Maybe they know the owner,¡± Apollo suggests ¡°Yeah, who is the real owner¡­?¡± I ponder, ¡°I have a few hunches,¡± Himari replies and leaves it that ¡­. Slowly the stream level lowers the further we flow,Rocky ground starts to appear at the sides near the equally rocky walls, ¡°Look there¡¯s some boats up ahead,¡± Apollo points out the plastic rowboats moored near a walkable part of the cavern, ¡°That must be where they are hiding¡± Himari hops off the sword as soon as we get close enough to the boats, Apollo and I follow behind. Traversing the linear pathway, we begin to come across many stacks of broken and rusted tools and parts piled near the side of the walls. (Seems this was used as an engineering lab) Churrrnrnn ~ The rumble of an engine sounds as we get closer¡­ ¡­.. ¡°It¡¯s not working!No matter what we try!¡± ¡°Well, yuh hadda hurry up hoarseDem men get attack upstairs,¡± ¡°Relax, this is complicated, I can¡¯t rush it,¡± ¡°Complicated? I thought you learn mechanical engineering homie?¡± ¡°Do they teach how to handle foundation energy in mechanical engineering!?¡± ¡°¡±I dunno you tell me dawggy¡± ¡°If we die tonight I blame you.¡± ¡°And uze d science man?Best you keep working and cut d small talk¡± ¡­¡­¡­ The three of us silently approach a peculiar craft docked in the water, It¡¯s shaped like a torpedo with wings that curve inwards towards its tip. (Is this some kind of weapon?) ¡°Are they building a weapon?¡± Apollo reads my mind, ¡°They haven¡¯t spotted us yet; we can take them out quickly!¡± whispers Himari ¡°Pirate, what else can you make from you Tielium?¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What else can I make?¡± ¡°I mean besides the bow,Tielium can take up other formsI can make the two pistol blasters with mine, if I want I can make them into a bigger more compact blaster-rifles for heavier shots, and I can also combine them to make a short canon for big blasts,Surely you can do more than a bow and arrow?¡± ¡°¡­Err I don¡¯t think I got that update,¡± (¡­¡­) ¡°Can¡¯t¡¯ you use your magic in the bow Kage?¡¯ Apollo suggests ¡°I don¡¯t have an attribute it would be an arrow coated in nothing,Although, back there on that mountain, I was able to channel Karina¡¯s magic¡­..¡± (Karina looked so drained after that maybe I shouldn¡¯t suggest the same to Apollo) ¡°Alright lets¡ª" ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t bother again,¡± Himari impatiently leaps ahead of us gunning straight towards the small group of about four men working on the ¡®weapon¡¯ Pezow! Pressing her hand down to the floor Himari fires a blast strong enough to propel herself into the air, using the momentum she front flips forward landing on her feet gracefully, right in front of the surprised ¡®gangsters¡¯ Pezow! Setting her blasters to stun she fires one blast taking out the first foe, ¡°Hey¡ª" Pezow! Second one down ¡°Why was I needed here again?¡± I turn to Apollo, (Both of them could have handled this just fine without me) ¡°Higher ups wanted to see you inaction I guess,¡± Apollo shrugs, (Guess they won¡¯t be impressed) ¡°You do know our helmets record everything we do¡­.So are going to help Himari, orr keep talking here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the officer not me,¡± this time it¡¯s my turn to shrug ¡­¡­ **** ¡°Yo-yo-yo!I¡¯m unarmed!¡± opposed to the other plainly and roughly dressed Poseidon members, a man dressed in overalls with big red goggles strapped on to his equally big brown eyes, raises his hands in submission as Himari just ran through the rest of his comrades ¡°Where is the generator!?¡± she demands holding him by the collar ¡°We already built it in to the diver,¡± he feebly points ¡°What is that!?A terrorist weapon?¡± ¡°What?No, it¡¯s a protype submarine-airship, it¡¯s been here years we acquired the generator to repair it.¡± ¡°This is a ship?¡± I curiously query ¡°Have you ever heard of the Holy Diver?The first love of the scientist named¡ª¡± {¡°¡ªAgent Nara, Apollo and Kage of the first,This is Official Stanton, and your mission will be considered complete once you seize the ship and bring it back to the plastic beach.¡±} ¡°Official Stanton?I thought Chief Kiefer¡¯s was in our comms?¡± Apollo looks puzzled ¡°I thought that too,¡± Himari grits her teeth, (Was this ¡®Stanton watching us this whole time?) ¡°What is the purpose of you wanting to repair this?¡± Himari continues to interrogate the Poseidon engineer ¡°It¡¯s old technology, at least fifty years, it¡¯s been kept here all these years,¡± he replies vaguely ¡°That was not my question,¡± the woman presses harder ¡°O..only two of these were ever made the first was unfinished and the second though completed ran on an unrefined version of foundation¡­With the new foundation energy that the government keeps hiding all to their selfWe can finally complete it,¡± the man babbles still avoiding the original question ¡°Have you?¡± I ask ¡°No, so far it can travel like a regular boat, but air or undersea travel is still not possible,¡± ¡°How did you find out about this?¡± {¡°This is official Stanton speaking to you once more, the objective of this mission is to acquire our property and leave,¡±} (This guy is starting to annoy me) ¡°We have our methods,¡± the man smirks, Apollo shuffles about slightly at that statement, (Does he know something?) ¡°Our job is to re-obtain the stolen government property,¡± Himari sighs admittedly as if she is trying to convince herself of that ¡°Since you already built it into this craft,This now belongs to the UCA government,As for your crimes,I am not at liberty to arrest any of you now, Just know that your dues will come in time.¡± I can somehow feel the frustration in the young woman¡¯s voce The Poseidon engineer scurries away leaving his other disabled allies behind, as he realizes we won¡¯t be taking him in, ¡­¡­¡­ (The holy diver huh) The craft is not even that large, the size of a helicopter maybe, From afar it looks like a large torpedo due to its pointed nose, Although it does have queer wings that curve inward towards said nose¡­ ¡­.. ¡°This really is a prototype,¡± I mumble as we step into its interior, which is basically an empty enclosure of wires and exposed parts, no seats have been added nor is there insulation or sealing, only a control panel up front to steer the craft¡­ (That guy said this was fifty-year-old technology) Churrnn ~ ¡°At least they were able to make it drive,¡± Himari comments setting the ship into motion, ¡°We can ride this back to the plastic beach, after that our mission will be complete, I will see to the briefing you two can go to your designated area of stay,¡± Himari informs still sounding a bit sour ¡°Will anyone be giving me a briefing as to what this Holy Diver is?¡± I question ¡°Seeing as you two aren¡¯t from this ring, you wouldn¡¯t have known this,The Holy Diver is an urban legend of sorts,¡± Chuurrrrmrmm The ship rumbles beginning to move ¡°An urban legend?¡± ¡°Some people don¡¯t think it actually exists,Judging from where we found this I gather that the owner of the mansion,No, of this entire island,Is probably that mad scientist,Alfonso Einstein I think his name is.¡± Atonal ¡°Years ago, Dr. Einstein built a protype ship he called the holy diver and then it¡¯s finished version the Diver Two, it was to be used to travel across the void sea, and endless cyclone respectively. However the government wanted to assign special operatives to go the first ring, whereas Dr. Alfonso wanted to go himself, The day of the expected trip he took the prototype bow , along with some of his assistants, and they used the Diver Two to go to the third ring, Not much is known after¡± ¡°From the audio projectors I¡¯ve encountered back there, he was the only survivor, of that trip¡± I mutter to MF ¡°I¡¯m just happy that after all these years the prototype was still intact,¡± Metal fingers sighs happily ¡°Even though I can¡¯t replicate your bow, I am certain I¡¯ll figure out how the Holy Diver, works¡± (Strange the government just didn¡¯t know where it was for half a century) ¡°Speaking of that, MF, Himari said Tielium can take more than one form, so far I¡¯ve only had this bow, I was hoping that I could get another weapon instead?.¡± ¡°Hmm, well if you don¡¯t have other design schematics programmed in it, obviously it won¡¯t have any other form for you to use¡­ Maybe I can try to add something for you, but that is some old tech,¡± MF crosses his legs thinkingly ¡°I felt kind of useless in that mission,¡± I say detaching the glove from hand, giving it to MF ¡°I mean Himari usually makes people feel like that it probably wasn¡¯t you,¡± taking the glove-like device MF connects it to the interface of his computer, beginning to run a diagnostic scan ¡°Are you well acquainted with that officer? She comes across as one dimensional to me,¡± I comment taking a seat behind his cluttered lab table ¡°We were in the same school, I wouldn¡¯t say she is one dimensional, just unshakably determined, and a bit of a workaholic, Himari is one of the youngest ever people to quickly achieve the position she has in the government¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°What about you, didn¡¯t you say you went to school with her, you¡¯re working here too?¡± ¡°My situation is a bit different, Karina got in here because she spent all her time since she was like six or seven studying to be here,¡± ¡°That young?¡± ¡°Mhm, after losing her father to the North she became obsessed with justice, She¡¯s never let that drive go ever since, Himari has deep disdain for criminals,¡± ¡°I can tell..¡± ¡°I got my job here despite my age because I didn¡¯t have friends growing up, all my friends were old computer parts, cars. and books on engineering, Man I used to take apart the schools fire alarms and make them into music players,¡± ¡°At fourteen I got a bunch of scholarships, so I ended up skipping the rest of high school, Got this job at eighteen and promoted to my current position four years later¡± ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t know I was standing across from a genius,¡± ¡°Nah our science is probably nothing compared to what you have in the first ring, right?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± not knowing what to say I simply shrug.. ¡­.. ¡°So,¡­ I may be able to add some schematics to this, not any newer guns though, but that depends on you, What¡¯s your art Kage?¡± ¡°My art?¡± (This question keeps finding its way back to me) ¡°What you see as art is what the Tielium can best transform for you, It¡¯s basically a prerequisite of owning one,¡± ¡°I thought the tielium gloves were just for weapons?¡± ¡°Those ones are only for government and military use, regular citizen can create one thing that best represents their inner self, their art,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What is yours then?¡± I ask him ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s a usually a personal question to ask Kage, I don¡¯t mind, but I don¡¯t advise going around asking others, For me, when I wear the tielium I can make them into, ironically, gloves, The ones I make are different though it¡¯s like wearing electromagnetic screwdrivers, Any tech. I touch I can take apart in seconds,¡± ¡­. ¡­(What do I want to create?)¡­. ¡­¡­ **** ¡°Here is what we have assessed, Mr. Second, After reviewing the audio-footage of the Roux island mission, Kage appears to not be as much a powerhouse as Apollo or Lyra, though his mental capability is high and his emotional state remains consistently leveled at every point,¡± ¡°So, they did not react in any way strange upon seeing the Diver?¡± ¡°No sir Chief Kiefer was ready to detain him with as much force needed if he did act out,¡± ¡°Hmmm It appears that Kage really must not know anything,¡± Mr. second mumbles to himself, ¡°And what of the Caribbean people Stanton?¡± he asks ¡°We let them go, as usual, I fear our interference in their business may either upset Satan, or the one they call Fairy, Mr. Second Sir¡± ¡°I will have Satan dealt with soon, he is also upsetting our higher, more important affairs, As for the other one, we will¡­ Hmmm¡­..¡± Mr. Second pauses and thinks for a minute ¡°Call that girl Lyra in, I think maybe she can help us.¡± Dirty Town ¡°Found it! I¡¯m surprised it was actually here,¡± I exclaim digging into a pile of dirty clothes and loose ammo, ¡­¡­. ¡°That was the quiver Lyra bought for you?¡± Apollo identifies the object I reveal ¡°Mhm,¡± I nod strapping the magic item back to side of my leg, It¡¯s been two days since the Roux island mission, After pestering Himari for a bit, we were given clearance to go search the impounded seacraft of the trench pirates, I first awoke on this ring in¡­ (I could have asked the chairman to allow me, but I don¡¯t like talking to him) ¡°I don¡¯t really think I¡¯ll be using this quiver much but it¡¯s one of the few things I have that was gifted to me,¡± I comment, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Apollo nods distractedly looking around the pirate ship ¡°¡­ You know I believed you when you said it wasn¡¯t you who committed those crimes with the pirates, I can¡¯t ignore all the evidence of you psychically being there, I mean this is your room on their ship, What were you up to for this past year when we were apart?¡± (What was I up to?) ¡°Honestly¡­. ¡­¡­ Nothing¡­ Gray emptiness, a silent void That is all remember, time didn¡¯t pass for me, One moment Karina was dying in front of me, The next was nothing I couldn¡¯t see anything, hear anything, not even feel anything. Then suddenly I was thrust back into consciousness, waking up in this very room. It was all so bizarre¡± (Might as well be semi-honest with him) Apollo shuffles about a bit nervously unsure what to say to me, ¡°You sure are complicated Kage,¡± he eventually gives up trying to figure what to say, instead wrapping his arm around my shoulder ruffling my hair, (Not again) Umph! ¡°Aww! What the hell Kage!?" Apollo pulls back from me as I¡¯d just headbutted his jaw ¡°Don¡¯t ruffle my head as if I were a child, that is annoying¡± ¡°Ok, bet¡± smiles Apollo slyly rubbing his jaw ¡°You do realize that it is just me and you here~¡± (I have to get out of here) Pushing the sturdy man, I dart for the door, but Apollo is already on my heels, Vwhip! I fire a sharp arrow behind at me, He easily whacks it away with the back of his hand ¡°You¡¯re not getting away Kage!¡± Sings Apollo ¡°You need to behave, act your age!¡± I yell back, The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°No chance!¡± (I¡¯m finished) ¡­¡­.. **** One of the larger more densely populated islands of the second ring, it is considered to be one of the main hub islands of the ring. The musty feeling wind brushes past my face as I peer out the window of the car I¡¯m in, Along the road ahead is what seems like an endless amount of traffic¡­ (Maybe I have been on the ocean for too long, but this place is horrible) Gray buildings, gray roads, gray dull skies covered by industrial gases, crowds of people moving along, whom to me looks like a grey blur, Even Sweepstake city, a crowded city of the first ring, was nowhere near as lifeless as this heap. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost¡± comments Apollo looking back at me from the front where he sits next to the driver, Himari ¡°Where is the life in this city?¡± I ask disgustingly, ¡°Are you looking for your next victim?¡± Himari suddenly retorts (Was that meant to be a joke?) ¡°This is how most islands are on this ring,¡± tells Apollo disregarding the tasteless remark of his supervisor ¡°This ring is technology focused what do you expect, There aren¡¯t fields of grass or any free space anywhere like our¡ªwell my and Lyra¡¯s ring, Even if you do find a park it will just be filled with plastic grass,¡± ¡°This is my ring, so don¡¯t think I¡¯ll sit here and listen to you two bury it,¡± declares Himari watching straight at the road ¡°Look, supervisor,¡± Apollo speaks in a softer tone, ¡°I know you are used to this, but I¡¯m telling you, if you experience walking through vast stretches of just pure trees, feeling the breeze, nature itself singing, You will never look back, On the third ring we live in tune with nature not against her,¡± ¡°That sounds awful,¡± mutters Himari ¡°Do you know how many diseases you can catch from being out in the wild?¡± ¡°Not on our ring, if nature starts spreading diseases it means you have been harming her, A virus cannot simply spawn from nothing, On your ring there is constant poison going into the earth, It is only natural that she would try to poison you back¡± ¡°I guess that is true to a degree¡­ But look at the skyscrapers, people living safely, happily, and as easy as possible because of the fruits of science, What more could a person ask of the earth, if not to have a place to live safely? I guarantee that if we left nature alone, it would just overgrow and take over what we have as well, Apollo¡± ¡°I have to take you to the first ring before it¡¯s too late Himari, You do not know what you are missing out on, And as someone who has spent ten years living in a void beneath a city I know what it means, to be disaccustomed to nature¡¯s art, Do not worry however supervisor, I will save you from this one day,¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind that actually..¡± Himari says under her breath ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Are you two fucking?¡± I ask randomly causing Himari to let her hand off the wheel for a second or two, ¡°Unprofessional,¡± she mumbles driving onward silently, ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that you come over to the beach house every night and go out with Apollo, Who comes back after midnight and then sleeps till ten or eleven the next morning¡± I continue ¡°How do you even notice all of that?¡± Apollo scratches his head ¡°I don¡¯t sleep,¡± (Last time I lost consciousness for a long period of time I woke up a year later) ¡°What do you be doing then?¡± Apollo using this as a good way to switch the topic ¡°I¡¯ve been spending my time trying to gain as much information as possible, as well as trying to develop what I can call my art¡± ¡°Have you made any progress?¡± ¡°Something of the sort,¡± (I got a new schematic into my glove besides the bow, that is all) ¡°Stop being cryptic Kage, I have enough mysteries in my life,¡± ¡°You do realize you are talking to me? I infinitely have more mysteries to deal with than you,¡± ¡°I never got to find out about my parents,¡± begins Apollo counting his fingers ¡°I still haven¡¯t figured out Darius; requiem.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why Giichi sir said we looked related,¡ª" ¡°¡ªYou are related to this pirate?¡± Himari cuts him off, ¡°No, one hundred percent no, but I¡¯d still like to know why that old man thought that¡± Apollo disputes ¡°It was something to do with your father, and that counts as a mystery for me as well¡± I put in ¡°Hey Himari, do you know that I am technically a king back in my home kingdom,¡± Apollo says somewhat arrogantly ¡°Ok.¡± She replies dryly The conversation fizzles put after this ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡­.. (Awkward as hell) ¡°Eh hem, so where are going actually?¡± I turn my face back to the awful view of buildings and people, ¡°To get your friend, she hasn¡¯t been in contact with us for a few weeks now,¡± answers Himari (Friend? Does she mean¡­.) ¡°Are we going to get Lyra?¡± Say You Will Bang-bang-bang! ¡°What! Don¡¯t fucking bother me with your ads, I said I¡¯m not buying¡ª" ¡°¡ªLyra. This Himari, Apollo¡¯s supervisor!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Is Apollo with you!?¡± a familiar voice shouts back from behind a hotel door ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You better not be lying,¡± ¡°So this is where Lyra has been staying¡± I comment looking around at the well lit corridor of many other room doors Amidst the packed city of Old York, we arrived at one of the many And when I say many, I mean a lot, We had driven through several streets of all identically looking apartment complexes (I have no idea how Himari could even tell them apart)¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°I thought you both stayed at the beach house Apollo?¡± I turn to the young man questioningly ¡°I did too,¡± he looks as surprised as I (What has Lyra been up too?) ¡­¡­.. ¡°¡ªSwear if you¡¯re lying about Apollo,¡± the door slides open revealing the Lyra¡¯s tired face, Her eyes are circled with dark rings and bags as they dart around to us three standing at the door, ¡°What the fuck is he doing here?¡± she notices me and attempts the shut the door but Apollo blocks it open, ¡°Where have you been?¡ª¡± he shoves his way into the small but comfy room, Lyra wearing pajamas right now, has her clothes carelessly scattered about on the floor, an assortment of snacks are littered on the nearby bed where an open laptop sits, some music faintly playing from it.... ¡­. ¡°¡ªI have been busy taking care of stuff, Apollo,¡± Lyra replies coldly ¡°You have been avoiding calls from chief Kiefer to come in¡± Himari speaks up, ¡°So? I don¡¯t understand how to use your technology anyways,¡± fibs Lyra passing a hand through her untidy kept, pale blue hair ¡°There is an open laptop right there,¡± points then Himari ¡°Hhhhh You only call me to help with your dumb missions and stupid training exercises, I don¡¯t work for you, and if you say it¡¯s because I owe your government for helping me walk again, then fuck you because your stupid technology was the reason I couldn¡¯t, to begin with¡± ¡°.. Just say that you will check in tomorrow,¡± Himari already sounds exasperated by just speaking to Lyra briefly ¡­¡­.. ¡°Nuh uh uh! Not you Kage Don¡¯t you take a step inside!¡± Lyra turns snapping at me as I¡¯d begun to enter her apartment (What did I do?) Hey, hey, hey, hey? ¡°Why are you being harsh to Kage? I thought you were sad when you thought he was dead?¡± asks Apollo ¡°Ha! Ask Kage if he¡¯s sad that I¡¯m alive!¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°What are you talking about?¨C¡± ¡°¨CLook,¡± interrupts Himari sounding fed up now.. ¡°I am here on¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªShut the fuck up, I¡¯ll check in tomorrow!¡± Lyra barks at her Don¡¯t say you will? ¡°¡­¡­ Very well¡­¡± clearly taken aback by the hot tempered girl, Himari uncomfortably exits the room (She looks ready to square up with Lyra herself¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have to act like that Lyra¡± Apollo lectures ¡°I know, I know,¡± sighs Lyra ¡°But seeing Kate here really soured my mood¡± ¡°Again, what did I do to you!? I thought you would be happy to see me?¡± One day you will? ¡°Pffft! That¡¯s funny! We met before here already Kage, I had nothing to say to you then same as now,¡± ¡°We did?¡± ¡°In prison, I beat the shit out of you,¡± Lyra smiles tauntingly (That was her, the guard?) ¡°The first time we meet since that mountain and that is how you treated me?¡± I leer ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me, Kage! You know what did back then!¡± she leers back As our two voices get louder Apollo backs away and raises the volume of the music playing from Lyra¡¯s laptop I pray you will? ¡­.. ¡°I tried to save us? I couldn¡¯t save Karina? What is it, that you suddenly don¡¯t like!?¡± raising my voice (Why is Lyra making me act up?) ¡°I¡¯m done talking.¡± The girl takes a deep breath and darts forward swinging at me with enough force to take off my head I dodge back quickly, slip behind her into a front choke When I grab your neck, I touch your soul? ¡°Calm down Lyra, tell me what you are mad about we don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡ªUmph! She knocks her head back so into my nose, ¡°Awgh!¡± I release her in pain as blood starts gushing from my broken now nose Punch! Lyra follows up with a straight right jab Gasping for air I still manage to duck below, ramming by shoulder into her knees, as Lyra falls to the floor I scramble on top of her placing her in a rare naked choke. Take off your cool, then lose control? Lyra tries her headbutt tactic again but I press my head close to hers, blocking any space to create any force for the attack Lyra immediately tires to roll over, anticipating that I wrap my legs around her ribs tightening my grip to restrict her movements ¡­¡­ Apollo sits on the bed munching on Lyra¡¯s snacks¡­ Hey, hey, hey, hey? ¡°Lyra stop, you have to tell me what happened¡± I speak directly into her ear ¡°Say you will calm down and I¡¯ll let you go.¡± ¡°Mnnnggh!¡± Lyra still struggles to get free Don¡¯t say you will? ¡°Say you will Lyra Say you will!¡± ¡°Let me go!¡± her voice comes out watery, as tears begin to flow out her eyes ¡°Its you, its your fault you!¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± I slowly start releasing my grip ¡°You, when Apollo fell, and Karina¡¯s body was just right there bleeding out I couldn¡¯t move, I was in so much pain, All I had was you, there in that moment Kage it was just you and I You took me by the throat and dropped me, tossed me off the mountain to die!¡± You will, you will? ¡­.. ¡°Huh!?¡± Apollo exclaims going from spectating to involved in an instant He opens his mouth to speak but stops himself, nodding to me Apollo decides to let me explain first¡­ ¡°I did that to you Lyra?¡± I look back at Apollo just as puzzled ¡°Don¡¯t play me with Kage¡± Lyra now fully crying ¡°When I remained frozen and floating for months in that sea all I did was replay that moment In my mind, over and over.¡± Hey, hey, hey, hey? ¡°Karina just died in front of us and at the time I thought Apollo did too, and here you were planning to finish me off as well I was just trying to tell you¡­¡­¡± Lyra¡¯s voice trails off by her heavy breaths and bubbly annunciation, she struggles to keep her tears at bay (I don¡¯t know how to feel about this right now) ¡°If what you say is true¡­.¡± I start, no words come to mind¡­.. All I can really do is watch her cry I¡ª ¡ª(¡°Just this once Kage, I will you feel it¡±) Like a floodgate being opened for the first time, everything, No, one thing alone gushes in. How Lyra felt, I started feeling. Drip Sorrow Drip Anger Two drops of tears roll of my cheeks falling to the floor, More soon follow I don¡¯t think I ever cried before. (Are these my emotions?) ¡°Ly!¡ª" I can¡¯t even contain myself the moment I speak more tears burst out uncontrollably (Is this what feeling only one emotion is like?) Apollo drops, hugging us both silently like an older brother, He doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening but tries his best to¡­. (To what?) ¡°Why he fuck are you crying,¡± Lyra wipes her tears ¡°I don¡¯t k.. I don I don¡¯t know¡± ¡°When I thought, you were all I had left, you literally tossed me away like I was absolute garbage, The look on your face Kage, It was like you were watching an insect Something as insignificant as me, Why should I survive? Is that what you were thinking?¡± Lyra presses Tears start to well up in her eyes again ¡°No,! It wasn¡¯t me, I t wasn¡¯t me, it wasn¡¯t me I Promise you Lyra! I promise It wasn¡¯t me Believe me Say you will believe me!¡± Please say you will? Normally, I think about everything I say before I say it, This time no thoughts come before, I feel myself fully integrated into this emotion, Letting it consume me, everything¡­. ¡­. ¡°I would kill myself before I¡¯d kill you or Apollo, Your lives have meaning I don¡¯t matter I am like a leaf blowing aimlessly in the wind, I wouldn¡¯t try to¡­. It wasn¡¯t me, It couldn¡¯t For me to look down on you means that I would first have to see myself as a person worth something. I don¡¯t You are entitled to your life, Me, I am just a body being used, being pushed towards things I cannot control,¡± For real? The tears won¡¯t stop. (Never before have I felt so So, So immense, so brimming So filled with something) ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Lyra says nothing, teary-eyed staring at me in total disbelief Any preexisting thought she had of me now clouded from my out of character outburst Apollo pulls Lyra close with one arm and me with the other ¡°You two,¡± his voice sounds as though even he had been trying not to cry ¡°You two, I am not completely what happened between you, but¡­¡± Trying to find the words.. ¡°Its just us here all we have is each other, Kage included, there are things Kage does not understand about himself¡­..¡± Still unable to come up with something Apollo pauses ¡°Just.. stop fighting, Say you will talk this over.¡± I pray you will? Trapped Under the Ice (Unedited) (¡°Everything around has always been cold, my magic, my family, my friends¡­.. ¡­Cold¡­ It¡¯s. So. Cold.¡±) Those were Lyra¡¯s thoughts as she floated about in a seemingly endless sea of darkness after being abandoned¨Cno, thrown away by Kage on the mountain top. (¡°Why!?¡±) she thought to herself over and over quite literally frozen in despair, That despair slowly becoming confusion as the weeks passed and as months rolled by hate, Although for Lyra no time had passed at all. ¡­¡­ Lyra¡¯s next memory was waking up on a hospital bed, in a strange room, everything here was different¡­ (¡°Where am I? Why can¡¯t I move!?¡±) Lyra pondered frantically, to weak to even speak She was surrounded by artificial lights monitors and strange people in masks looking down at her, if not for her meeting with Apollo¡¯s concerned gaze the girl might have gone insane right then and there. Lyra¡¯s spine was shattered beyond recognition, her body was also in a state of extreme hypothermia from being frozen for so long, The fact that she was alive was amazing on its own. It was a little under four months after the ¡®mountain¡¯ when Lyra was finally found. Another month was spent in a hospital as Lyra underwent medical procedures that saw the strange masked people called surgeons cut open her back removing what was left of her spine before replacing with their ''technology¡¯ After another painful month Lyra was already back to her feet despite being urged to stay longer and recover the girl finally left the alien facility, stepping out into an equally alien world¨Cring, One she hated.¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ **** ¡°You do understand that just because have been given specific liberties it does not mean you can ignore us whenever you please Lyra?¡± ¡°I have my own business I am busy with official Stanton,¡± Lyra replies obstinately to a man wearing horn-rimmed glasses of which he habitually lowers to his pointy nose, which curves in annoyance with girl in front of him ¡°Ah yes, we have heard a little about your ¡®escapades''¡ª" ¡°Good then you know I¡¯m busy,¡± Interrupts Lyra ¡°Precisely why you were called for today¡± Stanton adjusting his glasses once more ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Is everything good Lyra?¡± Apollo asks the girl exiting from the main building of the large central government complex on the plastic beach ¡°They had a mission for me, I told them I¡¯d consider it,¡± Lyra brushes past me chatting with Apollo After what happened yesterday things became a little bit¨C -No, a lot awkward¡­ (I don¡¯t know what came over me back there, It was like I was feeling her emotions but amplified Even if those weren¡¯t my emotions, they felt so genuine I have felt sorrow before, but never to that extent¡­ For as long as I can remember I¡¯ve always felt everything all at once, at all times, That¡¯s how my emotions flow regularly Feeling everything all the time ultimately is the same as feeling nothing, Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.Yesterday was the first time I¡¯ve ever experienced a single emotion, It was like a drug being injected into my vein, I was consumed by it all my actions my words moving only with the flow of that one emotion. Is this how regular people feel? Is this why they act the way they do?) ¡°So you basically declined?¡± Apollo is talking ¡°No, I put them into consideration, They already know I have been keeping plenty busy with ¡®that¡¯ Apollo,¡± ¡°Hmm they do? Not even my supervisor knows,¡± Apollo mutters thinking over something to himself (So are they both going to ignore my existence¡­?) ¡°Just take it easy Lyra and don¡¯t try to cross the UCA,¡± Advises the young man ¡°I know,¡± yawns Lyra, ¡°But even if I did cross them Who would be able to stop us here? I¡¯m confident that just the two of us alone could wipe out the popula¨C¡± ¡°¨CShhh! At least talk about things like that after we¡¯ve left the big government facility Lyra,¡± ¡°Whatever its not like I¡¯d get in trouble anyways,¡± she replies nonchalantly ¡°¡­¡­.¡± (Say something to break the ice) ¡°¡­¡­. So¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why are you being weirder than normal Kage?¡± groans Lyra, looking back at me, ¡°If you have something to say, say it¡± ¡°Why were you at that prison in the first place?¡± I mutter out quickly (That¡¯s not what I wanted to say) ¡°None of your business,¡± Lyra retorts ¡°I want to know too Lyra,¡± Apollo buts in possibly to assist me, ¡°I was getting information, I just happened to see Kage there fighting guards and I figured I¡¯d rough him up a bit as payback,¡± ¡°¡¯A bit¡¯ you say?¡± I press, gingerly remembering the beating ¡°You deserved it for being a criminal, I heard you were in for murder, among other crimes,¡± she coos ¡°Those weren¡¯t my crimes,¡± I adamantly refuse, ¡°Besides that what information were you after?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say I am not telling you anything Kage, And Apollo you know what I am talking about so don¡¯t try to be sly again making me talk to feed Kage¡¯s curiosity,¡± ¡°Know what?¡± I jab at Apollo ¡°hhhhhh I might have to call my supervisor to give us a ride again,¡± The young man sighs ignoring me as we step through the gates of the complex ¡°Are you coming back to the beach house Lyra? And why were you even staying in that apartment in Old York?¡± ¡°I move around, This place is unbearable I hate staying in one place or I¡¯ll start to feel sick,¡± ¡°So am I just going to be ignored for the rest of the day?¡± I interject ¡°Depends on how the day goes,¡± shrugs, Lyra ¡°If you so desperately want to know what my business here could possibly be, think back to the last bit of information we got before climbing that godforsaken mountain,¡± (Before we climbed the mountain?..... ¡­.Back in Bakufu, old man Shiki said there were two men who stole some requiems and escape too the mountains, One had teleport magic and the other¡­.) ¡°Your brother Lyra? He¡¯s here?¡± Interlude | Nighttime Sounds I Bong?bamg?bung? Bang? Bong?bamg?bung? Bungg? The soft strums of what sounds like a bass guitar plays through the quiet house¡­.. ¡­¡­. chckchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchkchk After the strums die down avid typing replaces its sound ¡­¡­. Clop-clop-strut¡ª ¡ª clop-clop-strut¡ª ¡ª Clop-clop-strut___ Back and forth then goes the sound of footsteps¡­ Knock-knock-knock ¡°Lyra ?¡± Knock-knock. Kage quietly calls at Lyra¡¯s door. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± His calls however are met with nothing but silence ¡­¡­¡­. Kage turns to leave ¡­¡­¡­Erkkk! The door opens behind him ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Lyra doesn¡¯t say anything nor does she wait at the door for him she simply leaves it open and goes back to her bed¡­ ¡­. Kage follows behind¡­ ¡°Uh, ehm¡± he coughs slightly ¡°¡­.¡± The two stare awkwardly at each other trying to think of a way to begin a conversation. ¡°Bitch.¡± Says Lyra yawns after a while, breaking the tension, The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Is that really the first thing you are going to say?¡± Kage replies glad to use that as way to start talking, ¡°I was trying to sleep and you are busy making a racket,¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t even being that loud,¡± Protests Kage ¡°Loud enough,¡± Lyra dives under her covers, turning her back to Kage ¡°Now what do you want?¡± she asks ¡°¡­¡­. I wanted to talk to you about Karina¡­ When she died I saw some of her memories, Or to be specific, I saw one memory.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Lyra doesn¡¯t say anything, she turns to face Kage, gesturing with her eyes to keep going, ¡°She always felt like might not live long, So she wrote a goodbye letter for everyone, for me to tell you.¡± Kage continues ¡°What did she say about me?¡± ¡°That she is sorry for everything, For how she treated you in the past Everyway she has made you feel¡­.. What she was doing since founding club Hedon back in Soterra was trying to figure out a way to make it up to you, She didn¡¯t ask for forgiveness, but instead hopes that you can get over the past.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.. ¡­ Why does she have to be that way?¡± Lyra grumbles annoyed or at least she tries to be ¡°It took death for her to tell me those things, she could have said it to me when she was alive, all I would¡¯ve done is kick her ass and we¡¯d be even!¡± Lyra once again turns away from Kage sinking back down into her sheets She refuses to ever be overly emotional in front of anyone ever again. ¡°She has already beaten me down so many times, directed all her hate towards me at a time when I was just a confused little girl, And¡­. I forgave her for it. ¡­¡­¡­ Hhhhhhhhhh!¡± sighs Lyra heavily deep in thought ¡°Maybe I am the problem, Maybe I am driven towards people who hurt me¡± ¡°My brother, Karina even you Kage, You¡­. And here I am after months of hating you already close to letting it all go It¡¯s been two days and I am already thinking of forgiving you. Haahha¡± the girl laughs hysterically ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Kage remains silent letting Lyra speak her heart ¡­. ¡°Do you miss her Kage? Karina I mean.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ For you it feels like a year, It only feels like a few weeks for me, I haven¡¯t slept since, All I do is think is about what happened back there, I think about everything,¡± Kage finally speaks ¡°What did Karina have say to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a personal question,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to be cheeky Kage you saw her memories and told me what she wanted to say to me, There isn¡¯t anything that is ¡®personal¡¯ when it comes to us,¡± ¡°¡­.. Well if you must know, Karina said that she never liked me, She was attracted to something about me She said its something that makes her want to be close to me,¡± ¡°Is that why you two were always fucking?¡± Lyra presses flatly ¡°First of all, your vocabulary has gotten considerably obscene since coming here And secondly that is not what was happening, she used to come at night by me and sleep That¡¯s all, she like cuddling with others I guess,¡± Kage awkwardly explains ¡°That sounds stupid, I kinda feel like you are lying,¡± Lyra doubts ¡°Believe what you will,¡± sighs Kage ¡°On that topic Kage Was what you said really true?¡± ¡°Of course it is, why would I li,¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI ¡¯m not talking about you piping Karina, I mean, when you were crying your eyes out like a bitch,¡± ¡°You were laterally crying first,¡± ¡°Yeah, but you did it like a bitch¡± Lyra retorts impudently ¡°¡­¡­ Well, it felt true for me, in that moment, Everything I said, I was acting on that emotion, How I felt. I don¡¯t know if you can consider it the truth or not,¡± ¡°ughh! Why are you always so difficult to talk to Kage? So cryptic, Where is Apollo when you need him,¡± groans Lyra sounding a bit more upbeat now, ¡°Now that you mention him Lyra, Where is Apollo?¡ª" Nighttime Sounds II This island, heavily industrialized like the many of the second ring, is home to Radiohead technologies, a company founded decades ago during the age of radio wave technology, despite it being outdated now Radiohead has evolved with times becoming one of the leading companies in data management and security, As the internet has become commonplace within the second ring even being seen as a second home by some, data management and security has become a necessity, companies such as Radiohead help manage and secure their data from breaches and attacks. This is a very lucrative business, so much so that stealing even one gigabyte of data stored within the company¡¯s servers, is enough to make you a multimillionaire if to the right buyers¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Pheew?¡± whistles a hooded figure stood on a rooftop Parallel to the Radiohead data compound The figure paces impatiently looking over at the heavily guarded facility ¡°Are you sure there is going to be attack here?¡± the person speaks with apparently someone over a communication device {¡°Three guards were paid off to call in sick to today And seven police officers were paid to not patrol this area tonight,¡±} another voice replies The data these companies store are virtually impossible to steal from online, However, if one were to break into the main building itself¡­.. ¡°Even if what you said is true, this place is still damn near impenetrable, I am curious to see how they will get through, but would much rather I hunt them down beforehand and invoke my divine punishment That would save us much more time.¡± The person on the roof murmurs {¡°Divine punishment? don¡¯t tell me you are really going to start playing into this Messiah role Apollo?¡±} the other speaker groans ¡°Are you mad you don¡¯t have a name Himari?¡± Apollo teases {¡°Hardly.¡±} ¡°Maybe I should make one, How about the wiseman?¡± {¡°How about you stay focused¡±} ¡°I would be focused if I was out in the streets looking for actual wrong-doers¡± {¡°This isn¡¯t a superhero movie Apollo This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The only ¡®wrong doing¡¯ that occurs here are either by criminal organizations or pirates, Be my guest if you want to go looking for a purse snatcher.¡±} ¡°Only a suggestion, you need not be so abrasive Himari¡± {¡°¡¯Need not be so abrasive¡±} Himari echoes him {¡°I love how the third ring people talk It is so outdated,¡±} she half chuckles ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know your developers programmed the ability to laugh into your system,¡± Apollo dry laughs {¡°Was that your attempt at a joke Apollo?¡±} Himari audibly frowns ¡°Not really, I was just trying to show off that I can speak your techno mumbo too,¡± Apollo feeling somewhat lame for the attempt {¡°Do you want an applause for that?¡±} ¡°¡­¡­..¡± {¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡±} ¡­.. ¡­.. The conversation dies down, Himari, currently situated on her home island of Hanabira, where she directs Apollo who masquerades as the vigilante known as the people have dubbed the Messiah, Himari uses her other job at the prison is so that she can see to it that the criminals Apollo apprehends getting their deserved sentencing The pair''s motivation for assuming this responsibility is still unclear¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­ ¡°Hey Himari¡± {¡°Hey Apollo¡±} The two begin to speak simultaneously ¡°You first Himari.¡± {¡°So I was thinking, well I actually was going to say¡­ one of my sisters recently got engaged and she is having a party, she has been pestering me to bring someone with me¡ª¡°} ¡°¡ªYeah I¡¯ll go,¡± yawns Apollo lazily ¡°But don¡¯t you have other friends at work to ask?¡± {¡°I am a few years away from being a senior government operative Apollo, and I am twenty-three, How many do you think I work with are close to my age, that I could become good friends with¡±} ¡°That energetic engineer with the weird name, I thought that was your friend?¡± {¡°I already asked MF, before asking you, it seems my sister already invited him because she knows we¡¯re friends, she means to make actually ask someone,¡±} ¡°Can I bring Kage and Lyra then?¡± {¡°You can bring your girlfriend, but not the pirate,¡±} ¡°First of all, Lyra and I are akin to siblings, we have been through hell together since we were children, And secondly you need to give Kage a break, he is umm, complicated¡± {¡°Still does not excuse the crimes, Why do you pull for him so much and you¡¯ve previously said you only met him recently Apollo?¡±} ¡°Remember when I just said that Lyra and I, went through hell? Well Kage was like a light, no, that¡¯s not Kage actually, Kage was like a firefly that would occasionally light up, one that got lost and stumbled onto us, only he inadvertently ended up helping us My friend Pinoki used to say he was emotionally inconsistent,¡± {¡°Is that a mental illness? Maybe we should have him rechecked¡±} ¡°Hey, that was not the point I was getting at Himari¡± {¡°Mmm, you can bring the pirate if you want I suppose¡±} ¡°So I did get through to you!¡± Apollo gloats {¡°Now what was it that you wanted to ask me Apollo?¡±} Himari ignoring the previous remark ¡°I was wondering how come you are so relaxed when we do vigilante stuff, but such a hard ass during the day?¡± {¡°This is a hobby, work is work, will that answer suffice?¡±} ¡°I feel like you are me patronizing sometimes when you speak all proper,¡± {¡°I always speak proper, Stop fishing for content to keep our conversation going Apollo, Buck up, I am detecting approaching vehicles, get ready¡± The conversation finally subsides as the ¡®Messiah¡¯ watches stealthy at a foursome of armored vans {¡°Are they planning to drive right through the building? Because that will never work they must have something else planned, A bomb maybe, no that¡¯ll potentially destroy the data servers,¡±} as Himari ponders Apollo watches as the masked perpetrators disassemble from the vehicles hauling with them a spiraling object not even Himari has seen before,¡± {¡°That has to be some newly developed bomb, or maybe something else entirely¡±} ¡°No use worrying over it, let¡¯s call this a night Himari.¡± {¡°You haven¡¯t even taken them out yet¡±} ¡°Yes, I know¨C¡± Apollo cracks his knuckles and stretches his arms preparing to jump onto the unsuspecting assailants ¡°¨CBut this is going to be quick.¡± Drunk And Hot Girls ¡°WOOOOOO!¡± People cheer loudly in a spacious room enveloped by colorful neon lights, as energetic yet chill beats bang in the background POP! Booze bottles bursts open accompanied by more cheering and casual chatter Haruna Nara, age thirty, the older sister of Himari is having an engagement party. ¡­¡­. ¡°Why am I here!?¡± I loudly ask Apollo over the music and cheering ¡°My supervisor invited me!¡± he unnecessarily shouts into my ear ¡°What does that have to do with me!?¡± I spitefully shout into his WOOOOOOOOO! ¡°She invited me and so I asked if I could bring you and Lyra along, I thought it would be a good chance for you to have fun for once instead of brooding all the time¡± ¡°How is this fun?¡± (And I don¡¯t brood) ¡°Apollo I¡¯ve been looking into that ¡®person¡¯ you met ¡®the other night'' on Katellox¡± Himari says as softly as she can to Apollo but it still reaches my ear, The woman seems to share my displeasure on being here instead opting to talk about what I assume is work related business ¡°It¡¯s weird to see Kage wearing something besides cloaks,¡± inputs Lyra who has been mischievously eying me since we got arrived here I can¡¯t tell if she like it or hates the atmosphere of the club¨C ¡°Sssiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssss~! You are finally here!¡± an energetic rosy cheeked woman who looks like a much less fit much more happy version Himari She does not look that much older than her younger sibling, although her face is heavily covered in makeup¡­ ¡°Are these who you invited?¡± the smiling woman nudges her sister on to make the introductions ¡°Uh hem, this is who I am responsible of supervising at work, Apollo, his friend Lyra, and a pira¡ª Kage, his friend,¡± Himari sounds weirdly subdued talking to her sister¡­. ¡°Co-workers?¡± her sister frowns ¡°Is there a problem with that Haruna?¡± ¡°No, I am happy that you are at least, um, making friends¡­ ¡­. Apollo, you are very handsome, I am Haruna, Himari¡¯s older sister,¡± ¡°It is a pleasure, I thought all my supervisor¡¯s family would be as stoic as her,¡± Apollo smiles cheerfully ¡°Direct me to the alcohol please,¡± Lyra¡¯s says uninterested and unimpressed by the woman (When did she start drinking?) ¡°Feel free to enjoy yourselves to anything or anyone here¡± Haruna waves at Lyra who brushes past her coldly... La-da-da da-da da-da da-da da-da da ¡°And the other girl is Kage, I believe? You have a strange name for a lady¡± Haruna turns her attention to me (Lady?) ¡°Eheck!¡± Apollo coughs laughingly, (Is because of my clothes?) Lyra specifically picked the these clothes out for me as I hadn¡¯t none myself, something called a ¡®ruffle top¡¯ and some embroidered jeans¡­. (A prank maybe?) ¡°Pleased to meet you Ms Haruna,¡± I monotone while staring directly at Apollo ¡­. He shrugs a begins to whistle out of tune to the song currently playing (Guilty) ¡°Come on sis, and Apollo, let me introduce you to my fianc¨¦¡ª" Taking Apollo and Himari¡¯s hand, Haruna pulls them away into a group of people, leaving me standing alone in alone in the lively club¡­ (I don¡¯t think she had a good impression of Lyra and I) ¡°Ooh~¡± I love this song someone says as I aimlessly walk through the people Being here makes me remember Karina¡¯s club back in Soterra, though the tone is drastically different compared to the den of pleasure that was Hedon, The sight of people dancing and drinking, having a good time in general, (I don¡¯t mind it. I just hate being a part of it¡­) ¡°Insidaz are such good artists~ Which do you think is the better one though? Andr¨¦ 9000 or Big Mane?¡± ¡°mhmm.. Ima have to go with¡­¡±¡ª ¡­¡­. ¡°¡ªHey Kage!?¡± A familiar face calls out to me ¡°MF? Strange seeing you here.¡± ¡°I should be asking you that, I didn¡¯t know you were close enough friends with Himari that she would invite you, she can be such a hard ass at work you know?¡± ¡°Hard ass?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a strict woman,¡± MF elaborates, ¡°haaaa~¡± he sighs happily ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve been invited to a party like this, Well besides the birthday parties me and my mom have,¡± ¡°¡­.?¡± (This guy is both amusing and confusing) ¡°Mf~ where did you go~¡± A drunk woman¡¯s voice calls The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.We go through too much bullshit? Just to mess with these drunk and hot girls? ¡°I want to hear more about your engineering~¡± ¡°I take it you are enjoying yourself?¡± I nod to him ¡°haaaa~¡± He sighs happily again ¡°I hope your enjoying yourself too, By the way Kage, In the North¡± MF lowers his voice slightly ¡°Are the people there all androgynous?¡± ¡°All what?¡± (Is he referring to my outfit?) ¡°Never mind, We¡¯ll catch up later, Kage¡± ¡­¡­¡­ (Where the hell did Lyra go!? This is her doing) Up in the club look at here what we got? ¡­¡­ ¡°Hey cutie?¡± Lyra says laughingly as I pull up next to her, behind a bar counter ¡°Is dressing me like this a joke to you?¡± I immediately press ¡°Yes.¡± She replied dryly ¡°Have a drink and stop being so whiny¡± (I didn¡¯t even start complaining yet) ¡°Have a drink Kage¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink,¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I never have before and I haven¡¯t really been curious about it either.¡± ¡°I already hate being on his god-awful ring and your extreme boringness is making it worse for me right now, Kage. Loosen up a bit or I¡¯ll force you too myself¡± ¡°How do you suppose I do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know Kage, do what you did the other day when you started crying,¡± ¡°You were crying first¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Choosing not to response the girl gives me ¡®the finger¡¯ Stop dancing with your girlfriend and come dance with me? (Lyra has changed quite a bit) ¡°What did you just think? I can tell when you start spacing out Kage.¡± ¡°You changed quite a bit,¡± ¡°My magic evolved again too, thanks to you Kage You made me even more fucked up but at least I got better magic¡± ¡°Is she drunk already?¡± A bartender looks over the counter, overhearing the girl ¡°Possibly¡± I speak for Lyra Stop talking ''bout your boyfriend since he is not me? ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Loud cheering diverts my attention to the other side of the club, (What in name of Murdoc?) Apollo Himari, Haruna and another man are on opposite ends of a table consuming shot after shot, ¡°I can do this all night!¡± Apollo declares velhmenlty Himari looks equally as competitive ¡°You can do it Himari!¡± ¡°Her man is a heavy drinker!¡± ¡°Haruna, you can¡¯t lose to your younger sister!¡± ¡°This guy¡¯s name is actually Jeff? Looollll!¡± A chorus of cheers and encourages circle the four who, I guess are having a drink-off Stop running up my tab ''cause these drinks is not free? ¡°Looks like they¡¯re having fun,¡± Lyra comments, ¡°Must be nice. When do we leave?¡± I state sarcastically ¡°There may be no hope for you after all Kage,¡± Lyra sighs, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Read my mind, copy my emotions again if you want to know so desperately¡± Lyra mumbles not entirely knowing what she herself means (Copy?) ¡­¡­.. ***** Ever since that day with Lyra. I¡¯ve been starting to feel, not my own emotions, but others, If I focus hard enough on you, Then maybe? ¡­. I can feel your emotion. Love, the dangerous necessity that people seek, Without regard? To where they are the human heart is curious? Above all things? The light the music the energy, by myself, I would probably dislike it, this is not for me, but using the people around me, focusing on how they feel. I love it Love, the lights are low, your eyes are bright, the music plays, it''s sweet delight? It''s out of sight, I''m feeling right? ¡°Your dress is tight? Ooooooh, hoooooowwww? I want you right now?¡± sings Apollo fully drunk he knows waves about mindlessly swaying away with the equally if not more so drunk Himari. ¡°We go! Through too! Much shit! Too mess! All of these¡± ¡°Drunk and hot girls!?¡± Lyra and I sing in tandem, (Is this what being drunk feel like?) Not drunk off alcohol but of emotion itself. You only live once, do whatever you like? I thought I''d be with you for only one night? ¡°Now I''m with this girl for the rest of my life!?¡± sings everyone The night goes on and as the average person sleeps, the people in Aiyoku club dance, they sing, they drink they cheer, they have a good time, Even Kage usually emotionally neutral, joins in¡­. What was even the point of this? You are probably thinking, and to that we say; who really knows? ¡­¡­¡­. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE LET KAGE LEARN ABOUT THIS ABILITY. La-da-da da-da da-da da-da da-da da? Blap! *** It begins Postlude | Some of us may never sleep again Rest is good for the blood! ¡°urrgh!¡± groans Himari running open her tired eyes A ray of sunlight burst through her window, This a rare sight for her, (Have I actually overslept?) she thinks Its only after seven in the morning but to Himari it is the equivalent of waking up at twelve noon, Percentage of us tow the line? Her head hurts dreadfully and her memories of the night before a blurry mess, Still, she must stick to her daily routine Himari crawls out of her bed, Is this even her bead? She can¡¯t even tell, her vison still a bit hazy, she stumbles of the unfamiliar room, Bum-bum¡ªbum, bum-bum bum? As Himari navigates her way to the shower, the woman notices a soothing beat that wafts throughout the house, Soft reggae bas guitar strums, accompanied by a smooth section of saxophones, and occasional vocals that reverb in and out, giving it a somewhat gothic vibe¡­. The rest of us is out of reach? Foregoing her initial task, she follows the sound¡­ Bum-bum¡ªbum, bum-bum bum? Himari nears the door in which the beat escapes from¡­... ¡­¡­. Everybody, party time? ¡°Who?¡ª¡± Himari starts, but as her vison become clearer she starts to realize this isn¡¯t her apartment, The woman stares directly at, Kage, his silver curs tied back as he sits with a sleek guitar in hand, Not playing the sound himself, but listening intently to beat, perhaps planning to imitate the sound¡­.. ¡°Ms. Nara?¡± Kage looks up, giving Himari his default blank gaze ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡± Some of us, will never sleep again? ¡°How did I get here?¡± ¡°You came in last night from the party remember?¡± ¡°Um, yes, the... party¡± (¡°This is so unprofessional!¡±) thinks Himari embarrassedly ¡°How are you up already pirate? You were there last night as well¡± Himari asks, still upset with herself for waking up ¡®this late¡¯ ¡°I never slept; I don¡¯t sleep anymore.¡± Dracula? Dracula, Dracula? Dracula, Dracula? ¡°¡­¡­. I think I¡¯ve wasted enough time here already¡± the young woman replies awkwardly trying to think of a way to dignifiedly leave Bum-bum¡ªbum, bum-bum bum? ¡­.. ¡°Ms. Nara, one thing before, you leave¡± Kage calls to the woman whose back is already turned to exit ¡°You might want to put some clothes on first,¡± ¡°Ok, thank you for reminding me¡± She monotones outwardly but is immensely upset internally¡­ ¡­¡­¡­. **** whush The morning wind blows across Himari Nara¡¯s face as she speeds though the plastic-tielium streets on the plastic beach, Normally Himari would give her hair a few brushes every morning before styling it in her usual bun, she thinks it is tedious and inefficient to spend hours on your hair, this morning however, her straight brunette strands are wild and unkempt¡­ ¡°Daniel, are you at work?¡±¡ªHimari speaking over the phone {¡°Nooo~¡±} MF¡¯s voice groans from the other line ¡°Good so I¡¯m not the only person late,¡± {¡°It¡¯s eight in the morning Himari, what do you mean late?¡±} This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.¡°I am never socializing ever again.¡± {¡°That was fun, last night,¡±} ¡°Do you remember what happened?¡± {¡°Not really,¡±} ¡°Then how was it fun?¡± {¡°Because I got to spend time with drunk and hot girls,¡±} ¡°I will hang up on you right now Daniel,¡± {¡°Come on, even that person Kage from the first ring was enjoying himself or herself? I don¡¯t know anymore¡±} ¡°Why are you bringing up a pirate in our conversation?¡± Hiamri still flustered by the previous happenings of the morning {¡°Kage is a pirate?¡±} ¡°Do you even read anybody¡¯s file before becoming acquainted with them?¡± {¡°I don¡¯t think anyone does that Himari, plus Kage has connections to the chairman, Maybe it was a misunderstanding,¡±} ¡°I¡¯m done talking about this,¡± sighs Himari, starting to get fed up of people defending someone who blatantly came from another ring and took the lives of people from hers¡­ (¡°Even he woke up before me, I am so disappointed in myself right now¡­..¡±) ¡­¡­. **** Bam-bang-bam! ¡°It is one in the afternoon Apollo, Get your ass up!¡± ¡°Uhhh! What are you my mother now Kage?¡± ¡°Your were getting a many of missed calls, are you not supposed to be at work?¡± I press ¡°I barely even know how to use the thing, I¡¯m sure the higher ups will understand,¡± Apollo groans and tries to roll back into his sheets, but I pull them off, ¡°Come on Kage! Since when do you care about me working?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, but I need you to steal¡ªobtain some files for me¡± ¡°Why? There are things not available on the internet, that I heard is still archived on the governments database,¡± ¡°I hardly understood any of that.¡± Apollo yawns ¡°Just get your ass up Apollo.¡± ¡°Is Lyra here?¡± he asks ¡°I didn¡¯t see her leave, so I don¡¯t know,¡± I shrug ¡°She¡¯s gone then,¡± (I know Lyra is searching for her brother who is on this ring now, But some how I feel like there is more to the story,) ¡°Where does Lyra go anyways?¡± I pry ¡°It is not my business to say Kage,¡± ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll switch my question, Why do you go parading about as a so-called messiah every night?¡± ¡°Who told¡ª¡± Apollo starts ¡°Lyra!¡± ¡°Lyra.¡± We both say simultaneously, ¡°She told me the other night¡± I say gloatingly in an attempt to get Apollo to spill the information on Lyra ¡°Ok, well Lyra¡¯s goes to Caribbean, I think that may be where her brother stays But that¡¯s all your getting from me Kage, happy?¡± ¡°Not really, do you know if she met him yet?¡± ¡°No, I try not to talk about depressing things when I¡¯m with her, maybe you should acquire this trait as well Kage,¡± Apollo retorts somewhat smugly ¡°Strange a magic user like her brother has stayed quiet, especially being on a ring where no one has the kind of power he does,¡± I murmur ignoring his last remark ¡°Yeahhhh~ no, You know what I¡¯m going to get my supervisor ¡®s laptop for you, so you can read all the ¡®files¡¯ you want Kage, There is a lot you don¡¯t yet,¡± ¡°Like?¡± I press on getting interested, ¡°Have ever heard of a crime-boss who goes by the name of Satan?¡± Snow Fairy Usually, urban legends myths and folklores are of things from a long forgotten past or extremely specific situations, On the second ring however there has been a recent surge of urban legends within small pockets of society, The first being the infamous Satan, A man that singlehandedly made an allegiance of islands know as the Liberty States ¡®disappear¡¯ almost two decades ago, Their inhabitants, military everything, wiped form the very map of the second ring, the official story was that the islands fell due to an attack from the first ring, but the name of Satan had already begun to circulate by then. Then there is the messiah, only recently he has shown up and stared spreading his light to the islands across the ring, there is currently a heavy debate online as to if the Messiah is real or just a government ploy, regardless of that most people see him as the one to take out the illusive Satan¡­. But also, there is a third person apart of this modern mythos, One that has been slowly making small, but impactful waves in her wake, She is the newest of the three, but already, in the Caribbean is looked at as a deity, They say wherever she flies it begins to snow, death soon follows after, We call her the Snow Fairy. ¡­¡­. ¡°She here¨Cshe here! Stand up nah man, Alyuh cah be moving like that,¡± Vwoosh! Splash! The waves crash two on fro onto the Cliffside of a certain island in the Caribbean, Waiting on the cliff is a gathering people all armed to the teeth, even the jeeps parked at the base of the cliff are armed¡­ ¡°I swear this is proof angel¡¯s real dawg.¡± A man stares at an approaching figure off in the horizon Gliding through the air on wings that can only be described as crystal-like yet soft, the figure creates such a spectacle to behold in early hours of the day, The morning sunshine that beams though their wings create a faint rainbow of colors while tiny crystal dust particles fall from them, from afar gives a snow-like effect. ¡°Give me an update on all that has happened while I was away?¡± immediately asks the dainty figure as she lands on the cliff ¡°Well, we lost some of our men to the government over the possession of the Holy diver¡± A man named Zanzibar speaks up presumably one of the leaders ¡°Besides that, we managed to take back Trinity Dos without you but there were many casualties,¡± ¡°So, you made me fly all around this ring searching for that island the Holy diver was on, just to fumble it?¡± the woman sighs a breath of cold air ¡°You shoulda ask we from Neptune to help,¡± a deadheaded man inputs, receiving a nasty glance from the first man, ¡°Wam? Doh look at me like dah, Alyuh Poseidon¡¯s had a chance and fumble bad, Best we Neptune¡¯s handle it,¡± ¡°Alyuh cah do shit, Jabari Hush nah,¡± Zanzibar spats causing a argument to brew within the group ¡°Everybody silence!¡± the snowy woman commands ¡°Neither of you groups have anything left to be claiming sides so vehemently!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what dat mean ma¡¯m¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± (¡°Why do I have to in charge of these people again¡±) thinks the snow fairy stressfully ¡°I don¡¯t care about that Holy diver, I have on goal and that is to take out Satan, I was under the impression that we shared the same goal?¡± ¡°We are ma¡¯am¡± a female member of Neptune speaks up ¡°But even with your help we don¡¯t have enough manpower to even get to Fuscina where the main bulk of his forces resides,¡± ¡°She right fairy, we need to be able to build our forces up to finally pack Satan up once and for all,¡± Jabari agrees (¡°How long with that take though?¡±) thinks the snow fairy ¡°What do you propose we do then?¡± ¡°You hear d rumors of the Messiah? I say we get him, with both of alyuh we will be able to Fuscina¡± (¡°I really have to bring him into this?¡±) ¡°We have already been trying to get his attention miss fairy,¡± ¡°You are talking about what happened at Radiohead?¡± ¡°We were the ones who leaked the plans of ¡®them¡¯ going after the data in the first place¡± Zanzibar gloats ¡°And what of the prisoners on Trinity Uno that you got the information from in the first place?¡± ¡°After we got them to talk, Alexander came and silenced them,¡± (¡°Another nuisance I have to deal with¡±) ¡°You know what,¡± the woman rubbing her forehead stressfully ¡°I¡¯ve been briefed enough, come on¡± The snow fairy spreads her majestic wings once more, preparing for aerial mobility ¡°Where we going ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Trinity Tres, I¡¯m feeling like bashing some heads in today.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. ***** ¡°Wait, this is Lyra?¡± I point at a glittering flying figure on the screen of a laptop Nomn¨CNomn Apollo comes looking over my shoulder munching a shark burger ... ¡°Mhmm That¡¯s her,¡± he chaps annoyingly into my ear, ¡°What else do I need to be filled in on?¡± I push his face away ¡°Too close Apollo,¡± ¡°Mmm She didn¡¯t tell you her magic evolved?¡± ¡°She did, I think,¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.(But wings like this? What type of magic does she have now?) ¡°Not a day goes by where I don¡¯t get more confused than the last¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t that confused yesterday,¡± jokes Apollo, ¡°And you were just as loud and annoying last night as you are now¡± I instantly snap back ¡°Last night? What happened last night?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t remember then I¡¯m not going to say, ask your supervisor Now shoo, I have more things to look up,¡± turning back to the screen, it portrays a blurred image of the sparkling wings of someone the people of the Caribbean line have called the snow fairy, Fittingly enough most of the information about her, or anything I am looking into for that matter is scarce or not present at all on the internet no matter how hard I look, (Good thing I got this¡ª) ¡°Or yeah about that laptop Kage, You cant keep it for long,¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah I know this is Himari¡¯s own and she may not want me to know this undisclosed information,¡± I groan annoyed by the fact Apollo is still breathing down my neck (I portably could have gotten this information from the chairman given his interest in me, but I digress) ¡°Just be grateful I even swiped this for you, Himari usually has it with her, but I guess she¡¯s been kind of disoriented today¡± ¡°I wonder why¡± I mutter back sarcastically ¡°You know you¡¯ve been acting pretty sassy since Lyra dressed you up Kage,¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Taking off my boot I toss at the young man, turning my attention back to the screen¡­ [/documents/case_flies/Satan] (This is all the data Himari has on the Lyra¡¯s brother?) [Power: unclear, temperature manipulation? Priority: Do not antagonize Assessment: ¡®MV¡¯ continues its operations in secret, many police stations are either bought by, or operated directly by the organization, Ever since the destruction of the liberty states, the government board has done their best to keep it everything hushed, Strangely enough Satan has not made a move since, that event opting to do all his dealings within the Caribbean line What his goal is we have yet to find out,] [/documents/case_files/Snow_Fairy] (Now what does she have on Lyra) [Name: Lyra of Soterra Power: Temperature manipulation? Specifically colder temperatures? ¨Cdetails unclear Priority: ally? Assessment: Given tieleium spinal implants in her back, Lyra of the third ring seems to have an outward disdain for our ring and technology in general, despite being saved by it, She regularly flies to the Caribbean line where she knows her actions cannot be monitored by the government, The residents of the Caribbean have started a myth of someone called the snow fairy, it is of reasonable estimate to assume that person is indeed Lyra of Soterra. Her goal out of this is still no unknown¡ªpotential threat.] (I know Lyra is going after her brother it seems like she hasn¡¯t disclosed this to anyone barring Appllo) ¡°Are you done?¡± Apollo still there waiting impatiently (No) ¡°Take it,¡± I sigh closing the machine (Maybe I should just call that weird chairman again, even if he makes me feel uneasy, I can at least get some more information out of him) ¡­¡­¡­ ***** Uwahrghh! Slam! Grrrrrrttt! Vwice! That¨Chuhh¨Cthat was the last of them¡± the snow¨CLyra pants her body drenched in blood, What once was Caicos, the capital of the island Trinity Tres, now a bloodied ravaged battlefield, The moon light reflecting off of the many crystalline glaciers that protrude from beneath ground, bullet shells and bodies scattered about the surface Truly a hellish sight¡­ ¡°You think he gonna react to this boss lady?¡± Jabari the Neptune leader grimaces ¡°Not likely, I don¡¯t think he cares about losing men, all we can do now is keep up the pressure until we to Fuscina,¡± ¡°Or you can quit now while he still does not care¡± an unknown voice speaks echoing from all directions, A cold swirl of magic immediately begins to build beneath Lyra¡¯s feet as she tenses up preparing to both attack and defend ¡°Enough games Alexander, show yourself!¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Agent Himari thank you for your punctuality as usual¡± ¡°I try my best Chief Kiefer,¡± ¡°Good, now onto business, You invited, Kage of the first ring to a social gathering yesterday, correct?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention to be unprofessional sir¡ª¡± ¡°Nah, nah, don¡¯t mistake my words Ms. Nara, Well not my words, but that of my and your higher ups They think that you have developed a friendly connection with Kage,¡± ¡°Well you can assure them that, that is not tru¡ª" ¡°Will you let me finish Himari?¡± Kiefer cuts her off once more ¡°They have decided to put to put you together to monitor Kage on the next mission because of this¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry What are you getting at chief Kiefer?¡± ¡°Theyy¡± Kiefer emphasizes on the word ¡°They think you are best suited to monitor Kage as they might be cautious of another agent,¡± ¡°What is the important mission that warrants this Chief? ¡°It something that has been the topic of a serious debate now but has finally been decided, You will lead a group consisting of the two from the third ring and Kage, into the Caribbean and finally either detain or put down the man that calls himself Satan. By doing so, we hope to bring an end to his operations The syndicate known by the tattooed initials MV short for the name Madvillainy. The Illest Villains ¡°We are live here @SyxNews with controversial artist Keychain, recently released from prison after supposedly ¡®telling¡¯ on his affiliates, the musician has taken to the streets of Jamrock isle in an attempt to regain public favor:¡± ¡°I did what I had to do to get out Them dudes was fake to me, why should I be real with them huh? Don¡¯t act like you people wouldn¡¯t! ¡ª ¡ªHey¡ªKage is that you?¡± Accompanied by an entourage of security guards and camera persons a semi-familiar face calls me out ¡°I see you got out of the aquarium as well Keychain¡± ¡°No need to be all formal with it Kage, See¡± he looks into one of the cameras, ¡°This is my mans Kage, he helped your boi out when he was in the aquarium, Now look by the grace of the dead Gods, We were able to meet up like this¡± (Meet up? I was minding my business) ¡°What brings you to the Jamrock homie?¡± ¡°What is with all the people?¡± I glance at his entourage, ¡°A news crew I hired to, um clear my name and my protection, See the public has labeled me a snitch because I told on my former homies, even though they were tying to get form inside the aquarium Now that I¡¯m out I gotta show them that I¡¯m not scared to go anywhere.¡± ¡°You have at least five security guards, and are on one of the least populated, places on the entire ring,¡± I point out, ¡°Man, you make it sound worse than it is, Aye, don¡¯t record this cuz,¡± Keychain turns to the cameraman ¡­¡­¡­ WELCOME TO JAMROCK Reads an electronic billboard near the isle docks. Unlike the many islands of the second ring, Jamrock is neither a nature preserve nor a habitable country, but a product of society, before this was an island it was a mountain that started from the sea floor, over the years however due to large scale mining operations the mountain has been reduced to nothing both a slab of rock atop the sea, Now called Jamrock¡­ ¡°So, what brings you here homie?¡± Keychain asks tagging behind Apollo and I ¡°You must be working for the feds huh?¡± he eyes Apollo suspiciously ¡°Is that how you got out?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for information,¡± I reply dryly ¡°Who is this guy anyway Kage,¡± Now it¡¯s Apollo¡¯s turn to suspiciously eye Keychain and his entourage ¡°I don¡¯t know a celebrity or something¡± I shrug, ¡°Aye man don¡¯t act like we not tight¡± The rapper protests ¡°And I said don¡¯t record yet¡± ¡­.. ¡­.. Jamrock is an incredibly small isle the size of a city, it consists of no human habitants, only empty film and music studios private clubs that occasionally are rented out, aside from that this island serves as the only place people of the UCA can learn about Caribbean culture via its many virtual museums. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t heard of me¡± Keychain is still talking as we walk through the streets that instead of traffic is filled with many billboards of ads upon ads (How cultural) ¡°Hmm now that you mention it¡­¡± mulls Apollo ¡°I remember my friend Lyra mentioning your name once¡± ¡°She must be a fan, What did she about me sir?¡± Keychain asks politely clearly intimidated by the bully Apollo, ¡°I can¡¯t remember for sure but I think she said that your music sucks ass and that Insidaz are better artists than you,¡± ¡°Nahh you wilding bro¡± Keychain sounding immensely offended ¡°Insidaz aren¡¯t gonna be here for much longer, How long will it be till Andr¨¦ 9000 gets tries of making music? We all know he will eventually But me, nahh I¡¯ll never stop being the absolute G.O.A.T, those two MID are destined for a fall off,¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Me and Apollo say simultaneously not caring¡­. Caribbean virtual museum of arts and history We finally approach a built entirely of black reinforced glass (Could¡¯ve have arrived quicker but Apollo insist on walking everywhere) Virtualization on the second ring is a technology that allows one to simulate real landscapes and locations through the use of high frequency light manipulation, similar to how mirages appear in deserts where there is intense sunlight, scientists were able to use that as a basis to create a way to manipulation perception itself with the use of light¡­ ¡°Welcome wonderful tourists¡± a feminine robotic voice greets us as we entering the small but eerily spacious room It is completely empty with only a panel of which many dates locations and information is selectable to simulate, above the panel is a single sign The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.The contents of this virtual museum is available to be learnt for free, be warned however attempting to steal or break anything will result in a emergency flashbang being simulate that will put you down long enough for the police to arrive. Please act respectfully. ¡°Hmm¡± Apollo grunts reading the sign ¡°Now I feel wary lf accidentally breaking something.¡± Caribbean cuisine Music Fine arts Nature preserves. General culture. ¡­¡­¡­.. (Nothing.) Scrolling through the selections of topics to choose I sigh disappointedly ¡°There is nothing of recent history here Apollo only surface level information.¡± (Not sure what I expected There has to be a clue somewhere as to why Lyra¡¯s brother would choose to take over this specific location, or even why the UCA disregards the place entirely) ¡­.. ¡°You know what I¡¯m saying, cuz sometimes people don¡¯t go back to their roots or even out in the effort to learn where they came from, but nah not me, I LOVE museums mane,¡± Outside the virtual museum Keychain isn talking up a storm into the cameras. (Why is he still here) ¡°And look speaking of people who are eager to learn its my brother Kage and his bodyguard¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°So anyway, Kage this has been waste of time, we might as well start preparing for our journey into the Caribbean line¡± Apollo says brushing past the rapper and his entourage ¡°Wait, y¡¯all are going there?¡± Keychain signals for the cameras to cut, ¡°Do you know something?¡± I press ¡°My dad was from there he was a Neptune, so I am affiliated¡± ¡°Neptune? Like the gangs Neptune and Poseidon?¡± ¡°Naw dawg that¡¯s bullshit they ain¡¯t gangs that¡¯s just what the government calls em so we don¡¯t feel bad hearing about them getting killed or arrested,¡± ¡°Then what are they?¡± I pry beginning to get curious (Maybe we came to the right place after all) ¡°Neptune and Poseidon are religions There is a lot of superstition in Caribbean culture those two are the main religions, see? Neptune is a group of worshipers that believe the sea itself is alive and has a will of its own that will, manifests in the name of the God Neptune. Poseidon beliefs are almost entirely the same just swapping out names, What puts these two groups against each other cuz, is the way they treat the ocean, Poseidon¡¯s believe that everything in the ocean is meant for them in the name of their god. Neptune thinks it wrong to even consume fish, pollute or harm the ocean in general,¡± Man, those two groups have been thousands of years I heard, Me personally I don¡¯t believe in none of that I¡¯m from Cally Island.¡± ¡­¡­ (They were religions?) ¡°I figured they were a gang they way acted when we fought the Poseidons on Roux Island a while back¡± Apollo comments ¡°What you mean you fought the Poseidons? Them and the Neptunes don¡¯t exist anymore¡± The rapper proclaims ¡°Now that I think about it there has been rumors that the remnants of the two had joined together to fight back against the boss.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°I done gave you a lot of valuable information since you done helped me in prison Kage But I already told on my sub group of the organization, I¡¯m not telling on the boss,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Apollo and I exchange glances ¡°You¡¯re one of them, are you?¡± presses Apollo (The name Himari told us be wary of for our upcoming mission) ¡°MV?¡± I add to Apollo¡¯s press ¡°I mean I rap about them a lot, I don¡¯t got to hide that fact¡± Keychain shrugs ¡°Well technically I¡¯m not in it anymore because I had to um, give away some information to get out, But I still rep.¡± ¡°At least answer me this question Key, What exactly is Madvillainy?¡± ¡°Hhhhh¡± the musician sighs ¡°You gone buy my next album then Kage?¡± ¡°I swear on the dead Gods I will¡± (I won¡¯t) ¡°Ight, Aight, To put it simply, We are the illest,¡± ¡°The illest? As in sick?¡± ¡°No as lethal, the most deadly The Illest Villains.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. **** ¡°The remnants have been constantly pushing our territorial holds back, Sir They have the help of someone they call the snow fairy, It is clear they want your attention,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in them Dant¨¦ frankly the death they spread only strengthens me I say we wait until it gets closer¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean to say?¡± ¡°Yes, this feeling I¡¯ve had for a year now, Someone just like me, They are coming soon.¡± Sounds of Feet, Guitars and Speech Clop-Clop-Clop Soft footsteps make their way thought the dimly lit beach house Strum-Strum-Strum? At that same moment in the main room of the house a person sits strumming away earnestly at a guitar Clop-Clop-Clop-Clop Strum-Strum-Strum? The two separate noises intertwine¨C ¡°¨CLyra?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah I know I haven¡¯t been home in same days is that what you¡¯re going to say?¡± the girl keeps walking past Kage ¡°Last time I saw you was last weekend at that party, And no, I was not going to say that,¡± Kage replies ¡°I¡¯ve been busy as usual,¡± Lyra voices now faintly coming from the direction of the kitchen ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°So, what, have you just been here all week trying to become a musician?¡± Lyra reenters the room with an ice-cream container, ¡°That isn¡¯t what I¡¯m doing,¡± Kage explains clutching on to a sleek bass guitar that collapses back into a glove-like device on his hand, which then reforms itself into a familiar bow. ¡°You learnt a new trick?¡± Lyra raises her eyebrows mildly amused as she slums down on a couch near Kage ¡°Not a trick a new schematic for me to transform my Tielium into¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what any of that means, but ¡®hooray¡¯ for you I guess, Why a guitar though Kage?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have much options, this is an older models to the ones produced now, and I didn¡¯t feel like a harp was practical¡± ¡°No I mean why an instrument in the first place, its not a weapon You¡¯re still going to have to shoot your arrows in a fight,¡± ¡°Hmm You will see soon,¡± Kage shrugs ¡°Being secretive for no reason,¡± Lyra groans half cheerfully lapping away at a spoonful of ice-cream ¡°Speak for yourself Lyra Aren¡¯t you the one going around as fairy¡± Kage brings up jokingly ¡°Ok,¡± Lyra monotones not falling for Kage¡¯s attempt to bait her into talking ¡°I¡¯m just saying you have secrets as well¡± ¡°Well, if you must know it isn¡¯t a secret and frankly, I don¡¯t care who does or doesn¡¯t know, do you expect me to just have a sit down with you and catch you up on everything?¡± ¡°I mean we are now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Lyra does not respond to this instead eating a scoop of ice-cream she then silently twirls the spoon around pondering something ¡°The short version is that I want to kill that bastard who took Karina¡¯s and my parents¡¯ lives That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you at least want to find out your brother¡¯s intentions?¡± Suggests Kage, ¡°Back when I saw Elven¡ªthe prince¡ªOmari¡¯s memories Brandon carried him to the exact same house that I have my first few memories in After that we heard that he now has both Ice and fire magic from Shiki sir in Bakufu. Don¡¯t you want to know how he managed to obtain fire?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that shit Kage Feel free to peer into the memories of his corpse after I¡¯m done with him if you want answers,¡± ¡°Ok, lets talk about something else,¡± Kage says sensing the girl becoming heated ¡°Your magic, you told me it evolved right?¡± ¡°When did I say that?¡± ¡°At the party,¡± ¡°Of course it was then Did we do anything naughty after?¡± ¡°No,¡± ¡°Unlucky I guess, For you I mean not me,¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Kage replies uninterestedly ¡°You want to see something Kage?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Before Kage can respond Lyra is already taking off her shirt ¡°What do you think¡±? She turns her back to him After getting burnt off by the foundation ray from the mechs and then having her spine shattered atop the mountain back on third ring, Lyra had got it repaired by YRG cybernetics a subsidiary company of the UCA government that deals with robotics technology ¡­¡­.. Kage watches silently, no skin, just a cold steel plate built hideously into the girls back. ¡­¡­. ¡°You already know I used to have snow magic but it isn¡¯t that anymore,¡± Lyra turns conjuring a sparkling ball of magic in her hand ¡°What do you call it now?¡± Kage stares curiously ¡°Nothing, I don¡¯t think I can count as snow anymore More of dust if anything, So, cold dust I guess,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Lyra¡­¡± Kage hesitates then continues ¡°Remember when you first showed me your magic and I said it was somewhat beautiful?¡± ¡°No¡± Lyra blatantly lies ¡°When I saw the snow back then I thought it to be like uncut gems, back then however it was still soft as snow, Now, they snow has hardened into diamonds, How about Diamond Dust? Is that not what your magic has become?¡± ¡­¡­ After eating another scoop of ice cream and twirling the spoon around for a bit, Lyra replies; ¡°Sounds stupid but I like it. And by the way Kage Don¡¯t get it twisted I still haven¡¯t fully forgiven you for being an evil fuck to me,¡± ¡°Hey, I already tol¡ª" ¡ªStrep-Strep-Strep-Strep As Kage opens his mouth to protest the pair are interrupted by another set of footsteps¡­ ¡°Is Apollo here¡ªam I interrupting something?¡± Himari strides into the house, as she notices the Kage and the shirtless Lyra she stops, ¡°He has been spending time training on the military compound¡± explains Kage, ¡°If he¡¯s not there he¡¯s is out umm doing stuff,¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.¡°If you are referring to him being the ¡®messiah¡¯ vigilante, I am aware of it,¡± states Himari ¡°Who do you think put him up to it, It¡¯s a two-man operation,¡± ¡°A pointless operation if you ask me,¡± comments Lyra putting her shirt back on ¡°You are already a fed why waste time taking down petty criminals at night.¡± ¡°You obviously now nothing about the crime world of our ring,¡± sighs Himari ¡°Petty criminals are a rare occurrence in this day and age, I like working with the government but even I have to admit they don¡¯t care about crime unless it jeopardizes their public image, Almost all crimes that take place are organized occurrences, and most of the time the nearby police stations are paid off, or simply don¡¯t care enough to do anything, Besides that, we have pirates like Kage, which are the only criminals the government actively tries to get rid of,¡± ¡°It is a Friday night and you are here talking about crime statistics,¡± this time it¡¯s Lyra¡¯s turn to sigh ¡°Your not even that boring of A person Ms. Nara, We¡¯ve seen you how you can be after that party,¡± ¡°How I can be? What did I do?¡± ¡°You were really noisy¡± Kage chimes in Lyra and Kage exchange glances¡­ ¡°What does that mean?¡± Himari presses ¡°So, what do you need to see Apollo for?¡± Kage changes the subject ¡°What do you think pirate? Obviously it is to discus the matter of Madvillainy,¡± ¡°Speaking of th¡ª¡± Kage starts ¡°Nahh you are stepping on my toes a little too much¡± Lyra speaks over him ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°The frickin Holy Diver incident, those were my guys you took out back there¡± ¡°That was you!?¡± Himari and Kage exclaim ¡°I am handling the Caribbean situation tell the government or whoever back off I swore I had this chat with that official Stanton before,¡± ¡°I know that people in the Caribbean look up to you as a deity known as the snow fairy but I didn¡¯t know you were actually calling shots,¡± muses Himari ¡°Yeah, well I didn¡¯t know you could moan so loudly till last weekend,¡± yawns Lyra, proceeding to indulge into her ice-cream ¡°You want some?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say to that,¡± The young woman rubs her eyes half stressed and ashamed, ¡°Ok, well don¡¯t,¡± Lyra taps the empty space on the couch next to her, which Himari slumps into ¡°You know, things are not always so black and white as you make them out to be Ms. Nara,¡± Lyra passes the ice-cream to her, ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? I am the youngest of five, my older sister, not the one who you saw at the party, She is currently doing time in prison One of my older brothers is in the military and the other is a shut in,¡± ¡°And you¡¯re a workaholic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard already that my father was one of the soldiers killed by some people from the pirates ring.¡± Himari gestures to Kage ¡°As a child losing the only person who gave me attention at that time really traumatized me, I¡¯ve gotten over it now, but it already too late, I¡¯ve been working this hard my entire life, Only thing I can do is go harder,¡± ¡°Yeah well I got an even worse story so I can¡¯t say I give a fuck about anything you just said,¡± Lyra shrugs ¡°Sounds tame if you ask me,¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Apollo how awful you two had the past decade,¡± so I don¡¯t blame you for that reaction Himari says surprisingly understanding ¡°Ms. Nara,¡± Kage cuts in ¡°I know you still feel suspicion and resentment towards me because my apparent past affiliations, but I can assure you that I on your side and will try my best to assist with anything you need,¡± ¡°Mmmm Sounds pretty convincing pirate, But you see I¡¯ve done my research on you, I know how good your manipulation skills are,¡± Himari sounding unconvinced ¡°You are right, Kage is really a master manipulator now that I think about it,¡± Lyra adding fuel to the fire ¡°He had me fooled when we first met and when I least expected tossed me to my death,¡± ¡°I¨C¡± Kage begins ¡°¨CI¡¯m never dropping this Kage,¡± Lyra tosses her spoon at Kage ¡°Don¡¯t worry Himari he came back crying to me after saying how it wasn¡¯t him, I realized he was a troubled person so I let it slide, this once¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what happened,¡± disputes Kage ¡°That¡¯s how I remember it¡± Lyra motions for Kage to send back her spoon, ¡°Now go play your uranium guitar or whatever,¡± ¡°Tielium¡± ¡°Fitting that you would have that old tielium,¡± Himari speaks up ¡°Is there a problem with it?¡± Inquires Kage ¡°No, but I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t know the history,¡± ¡°MF already told me about Dr. Einstein if that¡¯s what you¡¯re referring to¡± ¡°Daniel is fan boy, The old doctor wasn¡¯t as much of a genius that people like to make it out to be, He brilliant to an extent, Dr. Einstein is actually the first person from this ring to ever go to the first ring, That is where he got the ideas for tielium and ways to use foundation energy in the first place. That¡¯s why I said it was fitting you have it, Your one of them from the first ring, So, in a way, the technology of the first ring found its way back to one of its people.¡± Rhythm on the Ocean Located on the largest island in the Caribbean, Fuscina, are Atlan and Pulgin, cities that occupy almost half of the island respectively with two bring separated at the center by a volcano called Hades. Because of the constant thick black smoke constantly being released by the volcano it is impossible to infiltrate the island from the air, ¡°The government wants you four to infiltrate the Island where the head honcho of Madvillainy is rumored to be, and either detain or put him down,¡± Kiefer finishes briefing ¡°No¡± Lyra already objecting, ¡°Have you even been to Caribbean Kiefer? It¡¯s not as easy tiptoeing our way to Fuscina and knocking on Brandon¡¯s door¨C¡± ¡°She is referring to the leader Chief the one who calls himself Satan, he is from our kingdom back home so it is our responsibility to deal with him¡± Apollo interprets ¡°¨CHe has people who use some kind of warp magic¡± continues Lyra ¡°Tell your higher ups that you¡¯ll get ¡®Satan¡¯ or whatever he wants to call himself, dead soon enough As long as we do things my way,¡± ¡°Your way involves taking part in local civil wars Lyra, this operation to be quick, We don¡¯t have time to waste in pointless battles¡± (I wonder what is suddenly so urgent that they need to put a stop to Madvillainy) ¡°Ok, well what about the Holy diver I need it get back home after I¡¯m done here¡± Lyra tactfully changing the subject fully well meaning to disobey orders ¡°Daniel¡ªMetal Fingers, has already completed the repairing holy diver but what will be done with it hasn¡¯t a decided¡± ¡°Tell the chairman I request to have,¡± I speak up boldly to the chief (Pretty sure Mr. Second will pull some strings fro me) ¡°I will put in a word to get you the craft then,¡± Kiefer complies, ¡°Now back to matter of Madvillainy We have but agent Himari as commander for your group she will¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªNo need for that, We¡¯ll form a proper strategy once we get back on land¡± Lyra interrupts once more, ¡°Can I get a chance to finish talking?¡¯ Kiefer sounds stressed ¡°No,¡± retorts Lyra ¡°The sooner I¡¯m done with this is the sooner I can get back home,¡± Before Kiefer can protest Lyra turns and dashes out of the helicopter ¡°You might one to get out here before we approach any island unless you want to be shot down!¡± The girl shouts back her voice being carried by wind ¡°We can handle it don¡¯t worry chief Apollo assures dashing out after the girl leaving me Himari and Chief standing in the noisy aircraft ¡°So¡­. Can you drop a rope ladder for me to get down too?¡± I awkwardly ask ¡­¡­. **** The Caribbean line, a group of islands surrounded by ravaging whirlpools near the geographical center of the second ring, As I finally step foot onto the first island here, an uncomfortable feeling sinks in, (Is someone watching us?) ¡°You looked more spaced out than usual,¡± Lyra nudges me out of thought ¡°Don¡¯t worry this is Turks, a harbor island, no one is going to jump us here, Once we get on the boats, we go to Trinity Uno to meet up with the remnants and then the pointless fighting begins.¡± ¡°Pointless? Since when do you think fighting is pointless?¡± a nearby Apollo speaks in ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to fight together with you all again The last time we did you know what happened,¡± ¡­¡­ The talking subsides for a moment after that, the three of us thinking back to fending off against rains of bullets from emotionless machines (Darius, Pinoki, Karina, Every time we fought together, one of us died as a result Will this time bring the same results?) Squack squack squack! Sea gulls fly over the Turks island, chattering happily as they look down on the four individuals climbing into a speedboat, It had been a while since then gulls had seen humans on the once active now semi abandoned island, Chhuurrrnnn With Himari at the helm the boat zips off across the sea spraying a stream of water in it¡¯s wake¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°This time will be different Lyra,¡± Apollo finally breaks the silence ¡°Is it Apollo?¡± We fought some weakly defense robots and barely survived.¡± ¡°Only because we were caught of guard, I¡¯ve taken out hundreds of those same bots in training now Lyra, It¡¯s not the same,¡± ¡°What about killing? How many people have you killed?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Apollo remains silent for a second ¡°If we count Murdoc then it would be¡­ one person,¡± ¡°Exactly, do you know how many people I¡¯ve killed? No offense Apollo, but you¡¯re a pussy when it comes to ¡®finishing the job¡¯ What if you hesitate in the heat of things, and it¡¯s you instead of them Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.I almost lost you once,¡± ¡°¡­.. Why does murder always have to be the first option?¡± groans Apollo ¡°If you can already overpower someone, it¡¯s just over doing it to kill them on top of it,¡± ¡°¡­.Look, all I¡¯m going to say is,¡± sighs Lyra, clearly not wanting to continue speaking on the matter ¡°Promise me if you find yourself in a position where someone is about to kill you, kill them first,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ If it is to save you from getting killed then I will,¡± Apollo replies Lyra ignores him however gazing off at the sea, ¡°These are really the people I work with now,¡± Himari mutters under her breath We all still hear her anyway, ¡°Since you¡¯ve been here fighting the longest Lyra, what can we expect from the Madvillainy members?¡± I break the newfound silence with a question ¡°They are just magic-less people who hide behind machines,¡± Lyra replies blankly ¡°Madvillainy is what you would call a franchise organization¡± Himari informs, unsatisfied with Lyra¡¯s answer ¡°The real Madvillainy is just the two people that came from the third ring about two decades ago in our time, Similar to how franchises work thy allow anyone to use their name as long as it gives a good reputation, overtime most of the crime-world became assimilated under that name, barring the pirates of course, That¡¯s really all I or anyone knows of them,¡± ¡°I wonder what made the government suddenly decided that now was the time to take them out,¡± I mumble my thoughts out loud ¡°Probably because of the fact that there wasn¡¯t anyone who could go against men with the power to collapse an entire island of people single handedly,¡± Himari replies ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why are you here Ms. Nara?¡± Lyra jabs ¡°Where is your magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here because someone still has to do a write up after and I know none of you will,¡± ¡°Fair enough, Apollo and I can crush Brandon and the other guy Ozymandias¡¯ son of whoever he is, I don¡¯t know if Kage is up to par, And there is the whole factor of Alexander,¡± ¡°Alexander!?¡± Both Himari and Apollo exclaim ¡°You two know about him?¡± (Who is this Alexander they are getting riled up about?) ¡°Recently Himari and I encountered him, It was on Katellox island, long story short, we I had managed to thwart a planned data robbery, The thieves were carrying some sort of spirally device not even Himari could identify, Before I could check it out, Alexander showed up, He was strangely polite and Apologized for his men saying they took his things without permission¡­ Then he killed then all took the device and left.¡± ¡°Yeah, he is shrewd like that¡± Lyra grimaces ¡°How is this the first time I am hearing of this Alexander? Who is he?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t registered on database on the second ring, no birth history family records, nothing,¡± Himari answers ¡°My guess is that he is from another ring, The same one as you appear to be from Kage.¡± (The first ring I have to meet this person) ¡°Don¡¯t tell me your thinking of betraying us now¡± Lyra nudges me half jokingly, ¡°Not funny,¡± ¡°I mean you turned on me once before,¡± ¡°Will you ever let that go Lyra?¡± ¡°No, But if it is any consolation, I no longer feel like slitting your throat every time I see you,¡± ¡°¡­.. You know maybe I am thinking of a betrayal,¡± ¡°Is that your idea of a joke Kage?¡± ¡°You just made the same exact joke??¡± ¡°I can but you can¡¯t, I¡¯m seriously thinking of tossing you overboard right now,¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll drag you down with me,¡± ¡°You do realize I can just fly up right,¡± ¡°I doubt that, you¡¯re not flying with your magic, just constantly using wind to propel yourself, the wings are to help you stay mobile in the air, I know it won¡¯t work if your already in water,¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even seen me flying yet¡± ¡°Yes, I read that book on magic theory the Queen gave me,¡± ¡°Never mention that woman again,¡± ¡­¡­. Churrnnnn Splahhb Sprrrrr As the back and forth between Lyra and I finally subsidies the sound of us speeding through the ocean takes center stage once more. ¡­.. ¡°I seriously hope none of you die here,¡± Apollo says, The final words spoken before we dock at Trinity Uno. ¡­¡­. ***** ¡°One two three four; My baby don¡¯t mess¨Cno, no, no the timing is all off start it from the top Alexander¡± ¡°You are confident that you sense someone similar to you getting closer, Satan?¡± ¡°Positive, but like I said before, I don¡¯t want you or Dant¨¦ warping prematurely to them, I want us to all see them together, Be patient¡± ¡°I am nothing but patient, you know this,¡± ¡°Good now help me getting this timing for my grand entrance correct, One, two three, four! ¡ª¡± Dirge of Fear Just like the rest of the world the Caribbean has it¡¯s own nature preserve islands This one in particular, Contigo, the main source of agricultural growth and sustenance in the Caribbean, is under the strict control of Madvillainy ¡­ Grrrtrrrrrrrrrrrtrrrrrt! Splat! The thick forest of trees and bushes now drizzled with blood ¡°Hmph!¡± Apollo grunts in dissatisfaction as he is the only one here knocking out rather than kill the opposition, ¡°I thought I would feel a lot happier being in nature against But this is, This is not what I had in mind¡± ¡°Cry about it later!¡± Lyra swoops down from above, Two has passed since our fighting on Contigo began one of the larger and more dense islands traversing it on foot was the only option Grttt! Shots firing can be heard off in the distance The remnants that follow Lyra clear quickly round up Brandon¡¯s lackeys (It is quite refreshing to be surrounded by nature again, even if surrounded by death) There is a single building located in the north central region of Contigo¡­ ¡°We are nearing the Merde plains where the factory is, be on guard there are no trees to cover us¡± warns Lyra The Contigo factory is where all food produce is processed and packaged after harvested, it may seem like mug but the ones who controls this island and factory essentially controls seventy nine percent of all food in the Caribbean, many people not sided with Madvillainy have died of hunger already¡­ ¡°These people fight with fear,¡± I comment as we step out of the thick forest and then knee deep into a river that separates the forest plains across ¡°Are you sacred Kage?¡± Lyra who isn¡¯t airborne now due to open fields ahead, chides ¡°This whole time you have been sticking close to Apollo, barely doing anything¡± ¡°I have no arrows, firstly and what I can do besides that requires time, which I won¡¯t have in the middle of a gun fight,¡± (Plus I haven¡¯t actually tested this out yet) ¡­. ¡­.. ¡°Apollo can you run ahead of us, your sword can cover us from bullets,¡± Himari hisses The silhouette of the factory coming into view Croup-croup-croup The grass crunches below our feet echoing in the silent night ¡°Remember we have take the factory back not destroy it¡± Lyra informs ¡°I¡¯ll handle this one then¡± I suggest ¡­.. ¡°You have something up your sleeve?¡± Apollo unable to hide the curiosity in voice, (Yes) ¡°You will see¡± I answer vaguely ¡­. ¡°God this is why I hate this ring¡± Lyra whispers in disgust, We near the factory compound built disgustingly intrusive into field, large iron gates serve as guards against the vines desperately trying retake their territory, The area around the factory is also littered with plastics, old crates and machine parts ¡°No respect for nature¡± Apollo grunts, looking up at the black smoke arising from within the factory The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon...!! A light flashes overhead, we immediately press down against grass (It was wise of Himari to advise only us four to take this on, If we came with the rest of remnants we would already be spotted) ¡°You better speak up on what your planning to do now pirate,¡± Himari demands ¡°Because I am already formulating ways to cause the least damage possible to this facility¡± ¡°Fear,¡± ¡°Excuse?¡± ¡°These people fight with fear, I¡¯ve been observing it for a while now, They aren¡¯t afraid of us killing them, They fear bringing shame or upsetting their leader, I wonder how terrifying Brandon really is?¡± ¡°What does it that have to do with anything Kage?¡± (Three armed outside, the rest are probably inside) ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just thought I¡¯d share what I observed¡± (Fear is their most dominant feeling, I can use that) ¡°hhhhh¡± Taking a deep breath I form in my hand not the bow but a bass guitar, standing up facing the factory Ever since meeting Lyra again, I¡¯ve been able to feel others emotion It really made me realize that emotions not only have a feeling They have a sound too (Or maybe I¡¯m just crazy) Bwongg! I strum once, the sound reverberates thorough the fields loudly, immediately alerting the men Bwangg! On my second strum the vibration begins to tremor within myself, Lyra, Apollo and Hiamri watch curious as to what exactly I am going to do¡­ ¡­. Bwengg! ¡­.!! The third strum finally allows the men to pinpoint out location Apollo grips his sword getting ready to shield us from incoming bullets (Dirge of Fear) Bummm! Bumnn! Buming! ¡°AGHHHHHH!! YAHHHHHHHHH! EEIYUUUHHHHH! (That¡¯s what I¡¯ll call this) Bloodcurdling screams begin to bellow out BASH! CRASH! SHATTER!! The sounds of bodies slumping to the floor and throwing themselves soon follow The three behind watch in confused awe ¡°MERCY-MERCY-MERCYYY!!¡± As the voices scream and plead helplessly, I continue to strum away ¡­¡­. Aiyyee! The painfully last painful scream goes off ¡­.. The night becomes silent once more. ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. A gruesome sight. We make our way into the compound passing many foamy mouthed corpses Their eyes frozen in perpetual fear Some had shot themselves, some jumped though windows, But one thing was for certain, They were all dead Walking silently, I look at my work My actions (This is what I caused) Done by hands A loud buzzing grates into my ear, (I¡¯m used to it now) All that matters now is the destruction in front of me (I don¡¯t feel guilt by it) ¡°¡­..¡± Himari might be speaking right now but I don¡¯t hear her over the buzzing, ¡°Dirge of Fear,¡± I mutter out loud ¡°They died from their own extreme fear, their strongest emotion currently.¡± (This is what I call art.) ?Que Pasa Contigo? ¡°Light it up, light it up my bredda, You stalling with d blunt yah know?¡± ¡°Relax yuhself,¡± Jabari puffs away before passing it to his comrade ¡°I ain lying to tell yuh,¡± Jabari turns to us ¡°Alyuh did a madness ova here Neptune gon bless alyuh up for sure for helping we, take back d factory¡± ¡°This was actually all Kage¡¯s doing,¡± Lyra slaps me hard on the back (¡­¡­) Resisting the urge to retaliate, I draw my knees close huddling near the campfire set up A day has passed since we took the factory, the rest of the remnants and Posesidan and Neptune has moved in that time clearing the Island of it¡¯s former Mv occupants ¡°So what exactly is your plan after this Lyra?¡± Himari speaks up ¡°We followed you along and helped these people retake this island, but our orders are still otherwise¡­¡± ¡­.. Toot-toot-toot! The rare occurrence of an owl sounds within the night, Lyra doesn¡¯t answer the woman right away instead opting to lean back and stare at the clear sky The moon in full view tonight makes for a bright night already coupled with the multiple campfires lightning up the Merde plains, ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°So wait nah, Lemme get this straight, You, d snow fairy, was working with d UCA d whole time?¡± Zanzibar questions the girl ¡°No, I never have been working with them, I just cooperate sometimes so they don¡¯t see me as a threat or something, once I¡¯m done here, I am going home¡± (If there is still a home to return to) ¡°Shut up Kage¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know you are thinking something negative, Zinnia and everyone else is still alive,¡± ¡°It feel like yesterday when it was us three Karina and Pinoki, trying to find the path to Furlheim city,¡± Apollo reminisces (Many nights we would camp in fields similar to this) ¡­.. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my fault things ended up this way, If not for my curiosity we would never have climbed that mountain, We wouldn¡¯t even be here without Karina right now,¡± ¡°It is and isn¡¯t¡± shrugs Apollo ¡°It is true if not for you none of this would have happened, But then what? We would still be Soterra, probably under Murdoc¡¯s control right now, And by proxy we would never have found out of Ginobelucci¡¯s plan in Sweepstake, So yeah, if you hadn¡¯t showed up when you did Kage, Lyra, Zinnia, the twins, I and everyone else in Soterra right now, would probably be dead¡± ¡­.. ¡°Hhhhh¡± Zanzibar breathes out smoke ¡°This is riveting yah know? A couple months ago we was struggling to find food on these islands, desperate for survival, Now we here fighting with super powered people trying tah take back what we loss,¡± ¡°How did you lose it in the first place?¡± I ask ¡°Satan, that man pull up on Fuscina one day¨Cand lemme tell u bout Fuscina for a lil, Thy basically d main hub on the islands everybody and they mother use to move to Fuscina, these Islands was already starting to get abandoned even before Satan come, Fuscina really big u see, and it have all d best tech, so it makes sense, But nevertheless, that man Satan pull up on Fuscina, he say he was the new deity around these parts, Obviously, we call him out on he bullshit, Then boom Bredda man kill bout half d people on Fuscina, D prime ministers of the two biggest Cities Atlan and Pulgin surrender one time everybody else who wasn¡¯t a coward either die trying to fight back, or become like us who leave Fuscina, to build up strength on the islands, If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.But like d man had done already take over all d supply islands so wah become a plan to fight back became an survival game,¡± ¡°How come the UCA didn¡¯t step in back then?¡± Apollo questions Himari ¡°This might sound harsh but the UCA does not care what happens to the Caribbean, You aren¡¯t apart of the alliance so there really is no benefit in helping, We have only just now decided to act here, because the crime boss known as Satan has been affecting the governments business¡± ¡°Affecting them how?¡± I quiz her ¡°I wish I knew all I was told is that it is top priority to deal with Madvillainy,¡± (I wonder what changed) ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t need your government back then, and they don¡¯t now, I can take care of this¡± Lyra proclaims ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be underestimating Brandon,¡± Apollo warns ¡°How well do you two know this Satan?¡± presses Himari ¡°Between Lyra¡¯s insane determination to be the one to kill him and you calling him by name, Is there more to this?¡± (Spot on) ¡°Well, errm, as the technical king of Soterra, I see no reason why I shouldn¡¯t know the names of my past subjects¡± fibs Apollo Himari folds her arms disapprovingly not buying that excuse in the slightest ¡°You a King forreal?¡± the Neptune leader asks intrigued ¡°On a technicality,¡± Apollo mutters shamefully ¡°Ite, ite, ite people, d perimeter secure, it hah no Madvillainy men nearby so we safe for tonight,¡± Jabari the delegate of the Neptune side of the remnants arrives sitting near the fire ¡°Dawg you could interrupt in d most outta timing moments¡± Zanzibar barks ¡°Ok and you issa a Poseidon, talk done¡± ¡°What is the difference between the two?¡± I butt in before the two could begin to argue ¡°Well, we know that the sea is in fact alive and has a will of it¡¯s own¡± Jabari starts (Started speaking proper all of a sudden) ¡°That will is known as Neptune, and is revered as a god, Neptune says doing anything to harm the sea is forbidden, do not pollute her, do not abuse her, treat her like you would treat your own flesh and bones, And we know this through as anyone who harms the sea is ultimately killed by it.¡± ¡°And that is bullshit hoarse,¡± Zanzibar counters ¡°The will of the sea is Poseidon, it says the sea is to be conquered, the sea is a raging beast that must be tamed, use it as you like, live for the sea, live yourself to the fullest in the sea, But when it is all over, everything that you have taken from the sea, You must pay it back by returning to the sea in death.¡± ¡°This is what I dealt with regularly¡± groans Lyra ¡°I was told that Poseidon and Neptune were just larger pirate organizations,¡± Himari mumbles under her breath, (Live in harmony with the sea, or to live as a conqueror of the sea) ¡°Fuscina is the home island to both of your faiths, How do you two who oppose each other live together?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t, simple,¡± Zanzibar shrugs puffing away, ¡°Fuscina is dived into two, Atlan and Pulgin, the holy cities are separated by Hades the volcano, it is impossible for the two sides to interact without making the way around by sea,¡± ¡°That seems needlessly tedious¡± Apollo comments ¡°I%%%?@#*#*!¡±*?¡± Lyra says ..? (What¡¯s going on?) ¡ªBrgzgzbztr@#$%^&*&^%$#@@#$%^& Brgzgzbztr@#$%^&*&^%$#@@#$%^& (Aghh! What is that loud buzzing al of sudden!) Brgzgzbztr@#$%^&*&^%$#@@#$%^& (¡°he¡­¡­¡­.¡±) (¡­....!!?? What is wrong with you¨Cme?) (¡°H%#E I!*S A@#L%R^E@#A!&D^$Y H#$E%&R*^E!¡±) ¡°And a one-two-three-four Start!¡± Hey Ya! Pheww? La di da da? (¡°Wonderful night tonight¡±) Phew-phew-phew-phew? ¡°I can¡¯t wait, I meet them.¡± ¡°If you want, I can teleport you to them, We don¡¯t need walk through this forest¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s I want to savor these minutes, The excitement of meeting someone like me, Dant¨¦, It¡¯s exhilarating,¡± ¡°I understand what you mean, even though I am not like you, Brandon, I still share your excitement,¡± ¡­¡­.. Whistling and humming his way pleasantly through the forests of Contigo is the brother of Lyra, accompanied by his stoic friend and special confidant, Dant¨¦, the adopted son of the last Mayor of Sweepstake city, Ozymandias¡­.. ¡°Get the music ready Dant¨¦,¡± Brandon smiles as his duo approaches the plains alit with campfires ¡°It¡¯s time we made our grand entrance¡± ¡­¡­ **** ¡°AghhhH!¡± (This buzzing!) ¡°Is something wrong Kage?¡± Apollo notices my distress ¡°It¡¯s just a headache,¡± I lie The unpleasant sound begins to gradually dissipate, (What was that all about?) ¡°You are so fucking weird.¡± Lyra had her eyes trained on me the entire time, ¡°You were just slapping your ears like a crazed madman a minute ago, and now you go back to being normal,¡± ¡°There was a buzzing in my ear,¡± I say truthfully ¡°Hmm,¡± Lyra grunts but press further about it, I can practically feel the suspicion oozing off her, ¡°So how did you pull of that guitar thingy you did yesterday?¡± Apollo changes the topic, ¡°Even though I don¡¯t agree with the death you caused, it was still impressive,'' ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to explain it, I guess you can say I manipulated their emotion to their most extreme using sound,¡± ¡°Is that your magic then?¡± ¡°Maybe, but it didn¡¯t really feel like something I was doing,¡± (Could it be though?) ¡°I was either always feel everything to their extremes or like right now where all my emotions are so low, that I basically feel nothing, I simply gave them a taste of what I experience, except they¡¯re lucky that it was only one emotion and not all of them¡­.¡± ¡­.. It becomes awkwardly quiet after that (Maybe I said too much) ¡­¡­ ¡°Just don¡¯t go doing that to us,¡± Lyra says after a while ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ONE, TWO, THREE, UH!? .¡­!? ¡°What was that!?¡± someone exclaims as a sudden burst of sound cuts into the quiet night ¡­¡­ My baby don''t mess around¡ªBecause she loves me so, and this I know for suree? (Music?) ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Himari immediately forms her tielium guns, using them to produce a beam of light towards the direction of the sound The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. But does she really wanna¡ªBut can''t stand to see me walk out the door?? ¡°Who playing games boi¡± Jabari gets up ¡°Aye! Take dat off and come here, Yuh interrupting a good night!¡± Don''t try to fight the feeling¡ª''Cause the thought alone is killing me right now? (Something isn¡¯t right) ¡°Get your sword out Apollo,¡± I warn him ¡°I feel it too,¡± he nods (So it isn¡¯t just me) Thank God for Mom and Dad¡ªFor sticking two together ''cause we don''t know how? ¡°Heyyyyyy!¡± A commanding voice shrills over the music Hey ya!? Hey ya!? ¡°Heeyy¡ªyahh,¡± a body emerges through the tall grass near the south end of the field in perfect timing to the music ¡°Who are you!?¡± Himari points her light at the stranger, they wear a full royal-like black robe with gold embroidery, Their flowing hair almost touching the ground, A color that looks similar, to¡­ ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± Lyra suddenly bursts seeing the man Hey ya!? Hey ya!? ¡°Heeyy¡ªyaaah!¡± he waves at her his pale blue eyes that matches hers, dances eagerly ¡°Nope you¡¯re not the one I¡¯m looking for!¡± the light in his eyes no dims as he frowns displeased, A person I have not met before, but a face I definitely have seen (This is him¨C) ¡°¡ªLyra¡¯s brother, the boss of Madvillainy¡± Apollo finishes my thought, ¡°Brother? W¡­w¡± Hiamri taken aback stutters a little at the unexpected information, ¡°We, must detain him at once, and if not kill him right here and now.¡± she immediately regains her composure (But why has he come to us) ¡°Wait nah thy him forreal?¡± The remnants behind us murmur getting alarmed, Lyra has not moved an inch (I thought she would be the first to rush at him) Hey ya!? Hey ya!? ¡°Have you come here to die Brandon?¡± growls Lyra a cold wind of diamond dust begins to swirl at her feet, ¡°I¡¯m sorry who are you? And how do you know my former name?¡± ¡°You lying piece of murdering heirless monstrous shit,¡± Lyra blurts out, ¡°Diamond meteo¡ª!¡± ¡ªClick! ¡°Cast that spell and your brains will be on the floor, and that is before you will even get to see if it will work or not,¡± Behind Lyra another figure appears out of nowhere, Donned in a trench coat and fedora tinted over his face he aims a gun at Lyra¡¯s skull (Is this one, Ozymandias¡¯ son, or is it the one called Alexander) ¡°Hmmm,¡± I take it you three are the magic users, Brandon singles out Apollo and I with Lyra ¡°Now everyone else, I have a question, Now, what¡¯s cooler than being cool?¡± (Ice cold!) Aside from the three he singled out everyone else becomes frozen in place, The red-orange campfires now burn bright blue, it¡¯s light freezing everyone, once kissed by it¡¯s warmth, in place. ¡°Now, shall I introduce myself? Heya! My name is Satan, I am the chief executive officer of Madvillainy, an ambassador of the third ring, soon to be ruler of the second, and honorary citizen of the first I am not here to fight, but if you¡¯d like I shall,¡± ¡°Are you here for a beating then?¡± Apollo challenges hoping to draw attention from Lyra ¡°Hmm well first of all¡­ Dant¨¦, could you?¡± The man hooding Lyra at gun point nods, He shoves the girl and she despairs, only to reappear crashing into Apollo, ¡°Firstly keep that girl away from me if you want her remain alive, Though she has powerful magic, she isn¡¯t the person I¡¯m looking for¡­¡­¡­¡± Satan''s voice trials off as he makes eye contact with me for the first time, ¡°It is you, Oh¡­ and you are a beauty as well May I ask your name?¡± (Is he talking about me? I need to choose my actions very carefully here) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± His question I give no reply choosing to remain silent Satan frowns ¡°Do not be this way, I know you can feel it. Someone just like you,¡± ¡°What is he taking about Kage!¡± Lyra hisses (¡­¡­.) ¡°Until you¡¯ve spoken to Lyra I wont be answering any of your question.¡± I negotiate ¡°Lyra? Hmmm, that name does sound familiar¡­ ¡­¡­lyraaa¡­¡­ Oh, yeah, I had a sister, Lyra? It¡¯s been over, twenty years for me You are still a child? No, How are you even still alive?¡± I can practically feel the immense hatred begin to erupt from Lyra, Her face in crimson anger, as she stares bullets at the cheerful man. She would love nothing more than to rush him and start beating him down But she knows being reckless is the last thing to be right now. Dante stands silently at Satan¡¯s side, a double barrel shotgun pointed at the ground for now¡­ It¡¯s the fact that he can teleport put¡¯s us all at an unease.. One wrong move and¡­. (We have to take out that guy first) ¡°You disgust me, you murdered our¡ªmy parents, Karina¡¯s parents as well and then you scurry away like a coward to another ring,¡± Lyra spats ¡°Who is Karina?¡± Brandon looks around half expecting a fourth person with magic to reveal themselves ¡°Are you referring to when I left Soterra? I may have killed a few people, but they were merely in my way, I had no choice,¡± And when it come our parents, I needed the hearts of the people I cared about in order to gain the power I have now, It was for the best of intentions I assure you sister You can¡¯t still be mad about that? It¡¯s been over twenty years¡­.then again time is different here, so half that time for you...¡± ¡°You murdered for your own selfishness! For power!?¡± Lyra fumes, wanting badly to do noting more than run up and slit his throat ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± shrugs Brandon ¡°But on that topic of power¡± he turns back to me, ¡°What did you get ? What did you give? I can feel it, You went ¡®behind there¡¯ too The dealer, what did you give him, and what did you gain?¡± (The dealer? Is he talking about that house? That place I woke up in¡­) ¡°I wasn¡¯t given anything, and I burnt that house to ashes.¡± ¡°What house?¡± ¡°The one by the cliff, isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re referring too?¡± ¡°¡­¡­. You amuse me already, I do not know of any Cliffside house nor did the dealer live there, What I do know for sure however that is you did see him, You took a ¡®piece'' I can feel it from you, Which was it? The arms, hands, nose, eyes¡­ It¡¯s got to be your eyes right look how empty they are¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are trying to say,¡± (Is this some kind of mind game he¡¯s playing?) ¡°Huhhhhmmm!¡± Brandon sighs heavily, (This is definitely the man I remember from Omari¡¯s memories, He took him to the region past the desert, To that place I awoke in, Now he¡¯s telling me that place isn¡¯t real?) ¡°Do you even know what is past that desert?¡± Brandon continues ¡°A small village surrounded by a thick forest, at the end of which is that place,¡± (Something is not right, why do an I feeling like this right now?) ¡°¡­¡­¡± Brandon makes a face at his comrade ¡°Maybe their memories got lost in the process similar to how you lost your sense of touch sir¡± Dant¨¦ suggests (My memories? No, im certain, I awoke in that house, I remember how horrid it was, That sense of hopelessness) ¡°Mmm, I see that makes sense¡± Satan mulls over the suggestion before turning his attention back to me again ¡°You, my new friend, are one of the lucky few people to have gotten a piece of ¡®it¡¯ and survived,¡± ¡°It?¡± ¡°The god¡¯s corpse, You took a piece of the proverbial pie, didn¡¯t you? You must have felt our connection earlier? You are just like me, Just like Murdoc.¡± Hymn of the Corpse ¡°A heart for a heart, eye for an eye, leg for a leg, which part will you choose?¡± ¡°All my internal organs, I want all of it.¡± ¡°Very well, if you survive, You, Mr. Murdoc shall be a God.¡± ¡­¡­¡­ (Murdoc once said, he obtained a piece of a god, to become one himself, He mentioned a Blackmagic dealer, the same one I heard being spoken of by Brandon in Omari¡¯s memory, He went to the same place I awoke in, But I don¡¯t even know anymore How did I get there in first place?) ¡°Are you remembering now~?¡± Satan whispers in a singsong tone ¡°No, all I remember is what you did to the prince.¡± (It may not be my memories but nevertheless¡­) ¡°Who is that exactly?¡± ¡°The former prince of Soterra whom you kidnapped, You¡­..¡± (What did he do again?) ¡°Ah yes, the prince, his fire had so much potential, I doubt you could have met him seemingly since He died after I took his fire magic, (He died? No, I met him under Jissepi, He must have survived after...) Tchht! Apollo gently passes his feet through the soft blades grass I¡¯d been trying to keep Satan¡¯s attention for as long as possible in hopes that he would think of a good counter offense (Almost time to wrap this up¡­) ¡°I would consider, that prince lucky that I nabbed him when I did otherwise je would of just been a subject to that priest Murdoc,¡± Brandon continues ¡°What I am more curious of is how do you know that I nabbed him?¡± ¡°I can see the memories of others,¡± I blurt out almost instantly (Something compelling about this man makes me want to talk I cant deny it, the strange sense of familiarity I feel) ¡°Look who¡¯s finally coming around! Is that the ¡®the piece '' you obtained? No wait, before that, shall you introduce yourself to me properly?¡± ¡°Kage. That is what I am called¡± ¡°Mmm, Well Kage, will you become my ally? With you by my side we will truly be unstoppable, I have plans to soon recruit Murdoc, on the third ring,¡± ¡°Murdoc is already dead¡± ¡°Damn, that is unfortunate, We never formally got the chance to meet, What a waste of power,¡± ¡­. For a split second all the warmth from Brandon¡¯s face evaporates into a look of disgust (¡°Kill him Kage¡±) ¡°Well Have you made up our mind?¡± he cheerfully edges me on (What was that?) ¡°You¡¯re the only reason I came here tonight Kage, I care not for useless relatives or Caribbean freedom fighters, especially since I did not take their land or islands, Assimilate yourself into my rankings and you can continue to live as you previously did, All I asked is for you to forget about the gods you pray to and worship me,¡± (¡°He does not deserve our power, kill him, reclaim it!¡±) I glance across at Lyra, her fists are clenched tightly she practically fumes ear to ear, As our eyes meet, they tell me everything I need to know¡­ (The time to act now!) ¡°I think I¡¯ll pas¡¯¡ª" ¡ªBoump! Dant¨¦ fires his shotgun into my right thigh before I can even finish speak The force of the close-range shots tears through the empty quiver on my thigh, ripping it right open, ¡°Aghhh Awwwwwwww NGGHHH!¡± (Fuck! That hurts) Uhungh! ¡°Fucking unfortunate,¡± Satan kicks at the wound, my leg just barely hanging on to the bone Brandon¡¯s open armed and cheerful demeanor, now replaced by cold putrid hate He scowls at me with a look that makes me want to kill myself, The disdain in his face, like he is addressing an insect, an unworthy slug (Is this his true self?) Boump! ¡°AGGHHHHSSSSSNNNNNGGHHHHARRRNNN!¡± Dant¨¦ lets off a second shot this time the round aimed at my tielium glove, the impact blows my entire hand to bits. Satan digs his heel down onto what use to be my hand, adding insult to injury, ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t known what you could do with weapon You know something Kage? I fucking hate being told no, I came all this way for you! Fuckkk I can¡¯t kill you yet! You¡¯re re still worth something¡­. AHhhhhhhhh!¡± Bursting into a raging tantrum Satan continues to stomp down on my open¡­.. my open wound¡­¡­¡­. (I can barley keep consciousness¡­.) ¡°Heavenly thunder slash!¡± Apollo swings forward at the unsuspecting Satan ¡°Sir!¡± Dant¨¦ teleports him back, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be quicker Kage, I wasn¡¯t standing around doing nothing, Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.I had been charging up my lighting throughout my entire body, The only way I can combat his teleportation¡¯s is by moving near light speed¡± ¡°You are pretty strong for someone with unevolved magic¡± Dant¨¦ compliments, ¡°However, Alexander has advised that we don¡¯t fight you right now¡± ¡°Well, you can die then! Diamond glaciers!¡± SHilng! Spiky hills of the gem-like ice emerge from the ground beneath the two foes who simply teleport out of harms way, ¡°Impressive, evolved magic my sister,¡± Satan smiles his composure slips back to being cheerful ¡°As an honor of you being related to me, Let me give you a taste of my Scorching Hailstorm!¡± As he says this the wind picks up blowing freezing cold and red balls of hail starts to rain down Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! They burst into flames upon colliding with the ground, and the helpless people still frozen in place by the blue fire ¡°Himari!¡± Apollo darts over to the woman using his sword to shield her, Lyra forms a pillar of ice to shield herself while Kage and everyone else gets caught up in the rain of fire ¡°I cant say it was a pleasure, But I have more important business to attend Goodbye for now!¡± Dant¨¦ and Satan fade away, As they do Himari and the other Caribbean people regain control of themselves, immediately sprinting for cover ¡°I couldn¡¯t move!¡± Himari gasps out of breath as though she had just been sprinting for hours ¡°It¡¯s like my own body heat was frozen, I don¡¯t know how to explain it!¡± BOOM! An exploding ball of hail lands near her but Apollo blitzes in front of her in time, blocking it, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get them!?¡± Lyra runs up shoving Apollo in rage, ¡°You wasted so much time building speed for nothing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to let them leave and strategize for next time!¡± he disputes ¡°May the dead Gods bring us mercy,¡± Himari mutters taking a look at the surroundings The hail now stopped, but it¡¯s effects, The once grassy field now scorched and black exuding smoke as the disgusting scent of burning corpses starts to build, The screams and panic-stricken cries of the remnants don¡¯t help either ¡°Where is-¡° Apollo starts but notices the body, ¡°Kage? ¡­¡­¡­ Kage!?¡± ¡­¡­¡­. ***** (The corpse of a dead God, What is it, Why cant I stop thinking about it? Was it in that house with me? Did it burn with the rest of that house? Was any of what I experienced there even real to begin with? I need to go back and see for myself) ¡­¡­ ¡°Kage? How are you feeling?¡± ¡°urggh¡± my eyes open to Apollo looking over me, ¡°Where is this?¡± I look up nticing the steel walls suurounding us in a newely furnished interior, ¡°A government boat,¡± Apollo replies, ¡°Your healing is incredible by the way¡± ¡°My¡­ Healing?¡± My hand that was completely blown off now restored, my thigh is also restored (Was all that a dream) ¡°I wasn¡¯t treated?¡± I ask groggily (No it couldn¡¯t be) ¡°We were going to but you were already healing¡± (I was never able to this before) ¡°So, what is next Apollo?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, the remnants have decided to give up fighting all together,¡± (They might as well be fodder to Satan) ¡°Honestly I think I can beat him,¡± Apollo says, it does not come off as arrogant however, ¡°The problem is, the one who can teleport, No, That¡¯s just an excuse, the problem is Lyra, she means to be the one to kill him¡­ And I can¡¯t take that away from her¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± (Why did I heal so fast?) ¡°Kage?¡± (When Omari blew himself up back in the desert, I barely survived) ¡°Kage? Are you doing alright?¡± ¡°No, Something is very wrong.¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°How shall we deal with them, sir?¡± ¡°Hhhhh I don¡¯t know, I am not bothered by the Caribbean people taking back their islands in the slightest, more deaths help me in the long term,¡± Satan shrugs, ¡°No I mean the ones with magic?¡± Dant¨¦ clarifies ¡°Alexander said they can be useful to us,¡± ¡°Speaking of sir, Alexander was present during the meeting between you and Kage, watching from the shadows, He has decided to take action on his own,¡± ¡°Like he does not already, What does plan to do this time?¡± ¡°The one that was called Kage, sir I think maybe, Alexander wants them,¡± AleXanders Intro ¡°Not gone lie, We finished After seeing d man in person¡­ Waste ah time fighting him I rather to keep my life.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok, I never asked your people to follow me, but.. thank you for helping me anyways, I will finish this by myself,¡± Lyra flies away, after seeing what was left of the remnants back to the island of Trinity Dos The deaths of Zanzibar and Jabari having severely decreased their morale (¡°I have to kill him¡±) she thinks (¡°After that I will I finally feel like a real person? I must destroy the demon that haunts me, My own flesh.¡±) ¡­¡­. ***** Floating off the coast of Jamrock is the newest model of government submarines, this one called the ¡®Killer Whale¡¯ named after the extinct creature, a government sea-craft, capable of high-speed travel on the ocean as well as being armed with an array of weapons. After out unexpected encounter with Satan, the self proclaimed CEO of Madvillainy, over two thirds of the people that was present on Contigo was killed, the rest either unscathed or in critical condition, Kage being one of them was at first going to be rushed to an emergency room for treatment, but to everyone¡¯s shock he started healing on own, Something that has not happened before¡­ Or at least not to Kage¡¯s knowing... ¡­¡­ ¡°Why are we on this ship exactly?¡± getting up I peer out the window at the sea while quizzing Apollo, ¡°The chairman sent a direct order for you to be kept in here,¡± he replies, ¡°Apparently some ¡®highly¡¯ important government official has requested a meeting with us in here,¡± (A meeting?) Beeep! Before my thoughts could simmer the cabin door sounds as it slides open to a familiar face entering, ¡°Looks like you actually are alive, took your sweet time to wake up,¡± Lyra tries to mask her relief on seeing me okay by speaking in a nonchalant tone, ¡°How long was I out for?¡± ¡°Only a day,¡± Apollo answers, ¡°How are you feeling Lyra?¡± I ask noticing her sleep deprived eyes staring off absently ¡°Normal obviously, What kind of question is that?¡± ¡°No, I mean after seeing your brother He did not even acknowledge you let alone care; are you ok after that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­. So, I just arrived and you already want to get into that?¡± Lyra rolls her eyes ¡°I should be asking you what was all that talk about corpses and gods.¡± ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not sure, when I saw Omari¡¯s memories back in Soterra, the day Murdoc enacted his plan to create evolved magic users. Brandon kidnapped the prince.¡± (If I can piece together the order of events) ¡°I think right after he left Soterra with the prince, he went to Sweepsatke city and manipulated the mayor¡¯s son, to join him, Using his warp magic, they probably crossed the desert that way and met up with the blackmagic dealer, who gave him the power he has now,¡± (My head hurts just thinking about it There are pieces missing I just can¡¯t figure out How do I fit into this, And what about that house?) ¡°Barely understand what any of what you saying mean Kage¡± Lyra crosses her arms, edging me to further elaborate ¡°What is this black magic dealer? First Murdoc mentioned it and then him, Satan or whatever¡­ How can you just go to someone and gain the power of a god?¡± ¡°That is what I want to know to, See the place that both Murdoc and your bro¡ªSatan mentioned, is where my earliest memories start, I remember waking up in a dark room of filth chained down, The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Everyday someone would come in and beat me mercilessly for weeks until I was at the point of not wanting to breathe without asking for permission, His name was Pedria I think¡± (Was it? Was he the dealer? Did he experiment on before? I do remember something before, grinding, bodies being grinded. Is that why my memories are foggy?) ¡°That entire house is nothing but ashes now,¡± I continue, ¡°I burnt it, I remember the first person I killed..¡± (Where am I going with this?) ¡°This is why I don¡¯t pay attention to all these complications,¡± sighs Lyra ¡°I just want to kill the bastard and go home, Call Kiefer, Himari, Stanton, whoever, Let them send their army to clean up the mess after, I don¡¯t care Once I have his head I can finally go back home, The first thing I¡¯ll do there is destroy those ''robots'' atop the mountain, It still bothers me the fact that we lost to mere machines, After that I can kill Ginobelucci if he is still alive, and avenge Pinoki,¡± ¡°You thought that ahead?¡± Apollo raises his eyes brows, ¡°Well not of us was busy drilling the guts of their supervisor like you!¡± she snaps, ¡°Calm down Lyra,¡± Apollo tries to console, noticing the increasing agitation of the girl, ¡°No, I¡¯m tired of this Apollo, you know I love you, But It¡¯s been me this whole time trying to get things done while you¡¯ve been running around trying to be a hero, Do you even want to go home? Zinnia is literally expecting a child, do you know how she must feel!? She probably is dealing with so much bullshit right now, Yet here we are taking our sweet time!¡± ¡°What if she¡¯s dead Lyra!¡± Apollo unexpectedly outbursts ¡°I think about her every single day But what will you do if there is nothing but death waiting for you when you get back, I am just trying to do something, before I die, And about not helping you!? You are the one who purposefully kept me out, So, I respected your choice ¡­. Look, Lyra¡± Apollo calms down ¡°All I want is to save some lives for once in my life instead of letting people die, ¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± The two stare at each other silently both feeling self justified in their actions (What will Lyra do after getting her revenge) (How many people can Apollo try to save before he realizes he can¡¯t save everyone) ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­.. ¡­....... ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­.. The silence last for about an hour, Lyra paces throughout the ship, Apollo keeps himself near a window in the cockpit, silently thinking, and I¡ª ¡ªBeep! The door slides open and a strange figure wearing a doctor¡¯s, coat steps in walking straight towards me, (Who?) Their soft hand presses onto my head and immediately feel an electric zap ¡°Vital signs are normal, Healing is ninety-five percent slower, Subject now has an assumed consciousness¡± the person mulls (I don¡¯t how I can tell, but¡­ This isn¡¯t a human, regardless of the appearance) ¡°Are you a medical robot?¡± I slap away the android¡¯s hand, ¡°Rude, do I look like a¨C ¨CNo, don¡¯t answer that actually I may not be carbon based, but I assure you I am of human origin,¡± ¡°How did you get in here!?¡± Lyra now paces into the cabin noticing the figure, Apollo hearing the girl appears almost instantly, ¡°Relax you two, no need to act up let me introduce myself to Kage first,¡± The human-like figure says in the politest of tones, as he turns to face me¡­ ¡°Hello, I am the person in the government that requested to meet with you, My name is Alexander,¡± Paranoid Android Perfection, That is the only word I can use to describe this person, His body like a mannequin but skin perfectly soft and without any flaw, As he smiles politely I slight flash illuminates from his eyes, which when looking into can entrance even the most disciplined of people (What kind of human is this?) ¡­¡­. ¡°A pleasure to meet finally meet you Kage,¡± Alexander speaks as clear as anyone could ¡°What are you?¡± I straight to the point, ¡°A human, obviously,¡± ¡°Shall I ask that question again?¡± I press ¡°Very well, since you need me to be specific, I am a Silicon based human, We are very common on the first ring.¡± (So, he is from the first, Wait.) ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± I dispute ¡°Isn¡¯t the first at war with this ring how are you working with the government, More so, aren¡¯t you a part of Madvillainy?¡± ¡°I work with both the UCA government and Madvillainy,¡± ¡°That makes even less sense, Madvillainy is a crime syndicate how can you work with them and the government?¡± ¡°Well firstly there is no war between us and the second ring, and I can work with whomever I choose because I am simply superior to the humans here The government cannot disapprove of my actions.¡± (The war was fake?) ¡°What do you mean the war was fake?¡± Apollo says what I¡¯m thinking, ¡°Himari¡¯s father was killed by your people in that very war,¡± ¡°Not true, her father was most likely given to us by the UCA, But that is not what I am here to speak about, please refrain from asking these pointless questions,¡± ¡°What do you want then?¡± Lyra who had been silently gathering her magic, now growls warningly ¡°Kage obviously, It¡¯s been a long, a very long time since you have been away, I don¡¯t know how you got away ¡®them¡¯ but I am just glad you¡¯re finally awake.¡± ¡°You know me, then am actually from the first ring?¡± ¡°That is a complicated question that I¡¯m sure I can answer, I merely am a scout and messenger¡± ¡°Then how did I get on the third ring?¡± ¡°You were stolen of course, it was a long time ago, time is double that of his ring and quadruple that of the third,¡± ¡°Are you here to take Kage back?¡± Apollo interjects ¡°That depends on your actions, specifically you, Lyra,¡± Alexander turns his attention to the girl, ¡°Are you certain that you want to kill your brother, because I strongly advise you abandon the thought,¡± ¡°Fuck you Alexander! I don¡¯t care who you are or your importance, That thing that is NOT my brother is getting murdered the next time we meet You don¡¯t what he put through so save your idiotic suggestions,¡± ¡°On the contrary Ms Lyra, I do know, You see I was the one who put him up to the tasks, I¡¯ve known your brother since he was a boy before you were even conceived, As a matter of fact I was there the day you were born Ms Lyra¨C¡± ¨CShingg! Shwoom! As the android speaks these words Lyra conjures a barrage of diamond glaciers straight at him, ¡°None of that will you?¡± Alexander says scolding as beams of white light blast out his eyes in a fraction of a second turning the girl¡¯s attack to particles of steam, ¡°If what you say is true then your death is almost certain,¡± Lyra threatens though she doesn¡¯t tries to attack again ¡°Not with my current body,¡± for the first time Alexander begins to speak haughtily ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to kill me, the only things that we fear are the beasts of the third ring, and people like Apollo, your existence is enough to cause paranoia back home in the capital, Then again this is precisely why I am here to see you three, Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Kage, Lyra and Apollo, ally yourself with me, and I promise you will reap great rewards,¡± ¡°Joining up with a two sided machine such as yourself, isn¡¯t all that enticing,¡± Lyra retorts ¡°Tell me what your goal is¡± I demand ¡°Of course, of course Kage,¡± Alexander says patronizingly ¡°Simply put our goal is quite noble, you see aim to connect the three rings, not just by being able to travel across, but by syncing up the times,¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I am not at liberty to divulge that information, Let¡¯s just say it is to ensure that all humans are unified,¡± ¡°You plan to take over everything ¡° Apollo reads between the lines ¡°Surely not, we only care about gaining resources, especially the ones found on third ring,¡± ¡­¡­ Apollo gives me a puzzled look which I try to return (All this for resources? No, this man is choosing his words extremely carefully, there has to be more to it) ¡°I can tell you are doubtful of me, so I shall answer a few more of your questions before I go and let you think about it,¡± ¡°What did you mean when you said people like me,¡± Apollo starts off ¡°People of your heritage, of course, your mother probably died giving birth to you and your father disappeared, correct?¡± ¡°How¡­.?¡± ¡°You¨C¡± ¨CCRASH! ¡°You thought I was actually done attacking!?¡± Lyra cackles Her hands coated in a layer diamond ice, forming into deadly claws, the girl has unexpectedly charged at the android knocking him against the wall ¡°Lyra wait!¡± Apollo calls ¡°No! Don¡¯t you see he is just trying to manipulate us? Remember the last person who was polite and answered any of questions!?¡± Whamp! The girl smacks her claws hard across Alexander faces causing his soft skin to peel off revealing piece of a metallic bone ¡°It was the queen!¡± Lyra continues Whamp! ¡°And she was just fattening us up fro , for ten fucking years! This guy is no different, fuck him, fuck his answers fuck his ring fuck his politics fuck his noble goals!¡± ¡°Get off of me you wretch!¡± Alexander screams pushing away the girl ¡°Do not make me incinerate you!¡± the androids hand peels back as his right arm transforms into a buster, Thump! Glacial spikes emerge from Lyra¡¯s knuckles, using it the girl send it through the right shoulder of the man, ¡°Fuck your technology too!¡± ¡°If I could feel pain I¡¯d be screaming out,¡± Alexander holds his surprisingly bleeding shoulder, ¡°I shall take my leave here, I didn¡¯t not have data on Lyra being a physical attacker, or I would have expected that from her,¡± the android slips a familiar looking ring off his detached right hand and with his teeth places it on the opposite hand, (That looks like the warp rings from Sweepstake City) ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re getting away that easily!¡± Bash! Bash! Crash! Smash! Grabbing Alexander by the head the girl immediately begins to drag it along the submarine¡¯s walls ¡°Lyra enough!¡± Apollo holds her back, ¡°Th¡­..this¡­.this¡­.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice keeps disconnecting and reconnecting, ¡°This will never happen again, Apollo, Lyra and especially you Kage, Enjoy your time as much as you can, Because when you return to the first ring, You will be at a point of no return Have as much fun as you can possibly have now, before it all comes to an end¡± Swish! Alexander¡¯s ring begins to glow until it manifests a swirling light that swallows him up ¡­¡­ Kage Lyra and Apollo stand staring at the empty space where the cybernetic man once lay Unbeknownst to them that this meeting with Alexander would mark the start of something¡ª ¡ªNo, rather it was the beginning of the end for them all. Interlude | The Slice of Life (You were stolen from us, You took a piece didn¡¯t you? You belong to us Kage You should join us Kage You¨C) ¨CBummmmmm! The horn of a ship blares as we arrive on one of the many docks on the plastic beach, ¡°Home sweet home,¡± whistles Lyra sarcastically, The pilot of the Killer whale who had been stationed at Jamrock, returned immediately after Alexander left chartering the craft back to the beach, Waiting for us at the docks is another uniformed government official who ushers us into a vehicle, dropping us off that beach house (What house? You went behind there? Blackmagic dealer I assure you I am a Silicon based human The first ring, The second ring, The third ring What about the world Kage? The world The world) ¡°The wo¨C¡± ¡°¨CKage, relax,¡± Lyra shakes me, I notice we are back in the living room of the beach house ¡°You¡¯ve been mumbling to yourself ever since that coward Alexander ran away,¡± Lyra tells ¡°I¡¯ve just been processing everything,¡± (Processing) ¡°Lyra, do I seem human to you?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you,¡± the girl shrugs ¡°I¡¯ve seen people worse than you, and we consider them human, I don¡¯t see why you think your not,¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling disoriented since meeting, Satan, My brain feels so scrambled, Just like when I met Murdoc for the first time¡­¡± ¡°Yeah traumatic experiences tend to do that to a person,¡± Apollo who emerges from the kitchen says, his and chest are covered in flour ¡°Lyra do you know how to make what the people of this ring call pizza? This is kind of complicated,¡± ¡°There is something called the internet here Apollo, look it up,¡± Lyra rolls her eyes ¡°Yeah I did that,¡± ¡°Fine I shall help,¡± (How these acting so normal after everything that¡¯s happened?) ¡°Don¡¯t go zoning out again Kage, relax,¡± Apollo says gently nudging me to join, ¡­.. ¡°Gahhd! Don¡¯t you read Apollo it says let the dough set you can¡¯t just- -You know what let me-¡± ¡­. ¡°Stop blocking the oven Kage, do something at least¡­..¡± ¡­.. ¡­.. For a short moment in time, I felt as though everything was normal for once, maybe it was their way of coping, but Lyra and Apollo both acted like nothing we just went through happened¡­ (This isn¡¯t so bad actually) ¡°Oh cool, so that is how works,¡± Apollo eyes the rising pizza in the oven, ¡°I told that you if you follow the instructions it would come good,¡± Lyra half gloats ¡°I still prefer using our magic stoves, but this will have to do,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t really think there¡¯s much of a difference,¡± I put in, ¡°Yes there is Kage, can you feel magic emanating from this mechanical stove?¡± ¡°No, but do you need too?¡± ¡°Yes, the heat outputted would depend on the amount of magic inputted, that¡¯s basic magic theory.¡± ¡°Forgive me for not being in a city called the Magic City, how could I possibly not know of every aspect of magic theory.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get sassy with me Kage,¡± ¡°So you can but I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°You learn quick,¡± Lyra tries to pat my head but I artfully dodge back ¡°You know... Hypothetically¡­ If we were to fight right now Kage, you no longer have your bow/guitar anymore, I¡¯d destroy you,¡± ¡°It does feel weird not having it on my hand anymore,¡± (And I spent all that time learning to play the guitar, not to mention how long it took me to fire arrows accurately) ¡°You never know Lyra, Kage could have something else up his sleeve,¡± Apollo inputs ¡°I am still in awe of that attack you did on the Caribbean with the guitar But I do have a few critiques,¡± (Here we go) ¡°Why does the strumming have to disconnected for one, it should at least be a cohesive song, And secondly, could you make it so that you knock out your opponents rather than kill them,¡± ¡°No, no, and I don¡¯t have anything else up my sleeve,¡± (Not for now at least) ¡°Yeah you say that now, but by next week you¡¯ll firing beams out of your eyes like Alexander,¡± Lyra jokes This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°I¡¯m actually surprised you were able to beat him so easily,¡± says Apollo ¡°If I had to guess why, it¡¯s probably because his brain records mathematical probability and he had pre-calculated that you might attack with long range magic attacks and not close range reinforced strikes, when you did it caused him to recalculate which was enough time for you to severely injure him,¡± ¡°First of all Kage, how did you get that from one fight, and you do realize nobody but you understood that explanation,¡± drawls Lyra ¡°My hunch is that if Alexander is an android¨Ca human/machine hybrid, then maybe I am one too,¡± (How else could I have healed that quickly) ¡°Nah,¡± Apollo shakes his head, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the same as Alexander, He didn¡¯t even refer to you as one of his people, He spoke aa though you were an object, a possession of theirs,¡± ¡°hhhhh,¡± I sigh ¡°We might have gotten more out of him of you hadn¡¯t suddenly attacked Lyra,¡± ¡°Listen Kage, in all my experience with people, I know that anyone who gives you information for free is either trying to manipulate you or playing you for a fool,¡±. ¡°So beat them up?¡± ¡°Well here¡¯s another thing from my wealth of experience, until you beat someone within an inch of their life, will they start squealing the truth, It isn¡¯t my fault the bastard could teleport,¡± ¡°You know¡­ that isn¡¯t half advice¡­¡± ¡°When have I ever given bad advice?¡± ¡°I can name a few times.¡± Apollo starts receiving a warning glance from Lyra Ignoring her, he continues on ¡°Back when we still living in the void in Soterra, Lyra thought it would be a good idea to keep roaming into the outer ends of the plane, then maybe we might find some resources or something stupid like that she said at the time, The only thing we found were people who went out there to kill themselves, it was horrifying at the time, But kind pf funny to think back on now.¡± ¡°Funny?¡± ¡°Not the suicide part, I meant the sheer horror we felt at the sight, no one ever took Lyra seriously again, that was during the suicide year,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say to that, suicide year,¡± ¡°We named our years after major happenings at the time,¡± Lyra gingerly inputs ¡°There was the starvation year, the murder year the building year the ''baby incident¡¯ the-¡± ¡°-Wait, the baby incident??¡± ¡°To put it lightly there was a year a lot of babies were born, They could not survive in the conditions there¡­¡± ¡°Oh,¡± (Maybe I should not have asked) ¡°You showed up at pleasure year, Kage,¡± Apollo tries to put his arm around me Easily I side slip through before he gets the chance ¡°That was when Karina started doing her thing in secret,¡± Lyra adds Ringgg! The oven alarm goes off, signaling the pie having finished baked ¡­.. ¡­.. *** (This is not how I expected things would be after meeting both Brandon and Alexander) ¡­. ¡°Say what you just thought out loud,¡± Lyra gives me a look The aroma of pizza fills the living room of the beach house as the three people sit relaxed on a comfortable coach their hands still covered with dried bits of flour, ¡°I was just thinking, that after all that¡¯s happened over the past few days this is not what I would expect us to be doing,¡± ¡°Yeah well when your entire life has basically been fucked up shit one after the other, you eventually reach a point where thinking about the fucked up shit just makes you more fucked,¡± Lyra explains munching away at a slice ¡°What she said¡± Apollo also eating, cosigns the statement ¡°Now stop being such an edgelord and have a slice of the pie Kage,¡± ¡°Edgelord?¡± ¡°Saw that online five minutes ago and immediately added it to my vocabulary,¡± the young man grins ¡°We can you un-add it?¡± Instead of replying Apollo pushes the tray near me beckoning for me to have a slice (Can¡¯t remember the last time I ate, I don¡¯t even think I need to, I thought I did once, but¡­ Nah, why am I thinking about this right now) ¡°You know what, Let me have slice.¡± Good Time ¡°Fifty one!¨CFifty two!¨CFifty three!¨Caghh!¡± Himari jumps down off a pull up bar (¡°Why do I feel so sick?¡±) the woman thinks wiping the sweat off her face with a towel, Being completely and utterly powerless is Himari had not before felt, For Lyra, Apollo and even Kage, magical powers and abilities were something to be figured out But for people like Himari, it was something to be feared, The feeling of all your muscles being frozen to the point that no matter how hard you willed it you couldn¡¯t move, you couldn¡¯t even scream for help Just stand still, Waiting for the inevitable rain of fire¡­. (¡°I need to stop thinking about this¡±) ¡­¡­ **** (¡°It¡¯s always one thing after the other with me.¡±) ¡°So, because of that, you will once again have to¨C ¨CMs. Nara are you listening to me?¡± Kiefer pauses noticing the girl absent minded stare ¡°Sorry chief my mind slipped, it won¡¯t happen again,¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok, I heard you were by the medical examiner for a while today, Are you sure you did not sustain any serious injuries while in the Caribbean?¡± ¡°I did not sir,¡± ¡°Always remember that your job is observation and not getting involved with the actual conflict, Now back to what I was saying, Even though Apollo and Lyra were supposed to make contact with us upon arriving on the Plastic Beach, they clearly haven¡¯t, so you are to go over to the beach house as usual and check up on them, we have also learnt that Kage has recovered already,¡± ¡°Very well sir, but may I ask, What about the issue with the leader of Madvillainy?¡± ¡°I believe the chairman wants to send them back after him as soon as possible,¡± ¡°As soon as possible? Why are the board of leaders so desperate to put down this organization now?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s something about them taking over international sea trade routes,¡± Kiefer scratches the back of his head ¡°Pirates also do that, and we haven¡¯t been immediately acting against them,¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go with them another person can replace you as supervisor you know?¡± Kiefer suggests kindly ¡°No it¡¯s ok, plus I don¡¯t think they would allow anyone else, They¡¯ve gotten used to me,¡± (¡°For better or for worse¡±) ¡­. **** {¡°Damn I never thought of you to be like that Himari,¡±} ¡°Do you want me to hang up on you MF?¡± {¡°What am I supposed to say to that? I¡¯m sorry, congratulations, life am I right?¡±} ¡°Sometimes how we became friends,¡± sighs Himari {¡°We were the youngest persons working together and we also knew each other from school so it was a logical friendship,¡±} ¡°Thanks, just what I needed you to remind me of something I already know,¡± {¡°No need to get so cranky mommy¨C¡±} ¨CBleep! Abruptly cancelling the call Himari pulls her car into the driveway of the beach house, The sun just fresh from setting leaves behind a burst of pink and orange colors in the diming sky, Himari briefly glances at it as she makes her way up the stairs into the house. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.¡­¡­. ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± Apollo and Lyra exclaim in unison ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Kage replies ¡°Do you know how long ago our time in Tonbo was?¡± Lyra says ¡°I really doubt that was the last time you ate,¡± Apollo chimes in ¡°We technically I did just eat that pizza, but before that yes, I kind of forgot to eat,¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even possible Kage,¡± Apollo shakes his head disbelieving ¡°Maybe you are a robot after all,¡± teases Lyra (¡°How can they be joking around after everything,¡±) thinks Himari agitatedly ¡°Is this what you three were doing, while ignoring calls as usual?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± three pairs of eyes on focus on the lady clambering down then stairs into the living room ¡°Well, if isn¡¯t Apollo¡¯s favorite kind of night,¡± Lyra smiles mischievously ¡°Aww!¡± He gives the girl a hard shove causing her to tumble off the couch ¡°Himari, good, I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you about something important,¡± starts Apollo ¡°¡­I have something important I would like to say as well,¡± ¡°Why are you speaking so formally?¡± ¡°Can we speak privately?¡± ¡°This is as private as it gets Himari,¡± ¡°I mean away from Lyra and the pirate,¡± (I am never beating the pirate allegations) Apollo gives Lyra and I a confused look before gesturing Himari towards the rooms ¡°She acting strange today,¡± Lyra gingerly gets up ¡°I would think it¡¯s because of what happened on Contigo,¡± I reply ¡°Also are you going to take that hit from Apollo?¡± ¡°What are trying to win Kage, a medal for instigation? I¡¯m not fighting Apollo,¡± ¡°If I did that to you, you¡¯d already be on me by now,¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I can beat you, Apollo would destroy me,¡± ¡­. ¡°So, you only pick easy fights?¡± ¡°I pick fights I¡¯ll win,¡± ¡°What about Karina you always picked fights with her and lost,¡± ¡°Karina used her cheat magic to mute all her actions, if I had her fair and square,¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then how do you plan on killing your brot¨CBrand¨CSatan, I don¡¯t you will get a fair fight out of him,¡± ¡°The next time we meet I guarantee you he will die, I still have a trump card left,¡± Lyra says this solemnly rather than gloatingly ¡°Now I¡¯m curious to know what it is,¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t something I can do yet, not until I get all my preparations in place,¡± ¡°Preparations? So, it¡¯s not just a powerful attack,¡± I joke Lyra¡¯s mood seems to have changed since bringing up the topic from her usual passive aggressive banter, the girl slips into a dissociative thought ¡°Maybe... I should just get it over with now,¡± She mumbles locking eyes with me (Why the sudden shift in attitude) ¡°Do you know how to drive Kage?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it doesn¡¯t seem unfamiliar to me, though I don¡¯t remember trying before,¡± ¡°A simple yes or no would suffice.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± (I think) ¡°Ok, then let¡¯s go,¡± ¡°Where?¡± (What¡¯s happened all of a sudden) ¡°Come on get up Kage, I¡¯ll show you a good time.¡± Kiss ¡°First the UCA sends people to kill me now Alexander disappears, I¡¯ve been feeling so exhilarated since meeting with Kage, I hope she doesn¡¯t take my over reaction to heart, maybe I should apologize Dant¨¦?¡± ¡°Your overreacting caused the remnants who opposed you to give up on that entirely, Meaning you won¡¯t be getting much power from this region anymore, and pertaining to Alexander, your sibling injured him he has gone back home for repairs,¡± Dant¨¦, Brandon¡¯s stoic companion replies The two men stand atop the active volcano hades overlooking the cities of Atlan and Pulgin, To anyone that lives outside these cites one would imagine that the leader of Madvillainy rules them with pure authoritarianism, but that is not the case, Rarely Brandon would interact with the people populating the island, furthermore, the quality of life is considerably high there, ¡°That means I¡¯m going to have to find a new group of people who will go against me,¡± Brandon whistles ¡°Is our organization Madvillainy large enough for the next stage?¡± ¡°I believe so, sir though Alexander has a habit of killing out men when they cross him, A few weeks ago, one of our division in the east sea ¡®borrowed¡¯ his warping panels in an attempt to gain access to a data storage facility fro monetary gain, Alexander slaughtered them all as punishment when he found out,¡± ¡°Hmm, then I suppose my sister has to be considerably strong to have injured him gravely,¡± mull Brandon, Tsct! Dant¨¦ shuffles his feet kicking a rock into the volcano ¡°Brandon¡­ seeing as your sibling is alive, I have to ask, Do you regret sparing her life back then?¡± ¡°Spare? I just assumed Murdoc would have wanted her, I had not expected that he would perish and she would make it to this ring no less, Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I have been thinking about my target who I was sent to third ring to study while you aged in Soterra,¡± ¡°You¡¯re referring to your false father? I forgot his name,¡± ¡°Ozymandias, I still remember it, I regret not killing him when we left, Now every once often I wonder if he is still alive just like your sister¡­ ¡­¡­¡± ¡°So should we commence operation Mad-Liberation now, or wait a bit longer,¡± Satan smiles staring up into the black cloud of smoke emanating from the volcano, as though he had not heard word his partner just spoke ¡°I think it should be soon sir,¡± Dant¨¦ nods silently looking off at the distant sea .. ¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Why are we so far out at sea Lyra?¡± I ask while deftly maneuvering a small cruiser we ¡®chartered'' from the plastic beach (I don¡¯t know where I learned to drive, but I¡¯m good at it) Splash! Splash! Brash! Brash! Though the night is calm, the sea is anything but, waves constantly crashing back and forth¡­ ¡°Where are we even headed?¡± ¡°Nowhere, you can stop here Kage,¡± ¡°In the middle of nowhere?¡± The girl nods leaning over the deck, I cut the humming engine of the boat, leaving only the sound of the sea in it¡¯s stead ¡­.. ¡°How do you feel about murder Kage?¡± Lyra Suddenly asks ¡°Weird way to start a conversation But I guess, I don¡¯t care, either way,¡± ¡°Stop being neutral and pick a side, Kage, You have to feel some type of way killing someone?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to ask you some questions,¡± (She brought me out here for questions¡­) ¡°Well, it depends on the situation, Before, I met you all in Soterra I was forcefully employed by a man named Jissepi, Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.All I wanted was to see him dead, And when he finally died, I don¡¯t think I cared that much, I wasn¡¯t happy I wasn¡¯t upset either, It was just nothing,¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t care about life in the slightest then?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put words in my mouth, I think life¡­.¡± (How do I feel about life?) ¡°¡­¡­ I think there is a beauty in life just as there is in death, their balance coincides in a way such that humans can not comprehend,¡± (Saying that felt weird somehow) ¡°Wo-how since when did you turn into a philosopher Kage?¡± ¡°You wanted my opinion,¡± ¡°Well for me¡­¡± Lyra breathes turning to face the water instead of me¡­ ¡­.. ¡°I see it is a necessary evil that¡­... ¡­¡­.¡± she pauses again ¡­¡­ ¡°I see it in the way a child sees eating their veggies, You don¡¯t want it, but you need to for your own well being,¡± ¡°You¡¯re comparing murder with eating vegetables?¡± ¡°Yes. Before you came to Soterra, the death I needed but didn¡¯t want was my own, I had planned to go out fighting or something, it feels silly to think about now,¡± ¡°Where is this going?¡± ¡°Would let me finish speak Kage? It was the day we met that I was going to enact my plan, But there was something about you, Your empty gaze, The way you were both dense and hyper aware at the same time, I suddenly wanted to see what would become of you, We had random people roam into Soterra before, only none of them the same as you¡­ Everyone you interacted with, they immediately became infatuated with you, Pinoki, Apollo, Zinnia, Karina, Darius even I, Why Kage? Why do keep drawing people to you?¡± ¡°I¨C¡± ¡°¨CYou know when I first found out Brandon was in Caribbean, I could have easily just flown my way to Fuscina and wreak havoc instantly¡± Lyra continues not letting me answer ¡°But I saw how things were for the people on the outer islands I felt like I was obligated to help them even if it amounted to nothing Become their unexpected light, like you were for us in Soterra¡­¡± ¡­.. Lyra inhales then exhales heavily ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°And you brought me all the way here to say this?¡± After a few minutes I finally speak ¡°I still hate you,¡± she replies unrelated to my question ¡°Or at least, it is easy to hate you when you¡¯re not around, When you¡¯re here, I have to try to hate you, I have to keep reminding myself of when I looked into your eyes and you looked back, no you looked past my very existence When I look at you now, at first, I thought your eyes were empty¡­.¡± ¡°What do you see now?¡± ¡°I see a reflection of myself, I see what Karina saw in you, why she wanted to be close to you, I don¡¯t feel anything towards you, but¡ª¡± ..!? Mmmhn~ ¡°Lyra?¡± Shhhh Mmmhh~ ¡°Do it Kage, I want you to feel what I am feeling right now.¡± Lyra practically breathes these words to me as our faces are so close Her eyes locked into mine (What do you feel Lyra¡­) ¡­ ¡°Sorrow¡­ You feel¨C ¨CI feel sorrow and lust, But they only mask the regret I feel right now, deep regret¡ª¡± ¡ªMmmhh she kisses me again ¡°I said feel it, not tell me.¡± (I feel it) Uhhhhhh~ This time I¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡­This time Kage initiates the kiss Mmmmmmhhhh ¡°Karina wanted this,¡± Lyra breathes softly pushing Kage down onto the floor of the deck ¡°I want it to~¡± Mmmh Mhmhhh ¡°Take it off¡± Mmmmmmhhh Uhhhhhmm .mmhh .. ¡°There¡­ There¡¯s nothing¡­¡± ¡°Not yet, what do you want to be for you Lyra?¡± ¡°Become a man for me then, I want you that way Before I die,¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Shhh! Just kiss me.¡± These Walls Splash! Splash! Fwash! If these walls could talk. Splashh! A brilliant moon shines down on a lively ocean tonight If these walls could talk. The breeze blows gently but enough that any boat at sea right now would be pushed in it¡¯s direction If these walls could talk. ¡°Uhhhh!¡±¡ªThwaassshhh! A loud moan accompanied by the crash of a small wave sounds in the sea ¡°Uaahhhhh!¡± Splaasshhh! If these walls could talk, they''d tell me to go deep? And small uninhibited isle sits peacefully on the sea ¡°Uahhhhh~¡± Fwhaasshh! Yelling at me continuously, I can see? With each crash the water closes in on the small island, ¡°Uhhhhhh¡± Your defense mechanism is my decision? The wave pulls back¨C ¨CSplaasshhh! Knock these walls down, that''s my religion? It crashes down again building larger than before ¡°Uhhhhhhh!¡± Walls feeling like they ready to close in? Fwash! Fwash! I suffocate, then catch my second wind? Again, and again the wave crashes pulling in and rubbing against the shore of the isle ¡°Uhhhhhm¨CMorrrreee!¡± I resonate in these walls? Splash! ¨Csplash! Fwash¨CFwaaashh! With each crash the isle¡¯s shore gets wetter and wetter The waves move violently but rhythmically at the same time I don''t know how long I can wait in these walls? SPLAAASHH! ¡ªSPLAAASHH! The water now fully on the shore crashes louder than ever With each retraction growing and growing You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.¡°UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± TWAAAASSSHHHHHHH! After one final crash the isle becomes fully covered by water The sea grows calmer¡­ If your walls could talk, they¡¯d tell me how much you¡¯re scared Scared of losing any more of those who matter you Scared of becoming like what those who don¡¯t. If your walls could talk, they¡¯d tell me how determined you are How unmovable you are when it comes to your goal How much that goal also eats you alive. If your walls could talk, they¡¯d beg me to stay inside forever, What little pleasure you¡¯ve had, and will have They¡¯d never want this to end. If your walls could talk, they¡¯d tell me how much you regret not doing this more How much you regret never doing this again If your walls could talk, they¡¯d say sorry for what¡¯s to come... ¡­.. BOOM! A column of smoke erupts from the sea as a small boat begins to sink in it¡¯s flaming glory Escaping it a single figure flying off into the night their sparkling wings leaving behind what looks snow in their wake. ¡­. Partially floating away from the boat is a small gem¡­. No, It appears to be an iceberg that looks like a diamond from afar The gem-like slowly begins it descent into the sea, within it the silhouette of person barely conscious in frozen terror Twahs! Fwash! Almost on cue the sea begins acting up again pushing along the frozen figure¡­ ¡­.. Pushing along Kage into the unknown reaches of the sea. Sex. Bang Bang ¡°You¡¯re saying he just ran away? That doesn¡¯t sound much like Kage to me,¡± Apollo leans his back against the door in the backseat of Himari¡¯s car, staring across at Lyra in slight bewilderment ¡°He will probably pop up later don¡¯t worry about it too much Apollo,¡± she says while looking out the window on her side of the vehicle Though there isn¡¯t much scenery to behold on the plastic beach, a place that is the home of most government facilities, it¡¯s only inhabitants being of course the workers themselves.. ¡°I feel like there is something you¡¯re not telling me Lyra,¡± ¡°I could say the same about you, What was so secretive that you and Himari had to speak privately for last night?¡± ¡°Firstly, you are obviously trying to evade my question, and secondly, Ehem.. I¡¯ll tell you when we figure things out,¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already submitted my report of our progress so far in the Caribbean,¡± Himari breaks up the strained conversation, disliking its subject matter¡­ ¡°We have to meet with official Stanton today, so Kage had better return from his absence before you get sent back after Satan,¡± ¡°We can do just fine without Kage,¡± yawns Lyra, to the growing suspicion of Apollo ¡°Now I¡¯m starting think you secretly killed him when no one was watching,¡± ¡°Please, if I killed Kage, I¡¯d be bragging about it right now, And stop looking at me like that already¡± Ok, whatever you say,¡± Apollo adjusts himself in the regular sitting position, ¡­¡­. ¡°Stop edging so close to me Apollo, you have a whole half of this vehicular drive machine to sit at, Or you could go upfront with your supervisor,¡± Lyra pushes Apollo, who now teasingly closes the gap between them ¡°No he can stay in the back,¡± Himari answers almost immediately ¡°Did you two have a falling out perhaps?¡± instigates Lyra picking up on Himari¡¯s unpleasant demeanor ¡°You know it¡¯s about time you got rid of your supervisor Apollo, Just like me, they person they sent to supervise me didn¡¯t make a day,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting rid of anyone Lyra, and don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice how you¡¯re trying to change the topic, still¡± ¡°ughh¡± she groans in annoyance ¡°Give it a rest already? I swear you are going to pest me forever,¡± ¡°Just until Kage shows up so I can hear what he has to say,¡± ¡°¡­.. If you so desperately want to know Apollo,¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes glint mischievously ¡°Remember that thing you and Karina used to do, back when you were a couple?¡± ¡°Ehck¨Chmn! What?¡± coughs Apollo ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb you know what you two did every few nights or so, It got real loud by the way, Well anyways Kage and I did that Now I suppose he¡¯s disappeared out of awkwardness, and shall pop sometime soon,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Thank you for making me feel awkward as well Lyra,¡± ¡°Cam you two cut this kind of talk?¡± barks Himari from the front ¡°This is not some leisurely ride were you can speak casually, I¨Cwe are on duty and should act as such,¡± ¡°No need to act like our mother,¡± Lyra retorts, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Himari¡¯s ears go red though she does not reply instead focusing on driving, Even Apollo opts to remain quiet¡­ ¡­.. ¡­.. **** Ding! The elevator chimes as it begins it¡¯s ascent up a certain building, The three now arrived at the federal complex headed for Stanton¡¯s office, If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.The federal or government complex is a collection of buildings built similarly to that of universities Many buildings, each of specific divisions and purposes are located on the complex, the center of which is an artificial park where workers would spend their breaks having lunch they brought or the free meals given out to all workers, A small runway is also located next to the complex where people fly on and off the plastic island constantly keeping the area noisy with the sound of jets and helicopters¡­ ¡­¡­.. ¡°Seems more lively than usual,¡± comments Himari as the group now navigates through the building ¡°I know this place is normally very busy, But today seems oddly crowded, I wonder who called so man people in?¡± ¡°Mmmhmm¡± grunts Apollo, not too keen on the eyes daggering them ¡°This place is a nightmare,¡± grumbles Lyra The halls they traverse are all dull cream colored walls lit by white overhead lights That¡¯s all the detail to describe Nothing of note stands out, just plain walls doors and people Grunting mumbling talking Doors opening and closing repeatedly That¡¯s all there is to hear For people from the first ring like Apollo and Lyra, This would be considered a nightmare ¡­.. ¡­. ¡°Who called you in? You¡¯re not scheduled to be here Kiefer,¡± ¡°Look, we can sort this out later,¡± Kiefer beckons to the three entering the office, ¡°Where is Kage?¡± Stanton frowns adjusting his spectacles ¡°He umm, will be here a little later,¡± Himari replies ¡°I hope that later means soon?¡± Kiefer inquires, fumbling with what seems to be a digital pocket watch The atmosphere incredibly tense. ¡°I already told you all before if it¡¯s Satan you want dead you¡¯ll get it soon,¡± Lyra speaks up ¡°Yes, we have no doubt about that, Precisely why you will be sent back to Caribbean two days from now, But that isn¡¯t why we called you,¡± Stanton states ¡°Your report agent Nara, Well first of all, the chairman was pleased to hear of Kage display his power.. But... Why have you not been truthful about your relation to Satan?¡± The man turns to Lyra ¡°Or Brandon as we have learnt that is his real name,¡± ¡°It was none of your business,¡± Lyra retorts rudely while giving Himari an annoyed glance ¡°Whatever the case maybe, we do have to ask you some quest¨C¡± BANG BANG! Stanton¡¯s bodies crash to the floor, blood oozing from his skull ¡°What just happened!?¡± exclaims Himari ¡°Everybody down over there!¡± Kiefer who had been quiet, springs up now ordering everyone to the corner of the small office furnished with only a hefty computer sat on a plastic desk that imitates the likeness of a wooden one. ¡°How? Where could that have come from?¡± Puzzles Himari eyeing the wall across the room ¡°The windows aren¡¯t shattered so that means it wasn¡¯t from outside.¡± ¡°We should get out of here quickly¡± Apollo suggests ¡°Wait!¡± Kiefer growls clutching his watch ¡°That shot¨C¡± BANG BANG! ¡°Eeyaagghh!¡± Apollo yelps out in pain A bullet whizzes across the room from seemingly nowhere and lodges itself into his leg ¡°¨Cit is actually my ability,¡± ¡°None of you move or I don¡¯t want to have to kill you!¡± ¡°Chief Kiefer?¡± Himari looks even more puzzled than before ¡°Yuh, Please don¡¯t try to make this worse for yourselves The CEO of Madvillainy will be here shortly,¡± Prelude to arrival ¡°The name of my ability is ¡¯Bang Bang¡¯¡± Kiefer¡¯s pocket watch collapses onto his hand as glove¨Cthen transforming into what seems to be a spray gun. ¡°Instead of firing bullets this gun sprays near invisible metallic particles, that gather into and fire with the force of bullets on my command, If I set the gathering time to zero then it automatically fires a hail of bullets But I can also set the time to wait, meaning no shot will be fired unless I want it to,¡± ¡°Why are telling us this, and what are doing Chief?¡± Himari almost pleading to the man ¡°I¡¯m telling y¡¯all this because I¡¯m not going to kill you, but I want you to know how my tielium ability works, just in case you try anything stupid, you can¡¯t out speed bullets, And this entire room has my bullet particles dispersed in the air, that¡¯s why I told you to get down at first, I had to line you up perfectly to be shot if you try anything funny,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer,¡± Lyra challenges ¡°No Lyra, wait, if he isn¡¯t here to kill us that means he wants something,¡± cautions Apollo, wincing in pain at his wound ¡°Kill us? Don¡¯t make me laugh, I¡¯d sooner kill myself than let some magic-less human with their machines be the death of me,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate our technology when it is the reason you are even standing today,¡± growls Himari, tearing of a piece of her jacket, she ties around Apollo¡¯s bullet wound ¡°And chief, you, have you suddenly gone insane? Killing someone like Stanton? Holding us captive?¡± Blap! Gratt! Burrrt! As the woman blurts those words a chorus of shots ring from throughout the building, ¡°What, no¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious Himari, I am a member of Madvillainy, A lot of people working here are,¡± ¡°Why would you work with them? Go against your own government?¡± ¡°Naw, The UCA isn¡¯t my government, never has been, See I¡¯m from the Liberty Islands, before working here I was a part of their marines, The day Satan wiped those islands off the map I was there,¡± ¡°Then that makes even less sense of you joining up with them,¡± ¡°Only if you don¡¯t know the whole story, It is true that Satan did attack our country, but the one who erased it was none other than the United Countries Alliance,¡± ¡°I.. I don¡¯t believe that,¡± ¡°Of course you won¡¯t miss Nara, you¡¯re a product of this government, I was too, not gonna lie¡­ At the time when Satan had appeared it was unlike anything anyone had seen before, A man who could make it rain fire, who could turn cities into frozen infernos, The man heard the phrase ¡®cold as hell¡¯ and took it literally, Out of fear of this new power the UCA opted to bomb the islands with foundation powered missiles, And you know what, that move is understandable, But the fact that they didn¡¯t even bother to warn anyone to evacuate, is fuckin evil man, They ain¡¯t even disclosed that information, so nobody knows what happened, I only found out after obtaining my rank here,¡± ¡°So is this your long awaited revenge plot?¡± Lyra grimaces, ¡°Nah, revenge is past me, I done lost basically every one I knew for my entire life up to that point, I couldn¡¯t save them, I put that blame on myself¡­ I¡¯m not going to stand here and act like I know what the boss¡¯ goals are, Madvillainy is not an organization of like-minded people, Everyone just like me, has their own goals and aspirations, we just share a name,¡± ¡°And what is yours?¡ªAhgh! This hurts like crazy,¡± Apollo stumbles to his feet staring the Chief in his eyes ¡°The tides of this ring¨CNo, of all the rings, they¡¯re changing,¡± Kiefer replies, ¡°I¡¯m just tryna be on the winning side this time, Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.I got a daughter you know, now stay put until Satan gets her¨C¡± ¨CCRASH! ¡°Oh shi¨C¡± ¨CWhack! ¡­¡­. ¡°Come on let¡¯s get out of here, If what Kiefer said is true then Brandon is coming,¡± Apollo grabs onto his sword The blade had just crashed through the window¨Chilt-first¨Cslamming into Kiefer¡¯s skull, The man now lay a crumpled pile on the floor, ¡°His bullets may be fast and unpredictable but they depend on his reaction speed,¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Grrrrrtttrtttt! Brrrrrttt!! Shots fire from outside the rooms door ¡°I can¡¯t defending against gunfire in my current state,¡± Apollo limps to the window ¡°Lyra you can fly already, Himari get close to me,¡± ¡­. Holding on tightly to the woman with is right arm, Apollo grips his sword with the left ¡°Ok Darius¡¯ Requiem, I trust you,¡± Taking a deep breath the man leaps out the window of the tall building, Instantly the sword jerks up keeping him and Himari slightly afloat, ¡°I would have caught you if anything went wrong,¡± Lyra hovers close Fheww! Fwizz! Already bullets begin to whizz past the group, mid air ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe to stay up here, we¡¯re a target, Down, we can defend ourselves better on foot,¡± ¡°If your scared of the air just say so,¡± Lyra teases ¡­¡­.. Brrrrrrtttt Grrrtrrrrrrrrrrrtrrrrrt ¡°Daniel isn¡¯t answering!¡± Himari ducks behind a car, putting away her phone Already the plastic is beach is covered in fire, bullet shells and bodies, ¡°This is a full-blown siege,¡± she stares in disbelief ¡°Get out way, I¡¯ll deal with everyone here myself!¡± Lyra pushes past Himari ¡°Don¡¯t kill them Lyra!¡± ¡°Blah blah blah,¡± the girl rolls her eyes at Apollo preparing for her spell ¡°Everything is a mess, this all started when you people arrived here!¡± cries Himari ¡°Calm down, it isn¡¯t like you to act irrational,¡± ¡°Look around everything is irrational Apollo!¡± ¡­. Grtttt! Brttt! Gratatataata! ¡°This is clearly a response from Satan after we went to kill him in the Caribbean,¡± the young man rationalizes ¡°I know that Apollo, But, Kiefer was one of them, Many of the people here, whom I worked before, what if Daniel¨CMF, is too? I¡¯m trying to keep my cool Apollo, but this is too much, First you tell me last night that our war with the first ring is false, now this happens¡± ¡°Glacial wave!¡± ¡°Alright let¡¯s continue moving¡± Lyra nudges, as she¡¯d just finished conjuring a stream of cold spikes impaling the people on the other side of the car park ¡°They¡¯re not dead relax,¡± she catches a disapproving glance from Apollo ¡°We have to find Kage and then get out of here,¡± he says ¡°Let just focus on getting you off this island and treated somewhere else,¡± Lyra drawls, upon mention of Kage, ¡°Lyra, this is not the time for you to be acting suspiciously Where is Kage? And don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Apollo immediately presses ¡°What I told you before wasn¡¯t a lie, Well most of it wasn¡¯t, Kage is not on this island, ok?¡± ¡°Where is he then?¡± ¡°I honestly have no clue,¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I agree with Lyra,¡± Himari interjects finally beginning to regain her composure ¡°As much as would like to look for Daniel We have to get you treated first Apollo, ¡°I¡¯m fine but¡­¡± Apollo starts but his voice trails off, ¡°Yeah let¡¯s get off here now!¡± he points upward ¡°?¡± In that moment, everyone had their eyes to the sky, Suddenly the Plastic Beach had become silent once more, as they watched a strange formation in the clouds, slowly becoming more visible The curiosity of the formation turned into to a cruel realization that almost instantly became sheer horror Then panic ¡°A meteor!?¡± voices begin to shriek. Look At Me! The plastic beach, an artificial island whose land itself is plastic, is the only know mobile island in human history, The island circles the United Ocean absorbing any and all plastic in the sea slowly increasing it¡¯s size, It takes approximately one full year to complete one cycle around the United Ocean, This cycle has never been halted lr broken since the inception of the island. Until now. KABLAMM!! A meteor the size of a regular house collides into the plastic beach, the impact immediately sends a wave of intense smoke coupled with chilling blue flames as well as regular fire that spawns as a result of the explosive impact. ¡°Eheck!¨CEheck! Himari¨CLyra!?¡± Coughs Apollo batting away the smoke, his sword, Darius, had grown in size acting as a shield against the impact ¡°We¡¯re good,¡± Himari gets up, despite trying to keep her face looking calm and collected, she can¡¯t mask the shakiness in her voice ¡°That bastard is here .¡± scowls Lyra truly unfazed by what just happened ¡°This is sick, He doesn¡¯t even care that his people are here,¡± mutters Apollo in disgust Eeeiiiiiyyyyaaahhhcckkkk! Ear piercing screams fill the air from all directions as people either burning from the red flames or catching sever frostbite from the blue, meet their demise The two fires indiscriminately start spreading, Despite the plastic beach surface being fire proof, it is not devoid of the friction required to maintain a fire .. ¡­. ¡°Yah!? Aye!? Yah!? Aye!? Yah? Yah? Aye!? Yah!? Aye!? Aye!? Look at me everyone! Aye!? Aye!? Aye?!¡± Amidst the chaos emerges in the air the source of the carnage His voice booms cheerfully as a creepy but addictive beat bangs behind him ¡°Yah!? Yah!? Aye!? Look at me aye!? Fuck on me!? Welcome me! The Chief executive officer of Madvillainy!¡± Satan¡¯s voice reverberates throughout the entirety of the plastic beach And as he says, everyone looks up at him in all his glory, the blue wings of fire that exude from behind him keeping him afloat parallels that of his younger sister whose wings are a sight to behold, Satan¡¯s wings burn so brightly that you have you turn away ¡°Look at me, everyone! Look at me!? Now~ I heard that your government wants me out of the way Even though I have not interfered in their business? Because of that I have lost my opposition in the Caribbean, Which brings me here¡­ Think of this attack as my response, You all are now my opposition! ¡°Opposition? What¡¯s he talking about?¡± whispers Himari ¡°He can¡¯t hear you stop whispering,¡± Lyra snaps at the woman ¡°Fuck what he has to say he dies today!¡± A cold draft of wind already coming from the girl begins to push her upward This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡°Lyra wait don¡¯t be rash¡± Apollo cautions But her wings have already sprouted using the wind to become airborne. ¡°Stay here Himari, I can¡¯t let Lyra go after him alone,¡± Apollo begins to limp after the girl ¡°¡­. I¡¯m coming with you then,¡± Himari solemnly replies ¡°And don¡¯t tell me about it being dangerous you can barely walk,¡± ¡°Are sure about this Himari, what about the¨C¡± ¡°¨CLook at me Apollo, we all will survive this, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t my estranged sister,¡± Brandon smiles at the approaching Lyra Fwhizz! A shard of ice flies past him almost instantly ¡°I see you aren¡¯t here to talk, Very well then sister, oppose me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your sister,¡± Lyra lunges forward her hands forming claws of diamond ice ¡°You are dying here today,¡± Whunp! As the words escape her breath Lyra tackles the man mid air wrapping her clawed hand around his face Thadash! The two bodies descend from the skies into the ocean near the beach Lyra still with her hand around his face, keeps up the pressure in an attempt to drown him ¡°Glugg Urkkk¡± Bwashh! Struggling out of her grip Brandon gut punches the girl with enough force to launch her up out of the water back into the air ¡°You fight just like me¡± he emerges from the ocean catching the falling girl by the face similar to how she held him ¡°Dant¨¦!¡± Satan calls and the two are immediately warped in air over land on the plastic beach Bashsh! Lyra¡¯s back smashes hard onto the ground after being chucked out the air by Satan ¡°I am guessing you are also a magic summoner like me, So instead of wasting time preparing a long spell, you coat your hands in magic for melee combat, I do something simil¡ª ¡ªUmpmh!¡± Instead of a response, Lyra, to his surprise, springs up, ramming her head into his ¡°My back is a steel plate, you¡¯re going to have to do more than tossing me out the air to kill me¡± Whunp! She lands a cold right hand on him ¡°Acht¡± Brandon spits out blood ¡°You might just be my biggest opposition¨C¡± *swings* ¡°¨CWill you let me finish!?¡± he dodges another blow from his sibling, ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off right now!¡± *swipe* ¡°Fuck it! Searing cyclone!¡± Brandon summons a cyclone of bone chilling blue fire at the girl, her to create distance between the two ¡°You made me waste my magic I was storing baby sister, You are decently strong I admit, But your strength is pf no consequence to me, thanks to the power I obtained from the god, As long as you oppose me you cannot defeat me,¡± ¡°Fuck you,¡± the girl spats impudently ¡°Are those your only words? Look at me Lyra, Look at me! This is as far as you will ever get to seeing my downfall, I am the one you cannot oppose, the king of opposition Satan, Look at me.¡± Diamonds in the sky ¡°Huff-Hhh Huff-Hhh Huff-Hhh¡± Panting through the thick layer of smoke building up on the plastic beach, Apollo and Himari Desperately try to make it to Lyra. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good Apollo,¡± stops Himari, holding in to the man concernedly His face has come cold and pale due the blood loss from Kiefer¡¯s bullet ¡°I¡¯ve been through worse, Let¡¯s focus on getting to Lyra¡± he nods her off ¡°I can take you to them right now,¡± an unfamiliar voice calls from behind the pair ¡°You!?¡± Himari already begins to form her weapons at the sight of the man ¡°We can fight right here and now if you want,¡± he removes his shotgun from underneath his long trench coat, pointing it at the pair ¡°But as you can see, I¡¯m here to assist you, otherwise you two would be dead right,¡± ¡°Is this your elaborate way of trapping us somewhere?¡± presses Apollo, distrusting the man who wears a fedora tipped in a way that it covers most of his face ¡°I just want to see this fight between siblings,¡± the man¨CDant¨¦, removes his hat showing his robotically perfect face But even more so, his face perfectly resembles that of the late Mayor of Furlheim Ozymandias, From the straight matted to hair to the sturdy nose and caramel skin ¡°You really are the mayor¡¯s son,¡± Apollo comments upon seeing the mans face ¡°Do you know him? And no, I am not at all related to that man, I am a perfect human similar to Alexander from the first ring, This face is the one I chose after obtaining my perfect body,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what any of that means, or even why you are trying to help us right now,¡± Apollo shakes his head ¡°I am not trying to help you, my loyalty is with the Supreme leader of the first ring, and he has ordered me to watch over Brandon, I am offering to teleport you two the siblings battle, if you do try to interfere, I will kill you,¡± ¡­.. ¡­¡­ ***** CRRAASSHH! Lyra¡¯s body goes flying into an apartment building, all the people within the structure already scrambling to escape ¡°To be more specific, my power is balance,¡± Brandon cheerfully explains to the downed girl If looks could kill, he would be dead one million times over by how hard Lyra scowled at him, stumbling back up to her feet. Every attack she made would get parried or countered then followed up by mocking laughter by Satan ¡°I don¡¯t care, just die already,¡± growls Lyra charging at him once more ¡°The way that balance works is by increasing my strength, speed, skill, intelligence, influence, raw power, anything really, it just depends on the level of people opposing me,¡± Ignoring Lyra¡¯s attacks Satan continues to ramble on ¡°If one hundred thousand men stand against me, then I also gain the combined strength, speed intelligence from those men, Can¡¯t you see my sibling? I am not someone that can beat I¡¯ve ascended regular humans, I am the constant that you must measure against on a scale,¡± ¡°You¡­. You are just a dumbass like me,¡± sighs Lyra ¡°You are just being used by someone else on the first ring or whatever I do not care about that shit however, I¡¯ve already made-up mind to kill you so that is what I¡¯ll do,¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Satan¡¯s demeanor suddenly switches as he retorts immaturely ¡­.. ¡°Lyra!?¡± calls Apollo, warping in between the siblings, along with Himari and Dant¨¦, ¡°No,¡± Dant¨¦ shakes his head, and the three warp further away from the fight ¡°As I said before do not interfere just observe, I want to see how Brandon kills his sister,¡± ¡°And if I do interfere?¡± asks Apollo challengingly ¡°Are you faster than a bullet?¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°Lyra, finish that fool quickly!¡± Apollo ignoring Dant¨¦¡¯s attempt at intimidation, shouts words of encouragement to Lyra, ¡­.. ¡°Chhh, if Alexander didn¡¯t tell me that boy was a person of interest, I would have killed him for those words,¡± Satan grunts in annoyance This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it¡°Yeah well, the only one dying here is you!¡± Freezing the ground below her Lyra uses the lack of friction to skate under the legs of Satan, sweeping his legs over Thud! As the man goes down Lyra immediately capitalizes on the opening ¡°aggek!¡± She tries to drive her claws into his chest, ¡°aghhh!¡± Brandon grabs her hand tightly, pushing it away from himself ¡°Get away!¡± he roars an icy blue flame at point blank range to Lyra, Despite this she still manages to get her hands up, shielding herself from the chilling damage ¡°I was planning to keep you alive so that you will continue to oppose me,¡± Satan takes out a chain with a sharp dagger at it¡¯s end ¡°You are fucking dead now!¡± Fwang! He swings the knifed chain at Lyra which she easily dodges No, ¡°Aghnn!¡± she winces, as her left pinky finger severs off from her hand ¡°Assassin¡¯s Dagger, and Masochist¡¯s chain, These are two requiem¡¯s I acquired from the third ring, the only things I own from there,¡± Satan speaks in a cold tone but his burning rage is still felt ¡°As long as this dagger is near you, you will be cut, with or without contact, and this chain can extend itself infinitely¡± *swing* Satan answers with another inaccurate swing, this one slicing the girl¡¯s triceps ¡°Do you understand your situation now!?¡± *swing* ¡°I came here to create more opposition for myself, not to scrap with a child who does not even know the anything about the rings, about the gods¡± ¡°Using requiems, won¡¯t be enough to stop me!¡± Lyra freezes her bleeding cuts, defiantly standing her ground *swing* ¡°Nnmgh!¡± Lyra losses another finger despite the dagger not touching her ¡°Make as much distance between us as you¡¯d like, my blade will always reach you,¡± *swing* *swing* *swing* *swing* *swing* *swing* Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. With each swing another cut opens up on Lyra, and more blood begins to leave her body. ¡°That¡¯s it I have to step in!¡± cries Apollo, from the look on his face you would think he was the one being cut ¡°Do not interfere,¡± Dant¨¦ intimidates by sticking his shotgun to Himari¡¯s skull ¡°Dant¨¦, I am going to warn you right now, Move that gun away from Himari, and make yourself scarce,¡± Apollo breathes these words slowly in a dark tone ¡°You rather I send you somewhere else right now?¡± Dant¨¦ beginning to get annoyed by the mans defiance ¡°God¨C ¡°Wh¡ª¡± ¨CSpeed¡± From the time it took Himari to blink Dant¨¦ had disappeared, Apollo still remains in the same place he was before ¡°Are you ok Himari?¡± his fists dripping in blood ¡°What did you just do?¡± she asks in confusion ¡­. Whaump! Satan¡¯s face buries into the ground under the weight of Apollo¡¯s fist In under a millisecond since Himari¡¯s question had this happened ¡°That¡¯s enough from you Brandon, I¡¯m sorry Lyra I couldn¡¯t stay out of you fight,¡± ¡°Your¡­ Strength..¡± groans Brandon semiconsciously ¡°It¡¯s now mine!¡± Thumd! Like a human rocket, Satan springs up¨Cramming his head into Apollo¡¯s chin The young man crashes to floor unconscious, ¡°Alexander!¡± Satan now calls out ¡°I know you¡¯re lurking around here, keep this¨C¡± ¨CDoof! A shiny gem rockets out of the sky impaling Satan in the shoulder ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha!¡± cackles Lyra ¡°Did you think I was attacking you for so long without a plan? I was preparing a spell this whole time, Look up ¡®brother¡¯, see that?¡± Lyra points up to sky above the plastic beach It gleams enchantingly one would think that a portal heaven had opened in the sky, Fheww! Another gem rockets from above landing near Satan, The ground partial crystalizes on impact ¡°This is your downfall ''Satan'' My ultimate spell, I name it, Diamonds in the sky. Melt Session Fwishh! Crashh! Fwoosh! Like the director of orchestra Lyra guides her diamond ice from the sky above to Brandon, They move with the speed and force of ballistic missiles, Satan now on defense effortlessly slices the gems out of midair using his requiem weapons ¡°You can stop as much as you like,¡± grins Lyra evilly ¡°This attack is infinite, it does not drain any of my stamina to maintain,¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Satan snaps at her hacking away at more an more diamonds ¡°If I had found a way to make this automatic, you would be dead already,¡± Lyra pauses her assault to stretch her wounded arms ¡°Ahh¡± Apollo blinks looking up at Himari who had come to shake him up ¡°He knocked me out with one head-butt,¡± the young man rubs his chin gingerly ¡°Whoa, the sky, Lyra, this your magic?¡± Fwoosh! Fwishh! ¡°Dance for me bitch!¡± instead of responding to Apollo Lyra begins her orchestra on Satan once more ¡°You think this is a joke!¡± Fumes Satan ¡°No, now sit still let me kill you,¡± Fwack! ¡°Grrr, Alexander! Fuck man where are you right now!?¡± a diamond manages to land it¡¯s target drilling into Brandon¡¯s foot, upon impact it crystalizes the ground as well ¡°Plasma barrier active,¡± a voice says coupled with the reappearance of Alexander, He warps near Satan creating a box of light to shield the two ¡°Fuck! It took you long enough!¡± ¡°I was analyzing the fight, The power that girl wields is outrageous, She is summoning this magic from event horizon itself, hence why it is infinite, That is not even possible, for beings with mana let alone human magic, I wonder if she also obtained a piece¡­.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t otherwise I would feel it,¡± Satan grumbles, then shout outs; ¡°You just don¡¯t listen sister! My power means that the stronger you get I also will gain that power, And just like you were biding your time to use that spell, I have just also done that¨C¡± ¡°¨CWait¡± Alexander stops him ¡°Apollo, that man posses mana, that allows him to move at light speeds, He¡¯s already dispatched of Dant¨¦,¡± ¡°Dant¨¦ has perished?¡± ¡°Not completely, only his head remains,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Kill him first then Alexander,¡± ¡°I want all of them alive, Brandon,¡± ¡°You are telling me to hold back!?¡± ¡°Precis¨C¡± ¨CKABWOOOSH! An ice diamond the size of a truck bursts through Alexander¡¯s barrier interrupting the two¡¯s conversation ¡°I already beat you once Alexander, Do you want to die this time?¡± Lyra threatens ¡°¡­¡± ¡°EIIAGHH!¡± cries out Apollo Ignoring Lyra¡¯s taunt Alexander had swiftly warped behind Apollo slicing at his legs ¡°I cut your nerves,¡± you cannot move ¡°And miss Lyra I was unprepared last time do not think that will happen again, Also, where is Kage?¡± Boom! A diamond explodes near Alexander instantly but he warps away ¡°It¡¯s my turn now!¡± Satan pushes past Alexander triumphantly ¡°The wait is over, I will now show you how to summon real ultimate power from the event horizon, I call this one, Hell.¡± ¡°I just told you I wanted them alive Brandon!¡± Alexander barks at the man ¡°Well, I¡¯ve decided for myself and that they should die,¡± ¡°¡­.as you wish¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­You¡­¡± Alexander warps to Himari grabbing her by the throat, ¡°And you,¡± he grabs Apollo by the leg This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.¡°Let go of me!¡± he swings at Alexander ¡°You two will die here, I will be taking you two, to Terra with me,¡± ¡°¡­¡± Himari does not even struggle she stands in silence waiting to be carried away, After everything she had experienced since going to the Caribbean, the woman had shut down, ¡°No! Noo! Let me go!¡± fights Apollo ¡°I am not leaving Lyra! Lyraa! Lyra! Lyr Ly L ¡­.¡± Alexander warps away with the two¡­. ¡­.. ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Who is it that gets the last laugh now!¡± cackles Satan The wind begins to grow humid then sticky and hot, if one were inhale it would be like breathing in fire Coupled with the densely hot air the ground becomes set ablaze, the flames freeze the very bones of the person it comes in contact with, Hell. ¡°This is what it means to be the standard, sister, The one who can stand against all, but can¡¯t be stood against, If every single being from all three rings stood against me They would still not measure up, What did you think would happen?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Lyra stands still with her breath held Her feet are freezing and her body begins shivering on it¡¯s own, (¡°I¡¯ve already prepared for something like his¡±) ¡°Fuck~you,¡± Lyra breathes out, her lungs already beginning to burn up ¡°I have already won Brandon, or Satan as you want to be called,¡± ¡°Won what, the chance to see my ultimate spell?¡± ¡°Echk!¡±n the girl coughing blood ¡°No, my plan from the beginning was always to die, ha-ha, There is one thing in human existence that breaks the rules of magic and can kill even pretend gods like you or Murdoc or whoever else is out there taking god parts or whatever, And that is requiems, My requiem, after my death is to turn everyone within a country¡¯s distance of me, who has ever hurt me before, into ice,¡± ¡°You are bluffing,¡± Doubts Brandon but still looks around cautiously half expecting something to blast him ¡°Echhk! I¡¯m not dead yet, and I know you can¡¯t run after I put a hold your leg,¡± ¡°If you think you can keep me here I can just simply¨C¡± ¨CBOOOSH! An ice diamond rockets out the sky bursting into Satan¡¯s back, ¡°Did you forget my ''diamonds in the sky'' is still active? Were you thinking that you could fly away? I win Brandon, I win.¡± Lyra gives a bloody grin, feeling her lungs melting away, ¡°¡­. Alexander! Get me out of here!¡± Satan frantically calls ¡°Ehecchk! Your dead the moment I die, Give it up, Ahhh, I¡¯m glad I got Kage out of the way, If he were here, he¡¯d also perish with you, Kage hurt me as well, so my requiem would most certainly end him¡­. But our last moments¡­ Haaa~ Maybe Karina was on to something¡­. I¡¯ll be seeing her soon, Pinoki and Darius as well, mother father, old man herb, I wonder¡­ .... Where do we go after death?¡± With those final words Lyra stops talking her lungs melted away and her body in a frozen stance, ¡°Alexanderrr!¡± Satan still calls desperately realizing what was about to happen, But for him it¡¯s too late as well, His heart stops instantly, as it becomes a block of ice, All his organs¡­ From the inside out becomes ice, and with the heat of the air he himself caused Satan, No, Brandon melts away with his sister. Lyra¡¯s requiem. Elegy | Glitter Freeze (Cold¡­ So cold¡­ I have to keep my consciousness, Why this Lyra do this to me? Is it to show me how she felt floating around like this? I can¡¯t stay awake any longer I just want to close my eyes Where am I right now? How will anyone find me in this sea? Maybe I am already at the bottom of the ocean and no one will find me, I¡¯m so cold¡­ How am I still alive? Maybe I should die Maybe I should survive Am I human? All this cold, I miss the warmth What warmth? When have I ever felt warm before? ¡­.. I remember I remember I remember when I was a little girl, Everything was warm, No? Yes! I remember that, my mother was a former royal guard, my father was a merchant, my brother, he was much older than me, We hardly spoke he kept to himself, Mother said it was because he was training to be a royal guard, So, I never bothered him, I remember this? No. Yes, I remember going to school as a little girl, there was this boy there Apollo, He was scrawny, and would always spend his time alone reading, I liked him but he would always get scared of me, He was afraid of everyone, I heard he was the prince¡¯s cousin, Why does he act so cowardly, He would always come to school injured or bruised Omari said his cousin was a klutz, I believed that, I remember I became friends with that boy, it took a while but he finally warmed up to me, Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!It was a warm time, I remember¡­. How do I remember this? I remember, coming home from school one day, Everything was quiet, There were also some screams down the street in other houses, I was scared ¡°Mother!?¡± I called ¡°Father!?¡± no answer ¡°Brother!?¡± my house was silent, I remember the sound of the screams and yells beginning light up the city I was confused, The floor outside the kitchen was wet and red When I went inside everything felt cold My mother lay with her head across the counter, her throat was slit open with the red substance leaking onto the floor There was still food on the stove It smelt good It still felt cold I wanted to vomit A drop of red fell onto my head It was cold I looked up My father was the roof frozen His face was there of saddened agony I didn¡¯t know what to do I screamed I ran I screamed I ran I screamed I ran I remember this Why am I remembering this? These are Lyra¡¯s memories, Am I Lyra? No, Why were they so vivid? Where is Lyra? Why am I remembering your memories? Have you died? Was this your plan I remember¡­ No, No more I don¡¯t want to see anymore! I remember¡­) ¡­. As society on the second ring goes into a state of panic over the partial destruction of the plastic beach, and the full destruction of another isle, due to the Madvillainy organization, Kage gets swept up and about by the ocean¡¯s waves in frozen reminiscence. Elegy End Reemergence of Sound ¡°Oi, oi, oi! There¡¯s sum¡¯in shinning over there!¡± ¡°Welp quit yer yapping about it and haul the bloody thing up!¡± ¡°And here I was trying to be generous by showing you fellas my find! If it¡¯s sum¡¯in valuable, I ought to keep it to myself!¡± ¡°We would just kill yerr and take it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see ya try!¡± Splash! A net is cast into ocean, the water thrust it about violently, but it finally manages to capture it¡¯s target ¡°The sea has been ruthless as of late. Errrghh!¡± A large shiny object is being hauled out of the sea¡­ ¡°Oi! What is it, a glacier!?¡± ¡°Bloody hell! There¡¯s a fooking person inside!¡± ¡­¡­¡­. ****** (Light¡­¡­Sunlight¡­¡­.fish?) Wiping my eyes open I find myself sprawled out near a pile of fresh fish, My feet feel cold and numb, I struggle to maintain my footing. Splashh! I hear the sound of a wave It makes me feel sick. I¡¯ve been knocked around by these for who knows how long, ¡°Ugng¡± grabbing on to a nearby guardrail for support, I take a good look at the surroundings, (I¡¯m still at sea, but whose ship is this?) Up ahead is a massive gray cylindrical structure sticking up from beneath the sea, it¡¯s still to far away to see what it is however¡­. ¡°Oi you were actually alive?¡± A voice calls from the opposite direction, Approaching from below the deck is a man dressed in baggy pleather trousers and overcoat, one hand remains behind his back where I assume he¡¯s clutching his gun, ¡°Who are you, where am I?¡± are the first words that comes out my mouth ¡°None, ya business mate, we were using ya ice to keep our fish cool, Now that you¡¯ve err¨Cthawed out, do me favor and hop off board, ya?¡± From his demeanor I can tell there is no negotiating to be done here, he means to kill me if I don¡¯t jump off this boat (Unfortunate for him I need this ship to get back to land) ¡°¡­¡­.. I have a question first, Are you fishermen or pirates?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fooking, mermaids, Get off the ship before I put ya back on ice permanently¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.(¡­¡­..) ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Huhhyahhh!¡± THWOMP! Ripping the guardrail out of the ship I swing it like a bat the man, making a loud thud it cracks his skull open and he drops to the deck, *Flash* A camera on the ship¡¯s mast beams down onto me Scrambling to the dead man I hurriedly dig through his clothes for his gun Footsteps from below get louder, as the other crew members make their way up, Pop! I fire a warning shot down the deck¡¯s stairs Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtrttttttt! A stream of bullets come back as response but I had already anticipated that ¡°Ughhhn!¡± I shout out while pouring the blood from the man¡¯s skull whom I thwonked, down the stairs, ¡­¡­. The bullets stop, the men below now thinking they¡¯ve killed me¡­ POP!¨CPOP!¨CPOP! The three headshots for the three men who emerge from below, ¡­. Making my way below is the small interior of the ships Some cigars still alight are on a table along with boxes of ammunition, on the floors, (The ship has stopped moving, Either one of them was the pilot, or¡­) ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.. Pop! A bullet goes through the legs of the pilot, he¡¯d been hiding behind the door of the cockpit planning to ambush me, But I had anticipated that, ¡°ehckk!¡± I grab him by the throat, ¡°Is there anyone else on this ship?¡± The man shakes his head fervently Pop! My last bullet goes in his head. (Now to start this ship back up, I have to get back to Apollo, How long has it even been? Lyra¡­.) Bzzzt bzzzzt A radio receiver buzzes on the control panel, (Should I?) ¡°Bloody hell Kage, you didn¡¯t have ta kill them all!¡± a woman¡¯s voice cracks though (!?) ¡°Who is this?¡± I pick up the receiver instantly ¡°Who does it sound like mate?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know this voice¡± ¡°Stop playing with me Kage, you¡¯re nearby the Iron Lung, pull up already, been searching for ya for a while now¡± (Iron Lung? Does she mean that gray structure up ahead?) ¡°Who is this, seriously?¡± ¡°Ya know me Kage, now get over here, we finished the thing ya wanted.¡± ¡°What thin¨C¡± The transmission disconnects. My Iron Lung Jutting out the sea, a massive cylindrical structure the size of a savannah, the dark gray metal of it extends down into the depth of the ocean, and reaches up to the height of a skyscraper. (If this is trap then I¡¯m finished) With two automatic rifles in each hand and a pistol strapped to my leg, I cautiously clamber out my shop docked at the side of¡­. ¡­. ¡°Oi! Are yuh fuckin doomb don¡¯t dock yerr ship here if your not about to take off, Go around the other side!¡± barks a man from one of the other docked ships, he doesn¡¯t seem fazed by my straps, (I hadn¡¯t even noticed the other people here, Looks like they¡¯re about to leave¡­.) To the other side of large the structure I go, here it¡¯s significantly livelier, a huge harbor is built into it where many boats are parked, at the side of the structure a hole welded open into the steel, curtains drape down in front of it (That¡¯s probably the entrance, ok, let¡¯s try this again) ¡­.. Stepping off my ship again I¨C ¨CKABOOM! The ship explodes suddenly knocking me forward onto the port ¡°Errg..¡± (What the hell just happened?) ¡°Oi, get up!¡± a voice calls followed by a soft kick to my face and an arm extended to me Picking myself up with it, I come face to face with a strange woman I have never met before, Her hair is dirty blonde with green highlights, she stares at me sternly with her one eye, the other is an eye patch, ¡°Ya know I could have self destructed that ship anytime I wanted.¡± She speaks semi-pleasantly showing off a full set of gold teeth, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot ol¡¯ Harry Kage,¡± ¡°Harry?¡± ¡°Did that explosion knock your memory out?¡± Harry points at my skull, I notice her other hand, well what is supposed to be hand, is replaced with the barrel of gun ¡°You were in trench pirates, no?¡± (She knows me from when I was pirate¡­) ¡°Yes, I remember that, but my memories have been a little foggy for a while now,¡± I lie ¡°Oi! Somebody clean this shyite up!¡± Harry orders gesturing to the wreckage of my ship she just exploded ¡°Can you perhaps remind of who you are and what this is again¡­Harry?¡± ¡°Ya know I been looking for you for a while now Kage,¡± she ignores, my question instead beckoning me to follow her into the structure Inside is like a love construction site, we step onto a wobbly floor in which I can feel the ocean beneath, A staircase with no walls or handrails is built into it¡¯s side next to what I can only guess is a planned elevator shaft, the floor around the stairs is also stained red, (Most likely from people falling off the edge no doubt) ¡°What is this place exactly?¡± I ask following the woman up said stairs ¡°It belongs to me, my iron lung,¡± ¡°Your iron lung, you own this?¡± ¡°Ya memory really is fucked huh? Cause ya know I hate having to explain shyt, Because I respect and owe you Kage, I¡¯ll brief ya¡± (She owes me for what? The year I was here before I met up with Apollo, What was I up too?) ¡°This is the called the iron lung, the main base of all pirate kind, I am the one in charge of these sorry bastards,¡± Explains Harry This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°And how do I know you?¡± ¡°You was with that shitty ass crew, the trench pirates, first time ya came here you caused a whole ruckus, just to get to me, killed a lot of my men, That reminds me, Ya got ta stop killing my pirates, That ship you hijacked to get here, I was watching ya on it¡¯s cameras, you slaughtered the lot,¡± ¡°It was either me or them,¡± I reply nonchalantly ¡°I can¡¯t really argue with that, you were always a killer, I¡¯m just glad I found ya, after all this time,¡± sighs Harry ¡°What did I want from you?¡± I press on the woman to continue, The further up the stairs we get the narrower it becomes, the floors we pass going up seemed to be unfinished as well, ¡°Ya wanted us to build a ship for you, in exchange ya helped us out,¡± (A ship?) As we near the end of the unfinished flight of stairs, we come to a floor that is vastly different from the wide, still in construction floors below, This one starts us off in a hallway, I feel the cold air-conditioning bouncing off the steel walls, Neon blue lights illuminate from the ceiling ¡°This is what ya helped us out with,¡± Harry says stepping into the hall, Gun production. Surveillance Ship parts General maintenance Engineering lab Unauthorized After passing several labeled doors, Harry pushes into the door marked unauthorized, ¡°I helped with that?¡± staring across the room, behind glass barrier is what I can only say is a ball of light, It¡¯s encased in a oscillator-like machine in which many wires and cords come go into and out of it, like a spider web, the cords go into walls, ceiling and even floor ¡°This was actually all your doing, I dunno the schematics or what have you about it, Oi you science guy!¡± Harry slaps the head of a man behind a computer, he brushes her hand away in annoyance but doesn¡¯t not fully acknowledge our presence still locked into his work ¡°Oi! Ya boss is talking to you, I brought the inventor of this for ya to speak with¡± ¡°¡­..¡± no response ¡°Ya know what, wait here, I¡¯m going to get a drink and a pistol, then we can talk,¡± Harry says to me before pushing out of the room (¡­¡­.) ¡°You are the inventor of this¡­ Incredible,¡± the scientist says his eyes still peeled to the computer screen ¡°I don¡¯t know how true that statement is¡­¡± I try peering over the man¡¯s shoulder ¡°Don¡¯t be modest, to invent a source of energy more potent than foundation energy, You would have to be a first-class genius,¡± the man spins around on his chair to face me (Wait a minute¡­) ¡°MF?¡± ¡°Kage?¡± the young man as equally surprised ¡°What are you doing with pirates?¡± I immediately press (Wasn¡¯t he working for the UCA?) ¡°That¡¯s a long story, But you, Kage, I thought you were missing, Does that mean Apollo and Himari with you?¡± he looks to the door half expecting the pair to also reveal themselves ¡°No, why, did something happen?¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°A lot has happened Kage,¡± ¡°Enlighten me then,¡± "¡­.¡± MF gives me a ¡®nobody talks like that face¡¯ before spinning back around to face the PC ¡°You do know that you have been missing for six months Kage?¡± Sound of lost time This is United news, and today we cover what really happened at the government military and federal mobile island, designated name the plastic beach, There was of course an attempted coupe by the criminal run organization Madvillainy, The former chief and Commander of the UCA¡¯s agent operative bureau, Kiefer Sosa, was sighted as the real ringleader of the organization along with a young but talented head of the engineering department, his name has not yet been disclosed to the public, The plastic beach was left partially destroyed after the attack claiming the lives of many brave men an women, That was not the only island destroyed that day however, the tourist isle Jamrock has been blown to bits and no longer exist as such, We have yet to receive confirmation on whether it¡¯s destruction is at all related to the events that too place on the plastic beach, Thank you fo¨C ¡°That¡¯s all there is about it,¡± MF mutes the feed ¡°That news report was months ago after it happened, the media hasn¡¯t spoken on it since,¡± ¡°They said the plastic beach was attacked, That means you were there MF, What happened, what did I miss?¡± ¡°Slow down Kage, I¡¯m getting to that,¡± MF spins around on his chair facing his computer once more ¡°The plastic beach was attacked by that guy Satan, but of course the news wouldn¡¯t say that, Kiefer was one of the many secret Madvillainy members¡­ I wasn¡¯t on the plastic beach that day, I found out my mom died that day¡­ But anyway, Satan attacked and destroyed most of the beach, Look at this.¡± MF points on the screen, It depicts a shinning bright sky, over a red foggy sea, both the occurrence stretches a good distance along the sea then perfectly cuts off ¡°What is that supposed to be?¡± I peer confusedly ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, But this is where an area of the plastic beach was before it was moved to another location, My guess is that is where the fight between Lyra and Satan happened, magic is the only explanation, The sky is permanently illuminated no matter the time of day, and the air there is so toxic that one breath can melt your insides, Yes, they have been recorded deaths,¡± ¡°Lyra¡­¡± I mumble solemnly ¡°Lyra is missing along with Apollo and Karina, Just like you were missing Kage, I¨C¡± ¡°No, I know she is dead, I¡¯ve been¡­¡± I cut myself off, ¡°Are you ok Kage? I mean you¡¯ve been missing for long time and now you suddenly reappear, You somehow don¡¯t feel like the same person from the last time I saw you,¡± Mf nervously passes his hand through his curly hair, Last time I saw him his head was shaven now he sports a mini fro¡­ ¡°I could say the same of you MF, I recall that you used to work for the government, now you¡¯re with pirates,¡± I say in attempt to avoid his interrogative stare ¡°¡­¡­ Well, that¡¯s complicated,¡± Mf turns away from me, back to the computer, ¡­... ¡­.. ¡°Look at this first Kage, this is the footage of Jamrock being destroyed in real time,¡± (.....?) ¡°What The fuck Jamrock have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Just watch man,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anything¡± I peer closer at the screen showing a four second clip of an overhead view of the isle, The first two seconds are normal, then¨CBoom!¨CIt blows to smithereens. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.¡°That¡¯s the clip at regular speed Kage, if I multiply the speed by 0.1%, Look now,¡± On the now slowed video it shows a blurred figure zip across the sea dragging behind another figure, The first person throws the other into the isle with enough fearsome force that it destroys the entire landmass They then zip back across the sea. (Apollo?) ¡°All that happened in three seconds?¡± ¡°Yeah, and it took a lot for me to get this footage, nothing has been released publicly yet, That¡¯s part of the reason I¡¯m here,¡± MF elaborates ¡°Himari and Apollo, has been missing ever since that day, and no one would tell me what was going on, so I umm, started digging into it myself, I have tons of footage of the plastic beach that day, but nothing of Himari and Apollo, Ended up getting caught breaking into secure databases though, and because of what happened with Madvillainy I was immediately suspected of being one of them, They even think Kiefer and I are the two leaders of the thing,¡± ¡°So in an attempt to clear your name, you joined up with pirates?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not pressed on that, I joined up with these pirates because I wouldn¡¯t have access to high level technology to tinker with, I was never with the government to make the world better or for justice like Himari, I just want to create and see how things work, as long as I have this footage the UCA won¡¯t release any information on me, Now time for my questions Kage, I know technology on the first ring is more advanced than ours,¡± MF stares at the ball of light in a constant state of rotation in the room, ¡°But still, I need to know how exactly it was you developed thi¡­¡­¡± (So Apollo and Himari are missing, and Brandon is already dead, Where do I go from here? Should I head back to the UCA and get the chairman¡¯s help? I still have to see what is this ship I wanted to build) ¡°Kage, are you listening man?¡± calls MF impatiently ¡°Oi! you two done here because I still got that thing you asked me to build for you Kage,¡± Harry reenters the room with a bottle in hand ¡°No, and you already reek of alcohol get out,¡± snaps MF ¡°Aye no backchat I don¡¯t care of ya a leader of Madcriminals or whatever that gang is called, I¡¯m the boss here,¡± ¡°And before I got here you were struggling to keep the lights on even with a top tier energy source¡± MF spits back Crash! Harry breaks her glass bottle on MF¡¯s desk ¡°Aiiyeee!¡± MF shrieks like a girl, hopping out of the way, ¡°I¡¯ve had it with you Dirty Harry! No ounce of decorum in you!¡± ¡°Aye, but you like that don¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Ughh, don¡¯t touch me Harry,¡± ¡°Or what?¡± ¡°I¡­ I will blow us all up right now¡­¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha, Go on then, I call your bluff, do it,¡± ¡°Can you two shut the fuck up?¡± I try to sound agitated ¡°I¡¯ve been floating around the fucking ocean for months I don¡¯t have the patience for a squabble right now,¡± ¡°Now this is the Kage I remember¡± the pirate leader smiles showing off her gold teeth ¡°Cuss at me again, and I might have to marry you, ya?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Well, tha ship ya told me ta build is finished, anyway Kage, I can show ya that now,¡± ¡°Good where is the boat?¡± ¡°Boat? Who said anything about a boat mate?¡± ¡°You said I wanted to you to build a ship¡± ¡°Ya, but not a boat, Didn¡¯t ya want to go to the first ring?¡± Dirty Harry | Interlude The iron lung is the name of the massive metal structure poking out of the sea, A long time ago there used to be a large island here called the Britain Kingdom, Overtime the sea levels began to rise due to rampantly changing climate, and the island slowly began to get swallowed up by the great ocean, In a last-ditch effort to save the country the royal family came up with the incredibly stupid idea of building a pipe as huge a skyscraper and then flitter the flood waters off the island, The pipes construction was never completed by the time Britain sank, the only thing left of the kingdom the massive pipe, that pirates now inhabit. ¡­.. ¡°We really have ta build a elevator in this thing soon¡± sighs Harry as we as the long narrow stairs again ¡°I ought to get that MF thrown off the top of this,¡± ¡°Nngg¡± I shrug much more focused on the surroundings, I hadn¡¯t noticed how lived in this place actually feels, Most of the cold grey walls of the pipe are covered in graffiti and obscene language, The iron lung remains constantly noisy from the ships coming too and fro and the pirates speaking loudly, laughing, drinking and arguing, ¡°Oi Dirty Harry,¡± a man intercepts us on the stairway ¡°Get outta the way ya bloke I¡¯m busy¡± ¡°I been looking for you mate, some of my crew went to Oceania and I haven¡¯t heard from them since, ya think I could see the footage from their ships cameras,¡± ¡°They definitely got caught by the government if that¡¯s what ya wanted to know now move fore I push ya off!¡± ¡­. ¡°Why do they call you Dirty Harry?¡± I ask, as we squeeze past the disappointed pirate ¡°I got that name when I first became the leader of all pirates, it¡¯s also how I lost this hand,¡± Harry flashes her gun hand ¡°Nobody would respect me or acknowledge my authority, I told em if they keel testing me I shove a gun up their arse, and blow their brains from the inside out, Sure enough nobody took me own, So I found me the pirate everyone did respect some pirate named Ruffy, they wanted him to be the leader, so I beat him down in front everyone, Then I took me gun and shoved it up his arse sure enough stretched him like a rubber man, then boop! Shot him from the inside, I didn¡¯t want my hand back after that so I cut it off.¡± ¡­. ¡°You¡¯re joking right?¡± ¡°Nope, true story,¡± ¡°That¡¯s disgusting,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like some kind of saint Kage, you¡¯re more murderous than me,¡± ¡°Am I?¡± ¡°Do I need ta go over all the people you and trench pirates have killed?¡± Harry points her gun and at me, her green eyes glistening playfully at me ¡°I have no recollection of ever being a pirate or knowing you for that matter¡± I push it away ¡°What about the Davey Pirate¡¯s ya just killed and stole their ship, Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Ya lucky I was taking a wank in the surveillance room or I wouldn¡¯t have noticed ya¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Whack! ¡°That one was a joke ha-ha¡± Harry slaps my so hard I almost fall off the stairs ¡°I needed that ship and there was negotiating with those ''Davey'' pirates,¡± I explain (So, I killed them all with no remorse) ¡°Their lives meant nothing to me¡­¡± (Their lives meant nothing to me?) ¡°See, that¡¯s the Kage I know, When I first met ya, it was because ya, killed a member of the trench pirates and they were contemplating killing ya or letting ya join You were confident that ya could kill the entire crew singlehandedly Only difference to ya now is that ya used to act all haughty and superior, like ya knew everything, Now ya just seem¨CI dunno ya weird¡± ¡°A lot happened,¡± I mutter awkwardly (¡­¡­) ¡°That reminds me Kage, How did ya get out of prison?¡± ¡°By snitching,¡± I lie (Maybe I should not let the pirate now of my connection to the UCA chairman) ¡°And ya just as slimly as before, Even without memory ya still the same Kage,¡± ¡°¡­¡­. So how did you become the leader of pirates anyway?¡± I change the subject as we finally step of the bottom step ¡°I found the first pirate¡¯s treasure¡± ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°An eyeball,¡± ¡°Eyeball?¡± ¡°He wore an eye patch so, he didn¡¯t need the other one, he probably hid it for a joke,¡± ¡°¡­ Are all you pirates just weird?¡± ¡°Aye sir, it comes with the profession,¡± ¡°Is that the purpose of all you pirates?¡± ¡°Nah, we are protectors of the sea ya know?¡± she smiles grandiosely, flashing those gold teeth, ¡°Protectors?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how all this started, all land on this ring is under the control of greedy governments, We run the seas so that the UCA or any other government tries claiming the sea,¡± ¡°No offense Harry but that sounds silly, you can¡¯t actually run the sea,¡± ¡°Yes, but ya can be free on the seas not so? The first pirate was actually a member of the royal Second Family, he turned away from them and gave birth to organized piracy,¡± ¡°And what happened to this person after?¡± I ask becoming intrigued by the woman¡¯s tale ¡°There¡¯s a lot of rumors of what happened to the man, some say he was last seen with two eyes again, Some say he went crazy and offed himself, The biggest theory is that he built ship and used it to travel to the third ring,¡± ¡°Considering how difficult it is to travel across rings, that would probably be the most unlikely,¡± I comment ¡°Aye, it¡¯s just a rumor after all, but I think it got some truth to it,¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°The third ring supposedly is a place that has real magic, on it given what the first pirate was know for I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he actually did try to reach there, They used to call him Blackmagic dealer ya know Sound in the seas depths Black magic, a concept that is known on both then second and third ring. Although it means something entirely different on the two opposing rings For the people of the third ring, black magic is any supernatural magic or ability that is not requiem, and breaks all the established rules of magic. On the second, black magic, is technology created by unknown means that cannot be replicated no matter how many times you try to dissect or reverse engineer¡­ ¡­¡­. Beneath the bottom floor of the iron lung, is a series of interconnected pipe ways devoid of light and echoingly silent, The conversation between Harry and I died the moment we entered the strange tunnels, The air here is thin and stiffing, if one were to get lost here without a light source they¡¯d certainly die Clop. Clop. Clop. Our feet smack against the cold steel I can feel the vibrations of the water surrounding the outside of the pipe as we head deeper into it¡¯s depths (I wonder where it is we are going) As soon as I had thought that, the pipeline opens up, or rather converges into the sea¡¯s depths, There¡¯s barely any stable footing at this end as the pipe slants down into the dark waters below, ¡°¡­..¡± Harry nudges me to slide into the water, The air is so light right now that even if we¡¯d turned back right, we wouldn¡¯t make it, (I guess into the water it is) Splashh! My skin hits the cold water, and immediately feel myself being swallowed up into it¡­ ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. Splashh! ¡°Aggh, I never get used to that,¡± Harry takes a deep breath The water spits us out onto a dirt ground the air is back to normal now but¡­ (What is this place) Looking above I see blue, but it isn¡¯t the sky the ocean¡¯s blue, ¡°Where are we Harry?¡± I ask taking a look around, We appear to be in a courtyard, to the back of us is a grand palace, that is worn and slightly dilapidated, We are surroundings by water on all the other sides, or rather a barrier keeping the sea at bay, ¡°This is the only piece of the former Britain Kingdom left, the royal palace Aberdeeningham,¡± ¡°Under the sea?¡± ¡°Ya, don¡¯t act so surprised Kage, You knew where this was first time ya came here, That¡¯s why I trust ya,¡± (I knew about this place?) ¡°Are ya just gonna stand around here Kage, C¡¯mon mate the ships around back,¡± Something about the way she said that makes me feel uneasy Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.¡°If the entire Britain Kingdom was sunk by the seas how is this palace still intact?¡± I ask following behind her cautiously (I still have gun on me if anything happens) ¡°Beats me some type of black magic tech,¡± shrugs Harry, ¡°You seemed to know a lot about it last time,¡± ¡°I did?¡± ¡°This was where the first pirate¡¯s treasure was, I thought I was the first person to discover it, till ya showed up and started making outlandish demands, But ya put your money where your mouth was, so I trusted ya helped ya out for helping us, See us pirates speak the language of actions, talk is cheap,¡± As we make our way around the courtyard of palace, I observe the sights The yard which would have once been a lawn is just a dirt path now, any tree that would have been here has long since rotted away, Looking up at the big palace casting a shadow over us the Victorian architecture slightly crumbling, the only thing that looks relatively new here are the massive lights illuminated the are, the hang hideously from walls the size of display screens, it clearly clashes with the palace¡¯s design. (I wonder what unknown history is still left hidden in there?) ¡°Aight here it is,¡± gestures Harry as we into the back yard The ground is covered with tools and steel parts that surrounds a big box-like object (Aghh, not now!) A buzzing sound begins to pierce my eardrums almost instantly ¡°Is that it?¡± I ask confusedly while trying to ignore the ear grating sound ¡°Oi Kage, remember what ya told me that last time we met?¡± Harry¡¯s tone changes ¡°Of course no¨C¡± ¨CBlam! A bullet whizzes into my left shoulder blade, just shy of my neck, ¡°Ughhck!¡± I grit my teeth together bearing the pain and drawing out my own gun The buzzing sound now deafeningly high it disrupts my focus along with the pain ¡°I ShOuLd hAve KnoWn tHIs wAs a tRaP!¡± I slur out trying to get my fingers on the trigger properly (Gah, why I am so stupid!) Blamm! Another bullet goes into my right knee. ¡°Nah this ain¡¯t a trap Kage, Ya told me that if we ever met and you were acting different, carry Ya here And kill ya,¡± BlaM! Another bullet this time to my abdomen I can already feel a rush of blood going up throat, (Losing¡­¡­¡­¡­... consciousness¡­¡­..) ¡­¡­. ¡°Ya helped us out a lot so I take no pleasure in this mate,¡± Blam¨CBlam¨CBlam-Blam-Blam! With that, Harry puts five shots into Kage¡¯s skull. Sound of Trickery You really are an interesting subject Kage ¡­? Who are¨Cme? Yes, I am you, well a culmination of a few of your memories to be precise, You are the you without any old memories My memories? Are you the reason I don¡¯t remember anything? No, you can¡¯t remember because you have too much to remember Kage, It confuses you doesn¡¯t it Kage? You start jumbling different thoughts and moments together, I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­ Don¡¯t you? What is your earliest memory? Waking up in chained in a house, I was¨C ¨CFalse that never happened You are remembering something that did happen but not to you, No, that happened, I remember the house I remember burning it, I remember the forest You weren¡¯t ''awake¡¯ yet for any of that Kage, those things never happened to you Yes, they did¡ª ¨CNever happened, those are different memories of separate happenings Do you see why you can¡¯t remember anything Kage? You¡¯re just trying to manipulate me¡­ I¡­. I... met the prince working for Jissepi, If not for him I would never have made it to Soterra and met Lyra and the others Are you going to say that was false too? The prince died a little boy you never met him, he did however interact with you once, but that was before you were aware Lies! Do you want to know what your real first memory is Kage? ¡­¡­ Remember that explosion in the desert? It did not happen because of the prince¡¯s requiem, nothing of the such occurred, But is besides the point, when you first opened your eyes was in that castle under the sand The first thing you ever spoke to was that beastman, not a human Who are you really? Why are you telling me this? The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Am I dead? Am I actually insane? Like I said previously I am you, But before I was you, the memories I had belonged to the person they called the blackmagic dealer, I was originally from this second, from the palace you are in right now, my home, I would have been it¡¯s king had I not turned to a life of piracy, but it was through that life I ended up finding you Kage, You gave me knowledge of things far beyond the grasp of humanity, what the ignorant people call black magic, Who am I then? Where is my home? Why can¡¯t the think anything right now? You are me and I am you now I do not have access to the memories of your home, the you that is currently conscious does, You cannot think because we are in our own mind. With that being said, it¡¯s time for us to wake up. No I¡¯m not done questioning¡ª ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡°Urrrghh,¡± (My head feels it¡¯s being pounded by hammers) ¡°Oi, are ya finished ya nap,¡± An impatient Harry calls, ¡°You!¡± I roll back stumbling to my feet and reaching for my gun, ¡°Aye what¡¯s with you, didya have a nightmare?¡± ¡°You just shot me!¡± I point my weapon at the woman ¡°What are you talking about Kage?¡± ¡°As soon as I brought ya inside this ship, ya passed out, now ya up and taking about how I shot ya?¡± ¡°You did¡± (She did...I remember¡­.) ¡°Then where¡¯s the bullet holes in ya, Matter of fact if I did you would be dead, I¡¯m always get the job done¡± ¡°¡­.¡­. Was that really just a dream?¡± ¡°Aye sir, but if it¡¯s any consolation, I passed out too,¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Came to right before you, I reckon it is was due to the little amount of air here,¡± ¡°¡­. I swear you just shot me,¡± ¡°The mind has way of playing tricks on you sometimes ya know.¡± Prelude to the first | Jukebox Omni-terrain, multiform autonomous vehicle, model zero. A machine built entirely from tielium and powered by foundation energy, it has shape or a perfect rectangle, with what looks like a spherical rocket strapped to it¡¯s end The interior is equally as queer, being bare of any inner parts or even lights, only some seats, a singular power switch and inactive touch interface, ¡°This how you told us to build it,¡± says Harry sensing my utter confusion Or maybe not¡­ (This somehow feels familiar to me,) Click Vrrrrrrrrrr The craft begins to purr softly from powering on, Blue streaks of light begin to line the dark gray walls like veins of energy, The dimed interface now begins to display a strange selection of designs, ¡°Aye that never worked with me,¡± Harry looks over my shoulder, ¡°I was bringing ya here because we couldn¡¯t get the power running despite finishing the ship,¡± ¡°Almost like someone finished it while you weren¡¯t looking,¡± I mumble in response my eyes still on the display, Tielium is a material that can be best described as steel skin, It¡¯s as soft and formable as skin but has the durability of steel, ¡°Ya mean like my hand?¡± Harry shows off her gun-hand which subsequently transforms into a prosthetic hand ¡°That was tielium all this time?¡± ¡°Yup, I choose to keep it as a gun for the pirate aesthetic ya?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Turning away from the jovial pirate I look back to display touching the first design, Beeeeeeeep! All the lights turn red Warning please remain seated while in vehicular conversation A robotic voice comes from the machine Immediately as harry hand sit the light returns to blue but this time a blindingly light blue, Vwooom A strange wheel juts out in front of me in the pilot¡¯s seat, it looks like a cross between a car¡¯s steering wheel and a UCA jet¡¯s controller, While this happens, the blue light increases in intensity and the rectangular craft begins to collapse into itself with us inside, It turns into itself like a spiral from both ends Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! The light dims down, The entire process had taken just shy of ten seconds to complete. ¡°Aye this is fookin amazing!¡± Harry looks around at the new interior It¡¯s now much smaller and compact, height slightly elevated, ahead the control panel is now a glass that shows an out of order fountain outside but more so than it that it shows the hood of the vehicle This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.¡­.. ¡­.. Clambering out of it, Harry and I observe the newly transformed vehicle, It now takes on the appearance of something akin to a cross between a monster truck, military jeep, and a mini tank, ¡°This is just one of it forms most likely,¡± I think out loud ¡°My guess is that, this, this ship? I don¡¯t even know what to call it, But it probably transform into the best possible vehicle for any terrain, location, This is must be what the Holy Diver was trying to be,¡± ¡°Aye, I don¡¯t really care about that shitye mate,¡± Harry hops back into it, ¡°Since my men and I put this bitch together, I think I¡¯ll name her ¡®the Jukebox¡¯ Now take me for a driver,¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re assuming I do know how to drive this thing?¡± ¡°Ya told me to build it in the first place, of course ya do, We¡¯ll be alright as long as ya don¡¯t go all delusional on me again,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ignoring the woman¡¯s words join her in the Jukebox (I still can¡¯t believe her shooting me wasn¡¯t real, I felt the pain¡­.) ¡­. Shaking of the thoughts I grip onto the controller wheel, another screen on the center of it activates thereafter, displaying the start up input ¡°Wheeew!¡± Taking a deep breath and press it Vrwoosh! The vehicle blasts out stationery position Vwooom! ¡°Where can we even go with this, we¡¯re still underwater?¡± I deftly manage to avoid side swiping one of the palace tower¡¯s ¡°Go around to the front, we¡¯ll drive to the edge of the barrier back into the ocean¡± Harry replies, truly enjoying herself Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnn I maneuver the Jukebox steadily to front of the palace, zooming out of the gate ¡°Now for the moment of truth!¡± Yells Harry excitedly ¡°See the ocean¡¯s pressure behind this barrier is incredibly strong, so we are either about to die, or if what ya say is true the jukebox will transform into something that¡¯ll adapt,¡± .. ¡°Hgnh¡± I grunt in response to her clear excitement Vrrrrrrmmmmmm Cra¨Csplaasshh! Beeeeeeeep! The Jukebox pierces through the none existent holding the water at bay, and immediately reforms itself into a torpedo-like undersea craft, ¡°Yeeeeeaaaa! That was amazing Kage,¡± ¡°¡­..¡± (Maybe a little) ¡°This is the ship I designed to help me reach the second ring,¡± I say somewhat braggingly despite having no clue how to it came to be ¡°About that Kage mate, We are going to have renegotiate those terms, I¡¯m not letting ya have this for yourself,¡± My name is My name is¡­ my name was, Noah, Noah Savi? the twenty first of his name, first prince of Britain, heir to the throne of Aberdeeningham palace, But I didn¡¯t go that route, I put the royalty behind me and took to the seas, It was because I had found out that the royal Second Family wanted a merging of all the ring¡¯s countries, they wanted unity, I wanted freedom. I, What am I thinking, that¡¯s not me, My name is, my name was Lyra, Lyra of Soterra, I grew up the daughter of a former knight and merchant, I had an older brother¡­. No this isn¡¯t me either, My name is, my name was, Giichi, Giichi of Bakufu, I was raised in an era of war between the beastman an with humans as well, as a result my nation became militarized, as children we learned about the best applications of magic offensively, we learned about the concept of requiems, I even got a requiem¡­. ¡­Not me.. My name is, My name was John, I was grew up in a orphanage most of my life, until one night the place attacked by cultist of the dead god¡¯s, I woke up one night to find everyone I¡¯d ever known being grinded in their murder machine, I was the only person spared, they told me it was because of God, I spent the rest of my life searching for the truth in that statement, Maybe I found it.. My name is, my name was¡­ .. ¡°Kage?¡± ¡°Uhh? Is that, my name?¡± ¡°Are you good man?¡± MF asks looking more puzzled than concerned ¡°Oh, yeah, sorry I was having a weird dream,¡± I reply dazedly ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as the type too doze off randomly,¡± shrugs MF (He¡¯s right I don¡¯t usually feel sleepy, especially during the day) Splish! The ocean sprays up happily, enjoying the calm breeze blowing against it, I¡¯m sat on the harbor outside the iron lung while MF inspects the ¡®Jukebox¡¯ ¡°Harry is adamant on keeping this now,¡± I say changing the subject ¡°So much for pirates honoring their word,¡± ¡°Oy, if I recall correctly you don¡¯t even remember making any deal with me now do ya?¡± Harry overhears while clambering out of the Jukebox, now in the form of a boat, ¡°And secondly, for pirates, unless I¡¯ve sworn on my name as pirate then I can go back on my word,¡± ¡°How would I know if you have?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true Mr. amnesia, I will tell ya this, I swore on my name to help ya, but not to let you have this ship,¡± ¡°I am not even sure if I need it to be honest,¡± I get up stretching out my arms (What ever I was planning with it, I don¡¯t feel like I should trust myself) ¡°I¡¯m actually thinking of going back to the UCA government,¡± ¡°Oy, so you¡¯re a double agent then, Going to report what ya learned here to the authorities?¡± ¡°No, do I look like the type to be a government agent?¡± ¡°Ya fit the mold, Don¡¯t think those UCA dogs are upstanding people, they¡¯re as dirty as us pirates, only difference is that they wave the banner of order while covering up the chaos they¡¯ve caused, It¡¯s like ya said before Kage, Us humans true nature is to cause chaos, everything else is just smoke and mirrors,¡± ¡°I said that?¡± ¡°Mhm, why else would ya turn to pirates of all people for help, We ain¡¯t good people, we murder innocent people, steal from them, everything ya think is a crime or wrong to do, I guarantee at least one pirate has done it,¡± ¡°At this point I wish I could go back to the UCA too,¡± MF interjects ¡°Aye then go, matter fact aren¡¯t you one of the bosses of that criminal organization? This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Don¡¯t act all goody with me,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not with Madvillainy, that¡¯s just a misunderstanding, how many times do I have to say this?¡± ¡°Not fooling me mate, What they call you again? Metal fingers, is it? Definitely a name fitting a villain,¡± ¡°So, Kage about that ship¡± Mf brushes off Harry ¡°I¡¯ve tinkered around with it a bit, and it¡¯s both amazing and bewildering at the same time, The controls are basic that even a beginner pilot could control it, But the inner workings, I¡¯m an expert when it comes to imputing tielium designs, But these designs, these transformations are pushing it, to calculate matter conversion on this level is humanly impossible, how did you manage?¡± (How did I indeed) ¡°I think¡­ I think its because I have an understanding of magic as well your science, I understand that the calculations for matter conversion use infinite numbers, But that is only if you take the scientific approach, Science deals with the numbers and calculations required, whereas magic bypasses all of that it¡¯s how people are able to conjure up elements easily,¡± ¡°Yes but that doesn¡¯t make sense Kage,¡± ¡°..Think of magic as if it were tech, People born with magic attributes, are essential programmed with specific coordinates to each their attributes conversation formula, Each time they conjure magic they are essential just locking on to the coordinate and running the formula, except without knowing the numbers behind it It is like going to your house, you know where it is so you don¡¯t need the exact coordinates to go there,¡± ¡°Mmm, I think I can get that,¡± nods MF, (I don¡¯t know how I know all this myself) ¡°¡­.Huwahh Sounds like a massive headache to me,¡± yawns Harry, ¡°I just want to know if this means you¡¯re not going to put up a fight for the Jukebox? Then I can take it,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say any of that, I have a deal, first then I will let you have totally,¡± ¡°Alright, spit it out then mate,¡± ¡°I want MF to do something with it for me,¡± I turn back to the man ¡°Me?¡± ¡°I want you to use it to go to the third ring, See what it¡¯s like there and come back, You can learn about magic there if you¡¯d like,¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯ll agree to this,¡± Mf suddenly speaking like a flustered teenage girl ¡°But, will me safety be guaranteed, Is it even possible to cross rings again,¡± ¡°In that your probability of making it is close to one hundred, When you get there you can look for someone called Aki, she is the Chief of the Bakufu nation, If not her then you can go to Soterra and find queen Zinnia of there,¡± (I may be sending MF to his doom, but I just have to know what has happened over there) ¡°Oi, if ya thinking of asking me to go, no can do mate, I have pirates to rule,¡± Harry speaks in ¡°I wasn¡¯t it¡¯s better if only one person goes, I¡¯m certain the Jukebox box has weapon potential too MF, so as long as you remain inside you are safe, it is evident magic users cannot handle technology when it comes to combat,¡± ¡°Are you sure about this Kage?¡± ask MF practically onboard, when it comes to feeding his curiosity he is easily swayed, ¡°I would go back myself but I still have unfinished business here,¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t have any complaints unless this blokes gets himself killed,¡± Harry nods in acceptance of my proposal ¡°I¡¯m not¡± retorts MF (I hope so,) ¡°Ok then, before we do get everything in order, there¡¯s somewhere I need to go first¡± Mezzo | Colorless Palace, Colorful City I¡¯ve been here for almost a day now, roaming about the large palace, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for, but I know I would keep thinking about it if I didn¡¯t search here at least once, Despite being hundreds of years old the palace is still well lit, there aren¡¯t any books for me to go through as paper has long since become a limited resource here, but there are may data server rooms which I had not expected, (Even so long ago, this kind of technology was common place) I¡¯ve been to almost every room of once grand palace and they¡¯ve all been stripped bare by the pirates, anything that could be valuable already taken, the place looks more like a palace in construction than a finished one, bland and colorless¡­. (There¡¯s probably nothing to find here) But strangely enough, the longer I stay here, the more I remember of this place, Aberdeeningham Palace this was where the royal Savi? family of Britain, King Abraham Savi? the fiftieth of his name, was a well liked leader, he had two children, Princess Elizabeth Savi? the twenty fifth of her name, and Noah Savi? the twenty first, The ones whose memories I experience, I can¡¯t see all however, just specific moments, Like how lively it was in this palace during the annual ball, I don¡¯t know why I¨C he, ended up becoming a pirate, Only remembering brief moments of it, at first he was called 21 Savi? the pirate, but after while he became known as the blackmagic dealer for selling taboo tech, everything else from that era is a blank for me I do remember a little of what happened to Britain, after I became a pirate my sister Elizabeth became the queen, she would serve as the last monarch of Britain before the island went under I remember hearing the news that my sister had died following the sinking of the country, I didn¡¯t care, I was going to die myself and all I was focused on was surviving, I needed magic, I needed to go the first ring, (Why am I say ¡®I¡¯) This wasn¡¯t me these are someone else¡¯s memories from hundreds of years ago, Yet I can¡¯t help but think it was me, I can¡¯t help but feel the experiences (Why do I have these memories?) ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­... ***** Churrrrrnnnnnn A small speedboat zips across the ocean, Another day has passed, I¡¯ve already seen MF off, to the third ring I can hope he doesn¡¯t die, more so that Zinnia, Claude, Amelia everyone I¡¯ve met there is still alive Although I wouldn¡¯t care if they were dead either¡­ This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.I still hope they live¡­ Vwwoooooommn Up head tall skyscrapers begin to come into view, (Oceania) The largest landmass on the second ring, still to small to be considered a continent on it¡¯s own Oceania is a considered a Super Island and is the capital of the United Countries Alliance, Also, where the Second family resides, The sound of people¡¯s voices start to creep into the churning sea spray from my boat, which nears a public beach, The people pay no heed to my arrival basking in the sunlight or play in sand for the children¡­ ¡­ Parking my boat near small harbor for speed boats I hop out onto the beach (I knew it was a good idea to move in a smaller boat) ¡­.. ¡°Please remain still¡± ¡­ .... ¡­.. ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. Beep. ¡°You may proceed¡± Even though Oceania seems to be easy to enter by sea, the real borders are the exits to either the beaches or harbors around the super island, they are all protected by things called registry scanners, if you are registered in as a green UCA citizen it means, you are regular, and will be allowed passage, Red would render you a criminal and would result in immediate detainment action, and no color means are not registered and will be assessed. Surprisingly I was registered as green (I don¡¯t the what I have on the chairman but it is proving be beneficial to me) Exiting the check, I now fully see myself on Oceania, The city besides being riddled with skyscrapers, is actually not a bad sight, Then streets are impeccably clean, the general surroundings burst with color, partly from the many billboards of advertisements around the city, the suave selection of cars driving neatly on the roads, and the diversity of people roaming the streets, Unity City I read from a billboard as I walk past it, the words fluctuate between the colors of a rainbow, (Reminds me of those twins, Claude and Amelia) Free phone A sign outside of a booth reads (This what I was looking for) Free phone booths are as the name suggest, they are rarely used but the intention behind them was to be of use to anyone lost or kidnapped, inside is single touch screen one button is an instant dial up to the nearest law enforcement and the other brings up a dial pad Because Harry advised I didn¡¯t try contacting the UCA while on the iron lung, I had to wait until I arrived here, (Time to get to business) Brrrrrppp Brrrppp Brr¨C {¡°This is Unity City¡¯s emergency hotline, are you in need of assistance?¡±} ¡°My name is Kage, and I believe chairman Second is looking for me.¡± PUPPET Heavenly Hills is where most public figures or persons of importance on the second ring reside. (So, this is the he Second family estate) ¡°Right this way sir¡± a butler guides me through the massive double doors of the mansion into an elegant hall that diverges into a spacious but equally elegant room, It¡¯s walls are lined with gold laced picture frames that portray the faces of people, the portraits go all long the walls to the grand staircase all the way to mansions upper floor, A massive crystal chandelier looks down at me as pass under it still following behind the butler, He leads me through the main room to rustic study, All the doors of this mansion are made of beautifully carved wood, which is an extremely rare resource here to say the least But speaking of rare, as I enter the study notice the shelves upon shelves of books, Physical paper books, wooden shelves You would think trees weren¡¯t such limited resource here¡­ ¡°Madam Second will be here to see you shortly,¡± the butler leaves me alone in the study (I''m here to see the chairman, not this Madam Second, is he perhaps not here?) Not wanting to touch anything in the sparklingly tidy study I go over to window at the other end of the room It¡¯s covered with a thick curtain of a rich violet color with silver embroidery along its edges ¡°Ha-ha!¡± Splish! Splash! Outside is the view of a massive pool in which children play around, Palm trees sway peacefully in the midday sun watching over the pool. ¡°Enjoying the view?¡± a sharp female voice asks courteously Turning around I face and auburn haired, middle-aged woman She is fitted in an extravagant yellow gown, and her aforementioned auburn hair done up in a perfect bun, with gold pins keeping it together, Her long eyelashes flicker over her fierce red eyes that gaze wonderingly at me, ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person Kage, I am Eve Second, the two hundred and twentieth of her name,¡± the woman takes a bow ¡°Umm, pleasure to meet you as well, I was supposed to be meeting with the chairman right now?¡± ¡°My husband may be the chairman but I am the one who he answers to, He has adopted the name Adam Second after marrying into my family,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a person above the chairman,¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t,¡± Ms. Second gives me a nice smile, but I can¡¯t help feeling uneasy by it ¡°Officially I am simply a housewife, but I am the one running this ring behind the scenes, Everything you want to know from husband, I know as well, and more,¡± (So this woman is the true leader of the UCA) ¡°I¨C¡± ¡°¨CPardon me Kage,¡± Ms. Second interrupts me before I can even start speaking ¡°Before you do question me, I must ask, not that it is my business¡­ Where have you been these past few months? We were certain that you had been taken away to the North with Alexander,¡± ¡°I was at the bottom of the sea.¡± I reply blankly ¡°I am sorry to hear that, if we had known we¡¯d have rushed to help you,¡± ¡°Why are you so courteous with me?¡± ¡°Because you deserve respect,¡± ¡°Why¡± ¡°Because are you,¡± ¡°What does that mean, how do you know me?¡± ¡°Our family has history with you,¡± Eve replies roaming across to the bookshelves, ¡°What kind of history?¡± I press further ¡°The sky turns red, the god¡¯s are dead The dark inside of me, free A monster I¡¯ve come to be The sun still shines in glee The light still remains with me Angels heal pain in me A human I remain My cries to the Gods not in vain Their spirit on the mortal plain,¡± Eve finishes reciting the poem, she shuts the book and flashes me another unsettling smile ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I question immediately Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just an old poem, Adam the hundred and ninety ninth of his name had written, He was the member of my family that has met you so long ago,¡± ¡°Me? That was generations ago,¡± ¡°It was, wasn¡¯t it?,¡± Eve reaches for another book; ¡°She was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen, Every detail of her body, cell that rearrange and restructure themselves, I¡¯m not even sure if I should call this thing her, A scientific marvel that truly can¡¯t be replicated, is this first ring bio engineering or something entirely different altogether,¡± Ms. Second gives me a look akin to a teacher that awaits a reply from her pupils¡­ ¡°....... And what is this one about?¡± I concede a curious response¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? That was some lab notes taken after examining you, by that same Adam, Back then you hadn¡¯t been conscious yet, I could guess that the one calling themselves Kage, you, are nothing more than a newborn, It is clear observing your behavioral patterns, How long have you been aware for? A year or two maybe? Your body may have been here for a long time, but you Kage have not, If that pirate had not stolen you away so long ago you would have developed with us,¡± (When was it that I first opened my eyes, That house or, in the desert? Does it even a matter anymore?) ¡°So am I just an obtainable object to you? You say I wasn¡¯t kidnapped but stolen¡± (Was I really just nothing before opening my eyes? I am nobody?) ¡°You are obtainable, that is correct Kage, But you are also to be feared and respected, Is that really a bad thing? Why do you think you aren¡¯t stuck in a lab right now? We cannot dream of opposing you,¡± ¡°Who am I then? What am I?¡± ¡°That answer is still up to you,¡± ¡°What does that even mea¨Cfuck it I¡¯m not wasting my time,¡± (What if I¡¯m nobody, a sentient machine perhaps? A scientific experiment of the first ring? The facts speak for themselves) ¡°Where is, what happened to Apollo and Himari,¡± I change the topic Ms. Second smiles graciously at me, almost as if mocking me for not pressing futher, I feel a deep respect from this woman but also an inferiority, She looks down on me while giving me unparalleled respect (The true puppet master of the second ring) Her cadence, the way she speaks, demeanor, it the exact opposite of the leader of the pirates Harry, a woman who was care free, and spontaneous, yet always seemed to be on her guard no matter what, Ms. Second is extremely calculated and careful from the smile she does, to the exact words she chooses when speaking, yet she does all this while appearing relaxed¡­. ¡°Their whereabouts are unknown just like yours was, though we suspect they might be melted along with the girl Lyra and the pawn Satan,¡± Ms. Second stares into my eyes while saying this ¡°Melted? And what¡¯s this about Satan being a pawn?¡± ¡°The two had a massive clash on the plastic beach, which resulted in them both dying using horrific magic, as for Satan, he just like us was nothing more than a pawn of the supreme leader of the first ring,¡± ¡°Elaborate, please.¡± ¡°Hhhh¡± sighs Ms. Second, daintily placing herself in a seat ¡°Being a leader comes with many compromises, the talks you may of heard of a war between the first and second rings are of course not true we are in a way allied, But it is a forced allegiance if anything¡­ Out military serves the purpose of raising strong bodied people to offer up to the first ring, in exchange for that they don¡¯t destroy us, and as a political gift they gave of something of high importance to them,¡± Eve once again locks eyes with me ¡°Do you mean foundation energy?¡± I guess trying to avoid her deep gaze ¡°No, They gave us you Kage,¡± Insanitys Crescendo The sea, The sea feel nice to be in, It¡¯s vast and full of life yet so empty, so raw, Maybe it would have been better if I had just stayed floating, because it feels like when I¡¯m not in the sea I sink even quicker than I would in the water Sinking¡­ My whole life has just been constantly sinking, I don¡¯t even know if half the things I remember are actually real anymore That¡¯s why I sent MF back to third ring in my stead What if it never existed in the first place? Nothing I remember happening, happened I wonder¡­. ¡­.. Thumd! The shuttle firmly anchors itself in the undersea dock of the aquarium prison (Never thought I¡¯d come back to jail) Level one of the Aquarium, is the shuttle dock and lockers for prisoners going in or out The prisoners are kept on the levels below, There are a total of six levels officially, with the deeper floors being unused, Those deeper floors is where I¡¯m heading actually¡­ ¡°Official,¡± a robotic guard nods to me allowing me to pass Because of the Second family, I am seen as person of high rank in any government run facility (Now to the maintenance elevator) ¡°Oy quit yer bragging, yer got caught just like everyone else in here,¡± ¡°When the new regime takes over I¡¯ll be released, I promise you,¡± ¡°And I live in a pineapple under the sea¡ªshut the fack up would ya,¡± ¡°I swear you Madvillain boys got put in here it¡¯s been insufferable,¡± ¡­. The prisoner recreational area, even though I didn¡¯t spend a lot of time I still feel a faint familiarity being here The place remains as noisy as ever from the constant bickering and foul speech from the inmates ¡°Aye, Kage?¡± Someone identifies before I could get to fully cut across the room, ¡°Did ya get your ass in trouble again ha-ha, I was hoping you would,¡± (The former captain of the trench pirates) ¡°¡­.¡± Instead of acknowledging the man I brush past him briskly ¡°Aye! Aye bitch! I¡¯m talking to ya!¡± ¡°What?¡± I breathe out, turning to the man ¡°I clearly have no interest in speaking with you,¡± ¡°Oy oy oy, Mr. High-and-mighty over here, Don¡¯t forget where you are right now,¡± ¡°What, prison? Does it look I¡¯m an inmate like you, Or is it a rematch from the last time we fought you want?¡± I taunt mockingly ¡°grrrr, things have changed since then, I run this place now!¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.¡°Ok.¡± BLOWM! The entire room goes quiet at that sound, A bullet goes through the former pirates skull, now a bleeding corpse on the steel floor ¡°Aye what the fack!?¡± some prisoners finally come their senses The robotic guards give no reaction to what occurred, (I can do what I want in here) ¡°Anybody else wants to try me today?¡± I flash a disturbing smile at my onlookers waving my gun for them all to see¡­ (Nothing) The maintenance elevator is nowhere close to the prisoner area, I only came here because I wanted someone to notice me I wanted to be confronted I wanted to kill someone See how it makes me feel I feel nothing Stepping over the corpse I head back to my original destination¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. The elevator slowly makes it¡¯s way down the many levels of the aquarium, Though it might be a prison on paper, I learned from Ms. Second that is also a testing facility That¡¯s why this is the only place that has robots as prison guards The deeper levels of the aquarium is where all the ¡®big¡¯ stuff are held, like the mechanoid tanks we faced on the mountain, The second ring¡¯s most powerful arsenal of weapons, all being developed beneath a prison¡­ Dingg! The elevator stops, Bzzzzzttt The sound of electricity sparking up com s through the moment the doors open, I steps into a bitch black room with a barely any air, (This better be the right floor) *Click* I hit a light switch but the power doesn¡¯t come on, Bzzzzzttt (He must have cut it) Clicking the switch a few more times causes the backup power to kick in, the room lights in a bleak red.. Nuclear Storage I read from a warning sign, Taking a good lol around I see that I¡¯m in a circular room, around the walls are doors with warning signs of a what¡¯s being kept there Bzzzzztttt (I¡¯m not interested in the weapons however) Following the sparking sound I go to an unlabeled door Bzzzzzztttttt Bzzzzzzttttt Inside is an operation table with a severed head on it, wires outstretch from the head into a mainframe computer behind the table, the computer however is inactive, it constantly sparks and flashes ¡°So, this is where you were,¡± I say shutting the door behind me, The severed head eyes power on and it begins to scan my face, ¡°You, are Kage?¡± ¡°Yes I am, I¡¯ve looking forward to speaking with you Dant¨¦.¡± Head Banger Six months ago during the attack on the plastic beach, the isle of Jamrock was also destroyed, To the general public and even most of the government officials don¡¯t know how or what happened, There only exists a short clip of the isle being shattered to pieces after being hit by something with incredible force in mere milliseconds, ¡°Apollo, did this to me,¡± speaks Dante¡¯s severed head flowing out of his neck is an array of wires desperately trying to download the apparent android¡¯s data ¡°I miscalculated his mana control that he was able to move over light speed and launch me into that isle, I was able to put up a defensive barrier, but it only protected my head while the rest of my body destructed, Now these lowly second ring humans try to hack my brain to learn our secrets¡± Dant¨¦¡¯s eyes flicker constantly while speaking to me, as he tries to keep his systems stable, This is the first time I¡¯ve actually gotten to look at his face, It bears a striking, almost identical appearance to the Sweepstake City Mayor. ¡°Are you really Ozymandias¡¯ son?¡± ¡°No, I chose this face for myself out of respect for him,¡± ¡°You must have actually cared then,¡± ¡°¡­.. Are you here to free me or kill me?¡± Dant¨¦ ignores my previous statement ¡°It depends on what you tell me,¡± ¡°I can only speak within my given parameters,¡± ¡°¡­Apollo and Himari, Where are they?¡± ¡°If they are missing, they have either died along with Brandon and his sibling or have been taken to Terra by Alexander¡± ¡°What is Terra and how do I get there?¡± ¡°Terra is what we call our ring, I am not permitted to say how to get there,¡± ¡°Permitted by who?¡± ¡°The supreme leader, my purpose is to fulfill his orders and that¡¯s it,¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want anything for yourself?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me this?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m still deciding what to do with you, What kind of person are you, if you even are one to begin with,¡± ¡°I am a human, just a perfect one in the words of our supreme leader, Before I was given my perfect body I had a weak human body, a different face, As a child I was sent to the third ring to monitor the man with the warp magic Ozymandias, Our warp technology does not work accurately on the third ring, none of our tech does,¡± ¡°You were trying to find out his warp magic works so you could replicate it¡¯s effects?¡± ¡°Not how it works, how it is allowed, technology is rejected by the third rings energy flow, the entire ring act like an electromagnetic pulse, canceling out anything we create, Yet second ring technology is partially allowed, I tried to my best to dissect the magic theory of Gaia¡ªthe name we assigned to the third ring, This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.But didn¡¯t matter how much you knew about magic, you can¡¯t go against the rules established on Gaia,¡± ¡°You did all this as a child?¡± ¡°At the age of ten the average ¡®child¡¯ on Terra knows more than a full-grown adult on Tellus¡ªthe second ring, The warp battle system in Sweepstake City, I was responsible for it¡¯s creation, it was just a smaller scale version of our tech instead using magic, I¡­.. I, really appreciate my time there,¡± ¡°Yet you mascaraed many people while on way out¡± ¡°That was to make sure no one would miss me or worry about me after I¡¯d left, My father.. Ozymandias would have followed if he didn¡¯t have the aftermath of my actions to deal with,¡± ¡°So you killed them out of love and respect for your father?¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­... ¡°The only person I love and respect is the supreme leader,¡± Dant¨¦ replies in a more robotic tone (Fear, regret) Those are the emotions I feel from this man, I had thought he was a mastermind behind all pf this, but it¡¯s clear he is nothing more than a foot solider, someone who just follows orders, (¡­¡­¡­.) ¡°Do you know who I am Dant¨¦?¡± ¡°I do not nor have I been giving access to this information by Alexander, I am merely a second-class citizen,¡± (They rank their people over on the first ring) ¡°That makes Alexander a first rank?¡± ¡°I am not permitted to divulge that information,¡± ¡°What are you permitted to say then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken all that which is in my given parameters, Have you decided what you will make of me now Kage?¡± (¡­¡­..) ¡°If you won¡¯t tell me how to get to Terra,¡± Bzzzzzztttttt! ¡°You are going to have to show me¡± Walking up to head I yank it of the operation table disconnecting the wires in the process Dant¨¦ eyes flicker violently for a moment before regaining it¡¯s focus on me ¡°I may not be able to tell you how, but I am certain I can guide you,¡± his voice sounds like radio receiving static now¡­ (Not that it matters) ¡­.. ¡°Who said anything about needing a guide?¡± Bashh! I slam his head on the steel floor dropping to my knees Bashh! Bashh! Bashh! Over and over I repeatedly ram his skull on the steel, It doesn¡¯t feel hard and metallic, His head feels soft like skin His face doesn¡¯t react to my repeated smashing, he died the first time I did it Bashh! Bashh! Bashh! His skull breaks open oozing a mix of blue liquid and red blood, pieces of his soft brain fly up into to air splattering on me BASHH-SPLATT-SPLATT! His head now a blobby mess beneath my hands, ¡°Huhhhh¨Chuhhhh!¡± I breathe staring at my bloody hands ¡°Huh-huh-ha-ha! Haha! Hahaha! Why, Why would I need you to guide me, When I could easily kill you and take your memories? Ha-haha-ha-ha!¡± Laughin To The Bank I wonder how Claude and Amelia are doing right now¡­ Would they be happy if I told them I killed the person responsible for the death of their parents, Or maybe they aren¡¯t even real to begin with, Ha-ha-ha! Everything I know is a lie What an absolute joke. ¡­¡­. ¡­.. After being moved to a different location the artificial island has been in a constant state of repair and restructuring over the past few months, now almost ready to be fully functioning once more¡­ Standing at the edge of the island¡¯s port I gaze off at the beautiful sunset in the horizon The beautiful pink and orange colors that bursts in the diming blue sky, truly a picturesque beauty. (It¡¯s all fake, isn¡¯t it? A cruel hallucination conjured by owner mind or maybe it is just my robotic optic lenses malfunctioning and causing the illusion¡­ It¡¯s fake, I know it is) ¡­. ¡­. ¡°Enjoying the sunset?¡± a distinguished man approaches from behind, ¡°¡­.¡± He nods to the small entourage of heavily suited/armed guards, with him to stay back, ¡°Pleasure to see you again chairman Second,¡± I say stoically without turning to face him, ¡°No, the pleasure is all mine, I heard you met with my wife,¡± ¡°And I learned you are nothing more than a prop chairman,¡± ¡°...Well erm, my said you had requested to use the Holy Diver, I came here personally to see you off sir, ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Address me how you like I do not care,¡± (After all I¡¯m not even a human) ¡°Ha-ha-ha¡± I laugh out loud resulting in the chairman hitting me a questioning glance ¡°I just thought of something funny, think nothing of it,¡± I flash him a fake smile ¡°The holy diver should be here any moment now sir,¡± replies chairman Adam awkwardly ¡°Tell me Mr. Second, how a many of your military personnel has already been offer up to the first,¡± ¡°I, I, I¡¯m not sure¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± ¡°In the hundreds of thousands,¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha, So many people who lived thinking they were fighting for something, Ha-ha-ha, Offered up like livestock for nothing Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!Ha-ha-ha,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Chairman Second shuffles about uncomfortably but says nothing more. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ The Holy Diver arrives soon after and Kage boards the ship still smiling to himself, ¡­. ¡°hhhhh¡± the chairman sighs as the ship goes off into the distance, picking up his phone ¡°They¡¯re gone, I understand now why you decided to let them go,¡± {¡°You saw it for yourself, how Kage is right now, we couldn¡¯t control them, It¡¯d be like living with a time bomb,¡±} ¡°I just hope that bomb goes off on the first ring,¡± {¡°I hope so too my husband, I hope so too,¡±} ¡­¡­.. **** The sea bank whirlpools a said to be a natural occurrence of unknown origins in the second ring, a mysterious line of rocks that jut out of the sea forming a perfect line that banks off the sea from a deadly collective of whirlpools smashing together endlessly, This of course is the where one would be able to travel to the first ring or Terra as they call it, For Dant¨¦ or Alexander they would just have to get near the bank and warp back home, (But I¡¯ll have to do it the old-fashioned way, This is what the Holy Diver was made for,) Brnnnnnnnnn? The diver churns along the water, gaining speed as I approach the rocks ¡°Ha¡± Brrnn¡ªvwoooshh! Brrsplahhh! Like a rocket the ship vaults up into the air and then dives down like a seagull hunting for fish back into the sea ok the other sides Slam! Slam! Slamm! The whirlpool begins beating the ships back and forth the moment it it¡¯s the water (This would have gone smoother if I¡¯d used the Jukebox instead, But then it would be too easy It would be funny if I died right here after everything that happened) Hahaha! Slamm! Slamm! Slamm! Hahaha! Slamm! Slamm! Slammn! Hahaha! ¡­. Louder and louder the banging gets as the ships gets crushed deeper and deeper into the violent whirlpools Kage laughing all the way into his downward spiral¡­ (What a joke my life is) Ha¡ª ¡ªVwwwwwwwwwwiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrllllllllllll! KABWOOOOOOSHHHHHH!? ***** The green eyes of an unknown being glint excitedly. Forest Gump What¡¯s funny to you (me)? Nothing. Then why laugh? Why not, I never got the chance to laugh before Why not laugh Nothing is funny But everything is a massive joke. Are you upset then Yes, I¡¯m upset I¡¯m happy, I¡¯m depressed, I¡¯m filled with pleasure and uncomfortable at the same time It¡¯s always all or nothing with you(me) huh? ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Gazing out then windows of the holy diver is a nightly void, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m still underwater, the ship has stopped being rammed about now rotating calmly, The void reminds me of how it was atop that mountain, a spinning night sky, little specs of stars peer through the window back at me, their light, just like me being swallowed up by the void, by the darkness, (True balance) The people of Terra call this the event horizon, a natural barrier that divides the rings from each other, What humans see as the sun is in fact a mirage left behind by the constant spin of the event horizon, night and day are determined by the speed of the voids spin, at slower pace the light level is much lower which is the night at faster speeds, day. This is only a small fraction of information I¡¯ve leant from Dant¨¦¡¯s memory, he was being thought all this by the age of five, (A second-class citizen) Even with the amount of knowledge Dant¨¦ had his class suggests that there were things even he was oblivious to, Things I want to know That I will find out. ¡­.. Getting back behind the pilot¡¯s seat, I take the controls, (Enough wasting time,) Vwwwwwwwwwwiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrllllllllllll?! The ships thrusts forward into the void, it immediately starts spinning my ship up up violently as if sensing my desire get out Bammm! Banmm! The ship begins to fold inward being met with an intense gravitational force ¡°Come¡­¡­on!..¡± BlAAMM! ¡°Errrgh! BLAAMMM! ¡­.. KABWOOOOOOSHHHHHH! Everything goes black ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­.. *** ¡°Light?¡± I blink my eyes open (What¡¯s that scent?) ¡°¡­. Oh,¡± Crash! Without hesitation I ram my body through the front windshield of the craft (That wasn¡¯t the light I expected) Upon opening my eyes I found myself surrounded by a fire building up in the holy diver.. Thud! ¡°Aghh!¡± My body lands atop sharp rocks that immediately pierce my skin, already tattooed with glass splinters My blood begins to dye the shallow water under the rocks red, BOOOM! The holy diver explodes behind me I still manage to roll myself far enough away ¡°Urrrrghhh!¡± I moan laying on my back (Have I made it?) Above is an empty night sky, everything sounds so calm and peaceful, (The water feels nice Maybe I should stay here¡­.) Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.¡°Ah-hahaha¡ªhahha¡ªhahahah-hahhahuh-huh-huh-ha-ha-ha-ahh-ha-ha-hahahaha! I finally made it, the first ring, My home? Ahhh,¡± I roll over on my side picking myself up, ¡°I can¡¯t waste tine lying about, I¡¯ve got people to find¡± (And even more to kill) ¡­.. The area where ended up was in a large river called snake way, south of snake way is an inverted waterfall which is what brought me up to this ring, jumping down would send one back, that is if they could survive being crushed by the event horizon, so it essentially considered a dead end. The river leads far, almost endlessly north that it its impossible to tell what is off in the horizon, However along the east and west sides of the wide river are a enormous range of mountains and hilly terrain, and equally enormous forest whose it¡¯s tress almost as the tall as the mountains themselves, Even with the memories of Dant¨¦ this is not what I had expected this ring to be like, The divide between the two separate areas by the river, is damn near perfectly equal. ¡°Forest it is,¡± I mutter out loud stumbling towards the looming woodland, (I don¡¯t think I have the strength to climb any mountain right now, and following the river leaves me exposed) ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Eiiiieeeeeckkkk! Eiiiiieeeeecckkkk! Bats shriek flying over and within the forest Hotooootoootoot! Brrrrrrttttoootoootoooot! Owls sound in response The tree¡¯s leaves shake noisily as possums run up and down their trunks playing about in the night Kckkssssscksks! They hiss at each other running past my feet The pain from my wounds have now subsided, I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ve healed or I¡¯ve just got accustomed to the pain, Either way I now pace briskly through the forest following a certain sound, One that is not natural to the forest, A crackling sound, like a fire being kindled, I noticed the smoke a great distance away in the sky a while after entering the forest, (Who ever is there, I have to kill them and take their supplies and information,) ¡­. Hiiissssssckkkkk! A snake slithers past me by my feet Hssk¨C ¨CBssckh! Immediately I crush the creature under my foot (Too much life here) Squaaaghhh! Almost as if reading my mind another creature cries making it¡¯s presence behind me (I swear is every animal here nocturnal?) I spin around to face what I can only describe as a feathered monstrosity, Beady yellow eyes growls at me in tandem with it¡¯s pointy beak-like mouth that shows of some daggers one would call teeth Squaaaghhh! Steadying itself, the creature towers over me by a good amount of inches, daring me to either attack it or run away I¡¯ve never seen this creature before but I identify it at once, A dinosaur (A Velociraptor!?) Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) ¡°Huhuhuhhhuh!¡± Squaaaarrrgh! Chschkchschkchschk! Whunp! Thud! Squarrrgggghh! ¡°Leave me alone already!¡± I shout back at the Velociraptor menacingly chasing me, Whunp! ¡°Agghhh!¡± This is the tenth time a god forsaken tree branch has gotten in my way Almost like then forest is working in the creature¡¯s favor branches and roots seem to be just perfectly whacking me in the face or tripping me over as soon as I gain significant distance away from the predator, (Shit! I don¡¯t even have any weapons on me!) ¡°huhhuuhuh!¡± Thwap! Thump! I trip over another well-placed root once more (I should have just went up then river or the mountains at least) ¡°Squuuaaaarrrghh!¡± the feathery creature cries out mockingly at me Picking myself up I restart my sprint. The trees sway eagerly to the dinosaur¡¯s bellows It makes me feel like they are mocking me as well ¡­.. ¡°huhuhuhuhuhuhuh!¡± (Think, Think, Think, How do I escape this beast? Should I escape? I could just let it slaughter me¡ª ¡ªNo, what am I thinking right now!? Focus!) Whunp! ¡°Uhngh!¡± A branch knocks me in the stomach Not letting it slow me down, I clench my stomach pushing forward, still deep in thought¡­ ¡­.. (Wait, what is this I feel, magic? I can feel it from this entire forest, it feels similar to being on the third ring, Gaia, Back then I didn¡¯t know how to use it, But that was because I didn¡¯t have an attribute, the magic theory there requires one to have an attribute in order the magic within their body, But from the memories I got from Dant¨¦, the have a much broader understanding of magic here, Even though the people here see magic by itself as a waste of time, it has been experimented and confirmed that one could draw magic from nature itself rather relying on their own attribute¡­) ¡°Huuuuuuhhhh¡± I breathe in bringing myself to a halt (How do I go about this?) Waving my arms in the air similar to how Lyra would act when she prepared a spell, I attempt to cast something (Not sure what that something is) Nothing happens. Squaaaghhhh! Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.The Velociraptor menacingly approaches me, (Come on, feel the magic,) Sticking my hands into the soil below I¡ª Frrrrrrrgggggggmmmm! The soil rumbles about like a carpet me shook, (I did something!) Squaaaghhhh! The dinosaur easily leaps over dirt it¡¯s eyes glowing bright yellow now, Sqquuuaaaagggggghh! Bwooooofff! (Oh, shit) The beast begins to roar a stream of fire in my direction (It can use magic too?) ¡°Huwah!¡± raising my hands up the dirt rises up as well forming a pseudo wall in front of me meanwhile the dirt I stand on, pushes me up into the tree above.. (New plan, stay above ground,) ¡­¡­. ¡°Huwahh!¡± I leap to a neighboring tree and then to another and another, I can still hear the raptor¡¯s feet trailing behind (I swear why can¡¯t it just leave me alone!) Sqquuua¡ª Eck! Thum. No sooner had I thought that, the creature¡¯s cries abruptly stop, I hear the sound of it¡¯s body slumping to the ground (What was that?) ¡°This is a Velociraptor, isn¡¯t it?¡± a indistinguishable voice comes from below ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know how it made it all the way here, hunting I have to guess,¡± (People, at least two) ¡°We should hurry to snakeway, to investigate the ship the trees said shot up by the inverse waterfall,¡± the first voice says ¡°There maybe people from Tellus roaming around the area as we speak,¡± the second voice agrees in a somewhat excited tone (They¡¯re talking about the holy diver, but the trees told them?) Schh.. The leaves of the tree I¡¯m in shake slightly (No stay quiet) Schhhhhk! ¡°Is someone there!?¡± the people below notice immediately Schhhhhk! (Stay quiet tree!) Whack! A tree branch swings up behind knocking me off ¡°ahhh shi¨C¡± THUDD! My body hits hard onto a surprising soft patch of soil (Still hurts like hell though) ¡°Who are you!¡± a bright light shines in my face, everything starts to spin (I must have landed harder than I thought) ¡°Don¡¯t make me ask again!¡± ¡°Errr¡± My consciousness beginning to slip The person yanks me up to face them, the bright light still in my face, ¡°Kage?.... Kage¡­..?¡± Is the last thing I heard, before falling unconscious. Sky ¡°Ha!¡± I jump up in a fighting stance, ¡­¡­ (Wait..) Then scenery has changed, Gone am I from being surrounded by trees to some wooden walls¡­ A bright ray of sunlight passes through a pane-less window, Below me is a soft bed of hay which I was laying (Wasn¡¯t I caught from some creepy looking people?) ¡°Hello!¡± says a high pitched voice followed by tap behind my shoulder, I swing a punch behind at once, not taking any chances with whomever, this is ¡°Woww, calm down,¡± some mossy green eyes glimmer at me, ¡°What are you?¡± I ask pulling back my fist Across from me is a ¡®thing¡¯ whose skin is a pale white-green, the texture of an onion, it¡¯s oval shaped eyes looks at me earnestly, it¡¯s pointy ears twitching constantly as they currently hear something I cannot, (A plant person?) ¡°My name is Sprite, I am the personification of the forest,¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°All the trees of the forest are alive, I am the only one who can assume a humanoid form, I¡¯m sort of like the spokes person for everyone,¡± Sprite puffs their chest out proudly saying that, (I knew those trees were messing with me on purpose) ¡°Ok, Sprite, sorry about attacking you before,¡± I extended my arm in apology ¡°That¡¯s alright champ,¡± Sprite slaps my hand away friendlily, ¡°Say Kage, are you boy or girl?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m either, but how do you know my name?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just like me then¡± grins Sprite, ¡°But you can still address me as a girl since I represent a part of mother nature, plus I sound girly don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°How do you know my name Sprite?¡± I ask again, ¡°Jeez, you¡¯re awfully pushy you know? Himari told me, ¡®Take care of Kage until he gets up,'' You looked like a human woman so I wanted to ask you if you were a girl or boy, but you only want to ask how I know your name, I mean I was going to answer, but I like to have conversations first, meanwhile you just want to get straight to the point, I don¡¯t get much chances to talk to people you know,¡± (What a talker she is) ¡°Himari told you to take care of me you said, is she here?¡± ¡°Mhmm, but she¡¯s out now, she left this morning to get her husband, You know I was surprised when you fell out of that tree last night, Were you being chased by the Velociraptor? Was that your ship that explode on snakeway?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, and Himari has a husband?¡± Starting to feel a little less tense, I turn away from Sprite, going to the small window in the wooden shack, (Woah) ¡°Is that your first time seeing our sky?¡± Sprite sidles up next to me, The soft blue of the sky I had gotten used to now is nothing compared to the sky I see now, Instead of blue the sky is a fluctuating spectrum of colors, like a sky rainbow. (It feels so fantastical) From Dant¨¦¡¯s memories the first ring was a cold industrial place not a beautiful mesh of nature and magic I¡¯m seeing now¡­ ¡°Hey Sprite, is this really the firs¡ªTerra?¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.¡°Of course, it is, this is just the Venus quadrant, a large forest filled with many animals, The other three quadrants are, Jupiter, the mountainous region, Mercury, a large grassy plain with a many lakes, all types of crops grow there, and Mars, a rocky cave-y cost, is where most mining and ore refinement is done, There is only one country/city here and that¡¯s Pluton, it¡¯s in a cold wintery region in the center of all four quadrants, it¡¯s a very industrial place, I don¡¯t recommend going unless you need to,¡± ¡°You like talking a lot Sprite?¡± I reply still looking up at the rainbow-like sky, ¡°Yes, I do,¡± Sprite says this proudly as though talking too much was a unique skill she¡¯d learnt ¡°I listen to the other trees a lot, and hardly get a chance to speak for myself, so allow me to talk a lot right now,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Instead of replying I look out at the area outside the hut, We seem to be in a small clearing deep within the forest, trees presumably surround us from all sides, A good place to provide cover from attacks on land or aerial, and that¡¯s without factoring the trees being able to send back warnings to Sprite (A pretty secure system) ¡°So are you going to ignore me now¡± Sprite attempts to pinch me but her grassy hands barely even tickle me, ¡°I was assessing something in my head, Why you acting like we are companions, we just met?¡± ¡°I treat everyone like companions as long as you don¡¯t harm the forest,¡± ¡°Or what?¡± ¡°You will be killed obviously¨Cyou know Kage for someone who asks a lot of questions you sure don¡¯t like conversations,¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s counterproductive dontya think? Going around asking why, how, what and where gets you less information than if you simply started a regular conversation, you learn so much from speaking causally than asking for direct answers,¡± (¡­¡­) ¡°What if I don¡¯t¨C ¨COk, Sprite, let¡¯s have a conversation then,¡± I cut myself off ¡°What do you want to talk about,¡± Sprite grins widely her mouth has a sort of animated look that I can¡¯t tell if those are teeth or something else¡­. (What should we talk about¡­?) ¡°The sky, it¡¯s colorful, I like it,¡± I start off ¡°That¡¯s because our sky is filled with the entire spectrum of magic,¡± ¡°A magic sky huh, the skies on Tellus and Gaia are just plain blue, Gaia has a more mystical blue and Tellus has a soft light blue, they both still have clouds though,¡± ¡°You mean those gassy thingies?¡± Sprite asks curiously to which I nod in response ¡°We don¡¯t have clouds here, since all our elements convert through magic,¡± ¡°Like evaporation and such?¡± ¡°Yeah, Instead of water evaporating it just changes to water magic an goes to the sky,¡± ¡°Where do you think all the magic goes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s any body¡¯s guess really, I heard that only the supreme leader knows,¡± ¡°Hmm, you know something Sprite¡­ I like looking at the sky, it¡¯s pretty,¡± ¡°Ha, you know something Kage, I like looking at the sky too,¡± Reunion Sounds ¡°I swear on the dead Gods that happened,¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying, the pirate lady shot you, but when you woke you had no wounds and she didn¡¯t have any recollection of it,¡± Sprite¡¯s eyes flicker in amazement as she reiterates what I just told her ¡°Mhmm, it was so trippy, I¡¯m still unsure of how much I even remember is real anymore,¡± ¡°Well you have my authentic seal of authenticity of Sprite¡± ¡°That was literally the most redundant sentence I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± I shake my head at the plant person, ¡°By the way, Sprite, I always find it weird we swear on the dead Gods but how do really know they¡¯re dead?¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Sprite thinks introspectively at my question The two of us have been talking for what feel a short time and forever simultaneously ¡°I heard the story that a long time ago the two divines fought and the outcome of that battle ended both of them dying,¡± ¡°But how do we know that for sure¡± ¡°You know what requiems are right?¡± ¡°Yeah, essentially a post mortem power or special conjuration left behind by someone with deep conviction before passing,¡± ¡°Right, well requiems wasn¡¯t a thing when the God¡¯s were alive, the science behind it suggests that the moment one dies, for a tiny moment you can access the power the god¡¯s left behind,¡± ¡°Hmm, that in a weird way makes sense, since requiems usually tend to transcend the logic and laws of both magic and science,¡± I nod ponderingly ¡°Part of my creation is because of a requiem ,¡± Sprite assumes a proud stance ¡°You are requiem?¡± ¡°No, not me the forest, before they were one with the trees they were people,¡± ¡°And their requiem was to become trees?¡± I finish her sentence ¡°No, no,¡± Sprite rolls her eyes ¡°They bound their souls to the soil, overtime becoming one with nature itself,¡± ¡°So you were a human before a plant,¡± Sprite rolls her eyes again ¡°Trees, all living things have magic, whether they use it or not I was created by the magic of the trees, I was never a human, Sprite is Sprite,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡ª¡± ¡ªCrrrrrr? Before I can reply to that the wooden door turns open and two suited figures covered in snow push through ¡°Really hate using that,¡± the first person takes off their cyberpunk-esc helmet, ¡°Kage!¡± the second exclaims, yanking off theirs as well ¡°Apolummff¡± I try to answer back but already he smothers in a warm hug, Then two are dressed in sleek black, hi tech suits, with crimson red outlines that glow of a mysterious energy, As Apollo rushed to me I noticed a limp in his movements, ¡°It¡¯s been a year for you hasn¡¯t it?¡± I finally manage to push Apollo away from me, Himari stands a distance from us, but I can tell she is slightly pleased, either from seeing me, or from Apollo being cheerful Sprite also stands apart from us but her face has a wide smile eager to see how this interaction goes¡­ ¡°I was honestly so relieved when it was you that fell out that tree last night,¡± finally speaks Himari She appears to be giving me a lot more respect than I remember¡­ ¡°So, since you¡¯re here alone,¡± Apollo grips my shoulder looking me dead in the eyes, I simply shake my head, (No need to say it) ¡°Hhhhh!¡± Sighs Apollo, Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!¡°Alexander had already told us what happened to Lyra, I¡¯m just confirming it with you¡± ¡°¡­.¡± I notice Himari clench her fist tightly the mention of Alexander (I wonder what he did to them) ¡°So, what¡­¡± I begin but I notice a displeased glimmer in Sprite¡¯s eyes (She really means for me to, ¡®converse¡¯ and not just ask questions¡­...) ¡°I¡¯m guessing a lot has happened in the year it¡¯s been for you..¡± I now mumble out ¡°Phew?¡± whistles Apollo ¡°A lot has happened to say the least,¡± ¡°Many things happened to me as well, but not in the six months for me, More like within a week,¡± I shrug saying it as a matter of fact¡­ ¡°Or yeah, speaking of that Kage, Where were during that fight, and what have you been up to?¡± inquires Apollo ¡°I guess Lyra didn¡¯t tell you how she froze me and left me to float endlessly in the ocean,¡± ¡°Did you upset her or something?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Lyra, I think Lyra just wanted to keep me at distance, she anticipated her demise if I was there I would be gone with her,¡± ¡°. ¡­¡­¡± Apollo remains quiet after hearing that, unable to agree or disagree with Lyra¡¯s motives ¡­. ¡°Have you seen or heard anything about Daniel, MF?¡± Himari takes the opportunity to ask ¡°Mhm, I saw him again, he also had a crazy few months First his mother passed away, then his best friend, you, went missing, and in trying to investigate into it he was falsely branded a member, no, not just a member, but one of the leaders of Madvillainy, He ended up joining up with some pirates for security¡±. ¡°Pirates!?¡± Gasps Himari still very much against the sea fearing crime doers, ¡°What is MF doing now?¡± ¡°Well¡­.he may or may not be dead¡­¡± ¡°Dead!? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I may have possibly, kind of, basically, sent him into the void sea to the third ring, Gaia,¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Himari starts but immediately catches herself ¡°Do you think he will survive Kage?¡± ¡°Almost definitely, I would have gone back myself but I chose to come here and ¡®save¡¯ you two,¡± ¡°Alight, if you think MF will be alright, I will trust your word Kage,¡± (What¡¯s with the sudden respect from Himari all of a sudden?) Turning to Apollo I try giving him a questioning glance, in hopes that he will interpret the woman¡¯s new behavior, Apollo however stares back at me affectionately, ¡°You really went out of your way to make it here, to save us, I am truly touched Kage,¡± (I was already going to come here regardless) ¡°Well now that I¡¯m here now, what are you two looking for now? If it¡¯s a way back then I might be able to help, somewhere in my mind is the schematics for a really ingenious ship, It can travel literally anywhere¡± ¡°That sounds all well and good Kage,¡± interjects Himari, ¡°We already know what we have to do to leave Terra, we¡¯ll get that in order when the time comes,¡± ¡°When the time comes? What other business could you two have here? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re fighting against the supreme leader?¡± ¡°No Kage,¡± Apollo rests his hand on my shoulder ¡°We are trying to get back something¨Csomeone they took from us,¡± ¡°Someone?¡± ¡­.. The couple stay quiet for bit exchanging glances¡­ ¡°Kage,¡± Apollo¡¯s voice now solemn ¡°They took our child from us.¡± Memories made in the Coldest Winter ¡°Lyraa!¡± screams Apollo being dragged away by Alexander The last look he ever got of Lyra was her standing firmly in place bruised and bloodied but her conviction in tact, Alexander warps then warps him along with Himari to the seabank whirlpools then warping into them All the while Apollo who had no feeling in lower legs swung fists and struggled about, Himari remained silent quite traumatized by the experience¡­ ¡°Enough from you,¡± Alexander says annoyedly, pressing his hand on Apollo¡¯s face Bzztt..! A small jolt of electricity shocks his brain rendering him unconscious, Himari had long since fainted at his point, ¡°Welcome to Terra¡± Alexander greets his restrained captives politely¡­ ......... ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°¡­..Uh ..uhngh.¡± Apollo moans, blinking back into consciousness, ¡°Errrrghh¡± he tries to move but his hands are strapped down to a table, cords pierced into his body from all sides draining him of his strength For now, at least. ¡°Eeerrrggh!¡± he adamantly struggles about ¡°You recover quickly,¡± a white haired man donned in a lab coat, enters the room, His face has large stich marks vertically across his cheek and horizontally above his nose ¡°Where¡­.. Where am I!?¡± Apollo still struggling ¡°Stay put, moving around like that only makes this process take longer,¡± the coated man ignores Apollo¡¯s demand ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°You are quite the rare specimen, Alexander has brought for me,¡± the doctor still ignoring him ¡°Do you know we once held your father in this very facility?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Apollo stops struggling upon hearing that ¡°I am quite surprised Alexander hadn¡¯t our right killed you given the history he has with your father,¡± continues the doctor ¡°What history?¡± grumbles Apollo unable to suppress his curiosity ¡°I don¡¯t think Alexander would be to keen on me speaking on the matter,¡± ¡°You should rest up where you are boy, your mana is very rare and useful to us, if you behave you will experience as little pain as possible,¡± ¡°.. Strapped up to this machine? Hell no! Let me go!¡± Apollo begins to struggle again even more than before, ¡°hahhhh¡± sighs the doctor, tapping something on his wrist ¡°EEEIIIIAAAAhhhhhhiiiiiieeeeeeccccckkk! DON¡¯T TOUCH ME! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!!¡± The lab becomes lit up with the screams of woman ¡°Himari!!?¡± Apollo identifies it at once ¡°I just disabled the sound proofing, we do not have much of a use for your companion like we do you, But if you cooperate, she will be spared, We will however be extracting the fetus from her¨C¡° ¡°-HUUUAAAAAAGHHH! HUUUUUUHHHGGHHH!¡± Apollo bawls out his eyes now glowing bright white Cooperate? Brashh! In that moment Apollo was in fight or flight mode¡­ Braackksh! His arms break free from the binding, sparks ricocheting off his body. ¡°Where is she Himari!?¡± Apollo steps off the table he was strapped to, his legs feel a little wobbly but he¡¯s regained the feeling in them¡­ Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.¡°You are much more powerful than I expected,¡± the doctor says sounding somewhat impressed, He taps something on his wrist again this time a high pitch frequency floods the room, ¡°Aghhhhkk!¡± (¡°What is this buzzing?¡±) he thinks clasping his ears pain fully (¡°No, I must bear it!¡±) ¡°Thaaaaattttsss ¡­¡­. Nnoott! ¡­¡­. Gonnna! ¡­¡­. Sttooopp! ¡­¡­. Mee!¡± Apollo stutters dropping to his knees ¡°THUNDER GOD CLAP!¡± He slaps his palms together causing a massive electromagnetic surge that disrupts everything in the facility This time the doctor is truly stunned ¡°I am I going to need a stronger frequency output for you¡± ¡°Raaaaaahh!¡± Apollo screams a jolt of lighting at him, but he warps himself out of harms way, Not wasting time the young man springs up, ¡°Darius!¡± He calls while running through the building Sure enough the sword find it¡¯s way to him moments later as he¨C ¡ªBRAHSHH! He rams it through a steel wall, ¡°Himari!¡± Inside an operating room the woman is laid out on a table, her stomach slit open the woman bleeds out slowly, She doesn¡¯t verbally reply instead blinking, face pale and blue ¡°gaahhh! That doctor played me a recording, he has already done this too you,¡± he punches at a wall in frustration (¡°Where do I even go from here? How do I save Himari?¡±) thinks Apollo picking up the woman (¡°All I can do is run¡±) ¡°Godspeed!¡± Apollo blitzes out the lab into the cold night of a¨Cwell he really can¡¯t get a chance to notice the city as he blitzes through it as well, He runs all the way down snakeway Through the forest to the plains the mountains, All around the first ring he runs with incredible speed Unsure of what it is he¡¯ll find Vwwwwwwwwzzzzzzzttt! He zips back up snake way, the area around the city is snowy and barren Going so fast Apollo doesn¡¯t even notice a warning holographic sign SHEER COLD ZONE Both Apollo an Himari are bare naked and now in Ultra-cold weather Apollo doesn¡¯t even notice both his lower legs are frost bitten, He just runs, Maybe in frustration, or is fear? Fear that if he stops, if he slows down and watch Himari inevitably die right after losing Lyra He wouldn¡¯t be able to control himself, He would slaughter everyone. ¡°Ughhaaaaahh!¡± Apollo shrieks coming to a gruesome stop after feeling a great pain one wouldn¡¯t wish on their worst of enemies His right pinky toe folds in on itself as he¡¯d just stubbed it massively on a rock Thud!! He lands back first on the snow still clutching Himari who is barely alive at this point The moment they stop the sheer cold zone lives up to it¡¯s name immediately beginning to freeze the two, ¡°Urrhhkk¡± he groans (¡°This can¡¯t be the end¡±) Digging his hand into the snow the man tries to hoist himself up still not giving up *Click* His hand touches something underneath the snow. The couple immediately gets swallowed by a vortex. The Velvet Underground ¡°Huuh¡ªhuh Huuuh¡ªhuh¡± ¡°H-hhhhuhhh¡± Everything is quiet¡­ Everything except for the two people laying on the floor, One breathes hard aa though they are out of breath, the other breathes faintly as if on their last breath, Both naked bodies lay still shivering from the extreme cold they¡¯d just been exposed to ¡°Hahh¡ªhuhh¡± Apollo raises his head up from the ground (¡°Are we dead?¡±) He looks around a room lit in a dull red light, there is a large oval table in which it¡¯s top is depowered screen, the walls at the head of the room are also screens, Apollo and Himari lie to the back of the room on a circular platform, behind them a glass-like barrier of which behind it are glowing red ores,¡± ¡°Aghhh¡± Apollo spies a touch interface that could be the power to the left side of the enclosure, He tries to get up but grunts in pain (¡°My legs,¡±) Clawing himself with his arms alone, Apollo makes it to the interface, an touches it ¡­. Duhdunn? The red lights now shine brightly as all the screens in the room power on at once {Scanning¡­. Scanning¡­.. Scanning¡­¡­ Beings identified, One Tellus human One hybrid Gaia/mana being Neither appear to be in service of the supreme leader, ¡­.. Question: Are you friend or foe?} A grid like matrix of lines appear on the screen with a robotic voice to accompany it, ¡°A... friend?¡± Apollo replies totally unsure what to make of this {Scanning¡­. Scanning¡­.. Lie detector test complete, you are not an enemy, Welcome to the only constructed resistance base, Codename; The Velvet Underground My assigned name is Saint, I am an artificial intelligence left behind by the resistance, How may I be of service?} ¡°¡­.Help us¡± mutters Apollo {Scanning¡­ Scanning¡­. The Tellus human appears to be suffering from massive blood loss, Gaia hybrid has frostbitten legs and extreme hunger due to overuse or drainage of mana, This base is equipped with tools required to treat you both however your hunger cannot be solved here,} ¡°What does that mean?¡± Apollo still confused and feeling very lightheaded {Please use the sideways elevator to head to the operation room, if you die here, I cannot assist you,} Bing!? A light shines around a mechanical door to the right of the room, Not wasting time Apollo, grabs Himari with one arm and drags them to the door with the other Ping!? The door slides open like an elevator but instead of going down it moves sideways to a different section of the underground¡­. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ***** ¡°After that I don¡¯t remember much, Himari and I were out for weeks,¡± tells Apollo (His entire experience has been interesting to say the least) ¡°Saint the computer woke us up, we still weren¡¯t fully healed but it said we would die of hunger dehydration if we stayed in ¡®regenerative stasis¡¯ any longer, It snowed us these suits we¡¯re wearing now, and told us how to operate the teleporter, to relay point B, this forest,¡± ¡°Where they met me,¡± Sprite chimes in ¡°I can create any fruit vegetable and everything on the plant spectrum,¡± she states proudly ¡°Sprite has been helping us with food while we heal up on formulate our next strategy, There is also another ¡®thing¡¯ that is helping us but I suppose you will see it for yourself soon,¡± (Thing?) ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Kage will be fine don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Apollo assures the woman who hasn¡¯t said a thing ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I know, I know, but I¡¯m almost back to one hundred and I have a few new tricks, I¡¯ll protect us,¡± ¡°Am I missing something?¡± I look from the quiet Himari to Apollo ¡°It¡¯s matrimony,¡± Sprite explains ¡°Marriage here is a magical bond that allows two people to communicate without speech, If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.No matter how far apart you are, they¡¯d still be able to feel each other¡¯s emotion, Kind of like me and this forest, you could say I am married to the forest,¡± ¡°I can already feel emotions except it¡¯s with everyone,¡± (I do have put some focus into it though¡­) ¡°Then maybe you are married to everyone,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible Sprite.¡± ¡°This was the just the optimal way of communication between us without risk of being compromised, think nothing of it,¡± Himari folds her arms leaning against a wall ¡°¡­.¡± Apollo smiles slightly and the woman turns her head away from us ¡°So this Velvet Underground, how do I get there?¡± I change the topic ¡°There is a teleportation panel under a dinosaur¡¯s nest nearby,¡± Apollo replies ¡°But let¡¯s stay here for a bit, I don¡¯t want to go through that machine again¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s absolutely nauseating, Like your being swung around in circles repeatedly,¡± Apollo makes a face ¡°Ok, then why¨Cawww!¡± I turn mid sentence to Sprite who makes her fingers into thorns and pokes me hard. ¡°Stop asking, all the time,¡± she says obstinately ¡°¡­¡­¡± I stare at the plant person blankly before sighing ¡°Sprite likes conversation in case you couldn¡¯t tell,¡± Himari remarks ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed¡± I respond sarcastically ¡°What do you when it¡¯s just you alone here Sprite?¡± I ask ¡°If I¡¯m not listening to the trees, then I sleep,¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Mhm, I don¡¯t mind because plants like sleeping it feels good to stay still absorbing light,¡± ¡°How did you get mixed up with the resistance here then? I find it strange that a computer program would send Apollo and Himari to a forest, those two things don¡¯t relate¡± ¡°The forest is, or at least was the resistance, the same people who built the Velvet Underground are the ones who¡¯s souls as bound to this forest, The trees hope that one day someone would discover their base and finish what they started taking down the supreme leader,¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Apollo shuffles his feet about nervously hearing that ¡°I apologize again Sprite that we can¡¯t be the ones to help you, After we get our child we plan on leaving¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Sprite smiles cheerfully ¡°We have been waiting here thousands of years already, I¡¯m just grateful to be able to speak to people, someone else may come a few hundred years from now, you don¡¯t know¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ The room gets uncomfortably quiet, Unlike Apollo and Himari who feel somewhat guilty for not helping I do not care. The last time I got involved with someone else¡¯s resistance, I ended up¡­ Well, I ended up how I am right now¡­ (I want nothing to do with any kings or chairmen or leaders again) ¡­. ¡°What do you want to do Kage?¡± Sprite breaks the silence ¡°As in my goal?¡± .. (Does it matter? whatever path I take, always end in the same for me) ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sprite, I was planning on causing havoc to get back Apollo and Himari, but they already got away, so I guess I¡¯ll help them for now until they leave,¡± Whack! Apollo slaps me hard on my back affectionately ¡°Its so weird to think that we¡¯ve known each other for a couple months and a few years at the same time,¡± ¡°If you do plan on helping us, be prepared to do a lot of waiting because we haven¡¯t made any moves yet,¡± Informs Himari in a stoic tone but I can tell she is grateful as well (I wonder why her opinion on me has suddenly changed) ¡°How come?¡± I inquire ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you want to get the child back as soon as possible?¡± ¡°We would if we knew where it was, and if we did, we would have to formulate a foolproof plan to get in and out quickly,¡± (Where it is¡­¡­.) ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure about the plan yet Himari, but¡­ I think, I know exactly where it is.¡± Technologic The plains north of the forest, mercury, is filled with many domestic wildlife, as well being the location where all farms on the first ring are located, Every fruit and vegetable know to man is grown and produced there. The entire quadrant is Ai operated and self sufficient, some call it the farm plains, However, there is one farm not found on the plains, but in the Great City, Pluton, Officially it is not a farm, but that doesn¡¯t stop people from calling it one, A human farm. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. On this ring the max lifespan of a person is twenty seven, and that¡¯s only for the small few that make to that age, The average first class citizen, dies in their early twenties, The population of humans on Terra is not even over fifty thousand, to ensure that they do not go extinct, the process of child birth and even education has been greatly simplified As a fetus the child is carefully extracted from their mother and put in a tube of ''H particles¡¯ There the growth process the child would experience inside their mother is simulated by the fluid As early as their brain develops information is sent to it, basic manners, how to walk, speak etc, The information absorption rate differs from child but on average the child is ready to leave the tube at ages ten to thirteen, where they begin combat training. ¡­. This is was how I raised when¡­. No, not me¡­ These were the memories of Dant¨¦, he never saw nor new who his real parents were, His childhood was spent in tube absorbing information, then being let out to learn combat, before being sent to Gaia to prove his worth. (A cold experience to say the least) ¡­.. ¡°You¡¯ll come back will you?¡± Sprite tugs my finger before I step down into a pit covered in large egg shells and bone, underneath all of that is a round panel with a spiral imprint ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± I reply, moving my hands around awkwardly at the plant person (I don¡¯t know what I was trying to do to be honest¡­) ¡°Just because the dinosaurs won¡¯t attack us because of our suits doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t go after you Kage,¡± says Himari impatiently ¡°You just we weren¡¯t in any rush, like a few minutes ago¡± I argue ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t like waiting for people,¡± ¡°¡­..¡± I flash Apollo a look and step down into the dinosaurs nest (Not the best place to put a teleportation platform) ¡°Hhhhhh¡± sighs Apollo resting his hand on my shoulder. ¡°Prepare yourself¡± Himari also seems to be reluctant as him, she swipes her wrist across the panel floor and it begins to glow, the woman clutches on to Apollo at once Or rather, the two clutch each other, Vwoo Vwooo Vwoooh Vwooohh Vwooohhp! We begin to spin violently and forest background fades out for a void of colors This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.Vwoosh (Ughhck) It feels like we¡¯re being tossed up now As of were inside of a soda bottle being shaken up violently Like a bad amusement park ride ¡­ Vwooo~ The spinning stops and it immediately becomes bone chillingly cold Acting fast Himari touches below us, which triggers another warp this on instant however, ¡­¡­ A bright red light shins over us, ¡°Sorry about the cold, Kage, I¡¯ll get you a suit,¡± Apollo extends an arm to help me up, ¡°Ahh, I¡¯ve felt worse,¡± I take it, pulling myself up ¡°Well welcome to the Velvet Underground, that¡¯s Saint,¡± he points to a screen across the room, ¡°Over there is the sideways elevator, you can take it to get to the weapons storage and simulation, operation room, living quarters and general storage,¡± ¡°Hello Saint,¡± I speak to screen at once {Scanning¡­ Scanning¡­. Scan¨C} ¡°No need to scan Kage Saint,¡± Himari stops the artificial intelligence ¡°Kage is a friend, not foe,¡± {Welcome to the Velvet Underground Kage,} a robotic feminine voice speaks, On the screen a series of grid-like lines light up which each word¡­ {How may I assist you?} ¡°Nothing for now Saint thank you,¡± (I¡¯ll investigate this place first) Ping? Before I could get to the sideways elevator, it sounds off and the doors opening, ¡°This what I said you¡¯d see when you got here,¡± Apollo gestures to the ¡®thing¡¯ exiting the elevator It is in a true sense what I would call robotic, a shining silver heavyweight body, with deep red highlights near it¡¯s joints where it¡¯s energy flows ¡°You are Kage?¡± the robot looks at me, it¡¯s face, not really a face is how I¡¯d describe it, It looks like a full helmet, in which then front side is a face where a pixelated eyes an mouth are generated (It¡¯s always something new) ¡°Yes, but what are you?¡± I reply ¡°I am an artificial intelligence similar to Saint however I am programmed into this humanoid robot, My designated name is XPunk,¡± ¡°We found it here when we came back from the forest the first time, apparently he powered on after detecting us,¡± explains Himari ¡°Saint however has no records of it¡± ¡°That is because I was made to be a failsafe incase the Velvet Underground was compromised¡± XPunk makes a pixelated smiley face ¡°Well, it¡¯s umm, nice to meet you XPunk,¡± I awkwardly say to the machine ¡°No, it is a pleasure for me to finally meet you, My creators programmed me to honor you,¡± ¡°Honor me? Have we met before?¡± (Does this mean I am somehow connected to this?) ¡°We have not me, but I have data on you from my creators,¡± ¡°What kind of data?¡± ¡°I am programmed to Honor Kage, As you will be the one to help unite all humans.¡± Himaris Interlude | Blissful Ignorance Huhhh Huhhhhh Hahhhh Alright Saint, that¡¯s enough deactivate simulation,¡± breathes Himari wiping off some sweat from her face, with a towel The simulation/training room of the Velvet Underground is where Himari has spent the most time recently, Using a combination of illusion magic and augmented reality technology, basic to advanced scenery locations and situations can be generated in the simulation room for training purposes But for Himari, this was therapy¡­ ¡­.. Phew? Kage whistles leaning on the steel walls next to set up interface, The rest of the room¡¯s walls are dark reinforced glass, that absorbs the bright lights given off when the simulation is active ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kage an Himari briefly exchange glances, but neither one of them could produce then right words just yet¡­ ¡°¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ Huhh¡± sighs Himari wrapping the towel around her neck ¡°Apollo is resting, if you¡¯re looking for him, unlike me, he still has a lot of recovery time left¡± Himari finally speaks ¡°I know, I¡¯m just looking around the entire base for now.¡± Replies Kage ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡° ¡­..¡± ¡°¡­..¡± The tension is very awkward between us to say the least ¡°If you¡¯re not going to use the room, can you, unm, leave please, I like to train alone,¡± Himari basically ¡®shoos'' him in the most respectful way she can ¡°¡­.. ¡­.. I¡¯m trying to figure out something Himari,¡± Kage says absent mindedly ¡°Is it about what, Xpunk said to you? You haven¡¯t spoken a word since then, You didn¡¯t even question it more on the topic, which is something you usually do,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.. No, it¡¯s not that¡­. I don¡¯t want to know what it meant, not yet at least¡­ I¡¯m trying to figure out why you have been so respectful of me¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°You used to call me the pirate and look down on me as a criminal, Now you address me as though I was a comrade or even above that.¡± ...... ¡°¡­. And that bothers you?¡± ¡°It intrigues me, I was watching you train, You seem so calm and composed, so focused, yet¡­ Angry, frustrated. Why, how?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°.....¡± Himari doesn¡¯t answer at once, instead walking past Kage to the setup interface, she changes the rooms appearance to that of a boxing gym. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­ Whump! Himari¡¯s fist strikes hard on a punching bag Whump! Whump! ¡°I get it Kage, Not that I can begin to comprehend what you have experienced, But I can relate to the feeling of confusion, Like being in a way room surrounded by just noise and static,¡± Whump¨Cwhump! ¡°They say ignorance is bliss, And I never knew how true that was till they assigned me to Apollo, Till I got wrapped up in things I should have stayed out of, But it was my fault, I wanted to know, I skipped having a normal life, all because I wanted to know, I was told my father and his squadron were attacked at sea by soldiers from the first ring and they were wiped out, This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.Ever since then I wanted to know why,¡± Whunp! Whump! Whack! Whack! Increasingly the frequency of her swings, Himari contemplates whether to continue speaking or leave it at that ¡­. Kage says nothing waiting silently for her to continue.... Whump¨Cwhump! Whack¨Cwhack! Whump¨Cwhump! Whack¨Cwhack! Whump¨Cwhump! Whack¨Cwhack! ¡­... ¡°In the span, huhhhhh¡± the woman pauses to take a breather ¡°In the span of a few days my status quo, was flipped permanently on it¡¯s head, From, our first encounter with Satan, to finding out I was pregnant, and when I went to tell Apollo, he all had news for me, About how, the war between the first and second wasn¡¯t real to begin with,¡± Whamp! ¡°I was angry, confused, I know Apollo wouldn¡¯t just lie about that, But still, I couldn¡¯t believe it, I didn¡¯t even get a chance to sit on that information, because the next day Satan attacked the plastic beach and I was here, On this ring, The lab they brought me in was all the confirmation I needed, Human bodies kept and stored like stock¡± Whamp!¨CWhamp!-Whamp! ¡°That¡¯s what became of my father?¡± Whamp!¨CWhamp!-Whamp! ¡°He was given just given up like a sacrificial lamb? At least I had some solace in knowing that he died a soldier, But no, he was just an offering.¡± Whamp!¨CWhamp!-Whamp! Whamp!¨CWhamp!-Whamp! ¡°I had nothing left, and after all that, they cut me open and took the last thing I could potentially have to live for, You ask why I respect you now Kage, It¡¯s because I understand why your eyes are empty now, You¡¯ve probably seen worse than I have, Experienced even more hell than I,¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. Himari stops her punches, her entire face watery and drenched in sweat. ¡°I know what you are Kage, and it isn¡¯t human, But maybe that¡¯s not a bad thing Given what us humans do to each other,¡± ¡­.. ¡°Given what humans do to each other,¡± Kage repeats her words ¡°Isn¡¯t that just the true nature of people though? I have been through a lot, but I don¡¯t it is fair to compare bad situations, I¡¯ll just say from what I¡¯ve seen, the ones who act the most righteous and peace loving tend to be the ones putting up a farce, a fa?ade, Humans are naturally chaotic, we¨Cthey love killing each other without care or regard, That¡¯s why it¡¯s so easy for someone to do bad than it is to do good, It¡¯s second nature to us¨Cthem,¡± ¡°Are you telling me I should just become a psychotic killer then?¡± Himari makes a disapproving face ¡°No, I¡¯m saying that even though being good, being virtuous is the act, the pretense, Sometimes you just have to fake it till you make it real, That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to figure out, You are the only regular person I¡¯ve met that has made it real, So tell me Himari, How?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡­¡­. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you Kage, I really don¡¯t know.¡± Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger ¡°What can you tell me that I don¡¯t know, about the great city, Pluton, Saint?¡± Leaning back against my seat in the Velvet Underground¡¯s control, I look up the glowing collection of lines on a screen, otherwise known as the artificial intelligence Saint, {¡­¡­That depends on your preexisting knowledge My database is only programmed with data from thousands of years ago when I was created,} ¡°How long ago exactly?¡± {That cannot be accurately calculated, All civilizations on Terra, Tellus and Gaia have long since abandoned recording dates,} ¡°Then can you not access current information on the city?¡± {Not possible as my programming is on an entirely different server from the one used in the great City, If there is anything from the past that you would like to know, I can share,} ¡°¡­. Yes, but no¡­ Not now at least¡­¡± (I don¡¯t know if I want to know anything about myself anymore) ¡­. ¡°Is there something in particular you are trying to figure out?¡± another robotic voice speaks, I turn to see the ¡®muscular¡¯ android XPunk, ¡°I want to figure out many things, but¡­ Never mind, you wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± ¡­. It¡¯s been maybe a day or two since I came to the Velvet Underground, kind of hard to tell given we are underground, Apollo still needing to recover has to stay here a bit longer, He says it will be a few more days, Honestly, I don¡¯t mind I¡¯m not in any rush to learn anything anymore¡­ (Maybe things weren¡¯t so bad when I was frozen in the ocean) ¡­. ¡°I may not look like it, honorable Kage, but I was programmed to accurately interpret and emulate human emotion,¡± the robot is talking ¡°Why do you call me honorable?¡± ¡°Because you are deserving of honor,¡± ¡°¡­..¡± (¡­¡­.) ¡°Hhhh,¡± I sigh ¡°I miss when I still thought I was just some random human back on the third ring,¡± ¡°Because back then you didn¡¯t feel put in a position you didn¡¯t ask for?¡± XPunk interprets my words ¡°Hah, Maybe you are good at reading things of this sort,¡± ¡­¡­.. Leaning back fully on my chair I look up at bright red light, before saying; ¡°Back then I always saw red, as in I had a tunnel vision on getting answers, Learning the truth, Now as I near the truth,¡± ¡°You want to go back¡­?¡± XPunk finishes ¡°Mhm, Like Himari said when I spoke to her, Ignorance is bliss, granted I never had the happiest times back then, I was always enamored by the new things around me, the interesting people, their magic,¡± (Why am I even remember telling all this to a robot?) ¡°But even now you are still enamored by it all, Kage, The only difference is what it means now versus then,¡± ¡°You speak like you now me well,¡± ¡°This is just what I¡¯ve summarized from how you since you¡¯ve been here, You thoroughly explored the base, the first chance you got, Not in suspicious but in curiosity, child like curiosity, You want to learn but you don¡¯t what for, so you are aimlessly searching,¡± ¡°Are you really a robot?¡± ¡°Affirmative, but my creators programmed me with their own views and experiences on life so that I would accurately be able to solve any problem that should arise,¡± ¡°What do you, no, what did your creators want? What is that they wanted so badly that they even remain here as trees, and left this base hidden for?¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.¡°Progress, The progress of humanity,¡± ¡°Progress for what?¡± ¡°For peace, for unity¡± ¡°And I¡¯m the childish one? If there is one thing know about people as that they come in all shapes sizes and ideologies unity is impossible, no illogical,¡± ¡°Working harder makes us better, doing it faster makes us stronger¡± XPunk¡¯s voice bounces up and down as it speaks, ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°For humanity to progress we must work together, harder, better, faster, stronger, though it may sound dumb or illogical, sometimes the easiest solutions are the ones right in front of us, Humanity needs a new kind of balance¡­¡± Really feels like I¡¯m speaking to a real person, a very cryptic one¡­ (The technology here is no joke) ¡°By balance, you mean?¡± ¡°That is up to you to figure out,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± (I really don¡¯t know what to make of this machine) ¡°I know this has something to do with what you already know about me, but¡­ As I said before, I don¡¯t think I want to know just yet,¡± (At least till I make sure Apollo and Himari are safely off this ring) ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to know? Isn¡¯t this what you have been seeking after?¡± ¡°¡­..Huwahh!? I thought it was¡­..¡± I yawn despite not being sleepy ¡°When I met the monarch of Tellus, Ms. Second, I was ready to learn it all, But the more she kept talking, the more empty I felt with each reveal, After she¡¯d said I was given to them, the Second family, I didn¡¯t want to hear more I didn¡¯t want to know what it meant, I was everything¡± ¡°You were everything?¡± ¡°mhm, it¡¯s my way of saying, I was angry, but I feel all my emotions at once, so I wasn¡¯t just angry I was everything,¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Xpunk¡¯s pixelated face takes on a ¡®thinking'' appearance ¡°You are much more, layered than I was programmed to believe Kage¡± ¡°Is that a good thing or a bad thing?¡± ¡°An intriguing ¡®thing¡¯ to be quite honest, May I ask your intentions after helping Sir Apollo and Miss Himari on their task?¡± (Go home) ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± I say out loud ¡°I plan to stay to myself for a while and practice control over my mind and magic,¡± (Where even is my home at this point¡­) ¡°Then by my designated name of XPunk, I will keep you, for as long as need be¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± (Keep me?) ¡­.. **** ¡°Come in Alexander, doctor Frankenxtein¡± a piercing female voice calls, she sits waiting patiently in blue-sliver room, furnished with sparkling diamond encrusted curtains on the walls and even on the carpet, ¡°Always a pleasure miss Vaughn,¡± the aforementioned Frankenxtein steps forward through the sliding door, Alexander bows coming right behind the doctor ¡°Does the supreme leader have a new objective for us?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± the woman clasps her hand together with her elbows placed atop a regal wooden desk she sits behind ¡°Alexander, you will ready the other ¡®Xanders'' for now, await further instructions, and doctor, It is time to get the new ¡®meat grinder¡¯ up a ready to use within a moments notice,¡± ¡°The ¡®meat grinder¡¯?¡± replies an intrigued doctor ¡°Does that mean, it has returned to us? Or has there been another alternative already since subject, Brandon passed?¡± ¡°The former is correct doctor Frankenxtein, My husband has informed that Kage, has indeed returned, We are approaching the Final Countdown.¡± Pink Matter Boooop?~ The door of a stasis pod slides open ¡°..nghn~¡± ¡°Easy,¡± Himari holds up a wobbly footed Apollo ¡°I always forgot how much that regeneration pod drains me,¡± the young man steadies himself, ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± ¡°I think the damages from the frostbite are fully healed Agh, but I still can¡¯t feel my legs, they¡¯re still numb¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can even walk at all how you are now,¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just my good muscle memory,¡± Apollo shrugs ¡°I don¡¯t think you know what that means, The fact that you can move your legs despite having no feeling in them, is something that can only be attribute to your mana, or it could be something biological?¡± ¡°Mmm¡± Apollo mumbles softly as Himari helps him out of the room filled with healing pods, and into the sideways elevator, that takes them to the sleeping quarters ¡­. ¡°I¡¯m not going to mention it again, but you seem to get pretty quiet anytime ¡®he¡¯ gets brought up,¡± Himari says turning her back to him while he gets dressed ¡­.. ¡°Because I always wonder what kind of person he was, especially after what Saint told us about him,¡± ¡°Are you thinking about digging around more on this ring to find out?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m curious but it¡¯s information I can live without, if anything knowing what he was, what I am, it¡¯s more of a reason to get out daughter and get off this ring,¡± ¡°Daughter? We don¡¯t even know what it is yet,¡± ¡°It will be a girl for sure,¡± ¡°And that assumption is based on?¡± ¡°Darius¡± ¡°Your deceased friend?¡± ¡°I remember he told me once that his first child would definitely be a boy, so I it only makes sense I would have a girl¡± ¡°¡­ Did that pod damage your brain or something?¡± Himari presses her hand on the man¡¯s forehead ¡°No,¡± he grabs her wrist in response ¡°Its just a weird thing Darius and I had between each other, He was like my big brother¡­ But everything he had or did I always ended up being the opposite, Liken his fighting style for instance, he chose to be slow and defensive but accurate with all his strikes I traded that accuracy for speed and explosiveness His magic was external conjuration, mine was internal enhancement¨C¡± ¡°¨CSo your making an assumption based off the fact that you and your friend were opposites?¡± Himari cuts him off ¡°Pretty much¡± he shrugs, only to receive an eye roll from the woman, ¡°Well I¡¯m going back to training, when you feel good enough to walk you can join me or do whatever else you need,¡± ¡°No,¡± Apollo still holding her wrist pulls her back stubbornly ¡°Let¡¯s talk some more,¡± ¡°We speak enough already as it is¡± she tries pulling away but Apollo obstinately keeps his grip ¡°And you train enough already as it is,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Apollo pulls her closer and the two lock eyes silently for a minute or so¡­ ¡°¡­¡­ Say something then,¡± Himari says softly ¡°I want to name her Emma,¡± he whispers back pressing his forehead against hers ¡°After my mother,¡± ¡°What about what I want to name it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, you¡¯re already so close, I¡¯ll let you have the name, but it, ¡®she¡¯ keeps my family name,¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I had one to begin with Himari¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, is that all you want to talk about?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I told you stop with that stare,¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer, we can literally feel each other now,¡± ¡°For strategic purposes, we don¡¯t know what ¨C Stop it~¡± ¡°I¡¯m just matching what you¡¯re feeling,¡± ¡°¡­¡­well stop..¡± ¡°You stop first,¡± ¡°I can¡¯t when you¡¯re this close,¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t, I¡¯ll just get closer¡­¡± ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. (Yeah, maybe it¡¯s a good time for me to leave now) ¡­¡­... ****** ¡°Huh¨Cargh!¡± Digging my hands into some soil I try to raise a wall but nothing happens besides the dirt getting slightly looser The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.¡°So, you we¡¯re there the whole time but they didn¡¯t notice?¡± Sprite echoes what I¡¯d just told her ¡°I was waiting for Apollo so that I could show him I was able to use a bit of magic, but it¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t umm, interrupt them, seemingly since I can¡¯t redo what I did before,¡± ¡°Well you came to right, forest avatar for help¡± Sprite grins making a horizontal ¡®peace sign'' over her eye ¡°Are there any other forest avatars I could have gone to?¡± ¡°Nope, Sprite, me! Is the only one¡± ¡°You¡¯re awfully cheerful today,¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the trees said it¡¯s raining today, any moment now actually¡± ¡°Wow, what absolutely amazing news!¡± I exclaim with great sarcasm Instead of being off put by my attitude, Sprite makes a concerned face ¡°Why are you being mean Kage? Did something bad happen?? Or are you frustrated about not using magic??? I¡¯ll help you; I¡¯ll do my best, I promise¡± ¡°Relax, I was just being cheeky on purpose, Normally humans respond to sarcasm with a fiery retort,¡± ¡°Huuhhh¡­¡± Sprite thinks As she does this I look up through the leaves and branches covering us, to the rainbow sky, (I wonder how you would be able to tell when rain was coming) ¡°Ok, Kage you are fucking bitch and also an ass¡± Sprite suddenly says stepping down hard on the soil Fwhick!? Whackm!? A vine grows up underneath my leg tripping me over at once ¡°What the hell Sprite?¡± ¡°The trees told me that I should respond to your sarcasm with that¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± (I set myself up to this, no use complaining) ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s get just get back to the original topic at hand ¡° I say getting up gingerly ¡°Ooh, about your magic, I can help since I am a creation of magic,¡± States the plant person proudly ¡°What is your attribute, Kage?¡± ¡°Non¨C¡° ¡°¨CActually don¡¯t bother answering I can already see it, You don¡¯t have one, So you probably won¡¯t be able to use magic, Case closed¡± ¡°Hhhh, I already know that Sprite,¡± I sigh ¡°I¡¯ve used magic before to raise dirt,¡± (Kind of lame) ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here unless I couldn¡¯t do as much¡± ¡°Well that isn¡¯t usually possible, Unless¡­. Hmm¡­. You are probably using mana,¡± Sprite dances around me in glee (So full of energy) ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the basic concept of mana¡± (From Dant¨¦¡¯s memories) ¡°It¡¯s basically in a class above magic right?¡± ¡°Yeah, if you need water down the explanation, Mana isn¡¯t just in a class above, it is the whole school, Magic is just a derivative of it for humans and some animals, It is limited to only basic elements at first but can evolve if a person¡¯s mental state drastically changes, Mana doesn¡¯t have that set back, there is man type for every element, force and even concept in existence,¡± ¡°I wonder what my type is then¡± I murmur ¡°Well first we would have to see what you¡¯re your mana type would be¡± ¡°What do mean by type?¡± ¡°You know like yin and yang Yang mana can be used to create, heal and assist people Yin mana, is the opposite, depending on your side your options will be limited to either destructive mana or creating That¡¯s the only advantage magic users have, they can create and destroy as they please¡± Sprite smiles widely. ¡°Well what am I?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you, I can¡¯t see fully mana, I can vaguely sense it but that¡¯s all¡± ¡°Then how do you know all thi¨Cno, don¡¯t answer, you¡¯re gonna say the trees¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I receive a bright smile from Sprite, ¡°From what I can tell your mana doesn¡¯t have a color, Apollo¡¯s own does¡± ¡°Apollo has?¡± ¡°mhm, not much humans at all have mana, it belongs to the beings of mana, The trees call them angels, The only way a human can get it is if they were blessed by the being, or they were born from one¡± (So, Apollo has lighting mana then ¡­) ¡°Wait, so if Apollo does have mana¡± I say out loud, ¡°Does that mean his father was an angel?¡± Angelz For as long as humanity has existed there has always been tales of the supernatural, of the extraordinary, Long gone civilizations even believed firmly in such beings, angels and demons. But for the people of the current day, these divine beings once worshiped, are now nothing but extinct species, Hunted to extinction by the people of Terra, their mana now fueling the technology of the great city Pluton, and their flesh left buried into the earth, only to be mined out again years later as the material tielum These are what beings of mana are to humans, natural resources. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°Again-ah-ha¡­¡± I pant wiping my face clean from the combination of water and dirt on it Rain had begun to fall a while ago, it doesn¡¯t stop me from getting this magic thing right¡­ ¡°Are you sure?¡± asks Sprite ¡°You seem to be doing good as it, even though you don¡¯t have an individual type or attribute you can control the magic in the air, Or, well dirt if I want to be specific..¡± ¡°Again,¡± I repeat ¡°Okayy¡­ Hyuh!¡± Fwhip!? Massive Vines, the size of tree trunks, spring out of the ground swinging towards me (Alright let¡¯s try this again) ¡°Huhh-nnnnggghhn!¡± Firming my stance, I brace the impact of the vine pushing it back to the best of my ability ¡°aaaaaaghhh¡± (Come on!) Dirt all around me begins to rises up, but that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m trying to control right now ¡°Stoppp!¡± gritting my teeth I push harder than ever while trying to feel the mana in the plant Splish? Splish!? Droplets of rain trickle down my soaking head onto my face, some obstructing my vision I press on regardless (Come on, what does this vine''s mana feel like¡­?) Spilsh!? Splish!? More droplets fall It¡¯s all I can hear right now the¨C ¨CNo, Fwrrcck-fwwrrr? (What¡¯s that other sound?) Fwrrcck-fwwrrr? (It sounds like roots pushing through soil) ¡°Huhnnngghh!¡± The plant begins to push back slowly detracting away back into the damp soil (That¡¯s it) ¡°Mana doesn¡¯t have a feeling, it¡¯s a sound!¡± I exclaim to Sprite who¡¯s eyes gleam with excited pleasure ¡°A sound, you say, not even the trees knew of that, You must have good ears Kage,¡± ¡°I wonder if Apollo also hears a sound when using his mana¡± ¡°The trees think you¡¯re stronger than me in this forest¡± ¡°Are you really that strong?¡± ¡°Ha-ha! If you must know, I Sprite can be considered a god as long as I stay in this forest!¡± She declares in the most arrogant voice I¡¯ve heard yet from her ¡°What about outside the forest?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t really leave the forest for long, or I¡¯d wither away slowly, But as long as I¡¯m here I can do just about anything that can be done with plants,¡± ¡°And what if the supreme leader decides to burn the forest down?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so negative Kage, The trees say that the supreme leader won¡¯t and never will harm the forest because he respects nature and maintaining the balance of things on Terra¡± ¡°hmnn Hopefully I never meet him,¡± I say while looking up at the sky letting the rain soak my face (Listen to it¡¯s sound) ¡°Sprite can you grow a tree right there preferably a weaker one¡± I point to an empty spot before putting my hands in a position as if I was holding a bow Curious to see what I¡¯ll do, Sprite complies growing a tall but thin tree (Listen to the sound¡­) Splish!? Splish!? This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°Huhhh, okay¡­. Raindrop arrow!¡± Fwashh!? Splacksh!? Imitating the movement of firing an arrow with my hands, Surprisingly the raindrops gather together forming said arrow, It whizzes through the air knocking the thin tree, bending it, ¡°Woahh¡± applauds Sprite though her hands don¡¯t actually make a sound ¡°I was just making sure my archery skills were still on point,¡± I pretend to dust off my wet hands in the most arrogant voice ever (She should see what I could do with a guitar) ¡°Then trees are really interested in you now Kage, They say they think they know who you probably are¡± ¡°¡­¡­.. Oh¡­ um well I should he heading back to the Velvet Underground now, so tell me next time, I am actually getting tired of soaking here,¡± ¡°Huh, why are you acting this way Kage?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ See you later Sprite¡± I awkwardly jog past the plant person ¡­. ¡­. *** (I immediately ran away the moment Sprite mentioned knowing who I was I know I have to find out eventually, But what if I don¡¯t like what I hear, what if¡­) ¡°You were gone for quite a while Kage,¡± the robot XPunk bows as I pass it in the Velvet Underground ¡°I needed some air, and please don¡¯t bow or do any of that respectful shit¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I mean speak to me causally¡± ¡°Very well¡± (¡­¡­..) ¡­.. ¡°Apollo?¡± ¡­.. Wham¨CWham¨CWham!? I loudly slam man hand on the young man¡¯s door ¡°I want to spar with you, get up and/or out of Himari, it¡¯s been long enough,¡± ¡°F..five minutes, give me five minutes,¡± his voice answers back through the door ¡°Wait for me in the training room¡± (........) ¡­¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­. ¡°Hhhh, ok, let¡¯s get to sparing¡± Apollo marches into the simulation room, ¡°I don¡¯t think the two have fought since that time we first met, Kage,¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember getting the best of you¡± ¡°Because of that bow thingy, but that doesn¡¯t matter since you don¡¯t have it again it Now come on Kage, I¡¯ll even give you the first hit¡± (Time to see if I can hear his mana as well) ¡°My pleasure,¡± I reply rushing up to the young man BRAKUOOM!? Before I even swing, I hear a thunderous, sound despite nothing happening ¡°Hah!¡± my punch goes past the young man, though he hasn¡¯t yet moved (Did he dodge, Or I am just inaccurate?) ¡°Huhhh¡± (I¡¯ll go for his legs) BRAKUOOM!? Uhnnk! Before I even step in for the leg sweep, I find myself being uppercut halfway across the room ¡°Come on Kage you got to try better than that¡± Apollo taunts ¡°How did you do that?¡± demand rubbing my jaw gingerly (I¡¯ve been ruffed up a bit too much in one day) ¡°My mag-mana, back on the second ring I developed the ability to make myself really fast, but because I can¡¯t feel my legs anymore, I can¡¯t use my speed properly anymore so I developed this new spell, instead of moving fast to run I evade everything at light speed, Infinite evade,¡± (So that¡¯s what that booming was, thunder before the lighting, That¡¯s what his mana sounds like) ¡°To be honest I should expect this from an angel boy like you¡± I say mockingly ¡°Angel boy? Ha, looks like you¡¯ve been doing your research since getting here, Kage But Himari and I also know what you are¨C¡± ¡°Shut up and let¡¯s go again¡± I cut him off (Does everyone know who I am except me at this point?) ¡°Oh, you seem pretty confident Kage¡± ¡°I have a few knew tricks I haven¡¯t shown you yet¡± ¡°OK, well come at me then!¡± ¡°Be careful what you wish for!¡± Prelude to Pluton ¡°Alright people, and non-people¡­ It¡¯s almost time for us to finally go to the Great City Pluton, I want this to be flawless and damn near uneventful if possible¡± Himari barks orders at Apollo XPunk and I ¡°Excuse miss¡± I feel obliged to raise my hand like a student ¡°You do realize that I am the one who knows exactly where the lab is and how to get there, So shouldn¡¯t I be the one barking commands?¡± ¡°No, your memory is unreliable, my plan covers any possible outcome, to ensure all of our safety,¡± ¡°I will see to Kage¡¯s safety myself,¡± Xpunk speaks up at once ¡°Even though I have no data on the city presently, when we do enter, my systems will immediately begin to download area data, my weaponry is also very versatile,¡± ¡°I can handle myself just fine, thanks for your umm, protection and all Xpunk, but I¡¯m good,¡± ¡°Interesting¡­ I have been tracking your training alone and with Apollo, I detect you have improved your control of mana, though not as skilled as the hybrid¡± X makes an ¡®ok¡¯ face ¡°If you are referring, then yes I am leagues ahead of Kage,¡± Apollo flexes (He¡¯s salty because I managed to trip him over sparring) ¡°Can we all stay focused?¡± Himari folds her arms displeased ¡°This is a serious matter you know, we don¡¯t even know what they¡¯ve been doing to it, While we¡¯ve been here taking out times¡± (I know exactly what happens there¡­.) Xander labs¡­ The name of the birthplace of every citizen that is second class and above in Pluton¡­ ¡­.. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really think it would have been a good move to break out a fetus from whatever test tube they have it in,¡± Apollo is talking ¡°Our Only choice was to wait long enough until it had potentially grown healthy enough,¡± ¡°How are you sure it isn¡¯t dead?¡± Xpunk interjects only to receive cold eyed glances from both Apollo and Himari ¡°Because the population here is so low¡± I quickly speak in ¡°I think it isn¡¯t even over a hundred thousand people here That¡¯s the whole reason why they¡¯ve streamlined the child birth process in the first place,¡± ¡°You know a lot don¡¯t you?¡± Xpunk¡¯s voice buzzes of intrigue ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say a lot, but I know a good bit that can help us, Which speaking of¡­. Saint, will you be able to communicate with us once we are in Pluton?¡± {¡­... ¡­¡­. I cannot for risk of being compromised, My servers are separate from Pluton¡¯s thus is the reason I am able to remain unfound, If I were to connect then I would be instantly deleted} ¡°Saint was created to be a backup of humanities knowledge, prior to thus base being created,¡± informs Xpunk ¡°I was created to be a protection measure,¡± ¡°hmmm, I wish I could¡¯ve met your creators¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!¡°I¡¯m sure you will soon Kage,¡± ¡°Soon?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, they are trees now after all I¡¯m certain you will encounter the right tree soon enough..¡± ¡°hhhhh¡± I sigh (Maybe XPunk isn¡¯t much Human after all, barring how it speaks¡­) ¡°Well if you¡¯re done with your tangents, can we get back to business?¡± Hiamri still cross-armed, now taps her feet impatiently, ¡°About that,¡± Apollo uses this as an opportunity to speak himself ¡°After we get out with Emma, we come back here right?¡± ¡°Yes, you remember Kage said he knows how to build us a ship to get off,¡± ¡°I said I think I know¡­¡± I cut in (Let¡¯s not get too overconfident here) ¡°Are you referring to an X-Zeppelin?¡± asks Xpunk ¡°We don¡¯t know what that is¡± I answer for everyone ¡°It is a ship that can adapt to any terrain¡± ¡°Oh, well then I do know, that¡¯s what I made(technically) on the second ring, I don¡¯t know where we¡¯ll get the material to build it, but I can probably force myself into remembering how it¡¯s done,¡± {Tielium is in the walls directly across from me} Saint butts in for the first time ¡­.. The ai is referring to the back wall of the control room we are in, Behind the platform where you get warped in on, the regular steel wall slides apart on Saints initiative, revealing a regular rock wall, in which liquid-like colorful substance shines out from between it¡¯s crevices (Unrefined tielum) Walking up to it I scrape away some warm dirt, touching the material, It¡¯s soft, really soft, like velvet, refine this males it harder than steel, but it still remains some softness ¡°Angel blood¡­.¡± I mumble ¡°You also know about this?¡± XPunk overhearing me ¡°When mana beings get buried, their flesh their blood and mana is absorbed by the earth, overtime it builds up deep below the surface creating this ore,¡± I ramble off (It¡¯s so surreal to see it in this state) {With the help of mana beings is how the Velvet Underground was created} explains Saint {They were major contributors to the resistance, before being hunted to extinction} ¡°I agree with Himari that we should focus on the topic at hand¡± Apollo uncomfortably interjects ¡°You know what, I think we should just discuss this while on the move,¡± Himari rubs her forehead ¡°I don¡¯t think we will be able to get anything done, standing here talking,¡± ¡°Yeah, some people just can¡¯t stay focused,¡± agrees Apollo only to receive a incriminating glance from his wife {It is currently sunset, an optimal time for movement} ¡°Thank you, Saint, You heard the computer, Kage, Apollo,¡± ¡°And me miss, Himari,¡± XPunk makes it¡¯s trademark pixelated smiley face ¡°Yes, of course, I don¡¯t have to worry about you not listening though, Kage, Kage! Stop feeling the ore, and straighten up, It all begins now¡± Wintery Sounds A dim but colorful sky casts a faint light down onto the earth bellow, There is no moon out tonight Actually, there was never a moon to begin with, nor a sun on this ring, only a wondrous collage of colors meshed together, but in a way that each remain their individuality, Otherwise known as the sky, and under said sky, in the cold wintery outlands of Pluton, move four quick figures Troup-troup-troup-troup? Feet crunch into the snowy soil at a speedy pace ¡°Ugh~¡± Himari breathes out, ¡°Of all the places, to build a civilization, they chose the coldest region of this ring¡± ¡°Any where else would have upset the balance of things,¡± replies Xpunk who is clearly unaffected by the weather ¡°If humanity had set up a catty in the forest or the plains for instance, it would have eventually led to the extinction of some animal and plant species, This cold region was barely inhabited to begin with so it would be the most optimal location for a technologically advanced civilization to settle,¡± ¡°I take it no one ever leaves then¡± Apollo remarks ¡°Not with their weak bodies,¡± I reply to him, before going quiet almost instantly¡­.. Fwoorr¡­? A strong gust of cold wind blows hard against our faces, We can already hardly see upfront, just a blank white sheet ¡°Sheesh, I know these suits keep us protected from extreme temperatures, But I still feel like I¡¯ll freeze to death in this cold if we get more gusts like that,¡± shivers Apollo ¡°All the more reason to hurry¡± Himari replies ¡°The city is close, I can still see up ahead just fine,¡± XPunk states ¡°Good,¡± nods Apollo, although he might have been shivering ¡°We would have gotten lost if not for you XPunk, you¡¯re a real help¡± ¡°My pleasure, it is not often something like me gets to be around such people like yourselves¡± ¡°Stop being such an ass kisser, XPunk,¡± I say teasingly ¡°I don¡¯t know how to reply to that,¡± ¡°¡­Sorry, sometimes I forget you¡¯re not an actual person,¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Less talking more moving,¡± Himari hisses, Through the sound of the hard blowing winter breeze, is the humming of flying machines, They sound miniature¡­ ¡­.. I don¡¯t have to wonder about it for too long as the first sight of the city comes into view, Little drones fly high up surveying all across the edges of a visible, still transparent barrier, From the way it curves the higher up it gets, we can deduce it¡¯s a dome of sorts ¡°I¡¯ve just temporarily disabled those drones¡¯ vision,¡± Xpunk speaks (That was quick) ¡°It won¡¯t last long, but we will make past the barrier if we start¨C¡± Xpunk doesn¡¯t the same finish talking, Apollo Himari and I break out into a full Sprint, rushing into the barrier, ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. (Warm) ¡°It¡¯s really warm in here¡± Apollo says what I think ¡°Stopping to catch our breaths, behind a the first building we spotted, we soak in the new atmosphere of the city, The wind blows slow and steady like a summer''s night ¡°So this is the great city Pluton,¡± Himari peers behind the building¡¯s wall In here, the night is much darker than it was outside in the cold, but in exchange it¡¯s warmer, The streets are solid steel with glowing blue track lines for the vehicles here, though I don¡¯t think they get much traffic to begin with The building we hide behind is small and dome shaped as well, no hexagonal shaped, Despite the fact that they are now windows to peer inside, I already know what¡¯s inside, A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Devices that control and regulate the weather are all around the City¡¯s edge, they are what generates the dome, Besides these hexagonal structures, The silhouettes of many other houses can bee seen of in the distance, Regardless of the low population, the city is densely packed together, the houses from here look like beehive nests, They¨C ¡°¨CEnough staring, let¡¯s move¡± Himari orders (I guess this is where I come in) ¡°Ummm, this way,¡± I gesture everyone to follow, Sticking close to each other we scurry out of the yard from which the dome -like building was, into the open streets of Pluton (Since we entered the city from the north, the lab¡­) ¡°The lab would be on to the west section of the city,¡± I tell the others ¡°Are you completely certain?¡± asks Himari, ¡°Yes,¡± (After all, it¡¯s where I¨CDant¨¦ spent his entire life before getting sent away at,) The entirety of Pluton¡¯s population lives near the City¡¯s center, while all other areas are around the moderately large city is reserved for manufacturing, and supply chain industries, Xander labs especially is in an area no where close to any other humans ¡­.. ¡­.. Running through the city we make sure to keep close to the sides of buildings or anything casting shade, Little drones shine their bright lights below, they serve as both street lights and security cameras (I know there isn¡¯t that great amount of people here, but I hadn¡¯t expected this level of emptiness) I could have just been overthinking things, but that night the city seemed eerily quiet Almost like no one at all lived there ¡­.. ¡°Wait, pause for a second¡± Xpunk breaks the silence calling to us, It stands by a panel on the sidewalk, ¡°What is that for?¡± Himari interrogates ¡°This,¡± As the robot touches down on it, the sidewalk we stand on begin to move steadily like an escalator, ¡°These are used for¨C¡± ¡°¨CWe can tell what¡¯s it¡¯s for¡± Apollo cuts off the robot, ¡°¡­¡­..¡± It doesn¡¯t respond, I do however detect a tinge of annoyance from it (Or maybe not, after all it is a machine¡­) ¡°What do you think that is?¡± tapping my shoulder, Apollo points ahead to the silhouette of a large structure towering over the clumped house around it, ¡°Obviously where the supreme leader lives,¡± I reply (And I want nothing to do with it) ¡­¡­.. ¡°How long with it take for us to reach the lab using this moving sidewalk?¡± Himari asks XPunk ¡°By my estimations¡­ ¡­ An hour maybe if we simply stay still and let it move us, but that is if we make all the correct turns, which¨C¡± Once again the robot doesn¡¯t get a chance to finish, Apollo Himari and I back on a stealthy sprint ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ***** ¡°I can handle this part easily¡± XPunk steps up We¡¯re now in front of large silver gates, the entrance to place familiar to me (The Pentagon gates) Inside contains multiple buildings, Xander labs being one of them, but also¡­. (Also what?) Also¡­. ¡°huhhhuh¡± Himari takes a deep breath in and out ¡°Xpunk the moment you get that open, we slip in quick, and I mean a matter of seconds quick, no sounds, no mistakes,¡± ¡­. Apollo and I nod silently He rubs his hands together semi-nervously Meanwhile I still try to remember what else is inside the Pentagon (No use worrying about it now) ¡°Ready,¡± alerts X ¡°Alright everybody, on my count we¨C,¡± In Utero *click-click-click?* Himari flashes her wrist light in the darkness, briefly revealing a room¡¯s outline ¡°¡­..there~¡± I whisper pointing to a corridor of stairs ¡°Older children are up, babies are down¡± *Click-click?* Himari flashes the light again so, we can see our way forward, With XPunk outside watching out for us, Apollo, Himari and I descend down the emergency staircase, of Xander reproduction lab, Only one of many subsidiary facilities of under the Xander Lab name¡­ Tap? Tap? Tap? Our feet reverberate with each step down the steel stairs, despite our attempts to make as little sound aa possible, this can¡¯t be helped (Not like there is anyone here to hear us anyways) Though this lab in particular is usually left unattended for days on end at times, It still feel weirdly abandoned, No, not weirdly, alarmingly so, I could just be overthinking it (There¡¯s no way anyone would know exactly when we were showing up) ¡­.. Piiiiiib!? A glass door slides open automatically as we come to the first lower floor, *Click?* Instead of her using her light this time Himari touches the panel next to the door, flooding the room with lights ¡°Home sweet home,¡± I grunt glancing around Glass ¡®shapes¡¯ is the only way I can describe them, they line the room equally and orderly apart from each other, inside is a bubbly red fluid that holds suspend almost fully developed babies, ¡°What would you call that shape,¡± I mumble to myself out loud, ¡°Heart-shaped,¡± Himari answers me solemnly, The objects are semi cylindrical, but instead of being smooth and rounded, they jag out at the bottom and top into large vein-like openings that draw on the weird red fluid from a pipe on the roof, ¡°A heart-shaped box¡± ¡°How will know which one is ours?¡± Apollo asks sounding immensely disturbed ¡°They¡¯re all labeled,¡± Himari remarks, examining one of the ¡®tubes'' At the center of it is a little panel indicating the fetus¡¯ growth status, among other miscellaneous information ¡°Don¡¯t bother, it¡¯s probably not on this floor, Let¡¯s keep going down,¡± ¡°How do you know for sure?¡± Himari presses me, ¡°Because all these are clearly regular children of this ring, Yours would be a special case, meaning it¡¯s probably either on the lowest floor, or highest floor,¡± ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t we split up to make this faster?¡± ¡°No, the lowest floor seems more likely seemingly since if I wanted to trap people such as ourselves, it would be much more logical to keep it below,¡± ¡°I have to agree with that,¡± nods Himari ¡°Even though the chances of this being a trap is low, it¡¯s best to keep it as a logical thought at least¡±. ¡°Umm, did I miss something?¡± Apollo interjects ¡°How could this suddenly become an elaborate set up when no one besides us know,¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but we have no clue what the potential of the magic and technology of Terra is like, so it¡¯s best for us to assume the worst case scenario of any situation,¡± Himari elaborates ¡°So negativity¡± ¡°Yes¨Cnow come on we done know how long XPunk can keep the labs surveillance inactive for,¡± I reply, moving towards the emergency staircase ¡­¡­.. Caution H Particle pipes A holographic sign flashes I front of us as we descend, going down with us from the previous room, are the glassy pipes carrying the bubbling red fluid If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.¡°I wonder what it is,¡± Apollo peers curiously ¡°¡­.. You don¡¯t want to know,¡± I murmur ¡°Well, I do,¡± Himari sensing something off about my response ¡°¡­.. H particles, Human particles, You get it now?¡± ¡­.. ¡°Human as in, Second ring humans, right?¡± she accurately guesses ¡°¡­¡­¡± I nod ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re used for, ¡®converted¡¯ into this fluid to help with fostering children born outside their parents, And that¡¯s just what they do to the people of the second ring, you don¡¯t want to know what they do to the third,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about us not wanting to know¡± grumbles Apollo uncomfortably, before going quiet Nothing is said between the three of us for a while after that (I think it¡¯s funny, Not in a comedic sense, it¡¯s all just a joke, People who value life the most, treat it the worst¡­.) ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.. ¡°The stairs end here,¡± Himari leading our group, says After silently but hurriedly making our way down, we finally stop at the last door in our way ¡°It¡¯s locked¡± Himari fidgets with touch panel Ehhng! It buzzes red declining her attempts, ¡°Let me try,¡± Apollo flexes, pulling his fist back, ¡°Wait!¡± I halt him before he can smash the door, ¡°We don¡¯t know if doing that will alarm anyone, furthermore it could be a trap or worse,¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest Kage, we have to move quickly, We can¡¯t just go around searching this place for a key¡± ¡°This door is clearly hand activated¡± I point at the touch panel arrogantly ¡°No key needed, just the right biological signature,¡± ¡°Where do we get one of that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Instead of replying I turn around and place my hand on panel, it glows a green light Swwoooom? The door slides open (¡­¡­) ¡°¡­.¡± Himari and Apollo exchange, similar looks, that say ¡®obviously!¡¯ They don¡¯t seem surprised I unlocked the door, nor do they attempt to question me (Well that was anticlimactic) ¡­.. ¡­. *Click?* *Click!?* Himari presses for the lights twice put it doesn¡¯t come on, the room ahead remaining in darkness ¡°Wrist light it is¡± the woman flashes across the room, There¡¯s only a singular, heart-shaped glass tube in it ¡­ (What¡¯s that?) The more I focus on the tube my hearing starts to fluctuate from the current silence to absolute silence (Am I going deaf¡­) ¡­. (Or) ¡°It¡¯s a girl¡± Himari flashes on the tube, ¡°It has mana,¡± I speak up Now that I ignore it the muteness goes away ¡°Are you sure?¡± questions Apollo ¡°Mhm, I can hear the sound¡­ This one¡¯s mana sound is a deafening silence,¡± (Doesn¡¯t make sense when I say out loud) ¡°Then we¡¯ve come to right one¡± Himari remarks semi pleases ¡°How do we get it out?¡± Apollo taps the glass, ¡°Is it big enough to survive out?¡± ¡°Bdjdbddjekekk¡± Himari replies (What?) ¡°Uroejwfj¡± (Aghh not this buzzing now) Juxtaposed to the silence I was just hearing a piercing static of buzzing stabs my eardrums ¡°Aghhh!¡± (Not no¨C) ¡°WELCOME BACK AMADEUS ~¡± a snake like voice pierces through all the static in a clear whisper ¡°What the¨C¡± Everything blacks out¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°Kage!?¡± Apollo turns around peering into the darkness Hiamri flashes her light back to assist him ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Kage, he just disappeared, A second he was there then, Gone¡­ Kage¡¯s gone.¡± See You Again: Phantom Flame Curious crimson eyes stare up an around in wonder, It¡¯s the first time these eyes have been exposed to air, They blink profusely, but adamantly remains in open stare. Bumping up in down the small body belongings to eyes does, Held tightly in broad arms, it bumps slightly with each strut, The child, the baby who¡¯s these eyes belong, remains silent throughout it all, Not a tear or cry, just silent intrigue ¨C ¡°¨CKage!¡± Apollo shouts stumbling out the lab, baby in hand ¡°He was nowhere inside, he must¡¯ve been taken!¡± Himari rushes out behind him ¡°What happened? Is Kage missing?¡± the robot XPunk, waiting outside presses immediately ¡°He was behind us one second then gone¡± explains Apollo ¡°We have to find Kage,¡± grimaces Himari ¡°I will immediately search this entire compound, As it stands right now, you two should return to the Velvet Underground with the child, No use creating more potential risks¡± Xpunk suggests firmly ¡°Himari you go back alone then, I will join you XPunk¡± you¡¯re still able to be hacked or disabled since you are a robot, ¡°You alone might not be a good idea,¡± ¡°Very well I cannot deny that,¡± ¡°No, if that¡¯s the case I¡¯ll go with Xpunk,¡± Himari interjects ¡°You? it¡¯s more dangerous¡± ¡°Its more dangerous for me to travel back alone with a child, I would be practically defenseless You however have the opposite problem Apollo, right now we need someone to protect, this ch¨CEmma¡­ XPunk and I will search for Kage, it¡¯s more logical,¡± ¡°¡­. Aghh, Just don¡¯t do anything you don¡¯t need to,¡± Apollo reluctantly concedes reluctantly Since coming to this ring, the two had not been apart from each other¡­ ¡°I¡¯m leaving Emma with Sprite, and coming back here for you, There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll, I¡¯ll¡­.¡± ¡°I get it¡± Himari squeezes his hand ¡°I will see you again safely and we¡¯ll get back Kage, Something-someone that important should not be left in the hands lf the wrong people,¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I, I know, we will see each other again¡­¡± nods Apollo before turning and heading in the opposite direction ¡°You know the Velvet Underground would have been a safer location than in the forest,¡± Xpunk says ¡°Lets go,¡± Himari ignores the robot gazing across the field of buildings within the Pentagon of Xander labs ¡°Now of all these facilities, Where would they keep Kage?¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Arghhh¡± (What just happened?) ¡°Welcome back to consciousness, Amadeus, or is it Kage you go by?¡± ¡°Ackt¡± trying to turn I cut my nose on a sharp blade (Where, what?) All around me are divinely sharp blades, that would probably cut me if I looked at them too long ¡°Please do not try to move, Kage, well you can if you want but it would probably cause you pain,¡± the voice that speaks to me comes from below, It appears I¡¯m suspended in the air, in a round prison of blades ¡°I never thought I would see you again so soon, Granted I¡¯ve only seen you on videos¡­¡± ¡°Who are you? The supreme leader? What are you going to do with me?¡± (How do I get out of this one?) ¡°The supreme leader? Surely not, my name is doctor Frankenxtein, It¡¯s quite an unexpected honor to have you in here Kage, The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.We had originally prepared this for Brandon, but as circumstances would have it you got free on your own and came here all the way from Gaia,¡± ¡°¡­. What do you want from me?¡± I pretend to ask as a way to buy time¡­ ¡°Nothing in particular, we already have you, now it¡¯s only a matter of time, I¡¯m just using this an opportunity to pick your brain a little,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to tell you that you probably don¡¯t know already¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ But the last time you were here there was no Kage for me talk to, now there is, I want to know the personality of Kage, How did you enjoy your time on Gaia on Tellus?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± (Maybe I can try to conjure something to break out) ¡°It was a mixed experience¡± I say out loud ¡°Hmm, interesting, So, you are a quite deceptive¡­ Even now as I speak you are brainstorming ways of getting free¡± (He was onto me) ¡°As long as you remain within the meat grinder, all your actions movements even the slightest bit of air you exhale is monitored and calculated,¡± ¡°Meat Grinder?¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose you should already be familiar with this type machine given it is where you spent a lot of time in¡± ¡°I think I would have remembered myself being trapped in prison by blades¡± (Or at least feel some sense of familiarity) ¡°This isn¡¯t a prison Kage, no,no,no, It¡¯s art, A beautiful creation meant to utilize your full potential Kage, With Brandon we would have to wait a few more years for him to be of use to us, But we can use you right now, as you¡¯re already perfect.¡± ¡°Use me for what?¡± (¡­¡­¡­) ¡°Instead of telling you, I¡¯ll show you,¡± ¡­¡­. *Click!?* I can¡¯t see what the doctor did from up here, but¡­. Churrrnn? The blades around me start humming, slowly beginning to turn towards me. (Shit, I¡¯m finished) ¡­.. ¡­.. Slower slow, steady, fast faster¨Cfaster¨Cfaster¨Cfaster Vwoom¡­? Vwoom¡­.? Vwooom¡­..? Churrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnn! Churrrrr¡ª Eeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!? The machine spins so fast the sound itself becomes high pitched and distorted, and still, it gains speed Kage who was inside the transparent orb of blades now sliced into millions of pieces The speed growing even more. ¡°Amadeus? Kage!? Can you still hear me?¡± asks dr. Frankenxtein gleefully ¡°Right now your being grinded up, well past light speed, Turning your body from mass into divine energy!¡± Eeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyyyyyyy!!!!!!!? The sound frequency given off by the meat grinder is enough to burst the ear drums of anyone standing to close¡­ Then¨C It stops abruptly, going completely silent A burst of all colors now radiate all over from the machine however inside the orb there¡¯s nothing, It¡¯s completely transparent now, Yet color still spreads out ¡°Conversion complete,¡± smiles Frankenxtein ¡°Now to use you¡­. Kage? Can you still hear me? If you can, then you¡¯re doing a great job for us right now, A wonderful sight to behold, How does it feel being back to your old state after all this time? I haven¡¯t thought of what to call this yet But the beast of the null regions of Gaia do have a name they used to call you, Perhaps I should use that since it isn¡¯t bad, They used to call you the Phantom Flame remember?¡± Any Color You Like The phantom flame, known to beasts of Gaia as colorless flame whose heat can be felt when you near it, A fire which illuminates that of the entire color spectrum but yet it has no color of it¡¯s own, Touching the flame grants differing results, Some people just die Others gain it¡¯s power briefly before dying from the inability to contain it There has been many methods to tame flame and use some of it¡¯s power It was even discovered the flame¡¯s ability to restore your body whence receiving it¡¯s power, For example, if you cut off your arm and touched the flame, you would gain it¡¯s power and a new arm as well, though there were varying side effects as well¡­. Besides sharing it¡¯s power the flame itself could be seen as power source, now one that fueled machines and contraptions however One that held Gaia, Tellus and Terra together, or apart in a sense, Well, that¡¯s how it used to be¡­ ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡°No one in sight, and all these labs empty,¡± Himari grits her teeth The lab she¡¯d just exited was stocked with corpses of people from her ring (¡°Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it¡±) she repeats to herself inwardly As much as she would like to do something about it, What really can be done? ¡°Shall we try another Ms. Himari?¡± asks Xpunk, Who has been running the woman all across the large field of buildings surrounded by the pentagonal walls ¡°Obviously We have to check every one until we find Kage, It feel eerily suspicious that this place is practically abandoned, Maybe they were expecting us, given how things have turned out,¡± ¡°The chances of that would be really low, miss Himari, seemingly since the Velvet Underground is incredibly secure, The systems cannot be accessed by outside means and one cannot warp there outside of the designated spots,¡± ¡°I know but¨C¡± Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr? ¡­¡­¡­..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The two pause their movement as the ground begins to tremor Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr? ¡°What¡¯s happening now,¡± Himari agitatedly looks around half expecting to see a group tanks robots giants, anything that would shake the ground really However this sound isn¡¯t just happening near her and X The entire first ring tremors¨C You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.¨CNo, not just the first, the second and third as well¡­ Unbeknownst to them all a song plays loudly, it¡¯s frequency so high that it cannot be heard by the naked ear But it¡¯s vibrations still felt¡­.. Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggg? An invisible light bursts up from the center most facility within the Pentagon The dim night sky begins to shine brighter than midday and more colorful than before on contact with the light ¡°Kage¡¯s definitely in there!¡± exclaims Himari immediately making pace¡­. ¡°WAIT! MS. HIAMRI! DON¡¯T MOVE YET OR YOU WILL DIE,¡± Xpunk bellows ¡°huh?¡± ¡°Wait, let it pass first¡± ¡­.. ¡­¡­. Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr? ¡°Aye what the fook? Why are we feeling earthquakes on the sea?¡± ¡°Oi! Dirty Harry, come see this!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a fish ya caught again, I¡¯ll shoot ya in the foot!¡± the woman retorts ¡­¡­ ¡­.. ¡°Aye, yow? Why¡¯s the sky colorful?¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ***** ¡°Eve, my wife, the sky it¡¯s¨C¡± ¡°¨CYes, J can see it clearly Adam,¡± the woman steps away from a window ¡°Have we determined the reason for this yet?¡± ¡°No, but there¡¯s more The seabank whirlpools are gone, we are unsure of what is beyond the whirlpools yet, The void sea has also cleared up, our satellites are now picking up a large mountain range surrounding our sea,¡± ¡°What is happening¡­. Could this be Kage?¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­... ¡­¡­ Drrrrrrrrrrrrrr? ¡°Agghh!¡± MF rubs his bruised body sorely ¡°Stupid earthquake made me crash the Jukebox¡­¡­. Wha¨C Woah¨C The sky here is colorful? I swore it blue when I was on the mountain¡­¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ ***** Drrrrr¨Crrrr¨Crr¨Cr¨C The tremors slowly dissipate, the sky follows suit from radiating bright light to it¡¯s normal flow of colors, Only instead of reverting to night the day sky stays constant¡­ ¡°The time zone changed?¡± Himari looks up in anxious confusion ¡°Speaking of that... We should hurry to rescue Kage now It¡¯s almost time¡± Xpunk voice speaks in a somewhat excited tone, already it starts to move hurriedly towards the source of the original beam of light ¡°Almost time for what?¡± Himari follows behind feeling slightly disoriented ¡°For us to, get Kage away from here safely,¡± rambles the robot hurriedly ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± (?) U | Interlude Well this is familiar sight, The sight of nothing¡­. Home sweet void I must be unconscious right now I can¡¯t remember why though What happened? It probably doesn¡¯t matter anyways I¡¯ll be up in no time ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ I wonder how long ¨C ¡°¨CKage¡± Hmm? Well if it isn¡¯t myself¡­. Are you here to tell you¨Cme to go home? Because if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I? Terra¡­ Are you happy?? ¡°Kage¡­¡± Spit it out me ¡°We aren¡¯t home, this isn¡¯t home we are close but this isn¡¯t it¡± What? Is there another ring then? Auuhhggghh! I¡¯m so tired of this, I¡¯ve the aimlessly following what you want me to do, where you want to go I don¡¯t even know what I want for myself ¡°What do I want Kage?¡± I! As in me, me alone, not you! I just want to¡­.. I don¡¯t know But even if I wanted to I never get the chance because I keep getting pushed in whatever direction you want Home this! Home that! Then what!? Will I be happy then!? ¡°What makes you happy Kage?¡± Nothing does But everything does at the same time ¡°Do you know what makes the me of you happy Kage?¡± ¡­.. ¡°Everything, The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Everything that is of positivity, Beauty of the world And the art of life, Doesn¡¯t the you that is you feel similar?¡± ¡­.. Yes, but¡­ I also¡­ I also thrive off negativity, I like all that you just said.. But I also like negativity There¡¯s something distinctly beautiful about death And funny about murder ¡­.. ¡°That¡¯s to be expected given that you are you who is us¡± What does that mean? ¡°She means that you like all that I do as well her Kage¡± She?? That was another me? ¡°I am the you that has been pushing you to get home Kage I am one who enjoys negativity Destruction It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡± There were two of me? Three if I included myself¡­ ¡°No,¡± ¡°There is only one Kage, You can consider us just partitioned memories All of your virtuous memories, her And I, sin¡± Then what am I? The husk without any? ¡°You are the us that is the decider But only when we get home¡± Home, Home, Home! Where is home? ¡°You will know soon¡± ¡°But for now, Kage,¡± ¡°Think about us more and you will no longer hear the buzzing.¡± The buzzing? That waswas¡ª ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡°Aghhh, Why is everything spinninggg¡­?¡± ¡°Kage? Kage? Kage?¡± Street Lights BWOOOOMMMM!! A large hole is blasted through a steel wall, ¡°Cover me XPunk!¡± Himari¡¯s voice orders, as the two step through the smoking rubble ¡°Wwoah¡± She halts briefly, taking in the surroundings She had expected to blast into a lab perhaps with many curious contraptions and computers surroundings by steel walls and stone ceilings But it¡¯s quite the opposite, This building is labeled Xander storage lab It is the height of an airport hanger, and just as spacious The entire interior in fact is a single room, At the center a huge cross stands where at it¡¯s center an relatively large spiral machine made of tielium, A picturesque array of colors burst from the center of the spiral on the cross, Himari has to quickly compose herself by ignoring all thought of the extremely convoluted machine¡­. ¡­.. ¡°Kage?¡± she cautiously calls eyeing around the empty hanger-like room ¡°It appears to be empty,¡± XPunk rushes towards the machine ¡°But why? Why haven¡¯t I seen anyone from this ring yet? Why isn¡¯t anyone trying to fight against us?¡± the woman voices her anxious thoughts ¡­. Smashh!! Leaping up in air the robot smashes the orb in the spiraling machine¡¯s center ending the colorful light show ¡°Perhaps it would be best not to think about those things until we get Kage away from here,¡± advises Xpunk ¡°Is that¡­.Kage¡­..?¡± the woman peers at the lights They all swirl towards a single spot from where the orb fell, nothing is there though it gives off heat ¡­ ¡­. ¡­. ¡­... The heat steadily dissipates and in the place where nothing was, matter begins to form Matter in the form of a human ¡°Kage..¡± Himari rushes to the body ¡°Wait¡± warns Xpunk they¡¯re still hot ¡°And lacking mana or magic required to fully heal right now¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Himari looks at the steaming body in both awe and horror It looks like a someone whose just survived an explosion, ¡°I don¡¯t have any magic stones on me¡­.¡± Mumbles the robot, ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll use a little of my mana to speed up the process,¡± ¡°Mana? How can you have mana?¡± Hiamri watches as the robot touches the body, speeding up it¡¯s regeneration ¡°Be patient ms. Nara, your time is coming soon¡± it answers with slight giddiness in it¡¯s tone.. ¡°¡­.¡± Himari doesn¡¯t reply, unsure of what to make of the artificial intelligence that is Xpunk ¡­¡­. ¡°ughnnn!¡± the body groans ¡°Why is everything spinninggg¡­?¡± ¡°Kage?¡± calls Himari ¡°Kage?¡± XPunk says concernedly ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°I-I¡­. I feel sleepy, where are we again?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here quickly, I¡¯m sensing drones circling us,¡± XPunk helps Kage up ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on right now,¡± Kage mumbles ¡­¡­. ¡­. ***** (I¡¯m so hungry, When was the last time I was actually hungry Or thirsty now that I think about it It had to be after the desert, I remember being so dehydrated and hungry back then) ¡­. ¡­ This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be making a beeline out of the City?¡± Himari protests to the robot ¡°I am detecting many drones all waiting for us there, I have already downloaded the mal data for the city, there is a secret tunnel we can use to get out¡­¡± ¡°¡­.. I don¡¯t see any drones, but as long we can get out of here safely¡± Himari replies skeptically ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ok moving by yourself,¡± she turns back to me, ¡°I¡¯m fine¡±(ish) ¡°I¡¯m still trying to gather my thoughts, on what happened, I can hardly remember anything, after the lab, Is Apollo ok? Did you get the child?¡± ¡°Mhm, yes and yes, Apollo might be rushing here as we speak,¡± ¡°All the more reason to get out quickly so that we can intercept hin from running into trouble,¡± XPunk intervenes ¡°Very well, I won¡¯t hold you two back,¡± I say jogging ahead of them The great City Pluton is now lit under a noon sky (I wonder how much time passed for it to be day now) The city that is built in the middle of a snowing freezing wasteland, is quiet tropical and breezy A few coconut trees here and their line somewhat out of place next to the dirt-less and empty silver roads and colorfully lit street lights despite being daytime, They look almost celebrative the way the street lights dance in the day light¡­ (Where are the people?) ¡­. ¡­. ¡°That turn over there,¡± guides XPunk We¡¯re now deep into the city, in the beehive of it all, Here the buildings and homes are almost all homogeneous in architecture, but some still have different colors and even that individualize them (I¡¯m so tired) ¡°We¡¯re almost there Kage,¡± the robot says reassuringly practically reading my mind ¡°I don¡¯t like how empty this, city is, and I haven¡¯t yet heard a single drone after us, How are we even supposed to find this tunnel out?¡± complains Himari ¡°Your time will come soon ms. Nara, don¡¯t worry¡± the drawls says quite lazily Unity Park Up Ahead A holographic sign flashes in the street as we near a turn off road ¡°Yes there¡± I note a weird eagerness in Xpunk¡¯s voice ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. *Flash**Flash* *Flash**Flash* *Flash* (What the¨C People?) Turning into the Savannah wide park we¡¯re bombarded by an great crowd of people Cameras flash on us and drones begin buzz around recording (What the hell is gone) *Slice* Plop!? ¡­. ¡°Hima¨C¡± I turn to see the woman¡¯s reaction to this But... Himari¡¯s body stands there alone¡­ ¡­. Just her body¡­ Blood spilling out from the base of her neck ¡­. Her severed head rolls past my feet ¡°Xpunk?¡± I turn to my other side The robot¡¯s face is split in two ¡­.. The screen with the animated face now vertically cut across¡­ Two halves of the robot¡¯s head falling the wayside ¡­.. (Who¡­.?) No¡­. Wait¡­ As the face cracks apart Another face smiles from behind it A human face ¡°The robot XPunk you knew was never real¡± a voice booms with planetary influence on every word ¡°It was always me Kage The one and only supreme leader.¡± Flashing Lights ¡°Ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between, I welcome you all to this glorious day¡± smiles a man whose teeth are so white, they could light their only solar system *Flash* *Flash* Cameras rapidly capture the man¡¯s every subtle movement He rubs his thick, well trimmed beard that covers his perfect jaw, a jaw in fact so chiseled, so refined, that you could probably mine diamonds with it¡­ ¡°Please, thank you all, Thank you all for coming on this glorious day! As you all recall, you know I love to show off!¡± The man breathes in the atmosphere from his perfect well shaped well-rounded nose, A nose so perfect that he could probably smell across acres of land and blow out tornadoes of wind from it ¡°Let this day go down in history this accomplishment does not help me, but all of us, You wonderful people!¡± man continues glancing around his feet with his eyes as blue as stars eyes so enchanting that they could woo women and men alike if they looked at you too long, This is the man everyone looks up to on Terra, the one at the top of all humans, Their supreme leader¡­. ¡°Look at this everyone¡± the supreme leader grabs up Himari¡¯s severed head lifting it up to the crowd ¡°This right here is the head of someone who I was quite found of, a well dignified and devoted woman, Though her convictions showed me that she was worthy to be apart of this era, Her death to us is more important¡­ Now tell me, Are you people with the new era?¡± ¡°YEAHHHH!¡± the crowd roars back at him ¡°And now let me show you all the bringer of this era, the reason for my lovely friend Himari¡¯s passing, The mythical corpse of the dead Gods, Amadeus!¡± ¡­¡­. (What are all these lights? Himari¡¯s dead? Ughh I¡¯m so tired¡­ I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening right now, Am I still dreaming?) ¡°Amadeus also calls itself Kage, So, feel free to address her how you like, Now come on Kage introduce yourself¡± ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± I slur out automatically unable to grasp what¡¯s going on ¡°A little disoriented, are you? I will introduce myself to you officially, My name is Xezus Punk First, the supreme leader of the former ring known as Terra, But thanks to your help, Terra is no more, neither is Tellus and Gaia, We have successfully destroyed the event horizons separating each rings now they have all joined together forming what I shall name, New Earth.¡± ¡°YEAAAAAHHHHHH!¡± the crowd cheers at the announcement ¡°Wha¡­..ttt¡± I blink repeatedly wiping my watering eyes from the bright flashing lights (This is not real¨CThis is not real¨CThis is not real¨CThis is not real¨CThis is not real This is an illusion¨CThis is an illusion¨CThis is an illusion¨CThis is an illusion) ¡°What happened to XPunk? Why is Himari dead Why did you call me a corpse? What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck? Why¡­.¡± ¡°Easy there boy, you may need time to digest all of this, Like I told you before Kage, I will keep you from now on, You are safe with me, I will even spare your last living friend the angel human hybrid, I¡¯ll leave him alive, as long as he promises to be peaceful on new earth, Stolen story; please report.Or actually maybe I should also get him to kill that forest avatar for me¡­ A being that powerful could upset the new balance I am trying to establish,¡± Xezus thinks to himself (I¡¯m going to close my eyes, When I reopen them I¡¯m going to be back in Furlheim City, in the institute, Karina will probably be right next to, She¡¯s going to ask me what happened I¡¯ll tell her I had a long dream, a long nightmare She will laugh it off and say I¡¯m weird after telling her, Later she will mention it to Lyra and Apollo, I will get embarrassed and tell her to shut up, Pinoki will suddenly appear with the twins and make a comment on it, Everyone will chuckle at it We¡¯ll go on adventures later and¡­..) My eyes open *Flash* the cameras still bustle actively lashing me with their lights Xezus has his arm around my shoulder, I don¡¯t even know when he put it there, (It¡¯s not a dream) ¡°Excuse¡­. Mr. Supreme leader¡± I mumble immediately capturing his attention from the crowd I¡¯m already starting to see images of Himari¡¯s memories flashing with the lights they imprint themselves onto my consciousness ¡°You know, Himari and were never the closet of companions, I always found her interesting though¡­ But there¡¯s something about unexpected death, That pisses me off It upsets my status quo, It upsets my balance of things¡± I pull away from the hulking man but instantly stumble around wobbly and light headed ¡°And for that I want to, No I will kill you" ¡°Be careful there Kage, you¡¯re still not one hundred percent yet, I think it¡¯s best you stay by side in case something bad happens to you¡± Xezus smiles at me cordially though I can hear the passive aggressiveness in his tone ¡°Come Kage, pose for the cameras, this is a monumental day, Can somebody get this woman¡¯s body incinerated!? It does leave an awful sight, Alexander!?¡± ¡°Yes, supreme one?¡± The Android¨Cor the perfect human Alexander teleports in front of us ¡°Its been some time since we last spoke Kage, my condolences for your friend Lyra, And I suppose this woman as well, I shall remove the body at once, supreme one¡± ¡°No, Leave it¡± I breathe ¡°Don¡¯t touch it,¡± *Flash* *Flash* ¡°Will you stop with the pictures!? Leave my¨CHimari¡¯s body alone, I know what you will do with it¡± (Aghh what the fuck is happening!? Everything is so confusing!) ¡°Kage, if you are feeling confused and overwhelmed right now, It is because you are¡± Mr. First puts his arms back around, an arm so thick it could bend titanium steel just with a slight hug, ¡°It is alright now, you can stop thinking now, There is no need, You don¡¯t have to pretend to be human anymore, All you have to do now is remain quite and with me forever, Let me use you, You hear that everyone!¡± Xezus turns back to the crowd ¡°Kage, will never go away from us again! She will be the flag, of this new earth!¡± ¡°YAHHHHHHH! NEW EARTH! NEW EARTH! NEW EARTH!¡± ¡­... ¡°¡­I. I¡­. ¡­..??¡± All of the Lights This is how it¡¯s always been for me to be honest¡­ I always thought I was human, but deep down I knew I never was But I still felt that I was an individual, my own kind of person Now I¡¯m to be an object? A flag of new earth For what? Why? I¡¯m tired I really tired All these lights flashing in my face The loud cheering It¡¯s so fake I can feel all of their emotions They¡¯re just cheering because their leader said so No one knows what¡¯s going I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s happening right now Mann I hate these lights Maybe I should do something about them¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­.. ¡°NEW EARTH NEW EARTH!¡± the people still chanting loudly ¡°Was all this a joke for you?¡± I push away from Xezus once more ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! I¡¯m not yours I don¡¯t even know you, XPunk or whatever your name is,¡± ¡°It is Xezus First; besides my wife you are the only person that is allowed to address me by that name¡± the man still ignoring my attempts to antagonize ¡°Was everything you said XPunk a lie? About wanting peace, and unity, Was the entire Velvet Underground a massive sham to prepare for this¡­ This¨Caghhh!¨CI can¡¯t find the right words!¡± (My head hurts, my head hurts, my head hurts) *Flash* *Flash* ¡°No, everything I said in the Velvet Underground was quite true, I strive for all pf those things, and as you can clearly see my dreams are close to fruition, the base itself was built by some spineless cowards who now use the balance of nature to hide from me, Alright everyone Quiet!¡± Xezus shouts to the crowd which immediately goes mute, all of the lights diming out as well¡­. ¡­... ¡­¡­ Fwoo~? A cold breeze brushes across my cheek, everything now silent it begins to feel somewhat tense The air reeks the metallic scent of blood going up my nose¡­ Alexander stands quietly awaiting orders from his leader unsure whether to go with the body of Himari or not... ..... ¡°Now I¡¯m not going to repeat myself Kage¡­ I own you know, You are not real, You are not human You should not think You should only speak when I tell you too, That is why I organized this whole thing Kage, I could have killed your friends the moment they escaped months ago, But I knew you were going to come looking for them This was all orchestrated by me to break your mind, your perception of what¡¯s real, Stop fighting it, stop questioning everything, just stop being Kage.¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°¡­I¨C¡± ¡°¨CNo, do not speak yet,¡± the man grabs me by neck pulling my face close to his. His hypnotic starry eyes feel almost like they¡¯re peering into my soul ¡°Now, Kage repeat after me¡­¡± ¡°Re¡­repeat after me¡± ¡°I¡± ¡°I¡± ¡°Am¡± ¡°am¡± ¡°Not¡± ¡°not¡± ¡°A human¡± ¡°a human¡± ¡°I belong to¡± ¡°I belong to¡± ¡°Humanity¡± ¡°Hu¡­¡± ¡°Say it¡± ¡°Hum¨CNo, no I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t belong to you!¡± I fight back ¡°¡­.. You already do Kage,¡± Mr. First sighs like a disappointed parent Taking the chance I pull away from him for the third time and¡­. (Where am I?) My body bounces back, the air feels rubbery now, The park the people, all of the lights they¡¯re all gone, The atmosphere is dense the ground is hard and sandy the sky is pitch black This feels all to familiar, If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.(Am I inside a magic diamond? When did he teleport me? I didn¡¯t notice even slightly Have always been here? Agghhh! I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s real anymore!) ¡°You seem familiar with these~¡± a voice whispers in my ear I swing around to see no one but a dark void ¡°I realize the error in my plan now, You don¡¯t have a strong connection to Himari as you do too Apollo, I should have killed him not her, Or maybe even orchestrated something even worse, Perhaps this was too simple?¡± his voice bounces around me like an echo chamber¡­ ¡°Enough with the evil games supreme leader!¡± I spit out randomly still trying to figure out what words I should say, What should my response be? ¡°Haha you call me with respect, and evil? That is bold claim coming from you Amadeus. I am trying to bring peace and equality to all humans, While you keep and create an unfair so called balance that has us unequal,¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything to you!¡± ¡°Yes I know but you have taken the mantle and all that comes with it, You¡¯ve been across all rings Kage, you¡¯ve seen how it is, On Gaia the people are granted a connection to nature and the magic that comes with it, But their technological advancements will be doomed to fail no matter what, The opposite is for the people of Tellus, they get the tech but no magic, And us of Terra, we get both, but with pitiful bodies that live short lives and die if you scratch them too hard, Is that a suitable balance Amadeus!?¡± ¡°¡­.That¡­ That has nothing to do with me¡± ¡°hahah now you act nonchalant, Because of you Amadeus, we farm the bodies lf Tellus humans to grow babies, And now on this new earth we will finally be able to begin using the people of Gaia to create perfect bodies for ourselves¡± ¡°Your sick, all of this is!¡± ¡°Maybe it is, but would you rather we have just gone extinct? Because that¡¯s how it was before, we here on Terra have almost gone extinct so many times we stopped counting, Do you know how it feels to be told you¡¯re wife is pregnant here? It¡¯s painful, because you not only have to prepare to raise a child that might die before it even begins to walk, You also have to prepare for your wife¡¯s funeral in advance, because she¡¯s drying regardless of if the child survives, Is that balance Kage? Is that a good way to maintain the rings?¡± ¡°Stop it, stop pressuring me on things I have no hand in! I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s¨Ceverything feels so disorienting right now!¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡°Then stop thinking and just concede to me Kage,¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Still you refuse, Hhhhhh Kage, Kage, Kage¡­ I wonder who it is gave you that name? Did you name yourself or was it that thief the blackmagic dealer who stole you from the Second Family¡­? Kage, Kage, Kage, Truly a shadow of your former selves, You know something about shadows Amadeus?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°They are things created from light yet they are of darkness, a queer balance To us humans shadows are things not necessarily real, illusions if you may, they resemble our appearance, but only in silhouette, they can¡¯t be heard touched or interacted with in any way, These are the exact same descriptions one could use when speaking about a god and if God is similar to the shadow of a human, Wouldn¡¯t the god¡¯s shadow resemble the appearance of human?¡± Can You Feel My Heart ¡°I don¡¯t know what all that tremoring was, and the sky got bright too, I wonder what happened?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it was anything good, I fear¡­ You keep Emma safe for now Sprite, I have to go get Himari and Kage,¡± ¡°I will protect her with my life sir!¡± Sprite salutes as though she was a soldier ¡°You¡¯re always so dramatic,¡± Apollo smiles faintly, in the back of throat a bad taste, far in his mind bad thoughts (¡°No, I mustn¡¯t think like that! They¡¯re ok¡±) shaking himself the young man waves goodbye to Sprite and hurriedly makes his way back to the city ¡­.. Unable to feel his legs even slightly, Apollo¡¯s movements are purely instinctual, His legs only ever move forward really, at either a fixed walking pace or fixed running pace He doesn¡¯t express out loud, but making simples turns are incredibly difficult for him, as he must stop out right and rotate his whole body before moving again ¡°I have to get there quickly¡­.¡± Apollo huffs his anxiety building which each speedy step ¡°YEAHHHHHH! NEWEARTH!¡± He hears the far but loud cheering all the way in Pluton (¡°What could possibly be happening¡±) ¡°They¡¯re safe They¡¯re safe They¡¯re safe¡± Over and over the man repeats this in anxious conviction, it¡¯s been some time since he¡¯s last felt Himari¡¯s emotions (¡°Maybe we¡¯re too far¡±) ¡°Darius!¡± he calls the sword to side, ¡­.. Setting it down flat Apollo hops on sword riding it like a surfboard on air ¡°I need you to get me to Himari as fast as possible Darius¡± .. Fwooo~ Fwooooo~ The wind blows against the young man¡¯s face as the great sword zips through the air gaining speed now¡­ Fwoooo~ Fwooooo~ ¡­. Fwo¨C ¨Cuhnk! THUD! As he¡¯d been speeding through the air an arm appears suddenly in his path, clotheslining him out of the air ¡°Uhgn¡± Apollo stumbles up from the hard fall, At this point he had already reached as far as the snowy outlands surroundings Pluton, ¡°This is as far as you go Apollo,¡± Alexander appears in front of him ¡°The supreme leader has ordered for you to be captured for now,¡± behind Alexander a group of similar looking people also warp in ¡°Long time no see Alexander,¡± Apollo stretches his back sorely, speaking in a firendly but warning tone ¡°And here I was wandering what happened to you, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you something for a while now, But it will have to wait, now get out my way let me rescue my friends and we¡¯ll be gone from here¡± ¡°If you were thinking of asking me the whereabouts of your parent,¡± Alexander raises his hand to signal the people behind him not to attack yet ¡°He is dead, has been for a long time, along with my younger brother, But I bear no grudge against you Apollo the past is the past, And speaking of history, Your spouse Ms. Nara is already history, surrender peacefully and¨C¡± KRABOOM! A thunderous fist cracks into Alexander¡¯s skull sending him into the people ¡°Don¡¯t make that kind of jokes with me,¡± Apollo going from bothered to heated in milliseconds ¡°I came prepared for that explosive power¡± Alexander picks himself up unscathed from the powerful blow, The group of ''perfect humans¡¯ stand still their eyes glowing preparing to fire on Alexander¡¯s command ¡°The supreme leader, says that if you go back to the Venus Forrest right now, and kill it¡¯s avatar, As long as you never leave said Forrest again you can remain alive on new earth, Refuse and you are guaranteed, to be killed by the Supreme one¡¯s hands, You see the mana that protects the forest is similar to that of your home ring of Gaia, meaning out most advanced technology does not work there unless permitted by the avatar, Making it impossible for even the supreme one to kill¡± ¡°Get out my way¡± Apollo ignores every single thing that just came out of Alexander¡¯s mouth His throat feels dry and lumpy and his heart beats harder than ever (¡°I have to get to Himari, Why don¡¯t I feel her anymore?¡±) ¡°I told you already the woman is dead,¡± Alexander senses the franticness in Apollo¡¯s subtle movements ¡°Stop lying! I won¡¯t fall for this manipulative stall tactics!¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.¡°Stall? We could execute you right now, but seeing as you are in denial¡­.¡± ¡­¡­. Alexander warps away and back in an instant, holding something in his hand... ¡­.. Immediately Apollo¡¯s heart beat accelerates, all the veins in his body contract, his arms begin to tremble¡­. Drip? Drip? Drip? Drip? Droplets of blood dye the snow below, Hanging from it¡¯s hair A stoic face, but a pretty one, A¨C A¨C ¡­¡­ ¡°H¡­¡± Apollo¡¯s eyes squeeze up welding with water He wants to un-see it He wants to un-see it so badly ¡°Nnn..¡± he tries to articulate but the words melt out ¡°Nnnwh¡­.y. Why Whyyyy What did she do¨Cto you?¡± he breaks down ¡°uhhhuhuhjuh Whhydoyoukeepdoingthistoomee!?¡± ¡°My advice to you is, take the Supreme leader¡¯s offer, go to the forest and¨C¡± ¨CBRAKOOM-BOOM! ¡°All of you will pay! I¡¯m not running away!¡± DUDOOOM! Apollo pummels down onto the android, A shield of light flashes over his face protecting him from the force of each blow, ¡°Very well,¡± Alexander warps out of Apollo¡¯s grip, ¡°Froyxander, Freyxander beam his legs, Olexander and Lexaxander his torso, and Gibxander and Rufxander his arms¡± he orders hus companions DUDOOM!? Thumping the ground Apollo cracks it apart causing the thick sheet of snow to cover the air ¡°Achhhhhhh!¡± he screams out his sorrowful agony, his war cry Vwooop! Then swings his massive sword at the group, but they just warp out of harms way DUDOOM!! His heart beats as strong as he punches more on the terrain, cracking it to the point that it would be impossible to move around in. ¡­. ¡°Stay put for now Apollo¡± Alexander teleports ono his back holding him a rear naked choke The other Xanders, take this time to fire their beams at him, they don¡¯t penetrate his skin however instead disables his individual body parts ¡°ackkk¡¯ Apollo chokes from the grip his light brown face now going bright red DUDOOM!!? His heart still beats strongly each thump reverberating within his body (¡°Kill them? No I won¡¯t!) Apollo fights with himself internally desperately trying to cling on to his prior convictions¡­ ¡°ackkk! Ge¡­.t off¡­. Mee!¡± DUDOOOM!! His heart beats stronger than ever before this time sending a strong surge lightning throughout his body ¡°Oh, ok¡± Alexander leaps lf the young man¡¯s back, The android¡¯s entire front side is smoking hot from the lightning surge ¡°If I could feel pain that might have been it for me¡± Alexander comments in displeasure It didn¡¯t even matter at this point that Alexander was off Apollo, as the other Xanders had already disabled his hands, legs, even abdominal muscles collapsing him into a defenseless heap on the cracked snowy terrain ¡°Die¡­¡± Apollo grumbles angrily ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Die!¡± DUDOOM!!? ¡°I want you to dieeee!¡± DUDOOM!!? ¡°But¨C But I won¡¯t be the one killing you¡± DUDOOOM!!? The pulsing of hear beats escaping Apollo¡¯s body now leaking into the ground, like a wave that crashes into the sea causing ripples, Only these ripples are waves of mana traveling through ground, ¡°Above, no get away from him!¡± Alexander shouts to his companions after briefly analyzing the pulsing''s effects But it¡¯s too late. DUDOOOM!-DUDOOOM!? Apollo¡¯s heart beats like a generator, each pulse leaving his body approaching the speed of sound spreading rapidly across the terrain up ahead, paralyzing any and all living things touching the ground, In contrast to this Apollo uses this to reverse the effects of the disabling beams on himself... ¡°Aghhll¡± the man stumbles to his feet letting aa stream of tears flow down his cheeks He watches the fallen people around him, They are still conscious but now unable to move, ¡°I really... Ohhhh..I really wanted to kill you, Kill someone, in exchange for what you did to her¡­ But-aughh Auhhhhuhuh!¡± he breaks down before finishing his sentence ¡­.. ¡°Bb But¡­ if I give in and murder all of you, What will that say to Kage? Auhhhhuhuh I¡¯m so angry right now But if Iauhhh If I¨C If I give in to hate, then Kage will have no reason not to as well, And unlike me, Kage will not hesitate to kill us all¡± Crescendo: Duality Crrrrrccckkk¨CBOOOM! Thunder cracks and echoes loudly in the sky, It doesn¡¯t rain at all in the Great City Pluton given the weather is controlled by it¡¯s inhabitants, Crrrrrccckkk¨CBOOOM! Thunder booms angrily, through the rain, The entirety of Terra rains, but not just the former first ring, it rains all across Tellus and Gaia as well, This is spurred on due to pseudo combination of the rings, the weather and even time zone is now in perfect sync across them all, Crrrrrccckkk¨CBOOOM! The rain falls slowly and calmly yet thunder barks like a pack of mad dogs. BOOOM! It only sounds off within Pluton, This thunder, alien to current weather, isn¡¯t even a creation of the weather, Rather it¡¯s ¨C ¨CBASH¡ªKABRABAAM! Apollo rams the sword into a tank-like vehicle launching it into similar vehicles behind With each step he makes a thunderous crashing follows suit, Rain trickles down his face washing away the stain of his tears, Clouds of smoke from the wreckage and carnage the man is currently causing, builds up over the sky like dark clouds, ¡°Where is Kage!?¡± Apollo shouts, gazing around the city of Pluton which, now is in silent uproar, due to the strong aura of mana radiating off him, it disables everyone within a field¡¯s distance of him, Not even the people alone but their tech as well also fail against vengeful angry hybrid human, However despite all of this, Not a soul has perished, Not a single death caused by Apollo¡¯s hand, as he moves steadily towards the First Mansion An unstoppable force¡­. ¡­.. ¡­.. ***** ¡°Do finally understand what you are to us humans Kage?¡± Xezus¡¯ voice echoes sounding of admiration and condescension simultaneously I can¡¯t see where he is nor can I perceive my surrounding, only his perfect monotone voice¡­ (I don¡¯t even know anymore, Maybe, no, not maybe, he his definitely right, I am not a human, merely an object that holds many memories, All of which belonged to real people at some point in time) ¡­. (Nothing I do matters, no choice I make mine¡­) Even now as I think Himari¡¯s memories flood my mind, her influences her goals becoming my goals ¡°No answer means you do get it now do you Kage?¡± Presses the Supreme leader ¡­¡­ I still do not reply (What could I say again? That he¡¯s wrong, that I¡¯m real? Stop thinking doesn¡¯t even sound that bad) ¡°You know when we first discovered you I was alive it was thousands of years ago, but I still remember like it was yesterday, Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.A light bursting out of the tower, our blue sky turning into a spectrum of color, and the sight of death, Angels and Demons, those mana beings at war with each other fighting over something, At the time we didn¡¯t know what, but the through the chaos our people managed to nab you, and what a sight you were beautiful you weren¡¯t alive, but not dead either, just incomplete, Because of our research on your body we were able to partially replicate it, giving us the knowledge to create perfect bodies, It¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m still alive today Kage, thanks to you,¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± (What is he even talking about? Do I even care? What do I feel that is solely mine? What do I have?) ¡°Fuck off!¡± I suddenly tell out into the void, My voice echoing back to me ¡°I don¡¯t care I don¡¯t care I don¡¯t care! Aghhhhhhhh! I don¡¯t care I don¡¯t care!¡± Like a child throwing a tantrum I repeatedly cry out ¡°Corpses, Perfect bodies New earths Peace unity Fuck you! Fuck all of it! I don¡¯t care what your reasons or justifications are I¡¯m not trying to be hero! I am not the villain here after I¡¯m not an object I¡¯m Kage Just Kage And I don¡¯t care I don¡¯t care I don¡¯t care Leave me alone, Let me be I want to stop thinking about everything, So I can find time to find out what I really want for myself I need to find my own balance, not your balance, Fuck it!¡± (All I have to myself that makes me, me All I¡¯ve got All I¡¯ve got is insane) ¡°Hhhhhhhhh!¡± a loud sigh reverberates throughout the void around me ¡°I know that you are a little over two years old in consciousness Kage, But I now understand you have not yet matured,¡± (And if insane I¡¯ve always been then so be it) EeeeeeeeIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!! The high-pitched buzzing starts up once more drilling into my eardrums the painful screeching, ¡°We will have plenty time from now until forever Kage, Your body has already served it¡¯s purpose for us, . And I promise you, your mind will as well, it¡¯s the only way for humanity to advance to a future where we are our own gods, But¡­ On the topic of things of that nature, it seems Apollo is causing catastrophe in my city looking for you, I think that it is time I took this opportunity to send a message, make an example if you may, So I shall leave you for now Kage, Off two show that hybrid human the strength of the supreme leader, Truly an immovable object.¡± Unstoppable Sound: Will As much as we all don¡¯t want to admit it, hate is an essential feeling one should have and express Hate may sound like an ugly word or a negative concept, but is it really? By expressing your hate, you release all the pent-up tension within yourself, It leaves you more open than one would think, Holding on to hate is what makes us lash out more it breeds the chaotic nature of hatred, Now hatred is what people think when they hear the word hate, Illogical and unreasonable pure unfiltered loathing Hatred soaks into our pores into the depths of ones mind clouding your judgement and influencing the worst And eventually that hate you¡¯d been harboring for so long, bursts out Or maybe it doesn¡¯t burst out at once maybe you let it out in little increments, Regardless, that hatred starts to leak out, now appearing in your actions, It could be as simple as assault, or as complex as personal hatred and self sabotage, Either way when that hate comes out, you no longer are yourself, You are an avatar of hatred with only parts of your self still intact, And that right there is the hardest challenge, Can one truly recover themselves from the depths of hate? Can they hold on to their core values and morality while being under it¡¯s influence? This is the dilemma currently being faced by Apollo ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± A cold wind blows amidst the drizzle of the rain, It passes through the blonde locks of the angry Apollo He stares hatefully at a man who¡¯d just appeared before him The supreme leader ¡­.. The two share no exchange of words Kazzzzttttt!? Apollo chucks his sword at the man like a bolt of lightning BOOOM! He warps away letting it explode onto the silver streets Tap¨Ctap¨Ctap? ¡­¡­¡­ Xezus mockingly touches onto a diamond neckless as if to say ¡®Kage is right here¡¯ ¡­¡­.. ¡°Huh!¨C¡± KRRRRRAAHHHMMMM! Digging his hands into the steel road Apollo peels it open like a can, ¡°Hyyyyuh! Uhhhhnn!¡± Then kicks towards the man who teleports¨Cbut Whack! The sword traveling at lighting speed rams it¡¯s hilt into his head forcefully ¡°Ok,¡± the supreme leader annoyedly concedes the first hit ¡°Box¡± he commands and as such a cubic barrier surrounds Apollo trapping him in side ¡°Ten thousand bullets¡± ¡°Infinite evade¡± Like a game of cards Xezus revels his first play, Ten thousands bullets¨Call sides of the box trapping Apollo rapidly begins firing at in at point blank range However Apollo counters with his ability Infinite evade¨Cthe ability to move even faster than light granted you are in a stationery position, the ultimate defensive ability, DUDOOOM! Apollo¡¯s heart let¡¯s out a strong electromagnetic-esc pulse disabling the barrier ¡°Uhnnk!¡± The moment he does Xezus teleports up to him upper cutting him with the force of a missile ¡°Thunder strike!¡± Apollo tries to retaliate but the man warps away ¡°You, you¡¯re good, too good in fact that it would be a shame to kill you¡± Mr. First makes the initial attempt at starting a conversation ¡°Die¡± a stoic response comes back ¡°Thunder clap!¡± BRAOOOOMM! His clap reverberates throughout the air zapping all that is near Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.Punks shakes it off as nothing ¡°Wind missiles¡± he draws his second hand Invisible projectiles form out of thin air rocketing towards Apollo ¡°Infinite evade!¡± But the results is the same All miss¡­ ¡°Ha even with all my body upgrades using the body parts of dead angels and demons, Still I am outclassed by your mana, this stupid concept of balance really does have to go¡± smirks Mr. First ¡°Die¡­¡± is Apollo¡¯s response once more ¡°Darius bolt!¡± He chucks the flying great sword back at the supreme one Who easily warps but¨C ¡°Terrain pulse!¡± ¨Chadn¡¯t anticipated the secondary effect of the lighting mana-charged blade The moment it hits the ground it pules out terawatts of thermostatic power The lethal jolt does nothing more than giving slight Xezus however ¡°This is going nowhere¡± he sighs ¡­¡­. ¡°Apollo¡­ I don¡¯t think we have officially met yet or well I haven¡¯t introduces myself, You may have known me as the robot XPunk, but that was just a little fa?ade I put up to watch you two as I waited for Kage¡¯s arrival, My full name is Xezus Punk First an¨C¡± ¨C¡°Die! I want you to die, I¡¯ve only ever killed one person before and you are much worse than he was, I can live with one more murder to my name¡­ Just one..¡± (¡°Just one¡­¡±) Apollo repeats to himself, his mind flashing on his daughter and to Kage, (¡°Kage¡±) he spies the diamond necklace around Xezus neck, he flaunts it mockingly daring the young man to try to get it (¡°Remember what you came here for, C¡¯mon self, come on Don¡¯t lose focus!¡±) ¡°Die¡± Apollo says out loud, dropping to his knees He raises his hand in a double axe handle position and¨C BAAAMMMM! ¨Csends shockwaves through the ground as he smashes onto it cracking it even further ¡°Are you really this desperate to die? This mindless that violence is your only solution? I would of thought you still had something to live for?¡± jeers Xezus becoming increasingly annoyed by the young man¡¯s tribalism ¡°Die¡± he says again mouthing an iron splinter from the now dilapidated street ¡°Lighting Disk.¡± Recalling his sword, Apollo chucks again but this time in position where it spins rapidly generation an electrical force as it rotates through the air, Zaaazzzzztt!! The supreme leader doesn¡¯t even teleport away again instead chooses to beam the sword out of orbital spin, with his hypnotic eyes, which also proves that they are deadly as well But ¡ª Puuhhhff! Right as that was happening Apollo had spit out the metal piece out of his mouth at lighting speed, the bullet slams into the diamond around Xezus¡¯ neck overloading it with mana It shatters¡­ A body is drawn out from it almost immediately Kage¡¯s body ¡°Guess you were thinking after all¡± Mr. First remarks, He doesn¡¯t appear to be bothered at all by Kage being released Their body lay sprawled out across the ground, quite unconscious But speaking of bodies¡­.. Xezus¡¯ begins to glow, begins to shine, in a way that makes him the center of attention to all, It makes him akin to a sun ¡°Alright,¡± he straighten his muscles, as a tense almost humid atmosphere builds¡­ (¡°Enough playing around now,¡±) ¡°You¡¯ve got Kage, out, yes, but that now means I have to go all out to keep her.¡± Immovable Sound: Power Contrary to what is commonly believed, the opposite of hatred is not love, but obsession, To be obsessed with a specific person, sight, smell, sound or even concept, people use the word love to make it sound much nicer or much more positive than it looks, But obsession is none of things, It is an unexplainable force, that makes one infatuated, with the object of their obsession, ¡°Its because I love_____¡± Insert person or reason here¡­. That¡¯s what all obsessed people say, they duck behind the word love even though they clearly don¡¯t care about the feelings or well being of whom or what they obsess All they do is want, Like a drug obsession is, you can¡¯t eat sleep or think without your mind slipping to the object of obsession, It as if the forces of nature are calling you to it,. You must get them, get it, You can¡¯t live without it! Just like hate their can be good born from obsession however at a cost¡­ Himari for example, her obsession saw her reach great success at an incredibly young age, She even, as little as it may have been, contributed to making her ring a less corrupted place, It cost her life in the end ¡­.. The supreme leader, Mr. Xezus First, a man obsessed with progress, the progress of humanity that he¡¯d go to no any length for this¡­. The cost for his obsession however¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ No one man should have all that power!? ¡­.... ¡­.. ***** ¡°Red Flare Cannon!¡± Xezus¡¯ body now shines a golden bright white, his left arm transformed into a mean-looking cannon points up to the sky, firing off a burst of intense red light, like fire hose blasting water at full pressure, Apollo assumes a defensive stance holding his sword upfront¡­. ¡°Relax, That one wasn¡¯t for you, Merely a display of power, Now answer me this¡­ Do you think you will be able to evade that if I try it on you?¡± ¡°¡­Just, Just let me take Kage, and¡­. And I will leave¡­. I¡¯m already fighting the urge to end you right now,¡± growls Apollo unfazed by the display ¡­. Kage stirs slightly, his silver curls now queerly black, Apollo can only wonder what as to what happened ¡­. ¡°No,¡± Declines Xezus dryly ¡°Yellow flare canno¨C ¨CNo, Yellow flare beam¡± A tiny soundless laser fires at Apollo ¡°Infinite eva¨C Acht!!¡± he recoils back The amber bullet of light grazes past his face, ¡°How? I was sure I moved¡± ¡°Spatial mana, that¡¯s what I posses,¡± Xezus says this secretly quite pleased since this is the first time he has ever openly revealed this fact ¡°That yellow flare beam cuts the space around it, even if you move you will still be hit, Do now comprehend my level of power to yours?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± BADDOOOMMM! Apollo does not care for the superiority monologue the supreme was about to give, Taking the opportunity he uses the lightning pulsing from his heart to electromagnetically bend the steel roads around the man, Picking up Kage¡¯s lifeless body he hops and sword preparing surf away, (Just go, just go, just go) Apollo still constantly repeating to himself, The rage of grief he feels nowhere near subsided ¨C Supreme¡­¡­.. WHAP! WHAC!! Xezus teleports right by Apollo on the sword slapping him with the force of a bullet train His cheek swells up instantly turning his brown flesh throbbing and red, ¡°You are a simple-minded man, Apollo, And not because you you¡¯re naturally dense, it¡¯s by choice, is it? For the old fashioned magic they still use on Gaia, it evolves with your mental state, For most that means the more deranged the more insane you are the more advanced your magic gets, But mana doesn¡¯t evolve it¡¯s limited by the creativity of it¡¯s user, I wonder how many times your magic would have advanced by now if you had Apollo, Out of all the people I¡¯ve seen throughout my life, you are the most deranged, A ball living breathing walking pile of trauma masked behind your goals of being a hero, Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Captain save a human, Huh? Answer me! Is that what you want to be!?¡± ¡­. ¡°Alll¡­ All I heard you say was that my mana is limited by my creativity¡± slurs Apollo purposefully acting ignorant, he wobbles around partially concussed from the last blow¡­ ¡°In that case, how about this, Thunder fall!¡± Kkzzzzzboooom! Kzzzzzzttttbooooommm! Kzzzzzzttttbooooommm!! Kzzzzzzttttbooooommm!! Cutting through the now subsiding rain bolts upon bolts of lighting crash down repeatedly on Mr. First, Even as he teleports, they follow him like heat seekers ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Apollo grabs up Kage again, ¡°My magic would never have evolved, because I¡¯m the sanest person there is Now if you will excuse me, Kage will be coming with¨C¡± ¡°¨CBlue flare cannon¡± ¡­¡­¡­ The silent shot goes off, Like a firework the sparkling blue lights up the day sky, it swallows up all Apollo¡¯s mana ¡°Lets have a chat Apollo,¡± mr. First dusts himself off like nothing happened, ¡°You have had a similar experience to the people of Terra you know, Our mothers always die when we¡¯re born, The same goes for breeding between humans and mana beings, Because breeding more beings with mana upsets the balance of things, the mother always dies in the process regardless of human or divine origin, And you Apollo also lost your father as well, Now unlike you I knew my father, he was the previous ¡®delegate¡¯ What¡¯s similar is that the both died in pursuit of that thing, you so graciously try to rescue,¡± Xezus points down to Kage, ¡°The mana being Raguel was his name I sure, we picked him up off Gaia just before you were born, brought him here to, assist our research, but he managed to escape by manipulating one of the Xander children, They ended up warping too far away off the rings entirely where they met their doom,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see what Kage has to do with any of that ¡° grumbles Apollo ¡°Kage as you call it, To the now extinct mana beings, was like a baby sibling to them, one that both the angels and demons fought each for, Yet the humans ended up winning in the end, Claiming the corpse we were able to exterminate the angels, and the demons that ran away to gaia to cross breed and create those disgusting mana beasts, eventually were killed by their own creations, My father¡¯s pursuit of Kage was different, he was after the power that the body possessed, and a great power it is, You see, if we¡¯re to chop those things legs off right now, And give it you Apollo, Your legs would be fully restored, Not just that but you would have even greater power, For us of terra, we attain power and knowledge on the par of mana beings, however the cost is that our lifespan is cut to a few minutes, So it¡¯s useless for us, my father learned the hard way That¡¯s why It was sent to Tellus, to see it¡¯s effects on those people, They attain knowledge on par with us, and also a shorter lifespan, as well as a slow descent into madness¡­. You humans of Gaia had the best potential, Attain the power either kills you instantly or if you¡¯re lucky and survive, you get that great power, But also great Insanity, like that subject Brandon¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling me this,¡± Apollo tightens the grip ln his blade During the talking he was busy brainstorming new ways lf attack, ¡°I¡¯m giving you an offer Apollo, this is purely for your benefit, You living or dying does not in anyway affect new earth, But¡­ What if I told you, that I could help you gain the power to bring your spouse back to life,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Apollo remains silent ¡°I may be known as the supreme leader, but I am in no way, a person who puts himself above others, All I care about is the progression of humanity, I¡¯m obsessed with it, And for humanity to evolve, we must share power amongst ourselves, No one man should have all the power, Accept my offer and share it with me ¨Cno with all of humanity, It¡¯s time we stopped the violence and started pushing for true equity,¡± I am a God This screeching¡­. Ughhh Make it stoppp¡­. ¡­ Think about them Make it stop ¡­¡­. Think¡­.. ¡­...... ¡­.. *** ¡°Think about this carefully Apollo,¡± Mr. First still trying to persuade the young man¡­ ¡°¡­.. No, I don¡¯t believe you, I won¡¯t be fooled¡­ Death is irreversible, and even if undoing it was possible it would go against the laws of nature¡± ¡°Those laws apply to mortal beings correct? If you ascended past that, would they still apply to you? I¡¯ll answer that for you¡­ No,¡± Xezus starry blue hypnotic gems of eyes now pull the bruised Apollo into their gaze, He wants to defy the supreme one¡¯s words, but the more he stares into those eyes¡­. ¡°You are from Soterra correct? Well that city was founded by my orders many years ago, All the people of Gaia with the highest potential were organized there. How else is it that an isolated city would have the most knowledge of magic on Gaia? We left those people to grow and govern themselves because eventually, the peak human specimen would be born from that city, Originally I had thought it was Brandon, but even he went insane from power, I was planning on killing you to further traumatize Kage, but now as I¡¯ve exchanged blows with you, I see that you are the peak human specimen from Soterra, The perfect candidate to usher in a new era with me.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°Me¡­..?¡± Apollo echoes, now fully entranced stutters¡­ ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡°Y¨C¡± ¡°¨CSmells like bullshit to me¡­¡± a third voice suddenly interjects, ¡°Accuuhhh!¡± yawns Kage picking himself up, ¡°This is the most self control I¡¯ve had ever,¡± the androgynous being brushes back their deep black curls from their face ¡°hmm, I remember a lot more than I did before¡­ We are friends right Apollo?¡± ¡°Huh, Kage? Yeah?¡± Apollo blinks confusedly out of trance, ¡°The other woman died¡± Kage informs him coldly ¡°Himari, I think she was called, do you want revenge?¡± ¡°For someone who was just recently drained, you seem to be quite lively,¡± Mr. First cautiously speaks to Kage, unsure himself on what to make of Kage this moment ¡°Nah, I¡¯m still drained, But I¡¯m also pissed off too¡­ People like you piss me the fuck off.¡± ¡°Are you offended by appearance, or is it my status of supreme leader?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡­. You are a fucking abomination, I can smell the stench of the mana on you, There are two ways humans can obtain mana, Either be illegally born like this hybrid Apollo Or be given the life force of mana beings, And I don¡¯t think any angels, or one of my demons would ever willingly give up their life for you, which means torture, You tortured them until they chose to give up their life¡± ¡°Well, this is an unforeseen development,¡± mumbles Xezus, As he does an entourage of people warp to his side ¡°We already have the Amadeus Orchestra ready, sir¡± one of the people, doctor Frankenxtein speaks ¡°Are perhaps thinking about using that annoying sound on me again?¡± Kage overhears ¡°Because it won¡¯t work, You don¡¯t even understand what its is do you? It isn¡¯t a weapon, Only when I can¡¯t control my power I get affected by it¡¯s sound, But right now, I am in control¡­ As a matter of fact, Phew? KRAPOP!! Frankenxtein and the other people spontaneously combust on the sound of Kage whistle, ¡°Hahaha!¡± he chuckles ¡°It¡¯s called an oxygen bomb, Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.If I had this kind of power back on Tellus I wouldn¡¯t have joined those pirates,¡± ¡°Kage, you don¡¯t have to go this route,¡± breathes Apollo in stern but horrified tone, ¡°Shut up! Your kind also disgusts me angel, if we weren¡¯t friends, I¡¯d kill you too¡± ¡°So you have finally shown your true self Amadeus!¡± declares Xezus ¡°True self?¡± WHUMP! Merely seconds after speaking, Kage blitzes up to the supreme leader, gut punching so hard it knocks his spine out, ¡°Whaa!¡± Even though he cannot feel pain, Xezus drops to his knees exclaiming out of pure shock, ¡°You see,¡± Kage cracks his knuckles ¡°I¡¯ve heard and seen and a lot of things during my lives, One being that I was a corpse of dead gods ???? Where the fuck did that rumor start!? Contrary to what you were just bullying into me Mr. First About how I was an object or I¡¯m not a human all of that shit, False, I am a human, Always have been, I am just what you are trying to achieve isn¡¯t it? This body, my body, my power, you want to know how humanity can progress to this point don¡¯t you!?¡± Whack! Kage slaps him, ¡°Don¡¯t you!? I saw your little tricks against Apollo, Yellow flare red flare, spatial mana this, nova grenades that, blah, blah, blah, All that power you posses¡­. But yet you still can¡¯t defy our rules, can you? Your power can¡¯t even work in the Venus Forest let alone the entirety of Gaia, So you hatch a plan to open the rings up to each other, to slowly and overtime develop ways around that,¡± ¡°Marvelous deduction,¡± Xezus still keeps his superiority complex despite his current state, ¡°If you say you are human, and you have the knowledge of how humanity can progress to your state, Then why hide it? Even you can tell I¡¯m not a bad or even person am I Kage? I am a man who has seen his people on the brink of extinction multiple times because of YOUR rules YOUR balance, Because of YOU we are¨C¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up! Blame yourself! The people of Terra¡¯s greed for both power and all knowledge made them like this! And still, you want more!? You want to know what I¡¯ve experienced in my lifetime child? I¡¯ve seen planetary genocide, I¡¯ve witnessed the end of everything before, That is where humanity¡¯s progression leads, What you so desperately obsess over You all will die, done finito, extinction! Things are balanced how it is to prevent a repeat of that, Even now as I speak, it seems like it already has begun to repeat¡­.. But I will cut off this arm before it¡¯s too late and body dies with it, Hhhhhh¡± sighs Kage, He stops talking and stares up at the colorful sky, The rain has now dissipated only a few drops here and there but for the most part gone, ¡°I need to go home, to fix this proper, but for now¡­.¡± Pointing upward Kage mimics the action of firing an arrow ¡­.. And I he does; the sky begins to shine brightly as a response ¡°You know, I¡¯m actually fond of archery, So for this work of art, I¡¯ll call it¡­ Judgement: Million arrows, You like it?¡± he smiles slyly, Fehw!¨CFewh!¨CFehw!¨CFewh! Fehw!¨CFewh!¨CFehw!¨CFewh! Apollo watches on a bafflement an horror, as the spears of light begin to line the sky, The rain had just stopped but a new shower was due, ¡°Kage¡­... I am Kage¡­ I really don¡¯t know why I gave myself this name, Kage is my name as a human to myself But to everyone else, I am a God.¡± Mortal Man I¡¯m not a god, and I don¡¯t want to be one either, I¡¯m just me, nothing more nothing less, But who am I really? Before I thought it was something I could learn by being told so or maybe I¡¯d find out through other means, Now I know that¡¯s not the case, Who I am is who I choose to become, what values do I claim what things I do and don¡¯t like, I can¡¯t very well decide those things just yet, but maybe I don¡¯t have to either ¡­¡­. ****** The Great City Pluton, a city full of all human life on Terra yet devoid of it at the same time, A place where no one needed to work, where everything down to the simplest task like walking, had an alternative to make it easier, The ones who enjoyed this laziness were the third class citizens, aka the unmodified humans, they mostly stayed in doors unless ordered by the supreme leader, To summarize their lives, they basically lived, while not doing anything at all, Life without life.. The second class citizen, were the modified humans, except those of low military rank which as based on things like combat potential and intelligence, they were essentially the foot soldiers of Terra Life that lives not for oneself The first class citizens are the top tier humans, in intelligence and combative, but even a step above the second class citizens, these humans were also modified too feel no human temptations, i.e.: the things that we distract ourselves with, They often went under the banner name of Xander labs that created them, Alexander, etc, etc, the names would follow. Life without meaning for itself ¡­.. And now all this life was being snuffed out¡­. Piercing arrows of light rained from the skies, like heat seekers trailing after every single human on Terra, From fetus to full grown adult, none were spared, and because the population was not even more than one hundred thousand, it meant that of the millions of arrows many people got the taste of multiple being railed into them like an automatic rifle striking it¡¯s target, Bloody and battered the Great City Pluton had become, And in the epicenter of it all¡­ ¡­. ¡°How tragic¡± Kage sighs in the most sarcastic tone ever The supreme leader lays out a corpse in which multiple light spears pierce, ¡°And with this done, come on Apollo¨C,¡± Dead. He was also dead as well, What did you expect? What did I expect? ¡°No, wait. No, What Why did I have to kill everyone? Why couldn¡¯t it have been the one!?¡± Kage clutches his head in a crazed fashion Fighting with his own self, ¡°No, undo it!¡± He screams his black curls, slowly transitioning back to their normal silver¨C ¨CNo, they keep getting lighter, ¡°asgh!¡± he slaps his face in frustration, ¡°Undo it! Undo it! Bring them back!¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ***** ¡°Ughh¡± ¡°hahahaha!¡± ¡°uhhhhh¨CWhat?¡± Apollo blinks his eyes open at the sound of laughter He feels his legs again, as a matter of fact, he feels perfectly fine, no pains or sores, ¡°haha, So, you couldn¡¯t let yourself do it Kage¡± Xezus laughs, He is also back up and in full health, Kage stands in front of Apollo almost like she¡¯s shielding him, ¡°Kage¡­.? What happened, what did you do? Why is your hair so white now?¡± Apollo unloads the questions as quick as they formulate in his thoughts ¡°Everyone died so I undid it¡± Kage speaks with a much softer tone than before, Each words makes Apollo feel all warm and bubbly inside, ¡°So does that mean Himari¨C¡± ¡°Himari¡¯s memories already became one with me, she isn¡¯t dead because she lives on through me, I am Himari now, But I am also Kage¡­.¡± ¡°The divine feminine, I¡¯ve heard about you from many angels, I¡¯m now understanding this more, what you really are, Kage,¡± Xezus extends his hand graciously to Kage, as if he¡¯d not just been killed by the very same person, Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.¡­.. ¡°Kage, the Kage Apollo is familiar with is like a cocoon, One that constantly absorbs everything around it in a constant state of growth waiting for the day that it becomes a butterfly¡± she replies vaguely ¡°And are you this butterfly?¡± presses Mr. First curiously ¡°No, the Kage that killed you and I, we are the caterpillars, The butterfly has yet to blossom¡­ ¡­¡­ Apollo,¡± She now turns to him, ¡°Punish, this man the supreme leader on my behalf, I cannot engage in offensive combat,¡± ¡°¡­punish? I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on here, but if you mean I should pummel this man, Then¡­ ¡­. I¡¯m glad I can use this again¨C Godspeed!¡± ¨CBAAJJAAMM!? In less than second Apollo rushes at the supreme leader, but immediately he goes flying back on contact with the man ¡°I¡¯m done with fighting for now,¡± shrugs the supreme leader, his body still glows like sun, reflexively blasting anything that grazes his skin, ¡°You are permitted to leave with Kage for now, while I document this new invo¨C¡± ¡°¨CDirt drain!¡± During Apollo¡¯s failed and attacking attempt Kage¡¯s hair had reverted from white to it¡¯s regular silver, The ground below Xezus opens up unexpectedly swallowing him, partially, his upper half still remains over ground ¡­¡­. (Dirt drain? was really the only name I could think of?) ¡°Apollo¡± I call to my friend, ¡°Lets do the old water arrow lighting combo that we did literally that one time,¡± ¡°Kage,¡± he nods and smiles in response realizing I was Kage, his Kage, ¡°This is getting old, goodbye for now¡± Mr. First attempts to teleport away, ¡­¡­ ¡°¡­.?? Why, can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Raindrop arrow!¡± Splash, the water lashes the man doing next to nothing damage, ¡°Darius bolt!¡± Apollo chucks his lighting charged sword at the foe, Bzzzzzztttttt!! The sword connects, he blocks, and it only causes a slight surge, to him¡­ ¡°You disabled my ability to warp space for that, pathetic attack? Take my olive branch and leave right now, or at least let me leave, I really need a moment to get these news developments sorted.¡± ¡°I just thought the attack was cool¡± I yawn, ¡°I had no intention of killing you with that when I can easily do this¨C¡± Strumm!? DDDOOOOFFFMMM!!? Strutting my air guitar, a song echoes out blasting the mans body to bits in an instant, His head the only thing that, remains rolls across the dilapidated ravaged street to my feet... ¡°I am not surprised by this at all¡± Xezus laughs still very much alive, ¡°Kudos to you for learning how to use your power Kage, but my brain is constantly being backed up to my own private server, even if you kill me now, my data cannot be erased, and I will have another body soon, so¨C¡± ¡°¨C that means I could do this¡± Apollo interjects CRRRRCCKKSSHH!! He crushes the skull, hushing the supreme leader, ¡­¡­ ¡­ The two of us stop and soaks in the silence¡­. ¡­.. ¡­. ¡­. (A lot has happened in such a short time, I don¡¯t know¡­.) ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Himari, if it wasn¡¯t for me¡­¡± I break the silence But he just pulls me into his embrace, Tears begin rolling down his cheeks, (It¡¯s not over is it?) I embrace him back, clutching tight, All of Himari¡¯s memories with Apollo now mine, It feels both weird and endearing at the same time, ¡­.. It would be a while till we stopped hugging, ¡­. ¡­. The great city of Pluton, a city that has come back from the brink of extinction multiple times before, this was no different, Things may not even change after all said and done, That doesn¡¯t affect me however¡­ I¡¯m just trying to figure out myself, like every other person here, But I don¡¯t know¡­. I¡¯m no mortal man Maybe I¡¯m just¡­... Postlude | Whats Next First thing we do is raid the First mansion, and wipe all it¡¯s servers, That supreme leader needs to go!¡± Whang! Sprite slams her fists against a wooden wall, ¡°Umm¡­.We? You can¡¯t even leave the forest Sprite¡± I counter, ¡°And¡­¡­¡± ¡­. Pausing I glance across the small wooden shack at Apollo, His back turned to us, he stares in both admiration and dejection at Emma, who in turn stares back through her tiny crimson eyes, ¡­. ¡°From here on out I¡¯m taking care of things myself, I¡¯ve already inadvertently ruined many lives, plus I have control¨C¡± ¡°¨Cchhh¡± snorts Apollo listening to me ¡°Is your hair turning white again or is the real Kage I¡¯m listening too? I speak for all of us, living or dead Kage, if not for you we would never have gotten taste even if it was just a little, of normalcy,¡± ¡°Aawww¡± Sprite emotes affectionately ¡°Kage with white hair must have been pretty,¡± ¡°He¡­ She was¡­ Kage spoke like a high-class woman, Think Himari, but multiply it, And then there was the Kage with black hair was all dark and obscene, a real macho man,¡± Sprite¡¯s eyes glint with funny intrigue, she had bombarded us with questions as soon as we returned, Even when we told her of Himari¡¯s death, the plant person was more surprised, than sad or horrified by it, (I suppose death means something different for plants) ¡°You do know I remember what happened back there too right Apollo?¡± ¡°Ok, well tell me how you went from being an asshole to a saint so quickly?¡± Apollo sticks out his pinky finger, in which the child grabs gently, it¡¯s crimson eyes still locked onto me, ¡°I, I just remembered differently, I know a lot of things, maybe it¡¯s things I¡¯ve done personally or maybe it was others that I just remember, When I think about it there¡¯s no difference in perception for me, When you say I¡¯m an asshole it¡¯s because I remember all the bad things I¡¯d done or have had done to me, The opposite is true as well¡­ Even now¡­. I¨Cnever mind.¡± (Even now I don¡¯t know if Himari the person was ever real, or if I¡¯ve always been Himari) ¡°So when you¡¯re ready to jump the mansion let me know,¡± Apollo doesn¡¯t press me to know instead turning his focus to Emma, whom he¡¯s been keeping his attention to since we returned here, The warps to the Velvet Underground were destroyed by the supreme leader, probably the moment after we left out for the city did it, I still can¡¯t wrap my head around everything, (But it¡¯s not important to me anyways, I have control now that¡¯s what matters) ¡­.. ¡°Why does she keep staring at me¡± I catch the eyesight of the baby on me again, It has yet to cry or even make a sound, Those crimson gem-like eyes stay busy peering at everything however¡­ ¡°She¡¯s probably mad at you for killing her¡± Sprite folds her arms looking at me in displeasure If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.(I really killed all humans huh¡­) ¡°¡­Well In my defense¡­ I killed all humans, Buttt¡­.. I undid it,¡± ¡°You know we can¡¯t forget pain right?¡± Apollo joins Sprite in scolding ¡°Imagine how it probably felt for a child to be randomly stabbed, I have no doubt that she¡¯s probably mad at you, Isn¡¯t that right baby? Isn¡¯t that, right? You cute little¡­.¡± (Ughh) ¡°¡­..¡± Turning away from the young man and his child, I gaze out the window of the cottage, It may be the only place on Terra I feel safe, The trees sway calmly overhead the packs and droves and groups of all animal kind in the forest, The colors of the sky, though they can be seen in this little clearing, can only be eyed through the openings between the thick leaves of the trees in the thicket of the Venus forest, (What¡¯s next¡­. I don¡¯t want to get involved with the drama of Terra or even this new earth, Xezus has created by breaking the event horizons¡­ Nor do I which to undo it¡­ What¡¯s next¡­) ¡°The trees say that you could change everything here if you wanted¡± Sprite sidles up next to me ¡°Tell the trees I¡¯m not interested, I can¡¯t change anything except my own actions, and that will be permanently erase the supreme leader, But that won¡¯t be to help you, Only because¡­. I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s the Lyra inside of me that must get her revenge, It certainly isn¡¯t because I think Xezus is evil or any of those things, matter of fact, The man isn¡¯t ¡­.. He¡¯s not bad¡± The trees beg to differ Kage, They say that because of the supreme leader, so many innocent people have died so much meaningless blood has spilled¡± ¡°And it was in service of advancing humanity as a whole¡± (So stupid) ¡°But¨C¡± Sprite starts ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this more¡± I cut her off, ¡°Makes my head hurt to think about¡± ¡­.. ¡­. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for you too meet your aunt Zinnia,¡± Apollo is still talking to the child, The now painful memories of Himari still like a fresh wound on his mind But Apollo being Apollo, forces himself to stay in high spirits¡­ ¡°You know that now that there isn¡¯t anything separating the rings you can basically build a raft and take it down snakeway river back out to the ocean, and eventually to Gaia,¡± ¡°Yeah, I already thought about that¡± Apollo looks up at me removing the goofy expression he was just ''wearing'' ¡°After I¡¯ve seen you to wherever your destination is I¡¯ll go¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡± ¡°I swear we have this same back and forth every seven seconds Kage.. I don¡¯t care if you can blow up the tallest mountain on Terra by yourself. I will be there with you no matter what, we are all we have now, Now tell me Kage, what¡¯s our next move?¡± (This guy¡­) The way he acts you¡¯d never tell how traumatic his life has been, Perhaps it¡¯s why I, no¨CHimari had so much admiration for him¡­ ¡°Ok, suit yourself~¡± I drawl ¡°I guess what¡¯s next is¡ª¡± Mezzo: Prepare for the End New earth, the unified amalgamation of the three rings, a place now opened to travel between the different and once separated congregations of humans¡­. But that isn¡¯t at all what is happening however, Just as quickly had everything changed, it still remained the same, For now at least, while the people of Gaia remain oblivious to this change and the people of Tellus cautiously plan and overanalyze their next few steps, The people the perfect humans, of terra await the return of their supreme leader who was temporarily put down by Kage, Only he will be the one to usher in the new change, A man so selfless that he would die if it meant humaity would greatly benefit from it, But also so selfish that he would ensure the only he would be the one to decide the rules and the powers of this new earth¡­ What do we make of a person like this? Does it matter though? After all this ultimately isn¡¯t important to Kage¡¯s story¡­. ¡­.. **** ¡°Just keep everything on high alert,¡± a woman sternly orders, This woman is of course Miss, Victoria Vaughn, the wife of the supreme leader, and the woman who oversees business with the Second ring, or Tellus, She shares a different name from her husband as he only is worthy of name ¡®First'' ¡°Will he be back soon, Frankenxtein?¡± she speaks with the doctor sat in the office with her, The shiny reinforced steel walls flash through their little openings in which bits of liquid magic essence pass through¡­ This allows the steel to be quite malleable as well as sturdy, ¡°Within the day he will be back, lady Vaughn,¡± replies the doctor, slicking back his scruffy dirt blonde hair ¡°But even with his return, I do not think any of this will be enough to hold Amadeus back, I¡¯ve already suffered death by it once,¡± ¡°We all died doctor,¡± Miss Vaughn stares with her powerful brown eyes into the doctors light grey ones, They both feel a deep fear of Kage If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.¡°The only way to stop Amadeus is by disabling it¡¯s mind or at least keeping her in a state of confusion,¡± the woman gets up and paces around the room, Her thick thighs reverberating just ever so slightly with each step, as her long lashes bat up and down in sustained panic Her long brunette hair is out but stays in place perfectly no matter how much she moves about, ¡°I already have to deal with a bombardment of messages coming from Eve Second, the monarch of Tellus, since new earth conceived recently, And now I run the risk of dying again by the hands of him¡­¡± ¡°The death part is not what I dislike¡± Frankenxtein, scratches at a stitch on his right cheek, There is also one on his forehead and above his nose¡­ ¡°I found death to be quite exhilarating, As a scientist there are many things you would like to know the processes of, Death being one of them, and to me¨C¡± ¡°¨CI do not care about your masochistic fantasies¡± Victoria turns her small but dainty nose, up at the doctor ¡°Alexander is being re-dispatched to Tellus, along with a few other Xanders, You and your team make sure all their weapons and defense are up to par,¡± ¡°They are no need to check, but I will regardless, given that it is an order,¡± Nods then doctor ¡°But that Alexander, he really does not stay here for long, always on the move¡­¡± ¡°Are all the growing children also stable after the ¡®killings''?¡± miss Vaughn ignores the doctors attempt at conversing ¡°Yes,¡± Frankenxtein drawls sounded bored now, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be off for now Miss Vaughn, Don¡¯t want to be here if or when Amadeus arri¨C¡± KADDOOOOMM!! A loud explosion sounds off followed by alarms ¡°Shoot, they¡¯re already here¡± ¡°Sckkks¡­¡± Victoria Vaughn makes an annoyed sound, tapping a device on her wrist, On Terra there are called All-controls, and can do everything from shining lights to allowing teleportation, ¡°Everybody!¡± miss Vaughn¡¯s voice echoes out around as she talks now, ¡°Amadeus is here, prepare to go into all out defensive mode! I repeat all out defense!¡± What Control Sounds Like Control, or to be in control, it is something that we all take for granted in one way or the other, As we perform basic and considerably mundane actions, like walking, talking, breathing, smiling when things makes us happy, scowling if unhappy, our emotions in general are under our control The way we go about our lives with so much control ourselves, yet so forgettable that control is It is why we subsequently seek out even more control be it the control of another person, or maybe it¡¯s a deeper control of oneself that involves body augmentation etc. Some people desire political control while others seek power, To control, to master advanced weaponry, mana or magic, one way or the other we sought out more control, taking for granted what we¡¯ve already had¡­. And me¡­ I never realized how little control I¡¯ve had all this time, Everything I¡¯ve done up to now, was me being pushed along, An eddy in an ocean of speedboats, My ripple moves in response to the fastest and loudest thing nearby, I have no control of what or who I¡¯ll like or not like, My emotions not my own, they unstably fluctuate acting on their own, This hampers my ability to control mana or magic, Or at least I had thought that, but that was when even my perceptions of things were out of my control, The memories I have, has always lead me to believe that I was a regular human, and thus I restrained myself to that perception on what humans can and can¡¯t do, All the while I could have had control, Control of not just myself, and my actions, Control of everything¡­ ........ ¡­¡­ ***** ¡°All out defense!¡± A woman¡¯s voice echoes through the mansion, Smoke bellows out the huge silver entrance doors, they spread open widely facing outward into a serene garden, that holds flowers of many types, The garden of sound this was called, because of the many birds that would oftentimes come and play, signing about happily in the flowers and trees, Smoke now covers these plants, And the source of the smoke, within the mansion, unlike any house seen prior this ones interior is like a massive ballrooms, only filled with swirling panels that teleport you to different locations of the house, The entrance doors are only one of a small hand full of doors in the mansion, ¡­.. ¡°Guess like they¡¯re getting ready for us,¡± Apollo lazily extends sword out, ¡°This is all just pointless¡± I yawn in response, ¡°This would be much less of waste of time if they just showed me to their server room, where I could then wipe every single bit of data away and then still destroy it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with you Kage, but still, please try not to get captured again,¡± ¡°Ha,¡± I scoff ¡°I would like to see them try¡± ¡°You must feel pretty confident now that¨C¡± ¡°Shhhh, just now¡± I shush him, trying to concentrate on listening I can hear the sound of footsteps, the soft puffs the smoke makes, Weapons being loaded and gear armed, ¡°If we over power them together¡­.¡± Voices plan and strategies against us (Not the voice I am looking for however) ¡­¡­.. ¡°What¡¯s the status on them currently?¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°They¡¯re still standing at landing Miss Vaughn, it will possibly take them up to an hour going around all the warps, we are thinking about¨C¡± (Miss Vaughn¡­. That¡¯s the one..) ¡°Apollo¡± I snap out my trance, from which I¡¯d been listening to every single sound in the mansion, Tugging his arm forward I warp us to the sound of that voice, (This is what it feels like) ¡°Pleasure to meet you¡± smiles Apollo drawing his sword like a shield the instant we appear in what seems to be an office, ¡°How?¡± a man stutters in fearful surprise before unleashing a barrage of blasts at us ¡°Xanxander, cover me!¡± The woman orders him, her right-hand peels back and her arm turns into a mini canon, Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.Thumnk! Apollo zips quickly up to the man ramming his sword into, Biijuuuooowww! A high intensity blast fires off from the woman at me, But instead of hitting be it bends past me hitting the wall, The woman stumbles back for a second shocked, before making an attempt to warp away, ¡°No, You¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± Extending my hand the woman flies across the room to me, I haven¡¯t moved an inch yet (This is what control feels like) In mere minutes we were able to overpower them ¡°Ehhckk!¡± she chokes as I grip her neck, ¡°Hello, miss Vaughn, I¡¯m certain you know who I am, As I know you are the wife of Xezus and the second in command after him, Where is he?¡± ¡°Ddeeaad¡­you killed him¡± ¡°Where is his backup? I¡¯m not dumb?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Answer me!¡± I shout into her face, her eyes lock with mine as she falls under my compulsion, ¡°On my wrist, you can use my all-control to warp to the server room,¡± she replies obediently ¡°Good girl,¡± I slip the device off ¡°Another thing, where is it that you people found my body originally?¡± ¡°The tower of Babel, it is under this mansion,¡± ¡°Under?¡± ¡°You will understand upon seeing¡± (The tower of babel, hmm) ¡°Ok thanks for your cooperation¡± I release the woman by warping her somewhere else, (It¡¯s out in the wintery area) ¡°Very shrewd of you¡± comments Apollo, sounding half impressed and displeased ¡°It¡¯s an interrogation tactic I learned when I was studying¡­¡± my voice trails off (That¡¯s from Himari¡¯s memories, It¡¯s like I¡¯ve adopted her sense of firm justice¡­ Maybe I don¡¯t have as much control as I think¡­.) ¡­...... ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ***** ¡°I wonder if we are the bad guys here,¡± I mumble looking at a progress bar on screen, We¡¯re now in a room surrounded by the holographic screen, and rows of flashing black boxes, The hub of digital data on Terra, The ¡®brain room¡¯ there is no door to enter only via teleportation one can get here (The data deletion is almost complete) ¡°I personally would hope we are the heroes¡± answers Apollo ¡°Mmmm¡­¡­ I guess that¡¯s neither of us then, The supreme leader has done so much evil all in the service of his people¡¯s well being,¡± ¡°Seems pretty contradictory then that he would call himself the supreme leader, if he wanted everyone to be equal¡± grunts Apollo ¡°¡­. Sadly, in a weird way, that is how you make people each other their equal With no one standing above them, humans will always fight against each other for that spot, By taking on the rule of the supreme leader, the one with all the power, everyone will feel equally as powerless compared to him, all the envy and jealous, hate or love will be directed to him, If you took one hundred moons and put them next to sun that shines brightest of them all, No one would be able to tell the moons apart from each other, It¡¯s a foolish take on equality I¡¯ll admit, but it works in the right circumstances¡­.¡± (Like this ring with a low population and lifespan) ¡°And where do you factor into all of it Kage?¡± ¡°Nowhere, I¡¯m going home as soon as this is finished,¡± (There¡¯s nothing for me here) ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving you to deal with the aftermath though Apollo¡­¡± ¡°You want to know something Himari?¡± ¡°What? No wait, why did you call me Himari?¡± ¡°I was just testing to see if you were really her,¡± smirks the young man ¡°Just find out who you are Kage, don¡¯t worry about me or anything else.¡± ¡­.. 100% The deletion completes with that erasing everything of Xezus Punk First, ¡°Haaahhh,¡± I breathe a sigh of relief, (That takes care of Xezus for good) ¡°Now for that tower or whatever,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stick around until I see you go wherever this home of yours is safely,¡± Apollo holds my hand ¡°Yeah, yeah, I knew you would already, Next stop Home.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 0%? Last Living Souls The moment I gave into my insanity that I realized I wasn¡¯t insane to begin with, I was confused, sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven There are still many things I am confused about myself, but at least now I can¡­. ¡­.. ¡­.. Don¡¯t actually know what I was going to say there ¡­. It makes me wonder ¡­. **** Bwoof? Creating a fireball in my palm, I use it to light the wick of a torch carved into a golden brown-bronze wall The flame subsequently spreads along the walls lighting the previously dim room Apollo and I had warped into, ¡°Don¡¯t understand how a tower is beneath here.¡± Comments the young man, speaking quite annoyingly into my ear ¡°Move,¡± I push his face away, The fire the lights the walls spread around it like a ring, the room itself is no bigger than a large classroom, except it¡¯s empty besides a circular brick structure in it¡¯s center, ¡­.. ¡°A well?¡± my hus¨CApollo and I both peer at the said structure, Our faces reflect back at us in the calm silver water, ¡°Only way is down,¡± I grip onto the steel bars etched into the wells side interiors like ladder rungs, ¡°Climb in? Kage, there¡¯s water there¡± ¡°Do I look someone who can drown? You aren¡¯t being forced to come with, We can part ways her¨C¡± ¡°¨CNo chance,¡± he cuts me off, ¡°I¡¯ll be gone once I know you get to where you need safely,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Clip¨Cclip¨Cclip? Clip¨Cclip¨Cclip? Our hands and feet tap as we climb down the surprisingly dry rungs, The water is pretty low down, or at least lower than we thought when peering in ¡­. Plop!? My foot comes in contact with the liquid, only it doesn¡¯t get wet, (Strange, my leg feels bent, like it¡¯s facing upward now¡­) ¡°Apollo, I¡¯m going to let go and drop in¡± I whisper up at him (Don¡¯t know why I whispered) ¡°Wait¨C¡± He cautions, but I¡¯ve already let go, My body drops into the water and¡­.. ¡­¡­. ¡­. ¡­. {Eieeeeeiiiiiieeeee!!} ¡°Wha?¡± A bright light shines down onto me who has just been softly ejected from another ¡®well¡¯ The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.¡°Heyy¡± Apollo¡¯s bewildered voice comes right after me, We both look up into a massive room, {Auuuuuuhuhuuhhhhhhhhh!} A spacious enclosure of ancient brick walls surrounding us circularly, they go all the way up to heights we cannot see, But nonetheless white sunlight bathes down on us, The center of this tower sits a tornado, in contrast to the white light, this tornado boats a dark spin absorbing the light around it, {Aiiiieeeiiiieeeee!!} Screams leak out from it along with images of hollowed out faces flashing between the ravaging rotations ¡°How is this underground,¡± Apollo watches awestricken ¡°And this light, it¡¯s definitely sunlight¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even bother thinking too hard about it,¡± I say resting my hand on his shoulder ¡°At this point I¡¯d believe anything is possible,¡± ¡°Saying that just makes me anxious Kage,¡± ¡°mhmm¡­¡± I nod half ignoring him, My eyes now scoping the large room, (There¡¯s no way to pass through that tornado, but¡­) Along walls are seemingly the only correct way to go as built into them are shining gold stairs, They practically call us to climb them¡­ ¡°I sense the beginning of an incredibly long walk¡± a sigh to Apollo motioning him to watch what I watch ¡°Sounds like an exercise to me.¡± Replies confidently ¡­. ¡°Come on let¡¯s ¨C¡± My voice trials off as I spot something near us I hadn¡¯t before, Apollo notices it too, It¡¯s pale and blue, draped in a tattered white robe, Brown feathers lay around it¡¯s sides (It¡¯s not dead) ¡°Hellooo?¡± Apollo extends his sword, poking it cautiously ¡°Auhhg¡± the body stirs slightly before rolling over It¡¯s face is blue and shriveled up to the point of it¡¯s facial features being unidentifiable ¡°Y¡­. Y¡­. Y.. You¡­came..¡± it exhales out slowly, mouth moving like it had not been opened in years, ¡°Do you know me?¡± I question the skeleton like person, ¡°Yesss¡­. I¡¯ve¡­.been waiting for you¡­..for centuries¡­.¡± (Judging by it¡¯s wings¡­.) ¡°I am the last¡­¡­¡± it takes a deep breath, Or perhaps trying to smile¡­ ¡°I am the last living angel.¡± Stairway To Heaven ¡°I have been waiting so long for you¡­ May I ask your name?¡± The withered angel asks weakly, though I can feel it¡¯s elation ¡°It¡¯s Kage, And yours?¡± (Should I trust this being?) ¡°¡­. Ehck! Mine¡­¡± the being passive glances through it¡¯s sunk-in eyes at Apollo ¡°I will tell you my name, when we reach the top of this tower,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Apollo and I exchange confused glances, (How should we approach this being? I don¡¯t feel any malice or evil intent coming from it, But still, is that enough to believe it? Something about just feels so familiar¡­..) ¡°Wait a minute Apollo, Can you feel your mana or is it just me?¡± halting my thoughts I notice that weird sensation of mana, it¡¯s sound is now mute to me¡­ ¡°¡­¡­. Definitely not just you¡± Apollo grimaces, {Aiiiiiieeeeeee!} The tornado screams mockingly ¡°We can¡¯t use mana here¡­¡± the angel shivers pulling itself up like a zombie, ¡°It¡¯s why I¡¯m like this now, Only by will have I survived this long, and now with death looming, I would like to climb the stairway to heaven with you¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s where the stairway leads?¡± (To heaven) ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ***** {Auuuuuueeiiiiiiiiyahhhhhh!} The voices of the swirling cyclone echo, bouncing around the walls of the thick tower, We have begun our ascent some time ago with the queer Angel following behind us (Far behind might I add) Apollo and stop waiting for it to catch up, both still unsure on how to treat this character¡­ ¡°It¡¯s crazy to think that my be a long lost uncle of mine¡± speaks Apollo, ¡°Uncle? Isn¡¯t that a bit of a stretch?¡± ¡°No, you know all angels are related right, Saint told me that,¡± ¡°The Velvet Underground¡¯s Ai?¡± ¡°Yeah, it knows a lot about history, and I asked a lot, All angels are like siblings to each other Remember what that guy from Furlheim said?¡± ¡°Who? Now you¡¯ve lost me Apollo.¡± ¡°You know the guy that told us about my father way back when, he said my father had many siblings and was searching for a younger one in particular, I put the pieces together and realized that it was probably you he was looking for,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an angel I promise,¡± ¡°Yeah but¡­. He um, Mr. angel sir,¡± Apollo calls to the skeletal figure finally approaching us with a snails pace, ¡°All angels are related right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Y¡­.yes¡­ you¡­¡­are my nephew correct?¡± The angels inhales somewhat dramatically as if their lungs would spontaneously combust any moment now ¡°I¡­ I .. can tell you are¡­ a child of love¡­¡± ¡°Child of love??¡± ¡°Our kind rarely mess with humans, for you to be born means that there would have been a genuine love between species¡­. Now come go on do not wait for me this tower will be a long one to ascend,¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­.. ¡­.. {Aiiiiiiieeeeyaaaaaaaahhhh!} (Starting to get tired of these bloodcurdling screams) ¡­.. ¡°So, what is Kage¡¯s relation to your kind?¡± asks Apollo after we¡¯d gained significant progress upward ¡°Kage¡­. To us, In human terms, would be a half sibling, the youngest of us all¡­.¡± ¡°See¡­¡± Apollo makes an annoying ¡®I told you so¡¯ face at me. (I should push him off these stairs¡­) ¡°You are practically my baby brother Kage¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t even add up,¡± I roll my eyes in retort ¡°If anything, I¡¯d be your aunt,¡± (Or uncle) ¡°Look, let¡¯s not get into the specifics Kage, you and I are long lost family, it all makes sense now¡± ¡°If that makes you feel good I guess,¡± Whack! ¡°Awww Wah¨C¡± he slaps me on the back unexpectedly ¡°Stop acting so gloomy Kage, these my be our final moments before you leave to wherever you know.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Kage must be getting affected by the cult of personality,¡± the angel rasps pointing its bony fingers to the screeching cyclone, ¡°That is where everyone who has never interacted with Kage in their lifetime go, when they die, Their souls, good or bad eternal spins here in this tower, being near it also imprints you with their gloom,¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.¡­. ¡­. Apollo goes silent after hearing this. (This is what awaits through death) {Aieeeeeeiiiiiuyaaaaahhhhh!} The screams ring out, But it¡¯s no longer annoying to me now that I know the reason for it (It¡¯s just sad) ¡­¡­ ¡°Thank you, Kage...¡± mumbles Apollo softly after a while, ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For holding the memories of my friends within you, At least I know they live on,¡± ¡°¡­.. Hmmm, You know Apollo, I never wanted to say this before but, Before Darius died, I never really cared for any of you, it was my curiosity that kept me close, But after taking on his memories, I felt like you all were my friends, But out of all these friends¡­. Maybe it¡¯s because I inherited the feelings of them all, Darius, Karina, Lyra and now Himari I feel like I¡¯ve know you forever even though it hasn¡¯t been that long, I think out of everyone I love you the most now¡­¡± ¡°Was that a confession?¡± Apollo extends his hand to me intending me to kiss it ¡°No stop making this weird,¡± I brush past him, ¡°You were literally minutes ago talking about how we were siblings, get a grip Apollo, I meant that in a I value your life type of way, not anything else,¡± ¡°I know¡± smiles Apollo warmly ¡°I¡¯m a married man you know,¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, and I¡¯m the one who has to live with the memories of the consummation¡± ¡°Oh.¡± the young man replies awkwardly, before dropping back into embarrassed silence, ¡­¡­ The stairway to heaven, these stairs start from ground level and go way up into the sky, It¡¯s supposed to be a long and arduous climb for one to undertake, But for Apollo and I, because we had each other, our company made the day long climb feel like ten minutes¡­. ¡­... ¡­. ¡°Who-ho-ho, we have finally reached!¡± Apollo declares stepping past the final stair to top A bright white light bathes us with it rays as greetings, ¡°How the hell are not melted right now?¡± I squint at it, A bright white light emanates from a spinning orb the size of a truck, (It looks like miniature sun) It¡¯s light shines all the way to the bottom of the tower, ¡°What¡¯s with all the darkness around it?¡± Apollo asks now squinting to peer as well (We ought to be blind right now) ¡°Ahh¡­ Th¡­¡­ That is the black hole sun¡± the weakly angel finally arrives behind us, dragging itself up on it¡¯s hands and knees ¡°I¡¯ll help¡± Apollo hurries over to it steadying the man, with his sword like a cane, ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°The black hole sun is a one way portal to heaven, you can enter but without permission you cannot return here.¡± ¡°A Portal to heaven¡­?¡± I step closer to the light and as I do so, it no longer blinds me, the sun calls to me to enter (What even is heaven?) Home? ¡°Now¡­. Kage¡­ Apollo, My name, I shall tell you my name¡­.¡± BEEEEEZZUZZUUTTT!! BOOOOOMM! ¡°Ugnn!¡± A powerful force pushes me into the sun, and it begins to swallow me up, ¡°What the¨CAPOLLO!?¡± Spleesh! As I turn to see what happened a spray of blood drenches my face, Apollo¡¯s body stands still but apart, And by apart, I mean halves, split in two, his organs fall out from inside him heaping on the floor, ¡°MY NAME¡­.¡± The angel¡¯s skin burns off and its body changes shape, ¡°My name Xezus Punk First, and I never told which servers my data was backed up too now did I Amadeus?¡± (SHIT THE VELVET UNDERGROUND) ¡°AGHHHHH!¡± I try to force myself out from being sucked in ¡°I can still revive Apollo, death means nothing to me!¡± ¡°Aghhhhh!¡± ¡°Its over Kage, once you have entered the black hole sun, you cannot escape regardless of your power, I won I fooled you not once but twice, it¡¯s a shame only that I couldn¡¯t keep you, Now go home Amadeus, Go home Kage, Don¡¯t ever come back, Humanity will continue to progress with me! We are the ones with the control, we are the REAL GODS! NOW, GOODBYE, FOREVER KAGE.¡± A Heros Elegy I remember when I was little boy¡­ I don¡¯t want to remember it¡­ This was definitively worst period of my life, Most people would love to know what it would be like to grow up in a castle, how nice it would be to be related to a king and queen Life would surely be fun right? Right?? No. Not mine. Life was hell, my earliest memories was of being neglected, The king didn¡¯t care for me as I was the child of his wife¡¯s sister, And her, my aunt¨Cthe queen hated me. Who wouldn¡¯t? Where I lived, it was virtually impossible for anyone to ever during child labor, If it did happen it was once every couple hundred years, And to my aunt I was a cursed child, not only was I boy without a mother, but one with an absent, unknown father, When that woman looked at me she never saw her nephew, her sister¡¯s son, she saw the child of peasant man, I used to cry a lot as a toddler, but no one ever came to my attention, So I learned from that young that I should stop crying, The maids and butlers took care of me mostly but even still they never really gave me much attention as my older cousin the prince also wasn¡¯t fond of me, and they would rather have been in his graces, Besides that the queen, my aunt she would order the maids to feed me less so that I wouldn¡¯t grow as big. It¡¯s probably why I as an adult now, I¡¯m able to survive without eating for days¡­. All that time as a scrawny child¡­. ¡­.. The castle library was my favorite place to be, away from people and alone with my imagination, I loved the fictions however, the ones about heroes, I was obsessed, I wanted to be one so badly¡­ A hero, But it wasn¡¯t really because I wanted to save people, No, It was the fa?ade I was infatuated with, You know how heroes are able to create this positive and uplifting persona around people regardless of how their personal lives were or how they felt internally I wanted that too, I wanted to become someone who would outwardly spread as much positive and happiness to people, Then maybe¡­. I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened after to be honest Maybe I would finally please my inner child? Maybe I would be able to prevent others from having a childhood like I There are so much, And when I say so much I mean that So many memories I have of just being tortured by my older cousin, Omari, He hated me because his mother hated me, but also because he was a little devil, And entitled piece of shit, that when he went missing I secretly hoped he died ¡­.. That reminds of the day he went missing¡­ The day Murdoc took over Soterra, Only Himari I¡¯ve told this, but I¡¯m a little grateful for what Murdoc did, Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.Otherwise I¡¯d still be scrawny and weak without friends, Friends¡­. My first real friend was Lyra but we never really spoke at first, we just existed next to each other¡­ Darius was my first friend, friend¡­ He was a loud strong cheerful and dramatic man, he always told you the harsh truth but in the goofiest of ways that it made you smile, Darius was a big brother to me he set me on the path that I still walk to this day, and made me a man that would be able to always choose others over myself every time, Karina used to say that is a terrible trait to have, I think she was secretly envious that she hadn¡¯t that kind of resolve¡­ Karina was my first girlfriend, but we never cared for each other intimately, I like her as a friend, but we both know that we were using each other back then, She wanted a distraction from everything And I wanted to be used. She used me, She used me a lot, When she was finished with me, told me ¡®You need to be selfish more you know, you can¡¯t just let people take advantage of you Apollo¡¯ She tossed me away right after, I didn¡¯t mind, It was it was... My new focus was being a leader to the ones without hope like Lyra, But I guess it was to now effect because she constantly searched for ways to die, All she wanted was to die in a way that redeemed her name, her bloodline On that quest for death, Lyra unexpectedly brought us all a second chance at life, Even if for a little, She brought us Kage, And because of Kage, I now of happy memories, A little bit yes, But enough for me to know it was all worth it, I even made new friends, Himari I would consider my dearest friend, Even though we do have a child together now, She and I, I don¡¯t know¡­. Himari at first to me was just a nuisance, all she did was watch me and judge, Judging eyes, judgmental words, But under all that was genuine empathy and concern, Masked by her own fa?ade of being strict She was just like me, but different, Different enough to where I instantly became enamored by her, I wanted to know even more, I learned more, I guess we could have been more than close friends, She a woman who was partially forgotten as the youngest in a large family, and the one person who did attend to her the most, her father, killed¡­ ¡­¡­. Himari and I promised each other we would be the best parents, that our child would have us both, I don¡¯t really understand what¡¯s happenings right now, if I am asleep or what? But my promise remains even if hers cannot, I will make sure with every fiber of my being, Emma will have me she will know her parents, and live a better life than me. ¡­¡­. ¡­..... ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. End of Elegy. Interlude of Screaming Nonchalance Dead. ¡°AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± I scream out hysterically The portal closes the moment I¡¯m sucked into it But I don¡¯t care I¡¯m not turning around I don¡¯t care to know where I am. ¡°AAAAHHHHHHHHIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!¡± I yell so hard it feels like my I¡¯ll vomit out my own heart ¡°NOT APOLLO WHY APOLLO! EVERYONE DEAD! AGHHGHHHHHH!¡± No, I¡¯m not moving, I¡¯m not moving an inch anymore I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done I¡¯m done ¡°AAAAAAAHHHHHGGGGGHHHH!!!¡± How could I be so stupid!? Why couldn¡¯t I tell!? Why couldn¡¯t a notice that was Xezus!? I¡¯m so stupid! I¡¯m so stupid! I¡¯m so stupid! I¡¯m so stupid! I¡¯m so stupid! I¡¯m so stupid! I¡¯m so stupid! ¡°ERRRRRRRRRRGGHGHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHH!¡± I feel like ripping my head off! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! ¡°All you had to do was stay behind Apollo! You would have been alive still! Now I have to see your memories! I thought you said you were going to be a good parent!? You fucking fraud! You liar! You liar! You liar! You liar! You liar! You liar! You liar! You liar! You liar! If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.You liar! Whyyyyyy!¡± Now I can¡¯t even go back. ¡°AAGHHHHH! I won¡¯t go forward anymore either, I¡¯m done!¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. And now I no longer care ¡°hhhhh¡± I let out a tired sigh, ¡°Apollo meant nothing to me anyways, it was always just his friends memories¡­. Rest in peace, I guess, you were a decent human after all¡± ¡­. ¡­. Apollo is I now, ¡°Darius!¡± I call out, Sure enough the sword even appears here, however it isn¡¯t much of sword anymore, just a thin unequal half that it was split into, ¡°Unequal half doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± I mumble grabbing the object. Requiems are indestructible, they cannot be destroyed no matter what and ignore all rules placed on humanity, ¡°This sword isn¡¯t broken, it couldn¡¯t be requiems only break or disappear when their intention for being is made is fulfilled¡­¡± It split because it isn¡¯t just Darius¡¯ requiem now, but Apollo¡¯s too, ¡°That bastard Xezus must have taken the other side,¡± ¡­.. ¡­. But I don¡¯t care ¡°hhhhh, Go away go away requiem, I already know what your purpose was, To be used to protect someone you love more than anything else, someone you love selfishly... Well I can¡¯t help you, I love no one, Go away,¡± I toss the sword into the sea of colors now surroundings me, Protect our daughter ¡°¡­¡­. Well, I can¡¯t just stand here forever¡­. I wonder which way is heaven?¡± Highway to Hell Have you ever been on a rollercoaster? One that rode so fast that each time it went steeply high and then scarily dropped into downward motion, you felt like you were about to die but not by crashing or anything, by the sheer volume of noise and confusion accumulated during the ride, The hard wind that slaps you aggressively, The screams of the other passengers, The way your insides felt which each consecutive bump, And the general anxiety one would have on such a ride It¡¯s like feeling a bunch of bad things at once that you can¡¯t quite comprehend which is worse, which will inevitably be your downfall¡­ Well, I¡¯ve never been on a rollercoaster, at least to my current memory I haven¡¯t¡­ But this right now is how I imagine it to be¡­ ¡­. If I was lost, called someone to get me and they asked me to describe where I was, I honestly couldn¡¯t, I¡¯m standing it feels like But there¡¯s nothing below me that¡¯s solid, Up looks like down and vice versa, No matter which direction I walk I keep going up, but the higher I go the further away ¡®up¡¯ gets, Heaven (Is this the final stretch before reaching it?) Or Hell ¡­¡­ Only way I can go is up¡­ Fwooooshh? There isn¡¯t any breeze blowing here except when I move, As long as stand still everything remains quiet though with a bit of an ambient jingle It feels like you¡¯re covered and surrounded by a colorful blanket of clouds, Then you move. All the colors go away for a black starry void that pushes you back and pulls you upward at the same time, (How can I move?) Is this really just a trick from the supreme leader, meant to trap me forever? This void envelops me like a sea of alternating currents when I stay still, And when I move it¡¯s direct currents that pushes me and pulls me (Aghhh!) I¡¯m on a highway to hell at this point! (But I must persist regardless) I didn¡¯t come all this way for nothing¡­. ¡­. ¡°Errgh¡± I adamantly defy the space¡¯s force, pushing myself to the far away unknown¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t care how long this takes I¡¯m not quitting, I don¡¯t have a choice but to keep going forward!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ***** ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice but to keep moving forward¡±. I remember saying those words ten years ago, Still haven¡¯t gotten any closer to where I can only imagine need to I don¡¯t feel hungry here or tired, just stagnant. Even though all I¡¯ve been doing is walking¡­. "It¡¯s like I haven¡¯t moved an inch.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ***** ¡°It¡¯s like I haven¡¯t I moved since¡±. How long has it been since I said that again? A hundred years? Maybe more¡­ I don¡¯t really think much anymore, I like to focus by counting the seconds away¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ***** I¡¯m so tired of counting the seconds away¡­! Ten thousand years enough! It¡¯s enough! When will it end!? I can¡¯t even turn back now if I wanted to, Stolen novel; please report.¡°There isn¡¯t even anywhere to go back to¡­¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ ****** ¡°There isn¡¯t even anywhere to go back to¡± I said that so long ago, that I stopped counting, Who really cares about time anyways? Not me. I can¡¯t even remember my name, All I¡¯ve ever known is this place, My memories of before like a single grain of sand on a beach (I doubt they were ever real) I probably made it all up I¡¯ve always been here haven¡¯t I? Everything thing that¡¯s happened it was all in my mind Wasn¡¯t it? (Who am I even talking to?) I¡¯m a fucking walking paradox No I¡¯m not.. Aghh¡­. ¡­.. I can¡¯t use mana or magic here But those probably weren¡¯t real either, a power system of my fantasies The only thing I can do is walk¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­.... ¡­¡­ Have you ever been on a rollercoaster? One that rode so fast that each time it went steeply high and then scarily dropped into downward motion, you felt like you were about to die but not by crashing or anything, by the sheer volume of noise and confusion accumulated during the ride, The hard wind that slaps you aggressively, The screams of the other passengers, The way your insides felt which each consecutive bump, And the general anxiety one would have on such a ride It¡¯s like feeling a bunch of bad things at once that you can¡¯t quite comprehend which is worse, which will inevitably be your downfall¡­ Well, I¡¯ve never been on a rollercoaster, at least to my current memory I haven¡¯t¡­ But this right now is how I imagine it to be¡­ (Have I said this before?) Nah¡­ The feeling you get when the rollercoaster goes high up and then back down again, Like your soul is leaving your body, That¡¯s how I feel walking, Except my soul actually slips out now, I¡¯ve gotten so accustomed to the forces against me, that I now feel forces I couldn¡¯t before Like the force that keeps your soul bound to your body, Tens of trillions of years of walking and I¡¯ve now mastered the art of walking. (I wonder if I would die if I simply walked out of my own body right now?) ¡­. (It¡¯s not like I can call you my current state living) Why was even walking before? I don¡¯t know And I doubt it matters. (You know what) I¡¯ve had enough of this¡­.. I¡¯m walking, I¡¯m walking out myself¡­. (Maybe life, my life isn¡¯t all that important after all) ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡°Wheeeyyahh!¡± BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! The loud sound startles me, who¡¯d been experiencing silence for so long, The moment I stepped out of my own body the void, like a predator stalking it¡¯s prey, finally decided to devour me BONG! The loud tolls of a bell echoes around (Where an I now?) It still feels like I¡¯m in my body but I know I¡¯m no anymore, BONG! BONG! A tower stands over me, around are street lights, billboards and crosswalks, all abandoned I¡¯m in the morning middle of a public plaza, Empty cars line the barren and cracked up streets around me, They all jam into each other as if the drivers all mysteriously vanished at once, (I don¡¯t know what to make of this, a city? Where???) Is this heaven or hell? End of Daze Bzzzt Bzzzt An electronic sign sparks, Caution Active Highway It says, the words on the LED screen flashing on and off, The highway is anything but active however, rows of cars pile the streets in a long line all empty¡­.. Fwoo~. A soft breeze brushes past my face, It smell dense and poisonous that I¡¯m sure if my human body were actually here it would have died instantly by the toxic air, .. Blamm! I touch a car and its door immediately falls off; this causes a chain reaction that makes the entire vehicle fall apart (They must have been here for long) The many buildings that populate this apparent city are all old and crumbly, I fear if I even touch a door one the buildings will start falling apart like this car All the vehicles seem to driving out of the city however, Like a panic was the air (I wonder what happened here?) The city doesn¡¯t look damaged or attacked, (I guess I¡¯ll see where these cars are going) ¡­. ¡­. As the view transitions from the numerous city structures and architecture into the broader highway, it becomes much less crowded, The sides of the roads are large fields that probably used to be grassy, now they¡¯re filled with sand, The sky above I hadn¡¯t been pay attention to since the city was still well lit, but out here it¡¯s dark, Not dark as in night There are no sun, moon or stars when I look up Just black ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Now Leaving Eldorado City¨C Universal Space Station Up Ahead I read from a traffic sign It appears all these people were headed there¡­ (Why?) ¡­¡­. Bcrrrzzzt Bcrrrzzzt! Bcrrrzzzt!! (Hmmm?) Bcrrrzzzt! One of the cars appears to still be running Bcrrrzzzt! Slam!! I pull open the door and falls off, the rest of the car remains standing however, Bcrrrzzzt!! A screen on the dashboard sparks, flashing on and off, Date: June 13/2723¨CGeneration: 666 (The year is two thousand seven hundred and twenty-three? What does generation mean?) Time: ¡Þ (The time is infinite) Bcrrrzzzt! Bcccccrrrrzzzztttt! The dashboard screen sparks violently as I reach out, before shutting off (¡­..) ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. Continuing on the path of cars I now keep my ears open in case there are any other working vehicles ¡­¡­ ***** ........ The road gradually gets steeper over time, a vast view of sand can now be over looked from where I am This appears to be a coasty area the sea however is now a desert Nearing the space center the cars all have their doors swung open rusty keys and other deteriorating possessions litter the ground here It is evident that the drivers got this close and abandoned their cars, probably frantically running into the space station¡­. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.The aforementioned station gates are wide open the cars blocking the entrance, Bammm! Bamm!! Some vehicles fall apart as I squeeze paste them by the gate A large tower of glass and steel overlooks the yard below, To the back of the space centers yard is an empty runway, Judging from the view this space center is at top a cliff side near what was an ocean¡­ ¡­. Crunch? Crunch? My feet step onto the broken glass in the station¡¯s entrance. The glass doors most likely broken by a crowd people rushing in, Grzzzt!! The lights flicker Walking past the empty reception are now empty offices and waiting rooms for civilians, *Click* I press at the elevator panel (Obviously it doesn¡¯t work) Pingg!? The door does open, nevertheless But it¡¯s just an empty shaft, (Up or down?) ¡­. (Who am even asking?) ¡°hyuh!¡± I leap into the shaft Falling¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­All the way to the bottom Thumd! I land on my feet effortlessly, (I should have gone up first if I knew I was going to end up so far below) ¡­.. (Then again, they always keep the secrets below) Grrrrrrraaaaammmm! Tearing open the shaft doors at the bottom I enter into a curious room, It is lit up under a dark green light, Universe Status At the head of the room a screen still runs it doesn¡¯t display anything except for a black space (It¡¯s so dark you wouldn¡¯t even notice the screen was on) Crcck?! I accidentally step on a headset, The floor is littered with them¡­ (Headsets?) They just lie there as if the people wearing them had suddenly turned to dust. (So strange¡­) ¡­¡­. *Click-click-click-tap-tap* I¡¯m just pressing random buttons at this point¡­. ¡­.. Beeeeooowwwp! (And it seems to have worked) Memory wave converter The words flash on a screen now, EHHHNNCCKK!! Then it buzzes red Satellites inactive: Unable to run conversion, (So this was a control room to activate satellites that converted memories?) ¡­.. I pick up one of the headsets growing increasing curios Yin One side of the ear pieces has printed on Yang On the other (Hmmmm I¡¯m guessing these aren¡¯t for music¡­) Placing it on my ears I¨C ¨CAghhh! Aghhhhkk! The buzzing Aghhhhkk! It pierces stronger than ever before so much so that I can¡¯t even move to take it off My senses all my feeling disabled Ahhcckkk! Stop! Beeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeep! Assessing errors¡­ The buzzing gradually fades into a robotic voice Errors assessed¡­.. Re-uploading missing data (Re-uploading? Wait, am I¡ª Beyond ¡ªthe data? ¡­¡­. It was instantaneous, Before I could even finish a thought I¡¯d been seemingly ¡®uploaded¡¯ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.? Dream? Hmm? Beyond dreams? A warm ray of sunlight now bathes onto me accompanied by soft winds, that carry the leaves of a massive tree¡­. Tree? A groovy orchestra echoes through the ambience Beyond life? This place feels familiar¡­ You will find? (A tree that stands at the head of a city with white brick structures built¨C) ¨CNo I¡¯ve definitely seen this before Your? Song? But when? I can¡¯t remember¡­ It must have been billions of years ago Before sound? Even it¡¯s name escapes me¡­ ¡­.. ¡°So this was the location of choice you chose?¡± a smooth voice speaks, coinciding with the appearance of a feminine being To be found? She is dressed in a full white gown, that matches with her long wavy hair and sparkling eyes like clear cut diamonds, colorless beauty, She smiles at me, it makes me want to melt with happiness, I don¡¯t know why, ¡°Who, are you?¡± ¡°Do you not recognize yourself Kage?¡± Close your eyes? ¡°Kage? So that was my name¡­ This is how I looked?¡± (It¡¯s coming back to me now¡­) And? Rise? ¡°This place is Soterra, do you remember Kage?¡± ¡°Soterra¡­ Soterra¡­ Yes, yes, it is, I remember now, But why is it here? Where am I?¡± Higher still? ¡°The point of singularity, where everything exists but nothing at all You can call it heaven or hell, its appearance depends on your own will, I just call it Zero,¡± Endless thrill? ¡°Zero¡­..¡± ¡°Welcome home Kage!¡± another voice interjects this one hard and raspy, a slim but muscular man dressed in a full body all black combat suit appears before me, His smile reveals sharp teeth like little razors, and speaking of sharp, his all black pupils stare daggers into me, Unlike the woman who¡¯s white wavy hair is so long that it reaches her feet, this man¡¯s hair is straight and jet black, and pokes up into the air ¡­. To the land? Of? ¡°This is home?¡± ¡°Yes, we can make it anything we like, Come on change the scenery from this depressing town, It¡¯s been too damn long since we¡¯ve been here, Isn¡¯t that right sisterr?¡± Love? ¡°¡­.. Kage,¡± the woman ignores him, ¡°We do not have much time to converse so I will say it now, You have an important decision to make, that will deter¨C¡± ¡°¨CShut up,¡± I cut her off, Beyond love? ¡°I¡¯ve been lost on everything for so long, I don¡¯t want to here anything about anything, until you two tell me everything about fucking everything!¡± Come alive? ¡°You have already seen a glimpse of it Kage, The city you were just in, The end of the world¡­no, the end of the universe itself,¡± ¡°The end¡­?¡± Angel eye? ¡°He isn¡¯t telling you it correctly,¡± the feminine Kage speaks in, Forever watching you and I? ¡°You see it all started in the twenty first century of the first generation, The people of that time were the first to discover and invent the basis for all the technology humanity would soon create, But you see, us humans, we are always prone to war and violence, and by the end of the first generation at the year one million, We had gone through many wars, all of the world wars, the climate war, the oil wars the cyber war, the moon wars and the population war, At the one millionth year the dates are reset to one again but the generation changes, Generations twin through five were peaceful as humanity was spread thin from the wars, progress was stagnant during that time, but by the seventh generation we were back together united as one people it was a generation of equality, And it¡¯s where we first perfected the technology for space travel, By the next twenty or so generations we came to the outer regions of space developing new inhabitable planets, making them fit for us, We became an intergalactic species,¡± You are the night? You are the ocean? ¡°But as always,¡± the masculine Kage takes reigns of the story You are the light behind the cloud? ¡°Humanity is always prone to war, The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Generation fifty was more war, this time it wasn¡¯t with us humans, but other sentient species far out in the universe, Unlike us who were technological advanced these species were physically evolved thy could survive in the vacuum of space, There were many more alien species beside them, The wars were long and seemingly endless, But humans somehow being the weakest always win, And you know why that is? Of all the species and beings out there, we were the most underhanded the most deceitful, By generation three hundred, the entire universe was conquered, our technology was so advanced that we could create black hole grenades and solar flare cannons, By taking over more planets and enslaving the alien inhabitants we eventually learned their skills, mana, a power that be drawn from the universe if you devote yourself solely to it¡­¡± You are the end and the beginning? ¡°What does all of this have to do with me? With us? This is just a history lesson?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also our origin story, Kage,¡± the woman smiles again and I can¡¯t help but nod understandingly to her warmth A world where time is not allowed? ¡°You see this isn¡¯t a story about what exactly humans did, We¡¯re more so trying to show you the doomed cycle of humanity, After we¡¯d conquered everything, populated everywhere that could be populated in the universe, Humans was now the only sentient life in the universe, and it was peaceful for many, many generations, there was actually more time spent in peace than in war, But by the six hundredth generation, population levels were incalculable not only that, but because of the largeness of the universe humanity became decentralized and more divided than ever, There were the people who now gave up all semblance of scientific advancements and devoted to the universe for it¡¯s power, There were the ones who did the opposite and only used technology, And the greediest humans of all sought to have both, As it had come before, the cycle of war repeated, no matter how happy how high the standard of living for people are,¡± There''s no such thing as competition? ¡°They always search for something to go to war about, This war however was the worst of all, black hole bombs that could swallow planets whole, Supernova missiles etcetera, carnage, pure an utter chaos,¡± ¡­. ¡­. To find our way we lose control? ¡°The city you saw on your way here, Eldorado, It was located on earth, the birthplace of all humans, unlike the other planets that changed and developed earth was opted to stay in a preserved state in homage to the ones of the twenty first century that started this technological boom, But fittingly earth also became the birthplace for humanity¡¯s ascension to godhood, By generation six hundred and sixty six, the universe was finished And I mean finished¡± Remember love''s our only mission? ¡°The consequences for using black holes as war tools, Everything began to collapse on itself the entire universe swallowed up, Some say God, the real God finally stepped in, Depending on how you look at it, he did, Unlike us who has conciseness, god is just a flow, a mechanism, a system, it creates matter concepts, everything as we know it, but it also destroys those things if one gets too big, Too much matter, destroy it and create more concepts, That¡¯s what god is, And that¡¯s what our hope of survival was, God is a system, a mechanism, and all systems can be hacked, or mechanism broken, if you try smart enough,¡± ¡­¡­. This is a journey of the soul? ¡°So as the universe died and all life swallowed, we humans developed and progressed at an exponentially¡± The perfect song is framed with silence? ¡°Like the hysterical strength you get when your life is in danger We were hysterically progressive,¡± It speaks of places never seen? ¡°We were able to crack the code, Operation collective consciousness we called All our minds, bodies and consciousness combined as one,¡± Your home''s a promise long forgotten? ¡°That¡¯s what we are Kage, The culmination of all humans¡± It is the birthplace of your dreams? Requiem: Everybodys Everything The are many sounds out in the world more than that, the universe, some we can hear and some we cannot, Many people like to hypothesize many theories of the true correlation between all things, be it from strings or from spins, rotations, spirals, All these questions but we fail to ask the question if in essence down to it¡¯s very miniscule base everything is the same, then it¡¯s the vibrations of the string, the speed or frequency of the spin that determines if it becomes a piece rock from a diamond, Then what affects the spin, the vibration, the frequency of the strings? Sound, The are many sounds out in the world more than that, the universe, some we can hear and some we cannot, I can hear them all, Even a brick wall makes a sound, that we cannot hear, These cosmic sounds are what affects the flow and balance of elements and materials in the universe, No, Maybe I shouldn¡¯t call them sounds, A sound is singular, The culmination of sounds that makes up something as simple as water, is music on it¡¯s own, Music, The harmonization of individual sounds together that creates something of that is both of many one, Music, Many sounds one but a single song, You could also describe me like that, Many memories, one Kage, Just like the music we are accustomed to hearing, that moves us, makes us feel certain ways, or in some cases allows us to see images, places aesthetics, The music of the cosmos is the same, only it affects something as small as a carbon atom and something as complex as a ball of gas we call stars or suns, What do I affect then? ¡­¡­.. ******* ¡°By fusing every single mind body and soul into one, humanity gained cosmic harmonization, we were able to see all that could be seen, hear all, We were everything, Because of the naturally contrasting personas that makes up humans, we knew it wasn¡¯t going to last long, It was still enough time for us to create a sort of counter to the universe collapse, The black hole couldn¡¯t be stopped, so we didn¡¯t we instead created a reverse black hole inside of it, A white hole, And it is where humanity now thrives, The three rings of Gaia, Tellus and Terra, are the inner rings of the white hole, We all came to a decision that it was best for the balance that everyone got an environment suited for, them, For the people who neglected technology the large land of Gaia with flowing rivers and an abundance of forests For the ones who had no care of this nature, they were given Tellus, a ring with large continents filled with many resources and materials for scientific progress Then there were the ones who wanted it all, there was no compromise they would take, only power, So, we gave them the resources the mana the knowledge but Terra was made to be harsh on them, that all their time would be spent wasted on survival, Overtime the rings became what they are today, If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.As for the original culmination of humanity, it was temporary, we split and became separate again, But the data, remained the memories of everyone stayed, as a failsafe incase that power may be used again, However instead of keeping all memories and power as one, we partitioned them, All the positive thoughts and memories became me, The divine feminine once a god but now a memory myself,¡± ¡°And I the divine masculine, the holder of all the negativity, the chaotic side of humanity¡± ¡°Only when we were in perfect agreement could we use our power¡­ The angels and demons were the people who could not or chose not to be apart of the new system, The ones that were too evil and sadistic to be sent to the rings as a humans became demons, and the ones who chose to stay here and maintain the new balance were the angels,¡± ¡°And now we finally reach the point of your origin,¡± the dark haired Kage smiles slyly flauntingly pointing at me ¡°You see, it doesn¡¯t matter how hard you try to balance things, with ¡®peace¡¯ and positivity, In the end the cycle of chaos repeats, And you know why that is¨Cbecause we¡¯ve had it all wrong from the beginning, the true nature of all things is chaos, by trying to balance things by creating peace, we disrupts the flow then leading to even greater chaos, Light exists inside darkness not the other way around, I saw it, she saw it! Tell Kage sister!¡± ¡°¡­.. He is referring to the future we saw,¡± she lowers her head ¡°Or rather, the inevitably we came across, the definitive end, an end in which not even ourselves exists, that we were unable to see the future past the nothingness,¡± ¡°That is the outcome of going the peaceful route, On the day of your birth Kage, I planned to forcefully combine my data with my sister, and use our power to re organize the balance, before I could begin however she cast a spell, or ran command whichever you prefer to call it, She forcefully deleted our consciousness, or memories, in essence killing us both, But unintentionally creating you Kage, see the power we thought would delete with us, didn¡¯t, They combined on their own, this time without any memories of it¡¯s own, The body had to start absorbing those present around it, so just as we¡¯d been deleted, we were absorbed into you Kage, but now as memories, we cannot use our power, without having you under our subconscious influence, or in you actively being in sync with your memories, with me, with us.¡± ¡°So¡­ So I was born from your deaths?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the feminine Kage grabs my hand gently, it¡¯s warmth makes me feel so¡­. ¡°You know the cosmos itself is like an infinite orchestra of music, When one dies their song stops playing, as another song starts When we died our songs ended too, and yours began, only you are song that was un-mastered An unfinished song that plays in harmony with everything except itself, You are our requiem, Kage.¡± Requiem: What do I dream of? Dumm? A finger pulls slightly on the string of an electric bass Dumm? Dumm-dumm-dumm-dumm? Dumm? Dumm? Dumm? Bamm.bapp bapp? A drum loop starts up Dumm? Bamm bapp bapp-bapp-bapp? Dumm? Bamm bapp bapp-bapp-bapp? Dumm-bong- -bamm bapp bapp? A keyboard melts in Dumm-bong- -bamm bapp bapp? Dumm-bong- -bamm bapp bapp? Dumm-bong- -bamm bapp bapp? ¡°Is this thing on?¡± Dumm-bong- -bamm bapp bapp? JANG JANG! ? Enters the hard strums of an electric guitar Dumm-bong- -bamm bapp bapp? ¡°Mic check¡± JANG JANG! ? ¡°Where did you go when I was searching for¨CJANG JANG? Where did you go when I was looking for you? Give me something inside? Gimme a feeling, I was meant for you. ? Tell me it hurts but it fell right¨CJANG JANG! ? Unfathomable feelings when I¡¯m thinking of you, ? Dreeeeaaaaaammmmmmm! ? You, ? Du-dun dumn dunnn dumm? Yoouuuuu! ? You are my dreeaamm! ? Youuuuu, ? You are a dreammm, ? Youuuu, ? Cuz you¡¯re not reall, ? (To me you are a?) Dreaammmn! ? Yeah, yeah yahh yahhh,yahh? Ouuu, ? Spitting out my flow I¡¯m on a roll I got my dough, ? You stay with the hoes, I¡¯m with my bros and we be turned up, ? Don¡¯t you question me ? Dreammmsssss! ? Yeah ? Kage yeah he be dreaming, but I be scheming I turn my opps dust, ? ¨CNah, Cut it cut it, Kage I¡¯m not really feeling this beat I can¡¯t get my bars off proper,¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.¡°¡­. I¡¯ll mix something else,¡± ¡°ight, but as we off, I gotta ask, What kind of song are you really trying to make? It sounded like some alternative But you¡¯re asking me to rap on the feature?¡± ¡°¡­. I don¡¯t know for sure yet. Whether it¡¯s good or bad, I want to hear how it sounds,¡± ¡°Ight cool, can respect that, But when our song is finished what are your plans, We releasing it, or¡­.?¡± ¡°Release it, after I¡¯ve heard it, I don¡¯t really care who does or doesn¡¯t hear it¡± ¡°You¡¯ze a weird dude, but I vibe with it, If the public say it ass though?¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s their decision, It ultimately is up to humans to decide everything for themselves including their own fates,¡± ¡°mane what? Your human too dawg,¡± ¡°hmmm, I haven¡¯t been one yet,¡± ¡°What that mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about being a human for a while.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ion know what you mean by that but good luck dawg, So are we postponing this session for now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m actually thinking about writing a poem instead, then maybe we can go from there¡± ¡°ok, well cool, I¡¯ll check with you again later, Kage, peace¡± (Peace) Strum ? A finger gently plays on a guitar Strumm? ¡°Are you¡­¡­?¡±? Strummmm? ¡°Are you¡­¡­?¡±? Strummm? ¡°Are you¡­.?¡±? Strummm? ¡°Are you confused yet?¡±? ¡­.. ¡­. ¡­. **** Grrrrrrriinnnnggggg!? Grrrrrrriiiiiinnnnggggggg!? An alarm sounds off loudly, ¡°Kage! Come on get up, you¡¯ll be late for school! Don¡¯t ignore your mother, Kage!¡± Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 1 ¡°Careful Kage, you¡¯ll spill juice on your skirt,¡± Mother rushes to my side her long snow white hair trailing behind, the early morning sunlight that breaks into our dining room window, reflects off her hair as mother crosses the light¡¯s path, ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore, I wasn¡¯t going to make a mess,¡± I pull away the jug of orange juice from the woman now attempting to take it, As I do however the juice splashes up, a few droplets landing on my sky blue and white checkered skirts, ¡°You see what I told you Kage,¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you were the one that rushed at me,¡± ¡°But was I wrong though,¡± ¡°ugh, mom, sometimes you are impossible to argue,¡± I pull back from her attempting to wipe the stain away, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it doesn¡¯t even show,¡± ¡°What do you mean, I can clearly see the mark Kage,¡± ¡°That¡¯s cause it¡¯s wet now, let it dry,¡± ¡°And what if it becomes an orange mark?¡± ¡°Ima be late for school mom bye,¡± Ignoring her I grab my royal blue school blazer, hung on my chair by the dining room table, Draping it across my white school blouse, I flash an apologetic smile to my mother hurriedly pressing out my home¡­ ¡­¡­.. ~~~~~~~~~ Frreeett? Fwwweeeett? Birds chirp happily perched upon the trees by the sidewalks, The sun hasn¡¯t fully come out yet, so it feels slightly cold and gray, but I don¡¯t mind, In fact rather enjoying walking at this time, if get tok cold I simply step into the rays of the sun and warm up, (Yeah, it¡¯s weird, sue me) I live close to my high school so I walk every morning¡­ The¨C ¡°¨CMorning bitch!¡± a person shoves me hard, almost making me crash into a lamp post, ¡°You gotta stop doing that Lyra,¡± I annoyedly push back at the girl, ¡°You looked like a zombie walking there so I had to, you know, push some life into you,¡± ¡°Were you waiting out for me?¡± I roll my eyes at her previous statement (I must have zoned out for real, because I didn¡¯t even notice when I passed her house) ¡°Mhmm, We should walk together from now on, Kage¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re only saying that because Apollo has a girlfriend now,¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t notice¡± Lyra replies sarcastically, ¡°Speaking of girlfriends, where¡¯s your sister Lyra, has she left yet?¡± ¡°Karina is still home, One of her boyfriends has a car so she¡¯s waiting for him,¡± ¡°One of?¡± ¡°You know how Karina is,¡± now it¡¯s Lyra¡¯s turn to roll her eyes, ¡°She¡¯s my best friend, but sometimes even I get surprised at her actions,¡± ¡°Smells like a fake friendship to me,¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous Lyra, you know my third or fourth best friend,¡± ¡°Nah, you¡¯re my girlfriend Kage,¡± yawns Lyra jokingly ¡°Girlfriend?¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.¡°In that skirt you are,¡± she tugs it, ¡°First of all, you¡¯re wearing one too, and secondly I wore pants yesterday¡± ¡°Yeah, but you weren¡¯t this cute yesterday either,¡± ¡°Stop it your making me blush,¡± I drawl sarcastically ¡°Attitude,¡± she shoves me again as a response ¡°You know if Karina said that to you, you¡¯d all happy and shit,¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d be the same as I am now, also you need to stop thinking that Karina and I are anything besides friends, you just said she has boyfriends, plural.¡± ¡°But I see the way you two look at each other, It¡¯s different.¡± (¡­¡­.) ¡°I guess you have point¡­ Lyra, I¡¯ll be your girlfriend for real if it means you¡¯ll Believe Karina and I are just friends¡± ¡°¡­. Nah I¡¯m good, but thanks for saying this on record though,¡± Lyra gloats revealing her recording phone, ¡°You¨C¡± ¡°Haha, Pinoki and Apollo are going to love this,¡± the girl cackles sprinting forward , ¡°Keep up! And don¡¯t let the wind blow up your skirt!¡± she blows a kiss back at me skipping away into the distance¡­¡­ (I should have anticipated that) ¡­¡­ ¡­... ¡­... ~~~~~~~~~? ~~~~~~~~~? The sound of chartering begins to pour in as I enter the school grounds, It¡¯s Still early so classes haven¡¯t started yet, but I like this early hour as it gives me time to practice¨C ¡°¨CYo,¡± someone calls to me leaned up by the gate, ¡°Yo¡± I respond ¡°Yo,¡± he says back ¡°Yo¡± ¡°Yooo¡± ¡°Yoooo¡± ¡°Yo¡± ¡°Why did we start doing this in the first place,¡± I smile extending my fist to a short young man, ¡°I can¡¯t remember either to be honest, I think it was Darius who started it,¡± ¡°¡­.. Did you happen to see Lyra pass already Pinoki?¡± ¡°I did but she didn¡¯t notice me, and I didn¡¯t call out to her, When Lyra is in a hype mood this early I know it can mean nothing good, But on the topic of Lyra, Did you ask her yet Kage?¡± ¡°No, and you were supposed to ask her, I got Karina, Darius Apollo and you Lyra, Don¡¯t try to push your responsibility on me,¡± ¡°Oh yeah, my bad¡± Pinoki tries to pretend like he¡¯d forgotten, ¡°Hhhhh,¡± I sigh at him, ¡°Your laziness unparalleled bro, you need to maybe dial back on all those adventure RPG videogames, Hopefully your other skills aren¡¯t rusty,¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t, and don¡¯t hate on gaming Kage, you should try it sometimes,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it around to it¡­ Now come on let¡¯s get over to the practice room, I even thought of name¡± ¡°Finally,¡± rejoices Pinoki, ¡°I was getting tired of calling it ¡®the project¡¯ this name better be good Kage, what is it?¡± ¡°¡­. What do you think of the name¡­. Requiem?¡± ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. (The Happiest Days Of Our Lives) Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2 We don¡¯t need no, education? ~?~~~? ~~?~~~? ~~~?~~~? We don¡¯t need no, thought control ? ~?~~~? ~~?~~~? ~~~?~~~? No dark sarca¨C ¡°¨CKagee.. . Mwah? Miss me?¡± Cutting me off, a pair of arms wrap gently around my neck followed by a kiss on my cheek, ¡°Come on Karina, you¡¯re interrupting,¡± I pull away, ¡°And stop doing that, your giving people the wrong impression,¡± ¡°No one¡¯s here to see anything Kage,¡± ¡°Ummm¡­. Hello, we might not have met before for but I¡¯m Pinoki and I¡¯m standing right here,¡± snorts Pinoki annoyed by the girl disregard for him, ¡°We were in the middle of practice, Karina, don¡¯t you have other guys you¡¯d rather be acting that way with right now?¡± ¡°mhm, true, I just like to fluster Kage a bit, But who says I wasn¡¯t here to join you, Kage texted me: ¡®In the back of school by the empty storage sheds, we got permission, come¡¯ At first, I was thinking, is he calling me back here for ''you know what'' but then I read it again and saw ¡®we'' so I figured it was probably what you were plotting with Darius and Pinoki,¡± ¡°You say that like if we¡¯re about to pull of a heist or something¡­¡± ¡­¡­ In the back of school there are unused storage sheds, students are usually banned from coming here, but I got permission form the Principal, Giichi to use one, Inside we have a drum kit set up, to electric guitars, one bass, a keyboard, and whatever Pinoki uses, (It¡¯s a modern musical device, called an Omni-synthesizer, it can produce and emulate and instrument or ambient sound in real time, though it depends on how good you are navigating the complex controls) ¡­ ¡°Well what are you planning?¡± Karina paces around the room surveying everything, ¡°A boy band perhaps?¡± she teases ¡°No, were more like a musical collective, bands tend to play specifically rock, We¡¯re not bound to any genre,¡± ¡°Ok, I see¡­ What do you want me for, You know how versatile my mouth is Kage,¡± ¡­. ¡°So did you text Lyra yet?¡± I ask Pinoki ignoring the girl, She is right however, Karina though she has not had nay formally practice is phenomenally adept at using the full range of her voice, she can change even the minute details of it, practically giving her the talent to imitate any voice, Not only that but Karina is also naturally gifted in all manner of wind/blow-able instruments, anything from flutes to trumpets, (You would think she was a magician) ¡­.. ¡°What are you doing all this for?¡± Karina grabs my face turning it back to hers, ¡°The school is having a music festival, don¡¯t you pay attention? Principal Giichi said that the act that performs the best could win the Amadeus award¡± (An award for amateur artist, it isn¡¯t necessary for music, but art in general) ¡°Hmmm, I didn¡¯t know you were interested in that sort of thing Kage,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m doing this because¡­..¡± ¡°Because¡­..?¡± ¡°I want to know how winning will make me feel¨C¡± ¡°¨CBecause you never know if you really like something unless you try it for yourself¡± Karina finishes my sentence (She uses that logic to explain why she has so many boyfriends) ¡°You know we¡¯re so alike me and you Kage, we should get married in the future, I feel like our childre¨C¡± ¡°¨CEhhckk!¡± coughs Pinoki though he¡¯s busy scrolling through the laptop on his musical set up, his ears does so often catch what¡¯s being said around him, ¡°Can you two stop? I¡¯m already getting flashbacks to Zinnia and Darius, Please we do not need another lovey couple, pleasee?¡± ¡°We are¨C¡± ¡°Ayoo!¡± ¡°hahah!¡± ¡°Kage said that?¡± As Karina was about to reply the sound of familiar voices draw our attention, ¡­¡­. ¡°Yo.¡± The door swings open, to four laughing friends ¡°Yo.¡± Pinoki and I simultaneously answer, ¡°Yo.¡± ¡°Yoo¡± ¡°Yooo¡± ¡°Yooow¡± ¡°Yooooow¡± ¡°Ayooo¡± ¡°Yooooo¡± ¡°For fucks sake,¡± Lyra pushes both Apollo and Darius forward into the room, breaking our eccentric greetings ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to be so aggressive for everything Lyra,¡± Zinnia scolds walking in lastly, The small room now fills up with a generally pleasant group of friends, ¡°Darius told me what you were planning,¡± Apollo wraps his arm around me chummily, the moment he gets by me, ¡°You could have asked me yourself Kage,¡± ¡°Yeah, it was more interesting this way,¡± ¡°Interesting how?¡± ¡°If I had asked all of you myself it would come across as a ¡®Kage plan'' But if we each asked then it becomes a group thing,¡± ¡°Only question I remember is you confessing to me this morning,¡± Lyra takes out her phone ready to play the recording again, ¡°Wait, what lemme hear that,¡± Karina swipes her sister¡¯s phone, ¡°Hey don¡¯t touch!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already touching it, behave Lyra let me get a listen quick,¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°No, I was going to already, but since you grabbed my phone, You can kiss my ass!¡± Lyra aggressively yanks back her device, ¡°You greasy bitch! Look what did to my blouse Lyra!¡± ¡°Please, it¡¯s just a little ruffle, no one is gonna notice,¡± ¡°Yeah if I were you, I have eyes on me at all times, you¡­you¡­.¡± ¡°Both you relax,¡± Zinnia tries to mediate the sisters¡¯ argument ¡­.. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m on the bass right?¡± Apollo, Darius, Pinoki and I aren¡¯t even paying attention to the girls anymore, Darius grabs a guitar while Apollo takes the bass, Zinnia doesn¡¯t play an instrument, she is here to design our clothes and aesthetics¡­ Jummm? I play after a quick tune up¡­ ¡°hmmm, We still don¡¯t have anyone for the keyboard, mumbles Darius,¡± (I knew I forgot something) Darius is our primary guitarist, as well as cowriter with me, Apollo the bassist, Pinoki handles then technical aspects of everything, Lyra is supposed to be on the drums right now, Karina and I have the most versatility so we fluctuate between co vocalists, and varied instrument players, (But who do we get to do the keyboarding?) ¡°My, umm, friend, plays, I can ask her to join if you want¡± suggests Apollo ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You know Himari right?¡± ¡°Himari?¡± the mention of her catches the attention of Lyra and Karina, ¡°Not that snobby bitch,¡± ¡°Hey come on Lyra you can¡¯t just say that about people you don¡¯t know,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, That Snobby Bitch.¡± ¡°I agree with Lyra,¡± Karina surprisingly takes her sister¡¯s side ¡°Don¡¯t agree with me, she¡¯s like you Karina, No scratch that,. You are a less dignified Himari,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to that girl¡± the sister Begin to bicker once more, ¡­.. ¡°She¡¯ll fit right in Apollo,¡± I nod to him, he takes out his phone to shoot the text of invitation, I like Himari, she and don¡¯t speak much but she doesn¡¯t with anyone really, Himari usually sticks to herself so it¡¯s a rare surprise how Apollo managed to catch her eye, The most I know of her is that she comes from a large family, I often see her father coming to pick her up, (My father, both of my parents leave to my business, though my mother can sometimes be a bit pushy, my father is scientist, he cares but js usually lost in his work and absent minded. I don¡¯t mind since I¡¯m like that as well) ¡­. ¡°Wait, let¡¯s get one thing straight Apollo,¡± Pinoki is talking, ¡°Your little girlfriend can join Requiem, but if you start acting like Certified lover Darius, and Zinnia over here, I¡¯ll kick you out myself,¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± asks Darius indignantly ¡°Zinnia and I act normal,¡± (As long as they¡¯re six feet apart then yeah) ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that Pinoki,¡± assured Apollo ¡°Himari doesn¡¯t show affection around people, But in private it¡¯s different, You know what I¡¯m talking about¡± Apollo raises his hands to Darius who high fives him, ¡°ahhhhh, You a got it you got it,. I know girls like that be frea¨C¡± ¡°¨CIs this a practice session or a boys hangout?¡± Zinnia rolls her eyes butting into the talks, ¡°We have like fifteen minutes till lunch ends too,¡± I checking my watch, ¡°Himari better not take long to¨C¡± ¡°¨CI have some conditions if I do potentially join this,¡± the door swings open again, this time to Himari (Damn she moves fast, and also, I swear no one can talk without getting interrupted) . . Himari must¡¯ve already been waiting outside for Apollo, She doesn¡¯t even bother to greet us even question what where doing, just straight to business, ¡°We accept your conditions,¡± I stroke my guitar impatiently, ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t even list them off,¡± Doesn¡¯t matter, we would¡¯ve accepted them anyways,¡± ¡°Nah, Kage let her say them first¡± Lyra pries, ¡°Later, We¡¯ve done nothing but talk whole lunch, I want to get a groove going, Now shut up and get your ass behind those drums,¡± ¡°¡­¡­. Pheww?¡± Lyra whistles, she doesn¡¯t reply at all, complying with me, (I know I¡¯m going to taste her revenge in the not-so-distant future¡­) ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­ ¡°Alright!¡± claps Zinnia after we¡¯d all assembled correctly, ¡°This will be the first rehearsal for the musical collective, Requiem, We plan to grow to include more members so that we will soon cover every genre of music, Your talents may not be needed on every song but your status as a member will not change, Now Kage if you will¡­¡± ¡°Thank you Zinnia, I¡¯m just gonna start a melody and you guys see if you can add to it, It builds chemistry¡­ Ok. One. Two. Three¡­ Start.¡± ~?~~~? ~~?~~~? ~~~?~~~? ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ (Life is so unpredictable) ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ (Are you confused?) Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 3 I am a listener, in the truest sense of those words, All I do is listen, My actions, My reactions, They all depend on how I¡¯ve heard, how I¡¯ve interpreted things to be, You see, words or sounds aren¡¯t just things you hear, but what you feel, Even as you read this right now, What voice are you hearing in your own mind right now? What does that voice feel like? ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ***** ¡­¡­ ¡­... ¡°Woooo!¡± ¡°Alright everybody! How did you like that performance!? Well up next, we have a heavy metal band, they go by the name, Lucifer¡¯s Sons, Give it up for Murdoc, Brandon and XPunk!¡± ¡°Wooooooo!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡°Nervous?¡± Himari notices my daze, ¡°No, I¡¯m just thinking about stuff, All the months of practice we¡¯ve spent together, I¡¯m beginning to realize something, but I don¡¯t know what it is, Not until we perform at least,¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself Kage, remember this a group, you always have people to lean back on,¡± ¡°Thanks Himari¡­¡± (I like Himari,) She doesn¡¯t chat often and when she does it¡¯s always assertive and condescending slightly, but under all that she may be one of the most compassionate people I know, (I say one of because the other is¨C) ¡°¨CKagee,¡± Zinnia dashes through the curtain, We are backstage at the competition right now, our performance isn¡¯t until a little later, so everyone is out and about warming themselves up in and around the school¡¯s auditorium, ¡°Lyra told me you stayed behind to brood, don¡¯t tell me you are getting anxious,¡± ¡°No, Zinnia it¡¯s ¨C¡± ¡°Huhh! You¡¯re feeling warm too Kage,¡± she presses my forehead ¡°Warmer than usual, Maybe it¡¯s my fault? I must have designed your costume too tight, or¡­.¡± ¡°Relax Zinnia,¡± Himari wraps her arm around the girl ¡°Some people like to spend time thinking things over in times like this, I do it and so does Kage, if anything I think you¡¯re then one stressing the most,¡± ¡°I am? I am a little you know, what if you look horrible up there, then it¡¯s all going to be my fault,¡± ¡°We, look great just focus on supporting us with all your heart,¡± ¡°Ayo!¡± the curtain to the backstage area pulls back, Lyra and her sister strides in, ¡°Apollo, Darius! Look here, while we were gone Kage has been trying to woo both your girls,¡± grins Lyra clearly trying to instigate something ¡°Wah!?¡± the two boys pull in, ¡°¡­..¡± Their eyes pass on me Himari and Zinnia, Then to each other, Back to us again¨C ¡°¨CNahhhhhh!¡± Darius and Apollo laugh out simultaneously ¡°Nice try Lyra, I think there¡¯s a higher chance of us building a colony on the dark side of the moon than Kage trying to woo anyone,¡± Apollo states cheerfully, ¡°You know, there¡¯s no dark side of the moon really, matter of fact it¡¯s all dark., but from our perspective here on earth, the side we always see we call the light side, and the one we don¡¯t is dark,¡± ¡°Last thing need is science lecture Kage,¡± yawns Darius ¡°Seconded,¡± agrees Lyra, ¡°Who asked for the explanation for Apollo¡¯s analogy?¡± (Not what an analogy is but I won¡¯t correct her) ¡°I just wanted to share that, my dad¡¯s an astrophysicist you know¡± ¡°Yes Kage we all know,¡± ¡­.. ¡°Good we¡¯re all here already,¡± Pinoki struts in energetically ¡°It¡¯s almost time for us, By the way, I bumped into Claude and Amelia on my way here, He¡¯s was asking if he could join Requiem last minute,¡± ¡°No, He can join after today,¡± Karina shakes her head ¡°Claude is such an attention whore, he¡¯ll do anything for the spotlight,¡± ¡°Takes one to know one,¡± snorts Lyra ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You know what it means.¡± ¡°Yeah I do, but I¡¯d like to elaborate¡± ¡°Ok, it takes an attention whore, equals=Karina, to know when another is being an attention whore, equals=Claude, in mathematical terms, K is equal to C¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.¡°Damn, she actually elaborated,¡± Pinoki murmurs in amusement ¡°I am not desperate for attention if you must know,¡± Karina rolls her eyes and turns up her nose ¡°It just so happens that people stare whenever I walk in¡± ¡°Okayy, whatever you say¨C¡± ¡°¨CAlright, alright people get ready,¡± claps one of the backstage workers, signaling us that it¡¯s our turn, (Showtime) The talks die out immediately as we head past the curtain to our instruments, The spotlights are off, and the excitement of the crowd seeps through the stage curtain, Behind it the host hypes up the crowd ¡°Get ready for this next act people, not a band but a musical collective going by the name Requiem!¡± ¡­¡­! Dududm! The spotlights turn on shining us on and the curtain draws apart, I feel my heart beating, the sound of my slow breaths, Lyra¡¯s little taps she does with the drumsticks before starting, Even the sound of the cameras in the crowd taking pictures, All our parents and friends are there, (Time to finally see how it all feels) ¡°One Two, One two three¨C¡± ¡ªKAAAAAABBBBBOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!! My finger just glances on the guitar string and in an instant¡­ (No) In that instant the auditorium¡¯s roof breaks open, the stone crashes down crushing some of the unsuspecting audience ¡°aiiieee!!¡± Screams begin to drown in, A sky of smoke reveals itself from the opening, KAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHUUUUDDDDDDD!!!!! Another explosion (No) ¡°We¡¯re under attack now of all times!?¡± exclaims Pinoki ¡°Everybody get cover! We need to get somewhere safe!¡± orders Darius, ¡°Wait, Wait! Attack!? What about the performance?¡± ¡°Snap out of it Kage!¡± Lyra shakes me ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for you to zone out, Things like this are expected to happen when you¡¯re at war,¡± ¡°War? What war?¡± (No) ¡°Don¡¯t tell me forgot, our country has been in active war for years with¨C¡± ¡°¨CNo! That¡¯s not true, There¡¯s no war here!¡± ¡°There is always going to be a war Kage, it¡¯s just how things are¡± ¡°NO! Listen to me! There is no war here, Because I didn¡¯t make it like that.¡± ¡°What? Your talking gibberish now,¡± ¡°Come with me,¡± Karina pulls me close, ¡°Kage¡¯s just confused, let¡¯s look for our parents and get out¡± KAAAAAABBBBAAAAAAAMMMMMM!!!!!!! Another explosion sounds off, as a missile burst through the auditorium¡¯s wall, exploding onto the frantically escaping people (No, I didn¡¯t allow this) ¡°¡±Eeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!¡± The atmosphere fills with screams blood and smoke Just like that, Everything all gone, (My world) ¡°No! No! I didn¡¯t say this could happen!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to Kage, This is the inevitably of a world of peace.¡± A voice cuts through the screams and explosions speaking directly into my mind, As it does everything surrounded me begins to fade away Each brick of this world crumbling out of the wall of reality The wall of my creation The bricks I placed ¡°Put it back! Rebuild my world!¡± (My wall) ¡°I didn¡¯t destroy it Kage, you did, This wall of peace that you created was always going to end up in this state, Because chaos, war, these are essentials Kage that¡¯s what you don¡¯t understand, No matter how calm how happy, the sheer absurdity of chaos always breaks through when you least expect it.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t even get a chance to play, My song! It isn¡¯t finished!¡± ¡°And it never will be as long as this balance that exist, Peace is just¨C¡± ¡°¨CShut the fuck up about that! I don¡¯t car¡­.¡± (I understand now) ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. (All and all it was, all just bricks in the wall?) Kages Requiem It was never real, I knew that yes, But the point wasn¡¯t to convince myself it was, I just wanted to experience being a regular human, from birth all the way to adulthood My whole existence has been based off the minds and memories of others, so I had to find out What would my song sound like if I did develop like a human, What are my goals, What do I like Who would I become? ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. As the reality I created fades away into nothingness, so does my frantic confused emotions, (I don¡¯t care anymore) I haven¡¯t felt like this in fifteen years, It isn¡¯t that long of time, but to me, in that world it was . ¡­.. ¡°Now do understand, do you see the inevitability of it all?¡± myself challenging stares into me We are stood apart surrounded by a void, like broken pieces of glass, it¡¯s color constantly fluctuating as it awaits the deciding decision ¡°I do understand¡­ I understand that I¡¯m not a regular human I understand that I¡¯m different, so much so that I probably shouldn¡¯t call myself human I understand that with emotions we are able to perceive what necessarily should be mundane and meaningless But these emotions also spurt a chain reaction that leads to chaos, If we did not feel then there would be no reason to have reason I understand that to have reason for purpose you must have emotion to feel that purpose, I understand now that I am Kage, I am a person who enjoys the mundane, I¡¯ve been alive for a long time, but really I have only lived for seventeen years, Every morning I wake up and watch the early sky break into dawn The mystery of space intrigues me, I have hypersensitive ears so I hear much more than others can, I also feel more when it comes to music, My favorite hobbies are listening to music and playing music, My favorite sport is archery My favorite color is gray because it represents the spectrum of both light and dark, I¡¯m also very fond of fashion, men¡¯s fashion and women¡¯s I dress how I feel in the current moment I don¡¯t feel romantically interested in anyone because love all my friends deeply, Intimacy can be exchanged through the sound waves we create together I like all types of people and prefer to keep my friend group diverse, I find different people to be intriguing because I never know what¡¯s out there that I haven¡¯t thought about liking that I may like For instance, I¡¯m not necessarily a violent person But I believe in some instances emotion can only be express through violence Like right now¨C ¨CThunnd! I swing at myself, the blow connects clean it¡¯s after shocks reverberates throughout the emptiness ¡°After all that you decided to do something this tribal?¡± Thunnnd! I swing again ¡°Yes, because it¡¯s fitting, it¡¯s poetic in a sense, If two beings of incalculable power and knowledge were to clash, the only way the conflict could be settled would by the most tribal of ways, No amount of a mana of flashy ability would work on either, No amount of preaching would change minds, So out fists will express everything.¡± Thummmpp! I retaliate against myself with a back elbow like a drill to my face, You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Whamp!! I spring back up with a mallet knee ¡°I¡¯m not even mad, But I know I should be, After everything I should be pissed, So I¡¯ll act like it, For everyone who died for me to get here, Who wasted their lives on a life not worth¨C Fuck why I am even bothering to speak.¡± Whammm!! ¡°agreed¡± I punch myself in the throat I doesn¡¯t do anything given we possess no physical bodies, (But I can still make it that we feel pain) I don¡¯t have to, I could easily be invincible right now, (But then what would be the point?) ¡°Ehhhxkk!¡± squealing out in agony I jump up onto the shoulders of my counterpart And- Slammmnnkkk!! Using my legs to hold my neck I reverse the weight slamming myself head first down, in a reverse hurricanrana ¡°Ehhkm Fuck your existence!¡± Bifff!! Climbing on top of myself I begin to rain down elbow strikes ¡°Thi¡­s This¡­. This is my ...¡± Bifff! Biffff! Backrk! Bacckkrr!! ¡°Is¡­my song¡­my.. story¡­!¡± Backkrrr!! ¡°The past, The history The humanity of before All of it Means nothing to me! I just wanted to know what I really was¡± ¡°We don¡¯t choose to be born¡± myself grins at me ¡°Yes, nothing you have done, everything experience, it all means naught Look at me Kage, Look at yourself, You are fighting yourself! You¡¯ve been fighting yourself since the beginning, I am not a separate Kage, I am Kage! I am you! You intrusive thoughts, your subconscious memories Deep down you think, you know, you feel, the pointlessness of the world, The world revolves around a black hole, The same black hole that¡¯s in place of your, our soul The friendships the power the eternal cycle of life and death over an over, You know, we know, it leads to the same outcome Why bother trying to keep the balance of peace? If nothing matters then why mask our true chaotic natures? Why¨C¡± Bbcccrrkk! ¡°Shut up, you are wrong, During the time I spent in that world, that illusion with my friends, The simplicity of it all has made me realize how wrong you are How dumb, It¡¯s crazy how you, both of you! With all the memories of humanity yet still could not figure out something as simple as our true nature, But I do, I stand in the middle of it all, a perfect neutral, The true nature of humanity is not chaos, it can¡¯t even be described with words, We are beings of expression of deep longing for purpose that is our nature, Nothing matters to those that have not found their art, their own song, Nothing matters, we die in the end, what¡¯s the point, right? We did but our creations, our art, legacy, love, expression, message, they live forever, Isn¡¯t that why I exist? You died But I, the requiem the art that was never finished, I was born to embrace the darkness while bathing in the light, A shadow, formless yet reflective of oneself, I figured out who I am, I already told you¡­¡± ¡­¡­ Errrcckk! Grabbing myself by the throat I I inhale it, I breathe in myself, Yes, I make myself evaporate, I absorb myself I revel in the high of myself. ¡­¡­ ¡°¡­..I am Kage and¡ª¡± The interlude that never ends You see life is a cycle A pointless cycle maybe But that¡¯s only if you look at it as that and nothing more The trials and tribulations, the friends, the enemy¡¯s all the choices we make That¡¯s brings meaning to the meaningless And I I¡¯ve lived a life I couldn¡¯t control Who or what I was What I wanted, or thought I wanted All out of my control ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­. ****** ¡°What will you do after?¡± asks my white haired self, She¡¯d been passively observing everything as they unfolded, ¡°It¡¯s true that everything that has ever happened and ever will happen is destined to repeat, But that¡¯s not what my journey was ever about, After you¡¯ve fully returned to me and I gain access to all my memories, I¡¯m releasing them, I don¡¯t know where they¡¯ll go, but humans weren¡¯t meant to be a collective, We are species that value individuality more than anything else, I already have my few memories of being Kage, My memories of me being me and not anyone else¡­.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± myself, she does not reply instead nodding before disappearing, and becoming definitively me. ¡­.. I feel a rush as all the positive and happy memories flow through me No, I shouldn¡¯t even call them memories Souls The souls of all that had come before and all that I¡¯ve interacted with, Everything becomes clear I see all I know all And I am all It¡¯s ironic that even though I plan on releasing all these soul I may probably never forget any of these memories now, (So much for being just Kage) But it¡¯s what I chose ¡­.. I wonder how you would describe this? Is this sad? Maybe happy? Or is it anticlimactic? Anyway you look at it I don¡¯t mind Because I chose it to be this way I choose to let things repeat I choose to let people die I choose that because even when people die people live I choose it because amidst all the bad and the trauma what we remember are the small moments that were genuine The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.The moments that make a bad story slightly below average Haha~ Or an average tale good I choose to let life continues on as it intends I choose to embrace the dark while dancing in the light. All the history, lore, truths to me was never the point, it is and was always about these moments the times where I decide things for myself, on what truly affects me. Because¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. Listen to this: Dance , dance, Bathe in the sunshine She gives you warmth she burns your eyes You¡¯ll get older and she¡¯ll still be there Burning when you sleep Burning when you stare Run around her as many times as you like She¡¯ll keep on shining her glorious light And if you¡¯d circle a thousand times Nothing would change except the wrinkles on your face Fall asleep Sleep forever She doesn¡¯t care, her light it stays, Your friends will cry but soon they¡¯ll join Sun in the sky has seen you come and gone She¡¯s seen you go Your mother and hers and hers and hers She¡¯s seen the beginning the very first With every run you make around her, Lights get hotter age older She plays a song you cannot hear A rhythm of fire melody of light. She¡¯s heard your songs they come and go Some fast some of tempo slow, So dance, dance, dance in her glory While your songs are in sync and you still have a story, From bird to fish to ape and whale, they all play a tune All have a tale A song of life it never goes away What¡¯s your song? Have you heard it? Played it? Just make sure don¡¯t ever waste it, You¡¯ll hear it begin but not when it ends But does it ever end? This is poem but not really I call it Eternal Requiem. ***** ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. (What do you think?) ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. End? Epilogue I Why do I exist? What¡¯s my purpose? Why do I always feel empty? Am I real?... Kage, Kage! Wake up! Huh? What the hell? Sara!? Mikey!? Anyone!? Kage cried as he frantically started searching all the rooms in his orphanage, blood stains covered all the walls and floors the bright red glistening under the moonlight. ¡°What happened here, where is everyone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s coming from the back.¡± As Kage crept up to the end filled with dismay and curiosity he opened the door ¡°OH, your finally awake¡± ¡°Who are¡­.¡± Before Kage could finish speaking his eyesight drew towards the grinding sound, the bodies of his friends, his only family the people who made him feel alone, being slowly grinded into a bloody mass of flesh. ¡°Why¡±, Kage stuttered as tears flowed down his cheeks. ¡°Is, this a nightmare!?¡± ¡°Yes¡± said the mysterious figure. ¡°it¡¯s the nightmare known as life, and I¡¯m afraid for you its about to come to end.¡± ¡°Why! What did I do to deserve this¡± cried Kage? ¡°It¡¯s not what you did it¡¯s what must be done, you are nothing and never will be anything your only purpose is to die.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, kill me! who said I wanted to live after this, everyone I care about is gone¡± Kage cried. ¡°You misunderstand me You will not be killed by my hands¡±, ¡°Then why what did my family do to you¡±, ¡°Nothing I only needed to get rid of your only attachment to this world so that I could send you back to where you came.¡± ¡°Why who sent you who am I!¡± ¡°Your gonna have to ask him when you get there.¡± Who!? ¡°God.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­... ¡°Cutttt! Hold on, Why are they saying my name? And who the hell are Sara and Mikey?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s just a glitch in the memories to be honest, because I was a part of you for son long I kinda forgot my name,¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°Hmm that makes sense guess, Did you avenge your friends though?¡± ¡°I died bro¡­ do you think I got the chance?¡± ¡°Well sorry for asking¡­¡± (Sheesh) ¡­. It¡¯s been sometime since I released all my memories, (Still kinda remember almost all of it though) Most of the soul disappeared returning to nothing, or maybe the universe itself Not even I know for sure, But there were some that actually stayed back, (Probably because they¡¯re still attached to me or something) ¡°This beach scenery is cool, don¡¯t change it yet Kage Also, what are you going to do about that future where everything including us stops existing?¡± ¡°hmmm I don¡¯t know never thought about yet, not really a fan of watching the future, It spoils the whole point of life,¡± ¡°Ight bro so you just gonna let us all go to shit after everything, they¡¯re probably new people dying as we speak, I was thinking if we make this place heaven for real like in the books And you make me the one¨C¡° Nope, This isn¡¯t a dictatorship, or democracy, But what you said about people dying maybe truee¡­ Here what, I¡¯ll take a peep as to what¡¯s going to happen in the future, from where I last left,¡± (I think it was when that crazy supreme leader combined the rings right¡­.) ¡°Just a peep Depending on what happens I may or may not step in¡± ¡°I thought you were going to leave the fate of humans up to themselves?¡± ¡°I am But the world hasn¡¯t yet seen this me, The new Kage, it would be a shame if I¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªAye, New Kage!¡± Another voice calls to me, (Huh, that sounds familiar) ¡°This place is annoying to navigate you know, One second I died then I was here,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± (You, guys) ¡°Kage? Are you going to say something or just keep staring like that?¡± ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.. Epilogue End Epilogue II ¡°Are all the bombs placed?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did it exactly as you said, And no one saw me come here either Sir Savage,¡± ¡°Good, I¡¯ll go over the plan again¡­ The moment I warp you away, those bombs will go off and destroy most of the space citadel, I¡¯ll escape with the phantom flame and crash somewhere in the desert on Gaia, I will die, most certainly die but it will look convincing enough that the flame was also destroyed, All you have to do is find a way to get the team that¡¯s going to track me down, When you do find us they¡¯ll think I¡¯m dead, and for obvious reasons leave the bodies, One of those bodies will be the phantom flame, the god¡¯s corpse, Absorb a magic stone into it and it will begin to revive, After that the rest is up to you,¡± ¡°I got it, Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t make any mistakes,¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t because I¡¯ve seen it, Goodbye.¡± ¡­¡­. KAAABOOOOOMMM! An explosion goes off in the permanent night sky of the third ring¡¯s outer regions, an area where the beastmen live, BOOOOMMM! BOOOOMM! ¡°grrrr The citadel¡¯s been compromised!¡± ¡°The lion emperor is dead!¡± The blackmagic dealer, and an accomplice Those scummy humans, those thieves They¡¯ve gotten away with the flame!¡± Voices ring out in a now burning castle floating in the air, The abode of the animalistic people, A small jet zips out of the Citadel during it all heading to the main parts of Gaia, ¡°After that!. We must get revenge! He mustn¡¯t get away!¡± ¡­.. ¡­.. As the jet breaks into the airspace of main Gaia the transition from night to day is instantaneous¡­ ¡°Alright,¡± breathes the one piloting, ¡°This is where I become one with you, You will open you eyes for the first time,¡± Bowwwwwwwww¨Czzzzzzztttttttt¨CKABBBOOOMMM! The jet nose dives towards the desert it now flies over, self-destructing as it touches the sand ¡­¡­... ¡­¡­.. ******* The sun beams down upon an empty dessert, no speck of life to be found, a desert of death. The sand burns, scorching hot, hotter than usual, the normally still sand in a state of motion, Each grain slowly slipping down into a crater of purple flames, the flames and sand battle relentlessly for supremacy as three figures lay still in heap of rumble, ¡°What was that explosion?¡± One says struggling its feet ¡°Could it be the phantom flame in the throne room!?¡± ¡°Sir the rest of our men got crushed by the rubble,¡± the second beast-like figure states ¡°The only survivors are you, I and¡­ him,¡± he scowls at third a figure who remains silent The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.(Is he onto me?) Thinks the beast ¡°It must be those thieves we couldn¡¯t catch earlier¡± the first figure says as he wipes the dust off his face, his lion-like features begin to show ¡°We should not have followed them sir¡± the second one, a lizard like fellow, laments ¡°We lost good men, for what? Revenge!?¡± The third figure remains silent his empty violet eyes in sullen agreement. (Hopefully my acting is top notch, I was the one who pushed those men in the line of fire of the jet) ¡­.. The three make their way through the burnt ruins, ¡°Is that a body!?¡± The Lizard beast-man exclaims as they enter the destroyed throne room- ¡°-Or is it a corpse?¡± He continues, ¡°this must be what¡¯s left of the thieves, serves them right.¡± ¡°Seems like there was a fight here,¡± the lion beast-man adds, ¡°There¡¯re stab wounds over this body and its severely burned!¡± ¡°What the hell could¡¯ve happened here?¡± ¡°A fight among thieves,¡± the lizard man laughs ¡°At least we can leave knowing they got what they deserved¡± the lion beast-man scoffs ¡°Let¡¯s get back home we must report this to the general, what we heard earlier¡± Two of the beast-men leave while the third stays behind, (Everything is according to plan) He looks at corpse, its black colored eyes still open, as it stares blankly, emotionless ¡°Huhhhhhh!¡± the beast-man lets out a huge sigh (This must be the god) ¡°You need this more than I do¡± he says taking out an azure crystal. Pressing it on, the corpse begins to absorb it¡¯s magic slowly regenerating a little, (Ahhh, it¡¯s going to get up soon, Should I go now and avoid being seen?) ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡°Urrrgghhhhhh,¡± the body groans as it opens it¡¯s eyes for the first time, They stare around room in a confused daze of thought ¡­¡­ ¡°Who are you!¡± they call, noticing the beast trying to sneak away ¡°¡­¡­.¡± (Shit, he noticed me, I was even using my magic too, I suppose I should off and act mysterious) ¡­.. ¡°What are you called?¡± the beastman calls out to the corpse, They stare at him for while then answers¡­ ¡°Kage.¡± (Ooh, I¡¯m soo honored right now¡­) ¡°Your wounds are not healed, if you can fight through the pain, you have enough energy to leave and get treated.¡± The beastman says out loud, Kage doesn¡¯t reply and just stares as the beast creeps away (Kage, So that is your name, I will make sure to remember it, And hopefully, We will meet again.) Epilogue End. *** To be continued? Eternal Solitude¡­. ITS OVER(Thank you) Damn, It¡¯s finished. Eternal Requiem is finished, It¡¯s weird this feeling¡­ Originally when I conceptualized this story it was to be a comic, but I didn¡¯t have the resources nor the time to create it in that way, So I put it off and put it off, But for some reason the story just sat in my head begging to be made, eventually I gave in and decided to upload it as a novel, It¡¯s not perfect I will admit, but it never was intended to be, Eternal Requiem was always to be a mess, a perfect mess of everything, that encapsulates the world of our past dreams present dreams and future dreams, (weird thing to say) I don¡¯t really want to go too in-depth into explaining it because quite frankly it wouldn¡¯t mean anything, It is in my opinion A story, that¡¯s all The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Hate or love it. But it is crazy though that this story is only a tiny fraction of what I have left to tell, a small part of a broader world I enjoyed writing it so much, So, so much, that I secretly want to switch career path now...(sighl Anyway¡­...what else do I want to say here¡­ Can¡¯t wait till this becomes a comic¡­¡­... eventually (When I find time to start...) And also¡­. Eternal Requiem is A story, That¡¯s all, Yeah, I like that statement, Eternal Requiem is A story. Thank you for reading this far, I wholeheartedly appreciate you. Nah, fr, I wholeheartedly appreciate you, I¡¯ll say it one more time. THANK YOU! More stories are coming, maybe it¡¯s with Kage, maybe not¡­ But I¡¯ll just leave with this undeniable statement: Eternal Requiem is truly one of THE stories you¡¯ve ever read.