《Spoils Brat: The Statless Scavenger》 Chapter 1: Statless Drips find their way onto a grassy field. The sky thunders as branches of lightning spark the skies. There stands a single person, weapon in hand at their side, standing firm until finally a coil of lightning whips towards the floor. The person moves slightly, dancing around it as it touches the ground, lighting the area that surrounds the person. Their shoulder pauldrons shackle and buckle firmly. When there was no light, this grassy field was mysterious, dark and endless but the moment the lightning struck, beneath the mask of darkness, his atrocities were uncovered. In the blink of an eye. It disappeared. Hundreds of bodies were slaughtered. Then the grassy field was no longer grassy. It was bloody. No longer seen. No longer heard. Did the grassy field exist? Or did the grass sprout from the blood. As the person took more steps into the darkness, they continued as if knowing where they were headed. Endless steps until their concentration broke. Snap. they turned back, gripping their weapon suspecting another, but the darkness prevented any visible presence from being seen. Was it a branch? Or someone stepping over broken bones? ¡°Is there no one that can challenge me on this Server?¡± The person finally came to what seemed to be the end of a road, except it was more the opposite of a light at the end of a tunnel. They placed their hand out, and the darkness began to swirl into a single bead of light. The person focused, letting out their hand which seemingly controlled the unstable light. Strands pierced through around his body, held back by the darkness. The person reached with their other hand, containing it within their grasp, and squeezed tightly. ¡°I release you!¡± the person whispered. The air quelled as if air field a filled balloon, until finally a single silence was made. The darkness, shredded like wallpaper, slowly uncovering the images of reality. The light dispersed from a single point through the cracks of their hands, into the grassy field, up towards the dark sky, cloudy sky bringing it back with life. The area was a sunny hillside. A plains that went forever, it seemed. The person raised their wrist. A holographic menu popped up showing information of the area. Fresh Oren Hills - Cleared ¡°I guess it''s time to get back.¡± They said. Meredice will be pleased. He thought.Stolen novel; please report. A light beamed down over the person, wrapping them in an ever flowing circular gale of white light - A personal portal. In a mere seconds they were gone. The sound of silence winced through the hills as its bleakness met the wind once again. As it tricked over the dead bodies, they too would meet a similar transition. Four minutes had passed since the person had left. The bodies begin to sparkle, and steam. They slowly began to disappear as dust that ascend into the sky. Leaving behind gems and other trinkets on the floor. ¡°Thank Goodness! I thought he¡¯d never leave!¡± Under one of the fading bodies emerged a young boy. Slowly he reaches out, slightly stuck from the weight of the body he was under. He pulled himself forward, pushing himself up. ¡°Almost there!¡± He looked back and his foot was stuck under half of the body. ¡°Come on!¡± He pulled his leg with his body and push with his hand, releasing himself, tumbling backwards. As he rolled his back hit a seemingly supportive object. His hair scruffy, and skin powdered with dirt. He wore a dark cloak, covering him from head to toe with leather boots. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any walls here.¡± He thought. As the young boy turned around he saw a sword, glowing green, dug into the dirt, hilt up. Around the sword were dozens of other items, necklaces, gold coins, and other equipment. He stood up, and crossed his arms. He began a beat with his foot. He wasn¡¯t tuning a tune, but rather, he was stepping to the beat of each second passing. Fifty-Five, Fifty-Six, Fifty Seven, Fifty-Eight, Fifty-Nine. ¡°Sixty!¡± He rushed towards the items on the floor as the aura disappeared from them. He began grabbing as many coins as he could hold and trinkets alike. As he picked them up they would hold them up towards the sky, inspecting them closely. Into his bag went the valuable ones. He finally came to the sword with the green Aura, which had some details appear above it. Novice Sword.(Uncommon) dropped by Aquarius. Level Req. 45 The items began to blink over and over, steadily but quicker each time. The young boy was faced with an important choice. Either Pick up all of the gold and necklaces or pick up the single green-aura sword! If I get the gold I can buy some armour and gear! But¡­ The latter was eating at his core. that wouldn¡¯t come close to¡­ His eyes sparkled, as he looked closely at the description of the sword, specifically the name of the player that dropped it. ¡°A sword dropped by Aquarius!¡± He quickly grabbed the sword, raising it to the sky. ¡°An Uncommon Sword!¡± It shimmered, while above the items on the ground phased dust particles into the sky. ¡°This will do very nicely.¡± He said. Thoughts of Aquarius would race into his mind. ¡°I wonder where Aquarius has gone now?" The young boy raised his wrist, opening up his own holographic menu. "I don''t have much time before his portal closes." He thought. The menu had several options, which included his player status, skills, and a map in plain text on a blue transparent background, but the young boy opened up the Map.¡± He quickly glanced at the Portal - Aquarius (Level 300). Sea-Hallow¡¯s District Floor 3. When he looked at the Sea-Hallow¡¯s-District text, more information appeared. Sea-Hallow¡¯s District - A underwater station filled with Powerful Aquatic Monsters. 50% Cleared. ¡°I better hurry or I¡¯ll miss the loot! Aquarius''s portal remained as a beam of light wrapped around the young boy, his holographic menu continued to blink but he ignored the warning. As he would cease from Fresh Oren Hills the menu would slowly fizzle leaving him with a message. Recommended Level: 250. Your Level: 0 Chapter 2: The Midnight Sunset He felt weightless as the light softly captured him and transferred him to his destination. As he emerged, the deep water environment quickly stuck to him, causing immense pressure on the boy''s body. With each second, his health began to lower. 100hp¡­99hp¡­98hp¡­ Time was passing. The boy looked around. Sea Hallows District, an underwater metropolis, built by ancient sea monsters who were more intelligent than other monsters. The infrastructure appeared similar to human cities on Earth. The District seeded tall apartment buildings and Stores in a neighborhood of streets drowned by the sea. Coral and seaweed curled around the buildings like ivy in bright green and blue tints. Bubbles blew around gracefully as if they had been undisturbed for years. 89hp¡­88hp.. Where is it? The boy thought. He looked around but to his avail, he couldn''t find it. 84hp¡­83hp¡­ He began to lift his legs and raise his arms, putting his body planted and pushing his arm forward and back. He began to swim forward. In the distance, a light caught his eye. There it is. In the distance was a lever-like Statue. It seemed to be pulled. The light on it was red. Someone is here. The boy thought. He swam near the switch and attempted to pull the lever, but under it, it was too heavy. He then reached into his inventory pulled out the green Aura sword he had received and equipped it. His tool ran a warning sign. Equip Novice Sword. You are unable to receive the benefits of the weapon as your level doesn''t meet the requirement to wield this item. I know! He lowered the weapon, downwards keeping his balance in the water, and swung his arm up to hit the lever pushing the lever upwards towards its otherwise. Ding. The light on the lever turned to green. And a sound of moving rocks loudly entered the room. All of the water began to escape through the cracks and suddenly. The area was hallowed, filling with air. The boy dropped to the floor and gasped for air. -40hp. The boy held his stomach as he rose. Slowly but surely his hp would recover, he thought but he then heard a sound. It was a clashing of weapons in the distance. Aquarius! He thought gleefully. Following the noise, to the left of his sight, there were. Buildings hid the happenings. As he passed each structure beyond another clash. Could be heard. When he reached the end, which met an opening towards the noise, he turned the corner and saw what was making such noises. Aquarius? It was Aquarius finishing off a monster. When its body was on the floor it spurred into mist. Aquarius raised his wrist opening his terminal to look at the area''s status. 100% Cleared. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Meredice where to next?¡± he said aloud The voice spoke into his ears. He stuttered only for a moment. His reaction seemed surprised and concerned. The boy could see him look around. ¡°But I''ve cleared it 100%, there is nothing left¡­¡± he then turned his head towards the distance towards the boy. He gripped his sword and raced down to his side. He began to run towards the boy. What is he doing, the boy thought. Aquarius continued towards the boy. Each step was quicker and quicker. Aquarius raised his sword, elegantly sweeping across. The boy closed his eyes. To be killed by Aquarius¡¯s sword! He gleamed. But the boy didn''t feel the sword split him in two, nor did his life slip away. He opened his eyes and saw Aquarius¡¯ sword clashing with something beyond him. The grind of swords sparked above his head which only told the boy the strength of the unknown behind him. ¡°What is a child doing here?¡± Aquarius yelled. ¡°Run boy!¡± Huh? The boy noticed Aquarius¡¯ face was serious. A trace of what could throw off his stable demeanor meant only one thing. The threat, whatever was enough to match Aquarius. The boy turned around and was stunned. He raised his wrist and pointed it towards it. ?? The Question marks buzzed and glitched through itself. Whatever this monster was was not normal, but it seemed real. The boy looked around and noticed the area was still in a state as if the Anomaly was cleared. He raised his wrist. 84% Cleared He looked up at the monster. Its body was covered like a wallpaper with galaxies on it as it was filled with outer-space-like texture. Its weapon and armour though was clearly shaped. The boy could quickly tell. You''re a phoney! You are not Aquarius! 30% ¡°Boy run!¡± In that instant, the monster pushed Aquarius back. Aquarius repelled the blow, while the force of the attack sent him sliding back over the concrete floor as if he were skating backwards. Aquarius''s boots sparked, creating flames under his boot, noting the strength of his new adversary. -25% Cleared. "Meredice we have a problem. The level is degenerating! It''s degenerated past 0!" Meanwhile the monster towered over the little boy. Menacing in its unnatural form. You''re mother ever telling you...¡± The monster spoke. It then looked down at the boy. Its eyes boggled around and its mouth opened wide emerging thousands of speckled teeth bright as stars. ¡°Don''t talk to strangers!¡± The boy grabs himself. He shivered, but knew he had to move. He rushed to his feet and ran. He didn''t know where he was going. He felt a sickness in his gut. An unease climbing up to squeeze his heart. It sent a shiver down his spine, and tears down his forehead. He rushed towards where he had come from but it was too late. The monster appeared, cornering the boy once again. Your fight is with me!. The monster searched for the voice that coerced him, but rather than words, he was hit with a blow from Aquarius'' kick from bellow into the air. The force let a gust from the monster''s body and some of it spilt to the floor. As the creature was launched into the air, it looked down, helpless in flight. -15% clear. Bzz. The notification sent a vibration on Aquarius''s holograph. "I don''t know what you are, but you will return to your maker." Energy pulsed from Aquarius. The boy covered his eyes, as Aquarius surged the area with light. It wrapped around Aquarius, while rays shot from his body towards the creature. Aquarius placed his sword infront of him upwards, grasping the hilt with both hands, and brought his feet together. A ring of water formed around him. He cut the ring with his sword and the the water wrapped around his sword, hardening and becoming a long spear. He leaped into the air, gripping his new weapon and as he reached the monster, he pierced through its body. For a moment, its skin was hard, but as it continued to pierce through, Aquarius could feel a fleshlike substance nudge. "Sea-Hallow''s Eve!" he yelled. He clenched the spear, and from the other end it opened up into an umbrella like construction. It was large enough to capture the monster from escaping. He then flew downwards, pulling the creature now caught in the weapons grasp. As he met the floor he spun the spear like a flag, ringing it through the creatures body, yet still latched into its entrails. He grabbed onto the spear with both hands, pulling low from behind him over his head, and finally crushing the monster to the floor. Its body dispersed from the impact. 120% Cleared. "I release you!" A beam of light shot from the creatures body into the horizon of Sea-Hallows ceilings. The boy looked up. He had never seen Aquarius take this form. This was a dispay of higher level skill. He admired Aquarius even more. The light was too bright, so he covered his eyes, but suddenly he heard a shimmering sound, and it was near. So close it was as if it was infront of him. It resonated, echoing along the Sea-Hallow District as if descending from the heavens. The Boy felt something, fall into his lap. Both of their holographic helpers would open up with a message. ?? has dropped the Midnight Sunset Arto has acquired the Mighnight Sunset. The item was glowing dark orb. It made sounds as if it was revolving and hovering upon itself. What is this? The boy thought. A legendary Item? But how? Arto felt something was off. He looked at his hands. They looked normal. He breathed in and felt his lungs were in tact. He then looked at Aquarius. He was frozen still. He looked around at their Sea-Hallows District. The watery atmosphere has frozen in time. He inspected the Item. Midnight Sunset Caption: What makes night within us may leave stars First Form ? - Embrace 100 Pieces to Second Form ?? For the first time, Arto had felt something in him. Something to cure his condition. Something to reach Aquarius. At what cost? Feed me! The orb requested. The voice was sundering the air. Rupturing the air. It''s voice scratching the inaide of his ears traveling to his mind. - 100 Pieces! The item hovered mid-air, levitating in front of him. Slowly Items that he had stashed from ventures following Aquarius were being pulled out of his inventory into the Midnight Sunset. When all of his items had left, the Midnight Sunset began to shake. He then saw the glowing green sword he had just acquired. What is it doing? Give it back he yelled. Tears ran from his eyes. Give it back. Everything I have collected! He reached with his hands into the Midnight Sunset Give it back! - I feel great! Arto felt a hunger become him. He could feel a pit in his stomach buldging, tempting him to find something to quench it. He noticed a coral in the distance wave slightly. Things around him were finally moving. He felt a something in his stomach. It was not the hunger from before but something else. It felt good. Looking down he could see a blade struck through his chest. As he followed the blade with his eye, it''s wielder was none other than Aquarius. You ruined all of my work! He yelled. "And now you must die!" .. Chapter 3 - Midnight Sunset II - Shing! ¡°Just die already!¡± He grunted one last time. The message reverberated through the young boy''s mind. ¡°Huh?¡± In his confusion, he looked around but his eyes became blurry, covered in a dark blurry energy. ¡°Why is Aquarius stabbing me?¡± As his mind wandered he looked at Aquarius¡¯ eyes. His words echoed, and sound waves reverberated in the air. He focused on his words. Although he was bewildered, he was also amazed. Arto grunted his pain with each instance the blade submerged further into him. For him, it seemed each second of time became minutes. The dissociation would soon take over his senses. His consciousness was fading. The pain became unbearable. Aquarius continued to thrust forward, planting himself firmly on the ground and then propelling with insurmountable force towards a nearby wall. ¡°Meredice ''MS'' is merging!¡± You did it! The Dark One would be happy it worked. ¡°It is not merging with me! It merged with someone else!¡± Aquarius yelled. Overhearing his words a sound of flesh tearing apart blared through the silence as Aquarius blade pierced through with his chest meeting the hilt of his blade. A pool of blood trickled to the floor. Owner of the Midnight Sunset Wakes into darkness. Fades into Light. The embodiment of Gray. - a mysterious voice Transmutation Begin The voice yelled to Aquarius, yearning for his final task. A mission that he too knew he must complete. ¡°Kill the boy before he awakens it!¡± Meredice orders Aquarius. As the boy held onto Aquarius¡¯ Blade, he began feeling different. His clothes started to feel lighter. It was as if he was losing weight. He glanced to his side and noticed that his bag where he stored all of his items had opened and all of the items inside began flourishing around the two in a whirlwind. 80% Cleared. It was first an uncommon dagger that flew towards Arto, but suddenly the item gravitated towards them. Arto covered his eyes, in fear that the item would hit him, but it stopped short of him, entering a black orb whirling in the center of his chest. Arto uncovered his eyes, looking forward, seeing a panting Aquarius laying on the floor. More items scattered through the air, escaping his inventory, and continued to enter the dark ball in Arto¡¯s chest and Aquarius'' sword remained lodged. 60% Clear Aquarius'' face became grim. ¡°Just how many items do you have?¡± The spiral of equipment continued to enter the Midnight Sunset, until finally Aquarius saw an item that he recognized. The ¡°Illuminous Bracelet.¡± How do you have that? That¡¯s a limited drop?¡± A staff emerged, slowly pooling into the darkness. ¡°That¡¯s the Empress¡¯s Tallkeeper!¡± He glanced, taking note of the items flying around the boy. ¡°That¡¯s the Rulkain¡¯s Furious Axe! Magnus¡¯ Free Chainmail. Quincy¡¯s Barrelshield?¡± 40% Cleared Aquarius'' eyes turned facing all directions as if he was physically tracking the thought with his eyes, running around. He then came to his feet. ¡°All this time¡­¡± 20% Cleared He began to walk towards Arto. ¡°There¡¯s no way a level 0 brat could have these items! I thought I was feeding them to ?? with items, you were picking them up? You? A mere child? Stealing my loot?¡± When Aquarius had pronounced the name of the Beast, Arto understood the words, but he had never heard of such a creature. ¡°But how do you remain in the Anomaly? Unless¡­¡± The eerie understanding that had come to Aquarius gave him a sense of new purpose.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Aquarius pulled his hand back. ¡°Come forth...¡° 0% Clear Transmutation. Artos'' eyes would fade to white entering a new space. His could see darkness envelope his vision, and soon enough, could not see. All he saw was darkness. A screen popped up Complete.

¡°Choose 1 of the following Reveries,¡± an unknown voice guided.

Arto looked at all options carefully. ¡°If I was to become strong, I could maybe be strong enough to exist in the rooms he''s in and not die so easily. He shook his head. ¡°I don''t wish to bother him.¡± If I become rich I can buy all these items, and impress Aquarius. That won¡¯t do. I won''t have time to do that if I die right here. I will choose the first option. His mind reached towards the first choice on the screen, but then he hesitated. Arto looked at the last option and considered its potential. He gripped his hand. ¡°All this time I¡¯ve never actually held a weapon. Whenever I equip an item it always feels heavy because I lack the stats to use it. I lack the power...¡± He glanced at his garments. A dim and dirty cloak that had kept him warm. ¡°I am a glitch. Nothing in this game was made for me. Maybe just maybe if something was made for me¡­¡± the thought sat with him reverently. A spark surged through the boys heart. ¡°If I can just have something! Something that allows me to protect those I wish to protect. Maybe I can turn my uselessness into power. Anything that can bring me one step closer to Aquarius without hurting him. I¡¯ll take it. I¡¯ll do it!¡± In his mind, heart and soul he reached for the 3rd option.

Please Imagine Your Appearance

-100% Cleared. Anomalous Area Unlocked. Time resumed. Midnight Marina (Anomalous Zone) An Orb of light expanded encasing the three and separating them from reality. ¡°Come forth Storm Clearer.¡± A mystical energy wrapped around his arms, treading down and balling up into his grasp. It grew, forming a magnificent spear wrapped in lightning, pulsing at the frame of its stature. Meanwhile his previous weapon slowly drenched into the orb. As he looked upon the darkness, it had now grown in size, engulfing the boy. The darkness was feral, constantly churning in and out. The Darkness began to shake. Two hands grabbed at its edges pulling itself out. Aquarius raised his conjured weapon towards the beast emerging. ¡°Don¡¯t come close.¡± The beast began to walk towards him. ¡°Don¡¯t come close!¡± He thrusted his spear forwards only to pierce through the shadow of the beast when. Behind him he heard a crunch of two objects, unimaginably in density, hit each other. He turned to see the beast clash fist with another as tall as the Sea-Hollow''s District. Bo??? The beast held back the unknown creature with an urgent grunt he uttered. ¡°Run. Now!¡± Aquarius clenched his weapon raised at the back of the beast. ¡°Run! Get out of here!¡± The beast yelled ferally. Arto didn¡¯t turn back. All the young boy could think was...

I hope Aquarius thinks I look cool!

Above the beast head Aquarius counted the number of question marks it had. ?????? The questions marks became to alter and become a single phrase. Shing? He was baffled. Was this a name he chose for himself? Or the manifestation of the Midnight Sunset? He thought. Either way, he knew what he must do. There was no more time to understand what had occurred. "Meredice, I''m extracting!" In the distance a portal appeared. He didn''t look back and darted towards it. Before he interacted with it, he twitched. ¡°This time. This time I will let you go. But next time I see you. I will defeat you to get my sword back.¡± Aquarius vanished. As Shing! and the ???? remained he relaxed his hold on the monster. Finally there was a stalemate and both pushed each other back, entering a forwarding motion to strike each other once again. He raised his wrist to see if the game still recognized him. The assistant glitched, showing illegible symbols and words. Instead, he heard a robotic woman''s voice. ¡°You are the light that is born from darkness! You are Shing!¡± Just as the voice renounced his name, he thought how Aquarius forged his weapons. He clenched his hands and energy began to fill between his fingers. He placed his hands in front of him, and slowly a weapon manifested into his hands. It was a Broadsword, shimmering in an eerie dark-light.

Midnight Sunset TOENihil1 (Pronounced Toe-Nail) Unique Item Level Requirement - "0" - If any other character picks up this weapon, they cannot gain benefits of the weapon. The user can now understand Anomaly Language. Bound Hungry Weapon - This item can be upgraded by feeding items from your inventory into the item. This will unlock this weapon''s potential Spoils Brat - Gain a permanent increase to your stats whenever you pick up an item that was not dropped by a monster you defeated. Arto placed his sword infront of him, entering a guarding stance. He had seen Aquarius do it many times before. As the beast pulled closer to him he closed his eyes awaiting the blow. All he felt was a gust of wind. You there! a voice said. Who Me? Yeah You! Shing! Who are you? How can I understand you? He opened his eyes. There was now weapon or attack. The beast had stuck his hand out! You must be new to the Anomaly Wars. Above his head Arto could see his name. Boom! Level 0 "I was afraid that player was going to destroy you, so I tried to scare him off. Seemed like it worked." He then turned and faced the white background behind him. Follow me. I''ll take you to the rest of us. "I know you probably have many questions!" Boom! pushed his hands into the white background, seeming through. "You''ll understand soon enough! Hurry now! They''re waiting for you!" Arto followed through the unknown white wall. END Chapter 4: A Measure of Power Chapter 4: A Measure of Power It was only a moment. It was just like any other portal Arto had entered, but something felt off. A mixture of wetness combined with hesitation. He had just become his hero¡¯s enemy, yet now, an unfamiliar ally? Could he trust this new person? What answers would he find on the other side? As Arto peered through he looked upon an empty and hollow world. There was only light that outlined the horizon of a black dark landscape. There were outlines of trees and grass in the distance, but it was as if it waited for the sun to rise for it to be uncovered. Boom continued to walk forward, and his large dark form minimized into a young man walking forward. Arto could see a cape with an odd insignia. ¡°Come on now.¡± He pointed forward to a ship planted in the distance. ¡°That¡¯s where they will be!¡± He swayed his foot over the ground as if to estimate the ground before him. Feeling carefully for a ledge. ¡°Trust yourself,¡± The voice said faintly as he jumped down what seemed to be a ledge. ¡°Woooooo!¡± He yelled. "Wait!" Arto yelled. He walked forward and looked down. He only saw darkness. Ahead he could hear Boom''s voice echo. He didn''t wish to lose his track. He shook his head and sighed. ¡°Aquarius wouldn¡¯t be scared would he.¡± He copied Boom¡¯s motion, swaying his feet until he felt something in his foot. It was a pressure entering his feet towards his hip up to his throat. The foreign feeling pulled him off the cliff, and pulled him forward through the air. ¡°Ah!¡± He yelled. He was being pulled through the air towards the ship. As he looked back something seemed to change. It didn¡¯t seem like he was moving fast but as he looked behind him the distance behind him grow, so much that he was no longer on the dark sphere. ¡°What is going on?¡± he wondered. ¡°You¡¯re often oblivious¡­¡± A voice said startling Arto, who still had no control of his movement. The entity''s voice went back into the darkness, but Arto could feel the presence near him. It gave him goosebumps. Arto couldn''t tell if he was falling, or flying. He couldn''t tell which direction was up nor down. All he knew was he was moving. ¡°Boom! Now!¡± The voice yelled. From the darkness, a spark of lightning, coiled through the mysterious air, creating a sparkling display. It was then that Arto saw any sort of environment. Ahead was the ship he was speaking of and around it an endless ocean. Boom concentrated, holding out his hand in front of him, folding his hand onto an unknown and dangerous energy. Covering his hand with his other, he took a stance, and thrusted his arms forward, opening his hands like a flower. The energy became a large beam of energy, coming towards Arto. The energy moved at tremendous speed, skittering through the airway, with an innate voice of destruction. As the world uncovered, he looked next to him and for a second saw a blur of a person. ¡°You must defend yourself to reach our island from here on.¡± it explained to him. ¡°We won¡¯t let you join us so easily. Use it.¡± Then the whisper was no longer. Loading Complete ??? Unknown Trail The area became clear as if all purity in a cup was spread to the side. The sky blue with clouds, a plain world with a mixture of grass and plain. Arto was happy to stand on solid ground. The air was fresh, and unadulterated. Ahead of him the beam of light was still coming his way, but as he approached forward he could tell it was going to miss him. He moved forward, moving plants out of his way to move forward. Finally above him the beam passed and hit a tree. ¡°Defend myself? Is this a test?¡± He thought. ¡°Aquarius wouldn¡¯t falter from this.¡± ¡°Aquarius this, Aquarius that. What would you do.¡± It was the voice from before finally in a form. Before Arto was a young woman, with long red hair. She wore white shirt with blue jeans. In her hands were two daggers. ¡°Can you read my mind?¡± The question was slow as Arto felt a presence come close to his face. To the side of his face he could see the edge of a blade. In the split she disappeared. Arto turned his body, and jumped back. She reappeared striking Arto in the stomach raising her leg to kick him. Arto placed his hands up to defend the attack but then she remained in place. ¡°What?¡± He thought. He took a step back, and with insurmountable speed her foot moved and kicked Arto, sending him flying to the side. She jumped once again, and as Arto opened his eyes he could see her body still in a running motion towards him. He moved his hand, adjusting himself to plant his hand to raise himself. Her full body was came closer. He rose, and now her body was entering a stance with its knee towards his stomach. A short realization, yet he came to an inquiry. ¡°Everytime I move, she does. But she moves much father than I do. How do I defeat someone who is capable of that?¡± He closed his eyes and thought of Aquarius. ¡°What would Aquarius do.¡± The knee connected with his stomach and sent him flying into the sky. He remained stationary in a propelled position. ¡°You gotta'' be kidding me. Allies he said. Allies?¡± Just then, a dark energy wrapped around his hand manifesting the orb from before. He looked at the orb and suddenly his field of vision was filled with information. Arto 3 ZAP 13 ZAP 16 ZAP 22 ¡°What is initiative?¡± He looked at the young woman. He gripped the orb and looked at it. ZAP 1 ZAP 13 ZAP 23 Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Arto 50 ¡°For some reason when I move, the number lowers. ZAP¡¯s own as well.¡± He looked at the orb wondering what it did. ¡°Come on!¡± He yelled. His body flowed through the air, where the young woman appeared, landing a blow to his chest sending him towards the floor. Pain wrangled through the boy¡¯s body. He rolled outward with the orb in his hand. ¡°What does it mean? ¡°She keeps hitting me. When is it my turn?¡± The orb spiraled, displaying new information in a tangible ephemeral form. Arto - Flee. Attack. Defend. Bag. Arto didn¡¯t understand, but he didn''t wish to fight. He wished to flee. He touched the Flee. The orb displayed the message cannot flee. ZAP 4 ZAP 12 Arto 15 ZAP 20x100 ZAP 30 ZAP 41 Arto could tell that this was trying to decipher the information. ¡°Each time she moves her number goes down, and each time I do anything my number goes down. But she has way more numbers than me. Why? Is it because she is that much faster than me.¡± The young woman appeared towering over the boy. ¡°Chadow spoke highly about you. Said you even went toe to toe with the God of Purview, Aquarius. Seems like a lie to me.¡± She formed a dagger in her hand. ¡°Why is that number 20 x 100?¡± He thought. ¡°Does that mean she is about to do a barrage of attacks. ¡°If I can;t run then maybe I can defend!¡± He lunged his hand forward with the only this he had in his arsenal. The orb. His only move as the young woman, began a volley of attacks at Arto. With each attack, sparks of fire shred the air, as it parried her attempts, absorbing them. The young woman jumped back with no weapons in hand. ¡°¡±He was right.¡± That is an interesting anomaly you got there. She then forged daggers in her hands once again. What happens if I choose Attack. A menu opened up showing him his current moves. Midnight Sunset Move List Shing! I have no choice. Arto decided on using the Shing! Move . He felt a sudden warmth surround his fingers as a weapon made of darkness formed in his hands. He looked at the Orb. ZAP 1 ZAP 2 ZAP 4 ZAP 10 ZAP 15 I got to act in between her actions but how? If only there was a way to measure my speed and mine. A comparison he thought. His blade began to sparkle, with a single question. ¡°What would Aquarius do?¡± Arto had seen Aquarius in many situations, and one in particular came to mind. Aquarius was in a battle, with more assailants than himself. They attacked over and over but he blocked and waited for their attacks. When they attacked, he deflected their attack with a swaying motion. ¡°Was that a parry?¡± He then noted ZAP¡¯s numbers. If she is about to attack then If I defend now. He raised his newfound sword SHING! ¡°Like this?¡± he thought. As he moved the young woman''s attack came down but then was deflected. He looked to the orb in his other hand. SHING! 100% ATTACK ZAP 100 ¡°Since I blocked her attack it has changed.¡± He looked closely at the young woman. She was standing still, but her body was off balance falling backwards, with her weapons being flung away. Arto ran forward and looked at the orb. SHING 70% ATTACK ZAP 80 ¡°It seems the numbers are lowering which means¡­¡± As he ran he moved behind her back and clenched crossed his sword. If he attacked now, he could hit the young lady, hopefully stopping the fight. But why was she fighting him? He thought. This is a test. If that''s the case then. One more glance at the orb left him with his final resolve. He dropped the SHING! And placed his hands out. As the number would lower, the young woman fell backwards into his arms. She turned to face Arto. ¡°What are you doing!¡± she yelled embarrassingly. ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± Arto immediately dropped the woman and began to walk away towards the darkness in the distance. ¡°I¡¯m going home. I need to find Aquarius.¡± ¡®What are you doing fight me!¡± she yelled. Arto turned to face her. ¡°Aquarius would never fight anyone without a weapon!¡± The woman turned to see her daggers logged into the dirt in the distance. She began to run towards Arto with her fist. But just as she did a quick glimpse of light and dark crept in front of her. In her mind she felt a terrible feeling. Artos'' eyes glowed an intense white glow. Behind him she could see a large round object in the sky where he come from. Crack. Crack. Budge. A large eye appeared behind Arto. He couldn¡¯t see but behind him a planet sized eye opened and looked at the young woman. So that¡¯s the Midnight Sunset.¡± she said. She gulped. and trembled. It closed. Shaking the feeling from the young woman. ¡°What power.¡± She raised her hand to her ear. ¡°BOOM I didn;t think anything could beat my speed but this. This is different. He¡¯s not faster than me. He can act before me.¡± ¡°It seems so.¡± a voice said from the side. It was Boom. Arto was surprised to see the young man who had saved him once again in his form. He had a chiseled face, worn with a beard and grizzled hair. He wore a dark cape with a business shirt slightly unbuttoned, with green kaki pants and large black boots.¡±I read the numbers¡­¡± Arto was quite confused. The young woman got up with a distraught look in her eyes. She looked to her side and the earth that the SHING had dropped on was gone. ¡°You seemed to have dropped something SHING!¡± Boom yelled. Arto looked at the floor, and his eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! Aquarius would never!¡± Arto looked down, trying to summon the SHING! into his hands, but it was no use. He checked his bag of equipment and noticed its item¡¯s details. SHING! Equipped. Distance 2 worlds away. ¡°I can sense it.¡± Boom said nonchalantly. ¡°We''ll have to postpone your test. For now. We must save the underworld. ¡°You ready ZAP?¡± ¡°The underworld! Why do we have to save them? They deserve this!¡± she said impatiently. ¡°I¡¯d rather not start a war like this. Especially with the God of Frontier. ¡°Arto!¡± he yelled giving him a stern look. ¡°This is your mess! What would Aquarius do?¡± Boom then jumped down the edge, sliding onto the carved earth downwards towards the unknown. ¡°Meet you down there.¡± ZAP spoke. Before he knew it she was gone with a spark of lightning behind her. Arto looked up at the black orb. ¡°Midnight Sunset. I still don''t understand anything¡± He looked down, and a new resolve sparked within his heart. ¡°Aquarius would do this.¡± He looked down, and jumped headfirst towards the darkness.