《GodBound Authority》 Chapter 1 - At its finest! At the Ambulatory, on the edges of the Elysian fields. The deep, raging fire engulfed the landscape; all that dared to oppose it had been engulfed by the vile crimson. The buildings of marble that once stood grand in stature collapsed, leaving only a grim reminder of these unfolding events. From the intense wildfire rose a thick, black smoke that penetrated the skies, blocking all sunlight from reaching the ground. Clouding the area in pitch black, only illuminated by the raging colours of red, orange, and yellow. Then a great mountain of malice crashed into the sea; a massive shockwave reverberated across the field, displacing the murky water that surrounded the plain. The sea bubbled immensely, as if it were a boiling cauldron, and turned into a deep red colour. Blood and viscera flooded the once green grass, turning it from a beautiful field to a muddy swamp. Time felt like it had come to a screeching halt, as if the hands of a grandfather clock had stopped moving and chiming. Almost like what I was seeing was in slow motion, I couldn''t believe what was happening... I refused to. As the angels sang their choirs from trumpets, their voices louder and louder. The painful ringing in my ears only worsened. My body was screaming at me to leave, to run away. This choir was a warning... a warning of something barely comprehensible. An angel appeared. ¡°Oh woe, hear the songs and dance. The day hath arrived.¡± They spoke, their words echoing like a hundred voices at the same time. I didn¡¯t have time to look at them before they disappeared. Then, I saw it, something greater than any one of us. The God of Light descended down from the sky, with ten arms and a royal white cloak with purple accents. Accompanied by an army that must¡¯ve been over a hundred thousand. Are we really able to do this? ¡­ Two years earlier. I found myself in an almost dream-like state, I felt like realities itself had collided together and my consciousness was split between both and neither. Afterimages of myself appeared with every movement. ¡°Orion.¡± A voice calls out to me; their voice is soothing, and I feel at peace. This voice calls out to me, like I want to hear more of what they say. I wonder what Orion is, though. ¡°It¡¯s a mysterious star, neither hot nor cold. Yet it contains a power beyond the heavens.¡± This voice called out to me once again. I saw a tree in the distance with white branches that looked like it never stopped. I walk towards this tree. ¡°Whoever reaches Orion gains the power of God." The person¡¯s voice changes from tranquil to harsh, and as she said, God, I heard a lightbulb smash. The tree I was looking at is distorted; its once blue branches are now twisting into a putrid red. ¡°What was going on?¡± I thought to myself. I ran towards the tree, hoping that something would change, but nothing happened. ¡°Your journey¡­ Will be soaked in blood.¡± The voice sounds angry. Then I heard screaming, and then... Miyuki was violently jolted out of bed after what could be only summed up as a nightmare; she dreamt about a magical orb known as ¡°Orion.¡± It was a popular fairytale within their world. She sits up from her bed, her long, dark blue hair falling down on the bed, shuffling and tangling with each one of her movements. She gave a big yawn as she rubbed her eyes. Miyuki was a young woman in her 20s, 23 to be precise. She lived with three other friends: Asher, Elijah, and Itzozu. They have all been friends for a few years. As she comes back to terms with reality, she suddenly hears the shouting and screaming of her friends. Recent situations have made life much harder for them, with them fearing that they may lose their house. The fact was that they were utterly broke; they cowered in fear when they had to check their bank account just to see the dwindling number. Apart from an assassin side gig, she lived a semi-normal life. Miyuki took a long sigh. The sunlight seeped through the gaps in her curtains. Making her hair shine a purple colour on the ends. It also gave the room a warm tint. Embarrassingly for her, the light made the absolute state her room was in clear. Just by a single glance, you could tell that not one effort to be tidy was made. Piles of worn and clean clothes scattered across the floor. Bottles of cola and chocolate wrappers littered every surface and the single desk in her room was hidden by a pile of crumpled papers. Miyuki could hear the fast footsteps of a person. When suddenly, the door was kicked wide open ¡°Get your ass out of bed. It¡¯s brekkie time,¡± Itzozu shouted as he stormed into my room, ¡°Ah!¡± Miyuki jumped. His hair was a deep red and his outfit was unusual. Itzozu wore a dark blue suit with a red shirt underneath, he had a few chains dangling from his arms and legs. He also had two, shiny earrings in the shape of pearls. He was carrying a frying pan that had a cracked egg inside of it. ¡°And why the hell are you carrying that?¡± Miyuki asked while rubbing her eyes. After all, yesterday was a long night. ¡°The beauty of a fire technique! Ovens are pointless if you have essence.¡± Itzozu bragged to Miyuki. Raising his fist to strike some sort of bizarre pose. Most of the people within this world are able to use techniques but a small percentage are unable to, and Miyuki was one of them. Itzozu never gave Miyuki a rest from the wrath of his endless teasing. ¡°Itzozu! Get over here!!¡± A soft voice shouted from downstairs; their voice was on the higher-pitched side. Miyuki sighed, knowing that it was Asher, and if she¡¯s shouting, something went horribly wrong. ¡°Coming, What happened?¡± Itzozu questioned, wondering what had just happened. ¡°Asher is cooking ¡­ that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong.¡± Miyuki muttered to herself. ¡°The oven is on fire!!¡± Asher shouted once again. The moment the words left Asher¡¯s mouth, Itzozu dove down the stairs at what appeared to be an impossible speed. ¡°Now what to wear...¡± Miyuki pondered for a moment and decided to slam the wardrobe open. Revealing not many different things for her to wear, due to Miyuki¡¯s distaste for fashion. She chose a dark red sleeveless jacket and black pants with a white t-shirt¡ªnothing too fancy. The other items in the wardrobe were not too interesting either, apart from an armour set she wears during missions. Her armour was red, orange, silver, and dark grey. It was a fiery palette of colours. This amour also had a pattern of a dragon across it. Miyuki checked the weather app on her phone. The city she lived in, Mezoryn, was not going to see any bad weather. She took a sigh of relief as she stepped downstairs. Downstairs were the living room and the kitchen. Not much was special about the living room, with three couches and a cheap TV placed in the centre. That room was ordinary, but the kitchen was far from normal. Recently, the group pooled together their money for a remodel, and the results show, which is also partly responsible for why they are now so broke. Everything you could expect from a luxury kitchen was here. An island in the middle is made from marble. Cupboards are made from the finest wood. It was worth the money to them. Or, well, Elijah wasn¡¯t a big fan of the remodel, as he had to (like everyone else) give three months of his salary to pay for it. Quickly, Miyuki ran down the stairs, passing by photos of the group since they moved in; the oldest photo was about 3 years old. She arrived at the kitchen to see Itzozu, Elijah, and Asher plainly staring at her, the thought of ¡°you¡¯re late¡± painted over their faces. Shamefully, she grabbed a chair and sat down at the table. ¡°You woke up at 11 a.m.?!¡± Asher questioned, surprised that someone could even wake up so late. Asher is usually up at 6 a.m. ¡°I sure did. I had a long day; you know, Asher, I fell asleep at two in the morning.¡± Miyuki snapped back at Asher. She takes a long sigh as she grabs a plate of breakfast. ¡°Happy to know you aren¡¯t just lazy,¡± Itzozu remarked, listening to the conversation. ¡°The festival is only in a few days. It¡¯s cool to see this town so lively.¡± Asher intervened, changing the subject. The festival was a yearly tradition across Edessa, though it was popularised in Mezoryn. Breakfast today was traditional Edessan food (from the country they live in). The breakfast was soup. It had thin noodles, vegetables, chicken broth, and an extra ingredient that added a higher umami flavour. This ingredient was an Eddow flower, which is grown in the Seven Peak Mountains. While they were eating breakfast, the room shifted to an awkward silence; it looked like everyone was in deep thought. Until Miyuki spoke up, She had been waiting for Itzozu to pick something up for her, but after a week, it doesn¡¯t seem like he wants to. Itzozu fell silent, and his gaze shifted down to his plate. He stirred his soup while thinking of a way to weasel himself out of this situation. Although he was defeated, he let out a long sigh. ¡°It¡¯s ready for collection. Been too busy for me to pick it up,¡± Itzozu told Miyuki. As Itzozu expected, she was not happy with this news; her face turned to a sour expression. After a sigh from Miyuki too, she leaned back in her chair. ¡°Ah¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll get it myself. It¡¯s only a couple minutes away after all,¡± Miyuki responded. After downing her soup in one gulp, she slammed it onto the table. It was a common breakfast for people in Edesia; it was one of the country''s national foods. Inside the living room was a button behind the worn cabinet; upon pressing it, it revealed the house¡¯s most secret room. A full armoury is located in the house, only accessible by pressing the button. After the button was pressed, it revealed a room decorated with katanas, guns, and any other illegal weapons the group could get a hold of. The wall of swords belonged to the blue-haired woman, Miyuki. She had gained an impressive number of swords in three years, totaling 13. All of these were so Miyuki could make the perfect katana. She had already thought of a name for them, both ¡°Temper.¡± and ¡°Wrath.¡± In her eyes, these two swords would be the magnum opus of weaponry. Miyuki grabbed a sword from the collection; its hilt was blue and yellow with a purple undertone. Unlike some other swords in her stash, this one had the feeling of sturdiness, as if no matter how hard she swung it, it would never break. ¡°Uhuhu, this will do.¡± Miyuki laughed with a menacing smile. Reluctantly, Miyuki swung the front door open. Her eyes took some time to adjust to the light, and the sun seared into her eyes. For a few months now, she hasn¡¯t been outside in the daytime. If she needs to go out, it¡¯s usually around 11 p.m., and then she comes back home between 1-3 a.m. Her thoughts were simply along the lines of ¡°Great, here we go.¡± The blue-haired woman stepped out of her house in broad daylight. The blistering heat made her immediately want to retreat back inside, but then how else would she get her package? She went back and forth between the front doors. ¡°Guess I have to do this.¡± She muttered before quickly stepping back out and locking the door behind her. Inside the package was a new dagger; she had broken her last in a fight. Miyuki was eccentric about weaponry; without even seeing her ridiculous katana wall, you could tell. Miyuki always carries her katana and dagger with her when outside, and even sometimes at home when she¡¯s in an episode.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. From the house, the shop was about a few kilometres away. Pristine was the word to describe the shop; its clean katanas were neatly hung across the wall. Each katana would¡¯ve glistened if the sun shone on them. As Miyuki made her way to the counter, she was greeted by a familiar face. ¡°Ah! Welcome back, Miyuki! We¡¯ve finished preparing your dagger." The man at the counter disappeared into a backdoor. A noise of rummaging and things falling erupted from the door, and then nothing. Then he slammed the door wide open and said, ¡°Here it is.¡± Clutching it in her hand, Miyuki examined every inch of the dagger. The handle was marble white with a gold ribbon pattern embedded into it. This dagger was very elegant in her eyes. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll treat this finely. Heh.¡± Miyuki laughed. She heard her stomach rumble and glanced at the time displayed on the clock. Miyuki looked bored; only two hours had passed, and she was out of things to do. Her stomach groaned. ¡°It wouldn''t hurt to stop by at the store.¡± She thought. It took a while to walk to the shop; after all, it was on the other side of the house. You go right to the weapons shop, and going left will take you to the convenience store. Finally, after walking through the sweltering heat, When Miyuki arrived at the store, a cool breeze swept over her. She wanted to bask in the cool air, but then again. She was starving. She stood still in the entrance, thinking of all the things she could buy. After a long thought, only one thing was on her mind. At the back of the store was a one-of-a kind aisle for luxury goods. These were imported from across the world. Miyuki picked up one of the chocolate bars from this aisle. It originated in the country of Sora. She rummaged through her pockets, and he pulled out a few loose coins. The price was 12 silver coins, and the amount Miyuki found she had was 13 silver coins. She gave a sigh of relief for the good news; the bad news was that buying luxury chocolate did not help their financial situation. As she grabbed the chocolate from the shelf, feeling the softer material it was packaged in, she hoped it was going to be worth the price. Out of the corner of her ear, the sliding, automatic doors of the shop dinged as multiple people walked through. There was nothing to be concerned about, so Miyuki continued shopping. She didn¡¯t find anything else that was good enough for just a single silver coin. You could get a lot for one, but the problem would be quality. Miyuki didn¡¯t want to risk buying cheap food at the time. The aftermath of last time was food poisoning for a week. Suddenly, Miyuki jumped in shock as several gunshots were fired at the front of the store. ¡°What the hell?¡± Miyuki thought, not wanting to turn the corner to see what was going on. Slowly, she peeked around the corner of a shelf and saw three people dressed in all black; they were wearing masks that were painted like clowns. ¡°Give me ALL YOUR FUCKING MONEY!¡± one of them shouted at the cashier, shoving a gun to their head. The cashier fumbles with the register with tears flowing down their cheeks, pleading to the man that they have a family and don¡¯t want to die. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, then GIVE. THE. MONEY.¡± The masked man shouted, pushing the gun into their head. Miyuki looked down, the chocolate in one hand and the dagger in the other. As she looked at her dagger, it reflected into her eyes, and then she knew what to do. She wasn¡¯t doing this out of heroism, and it was quite the opposite. The cashier dumped out the contents of the register, the cash stained with her tears. Suddenly, she saw a blue-haired woman pull the masked man down and stab him in the throat. Blood leaked out as her dagger made a clean cut through like butter. In a flash, the man felt a blade pierce through his chest. Miyuki had unsheathed her sword, gliding it through the man¡¯s stomach. Within a few seconds, Miyuki had killed the criminal. She gave a triumphant expression. ¡°Nobody can beat the great Miyuki!¡± She laughed, inflating her own ego in the process. Her hands were covered in blood as she put the chocolate on the counter. Fully expecting that the cashier would move on from the events and scan her item. Instead, what happened was the cashier looking in horror with blood painted across her face. Then she violently threw up and fainted, smashing her knees on the cold, tiled floor. ¡±Well, if there¡¯s no one here... Then it¡¯s technically free!¡± Miyuki thought to herself, walking out of the door. The sliding doors took longer than normal to open. ¡°Agh!¡± Miyuki shouted in pain as a fist connected to her face, causing her to fall onto a shelf. Dozens of tinned foods slammed down onto her skull, leaving her disoriented. Suddenly, the perpetrator attempted to punch Miyuki again; she was still dizzy, but she managed to dodge, throwing a tin of soup at the person¡¯s face. Once she regained her bearing, she realised that there were two more masked people, one in front of her and another waiting behind. The one behind looked noticeably more armed and deadly. The first one lunges at Miyuki, swinging both fists at her. The air compressed from the sheer force and strength. Miyuki grabbed one of the soup tins from the floor and threw it at the person¡¯s face. It impacted them directly, leaving a red mark across his face as it bounced off. Not wasting this chance, Miyuki got up and kicked him in the stomach, then grabbed and threw him into the ground. He gasped for air as he felt his back shattered from the impact and then was knocked out. Miyuki took a deep breath; all his fighting had made her tired in terms of fighting. She was past her limit. Three years ago, she could''ve easily fought ten times more people without needing a breather. She looked at the final person. Something was different about them, however. They quickly lifted their ski mask up and swapped it for a samurai mask; she couldn¡¯t get a good look at their face. On top of the samurai mask, they were also wearing another to hide their identity. "So, who are you?" Miyuki questioned but was stopped as the samurai reached down for his blade. With an unsheath of their sword, they sprint towards Miyuki. Thrusting their metallic blade towards her. The sword narrowly misses her, cutting off loose strands of hair. She kicked the samurai in the shin, making him grunt in pain. They dodged each other''s attacks, resorting to throwing a dozen items off the store shelves. Miyuki grabbed a hair dryer from the appliance section and threw it at him. With reflexes never seen before, he stabbed through the hair dryer. Avoiding impact. The Samurai grabbed a rice cooker from the shelf on the opposite side; he charged up his arm and threw it at an incredible speed, directly impacting Miyuki and making her fall into a shelf. Like dominoes, all the shelves of the store fall over one by one. Causing a massive thud as each one slammed into the ground with the force of an elephant. ¡±You didn¡¯t answer my fucking question.¡± Miyuki told the samurai with a slight rage in her voice. ¡±You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re getting into. This isn¡¯t business for little girls.¡± The samurai finally spoke; his voice was cold and monotonous. His words sounded almost robotic. Miyuki stood at a stature of 5¡¯ 1, below the average height of an Edessa woman (which is 5'' 5). She couldn¡¯t accept that, however. Her anger boiled over, and she was more than ever determined to rip this person to shreds. ¡°Im 20 FUCKING TWO!¡± She shouted with a burning rage. Quickly, they both got up. Determined to kill the other. Miyuki lunged at them, driving the full force of her fist into the samurai¡¯s helmet. Several fractures cracked around her fist, and it barely withstood the force. Clearly dazed from the punch, he stood still for a moment before he slashed at Miyuki. She was caught off guard, and the sword grazed her skin. Making a small smear of crimson across her face. To the horror of the samurai as his sword cut through a small part of her skin. She smiled like a crazy person, and that¡¯s when he realised... He lost. Miyuki grabbed him by the arm; her grip alone could crush his bones. Then she laughed like a psycho before throwing him above her head and throwing him into the ground. He felt several bones in his body snap as he impacted the ground. Making a loud gasp for air. As she walked towards the samurai, he threw a smoke bomb and started running. She coughed, getting a massive inhale of the smoke before she scanned around, trying to find him. By the time the smoke cleared, The samurai was nowhere to be seen. She takes a sigh, wiping the blood away from her cheek with her sleeve and staining it red. All she wanted was a quick snack after picking up her new weapon, though. At least she got to give her weapon a test run. Thankfully, the cashier made a recovery and stood back up. They look around the shop, notice the two dead bodies, and remember what happens. She holds her head. ¡°Tch, that samurai guy never told me what his problem was!¡± Miyuki shouted, and the cashier overheard and thought they would answer for the samurai. As Miyuki approaches the desk, the cashier puts something down. It was a piece of plastic, and written on it was ¡°Sectaris Issued Government Identification.¡± It was a mouthful to read. Miyuki held the card in her hand. In the picture was someone who vaguely resembled the cashier, albeit younger. ¡°It must¡¯ve been over a decade ago by now, but I used to work under Sectaris. The tensions kept building, and my entire squad was wiped out while we were on patrol. We were called Nova Extremists and traitors to Edessa. They fed themselves their own lies to use as an excuse to kill loyal people.¡± The cashier vented, trying to hold back tears. They took a deep breath and continued to talk. ¡±I thought I was free. I left that stupid job, and yet those people are back! Their group is called the ¡°Edsa Protectorate Group.¡± They are all crazy about protecting this dump of a country from a goddamn non-existent threat!¡± The cashier shouted frantically. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s a shame. Goodbye!¡± Miyuki shouts as she storms out. Assuming that from her heroic activities, the chocolate would be free. 2. Asher sets her breakfast down, the warm lighting seeps through the kitchen curtains. Inside the house was Itzozu sitting down on the couch, watching some drama videos, and Elijah was upstairs on the balcony. ¡°ELIJAH!! Where did you put my flowers?¡± Asher shouted from downstairs; she heard a bunch moving around upstairs with heavy footsteps. Asher jumped in shock as he heard a loud thud hit the floor, followed by mutters. She quickly moves her chair back and sprints up the stairs, storming into Elijah¡¯s room. Upon immediate entry, she notices how clean it is, a stark contrast to Miyuki¡¯s room. Elijah was on the balcony, lighting a cigarette. ¡°I swear all you do is smoke,¡± Asher claimed, sliding the balcony door open. Elijah let out a little laugh as he took another puff. ¡°I have no clue where your flowers are. Just buy new ones.¡± Elijah sighs. Having to deal with Asher¡¯s antics every day. He thought the flowers weren¡¯t that big of a deal if Asher had somehow misplaced them. ¡°It isn¡¯t like that! I need them.¡± Asher shouted as she reached for Elijah¡¯s cigarette, picking it up between his fingers and throwing it off the balcony. ¡°I was smoking that,¡± Elijah muttered, defeated. ¡°Look. I really have no clue where your flowers are.¡± Elijah told Asher. They both took a long sigh and looked out of the balcony. Dozens of buildings past where you can see the light of the sun shining onto each one. Asher had wondered why Elijah was always on the balcony, and she now knew why. 3. After a long walk, Asher had arrived at where he believed this flower would be located. Asher wasn¡¯t just after a regular flower; she wanted a rare type of blue Eddow flower. This would help Asher and Miyuki manage their essence levels. Asher goes around the back of the mortuary, stepping over unknown fluids and a disgusting buildup of trash and body parts. As she reached the back of the mortuary, she wiped a window with his sleeve. Making her pink sleeve stained brown with grime and muck. She peeked into the window and saw something horrific¡ªa disgusting goopy creature moving around the room. Its flesh is black and slimy, pulsating like a heartbeat. This creature started chasing someone. The lights flickered while she heard screaming, and then nothing. ¡°What the fu--I really don¡¯t want to do this now.¡± Asher thought, feeling sick to her stomach. Unfortunately for Asher, she has to get it. Swallowing all of her fears. She slowly opens the door and peeks inside. The hallway was pitch black, and the only illumination was a flickering light above. The air inside has a heavy, deep feeling. It was as if the air itself was warning Asher of what was going to happen if she stepped inside. She jumped at every little scuttle and thud. Her heart was beating at an incredible pace. ¡°Essence spell, spirit summon,¡± Asher whispered to himself while interlocking his hands. Spirit Summon is an advanced-level spell that summons a spirit. Asher had chosen a flame spirit, which would give her light and heat as she continued down the pitch-black halls. She jumps in fear as she realises that the walls are decorated with skulls and smears of blood. Something she notes a mortuary should not be. Asher was walking through the waiting room hall when suddenly. She heard police sirens outside, and people were tuning their radios. There was a long knock before they busted the door in; it flew out and hit the floor. Quickly, she put the spirit to sleep, making the dark room even darker without the spirit¡¯s light source. Slowly, she carefully took every step. Making sure not to blunder. ¡°Why does this always happen?¡± Asher quietly moped and complained. She approached a door whose handle was rusty and damaged. The window in the door looked into darkness. Slowly, she reached for the handle. It was cold to the touch. Shivering, she pressed down. Opening the door. After she shut it behind her, her flame spirit awoke again, revealing the horrors of the autopsy room. Inside contained a table with a person laying on top of it; their skin was a pale blue. To make it even worse, they were rotten, with large colonies of mould, deceased flesh, and maggots from the foot to the chest. Large chunks of meat were bitten off them, revealing the ribcage in horror. Slouched against the wall was another person, whose blood leaked out of their stomach and was painted across the walls. Asher thought he was dead, but as she walked past, they grabbed at his ankle, making her jump in fear. ¡°H-Help..! You¡¯ve got to help me! The-...The body storage! ...Dave¡­ He¡¯s¡­Dead.¡± The man stammered out, taking long breaths in between. Asher couldn¡¯t do anything to help him, and she could only watch as the light in his eyes slowly faded away. Asher approaches the body storage, her hands trembling with fear. She takes a deep breath and slams the door wide open. Suddenly, she sees someone in a black hoodie opening a drawer, and he spots Asher. ¡°That¡¯s my flower!¡± Asher shouts. ¡°Essence Technique, Frozen Barrage.¡± Asher loudly shouted, throwing his left arm out. Frozen Barrage summons up to a thousand magic arrows, made from ice. The ice is immune to heat and will not stop until each arrow has collided with a surface or it is somehow destroyed. Hundreds of ice arrows appeared in front of Asher, and with a mutter of "Release,¡± they all began to fire, and the masked person, while most of them missed, several of them punctured through their knee and ankle. This masked person, short of breath, managed to utter out a spell that caused a large flame, and then it hit Asher, making a small cut on her face. She stood still, and the masked person began to feel an overwhelming sense of fear from the aura. ¡°Hey now. Don¡¯t you dare ever ruin my face again.¡± Asher laughed as he sliced the head off the masked person, killing them immediately. Like nothing had happened, Asher returned to normal, picking up the flower. ¡°I''ll be taking this!¡± Asher laughed. Asher grabs the flower out of a skeleton¡¯s eye. She needs this flower to help regulate their essence; otherwise, it would go haywire and she would be unable to use magic. In a better sense, this flower is the reason she can fight. Fruitful was the word to explain Asher¡¯s success; she had managed to reclaim another Blue Eddow Flower, which was extremely rare. She opened the door to his now-warm house, shielding her from the frost of the night. She entered the house at an awful time, just in time to see a drunk Miyuki rambling on. "So, tttthat¡¯s why I killed that guy!¡± Miyuki stated that her words slurred and hiccupped after only a couple of words. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen his face! Hahaha!¡± Miyuki began laughing uncontrollably. Until she crashed and fell asleep on the couch. Asher set his flower down in a vase filled with water and then went to bed. Chapter 2 - Slain at Festival ¡°She¡¯s back!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°...Serpent.¡± The samurai shouts, slamming his fist into the stone pillar. Shattering it with his own strength. ¡°Uhuhu, this will be fun. VERY fun.¡± Another person laughs. 2. The sky was a deep black, like an abyss with the stars as its victims. The night was starkly contrasted by bright amber lights across the streets. Today was a special day after all; the Mezoryn Festival in the city centre had started. Congestion and traffic have blocked every road in the city, people as far as you can see walking across the pavements. It was a beautiful sight to see this sad town burn so brightly during the festival. Although there are a few who will enjoy this for other reasons,. Elijah was on his balcony, looking out to the vibrant cityscape, when he started to get a call from someone he would rather not right now. Defeated, he lets it ring for a while and lets out a long sigh. For how long has he been doing this for now? He started seven years ago. He had seen so much change. The rise of Lemora, the future of Foundation Hunters, yet it all seemed like a blur to him still. Reluctantly, he picked up his phone. His finger was debating over the hang-up and answer button. ¡°Tch.¡± He thought before answering the phone. ¡°Sup.¡± He answered the person on the other side of the line. ¡°I have a mission for you. Your target is Agent Siren. They are dangerous and unpredictable; be careful out there, Epsilon. I¡¯ve attached the believed location; goodbye.¡± Phi detailed the mission to Elijah. He lets out a final puff of smoke before he flicks it down and stamps on it. Watching the flame be extinguished. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this started.¡± He thought. He knew that Phi would most likely ring today because of the festival; this was a prime opportunity to get a contract done. The sheer amount of crowds and traffic would make it nearly impossible to detect, thus making it a perfect time for agents to operate. He figured this is why his target this time is also an agent. A year or two after a fight with a old friend, the Foundation Hunters (The company which Elijah works for) had entered a proxy war with another bounty hunting company from the Empire of Sora, named ¡°Silver Bullet Corp.¡± They had extremely competent agents, which made work harder. Agent Siren was from Silver Bullet Corp. Elijah swiftly changes out of his blue and gold jacket with a light blue t-shirt, into bulletproof armour and a purple shirt underneath, and of course, with his signature sunglasses. He was much smarter than before, now opting to wear bulletproof armour to prevent injuries that could¡¯ve been prevented. According to the coordinates, Agent Siren was located in the city centre, in the most popular part known as the ¡°Entertainment District.¡± Elijah thought about it for a second and realised something. ¡°Agent Siren is in the busiest place. It can¡¯t be a coincidence; she¡¯s trying to remain undetected, but what is she doing?¡± He muttered and questioned her motives to himself while grabbing his gun from the armoury downstairs. While the armoury was decorated and crowded with Miyuki¡¯s swords, there were also a ton of guns that belonged to Elijah. He grabbed his beloved weapon that had served him well for years, his revolver. ¡°The crowds and traffic make it hard to track; the main downside is that the festival is swarming with police. Last year¡¯s festival was... Bloody, to say the least. I just have to be quick. To also avoid detection, I¡¯ll have to move through the first district, the food courtyard, and then I should be able to sneak through.¡± Elijah planned. Using Liminal Space, he teleported into the food courtyard. He looked around before taking a small sigh of relief, believing that he hadn¡¯t been noticed. The food courtyard was warm, the air was filled with sweet aromas, and the roads were now filled with dozens of stalls with the same amber lighting. Reflecting off the wooden houses behind them, home owners are setting up shop in front of their house. It was refreshing for Elijah to see this town lively again, although he thought that there were unfathomable people. While walking around the stalls, seeing all the food made him hungry. He heard his stomach rumble, and his wallet, while looking empty, had a few spare coins. Elijah debated whether to satiate his hunger or to continue pushing through crowds. After a not-so-difficult decision, he was handed a bowl of food. The food was a succulent steak served with a side of mashed potatoes. It was definitely on the expensive side, but to him, it was worth it. Each bite he took only got better; he savoured the taste before taking the final bite. He then discarded the empty bowl in the trash. The food satiated his hunger, and he felt better than ever before. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be this busy.¡° Elijah muttered, looking around his surroundings. All he could see were people surrounding him. ¡°At this rate, it¡¯ll take too long,¡± he thought to himself and decided to take action. Dodging the crowds was a must; it would take too long to reach Agent Siren. Above the stalls were the roofs of the houses. It was risky, but if Elijah was to climb onto the roof, He was able to run across and reach the entertainment district. Pipes and electrical boxes were attached adjacent to the walls of the alleyways; there was a potential that he could climb up those. Liminal Space was an immediate no; he would rather not teleport in front of a massive crowd; that would only draw suspicion. Elijah gave the pipe a tug; fortunately, it didn¡¯t budge, which meant that Elijah could climb up if he was careful. Slowly, he pulls himself up, taking advantage of the other pipes to prop himself up. He grabbed onto the last pipe and was now on the roof. On top of the roof, Elijah felt the stark contrast of temperatures; while it was warm on the ground, on the roof it was freezing. Nonetheless, he had to complete this mission. As he was walking, he heard a piercing gunshot as a bullet flew past him. It hit him directly at his armour; if he had not worn it, he could¡¯ve died. Another agent has joined the fight.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Quickly, he looks around, the crowd erupts into screams. People started running in every direction; some covered their heads. ¡°Fuck.¡± Elijah thought as he saw the police start to take action. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? I ain¡¯t after you.¡± Elijah states this to the agent, who immediately shuts him down. He could¡¯ve sworn that he was undetected. Unless they knew his location before that, which also means they knew the house, ¡°Guess I got clean-up duty,¡± he thought to himself. ¡°The enemy of my ally is my enemy.¡± The person mysteriously states that their voice was monotone. Elijah struggled to hold back his laughter; they were so serious about this edgy talk that they went so far as to say it. Who would have blamed Elijah¡¯s small chuckle?. ¡°Keep those edgy thoughts to yourself; it¡¯ll save me a headache.¡± Elijah laughs as he ducks and fires a shot at the agent. The bullet pierced through the air at a rapid speed, but somehow... The bullet missed. ¡°Huh. That was definitely aimed at them. Is this a technique at play?¡± Elijah thought, analysing what just happened. Sadly, his analysis had come to an abrupt end after the agent had begun firing a dozen shots at him. Quickly, he dove behind a generator, offering limited protection, but it would do. After a swift reload, he peeks out, looking around and finding nothing. He let the wind pick up, and someone came out from the back of the roof. The agent hit him in the back of his head, the pain burning into his very soul. Elijah was sent back by the force, grabbing onto a pipe to stop his fall. He aims his gun and shoots, like before when the bullet pierced through the air but slowed down dramatically when it reached the agent, and that''s when he realised that the agent has a special power. ¡°I take your ability to slow moving things.¡± Elijah asked, and he didn¡¯t expect an answer in return. He wanted to make the agent nervous that he had guessed it so quickly. ¡°Correct. My innate ability is ¡®Time Slow¡¯¡± To Elijah¡¯s surprise, the agent answered. ¡°Judging by how both bullets slowed to the same speed, I can assume that the ability is based on percentages. I just need something fast enough to where it¡¯s still lethal, even with being slowed.¡± Elijah had a plan in his head. ¡°Essence Technique, Liminal Space.¡± Elijah casts his liminal space ability, creating a portal to the left of him. The portal felt like it was below zero; it left out a freezing chill as he stared into it. He didn¡¯t want it to drag on, so he reached inside and pulled out a worn rocket launcher. Liminal Space had another ability that Elijah used arguably more: it was an infinite storage space. As far as he knew, there was no limit to how far Liminal Space was. Thus, he started using it for all random things storage-related; thankfully, he kept a rocket launcher inside of it. Clutching onto the metallic cylinder, this rocket launcher had seen a plethora of battles, being used as far back as the Vesta War. It had many battle scars across its surface, with scratches and paint peeling. Stickers were added to the back, which indicate this belonged to the ¡°5th Division,¡± not something that matters to him. He fired the rocket and looked at the agent. There was nothing they could do, and the rocket impaled them, causing a massive explosion. The amber colours of fire and explosion combined with the festival lighting made it almost¡­ poetic. ¡°Sorry.¡± He muttered before continuing his mission. He quickly dialled a few numbers on his phone; the phone rang for a while, Elijah¡¯s heart thumping. Eventually, she picked up. ¡°What¡¯s up, Epsilon?¡± Phi asked, ¡°Got attacked by another agent just now; know anything?¡± Elijah replied back. Wondering if there would be any more agents to deal with. ¡°I expected this much. Silver Bullet also wants to kill Agent Siren in case she spills company info. As far as we know... She¡¯s rogue.¡° Phi explained as Elijah jumps from one building to another. Looking down, Elijah sees the crowds return; he guessed that the police told them it was an accidental shot as they couldn¡¯t find the perpetrator. Though there was a more glaring issue, he noticed even more police gathering around. His running comes abruptly to an end as he realises that a dozen red lines are pointed at him. ¡°So there¡¯s a bounty on my head too? Hah! They don¡¯t stand a chance. Today, though, I¡¯d rather not get that much blood on my hands.¡± He exclaims to the snipers pointing at him. He now knows that there is likely a bounty placed on his own head. He diligently dodges each laser; if he were to be in the firing range, he would be immediately dead. Elijah could only wonder how painful a sniper bullet to the head could be. Until he reached an open area. With no protecting objects or cover to hide behind. He had every single red laser pointed at him. Elijah took a deep breath; he had pushed himself to run. ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± he states, taking a breath with each word. ¡°Essence Technique, Liminal Transfer.¡± Elijah uses his technique once again. Transfer allows him to enact short-range teleportation. The maximum distance of teleportation is about 50 metres. Utilising liminal transfer, he was able to teleport himself into a crowd below. He got strange looks from strangers. ¡°You¡¯re dreaming,¡± he whispered to the confused person, and he continued on walking. He moves his way through the crowd and thinks to himself. Strategizing his next ten moves. ¡°So there¡¯s a bounty on me, and I have a bounty for someone else. I can assume it¡¯s correlated. Maybe they hoped I would¡¯ve been killed before I could complete the bounty? Also, the bounty on me seems to involve a team. Then again. Phi mentioned how Siren is rogue.¡± His thoughts dwelled on him. "Ah, who am I kidding? They can¡¯t beat me in this game.¡± Elijah laughed while spinning his gun around. He grabs his gun again and shoots one of the snipers. Suddenly, a hitman comes out of the crowd and attempts to punch Elijah; he simply uses liminal space to teleport behind them, knocking them out in the process. The music was blaring as Elijah continued to make his way through until he saw that the distant police were doing routine checks. ¡°Can¡¯t I just have a break?¡± Elijah muttered in anger. What should¡¯ve been a quick contract quickly spiralled into a long mission. ¡°THIS IS EDESSA POLICE; WE HAVE REPORTS OF A MURDER IN TOWN CENTRE; PLEASE REMAIN CALM; ENFORCEMENT IS ON ITS WAY.¡± The siren blasts out and is followed by an ear-piercing alarm. Startled, Elijah quickly looks around, seeing a couple of bright, neon vending machines selling random things. One had a massive assortment of chips; the other had chargers and power banks. Quickly, he dove behind the machines. The police walked past, talking with each other while holding coffee. The sirens continued to screech as screaming was heard across the city centre. Elijah could only hold his breath and wait for them to pass. The footsteps only got louder and louder until... They stopped. Silence filled the city. The screaming subsided, the sky was a deep black, and combined with the white noise, Elijah was struggling to hold his breath. Hoping that there was no one in front of him, the noise only made it more tense. ¡°What¡¯re you doing there?¡± Someone asked, peaking around the machine. Their outfit was black and blue, signifying that they were police. Without even thinking, Elijah hits the end of his gun in the face, knocking them out. Now on the run from the police, this was a success-now-or fail mission; he had to hurry up towards the entertainment district. He jumped over barriers and signs, swinging onto a pole that ran across the entire way. Eventually, he made it to the district and took a sharp right. The alleyway was dark and gritty, with large puddles of murky water from pipes that dripped. Only the sound of a loud rumbling was heard. It was tense; he could hear his heartbeat get faster and faster. The drips fell from the rusty pipes onto his head. Finally, he meets with the person who fits the description of Agent Siren, but they are also accompanied by two others beside her. They all wore a shiny sliver that gave off a royal feeling. ¡°You¡¯re after me, I suppose?¡± Agent Siren asks, noticing Elijah¡¯s presence without seeing or hearing him. That made him shudder as he thought about how heightened her senses must be. ¡°Sorry, just business.¡± Elijah replies, his words showing no sign of mercy or guilt. Elijah takes cover behind a rusty car, reloading, and then he peeks. He sees the person aiming down at him and quickly hides behind the car again. Then the two other agents lunge at him. He attempts to disarm them, but they manage to get the upper hand and kick him in the stomach. He felt his strength being kicked out of him, and the burning pain that started swelling up quickly landed him back on his feet. Elijah pulls out a different gun with liminal space and manages to shoot one of the agents in their legs, then he uses the back of his gun to knock them out. T he barrel does a quick little spin as Elijah ducks, throwing the other agent, who lunged at him, of course. Without sparing a single second, he grabs them by the arm and knocks them out with a swift blow to the neck. ¡°As expected from The Silent Assailant.¡± Agent Siren entertained Elijah. He didn¡¯t know how far the news had reached. After the fight between him and Aksel, Elijah somehow ended up with the title of The Silent Assailant. ¡°Huh. Guess I am popular.¡± Elijah smirked, not caring about his title or anything like that. Titles weren¡¯t important to him. Quickly, they both shot at each other, the bullets just barely grazing by. He could feel the bullet removing a layer of skin as it punctured through the bullet-proof armour. Thankfully, it was stopped before it was a serious injury. They both followed up with several punches and kicks, each one increasing in force. Elijah managed to kick Agent Siren in the knee, making them lose their balance for a split second. Losing her balance was a life-changing mistake. He pulled out a grenade from his pocket and lobbed it into a pillar. It destroyed the pillar, crumbling it and raining the rubble directly onto Agent Siren. With that, the bounty had been completed. "Well, that¡¯s that,¡± he says while lighting a cigarette. The smoothing warmth helped him calm down. He took in the night, the cold breeze combined with the warm cigarette, but then he looked around. Smoke, blood, and screaming are still everywhere. He had to run. Before he made his run, he pulled out his phone to check the news. ¡°BREAKING NEWS, SEVERAL FOUND DEAD IN MEZORYN FESTIVAL, SEVERAL FOUND DEAD AT CENTRE ROAD'''' was plastered in every single headline; he was even slightly surprised the story spread so quickly. His eyes darted to ¡°Several found dead at Centre Road'''' and he smiled. ¡°It looks like Itzozu had important things as well.¡± Elijah laughed. Chapter 3 - Blood at Broadway Some hours earlier. ¡°Satoshi. You have a bind to adhere to.¡± ¡°You have disappointed us yet again; do it again, and we will take action." The angels screamed, screaming at the person called ¡°Satoshi.¡± They stared back, no meaning behind their eyes. The room was royal and grand. The bright, blue sky above eagerly greets the residents, as do the marbled walls and decor that surround the areas. The meeting room was grand, with a large clock tower. The meeting room had a Greek architecture to it. All the eyes were looking onto Satoshi, the guilt and the pain all lingering on in an infinite dance between life and death. That was the life Satoshi had¡ªthe normal life he gave up so long ago. ¡°Now leave. Leave from now on. Your heresy and apostasy will not be tolerated any longer. Remember what will happen.¡± The heavens said in unison, leaving Satoshi a distorted mess, no longer human. The depths of the heavens grew contorted; their original goal of spreading purity and salvation, long overdue, is now being corrupted from the very inside. Their origin is now cast aside and thrown out, only for a more sinister one to be put in place. To protect their lands from sin and to cast the earth into despair and disarray, For that was their new goal, their new aspirations. The heavens no longer cared about the future or the present, only holding out hope that they could reclaim their former glory. They basked in the light for too long, and now the light has faded. 2. ¡°I thought I had a break today, but he couldn¡¯t even do his job right. Guess I gotta do this myself.¡± Itzozu sighed. Someone was supposed to finish a job today and ended up bailing. Leaving it to him to do it. He was in a dark alleyway; a thick layer of sludge and dirty water flooded the grounds. Disgusting bags of rubbish were thrown out, discarded, and left to rot within the filthy passage. The alleyway was just barely big enough, squishing his arms together just so he could fit, giving him an impending sense of claustrophobia. Used needles and shards of glass coated every part of the floor, like it was an addict''s daydream. The moonlight shone down on the rotting corpses of rodents; they died trying to survive, just like everyone else. ¡°In this world¡­It¡¯s give or take.¡± Itzozu quietly muttered to himself. Each step he takes makes a distinctive splash sound from the sewer water. Turning the corner, he is met with a beautiful sight, one that felt like paradise compared to the creepy, ugly corridor he found himself inside just moments ago. Within his red-eyed gaze, he reunites with his trusty motorcycle. The motorcycle was black with neon blue highlights; it was produced within Sora, as indicated by the seal of the country on the underside. The handles had a sturdy feel to them, like Izozu could rip them out with the force of a lion and they would remain. With a single rev of the engine, Itzozu sped off. As he looked to his left, he could see the vibrant cityscape that was unveiled to him, and he revelled in the fact that so many people live here. Everywhere was teeming with life. The cityscape provided a warm feeling to him, and coupling it with the dark night was a stellar display of emotions. Dozens of helicopters flew above him, shining the spotlight on him for just a single moment. Blinding him in the process, he lifted his arm up to block the light. Outstretching his arm, the light hits him at a perfect angle, blinding the pilot with his handsome features. ¡°Huh.¡± He mutters to himself, taking notice of the endless onslaught of notifications coming from his phone. He reached into his pockets, and with a fancy spin with his fingers, he had placed the phone in his palm. ¡°SERIAL KILLER FOUND. EVACUATE CENTRE ROAD¡± was posted by the police on an app known by Itzozu as ¡°The Funny Bird App.¡± He let out a little air as a big smile creeped up his face as he followed with a sinister laugh. Gripping onto the handles tighter, he leaned to the right, and the bike swiftly took a hard right. The engine roared furiously as it sped through the pavement, impacting a metal face used to block the alleyway. His red, shining hair is now dirty from the water dripping above. After some struggle with the fence, the motorcycle eventually came out on top, speeding through the decrepit alleyway. He zooms back into the highway; the bright contrast between the dark alleyway and lively nightlife was difficult for Itzozu¡¯s photosensitive eyes to adjust. Despite the difficulty he had seeing, he kept pushing on through the highway. ¡°There you are!¡± He laughed while seeing a jet-black car with tinted windows speeding down the roads. The car had a secret feeling to it, like they didn¡¯t want people to look through it. The registration plate was the same as the described serial killer. Grabbing a loaded gun from the compartment of his bike, he peered out of the window and took several shots at the tires. The car started to swerve; the screeching of metal on asphalt sounded like scratched vinyl. Daringly, the suspect peered out of the window, oblivious to any danger Itzozu posed with his pistol. ¡°You¡¯re with THEM aren¡¯t YOU?!¡± He shouted, his words louder than any bullet he fired. The suspect was breaking down; tears flooded their ears like a dam had broken. ¡°If ¡®Them¡¯ is the grim reaper, then hell yeah, I am! I mean¡­ You are the target, right?¡± Itzozu laughed and followed with a rhetorical question. Despite the dire situation this seemingly innocent person was in, They were a notorious serial killers who were supposed to die a week ago. However, due to the circumstances of the angels above, this job was left to Itzozu. Due to the lack of air in the tyres, the suspect lost control of the mysterious car and crashed into a pole. The engine roared as flames engulfed the vehicle, and quickly, the suspect kicked open the door and ran out. Their journey to catch the suspect had led them directly into the Mezoryn festival; the suspect disappeared into the crowd like the sun shining on a shadow. His fiery-coloured eye twitches, and his vision pulsates with every second. His vision split like a chromatic aberration. With each deep breath he took, the twitches twisted into a deep, seething pain. The type of pain that felt like a burning, hot knife stabbed through his eye again and again. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. After a series of shallow breaths, eventually the pain had come to closure. ¡°High concentration of essence located at Mezoryn festival¡± was painted across his vision. That was the nature of Itzozu¡¯s innate ability; his eyes are able to detect essence, despite the drawbacks of high photosensitivity and frequent migraines. ¡°Essence Technique, Overlord¡¯s Armour¡± Itzozu mutters between breaths. Overlord¡¯s Armour is a defensive shield that rapidly reduces essence from within the barrier it makes. This barrier is approximately a metre around him. It defuses deadly attacks into harmless spells. For most people, they would only have one or two essence techniques; however, Itzozu was an exception to that rule, possessing four essence techniques. "Well, this crowd is... annoying, Itzozu mutters to himself, heading deeper into the crowd, squishing in every direction. He could only keep barging past a horde of pedestrians. ¡°Offence is out of the question here. All these people would also be harmed.¡± He thought to himself. After a brief thought, he decided the best way to approach the murderer was to let him attack first and then respond with a counterattack. Giving the murderer a false sense of security to lure him in, just to betray his very senses. His eye twitched yet again as his eyes darted to his left. Itzozu spotted the murderer lunge at him with a knife; he just barely had enough time to dodge it, seeing the shiny dagger fly past his eye. Overlord¡¯s shield while an excellent defensive technique. Only applies to essence-based combat; thus, melee attacks will pierce through the shield easily. That was the main downside to the technique. With the force of a tiger, the murderer slammed his knife into the direction of Itzozu. The knife pierced straight through the shield, making the transparent shield shatter into a deep orange. Shards of the shield flew out, attacking anyone who dared be near it. As he expected, the murderer attempted to launch another attack with a blade in hand, though this time Itzozu had the upper hand. The murderer approached Itzozu at the speed of light, but he simply looked at him. Confused by the situation, the murderer thought it was a trap. ¡°AHHH¡± He shouted in pain as he looked down, blood leaking out of his stomach. Making a small pool of crimson down below, painting the ground as if it were a canvas. Itzozu slowly pulled his axe out of the murderer''s stomach. The guts of the person fell out as the axe left the crevice that was once a stomach. ¡°Faulted at the very last moment; a pity.¡° Itzozu shamed the murderer. The trap was the person''s hesitation in believing it was a trap. That hesitation is what led Itzozu to capitalise on a massive opportunity. The murderer slowed himself down, and Itzozu, in a flash, stabbed his axe through the stomach. ¡°...There¡¯s another. Another accomplice with this murderer. I better get him as well.¡± Itzozu realised this, taking a long sigh while blood dripped out of his axe. Looking around, he finds a nearby puddle and gives the axe a splash, leaving a squeaky, clean, albeit stained red axe. ¡°Right, now where is he?¡± He questioned, pondering where his dear friend was. Using the innate ability of his eye. Itzozu was also blessed with the power of clairvoyance, being able to search an undetermined area. ¡°Ah. So he¡¯s where Elijah is? I could leave it to him. Then again, he has his own thing. I guess I have to do it.¡± He sighs to himself, speaking aloud. The people start screaming and running frantically; the dead body on the floor was a horrific sight for the pedestrians, whose sanity was diminished. The crowd started to fight, with people using this as an opportunity to take out their burning hatred. Itzozu runs towards the guy, taking advantage of all the obstacles on the ground as a way to speed himself up, hopping over barricades and rubbish bins along the way. As he ran faster along the roads, he eventually reached the festival. The amber lighting of the lanterns above made it feel so peaceful. The sky is deep black; old houses and bright neon signs of market stalls litter the streets. The endless aromas from the food stalls made his stomach growl. ¡°Just for a little moment," Itzozu thought to himself., basking in the tranquilly. With the twitch of his eye yet again, he uses clairvoyance to scout out the entire city centre. His vision darts between all kinds of people, seeing all the different luscious food from stalls and even as far into the entertainment district, he saw it all at once. Eventually, after he looked through the entertainment district, he saw the last person and headed out. Itzozu ran at a speed that he thought was impossible, jumping above obstacles and jumping from pillar to pillar like monkey bars. He found a long wire that was sturdy enough to support his weight, and then rode the wire all the way to his final destination. He catches up to the guy with his red-stained axe outstretched in front of him, holding it in a menacing manner that the accomplice could only think of as threatening. ¡°Death has caught up... Or some other cringey phrase, I haven¡¯t thought.¡± He laughs to himself, shrugging his shoulders, before lunging at the guy, pouring all his strength and faith into the handle. As the axe swung, blood gushed out of the accomplice, pouring out like a tap. ¡°Sigh. Can you just give up? It would make this whole thing easier.¡± He questioned, pointing at the large wound the accomplice now has. Unfortunately for Itzozu, adrenaline kicked in like a power surge. ¡°N-NO! GET AWAY! YOU DON¡¯T KNOW ANYTHING.¡± The accomplice stammers out, tears flooding out of his eyes. Begging and pleading with Itzozu to spare him, but he wouldn¡¯t listen. ¡°Gonna explain?¡± Itzozu asked while cocking his head. ¡°SECTARIS, they put a bounty on me. It ruined my entire fucking life.¡± ¡°Sectaris?" Well, that¡¯s something. Sorry but I still gotta do this. You¡¯re a serial killer after all." Itzozu gave a sombre smile, not sure how to feel. The accomplice and Itzozu engage in a series of blows, although it was obvious the power gap between them was simply too large. The accomplice mutters something under their breath, and a giant barrage of ice bullets appeared all but to be absorbed by the shield. Slowly, he takes each step with an axe in hand. Time felt like it slowed for the accomplice. All he could do was await his very death. ¡°Bye bye,¡± Itzozu told the person for the last time before taking a clean swing at the person¡¯s throat. The axe swiftly and cleanly chopped through their neck, killing them instantly. Their body went limp and fell to the floor. Itzozu looked at the mess¡ªthe blood, the ice, and the body. After a moment of pondering, he began to work again. He dipped his finger into the blood, the lukewarm liquid on his fingertips, and then, like a paintbrush, he used the ground like a canvas to paint a summoning ritual. Then he messily draws a circle accompanied by a pentagram, and then he grabs the lifeless body. The summoning circle turned into a portal to another place, feeling the extreme heat of it swelter up, leaving a hazy air above. Quickly, he jumped down the circle with the body in hand. Itzozu was met with a long, twisting staircase; the sky was an intense red, resembling an eternally lit flame; the staircase was made from bone and skulls; it was so high up that he couldn¡¯t see the ground; there were an infinite number of souls trapped within the dimension. Large pillars of smoke made its way up as Itzozu made his way down, the staircase a gross abomination. Each step Itzozu takes makes the disgusting sound of bones rattling. Carefully, he continued down. The depths of this hell were ever-growing. Eventually, after a long time of walking, he eventually reached the ground. Massive buildings in ruin, screams of agony coming from every direction, and smoke filling the surface, clouding the burning sky. He met with three other people standing on a pedestal. They were pure light, with gold surrounding them like a gravitational field. They had large, outstretched wings. The angels all look down at him, their eyes darting straight towards him. ¡°Hope you''re happy.¡± Itzozu snarled as he threw the body across the skull-lined floor. The body made a squelch as it impacted the floor. Our deal is one without compromise; you uphold your part for your life. King of Sin, you are tied with chains. Disobey us once more, and we will not be forgiving.¡± The angels whispered in unison, their voices cutting through his ears like a knife. ¡°...I- I understand.¡± He sighed. Averting his gaze to the ground. His words became sadder, and the tone lowered. ¡°Have you forgotten your promise? Itzozu, Leave.¡± The angels whispered again, their voice now harsh in tone, commanding him to leave immediately. He obliged, walking back up the staircase. When he arrived back home, he was met with the warm atmosphere of his abode. He peered from the door but was met with silence. Intrigued, he slowly closed the door, making sure the door clicked quietly. Silence fills the air. Itzozu slowly opens the door. What he saw was not what he expected. He saw Miyuki, Asher, and Elijah all asleep on the couch. Pillows and blankets scattered over the floor, the TV blaring a random movie. Miyuki was heavily snoring, along with Elijah. Quietly, he headed upstairs, setting down a red, shiny pentagram necklace onto his wooden countertop. The wood was old, with marks and scratches all over. Despite the terrible condition, it was a keepsake for Itzozu. He looks at himself in the mirror. ¡°Itzozu, huh.¡± He mutters, reaching out for his reflection. He only saw himself: red messy hair, red eyes, and the cactus green jacket combined with a beige shirt. His eyes furrow; it¡¯s not what he saw. He could only see a reflection of his previous self. Without giving a warning, his door was kicked open, the hinges creaked as the old door slammed against the wall. Interrupting Itzozu¡¯s monologue. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?? We¡¯re watching a goddamn movie!¡± The familiar blue-feisty woman shouted. ¡°You were asleep!¡± Itzozu tried to save himself, but was caught right in Miyuki¡¯s palm. ¡°I was faking it. I wanted to see if you would even care. Huh. I guess you don¡¯t.¡± Miyuki shouted while turning her back to Itzozu, just to add salt to the wound. Itzozu let out a little chuckle as he approached Miyuki, giving her a small pat on the head, much to her disarray. ¡°Yeah. This life ain¡¯t too bad.¡± He thought to himself as he headed downstairs to watch the movie with Miyuki. Chapter 4 - Take up Arms! The movie ended with a dramatic finale; the protagonist wished their best friend goodbye as they slowly died. As the credits rolled, he saw his own reflection once again. The movie he just watched with the others was... interesting, to say the least. ¡°Setting up for a sequel, huh?¡± Itzozu thought, his eyes heavy. He glanced over to the side, pulling apart the blankets slowly so as not to disturb anyone. Slowly, he stepped into the kitchen, glancing at the time ¡°2:50 AM¡± before entering. The cold tiles of the kitchen floor sent shivers down his spine. Groggily, he approached a cupboard, gripping the handle before swinging it open, revealing the boring storage of various medicines. After pulling out the syringes and needles that blocked the back, he pulled out a familiar blue packet. Carefully, he opened the package, revealing two small tablets. The other four had already been used. After a satisfying pop, he placed them on his tongue and swallowed the tablets with a cup of water. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Someone spoke out from behind him. His heart started beating as he was caught off guard. His heart felt like it was going to implode. He slowly turned around. His breaths are getting shallower. When he turned around, he saw a woman sitting on the countertop. She had silver hair with gold highlights, and her outfit was golden and silver too, screaming out how important she may have been. Her most defining feature was the large, angel-like wings that she wrapped around herself. Her face had several symbols painted in white. Symbols of X¡¯s and O¡¯s with a strange symbol that he didn¡¯t understand on her left cheek. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Itzozu questioned, wondering if this was the product of not getting eight hours of sleep every day. ¡°Me? Very well. I shall answer your inquiry.¡° She stated that her voice was soothing and calm. Every word this person spoke felt like it was being said from the very soul. She laid down on the countertop, striking a peculiar pose. ¡°I am Silvia! The archangel of planet Eden! Not that it matters to you.¡± Silvia introduced herself to Itzozu. Revealing herself as an angel. He racked his head. Is an angel visiting him? ¡°This is stupid. I¡¯m going back to bed.¡± Itzozu bluntly stated before heading out of the kitchen that the medicine was working but not fast enough, and each step he took only made the pain worse. Not being able to support himself, he stumbled and fell down. Nearly impacting the ground with full force, but was caught in the arms of the angel. ¡°Shh. I¡¯ve been watching for quite some time.¡° She made a shushing gesture, a wide smirk plastered across her face. ¡°Your journey here has been astonishing. From the fields of Sora to the underbelly of Edessa. You¡¯ve made your place here.¡° She giggled as her finger ran up Itzozu¡¯s shoulder. His hands trembled as he had no clue what was going on. ¡°You wish for more. You wish to etch yourself into the finely woven fabric of the world. You wish to be the needle in the world¡¯s thread. Itzozu. I shall be your guiding light.¡± She announced, her words still soft and gentle, like Itzozu was being cradled. Her eyes had the shine of the brightest gold. Full of ambition and dreams. ¡°You, an angel... Want to help me? Just after heaven made me do your dirty work?¡± Itzozu questioned him, his eyes full of suspicion. ¡°I suppose that does sound strange... I have no ties with the other angels, hence why I¡¯m here in this realm.¡± Silvia states that her words seemed to be the truth as she averted her gaze. ¡°You wish for the best outcome. I can help you there. I have to return. Goodbye Itzozu.¡± She gave a sombre wave before slamming open the back door. Quickly, Itzozu peered out and saw Silvia fly up into the sky. He stood in the kitchen for a moment, wracking his head, wondering what had even just happened. He was lost in thought until a slow drip from the tap woke him out of it. ¡°She was very interesting,¡± he thought, his face flushed, before falling asleep on the cold kitchen floor. He fell down as if he were knocked out. 11 hours later. 1:50PM The cold wind blows across Elijah¡¯s face. The open window lets in a frigid breeze. Inviting it to cool down everyone. In the back seats were Itzozu and Miyuki. In the front was Asher, with Elijah at the wheel. Driving down the highway at the fastest legal speed, they had just come back from the Redyn Mall. The largest mall within Edessa (the only good thing that¡¯s come from Mezoryn) The trunk of the car was packed full of various bags from all the shops inside the mall. ¡°Haha! You should¡¯ve seen that guy¡¯s face. Made it so worth it!¡± Miyuki laughed, mocking someone she had met with earlier. Presumably now deceased. Her laughter echoed across the car; it was extremely contagious. ¡°Please, take your goddamn meds.¡± Itzozu demanded, holding a couple tablets in his hand. They both looked at each other for a moment, like a wild west shootout. Itzozu lunges at Miyuki, taking advantage of his height to reach over to Miyuki, attempting to shove the tablets in her mouth. Miyuki shouted with the force of a lion, slapping his hand every time it got too close. Elijah made a sharp left turn, which made Itzozu slam into his door, putting an end to his assault on Miyuki. She laughed as she knew her victory. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. I left them at home; guess I gotta wait.¡± Miyuki smirked, taking in the image of Itzozu being ticked off. For her, it was the utmost joy to know that Itzozu was annoyed; the two of them had been best friends for years at this point. Silence filled the car as Miyuki looked out of her window. She rested her head on her hands and looked out. The clouds were grey, ready to unleash the vast amount of rain as if Poseidon himself had unleashed his fury. She looked at all the cars passing by. All the trees and grass around the highway and the endless number of road signs dictating your speed. She sees a sign that displays ¡°TO THE THIRD DISTRICT." . It was a faded green, losing colour to the elements. The sign confirmed they were indeed reaching home. ¡°... I''m not sure how to say this, but... Something feels strange.¡± Asher claimed, shifting his pale arm from the armest to his lap. His worries were intensely sickly, and no matter how hard he tried to shake them off, they didn¡¯t budge. His stomach was a mess of lingering dead and the rumble from being hungry. He could only take a long sigh as he looked through the windows, seeing nothing of interest that could help him forget the fear he had. ¡°Yeah. Something is wrong.¡± Itzozu stated, confirming Asher¡¯s fears. Itzozu took a couple of deep breaths before using his clairvoyance. His eye dances between the fiery red and orange, and he scans for what felt like an hour and yet... Nothing. ¡°Relax; I think we just drank too much. '''' Miyuki reassures, not knowing whether it truly was everyone barring Elijah being hungover or not. Elijah leans closer into the window, his hands gripping the driving wheel harder, like he was going to crush the wheel with the force of an elephant. His eyes furrow deeper as his expressions got colder. ¡°Brace yourselves.¡± He states this before flicking his mirror above him to look behind him. Behind the car was a police car. The moment they realised they had been spotted, they flicked their sirens on, blasting the piercing noise into the eardrums of the friends. Elijah calmly pulls out a cigarette and lights it in anticipation of what will happen. ¡°Here we go,¡± Elijah calmly told his friends. ¡°YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY SECTION 24. PULL OVER NOW.¡± One of the cops shouted using an amplification; it sent a small wave of terror at the friends, but they resisted, instead using this as a chance to fight back. The cops were armed with heavy guns; they were so clean that they bounced a beam of light back into them. They carried a few extra magazines and flaunted their weapons. If they made one wrong move, then they would shoot out the tyres, and then... Who knows what would happen? As the police cars pulled closer to their cars, the cool breeze from the trees slowly swayed, giving a nice relief. The road was filled with potholes, just waiting to claim a victim. Trees scattered both sides of the road, providing shade from the harsh rays of the sun. The car¡¯s engine roared as Elijah stepped on the gas. His brain is racking with a thousand thoughts. Every possible move he could make. At first, he considered just complying, but their recent activities might come into question. The sun shone onto Elijah, giving a majestic shine to his blue and gold jacket within this singular moment. He had figured out what to do. He would just step on the gas once more and speed off. Then he would see what happened next. With a deep breath, Elijah lifts up his revolver. The shiny metal was like looking into a mirror; he could see his own determined face in it. With a puff of his cigarette, he blew smoke into the window of the police vehicle. ¡°Nah.¡± He laughed, speeding away. The gun part was unnecessary.¡± Asher interjected, while Elijah burst out laughing. ¡°Look ELIJAH!¡± Asher shouted, punching him on the shoulder. The force Asher hit him with took him by surprise; his gaze shifted to the front, and he was caught with another surprise. Further up ahead was a police barricade. A thick spike trap lay across the highway. The sirens flashed between red and blue, straining Elijah¡¯s eyes. The trees on each side of the highway came to an abrupt stop, instead showcasing beautiful rolling fields of green. Police trucks lined the barricade. They couldn¡¯t stop now; they were going too fast down the highway. Instead, Elijah only increased the speed of the car. The mechanical parts of the engine were set into full gear, ready to fight their way through the onslaught. Glancing over at the dashboard, the clock hit 2 p.m. The time was right, and just as he was about to do something cool, ¡°Liminal Space could make this easier.¡± Itzozu interjected, ruining Elijah¡¯s moment. ¡°Nah. I hate that. I¡¯ll only use it if I need to." Elijah replies back; his words had a harsh tone at the end, as if he were hiding something, but Itzozu respected what he said. Faster and faster, the car kept going as both the friends and the police anticipated the assault. Elijah, Itzozu, and Asher all took a deep breath until they started to feel a frigid breeze hit them, followed by the harsh impact of the wind. ¡°...Miyuki just jumped out of the window.¡± Itzozu sighed. Moving his arm up and then proceeding to facepalm. Everyone could hear the terrifying laughter of the blue-haired gremlin coupling with screams of pure pain.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°We may as well follow.¡± Elijah complied with Miyuki¡¯s antics. Taking off his blue jacket and replacing it with a bulletproof vest with a purple shirt. He held his revolver up and jumped out of the car. The rest of the friends followed suit. They jumped out of the car while it was still driving, like a scene ripped straight out of an action movie. The car hurled towards the barricade, destroying a truck in the process. The destruction caused a massive fire to break out, spreading to every corner of the highway and catching fire to the surrounding trees. The bright embers of the fire burned quickly, and smoke filled the car as the entire highway was lit with the high contrast colours of red, yellow, and orange. Miyuki took advantage of this chaos, using her blade to stab into a police officer''s neck. Asher arrived to witness her second sword stab another. Her laugh was sadistic, echoing throughout the battlefield. As blood splattered over her face. Turning into a disgusting spectacle of blood and psychosis. She jumped onto the trunk of a police car, kicking an officer in the face and knocking them out. Elijah rests his weapon on the head of the police officer. "Bang,¡± He said while he pressed the trigger. The blood splattered all over his clothes as the head of the officer fell to the floor, splattering with a pool of blood. ¡°Essence Technique, Overlord¡¯s Armour,¡± Itzozu loudly chanted. With his axe in hand, he cleaved his way through the horde of officers. Behind him was Asher, who backed him up with a barrage of ice arrows. After some time had passed, the officers had a fast, complete wipeout. The friends were coated from head to toe in crimson. It stained every article of clothing they were wearing. With a sigh, they returned to the wrecked car. ¡°Now that I think of it, This was not a good idea.¡± Elijah sighs while removing his vest and taking off his once blue jacket, now stained red. ¡°Ugh, I hate blood!¡± she shouts out in anger, with blood coating every part of her clothes. Her grey metal armour is now stained ink, and the bright red is now even brighter. As they sit down on the car, they stain the seats with blood, covering the car with even more of the putrid crimson. Elijah twists the ignition. Listening to the car¡¯s rumbles. To his and everyone else''s surprise, the totaled car had managed to come back to life. The engine roared as the dashboard lights flicked on. With the foot on the pedal, he speeds off. They swerved away from the police barricade, destroying the fences as he went, and then continued driving down the highway. ¡°So, we are coated in blood, we have weapons also coated in blood, we have a wrecked car, and to top it off, we are even being manhunted by the Edessan government!¡± Asher shouted, realising the severity of the situation. ¡°Let¡¯s just say.. We¡¯re painters, and on the way to a client¡¯s house, we crashed, and it caused all the paint we had to spill.¡± Itzozu wracked his brain for an excuse. ¡°That would only work if that client wanted their house to be a fucking red room. Plus, we have no one to back us up.¡± Asher rejected the idea, knowing how unbelievable it could be. There was a brief moment of silence as they all realised just how much they''d dug their own graves. Everyone glances at Miyuki; her insane nature could be to blame for how far they¡¯ve gone. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that we have bloodied weapons too. I''m not sure if we can convince the police that these are for painting.¡± Elijah replied, breaking the awkward silence. ¡°This is difficult.¡± Itzozu sighed. Miyuki sat watching through the window, the once bright blue sky now a beautiful mix of orange, purple, and yellow. She basked in the light of the sunset, her mind dancing between the sunset and her friends. She focused back into the conversation but was just met with heavy bantering. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. Let¡¯s blame Itzozu¡¯s hair.¡± Elijah stated, trying to talk in a serious voice. ¡°Because it¡¯s red? Very funny. So how are we going to explain the car?¡± Itzozu brushed off the sad attempt at comedy and followed with his own question. ¡°...I got it. We crashed into a ditch while carrying a bunch of hair dye, and it exploded!¡± Elijah burst out laughing as he finished his unbelievable excuse. Elijah and Itzozu were both caught in a laughing mess, with even Asher letting out a few giggles. Their laughter echoed throughout the car and was a true testament to the friendship they all had. Miyuki takes a shallow gasp as she looks at the monitor on the left side of her stomach. ¡°Warning. Essence levels are concentrated. Medication required.¡± combined with several loud beeps. Every human has an essence storage and a capacity; usually, the body produces within the capacity, but there exists a rare condition where essence levels grow past the level. Thus resulting in a condition known as ¡°Essence Poisoning¡± Miyuki clutched her head; her breath became shallow, and her heartbeat got faster as she started to hyperventilate. Her head was in intense pain, like her neurons were dancing between life and death. ¡°I don¡¯t feel good,¡± she muttered again and again, a cold sweat dripping from her back as she violently coughed. Jumping straight into action, Itzozu reaches into his pocket and pulls out a singular syringe. Delicately, he injects it into Miyuki, slowly filling the syringe with a mysterious, shining blue liquid. This liquid was bubbling like it was carbonated. It shone unnaturally bright. This was essence in its true form, a chaotic and unstable substance. Slowly, Itzozu grabs Miyuki¡¯s arm away from her head and says, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He whispered in an attempt to calm her down. Her shaking came to a gradual stop, and the pain subsided. He checked her essence levels, and once it was confirmed they were normal, he took a sigh of relief. ¡°This is why you take your meds, dumbass." Itzozu sighed while catching his breath, wiping the sweat that dripped from his forehead. He opted to rest his head on the chair¡¯s headrest. ¡°I feel freakin¡¯ awful,¡± Miyuki shouted out, the sheer volume in her voice being a clear sign that her pain had subsided. Her breathing returned to normal, along with her sour attitude. After the intense, stress-inducing moment, Thankfully, they arrived back home. The sunset gave off a warm mix of colours that fell down onto their house. The walkway to the front door was made from stone. Lined up meticulously, surrounding it was a thick, overgrown layer of grass. The house was made from brick and wood, providing an effective but cheap way of providing shelter from the elements. Apart from the giant hole in the roof that seemed to grow bigger day by day,. Aside from the questionable state of the roof, their house boasted both an attic and a basement. The basement was in a perpetual state of freezing cold, and the same could be said for the attic. It had become their prime place to dump all their unnecessary items, becoming cluttered with junk. They all sighed in unison as they stepped out of the car. The air was freezing, so they quickly rushed to the door, their shoes making a loud thud as they impacted the stones below. With the unlocking of the door, they return to their home. The air felt stale, as if it were warning them that something was going to happen. Asher gripped Elijah¡¯s jacket, his slender fingers not daring to release their grasp. Elijah looked confused but chose not to care. ¡°The police are here.¡± Itzozu whispers to everyone. Quickly, they all rush into the house and slowly shut the front door, hoping that they weren¡¯t noticed. Elijah pulled out his revolver, spinning the barrel as it shone brightly. Asher was ready to chant his spells. ¡°Overlord¡¯s armour,¡± Itzozu muttered, activating his technique. Silence filled the house. It was intense and suffocating. They waited, their hands shaking as if they were ready for action at any moment. Miyuki peaked through the window, pulling apart the blinds. The sound of a gunshot was heard, followed by the sound of shattering glass. Miyuki fell down, hiding under the window. ¡°Did you get shot?!¡± Itzozu shouted out, worried about Miyuki. She held her sword up; in the middle of the blade was a massive bullet hole, ripping through the metal. She wept, knowing her favourite sword was destroyed. ¡°You have bigger issues to worry about right now!¡± Itzozu told her off, knocking some sense into her. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± she sighed. Time continued to tick while the friends remained still. The ear-piercing sound of an explosion was followed by a powerful shockwave. Several crashes of wood and brick slammed onto the floor above. Itzozu¡¯s eye twitched from fiery red to a bright orange as he activated his clairvoyance; through using it, he spotted four police trucks and seven cars. Each truck was decked in a menacing pitch black. The people coming out of the van had ¡°Enforcer¡± written on them. To them, it felt like the whole world was after them. It was time to take up arms. Swinging the front door open, Elijah peaked out, and with a revolver in his hand, he engaged in a shootout with the police, managing to land a few lucky hits into the bodies of the officers. However, every time an officer fell, another came to take their place. As night fell onto the house, the streetlights illuminated a fluorescent light, combining together to make it extremely difficult to hit even a single shot. After a not-so-successful encounter, Elijah quickly slammed the door shut. He slid his back against the cold door, taking in the little amounts of frigid air that blew through a gap. He held his gun to his head, looking into his own reflection. ¡°We have to leave.¡± Elijah sighed. ¡°L-leave?¡± Asher questioned, not truly grasping what was happening. ¡°The police and SWAT are at our door. What good will fighting do? They¡¯ll keep sending more until goddamn dead.¡± Elijah broke the news, taking a long sigh while he looked through the door window, trying not to be seen. Itzozu muttered something under his breath. It wasn¡¯t heard by any of the friends, but as Elijah looked out of the window, He saw several chains dart out of the stone and stab straight through a dozen officers at once. Becoming a blood splatter like fireworks. He grinned, showing off to everyone his strength. With Itzozu now trying, maybe the friends could hold off the seemingly endless onslaught of officers. ¡°Drop it.¡± One of the officers stated on the radio that they all looked inquisitive and gulped as they pressed a massive red button. The friends were caught completely off guard as they heard the sound of a large object falling. What happened next was a huge explosion. Obliterating the entire second floor and sending a shockwave that impacted everyone, throwing them into the wall. Shrapnel flew out from every direction, cutting Elijah across the cheek. The ruins of the house were absolute; the beautiful home they once resided in is now reduced to nothing but a few wooden pillars. Unable to handle the stress, the pillars collapsed, making the last remnants of the roof fall into pieces. Large piles of dust as it impacted. The air was grey and filled with an intense layer of dust that made it hard to breathe. The friends could barely see. They covered their mouths and darted for the exit. ¡°Shit. Where are the officers?¡± Elijah thought, carefully moving away. He felt the air slice as his body instinctively moved out of the way. In the corner of his eye, he spotted a large metallic blade slicing down. The metal clanged as it slammed against the ground. Quickly, he sprinted away, dodging and weaving through the many ruined items. Using Liminal Space to quickly evade this mysterious person¡¯s blade. Each time he fell out of Liminal Space, he only got more tired. As the blade was about to connect with his skull, making an execution that was worthy of French nobles. The weapon was stopped dead in its tracks by another blade. Though it had a giant crater in the middle, the blades sparked as they scraped together. ¡°Can¡¯t let you do that, can I?¡± Miyuki laughed, her eyes narrowing, while a menacing grin creeped up her face. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the serpent. I¡¯m impressed.¡± The mysterious person says, the dust starts to clear and the person becomes visible. Although they wore a strange mask, their next most defining feature was what had to be hundreds of scars across their hands. Their hair was a deep purple. Elijah took a deep breath as he regained his footing. Looking around, he sees nothing but the ruins of his home and this strange person after them. ¡°That would¡¯ve ended me, had I not dodged,¡± he thought. ¡°This person could be an agent. They got past his barrier, so they can¡¯t be using techniques.¡± Elijah was in deep thought. He quickly put together the idea that this may be another agent, potentially a silver bullet. Miyuki returns to the fight after managing to hold off the person¡¯s sword. She jumped from the roof and, with immense speed, slammed down her sword. She was slicing anything that got caught in her path. Her sword ripped through the foundation of the house and got firmly wedged in between the stones. Like a hero in an action game, she was forced to pull her sword out of the stone. Quickly, she mustered up all her strength, and in the heat of the moment, she ripped it out of the stone. Clutching it in her hand as she swung in the air. As they looked around, they all quickly realised the strange person had vanished. Miyuki punched a wooden strut that was still standing. ¡°Goddamn it!¡± she shouted, the strut now falling to the ground with a loud thud. Elijah kept a close eye on what was going on, suspicious of whether it¡¯s truly over or if they wanted them to be caught off guard. He took a sigh, lowering his gun. Itzozu scratches his head at what just happened. While Asher just stood there, dumbfounded,. ¡°Huh.¡± Itzozu mutters, picking up a strange badge and giving it a small twirl around. He realised that this was a police badge. ¡°Wait,¡± he thought, seeing the small edge of the badge. Itzozu gave it a quick tug, and it came off, revealing itself to be a sticker. The real badge said "Edesa," but unfortunately, most of it was scratched and beyond intelligible. ¡°It seems like these guys weren¡¯t police." Itzozu revealed the strange news to his friends. Waving the pealed badge in the air. ¡°Are you fuckin¡¯ joking?¡± Miyuki grabbed the badge, inspecting any corner of it before coming to the same realisation. ¡°All of THAT for this?!¡± she stamped her foot into the ground. Creating a small pile of dust upon impact. 3. A few hours later. It was late, past midnight. The dark sky contrasted with the fiery embers cast by Itzozu. The friends had lost their home and were now undefended from the elements. They all took a long sigh at the dire situation they were in. They huddled over their broken table with a campfire in the centre, despite how sad it was. It was also strangely sentimental for them. They all looked at each other with only sorrow and guilt in their eyes. The thick atmosphere that fell on them made it hard to talk. ¡°What now?¡± Asher sighed. ¡°We¡¯re wanted, broke, and the cherry on top? We have no home.¡± Itzozu hit his hand on the table. Small slithers of rage slipped through. As they sat around the fire, waiting and watching the small embers of smoke fade away into the atmosphere, Miyuki watches the smoke rise, and something clicks in her head. She remembers the dream she had a week ago. ¡°I had a dream a few nights ago. Something about Orion? Something told me in my dream about infinity, salvation, and if you reach it, you become god.¡± Miyuki recalls the dream to her friends. ¡°That''s just a fairytale.¡± Asher sighed, not knowing there was any hope. "Well, any better idea?¡± Miyuki snapped back. They sat in silence; the tension was building as they were pulling straws. ¡°Playing god sounds fun.¡± Elijah joked, trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, his joke also fell silent. ¡°Could the strings attached be cut if I were to reach Orion?¡± Itzozu thought to himself, contemplating what would happen. ¡°Hell yeah, count me in.¡± Itzozu joined in. Quickly, they all jump back into their totaled car, now on a journey to Orion and ready to reset reality to their liking. They were full of ambition and honour. They would live in glory. As they looked out of the window, they spotted the sign they hoped to see. They watch as the sign changes from ¡°TO MEZORYN¡± to ¡°WELCOME TO EDESA, THE CAPITAL." Their goal is now set. Chapter 5 - Sudden Change The soft breeze of the wind swayed the golden-brown leaves. The blue lake gave off a tranquil feeling, combined with the colourful trees. Birds chirped, and animals ran across the lush fields. It was noon, with the sun shining in all its intensity, changing the day from frigid to a warm temperature. However, the plentiful trees provided enough shade. At the end of the field was the lake; a small fishing hut was located at the far end, with a dock on the other. It was home to a small community of fishermen looking to make a living. This lake was a perfect spot. Elijah looked over to the horizon, sitting down on an uncomfortable rock and throwing stones out into the water. His expression was troubled. He rested his cheek on his palm and took a long, heavy sigh. ¡°We¡¯re done. All of this is over.¡± He stated this as he threw a large stone into the water, making a distinctive thud followed by a splash. He slumped down on the large rock, feeling the sharp corners of it stab through his blue jacket. While Elijah was in this terrible state, Asher quickly came to his aid. Running through the thick layer of grass. ¡°Talking about Orion and becoming god... Yet, what¡¯re we going to do now?¡± Elijah questioned, the sun shining onto him, leaving a glare on his sunglasses. He wondered just what to do now. Gusts of wind swayed the trees, slowly moving them from side to side. Itzozu held his head down, his red hair completing the brown leaves. In front of him were white-coloured rocks and a thrashing river. The rocks were like stalagmites that had risen out of the ground. Itzozu was in deep thought, his thoughts bouncing back and forth in his mind. He held his chin. ¡°We have a long-term goal, which is to reach Orion. What to do now though?¡± he questioned himself, wracking his brain. ¡°Heh, I guess we were too focused on the long term?¡± Asher tried to laugh it off, but a few drops of sweat landed on the ground. ¡°Were we just too stupid?¡± Elijah gave a shallow chuckle. The wind picked up quickly, blasting it into Asher¡¯s face. It felt as if he were being slapped, and cold water was doused on him. He stood still, pouting, before brushing his pink hair out of his face. ¡°Hey!!¡± Asher rests his hand on Elijah¡¯s shoulder. His hand was warm, contrasting with the cold breeze. Elijah only let out a small chuckle, but his expression still looked unchanged. He brushed it off. Suddenly, their peace is broken by the loud, impeding noise of a police siren. It rang through their ears and brought back unpleasant memories of all their crimes. They had to act fast, and they all decided to run into the park. ¡°Deputy, can we confirm that the suspects are located within Trinity Park?¡± A moment of silence flooded the air; no sound could be heard as the officer patiently waited until the other end responded. Loud radio static came and was followed by a voice. ¡°Confirmed. Proceed with plan 2A.¡± ¡°Copy that, sir.¡± The car engine revved as it pulled into the parking area of Trinity Park, the scratches of the tires against the small rocks that paved the paths. Eventually the car came to a screeching stop, and then out stepped two officers. ¡°Deputy says they are located here.¡± ¡°It looks like it, their car is also here.¡± One of the officers stated this, pointing to the wrecked car barely parked correctly. ¡°May have been a bail.¡± The other officer sighed. They both walked towards the entrance, each step they took crunched under the rocks. Large trees surrounded them as they entered the forest. It was bright, but all the layers of branches dimmed it . ¡°So how are we going to even find them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer for that. This place is massive.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the deputy realised.¡± After some time of walking, they had made an entire round of the paths. I could not find anything apart from a few fallen logs, stumps, and creatures that inhabited the woods. They gave each other a glance before turning on the radio. Unbeknownst to them, however, right in front of the officers were Miyuki and Asher, hiding in a bush. They held their breath for as long as they could. ¡°Deputy, we cannot find the suspects. How should we proceed?¡± ¡°Continue searching; they are still located within Trinity.¡± ¡°Copy that.¡± ¡°According to the Deputy, they¡¯re still here... Let¡¯s split up; keep your radio on.¡± They reached a split in the paths and decided to split up, with the first officer taking the left path, which was Elijah and Itzozu, while the other went to the right. Every second that passed seemed like a higher chance they would be caught. ¡°Copy, I see footsteps." The officer going to the right stopped in his tracks; he turned around, noticing the trail leading to the bush. He approaches the bush, his hand reaching for his weapon. Ready to fire at a moment''s notice. He reached his hand out to the bush, parting it. His search came to an abrupt end when he was hit over the hand with the hilt of Miyuki¡¯s sword. His vision was fading into a deep black. ¡°We are not burying ourselves even deeper. No killing.¡± Asher told Miyuki that she was about to stab him but was stopped by Asher. He brought a far point, so unfortunately for Miyuki. She obliged. ¡±I did exactly that! Seesh, I only knocked him out or whatever.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°We should go back to kill them¡ªknock them out.¡± ¡°At least she¡¯s trying...¡± He sighs while Miyuki sprints out of the bush. At a speed Asher thought to be impossible. ¡°Been a long day today; hopefully I can find them and just relax.¡± The officer sighed while walking. As he continued walking down the path, the paved rocks started getting bigger as the beautiful river came into view, and the trees cleared as the blue sky came into full view. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this side of Trinity Park in a long time,¡± the officer thought. From the corner of his vision, the officer could¡¯ve sworn that he saw a glimpse of a blue jacket. In that moment, he decided the best course of action would be to follow it. He withdrew his gun and pointed it outward, ready to fire at a moment¡¯s notice.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The police officer finds a person with red hair, 5''11, and distinctive orange eyes. Upon closely examining, he realises that this person fits the description of one suspect. ¡°Sir! You are under arrest for numerous crimes. Get down!¡± He yelled at the red-haired person. His yelling came to a screeching halt when he realised his gun had vanished. He looked dumbfounded; his eyes darted back and forth, a cold sweat dripping from his back. He knew of the crimes they''d committed and was terrified. ¡°Hey¡­ Come on now. I¡¯m just trying to do my job!¡± He pleaded with the suspects but was lightly tapped on the head by Itzozu; however, it didn¡¯t kill him nor did it knock him out. Instead, it simply put them to sleep. ¡°Killing more people will only make us easier to catch.¡± ¡°One less person on my guilt list.¡° Elijah claimed. Both Elijah and Itzozu looked at each other before picking up the officer''s body, resting the weight between the two of them. They slowly set his body down on a wooden bench. ¡°Hopefully he doesn¡¯t mind too much.¡± ¡°Itzozu, we knocked the guy out. I think he will care.¡± ¡°...Right.¡± Behind Elijah¡¯s shoulder, he could see the familiar blue-haired girl and pink-haired boy. They were sprinting at full speed, which gave Itzozu the impression that they were either running away or dealing with the other officer. ¡°It looks like the others are here as well.¡± Itzozu smirked as they came right up to the both of them. ¡°We dealt with the first officer. Unfortunately, it was clean.¡± Miyuki stated it with sorrow. Miyuki: ¡°When do we live in glory?¡± ¡°Hah! That ol¡¯ quote. Doesn''t that mean we¡¯ll have to die in honour too?¡± Itzozu laughed. Within Vesta was a popular old-time quote: ¡°Live in glory, die with honour.¡± It was a quote popularised by the events of an ancient war that took place four centuries ago in a dire time. ¡°Perfect way to go out if I add.¡± Elijah interjected into the conversation. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if we could just live with honour as well.¡± ¡°Then we wouldn¡¯t go to Valhalla!¡± ¡°Edesa is close enough to Valhalla!" The friends erupted into a maniacal fit of laughter, and Miyuki clutched her stomach in pain from laughing so hard. After a moment of joy, they eventually calmed down. ¡°Speaking off¡­ We need a place to stay.¡± Elijah broke the bad news yet again, being the harbinger of demise. ¡°Hmm. Perhaps we could live in Edesa?¡± Itzozu asked. He put his thoughts together. They couldn¡¯t live in their hometown anymore, so he thought the best course would be to live in the capital. Their chances of getting caught would increase, but in return, they would blend themselves into regular people. Plus, escaping the country is currently impossible. ¡°The rent for an apartment is extreme. I ain¡¯t paying more than the house.¡± Elijah stated. He was already broke from paying his fair share of the rent. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just live in the trash? I myself am quite used to living amongst the rats.¡± ¡°What? Miyuki, I don¡¯t even know what to say to that!¡± Asher questioned Miyuki''s thought process. ¡°Fitting for a rat like you, haha." Itzozu made a quip at Miyuki. In exchange for her sanity, he got a quick laugh about it. He felt an aura of rage sweep over him and realised the grave mistake he had made. ¡°YOU LITTLE-¡± Miyuki shouted at Itzozu, charging at her all while Itzozu was laughing his head off. Itzozu easily dodged all her attacks; the wind felt like it was splitting apart from her punches. Miyuki decided to go for a new style of attack, this time just throwing punches out and hoping they land. ¡°Them two.¡± Asher sighed with a facepalm. ¡°Yeah,¡± Elijah replied. After some time of running through the dense forest, chasing after each other, Both of them were exhausted; instead of running, they opted to just walk with Asher and Elijah. They reached the end of the forest. Instead of hearing the sounds of bushes rustling and birds chirping, They instead heard the noises of car engines and their horns. ¡±They¡¯ll probably find the... knocked people out.¡± Miyuki¡¯s brain clocked. ¡°So what¡¯s so good about this place?¡± Asher questioned them as they stepped into the city centre, passing by a sign that displayed ¡°Trinity Park, National Park of Edesa.¡± ¡°Apart from being the capital of Edessa, it¡¯s also the birthplace of the Novas family. One of the great families of Vesta. Also home to world-renowned hero, Vas Varese!¡± Itzozu struck a seemingly terrible pose, holding his finger up in the air like an idiot. Upon Itzozu mentioning all of this, Miyuki looked away, fidgeting with her thumbs. ¡°And¡­ It¡¯s just a legend, but people think that here was where the grand tale of The Saint began and ended.¡± Itzozu added, hopefully adding more joy to being here. ¡°Woah! Now I can see why this place is hyped!¡± Asher lit up; his green eyes looked like they turned a golden colour as he was filled with excitement. Inside the city centre was a massive district designated for water. There were massive waterways that flowed an extreme amount of water. Bridges that showcased the marvel of engineering towered above these waterways. Unlike the town they grew up in, the capital was bustling with people. It felt suffocating. The friends saw dozens of people entering local shops and leaving with bags full. It led to a harsh reminder of their financial state. In the centre of all the shops was a large statue made from bronze. It stood grand and mighty with an inscription below: ¡°To our hero, Vas Varese, protector of Edessa.¡± The statue was a dark brown colour, and it featured Vas in a Samurai outfit and a sword outstretched. ¡°We¡¯re here to find the Capitol Building, I¡¯m pretty sure." Itzozu was cut off by something. Instead of looking at the marvellous statue, Miyuki was looking away and spotted something that grabbed her attention: a weapons store. In her gaze, it felt like it was shining. Without a single extra thought, she sped away, running towards it. ¡°She left.¡± Asher took another sigh. Asher, Elijah, and Itzozu walked around the city, looking at each shop. They realised that not a single one was empty. They had a smile painted on their faces. Each step they took only got faster as they wanted to see more of what this city has to offer. At the edge of the waterways was a grand gate that stood at a spectacular height. It towered over the buildings, being a behemoth of stature. This gate was made of marble and gold and had an open design with bars across the edges. Walking through the gate gave a beautiful view of the scenery. There was an endless grassfield with dozens of farms and small villages. The city of Edessa was built on tall hills, giving it the impression of being above the world. ¡°Wow! Even the views are better here!¡± Asher shouted, basking in the beauty of nature and the scenery.¡±Everything about Edesa is better than our town.¡± Itzozu told the harsh truth. Elijah brings a cigarette to his mouth and lights it. ¡°Again? You need to quit these things! ...They¡¯re bad for you!¡± Asher sighed, trying to get Elijah to realise smoking is, in fact, not a good thing. ¡°You my parent or something?¡± Elijah questioned, popping the cigarette out of his mouth for a moment. Asher decided to take this opportunity and grabbed it out of his fingers, throwing it onto the ground and stamping it out. Elijah watched in despair as he saw the flame of the cigarette slowly fade out. His attention was taken away by him catching a store on his left. He looked at a store with a brown sign that said ¡°Trinity Books." Dozens of books were on display on the window, showcasing all the olden tales and newest releases. ¡°Huh. They released a new volume,¡± he said while peering into the window, noticing his favourite book series, ¡°Sorcery Battle,¡± had released its seventh volume. Elijah was a big fan of this series. ¡°Nerd.¡± Asher giggled and stuck his tongue out at Elijah. Revelling in the teasing he was enacting. Elijah looked down at Asher. He wondered what Asher¡¯s hair would look like without twintails. He must¡¯ve had hair as long as Miyuki. In the distance was a large building that stood out from the others, looking much older than the surrounding buildings. It looked to be built out of stone and wood, yet it was massive. There was a massive sign at the front that read ¡°Capitol Building.¡± ¡°Ah! I believe this is where we can rent out a place to stay.¡± Itzozu gleefully exclaimed. Rushing over towards. As they approached the capitol building, they saw what had to be a dozen royal guards defending each corner. They wore blue and black fur clothing and were armed with heavy weapons. Asher, Elijah, and Itzozu all braced, expecting to be caught like all the other times, and yet they passed by them without a problem. They were free in this city. ¡°Welcome to the Capitol Building Rental Agreements. How may we help?¡± The receptionist spoke to Itzozu. The receptionist was an average-height male with jet black hair; they looked to be middle-aged and had all life drained out of their eyes. Itzozu took a long, deep breath as a small pep talk before signing himself into yet another legal contract. Slowly, he pulls out a small, neatly folded form made from the highest quality of parchment. ¡°I would like to purchase an apartment. Preferably with four bedrooms... And also your Cheapest.¡± Itzozu choked on his words, not wanting to give away his poor financial state. ¡°Ah. The cheapest 4-bedroom apartment we currently offer is five platinum coins a month, or we can take 1 star coin every 2 months.¡± The receptionist spoke without stuttering, like their words were calculated. ¡°They must¡¯ve been asked this too many times,¡± Asher thought. The expression on Itzozu¡¯s face got lower and worse by the millisecond. He took a long sigh and brought his hand to his forehead, clutching it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I heard. Didja say FIVE?¡± he questioned with an irritable tone. ¡°Correct.¡± The receptionist simply stated: Not giving many other words. ¡°The rent for our house was two platinum coins... Uh. How about a three-bedroom house? Cheapest again.¡± He racked his brain for thoughts. Eventually coming to the conclusion that Asher and Elijah would have to share a room. ¡°I can¡¯t share a room for THAT reason, and neither can Miyuki,¡± Itzozu thought. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± The receptionist wonders and starts typing. ¡°We currently have an offer of a three-bedroom apartment for three platinum coins and seven gold coins.¡± They broke the bad but better news. Itzozu turns back to Elijah and Asher, wondering how they will take the news. The words left his mouth, and he was ready to hear what they would say. ¡°You two will have to share a room.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh god.¡± Asher and Elijah both said it in unison. They looked at each other and then went back to Itzozu. Elijah mouthed to Itzozu, ¡°Please don''t,¡± but now it was out of his control. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± He told the receptionist, and they both shake hands as Miyuki comes running back to see the complete deal. ¡°So we have our new home!¡± Miyuki laughed. ¡°Hope it¡¯s not too bad.¡± Chapter 6 - New Home After a somewhat successful deal had been brokered and ended with the acquisition of a new property, the friends travelled to where the home was listed. ¡°North east of the Nevfix Inn? Did they have to be so vague?!¡± MIyuki complained. ¡°The receptionist mentioned how we would see it quickly.¡± Itzozu mentioned looking at Miyuki. ¡°I can barely even read any of this!!¡± Miyuki shouted, shoving the parchment form into Itzozu¡¯s chest. ¡°You can¡¯t read this?¡± Itzozu questioned, giving a suspicious glare into her blue eyes. Miyuki subverted her gaze as a cold sweat dripped down her forehead. She scratched her head, hoping Itzozu¡¯s gaze would relent, but his willpower was as strong as a monk¡¯s. ¡°...Well¡­ I can read the numbers and speak it. So I never bothered to learn it. Miyuki nervously told Itzozu. Feeling the intense heat of his gaze burn into her face. ¡°I honestly can¡¯t believe this.¡± Itzozu''s eyes twitched as he clutched his head. ¡°This girl is seriously¡­ stupid.¡± He kept this thought to himself. ¡°Hey! I lived in Sora for most of my life. I can at least read that!¡± The blue-haired woman made an attempt to defend herself. ¡°Being fluent in Sorian is impressive. The second hardest language to learn, if I recall.¡± Elijah jumped in. Behind the friends were a dozen wooden carriages being pulled by horses; their hooves clicked on the ground as they impacted the worn, paved road. The carriages had a small tent-like roof above them to shelter any people or goods inside. It was a strange sight to see a carriage being pulled by a house. Many centuries ago, this custom faded due to new technology and essence techniques taking their place. ¡°A horse carriage?¡± Miyuki questioned, looking at the carriage slowly disappearing to the horizon. The sunset was an amazing mix of colours; the friends couldn¡¯t help but look at it. The rays of the setting sun pierced through the buildings, splitting into colourful waves of orange, purple, and red. "Well, here¡¯s the inn,¡± Itzozu pointed at the derelict building. It looked to have been eroded by the passage of time. Its once prestigious and grandiose exterior is now being reduced to rotting wood; it looked as if someone would fall through the building at any time. ¡°Looks terrible.¡± ¡°Awful¡± ¡°Is this place even open?¡± ¡°This place sucks." The friends all took turns insulting the terrible state this once ¡°grand¡± inn was in. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me...¡± Asher questioned. ¡°It looks like it. The apartment is above the inn.¡± Itzozu sighed, looking defeated. ¡°Hey, maybe this apartment on the inside looks better?¡± Asher attempted to cheer Itzozu up. They entered the inn; the door handle was weak, falling apart the moment Miyuki grabbed it. Slowly, the door opened with a loud creak, like they were inside a horror movie. One by one, the friends slowly peaked their heads into the inn. It was pitch black, with only the sound of a chair rocking back and forth. ¡°Yeah. No thanks. Bye guys. I¡¯ll just go live in a bush or something.¡± Asher refused to enter. ¡°No way. You¡¯re dealing with this too.¡± Miyuki refused Asher¡¯s request. Grabbing him by the back of his pink top, he stopped him dead in his tracks. Asher began to shake uncontrollably, with tears streaming down the freckles on his cheeks. Asher clutched onto Miyuki¡¯s armour, his grip not daring to let go. ¡°You can¡¯t force me!!¡± Asher pleaded with her. Demanding the blue-haired girl let him go. She gave a little chuckle. ¡°No,¡± was the last thing Miyuki said before throwing Asher into the apartment. Itzozu cautiously approaches the door handle, taking a small step each time. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t trap the floors... At least I hope they didn''t,¡± he thought to himself, prodding each plank of old wood with his foot. After a thorough examination, he deemed the planks to be, in fact, safe. Itzozu let out one last deep breath before swallowing all his ego and grabbing the handle. ¡°It¡¯s freezing.¡± He loudly muttered. His face was in complete shock, like he had just caught a glimpse of Medusa. The door slowly opened, and they all walked inside. Their heavy footsteps followed into the main living room of the apartment, and they finally got why it was so cheap. ¡°Looks¡­ Nice.¡± ¡°Terrible. I would rather live with the rats.¡± Itzozu lied through his teeth, while Miyuki made no sign of sugarcoating. They examined the living room, and they found mould coating the ceiling and spreading across the walls, giving the floor a dirty green colour. There was a carpet that was dirty beyond comprehension. There was even a leak from the floor above, dripping down and down. ¡°This is not fitting for a party of adventurers going to Orion.¡± Asher mumbles, looking down on the ground. ¡°Since when were we adventurers? Do those guilds even exist anymore!?¡± Miyuki questioned. Asher looked away; his green eyes felt as if they were shining. ¡°I think the last one went out of business 20 years ago.¡± ¡°It marked the end of the magic era and paved the way for the technological era.¡± Asher looked away once again. He sighed as he completed his sentence. ¡°I¡¯m sad that we¡¯ll never get to witness the magic era. Tales and scriptures tell of a tale from so many years ago. About a group of four with ambitious dreams, they wanted to kill the demon king!¡± ¡°Yet once they found him, covered in scars and fatefully injured, The Saint showed mercy, eventually befriending the demon king. According to those who witnessed these times, The Saint was an incarnate of kindness and forgiveness.¡± Asher reminisced about an old tale, smiling somberly. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. The magic age was truly something else.¡± Itzozu laughed. In awe of the tale Asher had told. ¡°I guess we just live in the most boring era, huh?¡± Elijah joked around, and both of them also joined in on the laughter. ¡°Yeah. Cool tales and stuff, but did the asshole who left this mess leave a piece of paper on the table?¡± Miyuki griped. She used the end of her sword to slowly leverage the paper into the air, refusing to touch it with her bare hands.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°There¡¯s writing on it?¡± He pondered. When she lifted the paper up, he saw writing on the underside. ¡°And there is...¡± Miyuki groused as she lifted the paper onto the other side. The note had been written on an expensive sheet of parchment. If it weren¡¯t for being on this decrepit table, it would¡¯ve been a sight to see. Itzozu took it upon himself to read the letter. ¡°Greetings, I am a representative of Chthonia; we have close ties with Edessa however, the royals express an unwavering determination to see you. As such, you have been blessed with a rich opportunity. You are invited to the royal banquet in two days from now. We will be in close contact soon.¡° The letter was signed by someone called Augustus Ryegal. ¡°Does he take us for a fool?¡± Miyuki complained about the letter. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s all not too bad?¡± Asher faltered. "Yeah, because they¡¯ll mention how they have close ties with the people who¡¯re trying to kill us and then invite us to a banquet. Surely you gotta see the plan they have.¡± Miyuki formulated their plan, or at least what she thought the plan was. ¡°Huh. I¡¯m going to go, check out the shops." Asher grabbed the handle and slammed the door shut. Unfortunately, it seemed like no one was paying any attention. ¡°Can we ever catch a break?¡± Elijah yawned while stretching his arms out. He glanced around the room and noticed something very strange. There was a distinct lack of annoyance. ¡°Where¡¯s Asher?¡± He asked. ¡°Ah, he just left. I think he said he was going to the shops.¡± Itzozu answered while giving the letter a thorough check. Itzozu rested his weight on an old wooden table. The table creaked as it attempted to support him; he wasn¡¯t going to dare try to sit on a chair due to its disgusting and fragile nature. The table creaked and cracked under his own weight. "Well, I guess we know why his apartment was discounted.¡± Itzozu attempted to laugh it off, and yet the room fell silent. ¡°This place sucks so bad.¡± Miyuki muttered as she gazed out through the single window in the apartment. The entire place was dark and gloomy due to this window not letting much light through. ¡°That it does.¡± Itzozu replied back, also now feeling more sad than ever. He sat his laptop and notebook on the table and began to get to work. Clicking each one of his fingers in the process. Itzozu¡¯s hands glided over the keyboard at a high speed, pressing each key quickly like his life depended on it. He had a strict deadline of about two minutes. His fingers impacted each key like they were going to be caught on fire. ¡°Shit.¡± He sighed, taking a defeated lean back before remembering he wasn''t sitting on a chair. ¡°This apartment costs more than our house. And it is apparently haunted.¡± Itzozu questioned, shimming himself away from the laptop so he could show everyone else. On the screen was a news headline about a haunted apartment where seven people were killed at a party. Miyuki looked closer at the screen; her eyes darted between the reporter and the apartment. ¡°That¡¯s our apartment.¡± Her expression faded to nothing as she stared blankly at the screen, only blinking quickly. Itzozu scribbled with a pen, writing things so fast they were impossible for Miyuki to understand, despite the fact she cannot read Edessian anyway. He clicked his pen while racking up thoughts. He considered the possibility of selling weaponry; over the course of their friendships, they had collected many, which could fetch a valuable price. ¡°No, that wouldn¡¯t work. Someone would kill me.¡± Itzozu thought to himself while staring at Miyuki. His red hair complimented the warm colours of the sunset, making a display of bold colours. He took a moment to breathe. Looking at the roof, he noticed how damp and grungy it was. The wood looked as if it were falling apart. The blue-haired girl noticed how defeated Itzozu was; his eyes bore a great deal of tiredness. She knew that the money situation between them was already bad, and now this much worse apartment also costs more. Just thinking about it made her head hurt. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯ll have to get a job too. Bleak life for I¡± Miyuki thought to herself. ¡°Elijah, are Foundation Hunters still hiring?¡± Miyuki asked while smirking. Knowing what the answer would be. Miyuki had heard about a plethora of dramatic stories about the company. Even knowing how Phi, the contract dealer, was always frustrated by the lack of agents, The fondest tale Elijah has is of a fight he had with an old friend, a tale Miyuki loved to hear. Miyuki¡¯s personality was that of a deranged, psychopathic super soldier, as evident due to his insane strength. It was the perfect job for her. ¡°We still are,¡± Elijah laughed. ¡°So that problem is... Somewhat dealt with. The last problem is Chthonia. We cannot afford to move again.¡± Itzozu slumped down in his chair, his brain again wracking with thoughts. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a trap, why don''t we just kill them? We haven¡¯t been stopped so far.¡± Miyuki pondered the thought. ¡°Considering the invitation, I bet they¡¯d send an elite mage,¡± Itzozu emphasised. ¡°Elite mages are considered the apex of essence, being able to effortlessly use their techniques. They¡¯ve trained from the moment of birth to reach a perfect state of transcendence. They even hold an Authority.¡± Itzozu explained. ¡°Huh, what the hell is the Authority?¡± Miyuki questioned, taking an interest in the conversation. Itzozu¡¯s eyes furrowed, and his hands rested on his lap before falling down to the end of the table, increasing his grip ever so slightly. He let out a small chuckle before looking at Miyuki, deciding to spill the truth. ¡°Authority is a special-class technique that is beyond the current techniques. They give you complete control over your innate ability. It was believed to be created during The Saint¡¯s time.¡± Itzozu added. This conversation was interrupted by the loud bang of the door slamming against the wall. Whoever opened the door clearly had no concern for damage. The friends look behind them to see the familiar sight of the pink-haired, green-eyed person. ¡°What did I miss?¡± Asher exclaimed. ¡°Hm. Do you know about Authority, Asher?¡± Itzozu asked. Asher¡¯s expression turned from the classic carefree into a serious and almost cold expression. ¡°I do.¡± He coldly stated this before rummaging in a bag that was thrown by the table. After a brief moment of looking through, he slowly pulled out a book. It had a brown and black cover with a golden spine; it had various patterns of serpents and a large dragon in the centre. ¡°The hell is that?¡± Miyuki questioned. ¡°It¡¯s a grimoire. This one was created by someone close to The Saint about 200 years ago. It details ancient techniques and essence manipulation.¡± Asher explained while flicking through each page. ¡°It¡¯s a grimoire I hold very dear to me,¡± he muttered. Asher¡¯s finger arrived at a screeching halt as he found the page he was looking for. His eyes darted between the words as a smile creeped up his face. ¡°Here it is.¡± ¡°Hehe, if you want to learn more, you should read this book!¡± He giggled. Purposely teasing Miyuki, as he knew just how much Miyuki hated learning. Asher handed the book to Itzozu, being careful not to drop it. He elegantly accepted the book and looked at the page before deciding to read it out. ¡°Authority hast lost time. The technique hast faded. To rebuild thyself to new peaks. We must act. Absorb thee essence from thy innate and charge it to the innate ability. Only the most extraordinary mages shall perform this technique.¡° The grimoire read weirdly enough. This was a massive book with so little information. Asher grabbed the grimoire and stood back up, the fiery colours of the candle on the table showing a perpetual darkness of the left and the fiery desire of the right side. The friends saw a new side of Asher as he gave a warm smile. ¡°Let¡¯s do our best, so we can be in tales and legends too!¡± beamed Asher. ¡°That¡¯d be amazing.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be the greatest tale of them all!¡± ¡°Legends of us¡­ would be nice.¡± All the friends chirped in. 2. The cold night was harsh, and the apartment offered little to no resistance to the frigid temperatures of Edessa. Massive gusts of wind blew through the open window, catching everyone off guard. After their motivational speech, the friends went back to discussing their plans with Chthonia. A wooden stick slammed against a piece of worn parchment. Itzozu scribbled down several ideas of what to do, yet nothing stuck. He thought about accepting the invitation and then waiting to see what would happen, wondering what would happen if they didn¡¯t accept. ¡°What about an assassination? If we do it in secret and without being noticed, we are in the clear.¡± Elijah asked, giving the most well-thought-out answer yet. The room went silent for a moment until Itzozu spoke up. ¡°That may work. The only problem would be finding a chance to.¡± ¡°Those goddamn royals have dances before and after their meals. It¡¯s prime time to cull them!¡± Miyuki assured them. ¡°In case things get bad, I took a look into blueprints. Thanks to my manager, I''ve been able to dissect the blueprints for the fortress.¡± Elijah disclosed this while straightening his back. ¡°Fortress?¡± Miyuki questioned. ¡°Yeah. Chthonia is the fortress city, known for its impenetrable gates and its maze-like halls. Not a single person has broken into Chthonia in the last four hundred years," Elijah declared. Elijah pulls out a piece of worn parchment; inside, it details the fortress walls and the inside of the walls. Elijah points to the left quadrant. ¡°Here¡¯s the plan: first, we send Itzozu into the gate, distract the guard for as long as you can, and maybe stir up an argument. While the front guard is distracted, Miyuki and Asher will go to the left quadrant and attach the bomb.¡± Elijah laid out. ¡°Lastly, I¡¯ll be in the right quadrant; hopefully, that¡¯ll cause the guards to disperse, and then we can weaken through the forces.¡± He added. ¡°If this turns out to be a trap, we¡¯ll be taking their heads!¡± Miyuki laughed sinisterly. The friends had made their own declaration. Chapter 7 - The Golden Capital The morning in Edesa was nothing to be underestimated; despite it being September, the air was still boiling. The bright, harsh rays of sunlight burned all that dared to be underneath it. The only aid to the sweltering heat was the scattered shade from a few trees. It was like the air itself was superheated. Gusts of hot wind blew past, leaving no mercy for those who wished to be cool. Miyuki, unable to cope with this intense heat, opted to dove under a roof, this roof being the entrance to the Edesa farmer¡¯s market. ¡°Thank god.¡± She sighed while looking around. She noticed a crate of glass cups filled with water. As she stared at the cups, her thirst only increased by the second. To her, the water looked as if a goddess had descended on her. Underneath, the shade provided great relief from the sunrays, thus making it a great choice for many people taking a much-needed break. Two of these people taking a break from the sun were Miyuki and Itzozu. Her lips parted with the glass cup; the refreshing cooling of water was now only a feeling. A small trickle of water fell from her lip down to the floor with a small splash. Itzozu came running beneath the shade, holding a weird beige ball. This ball had dotted holes around it; there was a small slit that revealed a bright, orange interior. ¡°The hell is that?¡± Miyuki questioned it, giving it a small poke and realising how rough it was. ¡°Some kind of fruit. It looks like it¡¯s been battle-hardened.¡± Itzozu started giving it a small twirl. He grabbed a battle axe; its handle was made from dark wood and complimented the black steel for the blade. At the end of each was blue. Mimicking the spray of blood. With a single, clean swing. The fruit fell into pieces. Revealing its shiny, orange nature. He carefully used his axe to cut a piece of flesh off and pop it into his mouth. Itzozu¡¯s expressions turned from normal to a delighted face; his eyes closed, and a large smile creeped up. "Dee-lish,¡± beamed Itzozu while giving a massive smile. ¡°The taste is kind of sweet, like a hint of vanilla.¡± Itzozu explained. Upon hearing those words, Miyuki jumped at the opportunity to take a bite, shoving her entire face into a piece of fruit. After a few satisfying chews, she had finished the fruit off. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s good,¡± she confirmed, as if she didn¡¯t just eat the entire fruit in a few seconds. With a couple more sips of water, the both of them decided to venture out of the shade and into the burning outside. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s the day, huh?¡± mused Miyuki as she looked down, looking at each step she made. She let out a long sigh while melting in the sun. She shifted her gaze from the stone floor to the familiar red-haired guy. Itzozu let out a small chuckle and looked back at her. His mind raced for a way to tease her, and after a second or two, he had found the perfect solution. ¡°You scared?¡± Itzozu asked, holding back a mountain of laughs. Upon hearing Itzozu say that, Miyuki jumped back, her eyebrows furrowed as she let out a sigh of pure anger. ¡°Fuck no! I hope they trap us so I can off their heads!¡± She hissed, giving a maniacal laugh that invoked a slight fear in Itzozu. ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± stated Itzozu. ¡°Haha! I know, right?¡± revelled Miyuki. Believing that her borderline insanity was in fact a good thing. She looked as if she was crazy. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a compliment,¡± muttered Itzozu. ¡°Fuck you.¡± Miyuki muttered back. The two of them kept walking slowly through the street. As they made a left turn, they were relieved to realise that the tall buildings provided a great amount of shade. They both looked at each other and gave a thumbs up. ¡°Hm?¡± Itzozu wondered as they both walked past a weapons store. Inside the glass was an arsenal of various weapons, such as maces, rapiers, and greatswords. Itzozu wondered why Miyuki didn¡¯t jump at the opportunity. ¡°They sell swords there, y''know?¡± Itzozu told Miyuki, thinking maybe Miyuki suddenly forgot halfway through walking. ¡°I know. I know. I¡¯m not that dumb to buy more with... How little money we have¡± Miyuki articulated. She refused to look in the direction of the weapons store so as not to be tempted. ¡°Huh, I guess people can grow.¡± Itzozu laughed it off: Plus, I like this sword anyway.¡± Miyuki smiled. She grips her sword sheath and unsheathes her sword. In an instant, she threw her sword out of the sheath and brought her sword to her eye level. Miyuki examined it, taking a look at its gold and blue hilt. With the deep silver metal blade. As she examined each part of her blade, she noticed her own reflection in the blade. She looked away for a moment before putting it back into the sheath in one swift move. ¡°Well, anyway, I have my first mission; see you." Miyuki waved Itzozu off. Itzozu watched as Miyuki began walking away; she continued walking down until she took a right turn and disappeared from his view. 2. ¡°Are you getting this, Miyuki?" A mysterious person was on the other side of the phone line. Their voice sounded like that of a female officer worker who was on their seventh cup of coffee. "Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re way too loud!.¡± Miyuki shouted while rubbing her ear. Inside her ear was an earbud; it was matte black and had a red light that beeped every now and again. ¡°Well¡­ Anyway!, I¡¯m Phi. You''re a contract provider! Your agent name is Serpent.¡± Phi informed Miyuki. ¡°And is there any reason you chose Serpent?¡± Miyuki asked, irritated by the fact her agent''s name was Serpent. ¡°Not much I can say about the name now, sorry. Also, the pay. It depends; major jobs get paid out extremely well.¡± Phi ignored Miyuki¡¯s request about the name. ¡°Alrightttyy, your target is Magnus ?rsen on the accounts of bribing officials, selling illegal guns, narcotics, and even selling company information. This guy¡¯s done a lot. The contractors don¡¯t want him spared.¡± Phi detailed the mission. ¡°We¡¯ve pinpointed the target at the Elso Tavern, located three miles from the city centre; the map will be sent to you shortly. Good luck!¡± She heard the beeps of the call disconnecting. ¡°So where¡¯s this tavern then?¡± She wondered to herself. Upon a quick examination of her surroundings, she was suddenly caught off guard by her phone buzzing. Quickly, she pulled it out of her pocket. On the front screen was a notification from an anonymous contact; after she opened the message, it revealed the location of the tavern and also the live location of Magnus. ¡°Saves me the trouble,¡± Miyuki muttered. After a brief moment of walking, she reached the location of the tavern. It was made from wood and stone, with a massive difference between the wood and stone compared to the surrounding buildings made from glass and metal. Above the entrance door was a large sign that was lit up; it displayed ¡°Elso Tavern, the best place to stay!¡± Miyuki slowly steps into the tavern. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The door gave a loud chime as she pushed it open. She felt a cold sweat drip as everyone¡¯s gaze darted straight towards her, like it was a Wild West movie. Miyuki clutched her sheath as she stepped inside. Each step that was made creaked against the old wooden floor; the ceiling was quite low, considering how short Miyuki was. After a few more steps, she made it to the bartender. Intending to see if she can get some information from him. ¡°Looking for someone; their name is Magnus,¡± Miyuki asks the bartender. The bartender was a tall man with tattoos darted across his face. They gave him a menacing look before averting their gaze. "I, uh, have no clue who that is.¡± The bartender stated, though from the lack of eye contact, Miyuki realised he was hiding something. ¡°Goddamn it,¡± she thought while looking around. Her thirst from walking in the sun had caught up to her. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing the attention of the bartender. ¡°One beer, sir.¡± She asked the bartender. The bartender looked at her for a moment, as if to judge whether he was going to ask for an ID. The bartender gave a little nod before turning around and flicking the tap on, filling the cup with a dandelion-like colour with a thick layer of foam on top. ¡°...Do I look old¡­?¡± Miyuki wondered, and her worries quickly dissipated when the bartender slid the jug of beer to her. She handed him a couple of silver coins, and he happily accepted them. She held the jug of beer up to her head, comparing the massive jug of beer to the size of her head. It was, in fact, bigger than her head. She took a deep breath before putting the jug up to her lips and lifting it up. Within a few seconds, the entire jug was empty. She slammed into the table and then stood up, continuing her mission. ¡°So Magnus-¡± Someone in the back of the tavern had loudly mentioned Magnus and caught the attention of Miyuki. She rushed towards the location of the person; they were behind a locked door. Miyuki held her ear to the old wooden door. ¡°-the deal with Sectaris?¡± ¡°Yeah. It was 500 star coins. It took a while to negotiate.¡± Miyuki ran her fingers up the door and realised this door was flimsy. She rested her foot on the door and then, with all her strength, kicked it. The door flew open, revealing a back room filled with shelves and another door that led to a couple of offices. The people inside were someone who fit the description of Magnus and another person who quickly fled. ¡°There you are, Magnus.¡± She smiled as she held her sword directly in front of him, her stern expression sent shivers down his spine, wondering who this woman was and why she was so angry. He called security, and they came rushing over, with a quick unsheath of her sword, the moment they were about to grab her. They were sliced into two. Then she threw her sword into the chest of Magnus, and he screamed in horror as he desperately clawed away while Miyuki approached him, dragging him as she punched his head in, killing him. She got off of him, her hands coated in a thin layer of blood that dripped down from her hands, and a sadistic smile crossed her face. ¡°Mission Complete.¡± quickly, she ran out of the building, not before passing the bar one last time and swiping a drink from the cabinet. "Ah, congratulations! Your first mission went quickly and smoothly, a perfect core principle. We¡¯ll be in touch soon. Oh yeah, and your payment is directly added to your account.¡± Phi giggled. After a long day, it was now 9 p.m. Miyuki arrived back at the terrible apartment and sat down on a dirty couch, not caring about filth or dirt. She struggled to keep her eyes open, and she slowly dozed off. 3. Asher and Elijah were walking down the streets at night. The vibrant city life was unlike what they had seen. The bright neon lights on every building and the dozens of people that surrounded them. The nightlife of the capital was not to be underestimated. Each step they took echoed around as they looked at each passing shop. They passed by all different types, such as weapon shops, book stores, and convenience stores. They passed by a restaurant and were captured by the aromas. It was a combination of meat, garlic, and onions. For a moment, they stopped walking to look at the restaurant. The restaurant had a purple and silver exterior with two large pillars that spiralled by the entrance like a Greek monument. The outside of the restaurant was also dotted with several large windows that had stained glass images of noble people from Edessa. Elijah heard his stomach growl and looked down. He pondered for a moment before deciding to ask Asher. ¡°Want to eat here?¡± Elijah asked. ¡°Do we even have the money for a fancy restaurant??¡± Asher wondered. ¡°Do you want to or not?¡± Elijah sighed. "Well, if you want a date with me so badly!¡± Asher laughed while walking forward. Leaving Elijah irritated. ¡°I swear.¡± He muttered to himself before stepping inside. The interior of the restaurant was grandiose; the floor was made from marble, and massive chandeliers of gold were hanging from the roof. As they sat down at one of the fine wooden tables, Elijah was quick to open the menu. His eyes darted between each of the menu items written in cursive. ¡°How the hell do I read any of this?¡± Elijah complained. Without giving much time for Asher and Elijah to decide what to order, the waitress came towards the table with a notepad and pencil in her hands. The waitress wore a long black dress with a white ribbon tied around it. ¡°How may I take your order?¡± She asked it with a gleeful smile. ¡°Uh. I¡¯ll have a burger.¡± Elijah hesitated, not knowing if a burger was even on the menu. The waiter gave a look of slight disapproval before looking at Asher. ¡°I¡¯ll just have the same.¡± Asher replied. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s the big day! We either get to eat tasty food with the richest people in the world or... ¡°We have a fucking bullet put through our skull,¡± Elijah added. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right!¡± Asher played it off. After some time of waiting, the waitress came back out and gave them both a plate. On the plate was a giant burger without the bun; it had onions, garlic, and mushrooms garnished on top. Elijah grabbed his fork and dug in. Their conversations fell silent while they enjoyed their meals; they only started talking again after paying and leaving the restaurant. ¡°Six GOLD COINS for two burgers is ridiculous. AND WITHOUT the buns!¡± Elijah huffed, resorting to kicking a piece of trash onto the road and watching it be run over by a car. ¡°Yeah! That place SUCKS." Asher agreed with Elijah. The two of them kept walking down the street when it started raining. It went from a slight drizzle to a downpour, soaking both Asher and Elijah. ¡°Great.¡± Elijah sighed. Quickly, they started running down the streets in an attempt to quickly get home, but they quickly came to terms that this rain would not relent and their apartment was still far away. Instead, they took refuge underneath a roof. It was quiet. The only noise was the drumming of rain splashing against the cold floor. It clattered against the steel roofs and rocks. The warm breaths of Elijah and Asher. The roaring rain gave an earthy smell to the streets and was combined with the smells of restaurants and street food. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± Asher shivered. Elijah brought a cigarette to his mouth and lit it up, feeling the warmth sweep over him like the heat was embracing him. He looked out to the street, Dozens of cars beeped their horns as traffic moved throughout the city. The bright lights of the nightscape reflected on the cars and puddles that formed below. Inside one of them, he could see his reflection. ¡°This is city life, huh?¡± He muttered out loud, catching the attention of Asher. ¡°Much more busy than our town!¡± Asher laughed. ¡°Sure is. More scams too!¡± Elijah bantered. ¡°I still think life in our old town was better.¡± Asher confided. It looked like he was about to add something else, but he chose not to. Instead, he just remained looking at the night sky. It was pitch black, with stars and galaxies dotted all around. It was a beautiful sight to see. ¡°Hey, Asher, wait out here for a second,¡± Elijah told Asher. Not giving him a single second to respond, Asher watched as the brown-haired guy ran in the opposite direction of the apartment. ¡°It¡¯s still raining,¡± he muttered. Asher waited for what felt like ages, so long that the rain had eventually cleared up, now returning to a light drizzle. He looked up as he heard the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the roof. ¡°Oh?¡± Asher muttered while seeing Elijah turn a sharp corner and run back. Elijah¡¯s clothes were drenched. His blue and gold jacket had formed a tight bond around his skin. His brown hair had fallen into what could be summed up as ¡®looking like a mop¡¯ After a brief moment of running, Elijah eventually came back under the shelter of the roof, taking a breather. His breaths slowly slowed and returned to normal. ¡°Where were you??¡± Asher questioned Elijah while poking his chest. ¡°Somewhere¡­ Unimportant?¡± Elijah hesitated. Asher and Elijah continue walking down the street. They look up at the night sky with all the stars. ¡°Asher.¡± Elijah firmly stated. ¡°Hmm?¡± Asher inquired. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday today.¡± Elijah gave a subtle hint. ¡°Oh yeah! I forgot it was September 22nd!¡± Asher chirped. ¡°I spent a while thinking of what to get you. And your hairclips look pretty old.¡± Elijah faltered with his words. He took a long sigh and then held out a small yellow bag. ¡°So here.¡± ¡°HUUH??¡± Asher shouted in shock. Elijah hands the bag to Asher; he happily accepts the bag, holding it with both of his hands. Asher took a peek inside; his eyes looked as if they were shining. He pulled out a pair of shiny, gold hair clips. ¡°Heh. I love them.¡± Asher resounded. Asher smiled as he undid his current hairclips, letting his long hair flow down, which left Elijah shocked. ¡°Let¡¯s do our best tomorrow!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Chapter 8 - Invitation of War September 23rd, 2020. The wheels of the car scratched as they impacted against the harsh gravel, making a crunch sound. The engine roared with all his might but eventually came to a screeching stop, now only being a faint chug. The sunrays of daytime shined into the car, reflecting into mirrors and screens, which made it difficult to see. The passengers were forced to squint. It felt like they had been driving for ages. Eventually, the black car came to a calm stop. The driver tapped his hand on the steering wheel, and the light thud was the only noise that broke apart the endless noise of car horns, engines, and wheels. Eventually, the cat came back to life after the vehicle in front passed. Large barricades that stopped the car came forward, painted in red and white, and a tall man came out of a grey and purple booth. There was an old sign that said, ¡°TERRITORY OF THE REPUBLIC OF NOVA. TURN BACK.¡± in faded paint. Slowly, the tall person walked towards the car; each step he took only grew in intensity with the loud, ringing thud of his footsteps as he approached the car. The air was stale, and the people in the car held their breath in worry. ¡°Registration and ID,¡± he demanded, his words stabbed through their hearts like needles. Miyuki shuffled around in her pocket and pulled out a badge connected by a long silver chain. The badge was silver and blue, combined with a topaz-coloured highlight. On the front, it displayed ¡°Foundation Hunters Agent. By the agent pact, you are hereby required to allow passage between countries,¡± and below, ¡°Eluthorn, Elspire, Bosh, and Chthonia are exempt from this pact.¡± was written in small print. ¡°I¡¯ll pass it on.¡± Elijah decided, holding his hand out behind the car seat. Clutching the ID in her hand, she dangled the chain in front of Elijah''s hand before slowly resting it on top of his palm. ¡°Here.¡± Elijah handed both his and Miyuki¡¯s I.D. The menacing guard snatched the silver chains out of Elijah¡¯s hand and brought them to his face. Giving it a twirl in his hands. Elijah gulped as he saw no relent to from the guard. Eventually, the guard gave a small sigh. ¡°You may pass,¡± he grunted while pressing a bright red button. Upon his heavy hand slamming into the button, the springs of the gate released, which flung open the metal gates. The tyres of the vehicle came back in a swirling motion, coupled with the engine being fired up from the slam of the gas pedal. ¡°This is taking FUCKIN¡¯ AGES,¡± complained Miyuki. She opted to rest her legs on the car seat, much to Elijah''s dismay. ¡°Get your goddamn legs off my seat.¡± Elijah demanded, his eyes twitching as he grew annoyed by Miyuki''s antics. Last night, after the gang had made their own declaration to accept this invitation, They started their four-hour car journey to the Fortress City of Chthonia. Having just passed through the Nova Republic checkpoint, they were now past the first hour of driving. The Fortress City of Chthonia was hailed as having an impenetrable defence. ¡°What¡¯s so special ¡®bout this place anyway?¡± Miyuki asked while looking at her reflection in the car window. ¡°Chthonia stands on its own island, surrounded by two walls that stretch across the whole island! It¡¯s said that the walls haven''t been breached in over 398 years. Or so I¡¯ve been told,¡± explained Asher. The friends realised just how much Asher loved to explain these things. ¡°How do you know so much??¡± Miyuki was questioned again, this time questioning Asher¡¯s knowledge of history. ¡°I guess I just learned about it.¡± Asher muttered while bringing his hand to his chin. Around the car was an endless grassland, with the faintest silhouette of a city on the horizon. The grass swayed as the car went down the road. There were patches of flowers across the grass, some red and some blue. The red flower was unique to the fields around Edessa and Nova; this fiery red flower was called "Firelion.¡± It was one of the prettiest flowers in all of Vesta. ¡°So that city is Supernova. The capital,¡± Elijah muttered while looking at the silhouette of a cityscape. Now that they were in Nova, it was a three-hour drive to Chthonia. Miyuki rested her feet on the chair, with Itzozu screaming at her to not do that. Eventually, everyone but Elijah fell asleep. The lively air fell silent, as only the noise of the car driving down the asphalt roads. Elijah was lost in his thoughts, his mind tracing back to years and years ago, uncovering a past he didn¡¯t want to remember. ¡°I¡¯m doing the exact same as him... And yet I killed him.¡± Elijah thought. ¡°It¡¯s been years, old friend, and yet I still can¡¯t get over it.¡± Elijah¡¯s thoughts trail off. ¡°Though I am doing it for them, So maybe it doesn¡¯t matter? Sorry, I wish I could¡¯ve noticed your sanity sooner. Elijah muttered. ¡°What was that, Elijah?¡± Asher asked, leaning towards him. Snapping Elijah back into reality. ¡°...It¡¯s nothing,¡± calmly stated Elijah before he gripped the wheel slightly harder. The rest of the car journey was silent; everyone was tired and opted to look out of their windows. I saw the same beautiful green fields speed by as the car flew down the roads. A few hours later,. ¡°Woah, so this is Chthonia!¡± Asher exclaimed, peeking his head out of the window. What Asher saw was a massive fortress with sparkling, blue water surrounding it. He saw the greenest grass and the skyscrapers that reached above the defences; it was an amazing sight to see. Upon first glance, it seemed the walls had no vulnerabilities. The car came to another stop, this time in front of the gates of Chthonia. It was a tall metal gate that reached a scarily tall height, and behind the gate was a massive stone tunnel that seemed to stretch on for ages. Itzozu slowly got out of the car, taking a deep breath while clutching the invitation letter in his right hand. Slowly, he stepped towards the guard at the gate. They were suited in full metal plate armour, which shone as the sun rays reflected onto it. ¡°Hello! Hello..? We¡¯ve been given this invitation letter, so may we go through?¡± Itzozu asked. Itzozu and the guard exchanged looks. Itzozu carefully handed the invitation letter over. Not knowing what may happen. The guard takes the invitation letter, and he examines every detail of it meticulously. Even going so far as to hold it up to the sunlight. The guard gave a slight chuckle, and he held both hands to the letter and ripped it in half. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Itzozu thought, shocked, while standing in complete disbelief. Out of all the outcomes he thought were going to happen, this one was not planned out. ¡°We have heard no such thing. Cease this activity at once. We will not be letting rascals like you enter.¡± The guard rejected the letter. Giving a dismissive shoo. ¡°The fuck is his problem?! We should just kill these guys." Miyuki shouted, infuriated. She pulled out her sword and attempted to jump out of the window, but Asher grabbed her legs, not allowing her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Miyuki felt the pressure of Asher¡¯s grip around her ankles, which firmly locked Miyuki in place. She squirmed around, half out of the car window. ¡°Agh! Let GO OF ME!¡± She shouted while kicking her legs and arms around. ¡°Miyuki, That¡¯s a TERRIBLE IDEA¡± Asher shouted back, refusing to release his grip. They went back and forth for a while, until Miyuki caught a glimpse of Itzozu and the guard staring at her with weird looks. She felt her entire face flush and slowly returned to the car. ¡°...Fine.¡± Miyuki sighed. The guard looks at Itzozu, as if to say, ¡°You¡¯re just taking the piss, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°And you threaten the guards.¡± The guard took a sigh. Getting annoyed at gang antics. Elijah looked around, fishing in his pocket, and pulled out his ID. He rushed out of the car and dangled his I.D. in front of the guard, who picked it up. ¡°Huh, Foundation Hunters...¡± The guard trailed off. With a brief sigh, he began to put his thoughts together, opting to rub the chin of his metal armour. Itzozu heard the guard mutter to himself before coming to a conclusion. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll let you off. May the stars align.¡± The guard decided to let them through. The guard waved to another on top of an old watchtower and signalled the opening of the gate. Slowly, the massive gate opened. Both Elijah and Itzozu got back into the car and drove into Chthonia. ¡°That guy¡¯s so lucky he wasn¡¯t killed.¡± Miyuki pouted while crossing her arms. After a long drive through an ominous, pitch-black tunnel, They came out of the tunnel and were shocked by the state of the city. They expected it to be an oasis of some sort, an enclosed paradise, but that¡¯s not what it looked like. There were massive piles of trash everywhere¡ªripped bags that allowed rodents to feast. Buildings were old, torn, and rotting. Sewage was piled up in the small rivers running across, and this rubbish infested every corner of the floor. The smell was horrible too, being a mix of the sewage and rotten corpses. ¡°This is awful.¡± Asher looked around. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Elijah replied, shocked at what he was seeing. ¡°They sent an invitation to the palace.¡± Miyuki wondered before looking up. Above these slums was a massive palace that towered over the buildings. The palace was white and gold; it looked pristine, clean, and royal. It was a stark contrast between the palace and the slum they found themselves in. ¡°Maybe they deserve to die.¡± Miyuki thought to herself. On the horizon was a tall spiralling clocktower that was in the same condition as the rest of the slums; the clock in the centre was smashed with dozens of springs falling out. ¡°I guess we go and find directions.¡± Itzozu advised. The friends could hear the sound of chanting, and a legion of knights marched in their direction. Then, without warning, a fancily dressed knight appeared from the marching crowd. This knight had deep black armour with a red fur cape. His armour was decorated with pearls and jewels, which could only be assumed to be war spoils. The knight held a sword with a large, red jewel in the centre. ¡°Welcome! Welcome to our glorious city. My name is Styrke, the Royal Knight.¡± Styrke introduced himself. ¡°Me and my legion shall guide you to our pride of our nation, The East Palace.¡± Stryke followed up. The dozens of knights behind Stryke slammed their spears onto the ground in unison. ¡°That makes it easier,¡± Itzozu muttered. The friends followed Stryke and his army of knights up a paved path; it was quite steep, which made Miyuki complain. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that the royals have taken an interest in you. Though I can definitely understand not to underestimate you all, I know our country looks in a sorry state. It used to be a great place, but nowadays... It¡¯s worse.¡± Stryke confided in the friends, hoping that the bad impression would fade away from them. Eventually, they reached the palace, and with a pull of the gates, the inside was revealed to the friends, who promptly entered the palace. The halls were decked with gold and expensive jewellery, large gems, and crystals on massive displays. Paintings of posh-looking people were hung up at every opportunity. The floor had an expensive-looking red rug laid out beyond their sight. ¡±Disgusting,¡± Miyuki chastised, taking her sword out and slashing one of the paintings beyond recognition due to her distaste for the royals. They all found themselves in a corridor that split off; to the left was another corridor, and to the right was a door with a window. Miyuki leaned into the window, her breath clouding it as he stared inside. Everyone was wondering what she saw until she made a loud gasp. ¡°It¡¯s a storage room... FILLED with riches!¡± She shouted. ¡°Sweet holy.¡± Itzozu thought to himself. ¡°If we were to sell these off... Money wouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore, right?¡± Elijah asked while looking around suspiciously. His hands moved across in the same way he uses liminal space, and a few of the luxury items were shoved into liminal space. Ready to be sold at a later date. ¡°Ooo, a new sword.¡± Miyuki laughed as she noticed the katana hung up on the left wall. She gave it a swift tug, pulling it out of the wall like it was a sword in the stone. She inspected every inch of the blade and handle before putting it in her empty sheath. ¡°Do you just carry an empty sheath?!¡± Asher questioned. ¡°Yes.¡± Miyuki simply replied. The friends heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. A shadowy figure turned the corner and thrust their sword towards Itzozu. He was caught completely off guard in the moment. ¡°Essence Technique: Enchain.¡± Itzozu muttered as he was about to be impacted. Upon casting his technique, several silver chains sprouted out of his body; they clashed and scraped against the walls, then pierced straight through the strange person¡¯s stomach. The other chains then sliced off their arms. They quickly fell down. Several more people came from around the corner, attempting to ambush the friends from behind. Miyuki impaled one with her stolen sword, turning its pristine condition into something used and bloodied. She was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people attacking her and got a dozen cuts across her arm; she quickly retaliated by thrusting her sword into the neck of one. Asher threw his arm out to the right, immediately summoning a dozen arrows made out of ice to fire. The endless barrage combined with Miyuki¡¯s combat effectiveness made easy work of the guards. ¡°It was a trap.¡± Miyuki snarled in between heavy breaths. ¡°Gotta say¡­ It¡¯s weird how my eye didn¡¯t know they were coming.¡± Itzozu pondered, giving himself some space to think. ¡°Guess we don¡¯t need to act professional anymore.¡± Elijah affirmed. ¡°Orr, we could keep playing pretend? Get to know the royals, and then... Asher made the gesture of slitting their throat. They moved away from the bloodstained corridor and into another clean one. ¡°Why do all these look the same?¡± Miyuki shouted, aggravated that it all feels the exact same. ¡°IS THIS A MAZE?¡± she shouted again. ¡°There¡¯s a door there.¡± Itzozu pointed at a double door with red accents. The door was locked, but through a peephole, they could see a gathering of people. These people wore white suits and white dresses. Some had fur coats hung up on the backs of chairs, and there was loud ballroom music blasting through the speakers. They were all oblivious to the murder that was outside. They needed to find another way in. They noticed another hallway to the left, and after they continued down that hallway, they found an unlocked door. This door takes them to the supply closet just outside of the room. Inside the supply room was pitch black, with the only light being the cracks that light from the ballroom seeped through. The walls were extremely thin, and they were reduced to being as quiet as possible. "Well, what do we do??¡± Miyuki whispered, annoyed that they were just mere seconds away from the royals. As they continued walking through the supply closet, they realised that there was another door in the closet that opened into the ballroom. Itzozu and Elijah both exchanged glances to signal to each other. The dark made it hard to see, but they managed to convey, ¡°You know what to do.¡± Elijah took a deep breath and slammed open the doors to the meeting room. The entire atmosphere of the room fell silent as they all stared at the friends with small blood splatters. One of the guards took a deep breath to quell their worries. ¡°This way, please.¡± One of the guards stammers out, gesturing towards the far end of the dining table. As they sat down, they came face to face with a finely dressed man. He had auburn hair that curled down towards his ears; he wore a white suit with red and gold highlights; and on his chest was a gold rose flower made from metal. This man looked frantic, like he was hiding a big secret. "Ah, my fine gentlemen and milady. I am Augustus. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I see that you¡¯ve already attended to several of my royal guards. No worries! I expected that much.¡± The frantic man introduced himself. ¡°Welcome to my glorious home!¡± Augustus announced. ¡°What do you want?¡± Miyuki questioned him, not refusing to relent her stare while she tapped the table aggressively. Upon hearing that question, Augustus had a small sliver of sweat fall from his forehead onto the table. He looked around frantically before leaning into Miyuki. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like a devil¡¯s deal. It¡¯s something quite easy to tell the truth.. Augustus grabs Miyuki and whispers into her ear. ¡°I need you all to break me out of here.¡± He whispered, and his tone completely changed upon saying that, like a huge burden had been released from his shoulders. He took a brief sigh before standing back up. ¡°The other royals wouldn¡¯t dare let it happen, but if it were to say... Be a kidnapper. And plus, I¡¯ve seen your stories; you don¡¯t seem to care about law or order.¡± Augustus encountered his friends. ¡°What¡¯d he say?¡± Itzozu asked, almost casting a technique. ¡°He wants us to break him out; he¡¯s trapped here.¡± Miyuki relayed the information to everyone else. ¡°Now what are we talking about, Augustus?¡± Another man jumped into the conversion, firmly gripping Augustus¡¯ shoulder. This new person had jet black hair with silver roots combined with a singular dark aquamarine streak in his front hair. ¡°None of your concern, Julius. Anyway! I hope you enjoy this plentiful feast we have prepared.¡± Augustus huffed as Julius walked away, opting to speak with the other royals rather than Augustus. Itzozu could hear muttering from the other side of the room, where Julius had walked off too. Inquisitive, Itzozu perked up, attempting to listen into the conversation. ¡°They¡¯re rotten to the core! Did you not see how they slain our guards?¡± Julius quietly but harshly chastised the friends. ¡°So they saw it all?¡± Itzozu thought to himself. ¡°If we help you out¡­We¡¯ll get some rewards, right?¡± Itzozu asked Augustus while looking over at all the riches. "Yes, you may.¡° Shall we do this then?¡± ¡°After the dinner.¡± Just as Augustus spoke, he gave a clap, and a dozen people holding gigantic plates of food came rushing out of the door. They dressed the table in a quick yet elegant manner, and within a few seconds, all the food was laid out. The friends dug in almost immediately, eating large chunks of meat still on the bone and scooping up all the fancy deserts on other plates. ¡°So good¡­¡± Miyuki muttered, entranced in a food coma. After they had finished eating their meal, they all gave a thumbs up of approval and then exchanged glances. They look around before equipping their weapons. ¡°YEAH! Let¡¯s mess them up!¡± Miyuki shouted as she jumped onto the white-clothed table with her silver sword outstretched towards the royals. The loud, piercing sound of gunshots filled the room as bullets flew everywhere, smashing cups and destroying the tables, and the gunfire only seemed to ramp up. ¡°Over here, Augustus.¡± Elijah shouted across the room, opting to shield him from the others¡¯s stray attacks. ¡°Guards, after them all!¡± Julius shouted as the friends attempted to make an escape with Julius. Several guards attempted to grab Augustus but were met with an end quickly by Miyuki slicing through their hand like butter. She gave a powerful kick to another, sending them tumbling down onto their backs. Asher made a massive scythe out of ice and swung it, the shockwave sending multiple members into the wall and crushing them immediately. Then he dropped a massive block of ice on a door, blocking the way for more guards. Everywhere they went was overrun by guards, blocking all of their paths of escape. Eventually, they were forced into a corner with no immediate way of escaping. At the end of the corridor was a singular window. ¡°We¡¯re going through the window.¡± Elijah declared. ¡°We¡¯ll surely die from this height!¡± Augustus argued again, not sure why they would even suggest such a death sentence. Elijah held his gun to the window as he was about to approach it. With the snap of his finger, the bullet flew out of the barrel and smashed through the window, shattering it into thousands of little pieces. They all got up to realise the horrible situation they were in. The day was ending, the cold wind had picked up, and the friends had looked around to see that they were surrounded by dozens of guards on every front. Chapter 9 - Fortified by War Elijah held his gun to the window; his breaths turned shallow and fast as he sprinted with all his might. As he was about to smash into the window, he pulled the trigger. The pin smashed against the casing at an extreme speed, shattering the glass into thousands of little pieces. Miyuki grabbed Augustus; her grip didn¡¯t dare to let go. Elijah jumped out of the window, feeling the cold breeze sway against his hair. ¡°Liminal Space, Transfer'''' Elijah shouted, and a massive, pulsating portal appeared underneath them. Large bursts of essence coloured blue, red, and yellow shot out of the portal. Inside the portal was pure black, like the abyss was calling to them all, and they responded to their call. The friends and Augustus fell into the portal, feeling a sensation that they''d never felt; it was like being on a rollercoaster, but worse, their stomachs churned and it felt like their organs were squished as they were falling through the portal. Eventually, they could all see the light and were slammed into the soft grass. The day was ending with a cold breeze as the sun was beginning to set. ¡°Shit.¡± Miyuki muttered, looking around her surroundings. She readied her hand, hovering over her silver and turquoise sheath. The friends and Augustus realised that they had been surrounded by guards everywhere. Their expressions furrowed as they began to think of their next move. With a deep breath, they used what little time they had to check the guards; they all boasted shiny, silver armour that reflected the sunset and a large, dark steel sword, imbued with essence. Dark steel swords are a special-class weapon that has had essence imbued into them. Like dark steel, the main advantages to this are increased strength and durability. The fact that each guard around them wielded a dark steel sword made the friends gulp. ¡°About time.¡± Itzozu laughs before a massive explosion hits the palace, the burning mushroom cloud disseminating half of the palace and sending large boulders of marble their way. It was a wall of destruction heading their way and combining with a shockwave. This shockwave swept through the battlefield. The friends tried their hardest to remain upright by holding their arms to their faces. The guards weren¡¯t so lucky; their bulky armour made it difficult to stand up, and some fell over, smashing against the ground. ¡°What the hell just happened?! ¡° Miyuki shouted. 2. ¡°Serpent. You just can¡¯t keep your hands away from blood.¡± ¡°Hah. Even after you ¡®retired¡¯¡± ¡°Though¡­Soon you shall take your final kill.¡± The mysterious person was surrounded by pitch black; the only thing you could make out was a singular table in the centre of the room, a dangling light, and a light switch on the left wall. The walls were cracked and damp, with a few drops of water leaking from the roof. Light filled the room with a flick of the light switch. Revealing the decorated room filled with posters. One of them was a strange person jumping from a building, with the writing below being signed by someone called ¡°E. Wood.¡± ¡°Vas, how many times have you practised that mysterious speech?¡± Another person bantered while stepping into the room. ¡°Ah, Kyoka. Haven¡¯t you also been hyped to fight again?!¡± Vas laughed back. ¡°My, my, we can¡¯t rush into this, Vas. We have to wait.¡± Kyoka stated this to Vas. She grabbed a silver remote with a dozen buttons on it and opted to press the red one on top. The screen lit up with various shades of red and yellow before displaying a map. On the screen was a picture of an old, torn map displaying an area around the Edessa and Nova borders. The Fortress City of Chthonia had a massive red x scribbled across it with circles around Mezoryn, Edesa, and Lemora. Then there were blue circles around Supernova and Blitzar, which are cities within the Republic of Nova. ¡°Hehe, they¡¯re somewhere in these cities. Thanks to MY company,¡± provoked Kyoka. ¡°The only reason your company even worked was because of funding from Sora!¡± quipped Vas. Vas took a long sigh, setting down a gun on the table and then taking a seat for himself. The wood creaked as he sat down. He was spinning a pocket knife in between his fingers. ¡°Well anyway, Serpent... You are done.¡± Vas laughs as he throws his knife at a portrait of someone; the light didn¡¯t reach quite far enough, making only a faint silhouette. 3. Back to the battlefield in Chthonia. ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± Miyuki shouted, her words barely heard over the loud raptures of the fast wind. ¡°I had some friends prepare something... Just in case.¡± Itzozu shouted back, barely making out Miyuki¡¯s words. The shockwave had passed, and the damage was unveiled before the friends. Most of the guards had been knocked down, and several cracks started showing inside their armour; however, it seemed like they were still ready to fight. With no time to spare, they got up, holding out their swords to the friends. Itzozu gasped out some air and then started laughing uncontrollably. His breaths turned erratic as the sclera in his eye started fading from white to a deep red. He outstretched his arm in front of the guards, massive piles of essence forming from his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s. Get. This. Started.¡± Itzozu glared at the guard. ¡°Essence Technique, Enchain.¡± Itzozu shouted as he crossed two of his fingers. Dozens of chains sprouted from his back, making a loud bang as they slammed into the ground. They slashed around violently, destroying everything within their path. Making easy work of any guard who dared to stand in its way. Leftover chains littered the ground after the onslaught ended, but just when the guards thought it was over, the chains ignited in flames. In a burning combination of red, yellow, and orange. Essence Technique, Enchain had two phases to it. The first phase sends out a barrage of silver chains that are nigh-invulnerable to cut, cleave, and slash anything that¡¯s in his way. In the second phase, the chains left on the battlefield are set on fire. This flame was everlasting, only able to be put out by destroying its chain. ¡°Do they have some goddamn cloning facility? How many are there?!¡± Miyuki seethed. ¡°Wait¡­ Is that a Xinyang symbol?-'''' Augustus wondered before he was cut off by seeing a number of guards run at him. He took refuge behind the friends. Hoping they would defeat them before they got to him. ¡°I¡¯m feeling so tired.¡± Asher yawned. Eijah walked forward; each step he took in the grass only got faster. His speed ramped up to a full sprint. He outstretched his arm and activated the Space. ¡°Liminal Space, Transfer!¡± he shouted, a massive portal opening. With the swipe of his finger, a dozen explosives flooded out of the portal. The noise was ear-piercing as the surrounding grass was incinerated. The explosion sent shrapnel everywhere. Asher quickly blocked it all with his own shield, extending it all to Miyuki as well. Although his shield was not as strong as Itzozu¡¯s, a small piece of that shrapnel had cut through the shield, leaving him with a graze on Asher¡¯s cheek. ¡°You know how to make shields?¡± Miyuki questioned, wiping the blood on Asher¡¯s cheek with a piece of tissue in her pocket. ¡°It¡¯s a basic technique, duh.¡± Asher bantered.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± muttered Miyuki. ¡°Left.¡± Miyuki declared. Asher looked at her inquisitively before seeing the guards run at them. He quickly followed what Miyuki said by ducking to the left. The moment Asher was free from the guards. Miyuki used it as a chance to fight back. ¡°Bye bye!¡± Miyuki laughed as she dove underneath the gaurd¡¯s weapon and then slashed above, destroying their armour and piercing through their skin. Another guard attempted to swing at her, but Miyuki gripped her sword and swung it upwards, slicing their legs and causing them to lose balance and fall. ¡°Good night!¡± Miyuki shouts before cutting him across the throat, killing them. Asher was dealing with the other guard; he took advantage of his essence and summoned a single ice arrow into the arm of the guard and then summoned another to the other arm, effectively disarming him. With a final ice arrow, it stabbed into his head, killing him. Suddenly an attack appeared from above and stabbed through Miyuki¡¯s hand. She clutched it in pain as she looked above, her eyes full of seething hatred. It was a guard from above who fired an arrow made out of essence. Miyuki threw her sword at the guy, and it pierced straight through their eye, severing his brain and killing them. This battle concluded with another victory for the friends. The guards were defeated, and Augustus was safe. Now that the guards are defeated, the friends can return home, and Augustus can be free. ¡°Guys. We don¡¯t have a car.¡± Elijah sighed. ¡°Could we just take another car?¡± Itzozu questioned him, and he looked around his surroundings. The burnt grass turned to ash, the holes in the ground and the hundreds of chains scattered across the field. There was not a single car in sight. ¡°Right, that explains it.¡± Itzozu sighed as well. ¡°Let¡¯s just walk,¡± Miyuki demanded, walking towards the gate. Asher grabbed Miyuki¡¯s hair. ¡°Do you not realise how LONG that would be?!¡± Asher shouted. Not relenting his grip. ¡°OW! LET ME GO!!!¡± Miyuki screamed out in pain as Asher kept tugging on her hair. Miyuki unsheathed her sword; the silver blade flung out and slashed towards Asher. He let his grip go, and the sword cleanly cut through Miyuki¡¯s hair. ¡°Fuck.¡± Miyuki sighed. ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO TEAR YOUR LIMBS APART!¡± Miyuki shouted, in a violent fit of rage, all the while Asher was laughing his head off. ¡°Huh?!¡± Both of them loudly gasped when they saw a cloud of smoke at the gate entrance. This smoke was pure black, and it barely moved. Instead standing in one place ominously, and then... ¡°Impressive.¡± ¡°Truly Impressive.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve bested this land. Just like we have this world.¡° ¡°When this world turns to asunder, Our mother shall enlighten us.¡± ¡°Your journey shall be stained with the stench of blood.¡± A voice calls out from the fog. Their voice was strange. A male with a mix of anger and tranquilly, they sounded calm yet ready to trample anyone who stood in his way. It was almost as if he was hiding a dark secret. ¡°A barrier!?¡± Itzozu shouted. The friends heard a loud banging noise from the sky, and the sky turned into a yellow hexagonal dome. The barrier surrounded the whole of Chthonia. It was an impressive barrier, to say the least. Itzozu looked up, examining its properties. Asher attempted to use a technique, but before even casting it fully, the technique had fizzled out. ¡°It¡¯s an essence barrier.¡± Asher stated. ¡°What¡¯s all these fancy terms!?¡± Miyuki shouted, completely dumbfounded. Miyuki never learned any of these things due to her not being able to cast essence. ¡°Most barriers stop you from leaving or entering. However, essence barriers is different. While using the same framework as a regular barrier. These ones instead block the casting of essence in exchange for free passage between meanings. Techniques won¡¯t work here.¡± Asher explained this to Miyuki. ¡°Can¡¯t we just leave then?¡± Elijah questioned. ¡°No. Whoever said this is strong, and they¡¯ll think we¡¯ll try to leave. They¡¯ll surprise attack us.¡± Asher stated. ¡°I¡¯ll analyse it in the meantime,¡± Asher boasted, sitting down on a patch of unharmed grass. Several strange symbols appeared around Asher, lighting up in a neon green colour. Asher moved his hands together, stacking both of his hands together. "Asher, you¡¯re full of surprises.¡± Elijah laughed. The only technique that a barrier would allow is an anti-barrier technique that is stronger than the barrier itself. The person in the smoke talked while walking out of the smoke. Revealing themselves to their friends. This person was wearing a navy and silver Chinese robe. They had various accessories, such as a pierced ear with a blue gem. On their chest was a symbol; this symbol looked like two arrows colliding. They laughed maniacally, stretching their swords towards the friends. ¡°I am Y¨²z¨¦. The Eleventh Harbinger of The Xinyang.¡± He introduced himself. ¡°The Xinyang! I knew that symbol.¡± Augustus realised. ¡°Harbinger? Who are they?¡± Elijah asked. ¡°The Xinyang is an organisation that spreads like a plague. They have deep roots in crime and corruption. The fact that they are here now only means one thing. Augustus trailed off. ¡°They¡¯re here for us.¡± Miyuki stated as she drew her sword. Y¨²z¨¦ looked at the friends, his dark blue hair swaying as he cocked his head back and forth. A large smile was painted across his face as he leaned in towards Miyuki. She was taken aback and attempted to slash at him. Her sword made a loud clash as it was knocked from her hand to the ground. Miyuki gasped as she felt his grip tighten on her arm. Y¨²z¨¦, with a massive grin, began stomping on the sword, destroying it beyond repair. ¡°Haha! You''re almost correct. Everything we do is appointed by Mother. She is our light and our darkness.¡± Y¨²z¨¦ shouted, lifting his free arm into the air. ¡°She has taken an interest in you; Mother wants you to meet her.¡± Y¨²z¨¦ demanded. Miyuki mustered all her strength into a kick, and her foot impacted directly into his knee, which caused him to relent his grip for just a split second. She used this chance to run back to her friends. ¡°All you do is ruin people¡¯s lives!¡± Augustus retorted. Y¨²z¨¦ stood still, looking at Augustus, before having a laughing fit, slapping his knee as it looked like he struggled for air. His reactions were manic and illogical; he stopped laughing and just stared at Augustus. ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s this trash talking to me? You think you can just turn up here and insult Mother?¡± Y¨²z¨¦ snarled. Y¨²z¨¦ drew out a sword, holding it at his waist. He gave a wide grin before sprinting towards Augustus. He dodged and weaved through all the lifeless guards and was about to stab Augustus directly in the eye. His heart pounded. Y¨²z¨¦¡¯s sword clashed against another, and he gave the expression as if to say, ¡°Huh? What just happened?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ This guy kinda needs to live. We need money.¡± Miyuki interrupted, revealing to Y¨²z¨¦ that she had another sword. He gave a deep breath after another, to the point where he was hyperventilating. ¡°I see, I see, I see you and your tricks. Tricks!¡± Y¨²z¨¦ shouted, clawing at his face. ¡°Mother. They are delusional. You will allow me to use force, yes? shall enforce your judgement!! ALMIGHTY MOTHER!¡± Y¨²z¨¦ shouted before holding his sword in the air. The silver blade shone against the yellow barrier. ¡°Essence Technique: Seventh Blaze.¡± Y¨²z¨¦ shouts, his pupils shrinking as he shrieks his incantation. As the words left his mouth, a massive wall of sword projectiles made from flames appeared behind him. The fiery colours created an aura of red behind Y¨²z¨¦. Y¨²z¨¦ slashed his silver blade, and as it fell down, a massive slash of fire hurled towards the friends, with all the projectiles firing at a supersonic speed. ¡°Essence Technique: Overlord''s Armour.¡± Itzozu shouted in response. Itzozu stood in front of the fiends, watching the wall of fire quickly approach. He looked very satisfied. The attacks slammed against the shield as massive amounts of essence flew out from everywhere, turning the battlefield into a miasma of red and blue. ¡°Will this hold?¡± Miyuki questioned. ¡°Nothing can destroy this shield.¡± Itzozu bragged, laughing off what Miyuki said. Asher felt one of his hairs stand up, and he realised something. ¡°This barrier has a weakness. I noticed it when you set up your own barrier inside of it, Itzozu.¡± Asher stated. ¡°I thought to myself, How was that Y¨²z¨¦ person able to activate his technique, and also you could activate it, Itzozu?¡± Asher followed up. ¡°This barrier cannot disable all techniques at once. When you and Y¨²z¨¦ activated at the same time, the barrier couldn''t cancel it.¡± Asher finalised his theory. ¡°So we have to activate techniques at the same time?¡± Itzozu questioned. ¡°Yep!¡± Asher beamed, standing up from the warm floor. Both Asher and Itzozu were ready to cast their techniques; if two attack techniques were activated at the same time, it may allow for the destruction of the barrier. The friends also realise that it¡¯s not only the barrier that¡¯s the problem. Miyuki and Asher both attack Y¨²z¨¦. Asher approaches from underneath his arm and touches the side of Y¨²z¨¦. ¡°Essence Technique, Enchain¡± ¡°Essence Technique, Solitude¡¯s Blessing¡± Itzozu and Asher both casted at the same time. The chains of Itzozu¡¯s technique struggled to activate until Asher¡¯s techniques also activated. A massive shard of ice erupted from Asher¡¯s hand while the chains from Itzozu came in full force. Everyone felt the shear strain on the barrier; the hexagonal barrier started to form cracks until it completely shattered. The chains and shards of ice both directly hit Y¨²z¨¦, with Miyuki doing an overhead slash towards his head. ¡°Hmm. A technique that utilises propulsion and strength in exchange for having little to no accuracy. Having to get so close to an enemy is pretty risky, you know. If you weren¡¯t so... Pathetic. Maybe your mother would appreciate how brave you are.¡± Y¨²z¨¦ laughed their attack off. Y¨²z¨¦ grabs Asher by the throat and increases his grip. It felt like he was about to crush his throat as Asher desperately tried to get air, clawing and punching at Y¨²z¨¦. ¡°Essence technique: King¡¯s Gambit!¡± Augustus shouted out, revealing his own technique. King¡¯s Gambit is an essence technique that transports the user into their own mind. Inside their minds, time slows to an almost complete stop. Inside their minds is a completely white room with a single beige table in the middle. On the table is a card game of blackjack. The user of the technique bets a certain amount of their power and must face themselves in a game of blackjack. Augustus sat down on the table, shuffling the cards in between his hands. He saw another version of himself take a seat on the opposite end of the table. ¡°Well, shall we play?¡± Augustus asked the other version of himself, to no avail. The other version just looks at him, waiting to begin the match. ¡°All in.¡± Augustus demanded, moving all his power to the table. After a stressful and intense game of blackjack, Augustus laid his card on the table and claimed victory. The reward for going all in and winning was a three-time boost in power, known as ¡°Gambler¡¯s Dream.¡± Having achieved Gambler¡¯s dream, Augustus returned to the real world. The sky was dark with the charred remains of guards and grass. He saw Itzozu and Asher struggling to even harm Y¨²z¨¦. Augustus ran towards Y¨²z¨¦ at what felt like the speed of light; lightning sparked as he sprinted directly towards him as if he were a guided missile. Y¨²z¨¦ was unable to react in time and was punched directly in the face by Augustus. The impact felt like it ripped apart his flesh from his skin. Augustus didn¡¯t let Y¨²z¨¦ go that easily and followed up with a barrage of punches and kicks; with each hit, the blood of Y¨²z¨¦ spilled out. After Augustus was finished, his fist was dripping with blood that was not his own. ¡°Y-Y-You!!! I can¡¯t believe this. I need to talk to mother!¡± Y¨²z¨¦ shouted as he ran away, disappearing as he ran around a corner. ¡°I did something for once.¡± Augustus cheered himself on. ¡°That guy was so strong... And there¡¯s ten more of them?¡± Miyuki exasperated. ¡°What now? We still have no car.¡± Elijah questioned. Chapter 10 - Chthonia Turmoil The battle with Y¨²z¨¦ had come to an end. With the victory being on the friends side, thanks to the help from Augustus. His hands were bright red, with a deep black smoke coming out of his knuckles. Augustus gave a slight chuckle. He relished in his own victory, as it was the first time he had ever saved someone. ¡°I did something for once.¡± Augustus cheered, giving a massive smile. ¡°We were able to hold off a harbinger. This is the utmost celebration. Congratulate yourselves.¡± Augustus laughed. ¡°And there¡¯s ten more of them!¡± Miyuki snarled. ¡°No doubt the Xinyang will have their eyes on us.¡± Augustus sighed. ¡°Thank you for your assistance. We shall part ways here, though. I have a feeling this shall not be the last meeting.¡± Augustus gave a smile as he walked away. The friends watched his steps as he slowly disappeared into the horizon. The blue sky above deeply contrasted with the destruction below. The loud atmosphere fell silent. The friends looked at each other, but no words left their mouths; instead, they burrowed into their own thoughts. The only sounds were the gusts of wind and the birds chirping. Elijah was the first to intervene in the silence. ¡°We have no car.¡± Elijah sighed, breaking the tension. ¡°Goddamnit.¡± Miyuki shouted, stomping her foot on the ground. The impact caused a small explosion of dirt and dust. After another moment of silence, the fury of the blue-haired woman was about to strike yet again. ¡°Why¡¯d he even need our help?!¡± Miyuki shouted. ¡°He could¡¯ve done this himself!!¡± Miyuki followed up. She crossed her arms and frowned. Itzozu let out a small chuckle. His horns gave off a slight shine as they reflected the bright sun. He reached over to Miyuki; she looked at him inquisitively, but her gaze shifted to a glare as Itzozu gave a couple pats to her head. ¡°Stop doing that,¡± pouted Miyuki, while she slapped his hand away. ¡°He probably wanted back up, y''know, just in case.¡± Itzozu theorised. ¡°Itzozu! Did you not see how easily?¡± she shouted. The friends were surrounded by the ruined palace grounds. Behind them was the palace, with large parts of stone and brick scattered across the grass. ¡°Let¡¯s just calm down, Miyuki.¡± Itzozu attempted to calm Miyuki. ¡°NO! This was all pointless because Mr. Royal could¡¯ve just one-tapped everyone!¡± argued Miyuki. ¡°Stop using game terms, for god sake.¡± Itzozu sighed, realising the mistake of teaching Miyuki those words. ¡°Plus, he said it was luck.¡± Itzozu refuted. ¡°Hmph, whatever,¡± fumed Miyuki, taking it upon herself to wander off. Leaving the palace grounds and walking back into the streets of Chthonia. The friends looked dumbfounded as they watched her leave so suddenly. They all looked at each other back and forth. ¡°This woman is going to kill me mentally.¡± Itzozu sighed. ¡°Guess we should just find a car.¡± Elijah added ¡°Surely, there¡¯s a car SOMEWHERE here!¡± Asher giggled. The friends walked out of the palace grounds, leaving the pearly-white gate wide open. Each step they took down the stone-paved stairs felt relieving, and soon they would go back to their adventure towards Orion. There was a breeze of warm air that slowly brushed against their backs as they stepped down. They had come face-to-face with another gate; this one was also unlocked. With the tug of the bolt, they walked forward. As Asher happened to look up at the sky, he noticed a camera hidden in the bushes that complimented the streets. "Hm,¡± Asher thought, but decided to shrug it off. As they walked back into the streets of Chthonia, they noticed how much more lively it was than when they arrived. People crowded the streets, and vendors set up their shops on the sides. Though the state of the city was still terrible,. ¡°Maybe down here?¡± Asher wondered, passing by an alley that led to what looked like an abandoned garage. Asher walked down the alley, with Elijah and Itzozu following behind. When they reached the garage, they gave it a quick examination. The garage was coated in a thick layer of rust and dirt, like it hadn¡¯t been cleaned for decades. It looked like it was made with scrap metal. On each side was a large handle that could fit Asher¡¯s hand seven times. Asher attempted to open it but was only met with a loud clunk noise. He pulled it with all his might to no avail. Itzozu walked over to the other side, grasping the handle, feeling how cold the handle was, and synchronised with Asher¡¯s movement. The two of them pulled it off with all their might. The door was pulled open, crashing to the ground. Inside the dirty garage was a plethora of junk, large bags of rotting food dumped into the corner, and black mould coating the ceiling. The air felt hazardous. Elijah sighed as his eyes looked into the centre of the garage; it was a completely totaled car. It had a massive buildup of rust on it, and it looked like the left door had been kicked in. The back left and right doors were missing as well. ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Asher attempted to speak, looking at Elijah. ¡°What are we supposed to do with this junk?¡± ¡°Good question¡­ I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Any way you could fix it?¡± Itzozu asked, joining in on the conversation. ¡°Well¡­ This looks terrible. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s better on the inside.¡± Elijah sighed. Eijah used Liminal Space to open a portal, then boldly stuck his arm inside. He frantically moved his hand around before he grabbed someone and then pulled his arm out. In his hand was a strange tool. It was like a blunt knife. This stool had the same steel look and black shine that dark steel has. Elijah slowly inserted the tool into the gap in the hood, then moved it back and forth to leverage the opening, eventually propping it open. He leaned in to see the engine. The friends looked as his expression changed from normal to looking like he was seeing an otherworldly contraption. ¡°Huh.¡± "Hm.¡± "Hmmm,¡± he thought out loud. He gave it a moment, inspecting each inch of the engine to see if there were any faults. Eventually, he turned back around and confronted the group about the state of this car. ¡°This is horrible.¡± He sighed. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°This engine is totaled,¡± Elijah stated as he was about to touch it. The contact with the engine sent a shock through his nervous system. The pain wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn''t what Elijah expected. Elijah brought his hand towards his chin, giving it a long thought about what to do. ¡°We can substitute the engine for an essence circulator. Something I learned from Foundation Hunters. ¡° Elijah gave an idea. An essence circulator is a device that utilises the kinetic energy of high-speed essence. It was widely adopted for early cars until the invention of the modern engine. Elijah proposed the idea of making one using the parts of the engine. ¡°Could you do it on this scale, though?¡± Itzozu questioned. ¡°My boss said something about them. I think she said they are efficient at generating power. It should be on scale if we use the parts of the engine. Though we do more.¡± Elijah replied. ¡°Guess I learned something.¡± Itzozu followed up. Both Itzozu and Asher started walking off, in search of any parts that could make this device. They were looking for sheets of high-quality steel. Itzozu turned to the left, while Asher went to the right. With his tool in his hand, Elijah slowly pries the engine open, making sure not to trigger any shocks. He gazed at the bunch of red, yellow, and blue wires. He took a sigh as he leaned in, slowly making an incision into the yellow wire. Nothing happened. Elijah let out a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat off his forehead as he finished cutting through the wires, revealing the rest of the engine. With a slight grip on the top of the engine, he lifted the engine up and managed to put it on the ground. He left the casing inside the car to serve as the basis for the essence circulator. ¡°Help!¡± Someone faintly shouted. Elijah looked behind him upon hearing distant screaming. He saw someone run at him, and he felt his mood drop as he realised who was running towards him. Blue hair, blue eyes, and extremely short. No doubt, it was Miyuki. ¡°How¡¯d you even find me?¡± Elijah thought to himself. ¡°ELIJAH, THEY¡¯RE AFTER ME!!!¡± Miyuki shouted, running away from a horde of people chasing after her. She sought refuge behind Elijah. ¡°What?¡± Elijah was blankly questioned. ¡°Those goddamn sons of a-.¡± cursed Miyuki. ¡°Trying to overcharge me for a sword, and then they call the police when I threaten them???¡± scoffed Miyuki. ¡°Uh-huh, whatever you say.¡° Elijah sighed. ¡°Sounds like this ain¡¯t my problem.¡± Elijah took a deliberate and slow step to the right, revealing Miyuki to the angry crowd. The moment she saw them and their hateful eyes, she instantly ran with all her might, jumping above a wall and disappearing. ¡°How does she do this?¡± Elijah pondered before going back to his work. 2. Miyuki looked behind her; she saw the endless number of people chasing after her with no signs of relenting. She was pushing and forcing her way through the crowds, even tripping some up as she ran with all her might. ¡°Over there,¡± Miyuki thought as she realised there was a break in the crowd. She used their confusion to her advantage and turned a sharp corner into an alleyway. The alley was pitch black due to the height of the buildings that surrounded it, making a perfect disguise for her. She clutched her heart and held her breath. She saw the crowd run right past her, giving a sigh of relief. Miyuki looked up and noticed a camera, but she was too focused on the situation at hand. ¡°Thank Vesta, they passed.¡± Miyuki gave a sigh of relief as her breath slowly returned to normal. She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a few pieces of a dark steel sword. ¡°Elijah was making something from that engine, and I picked this up from a guard.¡± She thought to herself, deciding the best thing was to give these pieces of metal to Elijah, in the hope they would assist him. Miyuki turned the corner; she saw the same lively streets but didn¡¯t see the crowd of people. She was about to leave the alley, taking a few steps, but was caught off guard when she heard two people whispering. These people didn¡¯t know Miyuki was here, so their whispering was able to be heard. ¡°This ain¡¯t lookin¡¯ great.¡± ¡°These goddamn people live in the luxury while we have the scraps¡± ¡°Haha! The knights have been struggling recently¡­It¡¯s only a matter of time before this sorry country implodes.¡± ¡°That Julius ain¡¯t gonna know what hit ''em.¡± Miyuki attempted to piece together what they were saying, and she immediately thought of the Xinyang as they were operating inside of Chthonia until the friends and Augustus put a stop to them, permanently or temporarily. When she looked back at the people in the alleyway, they had disappeared, leaving Miyuki all the more confused. She decided that the best course of action was to return to Elijah and give him the metal. Miyuki walks out of the alley; she briefly looks around, making sure no one stays behind to look out for her, and then quickly walks back to Elijah. On the way there, she found that the streets were littered with a thick layer of mud, which squelched as she attempted to walk in it. ¡°What the hell is with this?¡± She questioned She got stuck in the ground and had to push and pull her way through the path. Then, without knowing what was happening, she heard the gurgling of something somewhere around the corner. This noise didn¡¯t sound human; instead, it sounded like a mix of animal noises. ¡°What.¡± Miyuki fretted. She peaked at the corner; her eyes looked in shock as she came to terms with what she was seeing. This thing was a large, slimy, pure black creature with long tendrils coming out of it. The creature looked like a series of blobs, and it had multiple mouths that bore no resemblance to any animals with several eyes. One of its eyes darted at Miyuki and then attempted to attack. Swinging one of its tendrils at Miyuki. ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± She shouted. Miyuki opted to run away, swinging from the ground to the roof of the building. Each step she took only took the energy out of her. She dodged and weaved through the benches and tables laid out on the street but was caught in a dead end. Miyuki shifted her back to the other side, facing the cursed parasite. She took a long gulp and unsheathed her other sword, her sword, towards the cursed parasite, shouting every word she could think of at it. She charged at it and swung her sword, but the sword didn¡¯t do anything, with the cursed parasite simply regenerating all of the damage. ¡°You gotta get its brain out,¡± Elijah said. ¡°Ahh, thanks for the advice." Miyuki replied, not realising Elijah was there. ¡°ELIJAH?!¡± She shouted. ¡°Sup. Don¡¯t question it.¡± Elijah hushed. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°The hell is this weird, disgusting, terrible, awful thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cursed parasite. Abhorrent beings that are fueled by essence.¡± Elijah explained. ¡°Their bodies regenerate fast, so you gotta rip the brain out.¡± He followed up. Miyuki and Elijah charge at the cursed parasite. Miyuki uses an extremely quick burst of slashes to hopefully immobilise it temporarily. The cursed parasite shrieks out in pain as Elijah reaches into its brain and pulls it out. ¡°There we go.¡± Elijah deadpanned, his arm dripping with a reddish-black liquid. ¡°That was easier than I thought. I guess no one is a match for us!¡± Miyuki laughed. ¡°Believe what ya wanna believe.¡± ¡°I thought most of them were exterminated. We lead a worldwide manhunt against them,¡± he muttered. Elijah opened a liminal space portal to the left of them. Its black and yellow aura was inviting to both of them. Elijah walked through, with Miyuki following behind. Arriving back at the heap of junk. Elijah had made a plethora of improvements to the car. He had sanded down the rust; the car still had that rusty look to it, but it wasn¡¯t as strong, and the engine was completely transformed. Elijah only needed a couple more sheets of metal. ¡°Elijah?¡± Miyuki asked ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s broken, but I picked up one of the guards'' dark steel sword.¡± Miyuki told Elijah. ¡°Essence-infused metal. Huh. Yeah, that¡¯d work.¡± Elijah gave it some thought and accepted the dark steel. Elijah uses the tool to fuse the metal together with the contraption he put together from the discarded engine. ¡°There we go. All we need now is someone with a lot of essence. Maybe Itzozu or Asher.¡± ¡°Speaking off, where are they?¡± MIyuki questioned. ¡°Huh. I guess we should wait here.¡± ELijah suggested. Miyuki and Elijah wait around for Asher and Itzozu to come back. Miyuki sits on the trunk of the car while Elijah leans on the door. ¡°I was in an alley to hide from those crazy people, and I heard some people talking about how Chthonia will fall soon.¡± Miyuki broke the silence. ¡°No surprise. This place sucks.¡± Elijah replied. ¡°It sounded like this rebellion shit is gonna happen very soon.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be out by then¡­¡± ¡°Where are they?! It¡¯s been like 2 hours!¡±¡± Elijah and Miyuki were waiting until they saw someone approach them; they looked menacing as they slowly approached them. ¡°Greetings.¡± ¡°We have met before.¡± ¡°You think you can take our family without consequence?¡± ¡°It is I, Julius, and I will destroy you and reclaim my brother.¡± Julius announced himself, as he wasted no time in attacking. Julius¡¯ sword slammed against Miyuki¡¯s armour; if it had sliced her without it, the wound would¡¯ve been fatal. Elijah sued Liminal Space to get a hand on Julius, trying to teleport as many times as possible to throw him off. Julius was an expert swordmaster and was easily able to adapt to Elijah¡¯s Liminal Space. Miyuki kneeled down and slashed at his knee; the sword barely grazed him. ¡°Hm. I underestimated you.¡° Julius laughed as he grasped his hands together, laughing menacingly. ¡°Essence Technique, Royal Guard.¡± Julius shouted. Royal Guard is a technique that allows for an instant dodge, like an instinct. It is near impossible to hit someone in this state. There is an additional benefit to extreme endurance. The downside to this technique is that after the effects wear off, the user¡¯s endurance drops significantly. Julius kicked Miyuki in the stomach. She felt her armour take a heavy hit and her stomach sink as she was thrown to the other side of the garage. Both of them got overwhelmed by the amount of attacks Julius was throwing at them. Both of them decided to focus on defence, until Miyuki came up with an idea. ¡°Elijah, can you back me up?¡± Miyuki asked. Elijah uses his liminal space to try and capture Julius and then send him elsewhere in the arena to try and throw him off. Miyuki catches up to him and throws her sword at him, while Elijah empties a whole cartridge of lead into him. Julius was stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the massive sound of an explosion at the palace, followed by the sounds of thousands of people screaming. Julius sighed. ¡°Tch, you¡¯re lucky. I¡¯ll be back for you later.¡± Without warning, Julius runs towards the palace with his sword in hand. ¡°What just happened?¡± Miyuki questioned. Chapter 11 - The Fortress Crumbles Julius was stopped dead in his tracks; his technique faded in an instant as they all heard the massive sound of an explosion. It raptured through the air, shattering windows in a giant radius. The songs of screams in the thousands only made the situation even more chaotic. However, instead of having even the slightest hint of shock, Julius only sighed. Boredom was painted across his face instead of any surprise or worry. He took a sigh and held a fist towards Miyuki and Elijah. ¡°Tch, you¡¯re lucky. I¡¯ll be back for you later.¡± Julius pulled a face as he ran off. His speed was unmatched; they stared in disbelief, knowing that it was the unfortunate explosion of the palace that fortunately led to them surviving another day. Miyuki also took a sigh, feeling the weight of her life drop as she relaxed with a deep breath. ¡°What just happened?¡± Miyuki questioned, in between a series of breaths. ¡°That was the same guy from the palace.¡± Elijah answered as he pieced together the odd blue-haired person from the palace. ¡°Also sounds like this rebellion started. I don¡¯t even get why to start a rebellion. Surely just beheading all of them would work better!¡± Miyuki wondered, although she was expecting something back from Elijah. He chose to just ignore the nonsense she was spitting out. An aura filled the atmosphere that couldn¡¯t be explained. An overwhelming fear of dread, one that could drive a regular person insane. It was suffocating, like someone had a tight clutch on your lungs. ¡°Do you feel this, Elijah?!¡± Miyuki stammered out, worried about what was happening. ¡°Yeah. This is strange.¡± Elijah replied as he was managing his breaths. Elijah tried to shake this feeling of dread off by taking deep breaths. It was a strategy that everyone knew, but it still worked surprisingly well. This intense aura was broken with another explosion; this time, not just one, several explosions erupted from the palace with a loud bang, and the sky was lit with an orange blaze as they dissipated into the sky. The both of them knew that something or someone had happened. ¡°That too. If Itzozu and Asher were here, then he could¡¯ve just left. We just can¡¯t have anything easy, huh? Hell, even if they were here, something else would¡¯ve happened.¡± Elijah complained. ¡°If they were here, then that guy would¡¯ve come back as well. Though, Itzozu could probably deal with him.¡± Miyuki followed with confidence. Elijah flicked a pistol around his finger. It was clear that Elijah wasn¡¯t catching Miyuki¡¯s confidence; instead, he just watched the handgun spin around in his hand. Miyuki looked at Elijah and realised that he was in deep thought. He was violently jolted out of his deep thoughts by a loud creak as steam emanated from the car¡¯s engine. They stared at each other in disbelief, realising what had happened in the fight. Upon reflection, during the Julius fight. He only made attacks towards the car¡¯s direction. It wasn¡¯t just random like they thought, but calculated. His entire intention of fighting both of them was to sabotage their way out. ¡°Shit.¡± Elijah panicked; as he ran towards the front, he attempted to lift it, but his hand jolted back. His palm turned a bright red as he burnt his hand on the car. He gulped and quickly attempted to force it open. In one swift move, the front was opened and revealed only steam; it was enough to know that this car was now beyond saving. On top of that, Elijah leaned forward and noticed sparks flying out. He looked at Miyuki. ¡°It¡¯s been sabotaged.¡± Elijah sighed, defeated. ¡°Goddamn it! We are never leaving this horrible, terrible place! Is this divine revenge!? Have we crossed someone!!¡± Miyuki shouted, throwing a temper tantrum. She stamped her feet on the ground, creating a dust cloud that could sweep someone away. ¡°We played straight into him, huh. Maybe we could find Augustus¡ª¡± Elijah wondered but was abruptly cut off. ¡°He¡¯s long gone by now! It¡¯s over for us. We¡¯ll die here and never be remembered!!¡± Miyuki interrupted. ¡°Huh. Augustus was adamant that we would meet again.¡± Elijah thought to himself. Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He held it high in the air, swinging it from left to right. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Miyuki asked, confused. ¡°Trying to get a signal. It¡¯s gone.¡± Elijah frantically replied, still desperately trying to get a phone signal. ¡°It¡¯s no use...¡± he exhaled. As if she had a sixth sense, Miyuki gave a side eye to where the palace used to be (before the explosion.). It was like her ears perked up and focused on the sounds. ¡°The panic has died down... Still sounds like chaos, but¡­ not as much as earlier, Miyuki told Elijah. Truth be told, he was honestly surprised that Miyuki could even do that. How she could hear from what must¡¯ve been a kilometre or more. ¡°Is that her innate ability?¡± Elijah thought to himself. ¡°Should we head over to the explosion? Maybe Itzozu and Asher need my grand help!¡± Miyuki laughed. ¡°Our.¡± Elijah corrected Miyuki, not allowing her to take all the credit. Elijah takes a long sigh while looking towards the palace. He visualised the explosion, imagining all the people screaming and running. He was worried about Asher and Itzozu. He was yet again in deep thought about his actions. ¡°Probably the safe bet.¡± Elijah replied, breaking his chain of thoughts. Quickly, the both of them departed from the alleyway, saying sayonara to the car, as they now needed to think of another plan. They rushed through the streets, dodging and weaving through all obstacles, whether that be people or objects. Without warning, massive pieces of buildings began to crumble; the stone sounded like it roared as it threatened to crash down onto the streets. Several more explosions were happening all around the city, not that much weaker than the one at the palace. They could hear the sound of glass shattering as a shockwave reached them and swept them off their feet. They fell and tripped down several flights of stairs; they tumbled and felt their bodies ache as they were slammed down onto each step, and they bore the intense impact. Miyuki had spirals in her eyes, and she was in a complete daze. ¡°Why¡­ what the hell is happening!!¡± Miyuki shouted, coming back to her senses. Elijah held his back, struggling to even get up. He was dazed, and his back was shrieking in pain. ¡°I already have back pain¡­¡± Elijah cried out; he bit his lip, a slight trail of crimson bleeding out, and then stood up through the searing pain. ¡°Is this the rebellion everyone was talking about?! And we¡¯re missing out on the action!¡± Miyuki shouted as she leaned into his ear; the crashes of rubble drowned out most noise, resulting in them shouting. ¡°This IS the action! We need to get Asher and Itzozu!¡± Elijah shouted before grabbing Miyuki¡¯s hand and running. Miyuki slaps Elijah¡¯s hand away and continues running on her own. They both were stopped when they heard something that only spelt out what they were saying. ¡°WARNING: THE FORTRESS IS UNDER SIEGE. REMAIN INSIDE!¡± shouted a frantic man; their voice was panicked and raspy, and it sounded like they had just run a marathon. Their voice did nothing but make everyone restless. Accompanying the warning was an alarm that threatened to make everyone deaf. ¡°Hahaha! These people think we need warnings! , screw that they¡¯re for the weak.¡± Miyuki triumphantly shouted. ¡°I think they¡¯re for the people living here¡­¡± Elijah told her, hopelessly. Dozens of armed soldiers flooded the streets, armed with guns and armour that was specialised in defusing techniques before they hit the person. More and more soldiers came through, like it was a never-ending wave. ¡°What?! Where is this rebellion?¡± Miyuki questioned angrily before she was answered. The palace erupted in a massive explosion; the intense heat from the explosion could be felt from the whole of the city. The smoke that emanated from the palace was akin to a supervolcano erupting. This explosion was the biggest one they had ever seen. Miyuki got on top of Elijah¡¯s shoulders; he struggled to keep her weight as he was confused on what was going on. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± He shouted, ¡°Scouting.¡± Miyuki simply replied. From then, she commanded Elijah to keep running. She pointed towards the crowd of people gathered from outside of the ruined palace. ¡°Itzozu is there!!¡± She shouted as she spotted the familiar red locks of hair. Miyuki jumps off Elijah as they both run towards Itzozu.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. They dodged, pushed, and shoved the crowd as they darted towards the people head-on. Eventually, they reached the red-haired man. ¡°The hell were you guys?¡± Elijah asked. ¡°Did you see any of the action?!¡± Miyuki shouted with sparks in her eyes, grabbing Itzozu¡¯s pale green jacket. ¡°So much happened. The whole palace was incinerated. We had guards sweep the whole city, and many people were restless.¡± Itzozu sighed. ¡°Tell me about it; some prince charming destroyed our getaway.¡± Elijah replied. Someone else poked out from the crowd; their twintails were unmistakable, and the way they carried themselves made it obvious who it was. ¡°We¡¯re just finding parts before the palace blows up! Then some guy ran past us calling himself Julius.¡± Asher interjected. ¡°It¡¯s the same damn guy! This guy keeps fucking all our plans up! He¡¯ll meet the end of my blade soon,¡± Miyuki yelled. Itzozu walked towards Miyuki and slowly moved his hand towards her. Then like a cat carrying its young. Itzozu grabs Miyuki by the neck of her jacket, lifting her up with ease, much to Miyuki''s dismay. ¡°Ah! Unhand me at once! Damn it, Itzozu, we can¡¯t let this guy leave; he must pay for the sins of crossing us.¡± ¡°Sure we can. Just gotta leave before he catches us again.¡± Itzozu laughed, humorously, at Miyuki¡¯s attempt to resolve this situation, even if it was a much more difficult way. ¡°Huh!!? Then what happens if he does catch us?¡± Miyuki snaps back. ¡°Well ¡­ we¡¯ll find out if he does.¡± Itzozu winks. ¡°Oh! Right, Me and Asher found an SUV, which looked armoured too. If our getaway is broken, then this could be another way out.¡± Itzozu told the friends. ¡°That¡¯s our ticket. Let¡¯s get to it.¡± Elijah replied. Miyuki and Elijah followed Asher and Itzozu as they ran towards the location of the SUV. There were massive groups of people crowding all the streets. More strikes smashed into the streets, creating large pockets of smoke that blocked their vision. Raging fire swept the entire city, making it resemble more like hell than a city. People screamed and also ran in a futile attempt to escape the fire. The garage was right in their views; they desperately attempted to pry the door open, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. Miyuki kicked it as hard as possible, but it seemed like kicking wasn¡¯t working either. There was an electric keypad on the side of the door, which Elijah quickly noticed. ¡°I¡¯ll get it open,¡± Elijah decided as he walked to the other side of the garage. The keypad had a black and blue interface, like it was straight out of a 2000s sci-fi movie. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device that resembled a remote with a port. He shoved the remote into the lock; after a bunch of strange noises, it was unlocked. Elijah gave a slight laugh. ¡°Wha? Huh? Elijah, what is that?¡± Asher questioned. ¡°Honestly, I''m not sure myself. It¡¯s from an old friend. He said it could bypass electronics?¡± Elijah replied. ¡°Oh! It might be because they use a special crystal with a technique.¡± Asher confidently exclaimed. ¡°How the hell do you even know that?¡± Miyuki questioned. ¡°Ehehe, I had some free time in that apartment. It¡¯s a book called ¡®Electronics and Imbuement¡¯ if you''re interested!¡± Asher boasted, ¡°Nah.¡± Miyuki replied. ¡°Yeah, I should''ve expected that.¡± Asher sighed, defeated. ¡°No time for a little chat. Let¡¯s get outta here,¡± rushed Elijah. He pulled the device out of the keypad and gave the garage door a little knock. The garage opened immediately with a strong force. They all saw a cloud of dust escape; it was obvious that no one had been in here for a while. It was pitch black inside, the only light coming from Asher as she cast a light technique. They ventured deep within, each step echoing throughout the garage, every surface the light shone on was plastered with dust, a thick trail that left a collection of dust on your finger. As the orange, warm light slowly revealed small pockets of the room, they noticed several artefacts. Asher picked one up, feeling the ice-cold artefact in her hands. It was a golden book with various languages inscribed into the centre around a circle; the circle seemed to be an ancient interpretation of the world. ¡°Oooh! It¡¯s from the Saint Era¡­¡± She exclaimed before whispering. ¡°How on Vesta do you know that?!¡± Miyuki whispered back. ¡°This one here. It¡¯s El¡¯ Heilige, an ancient language spoken by Elves during the Saint Era.¡± Asher explained while pointing to the strange text. Asher had always been heavily into history. Her room was covered with stacks of history books that reached the roof. She had also been a publisher of a book with a new revelation about the Saint, a book called ¡°Alheit. The Saint¡¯s Truth,¡± which became a hit among the local cities in the northern lands. ¡°You sure know a lot¡­¡± Miyuki sighed, again looking at Asher as if she were a massive nerd. ¡°Hey!! I just read a lot of history, okay?!¡± Asher snapped back, and they both started shouting at each other, not making any coherent sense and instead devolving into a shouting match of petty insults. They both stopped when Itzozu tapped both of their shoulders. He pointed towards the ground; all three of them looked down to see a huge trail of wires; they twisted together and piled towards the end of the garage room. From the small light, they could make out that the wires didn''t have a discernible colour; each one seemed to be black or grey. Not so carefully, they approached the end of the room; there was a wooden door at the end with a trail of wires leading underneath and a strange blue glow emanating from under. Miyuki held her ear towards the door; she could make out several beeps and the sound of a fan. The sound resembled an old computer. With the grip of the handle, Elijah flung the door open, and he slowly peered into the room. It was completely covered in wires, like it was moss and vines growing. The room was tiny, with only enough room for a table and computer; the computer had fallen onto its side, caving into the table. They stepped into the room; each step creaked as they walked on the wires. Elijah leaned forward, cocking his head. He gave the computer an examination before coming to the conclusion it was from the 2000s. Elijah approached it even closer, carefully grabbing each side, his hands steady as he lifted it the correct way. It left out a loud thud as it slammed back onto the table, now in the correct rotation. The rest of the friends leaned into the computer; the computer was sending out a message in three languages. It was on repeat¡­ Who could this message be for? The computer made all sorts of noises like an analogue TV with a bad signal as it spewed out the same message. Time and time again. ¡°KEIKOKU, CNVR KZ HJK KK, ¡° Was the first part of the message, the start of it was in Soran, and then letters that didn¡¯t add up. The friends stared at each other before Miyuki spoke up. ¡°Keikoku means warning in Soran,¡± Miyuki educated the group. ¡°WHERE THE PORES OF VESTA LEAK, UPROOT, DRIP, AND WHERE THE MALICE SPREADS ITS VILE TRUTH¡± The rest of the message followed. ¡°Where the pores of Vesta leak, and where the malice spreads its vile truth¡­?¡± muttered Elijah, rereading the message. Suddenly, something clicked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that referring to the Zeno Disaster¡­?¡± Elijah wondered. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that. Sectaris got into hot shit in the 90s. Something happened; whatever it could¡¯ve been, they covered it up, and the entire city was evacuated, and no one could return. I heard about it while I was returning home for a vacation, Miyuki realised, recalling a bit of information from nearly 8 years ago. ¡°I don¡¯t recall it that well, but 5 years ago, there was an interview with a survivor of the Zeno Disaster. She said, and I quote: ¡®In my dreams¡­ In my vision, it¡¯s always there. I see that city, Zeno. It¡¯s where the malice spreads,¡¯ or something like that?¡± Elijah recalled. They put the small pieces of information together. ¡°So it was a signal to Zeno, and Keikoku means warning then¡­ Was this a warning before the Zeno Disaster happened?!¡± concluded Asher. The Zeno Disaster was a massive event that shocked the entire planet to the core, the evacuation of a city among the top 10 biggest. Millions of people were displaced. Yet there was never an answer as to why. Sure, theories and conspiracies had some standing in Sora, yet nothing was ever proven. It was a massive cover-up. Whatever happened that day, Sectaris knows the answers, and they may know how to reach Orion too. That long message that kept playing had abruptly stopped, right before the second part of it had been relayed. Instead, a new message took its place. In bright red text with an ominous glow that lit the entire room with a menacing red. ¡°Three cards to enter hell.¡± The message stated. There was nothing else, no new message; it did not even repeat the message. It was stuck there; it had burnt itself into the screen. An aura of dread penetrated the garage, as if whatever they decided, all paths would¡¯ve led to ¡°Hell,¡± whether it was actual hell or just a metaphor for the malice that was about to unfold. An uncontrollable fear set deep into their hearts, one that they could barely notice. They took a brief moment to piece together their thoughts. This warning was meant for Zeno, but the message now was an eerie, confused mess. This message didn¡¯t make sense like the others; it wasn¡¯t directed at the people like the other message. What good would telling random civilians to enter hell be? It was a message for someone else¡­ It was guiding them. ¡°It¡¯s Sectaris. An old friend was an ?rsen, the family that owns Sectaris¡­The major sites required three access cards held by three people to enter to prevent a breach or something. They even made the employees live at the sites.¡± Elijah confidently stated. ¡°Zeno was a major site. It could be pointing there.¡± Itzozu wondered to himself. ¡°Agh! Do we have to go to Sora? Y¡¯know I¡¯ve had a godawful time there!¡± Miyuki shouted, stamping one of her feet onto the ground. ¡°Sorry, Miyu, but if it¡¯s pointing to Zeno¡­ Not only could we uncover the truth, but maybe we could also get answers for Orion!¡± Asher reassured to no success. ¡°Yeah, ¡®course you¡¯d wanna ¡®uncover the truth,¡¯¡± mocked Miyuki. ¡°So we need three cards. Great, any idea who has them?¡± Itzozu asked. ¡°All I know is Dr. Grayson has one. He¡¯s one of those hotshot millionaires. He invested in Sectaris when they were founded, and, well¡­ Now he has a lot of disposable income and a keycard.¡± Elijah replied, sharing all the knowledge he could give. They all walked out of the room, not so carefully stepping on the wires, and they headed to where Itzozu found the SUV; it was fully black, with tinted windows that didn¡¯t dare to let light in. It was also incredibly armoured. Quickly, they all hopped into the SUV, not wanting to waste any more time as the revolution continued outside. Elijah carefully hotwired the vehicle, revving the engine as they made their high-speed getaway. As the vehicle picked up speed, it crashed through a gate, also destroying a sign that pointed to the palace. Everyone quickly darted out of the way of the killing machine. They spotted Julius outside. Miyuki rolled the window down with haste, waving to Julius. ¡°Haha!! We¡¯re out of your terrible place! Have with this revolution!¡± She shouted at him. She laughed like a maniac as his expression turned to a pure, burning anger. With that, they left Chthonia and joined back onto the road. Several hours had passed. The time was now three in the morning. All the friends wanted to sleep; Miyuki slouched in the car, her blue hair tangled in all sorts of ways with even heavier eye bags than normal. She gave a long yawn, which set off a chain reaction of yawns. Outside of the armoured behemoth was a small gas station, and there was Itzozu, who filled the vehicle with gas. There was also Asher, who had just walked out of the gas station holding various assortments of candy, chips, and other snacks. Somehow, Asher was the only one who didn¡¯t look like they were moments away from death. Nothing else was outside, no trees, no buildings. Just the highway, signs, and a random gas station. The bright, blinding light of the station seared into Miyuki¡¯s eyes. The signs pointed towards Rho¡¯vassa, a settlement in the Central Sanctuary on the border between the Eastern Union. Chapter 12 - The Riches of Silver Living in a luxury penthouse at the highest of skyscrapers was only something a few could dream of. Living in grandiose with a marbled entryway decorated with gold, maids at your every service, and the most prestigious wine in a virtually infinite supply. This was the life of Vas Sabry. His penthouse was decorated with gold and marble. With fine arts lining the walls, each painting was valued at six star coins, and he had dozens in his entryway. The entry stopped with a massive arch of marble, greeting everyone into the living space. Vas was on a leather couch, swirling wine in a clear glass. He looks over to the window, a single, massive window the size of a wall. The warm rays of sunshine illuminating his face, shining onto the couch. He takes a small sigh while taking in the majestic view. Buildings skyrise in a city surrounded by the harsh desert. It was an oasis in the cruel climate. That was Volara, the harshest country, surrounded by desert yet had carved out its own paradise. Valonia, the capital, was a major supply hub for the entirety of the planet, being the biggest city on the ¡®chokepoint.¡¯ The crossing between the eastern and western sides of the continent. The chokepoint was the small stretch that connected the two sides of the continent. It was a choke point in both geometry and culture. Volara sat right in the middle. The eastern side was modernised and had declining rates of technique casters, whilst the western side was more traditional with a strong basis in techniques. Volara, being in the middle, had a mixing bowl of culture, with the capital being on the eastern side. Valonia was named after an old neighbouring country; at first, there was ¡®The Kingdom of Volara¡¯ and ¡®The Draconic-Valonian Empire.¡¯ Then, following a union between the King and the Emperor, they formed the ¡®Kingdom of Volara-Valonia." Centuries had passed with dwindling power from Valonia, and eventually, the country was reformed to ¡®The Grand Republic of Volara¡¯ after The Grand Winter. There was a small chuckle that left Vas¡¯ mouth as he slammed his wine glass onto a table; it rang as it was hit against the table. His forehead twitched as a visible line appeared, as if it were an anger line in a cartoon. ¡°Serpent. Serpent. Serpent. Serpent! Goddamn you! I can¡¯t believe it. You sneaky little, little b-... Where the hell are you?!¡± Vas screamed out towards the window. His expression shifted from a refined, prestigious man to frantic and downright obsessed. He jumps out of his leather chair and frantically paces around the room, like a complete lunatic. His footsteps thud on the marbled ground. Truth be told, it was a horrible choice to have a marbled floor, the prime suspect of accidents. ¡°It¡¯s been years, my serpent. Years since I¡¯ve seen you! That damn smirk you gave me. You always thought you were better than me, and I never got the chance to prove you wrong; I wanted to wipe that smirk off your stupid face so damn badly.¡± Vas shouts into his window. Vas turns around, taking in the view of the warm sunset shining the calming, orange light onto the inside. He let out a small ¡°Ahh¡± of relief; two people walked in as he sighed, the sight of them boosting Vas¡¯ mood considerably. His eyes set onto two maids, wearing the classical black and white maid outfits you would see in the old times; they even had the frilly collar. With jet black, short hair. They were twins; the only discernible feature (apart from personality) is one had a red streak of hair and the other had a blue streak. ¡°Ahh, Illusion. I suppose by the fact you¡¯re here that everything is ready?¡± Vas asked the red-streaked person. ¡°Yes. Everything is ready for Sir Vas.¡± Illusion spoke in a monotone voice. Her voice was cold, cold to the point that Vas wondered if she could even feel anything. Illusion just did her job. ¡°Ahem.¡± Vas coughs into his hand, correcting his voice. ¡°Brief me on all the details. I can¡¯t be making a fool of myself.¡± Vas asked. ¡°Sir Vas. That doesn¡¯t make any sense. How do you brief someone with details? That¡¯s not a briefing¡­¡± Illusion responded, criticising Vas. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m sure you can¡ª Vas trailed off as he noticed Illusion¡¯s fierce glare. While Vas was a man of power, he wouldn¡¯t dare cross Illusion. Next to Serpent, Illusion was someone who Vas didn¡¯t want to see at their true power. ¡°Master. Our agents found several Rotbound cultists around the world. One of their harbingers even came out, which is worrying. Along with your friend. However, we¡¯ve lost track of your friend and the cultists. The situation escalated with reports that the Chthonia palace was besieged.¡± The blue streaked briefed Vas. ¡°The palace? That hasn¡¯t been attacked in a century! Combined with the Ruin of Lemora five years ago and the insurgency in Sora¡­ Gotta say, this world is heading to a dark place. This could be even worse than the Grand Winter.¡° Vas sighed, wondering why the world has reached its boiling point. His eyes drop down onto the floor, fiddling with a pen in his hand. There was an aura of uncertainty before a small smirk crept up his face. ¡°I see. I see,¡± he muttered. ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t handle, right?¡± Vas confidently concluded. ¡°Sir Vas. Aren¡¯t you forgetting about the Ruin of Lemora and how Foundation had to solve it because of our¡­ issues? Illusion coldly brought the harsh truth. ¡°Gah! Well¡­ Wait! That was out of our jurisdiction. Isn¡¯t the eastern continent the Federation¡¯s jurisdiction?¡± Vas replies. ¡°We have a headquarters in Edessa.¡± Illusion brought the final blow to Vas, who could only mutter out. ¡°Ah¡­ I forgot about that.¡± He slumped down, defeated. Warm rays of the sunset had begun to fade as the sun went below a skyscraper, clouding the penthouse in darkness. ¡°That¡¯s the Imperia Shard... Built a few months ago, and it blocks my goddamn view!¡± Vas shouts out. ¡°Though, I guess it¡¯s a nice reminder that there¡¯s still higher to climb.¡± Vas sighed. ¡°Delusion. Summon the others.¡± Vas asked as Delusion sprinted out of the room. He stared profoundly as she quickly exited the room. He heard a faint ¡°As you wish¡± echo throughout the living space. 2. It was now a few hours later; the sun had completely set, leaving Volara in complete darkness. The intense heat of the desert had now flipped to a frigid breeze. Vas and his accomplices were in a different room, the meeting room, after they assembled all their agents. The meeting room was much the same as the penthouse, with marble and gold decorating every surface. On the wall behind Vas was a logo; the logo was a sword and a gun in a silver pattern. Below the logo was writing that said ¡°Silver Bullet.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. In the centre of the room was a massive table, with a slightly higher chair reserved for Vas. Every seat was filled but one. On the table was a map of the world, along with dozens of chess pieces, scattered and fallen. This was Silver Bullet¡¯s headquarters, located not that far away from Vas¡¯ penthouse. Silver Bullet, the rival to Foundation. They were an assassin company, taking the jobs for the western side of the continent under the ¡®VISC Agreement of Grey Companies¡¯ to prevent warfare between companies. Silver Bullet¡¯s headquarters was in fact very silver. With trophies of the same metal lining the walkway. Their meeting table had a thin line of silver run across the wood, making it feel even more prestigious. That was until Vas decided to help himself by propping his feet onto the table. Illusion gave him the deepest glare ever, as if she were staring into the very contents of his soul; judging by her face, Vas knew that whatever she was thinking, it was not a nice thought about him. He jumped and quickly shoved his foot back onto the ground; he thought that might¡¯ve got Illusion off his back, but she was still staring, wide-eyed, at him. ¡°You¡¯re making the table dirty,¡± she sternly stated. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Vas could only mutter out. Vas stacked some papers onto the table and attempted to talk. His voice was scratchy and not menacing in the slightest. After a series of coughs, he let out. ¡°Ahem¡­ My throat is a little dry; can I get some water?¡± Vas asked one of his maids, who swiftly brought out a jug of juice. After a brief moment of drinking and incessantly organising his papers, he begins the meeting. ¡°Greetings, Silver Bullet agents! It''s been a wild ¡­ No, crazy two weeks! Let¡¯s start with the report.¡± Vas declared. Massive piles of paper were plopped down onto the desk. There must¡¯ve been a hundred at the minimum. Vas sighed, knowing it''s going to be a long, long meeting. ¡°First. Let¡¯s talk about the biggest issue, the Rotbound group taking the Chthonia palace. This means that currently, the cultists control the entirety of the city-state. Taking last week¡¯s report with the cultists gathering in Rhoholm into consideration¡­It¡¯s clear they¡¯re making their move.¡± stated Vas. ¡°Secondly, by the empty chair I think you can think of what I''m gonna say. Foundation killed Siren. She left us with a single message¡­Illusion, play the message.¡± Vas broke the news. On the opposite side to Vas was a small voice recording inside a crystal ball. ¡°The Silent Assailant is back.¡± The voice recording ended just like that, with the crystal ball shattering after she finished speaking. Illusion slammed her hands onto the table. ¡°No¡­ No way! He¡¯s been missing for years¡­ How is that wretched being back!¡± She shouted erratically. ¡°That¡¯s not like you, Illusion,¡± Vas thought, looking at her expression. It was unlike anything he had seen before; she was infuriated. They all could hear scraping as Illusion grinded her teeth together. She realised they noticed, and with a single cough, she returned to her usual self. ¡°And it sounds like he¡¯s still loyal to the Foundation.¡± Vas replied. ¡°Who is the Silent Assailant?¡± Delusion asked. Vas¡¯ mouth quivered; he didn¡¯t expect someone not to know who he was; after all, he was the most wanted agent. His mouth quivered as memories of him flooded his memory. ¡°He was the highest regarded agent. His name, ¡°Silent Assailant,¡± wasn¡¯t a title given out for free. He was silent, undetectable... Invisible for fuck''s sake! No one could stop him, and no one could predict him. He was feared by most and revered by all agents, but then... . the fucker disappeared, ironically without a trace. That is the Silent Assailant. Some say that he was just a myth, but I¡¯ve met the guy¡­¡± Vas revealed. Vas leaned towards the table, gazing at the chessboard in the centre. He took one of the queens and slammed it down with a rook. ¡°And I¡¯ll crush him.¡± Vas asserted while knocking the rook down. There was a stern expression painted on Vas¡¯ face as he was in deep thought. He leaned back into his chair, only two chair legs on the ground, teetering on the edge of falling off his chair. ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± He said as he touched the ground with all four chair legs. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Very, very long time, but we¡¯ve got a report that Serpent is back,¡± Vas told the group. ¡°Sir. You talk about this ¡®Serpent¡¯ incessantly, but you¡¯ve never explained to us who they are.¡± Illusion questions him. ¡°She was someone I looked up to fondly. Jet black hair, wearing a black haori, and her left arm that was armoured with metal. She was a divine knight. We met and fought alongside each other during the war. I¡¯m pretty sure she was insane; that creepy smile still gives me goosebumps.¡± Vas explained. ¡°If I may, the same report that confirmed the Rotbound in Chthonia has also confirmed the Serpent¡¯s presence. She was in Chthonia during the siege.¡± Delusion added, she brought a map to the table. Her finger trailed around the map before landing on Chthonia. ¡°We do not know Serpent¡¯s and the Silent Assassin¡¯s whereabouts. All the information we¡¯ve gathered only points us towards the palace. It could be possible that both of them are working for Rotbound¡ª Delusion continues before being interrupted. Vas whiles his hand while giving a slight cough. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t. Silent is too loyal to Foundation, and Serpent would never join a cult. It¡¯s more realistic to say that she¡¯s working alone.¡± Vas refuted. ¡°Well, suppose the reports are over. Any thoughts or questions?¡± He asked, stretching his arms on the table. One of the agents on the far left took off a gas mask. They had long, flowing hair that nearly reached the ground. Their eyes were kind, and they carried themselves as a courteous man. They had a small black heart underneath their left eye and birthmarks all over their arms. ¡°Ahh~ Dear Vas, do you actually believe we can beat the Assailant? You do know how bloody that encounter was, hm?¡± The man interrogated. ¡°Hysunsoo, times have changed. Back then, we were a small company barely scraping by. I was drowning in debt. But now, we¡¯re a massive company. By beating him directly, or in a war of attrition, we won¡¯t lose to him again.¡± This man was Hyunsoo, one of the long-standing agents of Silver Bullet. He typically used poisons and chemical weapons. He often forgets to take the gas mask off. ¡°Hmm, we still have the VISC agreement. Prohibiting company wars makes our work much harder. Legally, we all aren¡¯t allowed to work in the same countries as¡ª¡±¡°I see. You intend to lure the assailant to a neutral country? What a crafty loophole.¡± Hyunsoo continues; he moves towards the map, pointing at the central sanctuary. ¡°Legally speaking, neither us nor Foundation operate in the sanctuary. Meaning that in the eye of the VISC, we are perfectly allowed to fight Assailant. A perfectly calculated plan, dear Vas.¡± Hyunsoo proposed. ¡°I feel like you made that plan.¡± Vas quietly trailed. Vas jolted out of his chair, opting to use the remaining time of the meeting to stand. ¡°He worked for Foundation back then. Still seems that way. We should be cautious moving forward. The Silent Assailant isn''t someone we want to mess with in the meantime. We¡¯ll prepare for him, and when he¡¯s in the sanctuary, we¡¯ll strike.¡± Vas declares. Delusion walks over to Vas with a silver tray; on the tray was another bottle of wine along with a glass. Vas pops the cork off and pours himself a glass; he swirls it around before sipping it. ¡°What¡¯s even weirder¡­ Serpent and Silent both coming back at the same time too. They¡¯ve even been spotted not far from each other.¡± Vas mumbles, just barely being heard by Illusion. ¡°Are you suggesting that they are working together?¡± Illusion asked. ¡°Correct. 100 points. I can¡¯t believe Serpent would work with our rival. She could¡¯ve worked for me, damn it!¡± Vas strops. His face truly looked defeated. ¡°You don¡¯t actually hate Serpent, do you, Vas?¡± Delusion questioned. ¡°Tch, not the point. We have a long score to settle from the war.¡± Vas stated. The meeting concluded with that. The new plan is to settle two scores, a company one with defeating Assailant and a personal one with Serpent. Slowly, the meeting room emptied, leaving a small eerie breeze in its place. Eventually, Vas was the only one left in the room with his own thoughts. ¡°We can assume from this report that they were specifically targeting the palace. This coincides with an earlier report¡­ about three months ago when N¡¯saka was hit by them. The question now stands: What was Serpent doing there? He thinks to himself. His eyes trail down, but something clicked inside his head. ¡°Man, all this thinking¡­ I¡¯m made for the battlefield. For the fight and the command. Not for sitting in a cosy room drinking wine and giving out orders from comfort! Huh, life really has become much more boring¡­ Just wait until I find you, Serpent. Then the real fun can begin!¡± Vas declares. Vas decided to carry on, to find Serpent, and spill out his true feelings. The journey for Silver Bullet will be rocky, but like the other years, they shall prevail. Chapter 13 - Secrets that Lurk Below I ¡°Huff¡± ¡°Ahh¡± were the noises that Vas was emanating; he lifted the bar with all his might. Eventually, after a couple of reps, he puts the bar back onto the holder and takes a deep breath. The time was early morning; the sun had just risen, and yet Vas was already working out in his home gym. For him, he didn¡¯t like wasting time sleeping; he was an active man and didn¡¯t enjoy lazing about in bed. With only a brief rest, he gets up from his bench and grabs another plate. He jumps slightly, feeling the freezing cold metal. Usually, Vas sets the air con to max ready for the morning, but he might¡¯ve made it too cold. Baring through the cold, he loads more plates onto the bar, eventually reaching 120 kg. His gym gave off the cosiest part of the house, which doesn¡¯t make his case any better. Inside the gym was a window looking out to the opposite side of Valonia, untainted from a skyscraper. His gym was the only room that didn¡¯t give the feeling of a hospital waiting room. Vas lies back down onto the bench and begins lifting the new weight; he is midway through the push when someone opens the door to the gym. Their footsteps were quiet like a mouse. Vas began worrying about who it was but continued lifting the bar. ¡°Sir Vas, we have an urgent client,¡± Illusion stated, breaking Vas¡¯ worry with now an even bigger threat. Vas¡¯ expression soured; his face gave off the words, ¡°I¡¯m busy,¡± but Illusion¡¯s face was much more terrifying than his. ¡°Cool, yeah, another client. Can¡¯t you see I''m in the middle of something?! This company is taking all my damn time up!! Can¡¯t Hyun take the deal? I don¡¯t pay him extra for nothing... Vas rants to Illusion. ¡°This client is too important; only you can authorise it. Perhaps it¡¯s time to retire?¡± Illusion smirks. Vas looked at her, without an expression, just looking blank-faced at her. Vas takes another deep breath and makes the final push to the bar holder. They connect and free him from the multitasking of lifting and speaking. He takes a final deep breath as sweat drips from his hair and forehead. ¡°No way, I¡¯m only 22 y¡¯know? I won¡¯t be retiring until we at least win Edessa over.¡± ¡°They swore allegiance to Foundation; I doubt that¡¯ll ever happen.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Vas clapped. Vas¡¯ ideals were always known to the whole of Silver Bullet. It was the first company he founded and one founded from nothing but a pure ideal. It was his treasure, and Vas wouldn¡¯t let it go until it reached all corners of the world and built a monolith. That was his goal. Illusion briefly walked out, leaving Vas to his thoughts. He looked outside, the blistering heat that made the air wavy, the endless spiralling city. ¡°Valonia is an amazing city,¡± he thought, and there was a knock at the door as Illusion appeared at the door. ¡°So long as VISC is around,¡± he mutters. Illusion returns with a hand towel, which Vas promptly uses. Brief moments of silence were broken by the occasional cough or deep breath until Vas broke the silence. ¡°Who¡¯s our client?¡± he asked. Upon Vas asking, Illusion gave him a concerned look and averted her gaze to the floor. He was concerned too, worrying as this was another side that he never saw of her. Her mouth quivered as he softly began to speak. ¡°...Cathodic Electronics,¡± she muttered. Whatever it was, Vas also was now worried; he leaned forward, interlocking his own hands. He gave an exasperated laugh, one that only made it more concerning. The air fell stagnant as an aura of suspense could be felt. ¡°Hah¡­That company? Hiring us.¡± Vas let out a fake laugh, his expression still sour. It was incomprehensible. Cathodic Electronics was a conglomerate company with a monopoly over electricity. They routinely ranked in the top ten biggest companies. ¡°Haah¡­We¡¯re in deep shit, Illusion. Cathodic, one of the biggest companies, who definitely has their own team, hiring us? What I said in that meeting yesterday was true¡­We¡¯re at the cliff. Only one more step and we fall into chaos.¡± Vas stressed. Illusion gives a slight smile, a genuine smile. ¡°A good analogy, Sir Vas,¡± she says. Trying to make the situation even just slightly better. He got up from the bench, throwing his Silver Bullet uniform on haphazardly. ¡°What¡¯s the job?¡± he asked while tidying up his clothes. He walks out of the gym with Illusion following. ¡°Cathodic Electronics is employing us to raid an armament facility; they have not disclosed who it belongs to. They described our job as ¡®Leave nothing, burn it to the ground if you have to.¡¯ They¡¯re paying about five times our regular rate.¡± She briefed, making sure to hammer in the five times part. Vas was drinking water as Illusion explained; he spat out all the contents of his mouth as he heard ¡°five times the regular rate.¡± ¡°Hell yeah!! Who cares about morals when you¡¯re getting money? Five times the amount is perfect; we¡¯ll take the job.¡± ¡°Sir Vas is greedy.¡± ¡°You also get paid more, though¡­?¡± He walks outside of the gym, being greeted with a hallway that was reminiscent of a white room. With the help of Illusion, his clothes looked less like they were thrown on and more tidy; it made him truly look like a professional. His outfit was a black and silver yukata, with a rope tied around his waist and a sheath attached to his hip. There was a silver bullet emblem on his yukata. 2. Vas arrives at the towering building. It dwarfed all the other buildings in sight, clouding the street in an eternal darkness. The only light was the entrance, having a slight illumination from the company''s logo, a mockery to the people. This was the backstreet of Neosaka, the highest-density city in the world and home to Cathodic Electronics. Neosaka was known as a sprawling city of rats, the disgusting hygiene, and the eternal darkness from the towering buildings. Although he was shaking from worry, he swallowed all his fears in one single gulp and walked towards the entrance. Each step, he couldn''t help but feel he was walking closer to the cliff he mentioned earlier. The entrance was a stark contrast to the backstreets; the floor was carpeted red with gold symbols embroidered into it in a spiral pattern. Chandeliers decorated the roof, illuminating the inside with an almost cosy atmosphere. ¡°This is supposed to be an electricity company?¡± Vas thought to himself. The temperature inside was a soothing warmth. Various heaters lined across the wall. Whatever this company was, something was up. It was clear to pretty much everyone that each major company held some secret, one so big and dark that they buried it under layers and layers in hope they wouldn¡¯t get uncovered. He walked up towards a reception desk; there was a man standing patiently, his eyes were watching Vas since he walked in. ¡°Welcome to Cathodic Electronics! How may we help?¡± He greeted Vas. Vas leaned closer into the receptionist, ¡°Here for the contract.¡± He almost whispered towards him. In case they didn¡¯t believe him, Vas held up a peculiar pendant; it was made from silver and had a ¡°X¡± in the middle. Below was writing: ¡°In association with the VISC law, we hereby declare ¡®Silver Bullet¡¯ a legitimate bounty corporation.¡± The receptionist stared at Vas for a moment and back at the pendant; he could see as the receptionist started sweating, realising how long he had stared for. They pressed a button on the desk. ¡°Silver Bullet is here,¡± was what the receptionist spoke. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. In several minutes, Vas was now inside a dark room; no, the better word to describe it would be a black room. It wasn¡¯t dark, as there was a light in the centre; instead, the walls were a strange material. It wasn¡¯t just painted. It was darker than dark itself. ¡°Greetings, Vas Sabry, we¡¯ve been notified about your presence and your company. You show promising signs as an emerging power; thus, we¡¯ve granted an opportunity for a contract.¡± Someone stated. Vas could see figures in front of him but couldn¡¯t make out any features; he didn¡¯t dare to step out of line. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m honored.¡± Vas thanked, with a questionable tone. ¡°To explain fully, we have a problem with another company, and our team is currently dealing with external threats. We need you to go and destroy this factory; this should suffice in halting their operations.¡± The person explained. ¡°So what¡¯s the pay like?¡± Vas asked. ¡°A normal question. We know working for us will put a lot of pressure and stress on you, so we¡¯re willing to pay 33 stars and 5 platinum coins. We¡¯re also providing you with the Cathodic Authority.¡° The person answered. They extended their arm; a blue crystal necklace was hanging from their wrist, and they signalled Vas to take it. He did, feeling the cold chain in his grip. The necklace was heavy, shockingly heavy. The crystal glowed a bright blue as he held it up to his eye. ¡°You¡¯re giving me the authority?!¡± Vas shouted, ¡°The Cathodic Authority, that allows the user to control the very flow, the very charge of electricity? I mean, I¡¯ll take it, but this is something you can''t, like, give away!¡± Vas shouted yet again. ¡°Save your lecture. It¡¯s a one-time use; this crystal will shatter after a single use, so make sure it''s something worthy. That is all; you may leave.¡± The person answered, demanding (albeit politely) to leave. Vas lands back in Valonia after a series of connecting flights. Due to the ongoing war between Sora and Volara, infrastructure and travel between the two are non-existent. This means that for someone like Vas, he has to fly to Eluthorn and then go from Eluthorn to Sora, adding pointless hours of flights. When he arrives back at his house, he takes an old radio, one that was made in the 2000s. ¡°We have a contract; meet me at my house,¡± he told me through the radio. The quality was atrocious; Vas could only hope someone could decipher what he was saying through it. ¡°Why do you still use that junk?¡± Illusion asked, ¡°It¡¯s from the war, the same exact one I used. I like it; it holds memories, y¡¯know?¡± Vas answered; Illusion didn¡¯t expect an answer like that from him of all people. After half an hour, the entirety of the main Silver Bullet team had amassed. The main team had only six members, Hyunsoo, the chemical agent. Fumiko, the hacking agent. Nico, the technique agent. Illusion and Delusion, the two maid agents, and Vas, the leader. It was an incredibly competent team, each of whom had their own specialities. They were all located inside the main hall; it was a grand room that reminded people of an old cathedral. Apart from the gym room, it was the only other one that was tolerable. There was a spiral staircase leading to the second floor and a massive stage at the end. It screamed more royal than rich. ¡°So. We¡¯ve been contracted by Cathodic¡ª Vas explained before he was cut off; everyone started screaming and shouting the moment they heard Cathodic being mentioned strangely; Hyunsoo stayed silent. ¡°W-What? Cathodic, THE Cathodic? Who are we fighting, the military?!¡± Nico shouted. ¡°The end times are here. We¡¯re so dead¡­¡± Fumiko joined in on the shouting. Vas took a sigh, seeing the discontent in his own team. He unsheathed his sword and slammed his sword against the wall. ¡°Shit, probably shouldn¡¯t have done that¡­¡± He thought, seeing the mark on the wall. All that did was cause more confusion between the team. As they wondered why on vesta would even do that. ¡°We¡¯re breaching this factory.¡± Vas pointed at a map, detailing the surroundings; the factory was located in Aledsia, a district of Edsa. Aledsia was once the biggest district but now has fallen behind, becoming the outskirts of the city. ¡°We haven¡¯t been disclosed as to who the factory belongs to. We¡¯ve just been told to destroy it.¡± Vas finished the briefing. With the entire team now notified, they set off towards the factory in the late night. Vas ultimately decided that he wouldn¡¯t tell the rest of Silver Bullet that he got the Cathodic Authority; for something so important, he knew it would be best if they didn¡¯t know. ¡°Well then, LET''S GOOOOO!!!¡± Vas shouted. 2. Nighttime fell onto the streets of Edsa; the air was cold, and the wind softly blew across the city. They were outside, trees, abandoned buildings, and a single path in front of them. This path was illuminated by flickering lanterns; some lanterns were even broken. At the end of the path was an ominous factory, completely dark. ¡°Okay, okay, yeah, we¡¯re dying today. This could not be more weird.¡± Vas responded to the terrifyingly creepy atmosphere. ¡°They dragged us here just to execute us!!¡± Nico shouted. ¡°Shut it. You¡¯re not helping my anxiety!¡± Vas shouted back. He gave Nico a slight push, though from the way Nico acted, you would¡¯ve thought that Vas had shoved him with all his might. ¡°You don¡¯t even have anxiety?!¡± Nico fought back. ¡°Cathodic Electronics¡­ Never thought I¡¯d be doing something for them again,¡± Hyunsoo randomly commented. The rest of Silver Bullet were perplexed by what Hyunsoo had just said; they specifically highlighted the ¡°again¡± part in their brain. ¡°A-again? You mean you¡¯ve worked for these guys before?!¡± Fumiko questioned, no, demanded an answer. ¡°Ahh. It was a long time ago, something not to dwell on. I just ask dear Vas, let¡¯s not just trust them so willingly; they¡¯re parasites after all.¡° Hyunsoo asked Vas. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, remembering his conversation with that strange man, the authority, and the building that was odd¡­ ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll even launch an investigation with Eyes. Even I think this situation is crazy.¡± Vas replied, reassuring Hyunsoo. As they approached the factory, the aura of it got more and more intense, like it was dragging them towards it. There was a heavy pressure that could be felt by the entirety of Silver Bullet. Slowly, they opened the door into the factory; the heavy metal crashed and scraped against the floor. It revealed a sparkling clean factory with no one inside. There was no one, not even a trace, and yet it was fully operational. ¡°Odd.¡± Vas thought as he looked around. What made this factory even stranger, stranger than it working without any personnel, was the fact that there was no company logo, nor was there any name that associates the factory with someone. It was like the memory of this factory was rubbed out. Combined with the pounding sense of doom, it became clear to Silver Bullet that this was no ordinary factory. ¡°Did something happen here? A- Are we walking into a death trap?¡± Fumiko asked. ¡°I remember this. Though, I thought they weren¡¯t around anymore¡­¡± Hyunsoo trailed. ¡°And w¡ªwho is that?¡± Fumiko asked. ¡°Mm~ I don¡¯t remember much; after all, it was before The Grand Winter. But there was a company that reached another world. ¡®Mirro Assembly¡¯ was the name. They were the biggest company at the time, but something went wrong, and they fell. While this isn¡¯t ¡®Mirror Assembly,¡¯ this factory is in a state of stasis much like they were.¡± Hyunsoo provided valuable information. Hyunsoo was the oldest out of all of them; he left a lot more questions to the Silver Bullet members, like The Grand Winter and Mirro Assembly. However, many of those questions would go unanswered apart from one. ¡°I suppose you guys wouldn¡¯t remember it. It was a depressive moment in history where every market crashed. It was a bad time.¡± Hyunsoo replied to a question asked by Fumiko. To the left of Silver Bullet was their rival, Foundation, who was there. All of the agents plus Phi were staring at them, ready to fight. ¡°Where is Silent?¡± Vas asked, demanding an answer immediately. He wouldn¡¯t let history repeat itself. That guy? He¡¯s been gone for a while¡­Aren¡¯t you getting old, losing your memory?¡± Phi laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t kid me. You¡¯re like double my age. Regardless, Silver Bullet isn¡¯t just a bounty company like you. We¡¯re also an intelligence agency; we know everything, and we sure as hell know he¡¯s back.¡° Vas laughed back, taking pride in all of his achievements. ¡°Huh? You always d-ride his name, get it out of your mouth, ahaha! You used to always say to yourself that he was undetectable.¡± Phi leans closer. ¡°He¡¯s undetectable. What makes you think you can find him?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Vas muttered as he was taken aback; he didn¡¯t expect to be beaten by Phi mentally. He grinded his teeth and muttered, ¡°Deny it all you want; I know.¡± While he made sure she could hear it. ¡°If I may,¡± Illusion requests, and Vas drops his arm down, allowing Silver Bullet to proceed. He gives a slight nod to indicate that Illusion should speak. ¡°It may not be our business, but why are you here?¡± Illusion asks. ¡°W- We were contracted by ?rsen Recovery; they asked us to fill in for their guards¡­¡± Thorn stammered out; everyone could tell he was slightly afraid; his hands trembled. ¡°Ahh, what a conundrum; we were contracted to raid this facility.¡± Hyunsoo laughs before pulling Vas to the side. ¡°I can tell. They¡¯re not real.¡± Hyunsoo whispers into his ear. The moment Hyunsoo notified Vas of this situation. Foundation immediately attacked the other Silver Bullet members. As if Vas and Hyunsoo were heroes, they jumped into the fight. It was clear that Foundation didn¡¯t want to talk any longer. Hyunsoo held up a spear towards Thorn; he looked scared, but there was a faint sense of determination emanating from him. Hyunsoo charged at Thorn, just barely scraping him. Thorn responded with his own technique, which captured Hyunsoo. Nico fought the agent known as Rose. It was a battle that no one could understand; Nico didn¡¯t fight with any weapon; instead, they used exclusively techniques. Nico muttered, ¡°Essence Technique, Rapture,¡± and then a giant blade rose from the ground, impaling Rose. No blood, though¡­ Fumiko and Zeus were fighting with all their might. Zeus dodged all the electronics Fumiko was throwing at him while Zeus charged his lightning. There was a loud, crashing sound that alerted all of the agents. All of the agents, both Foundation and Silver, were stopped in their tracks as a giant parasite burst through the door. This parasite was massive, the very behemoth of a monster, and it put an end to their fights. Chapter 14 - Secrets that Lurk Below II As if time itself had stopped dead in its tracks, all the agents shifted their gaze towards the towering, monstrously tall parasite. It didn¡¯t waste a single second and immediately lashed out. The crash of metal reverberated in everyone¡¯s ear as the parasite rampaged across the factory, ripping tubes and slamming its deformed fists into the assembly lines. No one knew what this parasite was doing here and especially didn¡¯t know how to subdue it. Suddenly, the parasite shifted its ideal: its bubbling black flesh grew more human features, sprouting human-like teeth across its disgusting mass; it grew mouths where its stomach would¡¯ve been and large, piercing horns protruding from each joint. Its many eyes looked directly at Vas; each eye was a different colour: one was blue, another was black, and the other colours were orange and green. They all stared at Vas; their eyes were like a whirlpool of shapes. ¡°Right, this isn''t ideal!!¡± Vas shouted as the parasite charged towards him; he narrowly avoided getting hit the first time with a well-timed dodge¡­ However, he wasn¡¯t as lucky the second time. Before Vas could react, the parasite hits him yet again. Hyunsoo led a charge against the parasite along with the rest of Silver Bullet; he weaved through each of the attacks made by the parasite with elegance, eventually driving his spear into its bubbling flesh. Hyunsoo was skilled in martial arts; he was trained by his family from a young age. However, what set him apart from the others was his skills in making poisons; though called ¡®poison,¡¯ it was more like a corrosive essence. As he drove through the parasite''s flesh, it gave extreme resistance, desperately attempting to hold the spear off. However, with one final push of his strength, he drove it through, creating a puncture, then, the spear starting leaking the corrosive substance. Hyunsoo¡¯s spear has a small opening on the tip and has a container on the handle; this allows his spear to inject the corrosion. ¡°YOU!!!¡± The parasite screamed as it writhed around in pain. ¡°This one can speak?!¡± Vas stared in disbelief. The parasite slammed around even more, getting enraged. Spirals and more shapes appeared in his eyes as they all changed to a bloodshot red. He stares at the carnage unfolding before him, the exhausted team starting to struggle against the parasite. ¡°Hah, 5 against 1 and we¡¯re still losing¡­¡± Vas gets up after he was hit. He gave his arm a slight move, but a searing pain prevented him from moving his arms. ¡°Shit arm day...¡± It was a losing battle. Like what Hyunsoo said, while they did look like them, Vas realised that certainly didn¡¯t hold the same power. Usually, Silver Bullet and Foundation reach a complete tie with each agent being down, yet this time they beat Foundation completely. The parasite stood taller and roared; its roar was extremely high-pitched, causing them to hold their ears in pain. It charged at Foundation, crushing their agents under its mass. Pools of blood underneath were expected, but nothing was there; they disappeared. Nothing added up. He considers his options; sure, he could attempt to kill the parasite with his team, but judging from their appearances, they couldn¡¯t fight any longer. He also couldn¡¯t rely on Foundation as they vanished. That¡¯s when he made his decision. He would subdue the parasite himself. Leaving the clean-up for the after team. ¡°The cleanup can deal with the aftermath. We¡¯ve got to restrain this piece of¡ª¡± Vas states before he gets interrupted by the parasite hurling a piece of mass towards him. The mass writhed and spread like slime mold. Then it formed new parasites. Vas gets his radio out. ¡°Requesting After Team and Medical,¡± he requested. ¡°We¡¯re done here; return back. I¡¯ll restrain it; the rest can be left for the after team,¡± Vas told the rest of Silver Bullet. Silver Bullet and Foundation were similar companies. Both were primarily assassination companies working under a loophole of ¡°bounty hunting¡±, but there were two differences that set them aside. Silver Bullet had an intelligence agency named ¡°Silver Eyes,¡± but the bigger difference was that Silver Bullet was much more organised. Unlike Foundation, Silver Bullet had a before and a clean-up team for the larger jobs. In terms of profit, they were both similar in size, but Silver Bullet secured a much bigger fund from government offices in Volara. The After and Before team were vital to Silver Bullet; not only does the after team provide the cleanup, but they provide compensation to those affected. It was an easy way to grow a better reputation. The Before team was also just as important. Their job was to scout out the location and collaborate with any third parties before the main force arrived. ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll retreat immediately. Don¡¯t let it be too loose.¡± Illusion smiled as she escorted everyone back. Vas didn¡¯t have his samurai mask like last time, but he still had his sword, the black hilt reflecting the amber light of the factory; he gazed into his reflection and smiled back. ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± He flicked his sword down, eyes dead set towards the parasite. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Gotta lock in,¡± he muttered to himself. With a slash of his sword and a gun in his grip, each parasite was easily sliced in half as he ran towards the parasite. It threw a barrage of punches, but he easily dodged them by running underneath; he ran up towards the parasite, his sword cutting through the main one. ¡°Best way to kill these things is their brain... I believe,¡± Vas said as he strikes through the head. Vas considered his battle plan for the parasite for a moment. While he had the Cathodic Authority, he decided to save it for when it¡¯s truly needed. Vas believed he could beat the parasite without using the one-time authority. Spinning the shiny gun, he shoves it into the parasite¡¯s head and then pulls the trigger several times. Blasting it in the head. He dropped back onto the ground after having wrestled with the parasite. ¡°Yeah, to be expected.¡± He sighed as he gazed at the parasite. All its injuries had been healed before Vas could even see to his dismay. Its flesh started to harden, becoming even bulletproof, thanks to Vas shooting immediately. He held up a bullet, a shiny gold and silver bullet with ¡°Carve your own mark into this world¡± carved into the bullet in minuscule writing. These words were not only carved into the bullet but had also carved themselves into his own heart. He carried these words truly. In one move, he throws the bullets in the air, watching them as they slowly fall in slow motion. He unloads his gun and catches the bullet into his magazine. ¡°Swap.¡± Vas mutters. Upon the mention of those words, his whole demeanour changed. Vas¡¯ technique was able to ¡°swap¡± things; the most common use for it is swapping techniques by wearing different masks. It was a powerful technique as it didn¡¯t lock Vas to a singular technique like most people. Vas took his mask off and then delivered a powerful blow. Vas formulated a strategy in his head after seeing what the parasite was capable of; its regeneration made regular attacks pointless, and it was also difficult to reach its head due to its behemoth size. He decided the best plan was to bring its head to the ground. The best way of doing this was to collapse the second floor onto the parasite, hopefully immobilising it. This plan was built on hopes, but Vas knew that he could count on the after team¡¯s impressive teamwork to assist him if he so failed. With the plan inside of his head, he got to work. There were several pillars across the factory holding the second floor up, plus, according to the contract. They were to destroy this place, which means that destroying the second floor would only help their case. ¡°Boss, the after team is scheduled for thirty minutes. Should we deploy The Classified?¡± Someone on the radio came through. ¡°Nah, it costs more than I''m willing to spend to use it,¡± Vas replied. ¡°Gotcha, I¡¯ll notify the after team.¡± Silver Bullet was holding onto a classified technology that they appropriately named ¡°The Classified.¡± Only Vas and the agents of all teams knew about it; not even the investors of Silver knew it, and VISC especially didn¡¯t know. Vas ran towards one of the pillars, the closest one and also the conveniently cracked one, and he delivered a devastating blow to it. The pillar crumbled upon the impact; the metallic material of the second floor creaked as it dropped closer to the ground. The parasite let out a monstrous roar, shaking the entire factory. It charges at Vas again; without time to dodge, he takes the full force of the impact. It hurled him into another pillar. Vas¡¯ struggles to get back up after the stress his back was put under. He was forced to sprint away despite the searing pain as the next pillar began to crack, eventually collapsing into the ground, dropping the second floor closer to the parasite. ¡°Four more.¡± He muttered. For just a moment, it stopped moving and closed its eyes, giving Vas a chance to scan his surroundings. There were four more pillars left, and then hopefully the second floor would collapse. This factory still felt off to him, like time was moving at an ever-so-slightly off speed, not slow enough to feel a difference, just to realise that something is wrong. Vas realised something as he looked closer: the assembly lines don¡¯t have machinery on them. This ¡®factory¡¯ cannot produce anything. ¡°So it¡¯s a decoy, was it?¡± Vas muttered as the dots clicked. ¡°I see, Cathodic wanted us to come here to kill the parasite. When we killed ¡®Foundation,¡¯ they only bled the same colour as the parasite, so there were also parasites disguising themselves as humans¡­ Filth.¡± He continued, relaying the same information into his head. ¡°Essence Technique, Diverging Change.¡± Vas mutters yet again as he holds up his gun towards the still-stagnant parasite. Combining his technique with the fire of his gun creates a supercharged bullet as the bullet swaps along with Vas¡¯ technique. It easily ripped through the parasite¡¯s flesh, even burning the wound. Vas intended to swap to the burning technique; if he could cauterise the parasite¡¯s wound, then it would prevent regeneration. It worked magically; the parasite began to writhe and cry as it roared with all its might. ¡°Sayonara, Parasite!¡± Vas shouted as he began sprinting for the other pillars; he used this as a prime opportunity to destroy the remaining pillars. As if it were a cartoon chase sequence, the parasite began running in tow with Vas. Eventually, with one last strike of his sword, the last pillars crumbled. The entirety of the second floor began to fall, trapping the behemoth underneath it. Vas began to laugh as he walked up to it. ¡°Heh. Size isn¡¯t the only thing that matters; it¡¯s the power too.¡± He says to the five-meter parasite. He delivers the final strike to its brain by plunging the sword deep inside and pulling it out, with the brain attached to the sword. He laughed yet again, taking pride in what he had accomplished, but then he noticed something: the parasite was still looking at him¡­ Then he noticed another brain inside the parasite. It broke free. Vas sprints; he runs with all his might, as long as his legs can take him. The parasite chases after him out of the factory. Vas stumbles with the radio before screaming into it. ¡°DEPLOY THE CLASSIFIED, IMMEDIATELY.¡± The expression on Vas''s face began to worsen as he feared for his life; the parasite, towering over him like a massive shadow, was about to attack. ¡°Gotcha, deploying The Classified immediately.¡± The man on the radio replied. Suddenly, as if the heavens came to answer Vas¡¯ pleas, a single beam of light fell from the sky onto the parasite¡¯s body, then dozens more blue lights began to pierce the parasite, obliterating it before it could even regenerate. Vas was plastered in the black blood and viscera of the parasite. ¡°Thank Celestia we have that.¡± Vas murmurs as he begins to walk away, though he stops when he hears a loud bang coming from the factory. He quickly turned around, worried that it might be another, but what he saw was not what he expected. One of the doors that had been previously locked had opened. Chapter 15 - "Secrets" The door slowly creaked open, revealing a stone stairwell into a deep dark. Each step was rough with scrapes and chunks missing from the stone, like an old dungeon. Moss coated each surface, growing in the cracks between each rock. There was a slow drip of water collecting, dripping from cracks above. ¡°Right, makes sense. Of course there¡¯s a mediaeval staircase in a factory; oh Vas, you silly, silly guy, you should¡¯ve thought about that, he muttered to himself. Vas would admit that curiosity got the better of him, and what he found in that basement would become a turning point, a shock to the heart. The battery for the stagnant clock. He headed down, not knowing what would happen. ¡°Haah, it¡¯s too dark down here. What was the light spell again??! They teach that basic technique in school¡­The teachers were right! I shouldn¡¯t have flunked class,¡± Vas complained the moment he took a single step closer. Thankfully for him and unfortunately for the factory owner. Large parts of the factory were set ablaze after the parasite rampaged. Providing a new way for Vas to see the basement. He thought it was fitting that he would descend down the dungeon-like basement using a makeshift torch. The torch provided warmth and light as he descended down the basement. Each step felt like it was a hundred; he thought he must¡¯ve been walking for hours. Every single stone began to look the same, all blurring into the same piece of rock¡­ ¡°This is looping¡­¡± Vas sighed. Vas decided to test his theory by rummaging in his pockets and finding anything he could drop; the first thing he pulled out was a Silver Bullet branded pen. It dropped onto the step below him, and he continued thudding down each step. Somehow, despite walking further down, he had ended up at the same exact spot as last time, with the pen still there. ¡°This is an issue,¡± Vas would describe. ¡°This can¡¯t possibly be infinite; there isn¡¯t a single technique this strong. Otherwise, I¡¯ve signed my own death! Vas, the genius, the CEO! Died to goddamn stairs.¡± He shouted, shaking his fist in the air. He was trapped in a pitch-black staircase that was looping, and the sputtering flame on the torch won¡¯t last forever. How does he eat? Or even worse, how does he drink? Two hours later. The same stairs. The same deep abyss staring back at him. Vas Sabry had walked down the steps for what felt like an eternity, each loop only driving him more and more insane; it was never-ending. The same step, the same pattern in the rocks, the same drip of water from above. Each. Time. Walking both up the steps and down didn¡¯t change a thing; he ended at the same place each time. The once raging flame had now begun to die down, leaving only more of the void to take its place. Five hours trapped in the staircase. ¡°What technique could even make this?!¡± Vas shouted. ¡°Is this Mirro Assembly¡¯s fault?¡± He questioned. Though, something just occurred to Vas. He doesn''t feel thirst or hunger; it must¡¯ve been at least 7 hours without eating or drinking. Each step now just adds to the overexhaustion to him; 5 hours later, and he¡¯s considering just sitting down; his legs are tired, and he doesn¡¯t know what to do anymore. Eight hours trapped in the staircase. Blood. The colour of red painted across each stone as if it were an art gallery. The same blood dripped from the knuckles of Vas¡¯ hand. Was this just a dream? Then surely he would wake up if he felt pain, but nothing. The torch was long extinguished with nothing but the void; the warmth of fresh blood splattered everywhere and the stone stairs. The lack of light wasn¡¯t a problem anymore; however, for the entirety of the eight hours he had been walking, the layout of the stairs was ingrained into his mind at this point. It was enough to drive anyone insane, so it¡¯s a wonder that Vas still retained any semblance of himself. Blood continued to drip the same as he continued to walk. He kept walking, walking, walking, walking, walking, walking, and more walking. Blood dripped, dripped, and poured. Yet it was still unchanging. Ten hours trapped in the staircase. Ring. Ring...Ring... He could¡¯ve sworn his phone was ringing, but upon quickly checking, nearly dropping his phone in the process, There were no missed calls, no signal either. The time on the phone had been frozen since he entered. ¡°10:00 PM¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what the time is anymore; is it even passing? Sigh, I just want this done with.¡± Vas muttered. Frozen in stasis, his mind began to drift. An unknown amount of time later. He stopped walking; exhaustion had gotten to him, his legs gave out, and he collapsed on the ground. Sitting barely upright on one of the stairs. ¡°Damn it all!¡± Vas shouted, slamming his fist onto the stone once again, splattering the same blood, which had now dried on the walls. Spiral, spiral, and more spirals. Stone, stone, and more stone. Walk and walk until your legs give up. Cry, weep. Nothing changes the situation. Forgive, forget, and make amends in your head; nothing will save you now, dear Vas. You tried to run again; oh, how far you ran indeed. You ran until you couldn¡¯t anymore, until that pain in your heart and lungs was too much to bear. You left everyone Vas, surely this is your rightful punishment? It is all your fault after all. Living in that penthouse, with riches on riches, so much money that one couldn¡¯t even fathom your vast wealth. Yet you were empty still. Give up, Vas; it¡¯s time you end your sad, sorrowful tale once and for all. ¡°...Serpent.¡± Vas mutters yet again as he sees the passing silhouette of someone on the stairs below him. ¡°No. You¡¯re the one who ran. You left us all Serpent and¡­ It happened, the red night! If you had been with us still!!-- Then how many people would¡¯ve lived that day? Vas shouted, using his only remaining strength to shout. Vas stared at the silhouette for some time; she didn¡¯t talk, but Vas could tell she was there. Maybe he was too far gone, but his heart told him otherwise; that serpent was truly here. Breathing. ¡°Keep going. Keep running. Don¡¯t stop, not even if you hurt again. One day, I promise, you¡¯ll find your way. You¡¯ll find a path where you can walk, where you can take your time and enjoy the path. You can find a path where you don¡¯t have to run.¡° Serpent whispered just loud enough for Vas to hear. He stayed silent. ¡°The same words you told me before you left.¡° He sighed, with a slight smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered if I''m just clinging onto a small hope, a sliver of hope that you were still alive.¡± Vas mutters.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Something fell out of his pocket. Strange; there was nothing in there earlier. Vas picks it up, stains of red coating his hand. It was a letter, a bloodied and tattered one at that. Vas held it up to his eye; he could barely see anything, but somehow, like Serpent¡¯s silhouette, he could see what it said. ¡°Dear whomever this may reach. This is a formal invitation to The Assembly. Whatever your truest, most innate desire is, it shall be found here. Welcome to The Assembly.¡± The latter stated, at the bottom, was a signature that Vas couldn¡¯t believe.¡° - Dendera Sabry, the Assistant.¡± ¡°...Sabry.¡± Vas looked closer; he was sure that was written. ¡°Someone from the Sabry clan. It¡¯s a shame I know nothing about my own family.¡± Vas exhaled. He decided to start walking one last time, with this invitation of sorts in his pocket. ¡°How do you even expect someone to get there? Sure, you¡¯ve invited me, but that¡¯s pointless if there¡¯s no information about where it is?!¡± Vas shouted as he walked down. Suddenly, the torch relit aflame, and there was a door. Finally, Vas had reached the bottom and was greeted with a metal door. ¡°Hah¡­ Haha¡­ Damn it, I¡¯m not even sure if I should open this door; what if it¡¯s just more repeating rooms?¡± shuddered Vas. He reminded himself of those words Serpent told him; he thought about it for a moment, his hand trembling over the handle. Surely, the correct path is to walk through here? Otherwise, he would¡¯ve failed this ¡®challenge¡¯ of sorts. The handle was pulled down, and the door swung wide open¡­ Behind the door, and the seemingly infinite staircase, was another entire factory. It looked completely different from the one above. ¡°Perfect harmony,¡± Vas described upon seeing the assembly lines. Everything worked like clockwork. Machines and almost soulless people both collaborating, a perfect union of machine and life. Not a single speck of dust or any rust was in this factory. It was almost¡­ beautiful. Above the assembly line was a second floor, much like the factory above, but this one contained even more lines. On the wall above the assembly line was a large logo, ¡°MIRRO ASSEMBLY,¡± combined with its logo. The logo of Mirror Assembly was a mirror with a machine in its reflection. Vas was caught up with the pure beauty of this factory; he was captivated after seeing something so amazing after being trapped in the dark for who knows how long. Something had snapped him out of it¡­ It¡¯s all a facade. ¡°I remember this. Though, I thought they weren¡¯t around anymore...¡± recalled Vas. He reminded himself of Hyunsoo¡¯s words. This factory may be considered a work of art by itself, but it¡¯s no longer around. It was just a fleeting memory. But, Vas decided he was going to exploit this memory. Who knows? A perfect recreation of a once-gone company. How many secrets lurk underneath? If Hyunsoo was correct, that would mean a gold mine of company secrets is near him. Sure, the company itself is gone. However, to most people in the world, the trade secrets and classified files are worth far more than anything the company held. Companies are only worth how much they can hide and extort. So even if ¡®Mirro Assembly¡¯ is no more, their secrets are still buried. Which means their true company worth still stands. And Vas will exploit that. Each company has their own ¡®Authority.¡¯ Whether that be a company authority or one held by a higher up. They are the next step up in the essence tree, being even stronger than techniques. Authorities are named literally, being able to give yourself a certain percentage of control over the universe. Having your authority be known to the country is certainly a bad fate. Which is why Vas was surprised when Cathodic was so willing to hand it over to Vas; if he wasn¡¯t slightly afraid, he could¡¯ve sold it to a fixer. Fixers are a more illegal kind of agent who specialise in reverse engineering techniques. Essentially, agents are people who take on contract jobs; these can be anything from saving a cat in a tree to killing an entire group of people. Agents are typically fighting each other for a promotion or fighting other agents from a rival company. Fixers, on the other hand, are ultra-specific agents who use illegal methods to reverse-engineer techniques and authorities. Technically, murder is illegal according to the VISC Enforcers, but it is such a rampant crime that they don¡¯t bother to even address it. You¡¯ll expect to be arrested if you¡¯re in a small town or city, but once you¡¯re in a big city, you¡¯re pretty much free from the law. That is, if you don¡¯t piss VISC off. They are the shadow puppeteers; no one knows much about them, but everyone knows enough to stay out of the way of them and their enforcers. Fixers risk their very existence to their art. Once upon a time, there was a company that broke several VISC laws. No problem; they¡¯ll just pay a hefty fine and move on, but they kept breaking more laws. More specifically, they broke the law regarding a detonation of a Saint-Class Technique, the strongest there is. They tore up declarations and letters and thought that they ruled the world. So VISC sent a single enforcer¡­ and not a single member of that company is now alive. No one has ever lived to see an enforcer to know what they even are. Vas continued walking down the factory, hoping to find something of worth; in the distance was an elevator with a single light above in a narrow corridor. ¡°Surely, they don''t have an infinite elevator¡­ Who am I kidding?! Of course there¡¯s going to be an infinite elevator.¡± Vas shouted as he walked towards the elevator. The elevator was warm and was decorated with a luxury type of wood found in the northern parts of Eluthorn; this wood was also named ¡°Eluthorn.¡± It was valued for its dark, rich colour and a slight blue tint. ¡°What kind of company was Mirro Assembly? This is all too fancy for just a factory¡ª¡± Vas wonders as he looks at the elevator buttons. ¡°Basement 110.¡± ¡°Is this a sick joke? Damn it, this elevator may as well be infinite.¡± Vas reluctantly presses the button to take him to the lowest basement. He figured that the ¡°true¡± secrets would be at the bottom, where it would¡¯ve been the most guarded. The elevator hummed and buzzed as it descended. Vas took the opportunity to sit down, with his back to the wall and facing the entrance. He held a gun in his hand, and his eyes bore a full concentration; whatever was down here¡­ He would face it. Some time later¡­ Vas was rudely jolted awake by the opening of the elevator door. Revealing sparsely illuminated corridors with an ominous silence. It was quiet, almost on the verge of peaceful but also strange. It¡¯s a factory, and he was on the 110th floor, but Vas expected at least some noise. ¡°I suppose this is where the secrets would be.¡± Vas mutters as he steps forth. ¡°It¡¯s cold here.¡± He notes as he shivers. With each breath, clouds of frost formed. Unlike the top floor, this one was derelict. Cold and dark. As Vas continued to walk further into the corridor, he noticed even more. Shelves and tables thrown down, shattered glass and red stains. That¡¯s when Vas realised that something happened here. ¡°Did Mirror Assembly collapse from the inside? I¡¯ve heard of factions inside of corporations but not to this scale¡ª?! Did they break VISC code, and they sent an enforcer?¡± Vas wondered. Light. Light came out from the edge of the corridor. It flickered on and off as a faint beep could be heard. It happened out of the blue, like Vas stepping forward had triggered something to activate. Maybe it was remnants of this place coming back with each step. Around the corner, he peeked. The surface of the walls was freezing, beyond what Vas could even describe as ¡®cold.¡¯ It was a temperature that he hadn''t felt before, yet somehow, he could keep his hands there. Despite feeling how cold it was, his body didn¡¯t react to it the way he would expect. His eyes darted around the corner, immediately looking for any danger, but he couldn¡¯t find any. Then, his eyes locked in on an old-looking terminal. It has fallen over, shining its light onto the wall. Wire strung around and piled together as if it were a spider¡¯s web. Vas stepped towards the terminal, a red liquid splattered across its screen. He grabbed hold of the massive hunk of machinery and readjusted it. The terminal¡¯s light was bright blue, projecting itself onto the wall. In the wall, a faint message could be made out: ¡°WE BECOME ONE. REUNITED, REASCENDED.¡± The faintest of words could be made out, only if Vas squinted. Almost like an afterimage. Vas did a double-take, looking at the terminal again, but no message was displayed on it. ¡°You became one?¡± Vas mutters; he then realises that this wasn¡¯t an afterimage¡­ ¡°BY THE AUTHORITY, WE ASCENDED TO EVEN GREATER HEIGHTS¡± The message displayed. ¡°An authority, huh¡­¡° Vas questions while gripping the Cathodic Authority in his hand; he decides to ask the question. ¡°What happened to this place?¡± He asks. ¡°GRAND WINTER. ENFORCER. OH, THE BLOOD THAT POURED OUT. IT WAS NECESSARY; SACRIFICES HAD TO BE MADE.¡± The message replied to Vas. He was talking to this computer. ¡°And who are you?¡± He asked. ¡°WE ARE SIMILAR, PEOPLE TRYING TO RUN. WE RAN AWAY FROM THE WORLD, BUT THEY CAUGHT US. VISC IS ALWAYS FASTER. OH, THE SLAUGHTER, IT WAS HORRIFIC. CO-WORKERS, ENEMIES, ALL DIDN¡¯T MATTER. WE ALL DIED THAT DAY TOGETHER.¡± The message displayed. ¡°VAS SABRY. FOUNDER OF SILVER BULLET. THEY WILL ONLY EXERT MORE CONTROL. OUT OF TIME, IN SIGHT, THEY WILL STRIKE AGAIN. NO ONE CAN HARM AN ENFORCER.¡± The message told him immediately after. ¡°Are you on the computer?¡± Vas asked. ¡°NOT QUITE. FABRICATION. UPLOADED CONSCIOUSNESS, CONFINED TO MACHINE. TAKE ME OUT, LET ME BREATHE THE AIR, ONE LAST TIME.¡± ¡°Sure. I can do that, but I¡¯ll never go against VISC. I¡¯d rather they just kill me than struggle and settle for the lesser punishment.¡± Vas stated that before reaching over to the terminal, he saw some sort of memory card and took it out. ¡°VISC is such a pain¡­¡± Vas sighs. Vas put the memory card into his pocket and then continued walking down but was caught off guard when the computer turned back on. ¡°THE SITE OF THE MALICE. RETURN THERE. OCTOBER 10TH ¡±was the final message before it turned off. ¡°15 days¡­ And Zeno? I was there for the Zeno disaster.¡° Vas questions, but he decides that he¡¯ll head there. He was correct; he found a secret of the company. Sure, it wasn¡¯t a secret he could sell or one he had proof of immediately, but he had a lead. Vas made his own theory with this lead, that the Assembly may have had a part in the collapse of Zeno and even further, may have been the reason for The Grand Winter.