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RyokoAI

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Ryoko AI 18

I rubbed my eyes and stretched. The candle was burning on the nightstand but the light from the window drowned its subtle, orange glow. Yawning, I made breakfast—toast and eggs, just what I needed. I washed the dishes, swept the floor, wiped the table, and snuck a bite of pie before noticing the time on the sundial and running out the door. I cursed. I’d forgotten to put out the candle! It’d die by the time I was back. Ah well, I’d just have to buy a new one on the way back. No time to go back, I was late, had to take drastic measures. I jumped off the cliff. Wind jostled my hair, made my cheeks flutter and my eyes burn, but I kept my knees bent and my back straight. The ground rumbled as I stuck a perfect landing and resumed running. I slid into the gates, breathing heavily. Patting down my hair and fixing my shirt, I climbed the steps to the crimson tower. I knocked on the door to my room and waited three seconds. “There you are!” I said, as I entered the room. I hopped onto the stone podium. “Right, let’s get this started,” I said, arching my back, and closing my eyes. Purple vapor flooded the back of my eyes. My eyes were shut tight, but I could see the floor, walls, ceiling, curtains, pedestal, all an aggressive shade of red that cut through the purple mists. Ping! The warmth in my chest receded, driven back by an apathetic chill. My senses went behind the veil, I could see, touch, listen, smell, taste, but I couldn’t process any of it. And finally, I felt nothing. No heat, no cold. No pain, no joy. No sorrow, no happiness. It took a while for the unease to set in—it always managed to burrow its way through the haze eventually—but when it came, I panicked like always. I was a cog in the machine, an unfeeling gear. I barely existed at all and relished the moment something tinkered with me, with my soul, changing parts of me without any regard for what I wanted. It was horrifying, but it was necessary. Because without this, I wouldn’t have what came after. The sweet, sweet release. The purple mist dispersed, my senses returned, and a wave of warmth washed over me. I gasped for air like I was drowning, flailed, and tripped on my own pedestal. When I hit the floor with my head and the pain shot through me, nearly choking me, I didn’t mind it. In fact, I welcomed it because even though it was a painful experience, it was something, and anything was better than the haze. My breath calmed after an hour or so on the ground. The room was dark, save for the silver glow behind the curtains. As usual, I’d been out all day. I straightened my clothes, took a deep breath, and went down the staircase. The walk home was always more fun, wind on my skin, moonlight on the creeks and streams, and the scent of the forest and the mountains. It was all so clean, so pure, so real, I loved it. Opening the door, I realized I’d forgotten to pick up another candle. At least the windows were open, letting in all that silvery goodness. Then again, I never opened the windows in my bedroom so it was probably dark in there. I threw off the coat, slipped out of my shoes, and grabbed something to drink before reading a book by the window facing the moon. It was a good book although I didn’t remember how I’d gotten it. Then again, since when did that matter. “Pagebreak,” was its name. Silly name for such a serious book but perhaps that was fitting. I closed it before I could start reading, because the clouds had covered the moon and I was drowsy. Time to go to sleep in the dark. I opened the door to my room—perhaps I could keep the door open to let the moonlight in. Perhaps I could open the curtains like a normal person. Or perhaps I needn’t do any of that because the candle was burning just fine, flickering and dancing, and casting all sorts of shapes on the walls. It hadn’t gotten any shorter either, nor had any wax melted off to make weird bulges and pools on its sides and bottom. I settled into bed, pulled the covers over myself, and gazed at the candle-flame. The shadows on the walls were dancing but I had no idea what they were trying to do. Was that the silhouette of a little girl? Wasn’t me, but then who else could it be? Who could it be? Who? Another figure danced around the pronged sun. A little boy, his figure blurred and hazy. He danced around the flames with his sister—why sister—and someone else, a taller figure I didn’t recognize. The flame flickered to the side, engulfing the taller figure in darkness. The wind blew, driving the flame further away, making it grow tiny, insignificant. The girl lagged behind, she wasn’t going to make it. The boy came back, pushed the girl away. More wind, and he was gone. The tall figure came back, too late, too little, too insignificant. Even when the wind settled, the girl’s figure began to fade until only the tiny tall one was left. The wind blew and I fell asleep. - “Wake up!” I groaned and turned. “Come on, don’t be lazy.” The back of my eyelids lit up. I buried my face in the pillows. “Want me to bring the bucket?” “I’m up, I’m up,” I grunted, rubbing my eyes. I stretched and opened my eyes. “Honestly,” said Yunni. “It’s getting harder to wake you up.” “No, it’s getting harder to ignore you,” I replied. “Whatever, breakfast’s ready. Wear something decent before coming down, will you?” “Whatever,” I said. The door shut and her footsteps faded. I threw my blanket off and changed into a long, red robe. The curtains had been flung open viciously, flooding the room with sunlight. The poor candle in the corner could barely shine. I fixed my bow-tie in the mirror, brushed my hair, washed my face, and went downstairs. “Took you long enough.” “Sorry, Jeffy,” I said. “They’re waiting for you outside,” he said, jabbing his finger at me. “Just get out there already.” I nodded, tousled the angry little boy’s head, and left the tower. “… she’ll be here any minute now. She’s—there she is!” “Sorry for the wait, everyone,” I said, walking on stage. “I’ve been stalling for fifteen minutes,” hissed Yunni as she stepped down and wiped her brows. I made an apologetic face only she could see. “Right,” I said aloud, causing the seething mass of people below me to hush immediately. “How can I help you today?” Only one voice spoke, “I have a headache.” I snapped my fingers. “Next.” “My cat’s missing.” Snap. “Next.” “Sore throat.” “Icky food.” “Tight heels.” Snap. “Next.” I spent the whole day there, fixing the tiniest of problems the people of the world had brought to me. The crowd thinned out eventually, and by the time the sun set, there were only a few people left. “Will she love me?” “Ask her yourself.” “Should we have the baby?” “Whatever makes you happy.” “Should we break up?” “Still love each other?” “Not really.” “Got any kids?” “No.” “Go ahead.” And with that everyone went home. I wiped my forehead and descended from the stage. “You did great,” said Yunni. I smiled and hugged her. “Thanks, Yunni, you’re the best.” “Hey!” “You too, Jeffy.” I hugged him. Back in my room, I took off the elaborate yet comfy robe and jumped into bed. I snapped my fingers and the curtains closed gently, just waiting to be thrust apart by an annoyed little girl. The only light came from the candle, burning brightly and steadily on the nightstand. It cast shadows on the walls, a tall figure, all upright and proper, a girl and her brother, dancing in a circle. Had to be a circle, of course. But there were more this time. Another girl—taller, brighter—danced on the other side of the room. With her was a boy with a gap in his face—a smile, perhaps. Another, much smaller figure with strings, no, chains, flying around her tiny arms. I went to sleep staring at the last figure, a black blob in the shape of a boy. The darkness of unconsciousness took me but not before I could blur the boy’s figure inside my vision. - I woke with a jolt. “Get off me,” I shouted with the little breath left in my lungs. Snickering, the little devils ran away. “Damn it, just you wait,” I said, crawling out of bed, bleary-eyed. “You weren’t waking up.” “Doesn’t mean they can jump on me.” “Of course, it does.” “Get out of here, Lily.” I threw a pillow at her. “Fine, fine. Just get down in time, will you? Being late to your own big day would be the worst.” She didn’t shut the door on her way out. I rubbed my eyes and the room swam into view. Same red curtains, walls, floors, and door. Maybe a change in decor was in order. That candle in the corner was an eyesore too. Then again, I probably wouldn’t be staying here much longer. I stretched and yawned. Nothing beat a good night’s sleep, it was the best feeling in the world. The getting up part I could live without. After getting ready, I made my way downstairs. Outside the windows on the stairs, the sun had only just risen so it was still dark. Getting up early was always such a pain, but today wasn’t the time to complain. It was a big day after all, the big day. “There she is,” said Zoe as I reached the ground floor. “You little rascal,” I said, trying to catch her. She ran, giggling. “Your fault for sleeping in.” “I wasn’t sleeping in!” She was too far away to hear. I sighed. Whatever. Making my way to the kitchen, I ran into Runir. “Hey, you ready for today?” he asked. “That bed-hair will look great in the photos.” I glared and tried to mat down my unruly strands. “I’ll take a bath in a bit. Is Lily making breakfast?” “Yep.” “Goddess help us all.” “Sure, get on that, will you?” “Where you headed?” “Gotta set up the stage.” “Good luck.” In the kitchen, Lily stood over a boiling pot. “Have some!” she said, trying to pour me a bowl. “I don’t think I can handle it.” “Fuck no, can’t go on an empty stomach.” “It’ll just come back up, anyways.” “What?” “I mean, I’m so nervous I couldn’t keep it down.” “Damn, makes sense. Must be all jittery and fluttery inside, huh.” “Yep, you should try it sometime.” “No way, we’re not there yet.” “Oh come on, you might as well be.” “Damn it, fine, go eat an apple or something.” “Okay.” I ate an apple. We waited in the kitchen for a while, me munching on an apple and Lily ignoring the sludge in the pot. At least she wasn’t going to try and eat it herself, wouldn’t want her sick today—she had duties to perform. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, softly. “Imagine how I feel.” “Seems like just yesterday we were in the bushes.” “Yeah, I was such a piece of work back then.” “Good thing you loosened up, huh.” “Totally.” “It’s almost over.” “What is?” “I dunno, just felt like something’s ending.” “Well, it’ll be the start of something new, too.” I threw the apple core away. “Right, time to get prettied up.” “Need any help?” “Nah, I’ve got this.” I went into the back room and looked at myself in the mirror. This was it, the big day. Gotta look pretty, embrace the goddess inside, Aia. Embrace the goddess! I took a bath, soaking for an hour in the tub full of lukewarm water. I let my hair drift on the surface before diving in and holding my breath. I scrubbed every last corner and took a shower for good measure. Dousing myself in perfume and covering my face in makeup, I looked at myself in the mirror with trepidation. I had to look the part, had to be the Fire Goddess for just one day. Not like it’d impress him, it was just a ceremonial role, after all. I puckered my lips. Maybe lipstick wasn’t a good idea, just in case I messed up on stage. I wiped it off but then my lips looked weird. Lip balm was a decent compromise. I blow-dried my hair with a little magic Runir had taught me—the guy was a genius. I brushed it with long and short strokes, as recommended by Lily. Never had to deal with messy hair before, to be honest. No idea why, it was always just perfect. I’d hated it. I stared at myself in the mirror, slapped my cheeks, and took a deep breath. This was it. I donned a bathrobe and came outside. A few dresses were laid out on the bed, ironed to perfection. The laces were frilly and the frills, lacy. Breathtaking. I wore it gingerly, afraid I’d bend a string or fold a crease. Probably didn’t have to worry, Adriana said this was the best dress in existence. She wasn’t the kind to lie so it probably was. All the more reason to treat it carefully, then. I checked myself out in the full body mirror Lily had left by the dresser. I held my breath, it was too surreal. Was that really me? All this white suited Solaron better, I thought. I need a dash of something else, something more me. I rummaged in my cupboard. Where was it, where was it? Ah, there it was. I pulled it out and tied it in my hair. In front of the mirror once again, I twirled. “Looking good,” said Yunni. “Don’t think I’ve forgiven you!” I said, tottering over to her. She chuckled and stepped out of the way. “Don’t wanna ruin the dress.” I growled. “Once I’m out of this thing, I’ll—” “Be too busy to worry about anything else?” she finished. “Don’t worry, I doubt I’ll be waking you up anytime soon.” She giggled. I frowned. “Now come on. Runir’s calling, it’s time to head out.” I sighed and caught a glance of myself in the mirror one last time. As long as things went as perfectly as I looked, it would be fine. Out in the flying car, Runir, Lily, Zoe, Yunni, and Jeffy were waiting impatiently. I sat shotgun, couldn’t let my dress wrinkle. We left the shrine as the clouds covered the sun. - Huge, and with so many people too! The butterflies in my stomach were throwing a party and I could barely stand. There was that gnome, and the kids from the Academy. The kids from Ashpoole too, boy was that a long time ago. A dragon lay around the marquee; I’d thought he was part of the scenery. Might as well be. My sisters ushered me into a secret room. Couldn’t let them see me just yet. “You look gorgeous,” said Adriana. “Love the hair,” gushed Opal. “The dress fits you perfectly. Damn, I’m a little jealous,” said Lunaris. “You’ll have your time,” I said. “Probably,” I added under my breath. She punched me playfully. “Settle down, don’t want to ruin your perfectness,” said Breize. “Baby girl’s all grown up,” said Solaron, sniffling. Never pegged her for the sentimental type. “Hey, we’re the same age.” “Sure.” I shook my head. We chatted for a little while until they finally left me alone, a few minutes before the ceremony. I sat behind the mirror, marveling at what looked back in me. Not to sound full of myself but I couldn’t find a single flaw. Perfect face, no wrinkles, no bags under my eyes, skin so smooth you could roll a stone over it. Hair sitting just right—no loose ends or knots or whatever. Earrings matched the dress, dress matched the shoes, and everything tied together by the big red ribbon in my hair. Perfect, it was perfect. “It’s time,” said Lily from outside. I took a deep breath and gave myself one last glance. I got up to leave and reached the door but hesitated. I looked at the mirror again. The room had no windows and only one candle burning bright in the corner, so I could barely see myself. But it was enough. I tousled the front of my hair a little. A few strands came loose, hanging over my forehead. I smiled and left the room. “Looking great. Oh, wanna fix that up?” “No, I’m good. Let’s go.” We walked down the red carpet, my long gown trailing behind me. The guests stood up and clapped, even the dragon roared joyfully. Music played, a long, ceremonial song I’d never thought could be so moving, so emotional. I almost teared up on the way, but Lily’s strong arm on mine and the enormity of the occasion held them back. In the distance, on the other side of the long walk, I saw him. In a tux and tie, no glasses, which made him look odd, but in a good way. He laughed nervously. I wasn’t the only one with butterflies, I reckoned. It was getting late and the dipping sun was hidden behind the clouds. They lit the candles, hundreds of them all over the place. Breize’s contraptions with a little bit of fire magic, wonderfully convenient. They lined the carpet, hanging over people’s heads. The walk seemed to take forever yet it was over too soon. He grabbed my hand and we met each other’s eyes. “You look beautiful,” he said. “You look okay too,” I said, mischievously. His smile broadened. “Come on, I wanna eat cake,” said Zoe from behind me. I shot her a furious glance. “Now, now, settle down,” said Solaron from in front. “Time to begin.” The crowd hushed. Kai squeezed my hand. “You have known each other for a long time,” said Solaron. “Through thick and through thin, through snow and throw rain, you have supported and loved each other. Do you promise to continue your love for each other, to look beyond your partner’s vices and shortcomings and cherish them for who they are?” “I do,” we both said, together. “You are imperfect, we all are, yet do you promise to not ignore each other’s imperfections but to love and acknowledge them. To recognize your own and seek your partner’s help in overcoming or coming to terms with them?” “I do.” “And finally, despite what happens; whether the candles burn out, the sun disappears, and the world is wrought with unrest and despair, do you promise to stick by one another, to stand together and face the difficulties of life, whatever they may be.” “We do.” “Then by the power arbitrarily invested in me as the Light goddess, I now proclaim you husband and wife. You may now—” A burst of wind interrupted us. I looked around. The dragon was gone, had it taken flight to arrange some fireworks? Vandrake was a jumpy one. The candles were out so it was dark. I couldn’t see anyone in the seats below. I turned to Lily, had to tell her to get Breize to light up the place again. But she wasn’t there. Probably already off to fix it. The moon wasn’t up yet but the sun was down. There was just enough light for me to make out Kai’s outline, a shadowy silhouette looking at me. I couldn’t even see Solaron. Oh yeah. “Solaron, a little light would be appreciated.” Odd, not what I’d wanted to say. My words felt a lot stuffier, all of a sudden. No reply. “Solaron?” A single candle came to life, the only candle on stage. It flickered brightly, casting shadows around the marquee. Figures in a forest, one of them sleeping behind a bush. A tornado, then a blanket. A crumbling cliff. A boat. A flying island. A Ferris wheel, but with only two figures. A little girl in the distance. Another boat now, two figures talking. A tea party, a wall of darkness. Flying off, the two meeting again. A mountain. Two figures merging. Falling down the mountain. A cave. A bubble. One of them was inside, begging for help. The other reached for the bubble but didn’t pop it. No, she made it go dark, dark and solid. Then a bridge. I looked at Kai, eyes heavy. “I’m sorry.” I couldn’t see his face, even though I wanted to, oh how I wanted to. No matter what he said, I could tell what he really thought if I could just see his face. That’s all I needed, a quick peek, a lightning flash, the candle flickering the right way—something. “Me too.” “All I want,” I sobbed. “Is for things to go back to normal. You and Lily, and Runir, and Zoe, and Jeffy, and Yunni, and my sisters. All I want is a normal life with everyone.” The moon was rising behind him, making the outline starker but the silhouette darker. The candle burned rapidly, wax dripping like a river. A puddle of hot liquid formed but never cooled. The candle kept burning and burning and burning. The world kept growing darker and darker and darker. “That’s all I wanted.” The candle died.

I woke up in the early hours of the morning, when the sun was on the verge of rising over the horizon, and the sunlight began melting the upper layers of snow and frost that had accumulated over my blanket. Having found myself in strange places before, I wasn’t surprised by what I was seeing. What did surprise me was something that I couldn’t see. Or more specifically, someone. His side of the blanket was still warm so he hadn’t been gone long. I decided to search for him but just as I prepared to blast off the mountain, I caught a delicious smell wafting through the air. I followed it, and found Kai sitting in a cave, tending to a fire with a pot over it. “Good morning, I hope you’ll forgive me for the Spartan breakfast I’ve prepared, but finding the others is our top priority for now,” he said, stirring the pot with a large wooden spoon. “No, not at all,” I replied, sitting myself down on a rock beside the fire. “Any idea where they are, yet?” “I’m afraid not. We’ll just have to follow the ring for now,” he said. “And here you go. Some hot soup to drive away the cold!” He poured some soup into a bowl and handed it to me. Driving away the cold huh, I thought, staring into the bowl. The soup was clear enough for me to stare back at myself. Kai ate his soup quickly while I snuck a few glances at him. Some of it dripped off his chin before splattering on the ground. He wiped his mouth and cleaned the pot, before turning to see me holding onto a cold bowl of soup. I met his gaze, and held it for a while. A cold gust of wind blew out the fire, scattering its ashes and embers. He looked away first, resigned to the fact that he couldn’t paint over last night with a smile and a bowl of soup. “Fine, everything I said last night was true,” he said. “I love you. Always have, always will. But we need to get a move on if we want to save the others.” Honest and straight to the point. But still. I nodded, downed the soup and walked up to him. I stood close enough that his warm breath washed over my face. I handed him the bowl, turned and walked out of the cave. At the cave’s mouth, I looked back and saw his surprised face. “No time for mushy stuff,” I said, smiling. “Let’s go.” He blinked and caught up to me. We climbed down the mountain as fast as we could, not stopping for anything. We didn’t kiss or hug along the way. In fact, it was almost like last night had never happened at all. Almost. - We raced along the winding mountain trails and dirt roads. The Earth Kingdom didn’t have much in the way of infrastructure despite the plentiful free labor they possessed. We passed scores of mines and factories full of laborers and we made sure to knock out as many of the owners and cut as many chains as we could. By the time we reached the capital, Fugard, rumors of a strange wind that attacked mines and factories, had already begun spreading among the nobility. The National Guard had already been dispatched to guard the major mines, and we even ran into a few of them but brushed them aside easily. It was nighttime when we jumped over the crumbling walls of Fugard and faded into the shadows of the commercial district. The shops were closed and boarded up; the entire city having gone to sleep due to the curfew imposed by the government. Nobody was allowed this late at night. Nevertheless, a few hunched shadows huddled together in the dark alleyways and secluded corners of the streets. Sewage overflowed out of the open-drains lining the streets in the slum we passed through on our way up to the palace. There were no guards here so more people scurried about along the unlit dirt roads and crumbling stone pathways. A group of grimy street urchins watched as we approached but we were gone before they peeked out of the garbage pile they were scavenging. We heard them pounce on the pile of apples we’d thrown out of our Storage, but didn’t have the time to check. The ring was vibrating with startling frequency, making Kai and I incredibly nervous. Kai claimed both Lily and Zoe seemed to be close together so they’d probably be fine, but I could tell that he wasn’t telling me everything. Whatever it was, it must be serious. We scaled the inner walls of the city and dropped into the noble’s district. The curfew was in place here too and it was more strictly enforced than in the slums. Guards lined the streets, patrolling corners, and rotating between shifts. However, sometimes a hand would appear from a window and drop some money and a note in the hands of an awaiting guard, who would then go deliver it to another house. The streets here were more brightly lit so a few guards managed to catch a glimpse of us as we raced across the rooftops. However, the ring was vibrating so furiously that we gave up all pretense of subtlety and whizzed across the city as fast as we could. Alarm bells chimed, shouts of confusion erupted across the city, but we ignored all of it as we climbed the walls of the palace and jumped across into the tower through a window. The ring had led us to the tower but now we were stuck. Should we go further up or descend the stairs below? Time was running out, so with a quick exchange of nods, Kai flew up the stairs while I ran down as fast as I could. The stairs seemed to go on forever. I surmised that I should have passed the door long ago but I didn’t even come across another window. The flickering torchlight was my only guide as I plunged deeper and deeper into the earth. The walls echoed the buzz of the ring vibrating on my finger. This didn’t mean that I was getting closer; it meant that the other ring was being pressured by an immense amount of magic. Kai had told me about this on the way. The rings were built with the ability to guard their wearer against magic, but that protection wouldn’t last forever. For the rings to be reacting like this, Lily and Zoe had to be in a lot of trouble. Up ahead, a small doorway appeared at last. I burst through the door but had to squint as the bright lights overwhelmed my eyes. Blinking rapidly, I quickly recovered just in time to furrow my brows in confusion. The walls were crude, craggy rocks, with signs suggesting that the place had been dug out by magic. The floor was covered in runes and symbols, arranged in a circle with sparkling gemstones embedded in seemingly random places. Mana flowed around the gemstones, funneled into the magic formation, and ultimately ended up in the center of the room. There, a tall woman in drab, brown robes stood over a couple of stones. She was bombarding them with insane amounts of mana, but the stones seemed to be able to absorb whatever the woman threw at them. All they did was vibrate intensely. “Aia?” said the woman, ceasing her onslaught on the rings. “Opal,” I said, wheezing heavily. “Where did you get those?” “Nice to see you too, sis,” she said, somewhat dryly. “And these rocks were delivered to me a day ago. We weren’t able to refine them at the factory and the nobles couldn’t seem to do it either, so they sent them to me.” She tied up her hair and wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Haven’t been able to dent the blasted things. Good thing you’re here. Maybe two goddesses can—” “Where!” I shouted, interrupting her. “Where did you find those rings? Where are the people who were wearing them?” She was taken aback by the ferocity of my tone but nonetheless answered. “I don’t know about any rings, but if you’re talking about these gemstones then I have no idea who had them at first. They were probably found in some mine, or on the ground somewhere. I’d try to trace it back to the slaves who found them, but they wouldn’t remember it. They go through tons of rocks every day.” I stood dumbfounded for a moment. The rings were here but Lily and Zoe were nowhere to be found. How could that be? Where could they have gone? Surely the only way the rings would come off is if they’d taken them off themselves, but why would they do that? “I feel like I’m missing something here, sis. Why are you here anyway? I haven’t seen you in a long time. You haven’t been to any of our meetings for centuries. I thought you hated the rest of us,” she said. “Listen, the next conclave’s in a few weeks. Make sure to drop by, okay?” “Yeah, sure,” I said, absentmindedly. There were more pressing concerns on my mind. How would I find them now? Were they hurt? Were they in danger? What should I do now? “Hey, hey, what are you so worried about?” said Opal, conjuring up a couple of chairs and a small, earthen table. “Come sit, and tell big sis Opal what’s on your mind.” She smiled enchantingly. She’d always had the best smile among us sisters. But I hated it. It made my skin crawl thinking about what hid behind that disarming smile. After all, when the rest of us tried to ban slavery in the first conclave, it was Opal who managed to convince the others to let it exist. Since then she’d taken an incredibly active role in the management of her country, even going so far as making the monarchy her puppet. The slave based society that she’d created was ridiculously profitable, but none of that money went back to ordinary people. The slaves thought the slave-owners were hoarding all the profits, the slave-owners suspected the nobility, and the nobility believed that the monarchy was eating it all up. In truth, it was Opal who was sucking all the wealth out of her own country, but even I didn’t know where all that money was going. I didn’t accept the seat, choosing instead to stand as I met her gaze. “Fine,” she said, her smile never faltering. “Tell me what happened and I’ll do my best to help. We’re sisters, after all.” “Those stones come from rings that belonged to my friends. I gave them those rings so I’d be able to find them if we were separated, like we are right now. And now I’ve found the rings but not the people and I’m worried about them. If you know where they are, tell me immediately,” I said. “Please,” I added. Opal furrowed her brow and stood up. “Well that would explain why I couldn’t refine it. Goddesses can’t break each other’s possessions. The slaves and nobility would have been too weak to do so, as well. But…” She raised her eyebrows. “Since when did you get so good at crafting rings? Teach me, I’m sure it’ll come in handy someday.” “Listen!” I shouted. “I don’t have time for this. Lily and Zoe are probably in danger right now and I need to find them!” “Lily and Zoe?” she said. “Are they humans? Aia, darling, you know there’s no point fretting over silly little humans, right? They’ll be dead before you know it. No point in getting too attached to your pets, dear.” I shot her an angry glare but her words echoed inside my head nonetheless. I knew exactly how short-lived humans were. I’d avoided humans for centuries because I feared getting attached to them. “Just tell me where they are,” I said, irritably. “You’re a lost cause.” She shook her head. “I haven’t detected anyone with those names in my country.” “You wouldn’t be able to,” I stated. She raised an eyebrow. “Hero or Demon Lord?” “Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Tell me where you found the rings and I’ll go search for them myself.” She was a little unwilling but eventually agreed. I assured her I’d attend the next conclave and made to leave the chamber when she called out for me to stop. “What is it?” I asked, annoyed by the delay. “Have you talked to the others?” she asked, her tone serious. “Yes, I have,” I replied, curtly. “And you’re okay with the plan?” she asked. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, furrowing my brows. She pondered for a bit, then nodded. “Right, see you at the conclave.” I didn’t think too much about her odd behavior, and rushed out to the staircase again. “Amy!” Kai appeared from above. “Kai, I found the rings,” I said, showing him the gems that Opal had given me. “But where are Zoe and Lily?” he asked. “Don’t know, but I know where these rings were first found,” I kicked out the wall of the tower. “But we don’t have the time to walk.” He nodded, completely unperturbed by the destruction of the wall. He hugged me tightly, making me flush a little bit, but I held it in and shot off into the distance. The wind whistled past us, drowning out the shouts of the people below. We couldn’t afford subtleties anymore. Wait for us. I won’t let this end the same way. Not again. Not this time. I’ll find you, no matter what. No matter how hard I have to look. I’ll find you.

You built a castle… “Why is the Hero traveling with the Demon Lord?” Piece… My mind went blank. By piece… Lily staggered back. “What do you mean…” “He hasn’t told you, has he? No wait, he said it in front of you just a few moments ago,” said the Goddess, thinking with a hand under her chin. “Ah, I get it. Did he tell you he was only pretending to be the Demon Lord?” She chuckled. “Silly girl…” Now watch it… “No, don’t listen to her Lily!” I shouted frantically. “She’s lying. I—” “Was only pretending to be your friend. Isn’t that right?” she interjected. “Let me see, now why didn’t you kill her as soon as you met her?” crumble… “Damn it, shut up!” I cried, both at her and the voice in my head. I fired a Diamond Cannon at her in frustration. “Oh,” she said, deflecting my attack effortlessly. “He’s been using different kinds of magic too. Didn’t you know only the Demon Lord and the Hero can use more than one kind of magic? Barring some very rare cases of course.” With the sand… Lily wasn’t looking at me but her body was trembling. “Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. If he didn’t kill you immediately, he was probably going to use you at some point. Oh right, you came looking for me didn’t you?” Beware the raging seas… “No, don’t listen to her bullshit,” I pleaded, to her and the voice. “You wanted her to get strong enough to do something for you, right? Maybe help you take back your kingdom?” She chuckled. “Fattening you up like a little pig before leading you to the slaughterhouse.” That will consume… “Damn it, shut up!” “Oh but it’s true isn’t it. All of it.” The Goddess smiled smugly in the air. All your hopes and dreams… “No! No it isn’t!” I shouted, desperately. “Lily, listen to me.” I turned to her and grabbed her shoulders. Her hair fell over her face, hiding it from view. “I’m your friend, Lily. It’s me, Runir. You know I wouldn’t lie to you.” I shook her, trying to get a reaction. “Come on Lily. Don’t believe that bullshit. Trust me, please!” I glanced at the others, all of whom were standing still. Why weren’t they helping? Everything was falling apart and all they could do was stare like idiots? Amy was biting her lips, Kai had closed his eyes and Zoe was holding her breath. Saar had already stepped back silently. “Look, she’s trying to trick us. The only reason this is working is because you believe her. All you need to do is trust me,” I said, calmly. “Think! If I was the Demon Lord, why wouldn’t I attack you right away and get rid of you immediately? Wouldn’t I feel the same way you’re feeling right now? Instead, here I am putting myself in arm’s reach trying to get through to you through that thick skull of yours!” “But you are the Demon Lord,” chimed the Goddess innocently. “I’ve already told you how he managed to do it, little girl. He fought his instincts by convincing himself that you were a pawn. A piece he could use to achieve his goals and then discard you as soon as he could.” She sneered. “He was going to throw you away as soon as he used you to clean up his shit.” “Lies! Lily, think of everything we’ve been through! We’ve fought Gods and dragons. We’ve crossed entire continents together. Don’t tell me none of that matters to you? All the nights we’ve spent under the stars? Kai’s stories? Playing with Zoe? Watching Amy embarrass herself? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about all of it. Don’t tell me our friendship doesn’t matter to you.” I stared at Lily, who was standing limply. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She shouldn’t have found out. Not yet. Not… not ever. I had it all planned out. After we had enough blessings we would beat Azoth and then… and then… “Lily,” I whispered. “Please.” “You’re a bastard. You know that, right?” she said, quietly. She chuckled. I breathed a sigh of relief. She lifted her head and I saw her face. She was smiling with her eyes closed—it was a sincere smile. But my heart sank because I knew that it was over. A trail of tears ran down her cheeks. She muttered something but I couldn’t hear her. Instead, a pain blossomed in my chest as I was blasted back. I crashed into the ground, a loud bang resounding in my ears. I barely managed to roll out of the way as a sharp spike rose out of the ground. Picking myself up, I jumped out of the way of a ball of fire before sidestepping a blinding beam of light. My instincts kicked in and I instinctively began preparing a Void Beam but forced myself to stop. “No,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “I won’t do it.” I was thrown back as a ball of fire caught me off guard. The pain shocked me out of my self-control and a ball of darkness materialized in my hand. I couldn’t resist the urge to shoot it at the Hero—my fated nemesis—but I managed to make it as weak as possible. “Lily, stop!” I gasped, as the wind was knocked out of me when I fell to the ground. The ball of darkness whizzed towards Lily but she shot through it with a Laser. She was still crying and she was probably trying to resist her urges just as I was. That didn’t stop her from firing another Laser at me, though. “You can resist it,” I shouted, dodging her attack with a Void Step. “Just believe in me. Believe that I wouldn’t hurt you. That’s all you need to do!” She hesitated for just a moment, but it was enough. I could still get through to her. The plan probably wasn’t feasible anymore but I could work out a new one if I could just keep all the pieces in my hand. “Stop thinking about me, think about us.” “I am,” she whispered. “Good. Now focus on our relationship. We’ve been through a lot together,” I said, soothingly. I had this under control at last. “We’re friends aren’t we?” Lily’s head drooped down. “Idiot.” I barely managed to avoid the Laser that cut through the air next to me. I smelled ozone and the hair on my skin was standing on edge. That attack was different. There was a clear killing intent behind it. Lily was still crying but there was anger in her eyes now. Bright light surrounded her as an armor of light appeared over her clothes. Balls of energy floated around her and flashed as she fired several Lasers at once. I used Voidstep to avoid them, appearing between her and the rest of our now-defunct party. There was no coming back from this. The “Hero’s” party was no more. Lily charged me with a lance made of light, but I parried it with a sword made of darkness. We parted, pushed back by the force of the collision. Lily fired another set of Lasers but I countered with a Vanta Cannon. The beam of light and the swirling mass of darkness collided. My higher leveled attack easily crushed hers but she managed to avoid it. Wait, that was too close for comfort. What if she’d gotten hit? I better rein in my attacks. I just need to leave and regroup for now. I can still salvage this. I can fix it. I know I can! But when Lily fired another Laser, I met it with another Vanta Cannon even larger than the previous one. I’d wanted to rein myself in but I couldn’t. I couldn’t control myself. Even though I kept telling myself I could still work with her. That I didn’t need to kill her. That we could work something out. In reality I knew. I knew things could never be the same again. We’d passed the point of no return and now… …we were enemies. “Aww, this won’t be fun like this.” I turned to the Goddess. “I really wanna beat the shit out of you.” “Now that wasn’t a very nice to thing was it?” she said, floating in the air with a new teacup in her hand. She was sipping tea again. So goddamn annoying… Lily was glaring at her too. “Don’t look at me like that, sweetie. I just saved your life! You were being duped by your mortal enemy and I broke his nasty little plot for you. You should be thanking me!” “Hey Lily, I’ll let you hit me if you help me smack this bitch’s face,” I said, sidestepping a Ball of Light. “I’ll consider it,” she said, firing another attack. “Oh, so we can agree on something after all?” I chuckled. The Goddess grinned and the teacup vanished. “Since this isn’t fun anymore, let’s level the playing field a bit.” She waved her hand and a dark glow surrounded Lily. I grit my teeth in anger. That bitch… she’d blessed her! Lily’s stats skyrocketed, although I couldn’t see them. Kai’s rings were hiding our stats, even from each other. However, I knew that she must have been strong enough to see my stats now. As the glow subsided, Lily’s expression stiffened. I jumped at her and slashed with my sword. She couldn’t get away in time and my blade caught her on the shoulder. Her armor took most of the blow but it couldn’t stop my attack completely. Blood splattered the ground and a deep gash appeared along Lily’s arm. I trembled, shocked by my own actions. I didn’t even have the time to realize what I was doing. I couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t resist it. Lily’s eyes lit up in shock but her other hand released a beam of light at me in point-blank range. I used void step but it still singed my sides. I appeared behind her and slashed again. It cut through her armor and left a bloody cut on her back. A wave of light flew out of her and pushed me away. The Goddess was laughing maniacally. Amy was crying. Zoe was shouting at us to stop. Saar had her head down. And Kai was looking up at the moon. It was a full moon tonight and it bathed the forest in a gentle, silver light. I didn’t notice how late it had gotten. Lily and I exchanged some more blows. We hit each other with magic and crossed blades several times. Lily was obviously at a disadvantage because of her slightly lower level and the cut on her arm. However, she fought with a crazy sort of anger that I couldn’t match. Why? Because I couldn’t feel anger. At least not towards her. I was furious at the Goddess, of course, but I couldn’t blame Lily for her actions. In fact, I felt guilty. Guilty for putting her in this position. For tricking her and using her to achieve my own goals. When I first met her, I never thought I’d care for her. I’d never cared about anyone my entire life. But after everything we’d been through, I couldn’t help but feel attached to her. She was the first person who replied to my snarky comments with her own. More importantly, I trusted her more than anyone else. She was caring and kind. She was honest and I knew how she operated. I knew how she thought and felt. It wasn’t like I could read her or anything. No, it was more like I just knew what she would do. I didn’t know enough about Amy and Kai, and Zoe was just a kid. Lily was the one I trusted the most. Unlike everyone else in our party, she didn’t have any hidden agenda. She wasn’t trying to trick us or hide anything. I could also tell that she was just like me. She didn’t want to go back home. She hadn’t fit in back there. She didn’t yearn for her home. She was lost but she wasn’t trying to find her way back. Finding a way to Earth just gave her a purpose. A reason to travel with us. Because that’s what she really cared about. I could tell by the tears streaming down her face. I could tell by the anger she felt at the Goddess and me. She cared about us. Which is why my betrayal must have stung her so badly. We exchanged a few Lasers and Void Rays. We danced between Light Balls and Dark Balls. She countered my Purgatory with Exorcism. I broke her Celestial Pillar with Pandora. A Vanta Cannon collided with a Photon Cannon. Light and Darkness tangled with each other in a savage dance. She opened a blinding white gate with Divine Descent, and I opened a pitch black one with Hell’s Gate. The only sounds were those of magic and the Goddess’ gleeful cackling, in the background. Lily and I were both the kind to rile up our opponents. We teased them into making a mistake and goaded them into doing something stupid. But there was no banter now. No witticisms. No taunting. We weren’t doing something stupid like talking with our fists. No, we weren’t trying to do anything. We were just fighting. Pointlessly. We were fighting pointlessly. We weren’t venting our emotions because this didn’t make either of us feel better. We weren’t really trying to kill the other person, because we didn’t want to do that. We were fighting because we couldn’t help it. Despite everything we’d been through. Despite all the fun we’d had together. All the memories we’d shared and the difficulties we’d overcome together. Despite all of that, we couldn’t help but fight pointlessly. I took in a ragged breath. She was barely hanging on but so was I. We approached each other. At some point, my leg had been broken. At some point, her cheeks had been singed. At some point, we’d both become a mess; barely hanging on. I tackled her. We grappled on the ground. She got a punch in. I scratched her face. She tried to choke me so I punched her in the stomach. I coughed out the bile that had risen up my throat. She tried to poke my eye but I presented my forehead instead, breaking her finger. And yet we didn’t say a word. We grunted. We heaved. We snarled. But we never said anything. I had the upper hand. I’d always had it. But I’d resisted as much as I could. I’d tried to hurt her as little as I could. Had she tried to do the same? Did she try to fight her impulses as hard as I had? If I hadn’t held myself back as frantically as I had, she would have died long ago. Did she look at me and feel sad? Did she hate herself every time she hit me, the way I hated myself when I hit her? Did she look at my eyes and realize that we’d been friends once? That maybe we could have been something more? She fell to the ground and I fell on one knee. She coughed and I wheezed. It was over. I’d won. Or had I lost? I stumbled over her to prone body. I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t want to do it. I frantically resisted the urge to do it. But I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t fight it. A blade materialized in my trembling hands. I pointed it at her neck. She was battered, bloody and bruised. She was breathing in ragged gasps and the wound on her arm was festering. Her beautiful face was covered in cuts and her hair was riddled with stones, dirt and blood. It was so quiet. So, so quiet. There was no wind. No rustling leaves and no snapping twigs. Even that accursed Goddess finally shut up. There was only the sound of our ragged breathing. Lily looked at me and despite everything that had happened, she smiled. My vision blurred and something trickled down my cheeks. I was crying. Me. I never cried. I just didn’t. There had never been anything to cry about before. But my sadness turned to anger soon enough. Whose fault was it that I was standing over Lily with a sword to her throat? Should I blame Amy and the others for not helping? Should I blame the Goddess for setting us on each other? Or should I blame myself for lying to Lily in the first place? There was another possibility too. There was another actor I could blame. Thinking about it, everything led back to it in the end. It was always its fault. Fate. If it wasn’t for Fate, we wouldn’t be fighting each other. We wouldn’t feel the irresistible urge to kill each other. We wouldn’t have been summoned from our world in the first place. Fate, it was all Fate’s fault. I looked at the Goddess. “You,” I said, my voice hoarse. “How did you beat Fate?” The Goddess’ smile shrank and for once, I didn’t feel like punching her face. “I didn’t. I’m just really good at cheating.” I didn’t know what to say to that. I raised the blade into the air. Lily close her eyes. Zoe cried out. All my plans, all my ambitions and desires. All of them had long since crashed to the ground. Everything I cared about had been ruined. My castle had fallen. The blade shone in the silver moonlight as it flew towards my best friend’s throat. But of course, the blade froze in the air as a shadow fell over us, blocking the moonlight. “Took you long enough,” I grunted. Kai held the edge of my blade in his hand. “Sorry,” he said, quietly. He flicked the blade up and I fell on my back. All the strength in my body disappeared. I was exhausted. I forced my head to turn towards the Goddess and sure enough, she wasn’t surprised. “You let them beat each other up for a long time,” said the Goddess with a frivolous smile on her lips. However, her eyes had a serious glint in them. “Lover’s quarrel,” said Kai. “They needed to get it out of their system.” “You know they can’t stay near each other anymore. They’ll be at each other’s throats until one of them dies.” “You don’t need to worry about any of that. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to get going.” He waved his hand and Lily and I began floating in the air. He turned around and began to walk off, signaling to the others to follow. “I can’t just let you leave like that.” We were surrounded by walls of darkness. “I figured as much.” He waved his hand and the darkness dissipated. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Goddess bite her lips in anger but then her lips contorted into a smile. “Guess that’s that,” said Kai. Confused, I looked around and my heart skipped a beat. The forest was seething with dense, grey smoke. The smoke lay in an unnatural layer above the underbrush, floating about like a sentient being. I heard Amy catch a scream in her mouth. Even she must’ve been terrified. There was something incredibly frightening about that smoke. I could feel the fear down to my bones. It was coming out of the Goddess’ mouth too. Soon, she was shrouded in a haze of grey smoke. The smoke rose like a giant beast and slammed into the ground in front of us. Kai waved his hand again and we lurched backwards, narrowly avoiding the smoke. As the ground cleared, I noticed some of the rocks and stones vanish before appearing again. Almost as if they’d flickered out of existence. The Goddess roared, her voice unnaturally deep and menacing. The smoke rose in tandem with her voice, growling like a beast. It rumbled and surrounded us. It rose into the sky, slowly encircling the moon and plunging us into darkness. “You should have accepted your deaths graciously,” roared the Goddess. “Now disappear.” The smoke pounced on us. Zoe was screaming. Saar was trying to fade into the darkness but couldn’t. Amy was staring at Lunaris with unmasked fury, and at the smoke with utter terror. As the smoke blotted out the sunlight completely, I caught Lily staring back at me. Maybe it was because I was convinced we’d both die here, but I didn’t feel the urge to fight her. Instead, I weakly raised my hand and brought it towards her. I clutched her hand in mine and smiled. “Goodbye idiot.” “Shut up asshole.” Everyone huddled around us. Surprisingly, despite being a citizen of the Alliance, Zoe went up to Lily and hugged her side. Lily hugged her back with her other hand. The smoke fell on us. I could feel the chaotic energy bubbling inside it. It wanted to destroy us. Rip us to shreds. It wanted to tear us into pieces. Pieces… Pieces… Pieces… Everything was crumbling. We were crumbling. Into pieces. The game was over. I’d lost. This was check and… “You know what you’re supposed to do when you lose the game right?” said someone, breaking my thoughts. “You flip the board…” I felt a tug on my stomach. Lily’s hand slipped out of mine. The smoke vanished and all around me was a sea of stars. My vision blurred as the wind whipped past my face and the bright moonlight flooded my eyes. “…and you try again.” I flew into the distance, the clouds of smoke vanishing beyond the horizon.

“Where should I leave the box, sir?” “On the table.” The deliveryman placed the black box on the table and left without a word, closing the door quietly without being a nuisance. I didn’t get up to open it since I had better things to do. Like watch TV. There was only one channel, but I didn’t mind. There was always something good to watch, without the pain of having to choose. The screen flickered to life, revealing my favorite reality TV show. A group of philosophers and academics were about to challenge an obstacle course, but first, they had to design the course together. “Let’s keep it easy so everyone can finish,” said an old man with a grey beard. “If we can reduce pain and maximize pleasure, that is the best course of action.” The old man chuckled while everyone else groaned. “Your ideas are as terrible as your jokes, old man, and nearly as ancient as your utilitarian reasoning,” said a young man in an apron. “I say we make it as difficult as possible so only the best and most physically qualified amongst us will win.” “I agree with the idea of making it challenging, but testing physique among a group like ours seems like a missed opportunity,” said a middle-aged woman in a pink dress. “We are, first and foremost, a group of intellectuals, so I suggest we make an intellectually challenging course.” “How would we even begin to test each other’s intellectual abilities, considering the diversity of fields we represent?” asked a lady wearing a monocle. “A test of logic!” proposed a woman in a leather jacket. “What kind of test and what kind of logic?” asked the old man with a beard. “A written test testing empirical logic,” suggested the young man in an apron. “Peer reviewed theses,” said the middle-aged woman in a pink dress. “A debate!” said the professor. “A debate?” echoed the woman in a leather jacket. “The idea is intriguing but who would be the judge?” “Get a few people from the organizers. Maybe the producer of the show and his assistants?” suggested the bearded guy. “What qualifications do they have to judge us? Besides, there’s a clear conflict of interest there. Their decision will ultimately hinge on what they deem will get them the best ratings,” said Pink-dress. “How about leaving it to the public? And to preempt any concerns over the stupidity of the masses, I say what is the point of what we do if it isn’t useful to the layman?” said Monocle. “No, the masses are fickle and easy to manipulate with rhetorical flourishes and theatrics. Content matters not in a debate judged by the Average Joe because he relishes logical fallacies instead of abhorring them,” said Apron. “Besides, they are barely capable of understanding the light discourse we are having right now, how will they fare once we shift to denser vocabulary and more complex concepts?” “Well, how about we judge each other then?” said Leather-jacket. “A jury of our peers. I like that.” “Agreed.” “Seems we have consensus on the means of judging,” said Leather-jacket. “But what about the topic?” “Mathematics is the root of everything, so let us debate whether the Collatz conjecture can be disproven,” said Apron. “That question seems to have more to do with philosophy and logic than with mathematics,” said Monocles. “I say we choose a philosophical dilemma, but one with a clearer, less abstract solution. The producer is signaling that we need to keep our debate brief.” “I know!” said Pink-dress. “Let’s talk about society. Isn’t it fitting that our ideal obstacle course be a debate about our vision for an ideal world?” “Yes! It’s nearly a veil of ignorance!” I turned off the TV. Enough dilly dallying, time to get to work. I opened a door to the side. My office was empty, save for a chair, fireplace, and desk. No silly portraits adorned the walls nor were there any useless rugs covering the mahogany floorboards. The telephone on my desk rang as I sat. “Morning,” I said. “Morning sir,” said my secretary over the phone. “Your schedule is empty again once again. All macro and micro economic indicators are in your favor. The people are happy and the world is perfect.” “Thank you, Debby.” “Have a good day sir.” I hung up. My feet were on the desk. I pulled open a drawer, took out a video game controller, and pressed a button. A screen materialized in front of me. I proceeded to shoot zombies for the rest of the day. After finishing the game, I left things as they were—I had people to clean up after me—and left the office. I smiled as I entered the living room. “Welcome home!” We kissed. She put down her bags, and lay on the sofa. I sat beside her. “How was your day?” she asked. “The usual.” “Good,” said Lily as she moved closer. The sofa became a bed as we made love. Later in the night, Lily’s head on my arm, and her sleeping face next to mine, I turned the TV on to see how far the ‘intellectuals’ had gotten. “A world based on empathy is a perfect world,” said Beard. “If everyone avoids doing what will harm others simply because it will cause harm, there will be no more conflict.” “What if harm is inevitable? Who bears it if everyone is trying to take it upon themselves?” asked Pink-dress. “We distribute it equally.” “Assume that is not possible. That only one toe may be stubbed.” “Then we randomize it.” “Why not stub everyone’s toes? That’s more in line with your egalitarianism.” “But that increases the overall pain in society.” “Okay, but then why randomize it?” “What do you mean?” “If someone’s toe is larger and will therefore hurt more, should they be as likely to get a stubbed toe as someone with a sturdier but less plump toe? It would reduce the overall pain in society if we had that person take it,” finished Pink-dress. Beard went silent, stroking his facial hair in contemplation. “My ideal world is better,” said Apron. “Because in my world, we would stub the toe of the one who feels the least pain. My world wouldn’t be based on empathy but on rationality. Cold, emotionless, logic. Let reason drive everything, I say!” I turned off the TV and went to sleep. Dreaming of boxes and statues, I pulled myself out of my dreams once they became too absurd. Lily’s smiling face greeted me as I awoke. “Morning,” she said. “Morning,” I replied. Back at the office, I picked up the phone that rang as I sat. “Morning.” “Morning sir,” said Debby. “Your schedule is empty and everything is perfectly rational, once again. The economy is growing just as you predicted. People’s lives are functioning the way you said they would.” “Thank you, Debby,” I said. I was about to hang up but a thought came to mind. “How is Zoe?” “Your daughter is performing well in school. She is on track to achieve all the standards you set for her by the end of the semester.” “I see.” I nodded my head lightly and listened to the noise of my own breath echoing over the phone. “Will that be all sir?” “Debby.” “Yes sir?” “Is everything really perfect?” “Yes sir, everyone is sensible and everything is orderly.” “I know it is, but… never mind. Thank you, Debby.” “Have a good day, sir.” I swiveled on my chair and looked out the windows. The sky was blue and the grass was green. The hedges were trimmed so well they lined the edges of the yard like a green brick wall. The lawn was mowed evenly. The fountains flowed without a splash, every drop hitting the walls of the marble bowls at just the right angle. I mulled Debby’s words, everyone is sensible and everything is orderly. A robot flew into an apple tree. It harvested all the fruit and whizzed away, slicing them en route to the kitchens. I turned on the TV. The ‘intellectuals’ were still debating. “But a world of rationality would lack the human experience that only irrationality can provide,” said Leather-jacket. “No, we would simple redefine the human experience. One where surprises aren’t welcome and logic takes precedence over feelings. That is not to say that emotions would no longer exist, just that when faced with the decision of doing what was right and what felt right, people would choose the former,” said Apron. “But how would they define what was right, if not from their subjective opinions and emotions?” “Easy, logic.” “You’re a child,” said Pink-dress. “Logic functions between premises but those premises need to exist in the first place for logic to function. We need to make a subjective evaluation of right and wrong before we can even begin to apply logic.” “Sure,” said Apron. “Which is why we need to just go ahead and pick one.” “Pick one?” said Monocle. “Yes.” “How? If you agree that morals are subjective that means we won’t be choosing which morals to use as the basis of our reasoning, but whose.” “Exactly!” exclaimed Apron. “We choose one conception of morality and make it apply to everyone! And deciding whose morality to apply is the easiest part.” I turned off the TV. I needed to get some fresh air. Take my thoughts for a walk. I jumped out the window. My guards looked at me but didn’t move. I landed on the path, nodded to them, clasped my hands behind my back, and walked. The weather was just right. The sun was shining brightly but not too brightly. A few wispy clouds hovered in the sky, granting shade in stripes along the ground. Birds flew in V’s heading in the same direction, the direction I was walking in. There was a pond in the backyard, where we kept some fish. I stopped, not because of the fish popping out to swallow insects, but because of the sand on the banks. There was a deep hole in the sand, with specks trailing away from the pond. Someone was stealing sand? Odd target. Made no sense. Irrational, even. I followed the trail of sand out of the lawn. A guard stared at me for a while but said nothing. The sand piled up outside my front door. I opened it, sending the pile of sand flying into the wind. The clouds thickened overhead. There was no sand inside. That made no sense, the trail had been growing thicker, how could it vanish so suddenly? I searched the room, checking under the rugs and between the sofas. I couldn’t find a speck of sand or dust, the place had been cleaned meticulously. A robot whirred to life behind me, sweeping up the dirt I’d dragged in. I grabbed the robot and checked its memory banks. It had recorded the last three spots it had stopped at to recharge. From the corner by the fireside it went to the socket beside the door before plugging itself under the table in the front of the room, which is where it had been before it came to wipe my footsteps. I released the robot. The black box lay on the table, untouched since yesterday. Its sides weren’t as smooth as I had assumed, with little markings carved into them. Some sand stuck to the engraving on the side facing the wall. I turned that side toward me and frowned. A triangle, a couple of squares, and a few broken lines. What was that supposed to be? The sand hadn’t filled in all the cracks so I traced it with my hands. A castle, it was a castle. Something surfaced in my mind but I fought it back. Dreams were irrational, they had no place in a perfect world. I picked up the box. It was heavier than I’d thought it’d be. All its sides had a castle engraved in them except for the top, where there was only an arrow pointing to a flap. My phone rang. Odd, nobody ever called me. There was never a need to. I reached into my pocket and put the phone against my ear. “What is it?” “Sir.” “Debby? What’s the matter?” “Sorry to disturb you sir but your presence is urgently requested in the Oval office.” I started walking. “Details, Debby.” “Nukes, sir.” I cursed. “We got rid of those years ago. I made sure of it.” “It’s Square, sir. They managed to build one from scratch. They’re threatening to blow up—” The door to my office swung open, revealing a bunch of people in suits and uniforms. They stood, I waved them down. “—Babel. They’re on the bridge right now, demanding to speak to you,” finished Debby, who stood beside my desk. “Thank you, Debby. Luna, what have you got for me?” “Sir, we thought Square had been eradicated but it seems they were hiding in the Wastelands, building this weapon.” “Are we sure it’s nuclear?” “Our scouts ran radiation detection magic and all of them came up several times higher than average. Even if it isn’t as powerful as the weapons of old, it is definitely radioactive.” I cursed. “None of this leaves this room. Suppress the news, detain all the traders on either side, I don’t want the public to panic.” “It’s too late,” said someone. “Azoth, don’t tell me…” My Vice President turned on the TV. Instead of bickering intellectuals, a newsreel greeted me. “The terrorists have closed off the Bridge of Babel with threats of a nuclear bomb, one they claim to have manufactured themselves from their secret base in the Wastelands. The Black House has yet to respond to the terrorists’ demands but we at ElHydro News have been assured that the President is preparing to deal with the threat.” “Thank you, Adriella. That was Adriella from the foot of the Bridge of Babel, where terrorists from Square are threatening to detonate a bomb unless the President of Erath concedes to their demands. I’m Opis Lazuli, and you’re watching, ElHydro News.” Azoth turned off the TV. “It’s sad that I have to find out about this shit from the television,” I said. “Where are my intelligence reports? How did we miss any sign of this?” “We aren’t sure, sir, but we believe they snuck into a caravan and rode it straight onto the bridge.” “And no one checked the caravan?” “They must have but no one would have thought to run radiation detection magic on a random caravan.” “A random caravan? They had a nuclear bomb in their caravan. I’d imagine it would at least look strange enough to contact the intense vetting agents at the borders.” “Unfortunately, sir,” said Azoth, handing me a piece of paper. “The bomb does not look threatening in any way.” I eyed the picture in front of me, my mouth frozen agape. “This…” Silence hung over the room. My phone rang, breaking me from my stupor. “What is it?” I asked. “Runir,” said Lily, “they have Zoe!” I turned on the TV. “ElHydro News has obtained footage of the terrorists from our airborne drones. There appear to be three terrorists and a hostage. The bomb is housed in a black box the size of a car. The terrorists are wearing the signature Square masks, while the hostage has yet to be identified.” I knew who it was, could tell with just a glance. “Zoe…” I whispered. How the hell did she get there? She was home in the morning, she couldn’t have… but was she home in the morning? No, I hadn’t seen her all day, nor the day before, nor the day before. How had I missed this? “Runir,” cried Lily over the phone. “Please do something!” “Mr. President,” said Azoth, his words light but grave. I followed his gaze to the TV. “The terrorists are threatening to kill their hostage if the president does not answer their requests! However, they have yet to attempt to contact ElHydro News or the Black House, raising questions about how they intend to communicate with the president.” I ran out of the room. “Mr. President!” I ignored the cries of alarm behind me and rushed into the living room. There was a quiet buzzing sound in the air, getting louder as I approached the front door. I grabbed the box, wrenched open its top, and pressed the phone inside against my ear. “President Candela speaking.” “Mr. President! So glad you could join us,” came a young voice over the phone, “we have your daughter.” “I know.” “We have a bomb too.” “I know.” “And we have demands.” “I accept.” Silence. “I accept,” I repeated. “But you don’t know what they are?” “Doesn’t matter.” “It does matter. I want assurances.” “You have them.” I could practically hear him scowling on the other end. “You’re lying.” “No, I’m not. I know what your demands are, they’ve been the same for years, but I just don’t care anymore. Give me my daughter, diffuse your bomb, and you can have what you want. You win.” “In person. Come give it to us in person.” I hung up. “Debby!” I fixed my cuffs. “Bring out the airship.” - The airship touched down on the northern end of the bridge. I asked Lily to stay behind but she refused. Azoth and the rest of the cabinet stayed behind in the Black House, just in case. I walked across the bridge, a bitter feeling, and a thumping heart in my chest. The Squares sneered at me as I approached, one of them tugging Zoe forward. Zoe herself was calm, just as she’d seemed on TV. Her rational mind told her, her father would come rescue her, and he had. “The item, first,” said the cloaked figure standing on the box. His was the voice I’d heard over the phone. “Here,” I said, throwing the box at him, casually. He caught it, eyed me nervously, then opened it. He smiled. “It was an honor doing business with you, Mr. President.” They released Zoe. Lily ran forward and embraced her. The terrorists pulled out their guns, only to drop them seconds later. “What?” said the boy on the box. Several dozen soldiers appeared around us, their guns and staffs pointed at the terrorists. Lily lifted Zoe up and calmly joined my side. “What is the meaning of this? We have a bomb, a nuclear bomb!” “Do you?” If I could see under the boy’s mask, I was sure I’d see his eyebrows furrow. “Alright, I’ll show you I wasn’t bluffing. Let’s all get blown to smithereens, together!” He stamped his foot and the box opened. He disappeared inside and screamed. “You okay?” I said, my tone mocking concern. “Where is it?” he said, dangling on the edge of a hole in the ground. “Excavated by a team of Earth magicians and mechanical engineers in the short time we were talking.” “That can’t be…” “I’ve wasted enough time here, soldiers, arrest them.” I turned my back on them, grabbed Lily’s arm, and walked away. “This isn’t the end!” shouted the boy from Square as the soldiers handcuffed him. “You’ve built your castle but it won’t last forever! It will crumble, I say. It will crumble piece by piece.” “That’s okay,” I shouted back, putting on a show for the cameras undoubtedly hovering above. “I’ll just build it up again.” - I turned on the TV that night, Lily snoring lightly by my side. The news was done praising my heroic actions and the ‘intellectuals’ were back on. It seemed like they’d nearly reached a conclusion. “We’ve established that some chaos is essential for order to exist. Disorder is the natural state, and order is the artificial one, and although that does not mean that it is the right state, that does mean that we cannot have order without the chaos that is its antithesis,” said Leather-jacket. “But where do we draw the line?” asked Monocles. “Do we make the obstacle course a random assortment of chaotic ideas and problems? How do we determine just how much chaos is necessary?” “Just enough to make things fun and unpredictable,” said Pink-dress. “Let the norm be order but the defining points be disorder.” “How do we translate that into a course for the game?” asked Apron. “A set of questions, one designed by each of us, administered in a random order and with randomized parameters,” proposed Beard. The others agreed. I turned off the TV, satisfied by the balance between chaos and order. I could predict everything, run the numbers a million times, but as long as there was the tiniest uncertainty, the faintest hint of an irregularity, life would be worth living. Order must be the norm. Disorder was there to spice things up from time to time. I went to sleep with a smile on my face. Your castle will crumble! That’s what the boy from Square had said. Good, it would be boring if it didn’t. - “Morning,” I said. “Morning,” said Lily, beaming. I wasn’t usually the first to greet her in the morning. “Got time for a walk?” I asked. Her eyebrows went up. “Yes!” So we went for a walk around the backyard. The lawns were still perfectly trimmed, but I’d told them to cut the hedges into different shapes. Circles, triangles, even squares, they were all there. The fountains splashed loudly but rose higher than before. “What’s that?” asked Lily, pointing to the pond. “They haven’t filled it in, yet?” I said. “I’ll tell them to get on it right away.” It was deeper than before and there was a new trail of sand. “In fact,” I said, letting go of Lily’s hand. “I think I’ll go tell them right now.” I followed the sand trail out of the garden, several guards following me. A few shouted for me to slow down but I didn’t. The trail was getting thicker. I reached a small thicket of pine trees and darted inside without a thought. “Who is it?” came a voice from inside. I stopped. That voice was familiar. “Amy?” A red-haired woman stepped out from behind a tree. “Runir? What are you doing here?” “I was following this…” I stuttered and continued in a muffled voice. “…trail of sand.” “A trail of what?” “Sand.” “I see.” “It’s not as stupid as it sounds.” “Never said it was.” I spotted another pile of sand near a bush beside Amy. “Right, better get on with it,” I said, brushing past Amy. “Runir,” she said, her back to me. “What is it?” “It’s depressing, isn’t it?” “What?” She walked away without answering, disappearing behind the trees. My guards hadn’t followed me into the thicket for some reason. The sand pile in front of the bush quivered, the wind gently blowing a bit away. I approached the bush and gingerly parted the leaves. There was another pond behind it, one without fish. On its banks was a sand castle with intricate carvings, tall towers, and ornate battlements. It had been there for a while, since there were cracks everywhere, and sand piles at the base. “The fuck is with the castles, damn it.” I stepped behind the bush as a strong wind blew from behind me. It slammed into the castle, making the cracks widen, eroding the battlements, and collapsing one of the towers. It wasn’t going to last for much longer. My phone rang. “What is it?” I barked. “Sir,” said Debby, her voice faltering. “There’s an emergency!” “I assumed there would be if you’re calling me, tell me what it is?” “Aliens.” I cursed. Really, aliens? God damn it. “On my way,” I said, rushing out of the thicket. My guards didn’t greet me when I got outside, on account of them not being there. What did greet me, however, was a giant, glowing flying saucer. Just stellar. “You are the human leader, are you not?” said a stereo-typically alien voice. “President Runir Candela, at your service,” I said. “This conversation is being broadcast to your human communications networks. We apologize for interrupting the riveting debate you were having over the chaotic nature of giant rubber balls.” “No, no, don’t mention it. Please.” “We are here to conquer your planet.” “Straight to the point, I like that.” “Will incinerating you give us victory?” “No, you’d still have to fight the rest of humanity. Although, if you can incinerate me, you’ll probably be able to take over the world fairly easily.” “Very well.” Bright green lights flared as I shot to the side. A giant hole appeared where the thicket had been, with no trace of trees or sandcastles. The lights flashed again so I ran. Another loud boom and the ground shook. I chanced a glance behind me and saw another hole leading to god knows where, with singed rocks and magma lining the sides. “Accept your fate, human.” “Screw fate,” I shouted. I ran towards the spaceship, dodging the green beams of incineration, or whatever they were called. They took forever to charge and couldn’t aim after they began charging. Why have a giant green beam of incineration if you could never hit anyone with it? I reached the ship without incident, jumped on top of it, and poked out the glass eye shooting the lasers. A scream erupted and the spaceship floundered, crashing into the ground, and rolling over like a dog. I hung onto a groove in its skin but it flung open, eliciting more screams. I dragged myself over the flap and jumped inside the ship. There was no one inside but I already knew that. I grabbed the closest circuitry I could find and pulled it all out. The ship-alien’s screams grew in intensity but I kept pulling. Green goo splattered over me as I shattered glass tubes and spilled canisters. After I pulled out a purple cube, the ship’s screams subsided. I jumped out of its head and wondered how much of this had been broadcast. My phone rang again. I’d been ignoring it during the fight. “What is it?” I breathed. “Sir!” came Debby’s voice. “Look out!” I jumped to the side as another boom rattled the ground. I rolled over and spit out the dust in my mouth. Hundreds of flying saucer aliens whirred in the air, flashing angry green lights. Fuck. I did a back-flip, narrowly avoiding another laser. I kept running continuously, glancing behind occasionally to measure where they were aiming. There were holes in all directions, I’d be cut off soon. Where the hell were my guards? Why was my phone still ringing? I picked it up. “Fuck.” “Mr. President, they have surrounded all the cities of the world! Please, tell us what to do!” “Give me intel, we must know something about them?” “Sir, all we know is that the terrorists from Square have been laughing hysterically for hours. Two of them have already committed suicide.” “Get me the third one on the phone!” A laser cut off the back of my shirt. My phone beeped as the call was redirected. “… with the president, you say?” came a voice over the phone, a voice I remembered. “You bastard, this is your doing, isn’t it?” I shouted. “No, sir,” I could practically see the smirk on his face. “It’s yours.” He laughed like a madman and wouldn’t respond to my curses and threats. I had some guards ruffle him up but to no avail. The lasers incinerated the back of my left shoe. I cursed and flung the phone behind me. All the alien ships aimed at it and sent it to phone heaven. I stopped in place. They flashed back up to me but didn’t fire. They hovered in all directions, looked back at the massive hole where my phone had been, and flew off into the distance. - “They see radio and micro waves,” I said into the public phone. “Sir, you’re alright!” said Debby. “Of course, I am. Now forward that intel to the army. They should be able to handle it now.” “On it, sir.” I hung up and slumped against the walls of the cubicle. My heart was still racing from all that laser dancing. I still couldn’t wrap my head around those aliens, they’d come completely out of the blue. At least their attributes still made sense. Radio vision and fixed aiming. Now that we knew their weaknesses, we’d defeat them in a few days. Reason wins once again. I stepped out of the cubicle. “Hey, you sure took your sweet time in there!” said a tall British man. “Sorry,” I said, offhandedly. The guy brushed past me, ripping off his shirt to reveal a large S in red. He entered the phone-booth and it began rumbling and twisting. Then it faded away. I didn’t bother thinking about it. Something hit me on the head. Something hit me on the head, again. And again, and again. It was raining but the rain wasn’t wet, it was slimy. “Frogs?” I said, picking up one of the croaking critters. It was green, slimy, and froggy. My phone rang. “Sir!” said Debby. “It’s the frogs, right?” “Yes, sir. They’re terrorizing the world.” “They’re just frogs.” “Exactly, terrifying.” “Fine, where are they coming from?” “We have no idea.” “Then get the space agency to look into it.” “Understood.” I hung up as another frog hit me on the head. I ran to a store and bought an umbrella. The umbrella had rainbow swirls and a red clown nose on it. Perfect. I ran down the empty street and reached the Black House at last. There were no guards outside and the gate swung open on its own. Frogs fell like a pile of snow from over the gate as I ran inside. “Runir!” “Lily.” I hugged her. “Where’s Zoe?” “In her room. What’s with the frogs?” “Good question.” I walked into the office and picked up my phone. “Debby, report.” No answer. “Debby?” The call ended. The door to the secretary’s office burst open. A giant goat burst through, roaring a visceral, goaty roar. The corners of my eyes twitched. A goat, really? “Debby…” The goat charged me. I cursed and dodged. My desk and chair got crushed and the goat’s horns shattered the windows. “Lily, run!” I shouted, looking at her. She screeched and pecked at me; neither in a sexual way. Her owl beak went straight for my neck, missing it by a hair. I rolled out of the room. “I don’t even do drugs, damn it.” The goat and owl burst through the wall behind me so I ran. A manatee appeared in the fountain in the main hall. “Let me guess, Zoe?” It flapped it’s feet aggressively, which I took for a yes. The goat was right behind me and the owl was circling overhead. I jumped out of the window to the side as the two crashed into each other. Pain shot through me as I twisted my ankle. I forced myself up, dragging my leg behind me. I glanced back just in time to see the Black House—my palace—collapse in on itself. The animals were still screaming so I wobbled away as fast as I could. I grunted as my foot hit a rock but bit my lips and carried on. The lawn was patchy, singed in places, dead in others. The hedges were thorny and amorphous. The stones in the pathways had been crushed, pressed down, or replaced with bubble wrap. I reached the pond where the fish floated dead on the algae covered water surface. But the most surprising thing of all, was that the hole—of all things—was perfect now. It’s sides were chiseled and polished forming a square tunnel that lead into the darkness. As the bleating goat and the screeching owl approached, I cursed and flung myself into the hole. - I woke up in a white room. The walls were squares, I was sure of that even though I couldn’t make out any depth in the place. The ceiling was low and had no hole, I could tell because I’d traced it with my hands while standing on tiptoes. There was no sound, no irregularities, no imperfections. It was a perfect room, isolated from everything. Everything made sense here, no goats, no aliens, no god damned trails of sands. Just me, the walls, and absolute, rational, silence. I lasted three minutes before I began banging the walls. Let something happen, anything happen. I kicked the walls with my still aching leg, relishing the pain that broke the monotony of the perfect cube. “Let me out!” I shouted. “Let me out of this damned box!” This was the part where the walls fell over and I went out to play with my friends. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Instead, the world went black.

I breathed in the salty sea breeze while the waves roared against the shore. The armies of Erath were arrayed on either side of the Bridge of Babel, weapons poised, maps drawn, and prayers dancing on every soldier’s lips. There hadn’t been a large-scale war like this in centuries because of the demon lords’ disappearances. Most battles had been one-sided invasions by the Union, crushed by the Alliance once they reached the demon lord’s castle. But this time, both sides were fully mobilized. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, magicians, tacticians and the like had all been gathered. Farmers were conscripted, merchants’ goods were appropriated, and factories and idle workers were put to work manufacturing weapons or maintaining the supply lines. Amy stood over the red army, gazing in my direction but showing no signs of having noticed me. Zoe was dispatched to scout the Union’s vanguard. Runir was in a large command tent on his side of the bridge, accompanied by Azoth and a few other ministers, while Lily stood alone near the front of her army, standing silent but upright, letting her gleaming white armor and confidence motivate her army. Both Runir and Lily had the same sentiments but had reached different conclusions. If they couldn’t avoid the war, they wanted to make sure it ended quickly. Their decisions on how to achieve that were very different. Runir wanted to efficiently dismantle the Union. Lily wanted to die. The rest of the goddesses floated high in the sky, behind a cloud just thick enough to hide their shadows. Lunaris argued that they continue searching for me but Solaron reminded her they’d been doing so for weeks to no avail. Adriana complained about not being able to sell arms to the Alliance because Runir had blocked her. She grumbled that they’d lose without her weapons but Opal countered by reminding her that she was short on raw materials and couldn’t make any weapons in the first place. Breize tinkered with a new contraption, claiming it could be useful in the war. They were trying to distract themselves from the carnage that was about to ensue below. Despite having lived for a millennium, they hadn’t gotten used to watching people suffer and die. Even Opal, who enslaved many of her people, couldn’t stomach war. Zoe reached the bridge. I waited for her to near the center before materializing there. The goddesses stopped bickering. Amy bit her lips as her prism vibrated. Runir cursed at his prism. Lily chucked hers far away. All of them shot into the air, rushing towards me as fast as they could. I faced the sky and listened to the waves to pass the time. No, that wasn’t true. I couldn’t pass the time, the concept had no meaning for me. I was listening to the waves to distract myself. That wasn’t true either, I couldn’t be distracted. Zoe was the first to spot me. I looked at her without turning, always futilely wondering if I’d made the right choice in suppressing her memories. Of course I had, I knew I had. Of course. The goddesses were the first to touch down. It took Lily and Runir several milliseconds to reach me, but that didn’t matter, I could wait. I could wait forever. Amy tried to catch my attention so I gazed at her without meeting her gaze. She regretted ‘betraying’ me, both because of her internal moral anguish, and because I’d escaped. The other goddesses were afraid but defiant. Runir had his poker face on but was furiously trying to think of a solution while slowly coming to terms with his inability to do so. Lily was the firmest in her convictions, being straight up angry. I knew what was going to happen. I was going to hesitate, sigh, look at them one by one, relive my memories with them, then resign myself to the inevitability of my actions. I was going to rewrite everything. I’d seen myself do it on the Hill outside Reneste and almost every night since then. I sighed and looked at Lily. Stories around a campfire, saving her from the Ashfiend’s curse, flirting with her on a boat while skirting the Alderan wastes, and finally, sharing a warm night on a cold mountaintop, all memories I cherished at the time, despite knowing how our relationship would end. I moved my gaze to Lily. She had a fierce glint in her eye that reminded me of how impressed I’d been when she escaped the Palace. Her resistance to authority and propensity to steal things contrasted sharply with her sense of justice and love for the weak. I’d always admired that about her. I’d also come to think of her as my little sister, one I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to have. Runir was like me in many ways. His calculating nature, his inscrutable demeanor, and his initial disregard for other people’s feelings reminded me of the Kai who had first come to this world as well as the person I was now. Would he have done things differently if he’d been in my position? Probably not, but who knows. Solaron, the goddess who never gave up on the game. Finding loopholes to give her side any advantage she could, capitalizing on Lunaris’ absence and lack of enthusiasm, and trying to win the game as quickly and painlessly as possible. She’d long since realized that her actions were useless, she was killing people and inflicting more pain yet victory was never within sight. She guessed that victory was impossible, that the game was not meant to be won. She guessed right. Adriana became a business tycoon after helping boats traverse the myriad canals and rivers of her territory. At some point, she’d met an old lady who changed the way she saw the world. Although it didn’t stop her from selling weapons to both sides of the war, she did keep the worst weapons locked away. Opal dealt with the pain of her people by trying to control their lives as directly as possible. However, when famine struck, she had no idea what to do. She watched her people starve but couldn’t access the plentiful resources being traded right outside her country’s borders. When Breize expressed a desire in the minerals in her mines, she went all out in procuring them. She worked them to the bone so they could survive. She hoarded excess minerals so scarcity would make them more valuable while having a stockpile for rainy days. The Air kingdom had always had the best engineers but Breize felt she could take them even higher. Into the sky, in fact. She developed all sorts of contraptions to make people’s lives better and sold weapons to buy food and raw materials for her machines. She made the peacetime sweeter but the wars deadlier. Lunaris locked herself up in a shack in the mountains, having tea-parties with herself for hundreds of years. I always felt guilty when I thought about her, knowing that I’d dragged her into this but never gotten to know her. I needed to let her hatred of Fate stew, and stop her from realizing her otherworldly magic didn’t work on me, but watching her drink tea all alone for so long was saddening, to say the least. I looked back into the sky. I focused on Zoe without turning to her, remembering all the fun I’d had taking care of the little tyke. I also recalled the pain of suppressing her memories, again, and shifted my attention elsewhere. Azoth was in the command tent of the dark kingdom. He’d been a bit of a wildcard. Despite being a bonus boss unlocked after the end of the main campaign, he’d left his mountain and assumed command of the Dark kingdom himself. A mix of ambition and self-righteousness motivated his actions, although he’d grown apathetic after killing his fifth hero. Finally, I focused on Clare. She lay on top of the Hill, scratching Waon’s head while staring at the sky. I looked at her eyes and she felt it, gazing into the empty air intensely. She didn’t want me to do it. She thought I could come up with another answer, something less extreme. But she didn’t understand—none of them did. It’s why they tried to lock me up. It’s why they were so angry at me for not fixing everything despite being able to do so. But that was because they were ignorant. Being ridiculously powerful isn’t as cool as people think. Even if you could do everything you wanted to, you couldn’t really do it. There was no happiness to be found in power, no love, no satisfaction. If you had any morals, any concept of right and wrong, any humanity at all, you wouldn’t find absolute power fun. No, you’d come to the same conclusion that I had: Absolute power is pretty depressing. I said the word and the world went dark.

If Ashpoole was the jewel of the Fire Kingdom, Beigo was the crown. Towering red sandstone buildings topped with golden domes filled the skyline. Hordes of pedestrians crowded the richly paved roads, some stopping to browse the windows of the many beautifully decorated stores. The entire city was enchanted against the harsh desert climate, creating a very different atmosphere inside. Children played in fountains spraying water all over the place, squandering what was otherwise known as the most important resource in the desert. We walked through the heavy metal gates unhindered, courtesy of Kai’s magic paper, and decided to secure lodging for the night. After paying for four rooms with the Inn’s own money, we made our way down the busy streets while shopping for local specialties. The Fire King’s palace stood out at the end of the street. No surprise really, since the entire city was built around the palace and every street led to it in the end. Its towers rose up into the sky, shining with a faint red light because of the red tiles that covered the entire palace. It exuded an ethereal air that made it look like a painting from a fairy-tale. I grabbed a map from a bookstore but it didn’t mention the Crumbling Sand village either, so I put it back on the shelf and frowned. Where had that village come from? I walked out of the store with a more detailed map of the route to the Fire Goddess’ shrine. I estimated that it would take us three days to reach it even though it seemed pretty close on the map, since we’d have to cross several mountains and wade through a sea of lava to get there. Lily bought a saber to replace her now dull and chipped knife, as well as a small steel shield. Since Lily was ‘paying,’ I took the opportunity to buy a shield for myself as well. Kai disappeared for a while but soon returned with three brown parcels and gave one to each of us. A gift from Kai? If it’s as amazing as the ring... I thought, excitedly ripping it open. I frowned. “What the hell is this?” “Earrings. You don’t want them? I could always take them back,” he said, smirking as he reached over to grab them. “No,” I said, tacking on the dull graphite bead. Surprisingly, it didn’t pierce through my skin but attached itself to my earlobes instead. “It’s rude to take back gifts.” “Thanks Kai. These are beautiful!” said Lily, white pearls shining on her ears. “I agree. This is wonderful!” said Amy, flicking a dangling red ruby. “What do they do?” I asked. “They make you look cool,” he said. “No, I mean what do they do?” I reiterated. “They make me feel less embarrassed about hanging out with you guys,” he replied with a serious expression. We continued making light banter as we moved towards the palace. The King was holding an art exhibition and we’d decided to take this opportunity to relax before continuing our journey. Soon enough, we arrived at the imposing outer gates of the palace and joined the throng of people entering the courtyard. Inside, we saw an impressive assortment of sculptures and paintings as well as other curios. “Hey, are those the Goddesses?” Lily asked, pointing at a ring of statues at the center of the courtyard. “I suppose so,” I replied, evaluating the depictions of the most powerful entities on Erath. Just as I moved to get a closer look at them, a loud siren started blaring throughout the city. “The emergency alarm?” someone said. “What happened? Is it a monster horde?” said someone else. “Did the Demon Lord attack?” asked someone else. That made me pause. Did they find me? They couldn’t have. But then what else could it be? “Citizens! Please, do not panic. We are merely taking precautionary measures because our communications with Ashpoole have temporarily broken down. It is most likely a malfunction in the communications prisms, please do not be alarmed. The gates will be reopened once the situation is resolved. We thank you for your cooperation,” said a voice projected all over the city. I frowned. Something wasn’t right. Communications prisms didn’t just malfunction, and even if they did, what were the odds that so many prisms would break down at once? I saw a flicker of unease in Lily’s eyes as we followed the directions of the knights and left the exhibition. Amy’s forehead creased in a frown as she searched for signs of trouble. Even Kai adopted a grim expression. We noticed a group of knights talking in hushed whispers while pointing to a scroll one of them held in her hands. We passed by them but they stopped speaking and didn’t resume until we were out of earshot. Not that it mattered, of course. “You got it, right?” I asked. “Of course,” Lily replied, tossing me the scroll. I opened it up and started reading. “Reports of riots… duke’s guards released to quell… all communications suddenly cease… Ashpoole Royal Army division unresponsive… personal communications prisms unresponsive… emergency measures implemented… communications with scouts severed...” Words kept magically appearing on the scroll but I put it away and faced the others. I took a deep breath. “Ashpoole… has fallen.” “What do you mean?” Amy asked. “The prisms are still working but no one is responding,” I explained. “How could that —” She was cut off by the group of knights that came rushing towards us. Her hand went to the pommel of her sword but Kai gave her a sharp glance so she didn’t pull it out. The knights ran past us to the city gates where rows of armored figures stood in formation. Sensing that something was going to happen, we cautiously approached the knights. “We can see them...” “So many...” “Vile scoundrel...” The knights were whispering to each other while readying their weapons. A tall, hulking figure in ornately decorated red armor stood atop the wall and passed directions down to knights amassed below. “We should check it out for ourselves,” said Kai as he jumped all the way up the wall. A small flash of heat and light confirmed that Amy had followed him up so Lily and I were left to sneak up on our own. The knights hadn’t noticed us yet so we stuck to the shadows and climbed the walls, hoping that nobody just happened to be looking at this part of the wall. I grabbed Lily’s hand, allowing her to pull me on top of the wall. We turned to see Amy and Kai looking grimly outside the wall. Following their gaze, we realized why. An army was marching towards Beigo. Legions of armored knights, hordes of robed magicians, a fleet of flying beast riders and giant siege weapons covered the sand dunes outside the city. But what was truly perplexing was the color of their uniform. They were wearing the same red colored armor as the rest of the Fire Army, probably because they were the Fire Army - or at least a part of it. A short, bearded man rode at the front of the army, his intricately decorated armor revealing his status. “That must be the Duke of Ashpoole,” I said, quietly. Nobody responded. They could, after all, see the large, sprawling army in front of them and knew that apart from the capital Beigo, only Ashpoole could field this many soldiers. As they drew closer, I noticed something even more disturbing. All of them were expressionless. Not serious or stoic, but expressionless. They marched with a mechanical rigidity that was both imposing and eerie. Something was seriously wrong here. “Halt!” shouted the armored man on the wall. The army continued marching, not showing any signs of having heard him at all. Even when the archers fired warning shots at their feet, none of them flinched. “In the name of the Fire King, I command you to stop!” said the voice that had announced the state of emergency. It seemed to belong to a portly middle aged man who was making his way to the top of the wall. The army kept marching. The Fire King reached the top of the wall and began to frown as his sweat started forming on his forehead. “Stop, in the name of the Fire Goddess. Stop!” he shouted. This time the army reacted immediately. They ceased marching and looked up at the Fire King. The Duke rode out a little further and spoke; “Do not mention that false Goddess! Your Fate is sealed and you have but two choices: Join us in our reverence of the true God or perish as heathens and infidels!” “False Goddess? How dare you!” said the King, incredulously. True God? Don’t tell me these people are – They lifted their flags and roared. “Into the circle! Into the circle!” Shit. I turned around quickly. “We have to get out of here before the fighting starts. We don’t want to get caught in the middle of this. Come on,” I said, preparing to jump down the wall. But I stopped. The sun was snuffed out and the sky painted black, even though it was still early in the afternoon. The Duke jumped off his horse and kneeled on the ground, blood splattering on the ground beneath him as his leg bent in an unimaginable direction. But he didn’t seem to notice his grave injury as he looked up at the sky with a crazed look on his face. His followers did the same, kneeling on the ground and staring at the pitch black sky above. “Oh mighty Lord of the heavens, King of the skies and Emperor of the seas! Oh Most Exalted Creator, for whom we would lay down our lives in a heartbeat. Lord, we are not worthy. We are not worthy! We are not worthy!” the Duke rambled at the top of his voice. The sky shone with a deep, violet light as a giant circle appeared above the Duke’s army. The circle flashed brightly before spinning uncontrollably, so fast that it was just a blur. Soon, a violet sphere was hanging in the sky. Lightning raked across the surface of the sphere; dancing and twirling like a serpent. Finally, the lightning gathered together to form one large lightning bolt which struck the center of the sphere and caused a blinding flash of violet light. What the hell was that thing! I thought, raising my arm in front of me to block the winds blowing across the landscape. The flash faded, revealing a dark robed figure hovering in the sky. It was wearing a black mask with a violet circle on its forehead. The Duke and his soldiers bowed their heads. “Your Eminence, we are honored that you deigned to grace us with your presence. Oh Lord Creator, let us cleanse the world from these vile heathens and their false gods. Oh Lord of Fate, let us tear down their cities and soak the ground with their blasphemous blood,” the Duke said, his eyes red with frenzy. “Oh Lord Origin, let us offer you the world!” he shouted with emotion and tears dripping down his face. The masked figure looked at him for a moment, its robes staying unnaturally still despite the winds blowing across the sky. “You will offer me the world?” the figure spoke. He had a deep, rich voice that exuded power and arrogance. “How can you offer me something that is already mine.” Origin’s words echoed across the desert, causing monsters and humans alike to tremble and fall to their knees. I swayed as a cold sensation ran up my back, but quickly managed to regain control. I saw Lily leaning against the sword which she had stabbed into the ground. Amy was staring at Origin with wide eyes and her hands were trembling as she clenched her fists. Kai sighed, pulled something out of his robes and jumped off the wall. “Kai? What the hell are you –” I started. A carpet of violet flames fell from the sky and crashed into the city’s protective barrier. The sound of shattered glass heralded the barrier’s destruction and quite possibly, our deaths. But then Kai reached out with his hands and the flames stopped as if he’d caught them in a giant net. He waved his hands and the flames dissipated, blown away by the winds. “You know,” Kai said, as he rose up to meet him. He was wearing a smiling white mask that seemed even creepier than Origin’s. “I haven’t had a decent fight for a long time. Try not to bore me, will you?” Origin looked at him silently. “A shy one are you? It’s okay, I’ll help you open up,” Kai said, rushing at him with his hands outstretched. Origin rushed forward to meet him and met his open palms with his own, causing a loud bang to resonate for miles. The two pushed against each other, locked in a battle of strength. Soon, Kai was flung across the sky as Origin kicked him in the chest. He crashed into the city wall, sending debris flying in the air. All of this happened so quickly none of us could react but after seeing Kai get swatted into the wall, we snapped out of it and rushed forward to help. Amy rocketed towards Origin and slashed her sword but it passed right through him. He grabbed the wide eyed Amy and threw her at Lily, who was preparing a spell. The two collided and crashed into the ground. I bit my lips and racked my Ability for hints, trying to formulate a winning strategy, but no matter how hard I tried it didn’t seem like there was one. Origin looked at me with his cold violet eyes and I felt a piercing pain in my chest. I fell to my knees, pain flooding through my mind and preventing me from thinking. Had he done it to stop my Ability? Did that mean that there was a way to win, some weakness to exploit or some plan that wouldn’t get us all killed? Or had he done it just because he could? “Runir, listen to me. Take Amy and Lily, go to the Shrine and get the Fire Goddess’ help. He isn’t letting anyone leave the city so I’ll distract him so you guys can run. I’ll try to hold him off for as long as I can but I’d really appreciate it if you’d hurry,” said Kai as he appeared beside me. And then it clicked. I had a plan and I knew how to carry it out but... “Will you be alright?” I asked. He smiled. “What do you think?” I nodded and ran. “Amy, Lily, we have to go. Now.” They looked at me blankly as I grabbed them. “Amy, do that thing you did when you were looking for Lily. We need to get to the Shrine, fast.” She hesitated and looked up at Kai, who was floating up to meet Origin. “Look at him, he’ll be fine,” I said, firmly. Whether she noticed that there wasn’t a scratch on his body nor a speck of dust on his robes, or she chose to believe in him, I don’t know, but she nodded and a searing heat started building up around us. She held us tightly and shot off the ground, blasting through the dark sky. Before everything dissolved into a blur, I noticed Kai smile as he looked at us from the corner of his eyes. His lips moved but I couldn’t hear him. Good luck to you too Kai, I thought as we flew into the distance.

It was time. I rewrote the world again, bringing a tiny piece of code into existence. A hill appeared in the middle of the emptiness. I sat down on top of the hill, in the same position as I had all those years ago. Three figures slumbered on the side of the hill, caught up in dreams of both their own making and mine. They woke with a jolt. “Lily!” “Amy?” They hugged. “Lily…” “Runir…” They looked at each other apprehensively. “Is it really you?” “You didn’t ask Amy that.” “Yes but—” “You!” Runir’s voice was venomous. He’d spotted me. The others noticed me too. Lily scowled and Amy looked away. Runir stomped over, the other following closely behind. “You son of a—” He flinched as I turned. “As much as I love being insulted in colorful ways, I’d rather get this over with as fast as possible.” Runir grabbed me by the neck and lifted me up. “You self-righteous asshole. You don’t get to say that!” “I take it you’ve remembered everything, then.” “You know we have,” said Lily. She put a hand on her head and said to the side. “He still won’t stop pretending.” Runir let go of me. Amy and Lily stepped closer. I sat down again and told them to join me. “So,” I said. “What’s your answer?” “Answer to what?” said Runir. “You know what.” “Yeah I do, just giving you a taste of your own medicine.” “I knew you would do that.” “I know you knew.” “Stop,” said Lily. “This’ll go on forever.” “It already has. Why hurry?” said Runir. “We have all the time in world.” Looking at the emptiness around us, it wasn’t hard to conclude that he was right. Lily shrugged and sat down. Runir reluctantly followed. Amy didn’t. “Come on Amy,” I said. “This discussion will take a while.” “Why didn’t you stop me?” she blurted out. “I’ll get to that,” I said. “But please, take a seat.” “No.” “Please?” “No.” “I’m getting tired of this,” said Runir. “If you know she isn’t going to agree, why the fuck do you keep asking?” “Because, even if I know what she’ll say, it won’t happen until I’ve asked her that.” “So you’re going to keep asking her even if it’s useless?” he asked. “No, and that’s because it isn’t useless. It got you talking about why I acted as if I didn’t know anything despite being omniscient which in turn led me to telling you about how it wasn’t useless because it got you talking about—” “Yes,” interrupted Lily. “We get it. So shut up and get on with it.” “That was just to annoy you.” I smiled. Lily grimaced and I continued, “You’re all so testy. Lighten up, it’s all over now. I’m done playing games, it’s your turn now.” “Oh, sorry for being testy, spending thousands of years in an endless loop tends to be a little annoying,” she said. “It wasn’t a loop, things were different every time, weren’t they?” “No, they weren’t,” said Amy. “Well, not in the way that matters to you, I guess,” I said, quietly. “The only difference was the world, not us,” said Runir. “You reacted to each new world in a different way, didn’t you? I’d say that’s a big enough difference, besides, that was the point.” “Okay, you know what,” said Lily, standing up. “Fuck this. This is what you do every fucking time. You skirt around the truth, say it was the point, or it was all for a greater goal or some other bullshit but you never, ever give a straight answer. I’m not having it. No more riddles, no more vague empty words that don’t mean shit. I want answers and I want them now.” “Fine, what kind of answers?” “What was the point of all this?” asked Runir. “To get you to experience all those worlds.” “But—” “Shut up Runir,” interjected Lily. “You’re almost as bad as him, always asking those flowery questions that don’t get any real answers. Hell, maybe we’d know something about all this if you stopped trying to play his game.” Runir raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. You lead.” “Thanks,” she said. “First question, who are you?” “Kai.” “Fuck this.” She raised her tightened knuckles in frustration. “Go backwards.” “What’d you say, Amy?” asked Lily. “He’ll keep giving you annoying answers until you do it the way he wants to,” said Amy, looking me in the eyes. “He obviously doesn’t want to start from the beginning, so ask him about what’s happening right now and work your way up.” “You always did understand me the best, Amy,” I said, smiling. She looked away. “Okay, how do I do that…” said Lily. “Let me try,” said Runir. “Alright Kai, where are we right now?” “On a hill.” “Okay, what are we doing right now?” “Talking.” “And why are you being a git?” “Because it’s fun.” Runir sighed. “Kai, we’re tired, okay? Please, just give us some goddamned answers and you can go back to being a playful trickster-god or whatever. Why do you even do that anyway? If you know what we’re going to do, doesn’t that ruin the fun of the prank? It’s like knowing the punchline of a joke before you hear it.” “It’s my only source of enjoyment, to be honest. Think about it, even if you know that someone is going to sit on a whoopee cushion and you know what sound that cushion makes, it’s still funny when it happens.” “No, this is more like seeing a video recording of someone sitting on a whoopee cushion for the thousandth time. How could that be funny?” “From your perspective, it barely is. From mine, it’s the only bit of fun I can still have.” “That kinda sucks, doesn’t it?” “It does,” I agreed. “Good. At least the asshole’s bored.” “That felt like a real answer,” said Lily. “Because it was.” “What, do you want us ask questions about what you do to fight boredom? Not high on my list of priorities, I’m afraid,” said Runir. “No, I want you to ask me about which questions to ask.” “Okay, which questions should we ask?” “That one.” “Fuck you,” he cursed. “Why are you leading us around in circles?” asked Amy. “And that one.” “Answer it.” “Because you were right, start from the end and I’ll lead you back to the beginning. Only thing is, there is no start nor a beginning. It’s all one giant circle. Everything leads to everything else.” “Okay, I think I get it now,” said Runir. “Even if it’s all a circle of answers, we can still choose to go in just one direction. We’ll end up where we began but at least we’ll have answers.” “Okay, let’s try this again,” said Lily. “Where are we right now?” “On a hill.” “Why are we on the hill?” asked Runir. “To ask me questions.” “And why do we need to ask you questions?” “To get the answers.” “And why do we need to get the answers?” “Because I don’t have them.” Runir frowned. “You don’t have them? But you’re omniscient, you know what we’re going to say before we even say it. If you don’t have the answers, how could we?” “I know the answers, but I don’t have them yet.” “So we need to say them for you to get them.” “Yep.” “And why do you need the answers?” “Because I don’t know.” “You said that before,” said Amy. “At the end of every major loop, when we… when I locked you up, you said you didn’t know.” “That was more of his tasteless pretending,” said Runir. “Just needed to say that so we’d react in a certain way.” “No,” I said. “No?” “No, I said that because I meant it. I don’t know.” “What don’t you know?” asked Lily. They were closing in, getting warmer. This was the inevitable point I’d always known they’d reach, the point of no return after which there was no coming back. I took a deep breath, lowered my eyes, and whispered, “I don’t know what to do.” “About what?” asked Runir. “About everything, anything.” He frowned. Lily spoke before he could, “But you know everything, how could you—” Finally, the question I’d been waiting for and dreading. “Yes, I know everything that’s going to happen. I even know what I’m going to do, I even know what I could be doing. All the possible timelines and scenarios that could occur, I know all of them. But what I don’t know, and what I have never known, and what has plagued me and ailed me from the moment I sat on this stupid hill and rewrote myself to be omniscient, is what I should do.” “What do you mean? Isn’t it obvious?” began Lily. “You should…” “I should what?” I said, voice rising a little higher than I’d like. Runir’s eyes widened. “That’s why…” “Yes Runir, that’s why I did it. Because I didn’t know what to do with this world, with the powers I’d stupidly walked into, I decided to get your opinions on it.” He cursed under his breath. “Why us?” “I felt responsible for bringing you two here.” I gestured to Lily and him. “And Amy was the best option from the people in this world.” “And why was I the best option?” she asked. “You were the only one who would lock me in the Anomaly, every time, no matter what.” She grit her teeth. “Okay, so you looped Erath so we could experience different versions of the world, is that right?” asked Runir. “Yes.” “What about the last sequence?” asked Runir. “The ones with your perfect worlds?” “Yeah, although Amy’s seemed to have a bit of a loop, they still weren’t looped the way Erath was.” “Because Erath was meant to show off a few ways of running the world. For example, in the latest iteration, the Light kingdom was a feudalistic monarchy, the Dark kingdom a technocracy, the Water kingdom a corporate state, and so on. Every iteration had different characteristics, you remember the communist Fire kingdom and the anarchic Earth kingdoms from several iterations ago, don’t you?” “So the perfect worlds were…” “Your ideas of what a utopian world would have looked like, before the loops began.” “When did the loops begin? So much has happened, I can barely tell,” said Lily. “For you and Runir, it began the moment you were dragged to this world. For Amy, it began sometime after she left her shrine.” “I saw Yunni and Jeffy die thousands of times,” she said. That had happened before the loops. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t reply. Silence lingered. “Let’s talk about the perfect worlds then. Why was Amy’s wrong?” “I never said it was. None of your perfect worlds were wrong.” “You made us experience them in a biased way, of course you thought they were wrong!” “No, I don’t know what’s right or wrong, damn it. And if you think Amy’s world wasn’t perfect then that’s your opinion.” “You interfered with our worlds,” said Lily. “The cookies, the box, the candle, you put them in our worlds. Don’t think I didn’t notice.” “I planted the box and candle with my stories, no rewriting involved. What you did with them is your problem. By the way, you brought the cookies in yourself.” “But about Amy’s world,” said Runir. “A normal life with everyone. Hell, she almost got married to you. How is that a bad thing?” “Like I said, it wasn’t a bad world. The only reason it broke was because Amy herself had a problem with it, a problem she couldn’t reconcile with the way the world was supposed to work.” “And that problem was?” asked Lily. “Her guilt,” I faced her. “Thousands of iterations of Erath, and every time, she ends up locking me up in the anomaly. We weren’t all that close when the loops first began, took quite a lot of turns before our first kiss. And the last iteration wasn’t the best example, we only had sex once, a one-night stand. A rather artificial relationship, more for me than for her, but for some of those loops, we’d been together for years. Yet every single time, when given the chance, she would—” “Enough! It’s not my fault. I had to do it, you wouldn’t bring back Jeffy and Yunni. The Haze. My sisters. You were Fate and I—” “I don’t mind. It’s why I picked you in the first place, remember.” “Why?” she asked. “If you had the power to pick me, why didn’t you stop me from locking you up? All you had to do was promise to bring back Jeffi and Yunni or say you couldn’t do it. One lie, you’ve lied worse than that. Just one loop, you could have done it in one loop.” “No, I couldn’t. Your perfect world wouldn’t break without the guilt.” “So you did influence our perfect worlds! You made them so they’d collapse in our heads,” said Lily. “No, I led them to highlight the contradictions and flaws in the worlds you were building. You can say it’s influence but there wouldn’t be much of a point to all this if we never discussed the problems that definitely existed. A perfectly normal world where we all lived happily ever after, nobody died, and Amy and I got married, sounds great if you cut away everything leading up to it. Without the guilt of letting Jeffy and Yunni die or locking me up, of course you’d have a happy life. That doesn’t mean those things never happened, it just means you’re choosing to ignore them. But see, she could’ve done that at the end. Just throw away all that guilt and her world would never collapse!” “So her world was perfect because she was ignoring the imperfections,” said Runir. “Exactly. Think back to the second part of her series of perfect worlds. There she ignored our existence entirely and lived a life solving the problems of her people with Jeffy and Yunni. It was the perfect life of a goddess, the life she could have lived had they never died and we’d never existed. I’m sure the first part was the most telling. A world where only she existed, to willingly go into the Haze to experience the high of leaving it. Forget all your problems, cut away everyone else, and you’ll have a perfect world.” Amy spoke, “It wasn’t perfect.” “Your opinion.” “I was blinding myself on purpose, running away from the reality of the things we had experienced. The pain and suffering I had endured. I was so willing to run away that I went all the way back to the Haze. Pathetic, I hate myself, I—” “It’s not your fault. It’s a respectable train of thinking and I’m still not sure if it’s wrong. Why shouldn’t we all forget our troubles and live in a world of perpetual bliss? No need to think, just feel the pleasure for all eternity.” Amy shook her head. “I don’t want that.” “I don’t like it either,” said Lily. “But Runir’s world, what was his problem?” “Rationality,” answered Runir. “That was what the world was based on and that was my problem with it.” “You know your response is ironically quite rational,” I said. “Screw you.” “But you’re right, your perfect world was completely rational and with you in complete control. Quite vain, if I may add.” “I wasn’t in complete control, those terrorists managed to beat me.” “They only existed because you needed them. You needed the opportunity to exercise your rationality, to assert control. Vain, but vanity doesn’t have to be a sin.” “So you’re telling me I broke my perfect world because it was boring?” “And because you can’t be rational about everything. There have to be some assumptions, some subjectivity, somewhere. That’s what led to the er… goat.” “What was with the box?” “The confines of rationality and self-containment, especially of the emotional kind. You realized the stifling nature of a rational society, and yearned for the ability to let loose, to do something outside of the box.” “Of course,” he said dryly. I shrugged. “Hey, it’s your world.” “Also, why was the last iteration so different from the previous ones?” “I’m sure you’ve already guessed.” “The statues?” “Yep.” “So you didn’t put them there, after all.” “I knew they were going to be there, I even knew what they would do and how they would effect you. I just have no idea how they got there.” He raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be omniscient?” “They didn’t come from our world,” I replied. “I’m omniscient in this world, not Earth.” “I see.” “Okay,” said Lily. “My turn.” “Your world was similar to Amy’s, you were with your loved ones—all still alive and immortal—and lived in a world of love and compassion. Like Amy, you cut out the painful parts.” “So I did what Amy had done. I cut out the painful parts, willful ignorance.” “Yes and no. You did that but it was different from what Amy did. She cut out her own guilt, her own conflicting emotions. What you cut out was an exterior sense of justice. You didn’t cut out the guilt of not being able to save Granny Nipa, you cut out the event itself. Then what you lacked was justice for it.” “Why does it matter if it never even happened?” “It only matters if you think it does, which you did.” I leaned closer so only she could hear. “You didn’t just want your mother back, you wanted to punish the corrupt officials who let her freeze to death on the street.” Runir and Amy didn’t try to eavesdrop. This was the only part of Lily’s world I’d hidden from them. Lily nodded, she understood. “Right, there’s a lot of stuff we could discuss. The thousands of iterations of all the six kingdoms of Erath and their pros and cons. We could talk about the differences in international relations and other structural differences or, like in your perfect worlds, we could talk about the smaller, interpersonal relationships and their differences, pros, cons and so on. We could talk about human greed and compassion. Recklessness and ruthless pragmatism. We could do all of that but it would take forever, and we’ve already lived through forever. Now I want your opinions.” “On what?” asked Amy. “Everything!” I gestured with hands opened wide. “How to construct this world. Should I make people immortal? Should countries exist? Should there be a central conflict to unite everyone and provide a sense of purpose? Should there be inequality to encourage competition, or a totally equal world where competition doesn’t feed anyone’s yearning for a purpose or reason for existence? I personally really liked the iteration of the Air kingdom with all the artists and musicians. We could go with an entire world like that. We could—” “None of them are perfect, Kai,” said Lily. “All of them have their own problems. The Art country had so much art it lost all value.” “Nothing is perfect,” I replied. “Which is why I need your help deciding which is the least imperfect.” “We can’t do that,” said Runir. “There’s no way to quantify and compare these things. Any decision we make will be subjective, biased.” “Exactly, that’s what I’m looking for. Your subjective opinion!” “But Kai, what’s the point?” “There is none, which is why we need to make one up.” “That makes no sense.” “We’ll make it make sense. Don’t you worry, just pick the world or system you think was the best and we can take it for a test run. Or you could make one on your own, it’s not like all the versions I showed you were the only ones. Choose something you definitely want in your new world, maybe something like immortality, and work from there.” “Immortality does sound like a good place to start. Can’t think of much against it,” said Lily. “It was a part of your world, of course you’d like it. But then again, do you want the people who killed Granny Nipa to be immortal too?” “Sure, spend eternity in prison.” “Really? You’d allow prisons? What if a bad person came to power and used that system to their advantage. Hell, they’d never die, they’d be an immortal tyrant.” “We make a world where that can’t happen.” “Okay, how? Do we set it up so that you’re in charge, like Runir was in his world? Let you be the benevolent dictator.” “No, we don’t need to do that. Just make it so nobody is bad.” “We did that in your world, Lily, if we make the bad people good, why would you need to punish them?” “Damn it Kai, you said we could just pick a world and go.” “Of course you can,” I said. “Just know what you’re in for, is all I’m saying.” “Kai,” said Runir. “If you couldn’t pick something after all this time, why even ask for our opinions?” “Because it was too much for me, okay? Do you know how I felt when I sat on this hill for the first time? I realized all the suffering in this world was my fault. All the people who died, all the pain they experienced, all of it was my fault for making this world the way it was. Not just because of the Fate thing; I ran that iteration without Fate, didn’t I? It wasn’t much better.” “Wait, so you hated yourself for all the pain you made people go through,” said Lily. “And to fix it, you decided to make everyone go through more pain thousands of times? Sounds messed up to me.” “That’s because after gaining omniscience, I realized that the pain didn’t matter. I could just fix it later.” “Kai,” said Runir. “You’re not making any sense here. First you say you need our opinion because you couldn’t handle making the choice to condemn people to a world of suffering, then you say it doesn’t matter because you could fix it later. Where does the ball stop, Kai?” “The ball stops with you telling me what kind of world you want!” I declared. “You just want to thrust that burden on us, don’t you?” he asked. “No, besides, don’t worry. I can just fix it later!” “Then what?” asked Lily. She gestured aggressively with one hand. “Do we go through all this again? A pointless argument that keeps going in circles?” “We’ll keep going until we reach a conclusive decision.” “And what will that decision be? You already know what we’re going to choose, so why not just pick it already? In fact, why go through any of this. You could have just skipped ahead and chosen what we were going to choose.” “No, see, I had to let you decide because—” “Because you wanted to throw that burden on us,” finished Runir. “Admit it Kai, the only reason any of this is happening is because you don’t want to take responsibility for your actions.” “This is how I take responsibility for my actions. By letting you decide!” Runir frowned and spoke in a loud voice, “No, this is how you run away from feeling bad about everything you’ve caused or will cause in the future, by making us choose. It doesn’t serve any other purpose and you know it!” “No,” I stared at him, “you’re wrong!” “Am I?” I didn’t respond. This was the part where I took a deep breath, admitted my own cowardice to myself, and proceeded to say… “Sorry.” “Apology not accepted.” “That’s fine. But now that we’re here and everything has already happened…” “Urgh,” yelled Lily. “I can’t take this, damn it. You knew you’d apologize, you could’ve stopped this. Hell, I’m sure you could go back and prevent any of this from happening in the first place.” “Fine, if that’s what you want, I’ll go back in time and change the world to however you want it to be. None of this would have ever happened. It’ll be as if I looked into the future, saw this ending, and decided to skip straight to it. Happy?” Lily’s mouth hung open but she didn’t say anything. She closed it and pursed her lips. Runir spoke, “But that brings us back to the kind of world we want.” “Yep.” “Okay, so I think immortality should stay.” I was about to speak but he cut me off with a wave of his hand. “I heard the drawbacks but honestly, removing death is too big of a benefit in my eyes. How do you two think?” “I agree,” said Lily. Amy nodded. “Okay, but I just wanted to ask if you think you’d value things if you were immortal.” “Why wouldn’t we?” asked Lily. “He means we only value things because they don’t last forever,” answered Runir. “Shakespeare said something along the same lines too. Spring is only valuable because of the winter, youth because of old age, and so on. I don’t think I buy it though.” “It’s true, you experienced it in your world.” “I got bored.” “You stopped valuing things. Including your relationship with Lily.” He frowned. “Fine, we change human nature then. Keep us valuing things forever.” “That’ll lead to stagnation. Like the country of art, if we value everything so completely then nothing stays valuable. If we lose the ability to recognize that then we’ll lose the ability to evolve and change too. If you were in a relationship, you’d stay in it forever! Amy over there would be stuck with a loser like me.” She didn’t react. Runir said, “I still think immortality is worth the stagnation. We don’t need to advance in a perfect world.” “Assuming the world is perfect.” “You said you’d pop us out of it if we didn’t like it.” “How would I know if you didn’t like it in a world where I remove your ability to dislike anything?” He thought for a second. Then he looked away. “Damn it, I don’t know.” “Immortality doesn’t work, living with your friends and family doesn’t work, giving yourself a fake purpose doesn’t work, drugs don’t work,” said Lily. “What the hell are we supposed to do?” “Just pick something.” “Every time we try to do that, you say something that fucks it all up!” “No, I’m only telling you the problems with it. We’ve been over this.” “Yeah we have, because we keep going in fucking circles!” She heaved, Runir massaged his forehead, Amy stood alone to the side, unresponsive. I took a deep breath. This was as confusing and useless as I remembered it would be. I felt the annoyance I’d felt then, as well as the echo of annoyance I’d known I’d feel about it. All my feelings had been magnified like that after I gained omniscience, which made them all feel less moving, less meaningful. “Look, just pick a few things you really, really want this world to have. Let’s start with something small, like chocolate and cookies! We can stop them being bad for you too, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem? Of course, they won’t be as enjoyable if we could eat them all the time, and maybe we’d get sick of them quite quickly but it’s worth a try! In fact, I know we’d enjoy a world with only chocolates and cookies for a very long time before it becomes annoying. Hey! Maybe we can keep cycling through these worlds forever, that could work. How about—” “Kai.” “Yes Amy?” I was breathing a little heavily. “You know what I’m going to ask, don’t you?” “Yep!” “Are you going to make me say it?” “Nope, I’m not.” I looked her in the eyes. “You’re going to say it on your own.” “My loops started after Yunni and Jeffy died, right?” “Yes.” “And you said you couldn’t bring them back?” “I did say that.” Runir and Lily stared intently. The air was growing heavy. “But they were there in my perfect world.” “Kind of.” “Kind of?” “It was almost them.” “Almost?” I sighed. The second most painful thing I was going to talk about today. “Yes, almost.” “What do you mean,” she said, face caught in a mirthless smile. “They were there. Exactly like I remember them. It was them, I could feel it. I—” “They were Yunni and Jeffy as much as you are the Amy they knew.” “I don’t understand. You’re telling me I’m not me?” “You are you, but then who you are is not the same as the Amy from before.” “I’m confused.” “Took me a while too,” I said. “To explain this, I need to explain something else first. But it’s something I need to tell Runir and Lily.” I faced the two of them, who were caught unaware. “It might get a little private so it’s up to you if you want Amy to hear it.” “You know our answers,” said Runir. Lily gave me an expectant look. “Okay, she can stay. Just thought I’d ask. It’s the principle of the thing that matters.” “Whatever,” said Lily. “Runir Candela was shot on the roof of Fenbay high school just days from his graduation date. The assailant was taken into custody and sent to prison for life, mostly because he would not reveal what he had done with the body.” Runir frowned. “I got summoned here, we already know that. Glad Stone got fucked for it though.” “Lily Grayscale was beaten to death in front of Darby Superstore at the behest of the local gangs, while shoplifting. It took ten years for the case to reach the courts, spearheaded by a boy who saw the event transpire. The boy had felt so guilty for allowing it to happen he took his own life after he ensured the incarceration of the perpetrators.” “Rusty…” muttered Lily. “The body was never recovered.” Lily looked down. “A young video game developer committed suicide by setting his house on fire. Needless to say, the body wasn’t found.” “What was the point of going over that?” asked Runir. “We know the bodies weren’t recovered because we were transported to Erath.” “No, Kai’s body was burned to ashes. Runir’s body fell through an open manhole cover into the sewers below. It was incinerated by the city’s automatic treatment center. Lily’s body was stored in a cold meat storage facility and disposed of in the sea.” My words hung in the air. Amy’s eyes were stretched wide. Runir and Lily were speechless. “You mean we’re dead?” asked Lily. “No, the Kai, Lily, and Runir of Earth are dead.” “But then who are we?” asked Runir. “What they did find in Kai’s home were remnants of a banned artifact acquired through an extra-dimensional excursion carried out by the government. The exploration initiative was canceled after all the teams were annihilated by the strange worlds they went to, but someone managed to smuggle a book back through the portals, a book that Kai Zero used to cast a powerful spell on the game he’d created. The spell created a copy of his personality and merged it with the code he had written, which is how I came to be. Later the spell copied a few more people who died near copies of the game.” Runir asked, “So we’re all copies?” “Kind of. See, I personally believe Earth didn’t have an afterlife either, and if that’s true, there is no difference between us and the people we were based on. We only died in the sense that our former selves don’t exist in the present, but if you think about it, that happens all the time. Every moment we live is like a past version of us dying and a new version coming into existence. If, however, there was an afterlife or a soul to be reincarnated, then yes, we are only copies.” “So we don’t have souls?” asked Lily. “No, and that brings me back to Amy’s question. The reason I said I couldn’t bring back Jeffy and Yunni, was because I couldn’t really bring anyone back. All I could do was recreate a perfect copy of them formed from the code that gave them their memories and personalities.” “Wait, if that’s how your power works, does that mean you’ve been killing different versions of us in every loop and then making new copies?” asked Runir. “No, after the loops began, nobody died. Even if they seemed to be killed, all that happened was I relocated their code instead of erasing it, which is how the world worked before the loops.” “So Granny Nipa didn’t –” began Lily. “The people we personally saw die, had already died outside the loops. The Ashfiend and Granny Nipa, both had their codes erased but preserved. The ones we met were copies.” “I see,” said Lily, her voice trailing. It was confusing. “So the Jeffy and Yunni in my perfect world—” “Were copies, yes, although does being a copy even matter? In a world without a soul or distinctive consciousness attached to an individual, all these concerns are irrelevant. Are Lily, Runir or I any different from the Lily, Runir, and Kai of Earth? Apart from our abilities and new experiences, not really. My erasing Zoe’s memories could be akin to making a new copy of her! Although I did leave her oldest memories. Amnesia isn’t death, I guess. Or maybe it is? Doesn’t matter. Likewise, it doesn’t matter what world you choose.” “If the world we choose doesn’t matter, why the fuck are we even having this discussion?” “Because why not? I don’t have any better ideas for how the world should work. Life in this world has no meaning apart from whatever we choose to give it right now—assuming we decide to give it one at all.” “You know what,” said Lily. “If you can just zip us back here, let’s just make another world and see how it goes.” “Yeah, makes sense to me. Besides, nothing seems to matter when you can change literally anything,” said Runir. “Exactly! Now pick a world and let’s get started!” I said, heart sinking. It was time. “Alright,” said Amy, stepping forward and thrusting a finger at my chest. Hadn’t seen her this angry in a long time. Maybe back in that iteration where I claimed to have killed Jeffy and Yunni. “If we can’t have a perfect world, and nothing matters because you can make a new world if this one fails, I know exactly what kind of world I want first.” “I feel like I know exactly what you’re talking about, Amy,” said Runir, grinning. “Yeah, same,” said Lily, nodding resolutely. I laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you I know what you’re about to say, too?” “Yes.” “Good, then if we’re all in agreement, it’s time for me to say goodbye.” I prepared to trigger the keyword I’d prepared on the hill. But before that, I pushed the others away, opened a door behind me and opened it. I was a sucker for theatricality, even if no one would remember it. “Nothing really matters,” I said over the roar of nothingness swirling around the hill. The others braced themselves against the winds, looking at me from the bottom of the hill with narrowed eyes and nervous expressions. “And since it doesn’t, I figured I might as well tell a little white lie to get my friends to agree to something painful but necessary.” “What are you saying?” yelled Runir with an arm over his head. “Well it wasn’t a lie, really. I just forgot to mention something.” “Kai,” shouted Lily. “What the fuck are you trying to pull now?” “Nothing,” I replied, one foot inside the door. “It’s just that, even if I can bring us all back here if you don’t like your new world, it doesn’t mean I will.” Runir and Lily looked surprised but Amy was absolutely horrified. “No, I take it back! I don’t want that world after all, I—” “Don’t worry Amy,” I whispered as the world went silent. “You’ll be fine.” “No!” she raced up the hill, Lily and Runir hot on her heels. The edge of the hill where they’d been, began to fade into nothingness. “Kai, you lousy piece of shit.” “Love you too, Lily.” “Kai, we can talk about this, don’t—” “I already know what we’re going to talk about, Runir. And you were kinda right. I did all this so I wouldn’t feel guilty about what I was about to do. But I also did it so I could make some fun memories with you guys.” I stepped through the door, looked back at them appearing over the crest of the hill and smiled. “Thanks for everything guys, I’ll remember you forever.” I waved. They shouted and cursed. Amy was shouting, Lily was fuming, and Runir was panicking. The door shut as I whispered, “Goodbye.”

Again? I sighed and made a disappointed face. In my head, of course. I was standing in front of my school locker, mentally pitying the poor monkey who had filled it with some putrid, brown substance that I had no wish to identify. It was both amusing and disheartening to know that there were still idiots in this school who hadn’t realized that provoking me was akin to a self-condemnation. Laughter. “What’s that in your locker shit-face? Your mom’s tampons?” More laughter. Well, looks like I won’t need to check the video cameras after all. I didn’t even turn around because I had already identified the voice. In fact, I had already deduced that Frank Stones was the only muscle brain with a skull thick enough to not realize how utterly stupid his juvenile prank was. But you see, I am a very nice person, so I selflessly took it upon myself to educate this buffoon before he got himself into any real trouble. As Frank disappeared down the hallway, my face contorted into an evil grin. In my head, of course. - Frank Stone was feeling much better today. He’d been in a foul mood all week, ever since his friends had inexplicably stopped coming to school. He called them a million times but they never picked up and when he went to their houses, their parents would tell him that they were sleeping or feeling sick or crying over their dead dog’s body. But he wasn’t buying it. There was more to it than that, but he couldn’t figure out what. Back before all this shit started happening, they’d been stealing lunch from nerds and hitting on some girl. Business as usual for the Kewl Kids Klub. The only other thing he remembered was one of his boys walking into a stone-faced black kid and the rest of them ganging up on the little fucker to teach him a lesson. But a teacher had seen them and broken it up before they could do anything. Black kid musta brought em some bad luck then. He resolved to deal with the little bastard himself. Hopefully that would get rid of the bad luck haunting his boys. If not, squashing a filthy bug should fix his mood up anyways. Besides, he’d always hated the kid, not just because of the color of his skin but also because he never said anything at all. For some reason, looking at his stoic expression always sent shivers down Frank’s spine. He filled the kid’s locker with dog-shit and made fun of him in front of everyone in the hallway. But, although he felt a lot better afterwards, something kept nagging at the back of his head as he went to gym class. Again, he couldn’t tell what. Once the class ended, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and headed into the showers. He was just taking off his gym shorts when he heard his phone beep. He walked over to it and smiled as he read who it was from. Melissa: Hey Frankie, wanna come over tonight? My folks are leaving for the weekend so we can have a lot of fun ~ iykwim He smirked and told her he’d come over to chill. He put away the phone after texting Melissa for a few more minutes. Fucking whore. Just won’t shut up will she? He finished showering and wore his regular clothes. Hm? Something smells strange, was there a gas leak or something? He walked out into the hallway and was just thinking about how to mess with that black kid again when someone called his name. He turned around instinctively. “Joanne! Hey how are ya babe, are we still on for tomorrow night?” He flashed her his perfect smile. She slapped him. “J-joanne? Babe what’s wrong? Did you not like the bag I bought you or-” She slapped him again. “Frank Stone you fucking two timing bastard! Don’t you ever show your face around me again! Fuck you, damn it.” She slapped him again. Frank was shocked. How had she found out? Then he noticed the phone in her other hand. That’s Melissa’s phone! How the fu- Joanne slapped him again before storming off. He held his sore cheeks and stared down the hallway. Whatever! Fucking whore, you think I was gonna stay with you for more than a month anyways? Bitch. “Frankie!” “Melissa? How are ya babe? We still on fo-” He shrieked, putting his hands over his face. “What the fuck are you doing?” “I heard everything. Fuck you, asshole!” “Shit! Why the fuck did you bring pepper spray to school?” “Because of fucking pigs like you!” She only stopped when the can ran out. Then she stomped away after flinging the empty can at the wincing blonde haired boy’s head. Motherfucking bitch! Just you wait, I’m gonna fuck you up so bad you won’t be able to sit- “Frank Stone, please report to the Principal’s office, immediately. Frank Stone, please report to the principal’s office, immediately.” The principal’s office? For what? Don’t tell me that little bastard bitched about me to the principal just because of a little dog shit? Shit, I’m gonna fucking kill that bastard. Frank wobbled his way to the principal’s office, rubbing his eyes like crazy and lashing out at anyone that wouldn’t get out of his way in time. He entered the office, not waiting for the secretary to give him permission. “You called for me ma’am?” “Ah yes Mr. Stone, I’m afraid we have some very serious things to discuss today but first, do you want to go freshen up a little? You look awful.” She lowered her spectacles as she analyzed the boy’s face. A slight frown crept up her face. “Nah, it’s alright Ms. Garfield. Just got something in my eye, is all.” He rubbed his eyes again. “Very well then, I’ve called you here because we have received some very disturbing images from an anonymous source. Here, take a look.” She pressed a button on her desk and images popped out of it. “This is… No Ms. Garfield, ma’am, I’ve never- I mean I wouldn’t even think- These are definitely fake!” Frank stuttered, cold sweat pouring down his back. “Well, I’m afraid we also found a large stash of drugs in a secret compartment in your locker, and with these pictures showing you smoking hashish and inhaling cocaine as well as obviously selling them to others, we have no choice but to detain you until the police arrive.” “B-but Ms.Garfield, I don’t do drugs! There’s been a mistake, I-I-” “Mr.Stone, please stop lying to me. Your eyes betray the truth as does the stifling stench of drugs that surrounds you. Please wait quietly outside my office until the investigators arrive. Good day.” - I chuckled inside my head. Dealing with that muscle brained buffoon had been far too easy. I sat on the school’s roof, playing my favorite video game, all alone. Not that I was lonely. I’d never attempted to make any friends in the first place. In fact, I barely talked to anyone at all. After all, other people were so insufferably stupid that conversing with them would not only be an insult to my intellect, but also an undoubtedly torturous experience for my superior mind. But then again, it did mean that I had no one to talk to. Life wasn’t challenging at all, ‘school’ was nothing more than a distraction and tormenting monkeys like Frank had long since lost its appeal. I was bored. Well, at least I have this, I thought, as I played my favorite RPG. It was a rare gem in an age where the only games you could find were mindless endless runners and shoot em up games. It’s too bad the guy who made these killed himself a few days ago. I always loved his work, but I guess these imbeciles were too much for him too. I didn’t know much about the guy. I knew he’d burned himself to death after the game companies rejected his latest game. He’d already tried self-publishing it, but nobody bought it. Although I regretted not being able to play his last game, I didn’t feel sorry for him at all. In fact, I envied him. He had a purpose in life, a goal even. Something to drive him and motivate him. Even if he failed to achieve it in the end, I envied him for having something to fight for in the first place. Unlike him, since I had no idea what I wanted to do, I was always just drifting in my thoughts or immersing myself in video games and web fiction. I heard someone open the door to the roof and absentmindedly turned to see who it was. Ah... fuck... Frank Stone had a gun in his hand. There was a loud bang and everything went dark. - I was drifting in space. I wasn’t sure if I was awake or if I was having a very surreal dream, but whatever it was, it made me nauseous. “Oi, wake up!” shouted an annoying voice. “Annoying? That’s it, I’m not being gentle anymore. Wake up!” screamed the voice. Urgh! This voice is so annoying! Why won’t it shut up? What sort of fucked up dream is this? “Call me annoying one more time and I’ll-” Oh? You can hear my thoughts? Fascinating. At least it’s an interesting dream. “Shut up about the dream, will you? You’re not asleep.” Oh? Well then, tell me annoying voice, if this isn’t a dream then what is it? “Again, with the annoy- Look here! I already hate explaining this shit so shut up and listen. You were about to die whe-” Die? What do yo- Oh, now I remember. Frank, the gun, the rooftop. I see. So, this is the afterlife, is it? It’s more annoying than I thought it’d be. Can I choose oblivion instead? “Why you! Don’t interrupt me! You didn’t die, all right? Your soul was summoned here before you could die an-” Oh? A summoning you say? And who are you supposed to be? Are you the one who summoned me? “...No, I did not summon you. I’m just supposed to show you the ropes.” But you didn’t answer my question. Who are you? “I’m a goddess of course!” Of course,. “Why you! Listen, I don’t like this either all right. Just let me finish so we can both move on.” Fine. But I have a question. Where am I? “I don’t know where you are right now. I can’t even see you. The only reason I can speak to you right now is because our minds are connected while you’re in that place.” Oh, so you won’t be able to talk to me after I leave. Thank god. “Why you! If you’re done asking questions, let me-” Ah, but you misunderstood my question. I meant, which world have I been summoned to. “Oh right, welcome to Erath!” Hmm? Sounds fam- I’ll think about it later. “What was that?” Nothing, just wondering what kind of blessings I’ll be receiving from you! A hero needs his cheats after all! “Blessings? Hero?” The voice laughed. More like cackled, really. “Who said anything about a hero? I am the Dark Goddess Lunaris, and you are here as my champion.” Ah, I see, so I’m the Demon Lord. Demon Lord Runir Candela, doesn’t sound so bad. And what about my cheats? You can’t expect me to survive a world of magic and monsters with the skills from my previous life, can you? “Oh! I don’t expect you to survive at all, actually.” Excuse me? “Well, unlike my overachieving sister, I don’t like putting in a lot of effort into my champions.” So there have been other demon lords before me? “Hundreds of them. Though the last twenty or so died in their first week.” Wait? You’re not serious, are you? How can the Dusk Alliance win against the Holy Union without the Demon Lord? Who else could stop the hero? “Shut up! Don’t tell me how to do my job. Oh look, it seems like we’re almost done. But I guess I’ll give you some advice because I’m bored.” Thanks. “Don’t mention it! Right, you’ll wake up somewhere in the Twilight Forest and then get viciously attacked by a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters. If you somehow manage to run away, you’ll be hunted down by the demon army-” Hunted down by the demon army? What for? Aren’t they supposed to be my subordinates? “Of course not, they hate the Demon Lords. They always throw them into a war that kills thousands and destroys their economy. In fact, most of the demon lords that died early were killed by the demon army! Now don’t interrupt. Let’s see, if you somehow manage to survive, you’ll probably be killed by the Holy Knights of the Union.” Great. What about the hero? “Well, the hero was summoned at the same time as you were but they’ll be a lot stronger than you. Your growth rate will be almost as ridiculous as theirs but you won’t have the holy sword or armor nor will you get any help from me. Of course, my sister will be trying her best to bend the rules to favor the hero but I believe in letting you grow in the face of adversity!” Grow in the face of adversity? Don’t you mean you’re too lazy to care? Well whatever, this part was only supposed to last five minutes. See ya! “Sure, sure, good bye!” “...” “Wait? Why did he know when this was supposed to end?” - I woke up in a dark forest and instantly heard a bunch of loud cries, roars and snarls around me. I stood up. I never thought I’d get to play my favorite RPG like this! Ah yes, since I’m going to be the demon lord, I’ll need a cool evil laugh won’t I? How about, muahahaha! No, kukuku. Maybe, hehehe. No wait, I know! Iyahahaha! I laughed maniacally as my lips broke into a menacing smile. In my head, of course.

He’d been getting on my nerves lately. He wouldn’t come to the cafeteria, stayed late after class, and always forgot about our plans for the day. So I decided to go to class after all to find out what was wrong and that’s when I saw her. Black hair. Piercing blue eyes. Shallow cheeks and thin lips. She was tall, had a perfect smile and an hourglass figure. When he talked to her, he smiled for real. Not the fake grins and smirks he gave me. No, this girl was special. She got through to him in a way that I had never managed to. I walked out of the room immediately; the sight of those two gushing over each other in the back seats was too much for me to endure. It was confusing not because I didn’t know why I felt this way but because I knew exactly why. I wasn’t an idiot. I could tell that I was jealous. I could tell that I’d fallen for him. I’d fallen for the idiot stalker with a creepy smile and annoying attitude. Ironically, seeing him with that Saar bitch was what made it hit home. So now I stood by, watching that blue eyed bitch take on the Dark Goddess and get her ass handed to her. A part of me – a small part – wanted to help her. But there was a bigger part of me that wanted to see her gone. Besides, she was from the Dusk Alliance so it was easy to ignore her. All I had to do was let the Goddess take care of her. But I was aware of two things. First, if she died here, I would feel guilty. After all, I could stop it easily. All I had to do was consider her a part of my party and the Goddess wouldn’t be able to touch her without my permission. So if she did end up dying, I’d have to live with the knowledge that I could have saved her with a thought but hadn’t. I could probably live with that. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. I wasn’t the only one here. And more importantly, that idiot obviously couldn’t stay out of it for long. Further proof that he liked her, I suppose. Sure enough, he jumped out like some sort of knight in shining armor, ready to save his precious princess. Almost made me hurl. Which in turn made me miss what they were saying. “…Falling for an assassin from the Circle. Now isn’t that lovely?” What? Everyone froze. Realization dawned on Runir’s face as he turned to look at Saar. She looked back at him in confusion. Lunaris’ smile grew wider. “That can’t be, they told me he’d be at the back of the class,” muttered Saar. “You were there. You were the only one there. You have to be him. You have to…” “Look, I have no idea what’s going on but maybe we can clear this up if we all take a step back,” said Runir, raising his arms a little. “No,” said the Goddess. “This little assassin’s going to get what she deserves. And well, I can’t just let you leave after everything you’ve heard.” She prepared a revolving sphere of darkness, constantly collapsing in on itself and sucking in the air around it. The walls were creaking from the pressure and even I felt myself slipping on the ground. Crap, guess I’d have to get involved after all. As much as I hated the girl, I couldn’t let her get ripped to shreds. At least, not until I did that myself, of course. I sighed inwardly, forced myself to resist the urge to let her die and changed my plans to include her. Needless to say, I was planning on beating her up but that should have been enough to prevent the Goddess from being able to hurt her. But nothing happened. The walls kept creaking and my foot kept slipping. The Goddess hurled her attack at them and it whizzed across the room. Runir pulled Saar close and jumped out of the way. Why didn’t she stop? Was it because she didn’t know her actions were interfering with the Hero’s plan? Maybe the attack would have fizzled out as soon as it reached Runir. Maybe. A sense of unease crept up my chest. I decided to try again. This time, I forced myself to think that even trying to attack either of them would be interference. The Goddess’ expression didn’t change as a dozen black holes appeared around her. She swept her hand and they rained down on Runir and Saar. I panicked. “Stop!” I shouted. “Don’t interfere.” The spheres stopped rotating and froze in midair, the pressure ceased and the air settled down. Lunaris turned her head to look at me and chuckled. “You’re,” she began. “Strange, why didn’t I notice before…” she muttered. Saar’s eyes widened in surprise, making me smirk. See, I can stop a Goddess with words, bitch. “Yes,” I replied. “Now let them go and come with me.” I turned around, expecting her to follow me. “No.” Huh? “Come on, don’t interfere,” I said, without turning around, my heart beating louder in my chest. This was wrong. This world had rules. The Goddesses couldn’t interfere with the Hero’s plans. That was Fate’s decree! She knew who I was but she wasn’t listening. Maybe she couldn’t interfere but wasn’t obliged to do as I said? “Fine, stay where you are. I’ll come back later.” I took Runir by the hand and tried to pull him along. He dragged a confused assassin with him but I decided to ignore her for now. We almost reached the door when black tentacles shot out of the shadows from either side. Runir pushed me out of the way and barely managed to dodge the tentacle that pierced the air above my head. Saar swung around with a dart in her hand. She flung it at the Goddess who knocked it out of the air with a condescending smile. “Annoying,” growled Runir. “Agreed,” said Lunaris. “Hurry up and die, my tea’s getting cold.” The Black Holes frozen in the air suddenly started revolving again and whizzed towards us. There was no time to react, they were too close to dodge! But this didn’t make any sense. She was a Goddess and I was the Hero. She couldn’t attack me. This’ll fizzle out. It won’t hit me. It won’t. Time seemed to slow down. Runir’s mouth opened but I couldn’t hear him because of the roaring in my head. Saar hadn’t even registered that we were about to be hit. Damn it, why the fuck was she trying to kill the Goddess when she couldn’t even react to her when she was serious? Damn it Runir, why did you have to fall for an idiot? All I could manage to do was close my eyes. If I was right and she couldn’t hurt me, then I could walk right out of there. But if I was wrong… I felt my stomach lurch. A force hit me on my stomach as I braced for the worst. “Are you all right?” I blinked my eyes open. Amy stared at me with a concerned look. Zoe looked on while hanging on her shoulders. Kai stood in front of us, facing the Goddess expressionlessly. I’d almost forgotten that they were here too. Runir breathed a sigh of relief before slumping onto the ground. He muttered something about dramatic rescues. Saar stood frozen in the center of our group, her eyes flitting from side to side. But the most surprised of all, was the Goddess. Her hand was still in the air, stuck in the motion of ordering our deaths. She looked shocked but there was something strange too. I couldn’t quite tell what it was. “Oh, great Goddess,” said Kai sarcastically. “We are terribly sorry for interrupting your tea party. Please don’t mind us and continue.” The Goddess recovered from her shock but she was still wary. Then, she noticed something in the corner of her eye and looked towards me. Her eyes widened even further. “You too? What the hell is up with this group,” she muttered in disbelief. “Well then, if you’ll excuse us,” said Kai, grabbing Runir’s hand and ushering us all towards the exit. “You’re not going anywhere!” shouted the Goddess. Tendrils of darkness shot out of the floor, small Black Holes whirled towards us, and blades of dark energy slashed at us from every direction. Amy was the first to react, creating a wall of fire in front of us to hold off the Black Holes. Surprisingly, the wall managed to endure the crushing pressure of the Goddess’ attack. Runir took out his sword to parry the Void Blades that tried to pierce through us. I collected myself quickly and used Earth magic to block the Dark Tendrils beneath us. Kai stood there, shielding Zoe. Saar just stood there with her mouth agape, which, despite the situation, made me feel a twang of pleasure. The Goddess launched another set of Black Holes, which managed to break through Amy’s wall of fire. This time Runir and I launched a set of Diamond Cannons that collided with the Goddess’ weakened attacks and managed to disperse them into clouds of smoke. “So you were with Circle after all?” asked Saar, turning to Runir. He frowned. “No. And once we get through this, we’re going to have a long discussion about joining evil organizations.” “Evil?” said Saar, chuckling. “To think that I’d be so bad at reading people. First I mistake you for a comrade and now it seems I mistook you for someone with a decent moral compass.” “Look, we don’t have the time to discuss this right now,” urged Runir, as the Goddess prepared another round of attacks. “Runir,” I said, cutting through their useless conversation. “Why can she attack us? What about Fate?” Realization dawned on Saar’s face as she stared at me. “You’re the—” “Yes, I’m the Demon Lord,” interjected Runir. I briefly felt the desire to attack Runir but ignored it. He’d obviously said that to protect me and stick to the roles we had taken up in front of Zoe. Citizens of the Alliance would attack me immediately if they found out that I was the Hero, after all. Saar stared at him quizzically. “But the Demon Lord is dead?” “Can we have this conversation later?” urged Runir as he parried another Void Blade that had tried to creep up behind us. “Right,” said Saar, taking out a dart. “But if you’re the Demon Lord, why can she attack you? I know for a fact that she wants you dead but there was a reason she used Azroth to do her dirty work for her. She can’t interfere with the Hero or the Demon Lord, or their parties right?” “Yeah well, someone needs to tell her that,” said Runir. “We need to get out of here and regroup,” I said, watching Amy blast a ball of darkness out of the sky with several smaller balls of fire. It was impressive that she could go toe-to-toe with the Goddess but it probably couldn’t last. “Enough!” shouted the Goddess, obviously annoyed that she hadn’t finished us off yet. “Wrath of Cresilin!” Her eyes filled with an inky darkness as her aura changed completely. The walls shook violently as the Goddess unleashed her full power. She arched her neck and looked down at us from above. She waved her hands and Black Holes rained down at us. “Three Diamond Cannons to the right, A wall of fire to the left,” shouted Runir. I immediately cast the Earth magic and three giant balls of diamond crashed towards the onslaught of Black Holes. Amy cast a Fire wall to our left and Runir cast an Earth wall to our right. This would be so much easier if I could use Light magic. As the attacks collided, Runir shouted another round of instructions. Not for the first time, I found myself impressed by his Ability. But as we fought the Goddess I noticed two things. First, Saar was looking at me with a strange expression, the dart in her hand quivering as if she was considering throwing it at me. Second, even though Zoe was magic as well, Kai was standing in the center of our group, doing nothing. He wasn’t fighting, but he looked tired. He wasn’t hurt, but he seemed to be in pain. I only managed to notice this for a second before my attention was needed elsewhere but I still managed to cry out: “Kai, why the fuck aren’t you doing anything?” I parried another Void Blade. It was getting harder to fight off everything the Goddess was throwing at us. We were forced to run around now, dodging Black Holes trying to suck us in or blades trying to slice us in two. I heard someone take a long, deep breath and managed to see Kai with his eyes closed and his face towards the ceiling. He breathed out, gave me a weak smile and said: “Alright.” He waved his hand and muttered something. Runir stopped parrying the Void Blades. I stopped dodging the Dark Tendrils around me. Saar’s dart fell on the empty ground. Amy’s flame wall subsided. It was gone. It had all disappeared instantly. All of the magic in the chamber just plain disappeared. No one said anything. Probably because no one knew what to say. Slowly, I turned to Kai. Runir and Amy were looking at him too. Zoe was looking around frantically, confused why everyone had stopped fighting. Saar blinked. And the Goddess froze. “So, can I have a cup of tea? I could really use one right about now,” said Kai, with a weak chuckle. “What was that?” said the Goddess as she cast an elementary Shadow Ball in the air. Kai muttered something and it fizzled out. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He turned and began ushering us to the exit. “Anyways, it seems we’ve overstayed our welcome. We’ll drop by for tea some other day. Bye!” The Goddess didn’t give up. Dark Tendrils, Void Blades, Black Holes, Purgatory, Vanta Cannons. Everything in the Dark magic arsenal, she tried to use them all. But they fizzled out before they could come anywhere near us. We reached the exit and left the chamber. I still don’t quite remember how we got up the stairs but there we were; in the clearing outside the cabin. Kai brought up the rear so he was the last to step out of the door. “Kai…” said Runir. “Shush, we better get out of here first. I’ll explain everything as soon as—” “No, you are going to explain everything right now!” demanded Runir. “That was a Goddess. A Fucking Divine Goddess. And you reduced her to a little girl with a tea-set. With VanDrake you said it was a one-off thing and you freaking collapsed—or pretended to collapse, more likely—but now you’re perfectly fine after all of that?” “Oh, so you’re wondering why there wasn’t any backlash?” asked Kai. “Some sort of sacrifice that I have to pay to use my Ability.” “For starters, yes. We can get into the details later.” “And what about the rest of you?” asked Kai, turning to us. “Do you want to ask this question too?” I found myself nodding without even thinking about it. “I see,” said Kai. “But you’re wrong. I did pay a price. A big one, at that.” “I don’t see you flopping on the ground,” said Runir. “But you do see me getting heckled by my so called friends,” said Kai. “I gave up a lot of things to get us out of there.” “Like what?” “Like the ability to travel with you.” “And why wouldn’t you be able to do that now?” I asked. “Because—” “No! Don’t go, Kai!” said Zoe. Kai looked at her sadly. “Don’t worry, it’ll be all right.” “Kai.” He turned to face the speaker. “Who are you?” “Does it really matter who I am, Amy?” “Yes, it does.” “Fine,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I’m Kai.” “Don’t try to joke your way out of this!” I cried. “Look, I’d be happy to discuss this but we have a guest with us, don’t we?” He gestured towards Saar. “Don’t want her to feel excluded.” Saar stared at him. “How did you—” “Okay, fine, I’ll tell you everything but can we please leave this place before—” The cabin’s roof exploded into a cloud of dust, splinters and shadow. “…before that happens.” “You!” The voice of the Dark Goddess thundered across the clearing. Her eyes seethed with fury but there was a hint of caution in them. Her hair flew about wildly, and her clothes fluttered in the wind. She floated in the air like the divine being she was, a mass of darkness roiling around her at all times. “Are you upset that we left your tea party so suddenly?” said Kai. “Sorry but I’m more of a coffee person.” The Goddess glared at us for a while but then the wind around her settled and the darkness dissipated. “All right then,” she said. “Oh so you’re letting us go? Thank you very much, come on everyone,” said Kai as he tried to drag us out of the clearing. “Sure, you can leave but first, why don’t you introduce yourselves properly? I don’t even know your names,” said the Goddess, with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. I had a bad feeling about this. “Sure,” said Runir. “I’m Rurin, this is Kai. That’s Joey and Amia, and the idiot over there is Rose. Oh and the assassin’s Saar. I think.” Did he really need to call me an idiot? “No, I meant who are you really,” said the Goddess, innocently. “What do you mean, you know who we are. You’re a Goddess, you can see our names,” I said. “Aren’t those the names you see above us?” “Yes I can see them, more or less,” she said, her eyes flickering towards Kai’s head for a second. “But I know who you are and that is not the name you should have. Your strength doesn’t match your status values either.” Shit, what was she trying to pull? If she revealed that I was the Hero, Zoe and Saar would… “You know who we are, so please don’t interfere.” Runir stressed on that last word through gritted teeth. Did he know? He’d probably guessed it already of course. This Goddess didn’t play by the rules of Fate. If she could interfere enough to attack us, then she could probably out me too. The Goddess grinned, this time sincerely. “No, Lunaris, don’t!” I heard someone cry. “Don’t worry, I can keep secrets,” began the Goddess. “I don’t mind not saying your name but I would appreciate it if you answered a question for me. It’s a simple one, don’t worry.” My stomach churned. A sense of great foreboding arose in me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Amy’s mouth open and Kai’s eyes close. “Why is the Hero traveling with the Demon Lord?”

I woke up at dawn, made sure Clare was sound asleep on the other side of the smoldering campfire, and sat up inside my sleeping bag. Looks like it worked, I thought. Last night I experimented by putting a longer ‘nested’ code on myself. I set it to wake me up if anything came less than 20 feet close to us, if Clare woke up or if dawn broke. I sat facing the East, but instead of appreciating the beautiful sunrise, I thought about several questions that had popped up in my head after yesterday’s events. When I saw everyone’s status yesterday I was quite shocked. Odog had an ability called “Reloader” that let him reload his crossbow quickly. Most of the bandits had abilities like “Divine Ironing” or “Fast Laundry,” which was kind of depressing. Clare had an ability called “Sunshine” that made her feel bright and cheerful and spreadits effects to anyone that saw her... I sighed. None of these were in the original game but even more surprisingly, everyone seemed tohave abilities! In the game, only the Hero and the Demon Lord had special abilities base on the results of the personality quiz at the start of the game. And then there were some weird skills that made me a little nervous, but I decided to think about them later. “You can stop pretending to be asleep now,” I said, without turning around. Clare jumped, clearly surprised at being found out so easily. My heightened senses made it easy to notice when her breathing changed so I knew when she had woken up. “I’ll make us some breakfast and tidy up the camp so you should go clean up at the stream down there,” I said, pointing at a patch of trees a few feet away. Clare hesitated a little before nodding and going towards the stream. By the time she was back, I had cleaned up the camp and made breakfast using Re:write. Surprised by the amount of food laid out over the table, Clare sat down on the other side with her mouth agape. She only started eating after I did. “Clare, will you be returning to your village now that the bandits have been dealt with?” I asked. “Yesh,” she said with a mouthful of bread. She swallowed. “But Kai, I wanted to ask you a question, if that’s alright?” “There’s no harm in asking, so go ahead,” I replied. “I know it’s rude to ask about someone’s status but what did you use to beat those bandits? I’ve never heard of anything like it before! Was it an ability or a created skill?” she asked, eyes shining. Created Skill? Don’t tell me! “Yeah, um, what were created skills again?” I asked. “Eh! You don’t know about created skills? Kai, you wouldn’t happen to be some creepy hermit or something?” She raised an eyebrow. I laughed a hollow laugh. “I come from far away, and we don’t have created skills there so of course I wouldn’t know!” I said. “Far away? Everyone on Erath knows about created skills,” she raised her other eyebrow too. “Oh, my home is across the ocean. We don’t interact with people from Erath, much,” I said with a perfect poker face. I’d always been a talented liar. “Across the ocean! How did you get past the storms and the whirlpools and the sea monsters?” she exclaimed. “That’s a secret! So, since I don’t know anything about this place, I hope you can help me out and tell me a little bit about it,” I said. “I never thought I’d have to teach someone about something so basic,” she muttered/ “Created skills are skills that weren’t made by the goddesses but were derived from existing skills by humans. Skills like Appraisal or even extra spells like Flamethrower.” Magic spells are considered skills after all, but wait! “Wow, I’ve never heard of those skills before. What do they do?” I asked, hiding my nervousness. “Appraisal lets you see the status of other living things and flamethrower lets you shoot fire from your hands. Every kid wants to learn flamethrower you know, they’re always disappointed if they don’t have an affinity to fire magic and I can’t blame them because it is pretty cool,” she said smugly, since she could use fire magic. “This appraisal skill must be pretty rare though right?” I said. “Not really, almost everyone has it.” She smiled.. Shit! Even though I guessed it would be something like this and hid all of my stats with Re:write as soon as I saw Appraisal in their skills sections, don’t tell me she saw it yesterday? “But don’t worry, it’s rude to check other people’s statuses so I didn’t even think of checking yours,” she said. Paranoid as I was, I had to make sure of it myself, so I used Re:Write to make Clare unable to lie for a minute “So, you haven’t tried to check my status?” I asked. “Of course, no- Yes I have,” she said, her eyes widening in surprise. “What did you see?” I asked her. “Nothing! Everything had a weird sign in front of it!” she exclaimed just as the effects of the Re:Write wore off. “What was that? What did you do to me?” She narrowed her eyes in anger but there was a bit of fear in them as well. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “Sorry, sorry. Had to make sure. I really love my privacy after all. And hey, you have no right to be angry, didn’t you say that trying to check someone’s status is a rude thing to do?” “But- but-” she stammered “We’re even now so let’s just move on, okay?” I said, meeting her eyes, and giving her my most charming smile. We stared at each other without blinking for a few moments before Clare’s eyes started to water and she looked away. “Heh” “Oo” I smiled and looked at the sun rising across the sky. “Anyways Clare, you said that you wanted to go back to your village. I’m going in that direction, so I might as well escort you back home. Is that okay?” I asked. She hesitated a little before sighing and nodding. With that settled, I cleaned up our breakfast and makeshift dining table, and made the wide eyed Clare promise not to tell anyone about my abilities. We then began walking towards Reneste Village. - The road to Reneste village wasn’t very well maintained. Fallen logs and boulders blocked the way occasionally, and the towering trees around the path stopped most of the sunlight from reaching the ground, making it near impossible to see in the late afternoon. Along the way, I continued to ask Clare about Erath. “By the way Clare, I don’t know how long it took to get here so could you tell me what date it is?” I asked as we stepped around a rotting log. “It’s the 8th of Solaron 998 PH,” she replied, jumping across a small puddle. “We have a different calendar back home so could you explain yours to me?” I asked. “Wow, even the calendar’s different huh? Well, there are 6 months in a year, each named after a Goddess and each month has 60 days,” she said, facing me while walking backwards. “Hey, watch where you’re going. You’ll fa-” I said, just as her foot got caught in some vines and she fell on her back. I sighed and gave her a hand up. She dusted herself off and continued to walk as if nothing happened. “Anyways, what does PH stand for?” I asked, shaking my head at her actions. “It stands for Post Haze, of course,” she said, without pausing. “Uh, Clare?” I said. “Yes?” “What’s Post Haze?” She stopped, then stared at me with wide eyes, “Seriously? It means after the Haze, of course! Wow, I guess you’re dumber than I thought.” She gave me a pitying look. “I know what ‘Post’ means, damn it! I was asking about what Haze means!” I said, indignantly. She somehow managed to open her eyes even wider “What! You don’t know about the Haze? Seriously Kai, did you just crawl out of the ocean or something? Oh right, you kinda did. But still!” When I managed to calm her down, she explained that the Haze is what the Churches call the time before the Goddesses created the world and everyone in it. It was one of the first things everyone in Erath learned so it was quite shocking that I didn’t know about it. When I told her that was probably because we didn’t believe in the Goddesses back home, she opened her eyes so wide that I observed her status again to make sure she wasn’t using a special ability! “Kai! Are you maybe an Originist?” she said, with a hint of alarm in her voice. “No, what’s that?” I said, making a puzzled expression. She let out the breath that I didn’t even realize she was holding. “Um, well you see-” There was a loud thud as she walked right into a giant purple wall. “Wa wa wa, wy noh!” She complained, covering her nose with both hands. “Wha din yoo teh me bou teh wah!” I smiled and shrugged, “You were giving me this annoying look so I thought I’d let the wall straighten you out.” “Oo!” She brought her hands to her side and glared at me. Her face was a little red but she wasn’t bleeding so it was probably fine. As she began scolding me, I couldn’t help but wonder how this little girl had managed to cheer up so quickly. Was it because of her special ability or did the death of her parents not affect her as much as I thought it would? “Alright, alright. We better get going. Although, it is pretty weird that someone built a wall in the middle of the road. And why is it purple? It has a weird texture too, almost like-” I put my hand on the wall and stroked it. “Um, Kai?” Clare asked. “Yes?” I replied, both my hands on the wall. “Why are you stroking the wall?” “Because it’s fun.” “Kai?” “Yes?” “You’re weird.” “...” Ignoring Clare’s confident declaration, I walked around the wall. It was at least 30 feet high and 20 feet wide and circled back inside like a spiral. Isn’t this...? “What was that sound?” Clare said, poking her head out from behind the last curve of the spiral. The wall ended with a large spherical bump. But this bump had long black rods coming out of it. “There it is again!” Clare said, running forward. Of course, I’d heard the sounds as well and it confirmed my guess about this ‘wall’. Clare went up to the end of the wall and bent down. She searched inside a small hole between the wall and the ground. She turned around, cuddling something in her hands. “Waon!” said the tiny purple ball in her hands. “What is it?” Clare asked. “It’s a Hell Kitty. A Rank A monster. The one in your hands is just a kitten but this wall is what an adult Hell Kitty looks like,” I said, gesturing to the ‘wall’ and smiling at Clare’s surprised expression. But her gaze grew dim and she stared at the ground. “Was that her mommy?” she whispered, her eyes gesturing towards the purple wall. The smile fell off my face. She hasn’t cheered up. She was just trying to hide it. I’d tried to do this too. Bury your feelings deep inside and plaster a smile on your face, and maybe while trying to trick everyone else, you might just manage to fool yourself too. I sighed but I didn’t reply. Instead, I walked up to her. She’s so small. Barely reaches my chest... I patted her head once and moved my hand to the kitten in her hands. It had shiny purple fur, tiny paws and couldn’t even open its eyes yet. Guess the three of us are pretty similar. “What should we call it?” I asked, stroking the purring kitten’s head. “Count Doom?” “No.” “Purple Heartbreaking Devil?” “No.” “Cataclysmic Charger?” “You’re totally ruining the mood you know?” “Waon!” I sighed. Clare smiled a little and the kitten purred as she stroked it. “Right, let’s just go with Waon then,” I said. “Waon! Waon!” - After burying Waon’s mother, we continued walking towards Reneste. After a while, the sun started to go down and we decided to make camp. Since that didn’t take long because of Re:write, I asked Clare what she wanted for dinner. “Golden Pasta!” she said, drooling. Hehe, that sounds like some expensive dish she might’ve seen at a restaurant. She’s been asking for that kind of stuff since lunch, when she found out that she could have anything she wanted. Well, no harm in indulging a little. I conjured up a steaming plate of ridiculously shining pasta. Is this even edible...? Apparently, it was, because Clare started eating it in big mouthfuls. “Waon!” “Ogh wight! Waft dosh wahon eath?” Clare asked. “Don’t talk while you eat,” I said, shaking my head. Right, let’s see...Observe I looked at Waon while thinking about information regarding its diet. Carnivorous. Loves milk. Yeah, it’s just like a real cat. I created some cat food and put it in front of Waon. “Waon!” it said, happily eating the cat food. - At night, I lay down the same precautions as last night and settled down on the other side of the campfire. “Kai!” “Yes Clare?” “You have to tell last night’s story again!” “Why not a new one?” “Waon hasn’t heard that one yet!” “...” And so, I told last night’s story again, but I couldn’t help adding something in the end... - The little girl stared at the sky again. “Hey, what are you thinking about?” asked the little boy. “I was just wondering, why doesn’t the golden rain happen every day?” she said. The boy started laughing. Why are you laughing? she asked, playfully punching the boy’s shoulder. “Isn’t it obvious? Why would they cry all the time, they’re not always sad you know!” he said, smugly. “Oh? Then what do they do when they’re happy?” she asked, hoping to wipe the boy’s annoying smile off. The boy smiled. “That’s even more obvious, isn’t it?” he said. “They smile.”

(Content warning: self-harm/suicide). Silence cut apart by shallow breathing. Long, gentle and warm. It was calming. I would have lain there listening to this sound forever, but what was the point of that. Moments like these were important because they were fleeting. You valued them because they would never come back and could only live on in memory. Didn’t Shakespeare say something like that? Who knows, who cares? Just like all those other, fond memories that I relived in my mind whenever I could. They were what kept me going. The blanket was warm and the magic I’d cast kept off the worst of the cold. I breathed deeply; the chilly mountain air filled my nostrils along with a familiar scent. Her head rested on my arm while her silky, red hair trailed my skin. I admired her beautiful face. No scars, no bags, no wrinkles. It was almost too perfect. Like a sculpture or a doll. It was hard to believe she was real. Hard to believe I could touch her, feel her. That I had felt her. I’m sorry I didn’t confess sooner, I thought to myself. But I had important things to do. I still do. I noticed something flash in the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I saw a bright light streak across the clear night sky. The stars were crying again but I didn’t want to console them. No, today I would join them in their grief. Because today I had to do something that would pain me. My heart ached whenever I thought about it. But I’d already decided; it was for the greater good. This was the best way for everyone involved. As the comet faded away, I decided to let loose for just a little bit. I needed to prepare myself for what I had to do next. A little indulgence now and then, wasn’t so bad. “Re:write” Something happened. You couldn’t notice it at first but if you looked around you’d see the signs. Silence, that’s what you’d notice. The wind was dead. Amy’s breath was frozen. The only thing that moved. The only thing that wasn’t frozen apart from myself, was the sky. Stars still flickered and blinked. The moon still floated slowly away. I’d gotten a lot better at using my Ability and gradually stopped relying on the code or even on words. It came naturally to me. All I had to do was think. Think, and the stars would move. Think, and the moon would shift. Think and there’d be a portrait in the stars—a portrait of Amy sitting on the deck of a ship. Think, and the portrait would move. Her eyes would flicker like she’d noticed someone sit in front of her. Think, and the stars would flicker when I wanted them to. They’d give her eyes a little life, her teeth a little sparkle. Some of them would flash brighter, making her smile shine. The scene played out exactly as I remembered it. Every detail from when she smiled to when she blinked, all of it happened up in the heavens the same way it had on the ship a few days ago. A few days. I couldn’t believe it had only been a few days. Her mouth moved but no sounds came out. But that was okay, they echoed inside my head of their own accord. Hello Kai, how are you. You seem a little distraught. Fine, Amy. I’m fine. Hey listen… Yes? You’re the happiest person I know so – Me? How am I the happiest person you know? Well, it might be because I don’t know a lot of people. It’s fine, I don’t have many friends either. Yeah but everyone I do know is either gloomy or cranky! That’s just Runir and Lily. Well that’s almost everyone I know. But I’m not a happy person? I barely ever smile. Happiness isn’t about smiling, silly. It’s something inside you. Deep inside you. I’ve seen it come to the surface occasionally, usually when you’re helping someone. Really? I never noticed. I’m bad at this ‘emotions’ thing. No, you’re not! It’s easy to notice someone else’s emotions, but finding your own? No one can do that. At least not all the time. And even when you do, you can never tell what’s causing them. You can never tell why you suddenly feel… never mind that. Tell me, Amy, what’s the secret to happiness? How can you still be happy when things go bad? When all you wanna do is lash out or turtle up, how can you still go on doing what you do? I… don’t know. I suppose I think about people who are—or were—important to me. And that works? It works if you don’t think about the future. Don’t worry about what could happen or what is going to happen. All you need to think about is the present. I mean, if I started thinking about the future I would… The star-Amy hesitated, just like the real one had on the ship. …The important thing is to live in the present. Remember the past, but don’t brood over it. Plan for the future, but don’t fret over it. That’s all I can say. Those words were very important to me. They’d kept me sane for a long time. The stars dispersed and then they came back together again. This time, they outlined Amy walking next to me. Amy, smiling, as she hugged Zoe. Amy around a campfire, listening to a story. I relived some other memories and got lost in them for who knows how long. But the night never ended, in fact, it never grew any older. I remembered the past. I sought comfort in it. I sought courage from it. I thought about the future. I sought hope in it. I sought determination from it. But when I sought for happiness, I turned to the woman lying beside me. She was right; happiness could only be found in the present. More of my memories flashed in the sky, some of them flickering by so fast you could barely see them. But then they stopped, frozen in place as a new memory overrode the others. It wouldn’t be right calling it a memory just yet though, but maybe it could count as a memory from the present. Amy’s sleeping face looked down at me from the heavens. I’d think of this moment again, whenever I needed some comfort or when I needed the courage to do what came next. Of course, I couldn’t go to it for happiness because happiness was in the present. The only problem was, the present wasn’t going to be happy for much longer. It had to pass. It couldn’t stay. It had to fade into the past. It had to fade into memories. The sleeping face in the sky vanished. The stars and the moon went back to their original positions. The wind howled once again, and Amy’s chest rose and fell once more. I stared at her one last time and then I steeled myself and replaced my hand with a pillow. I left the warmth of the blanket and appeared outside wearing a long purple robe. I walked down the mountain without glancing back. I didn’t need to walk. I could have just flown there. But I was delaying. I was putting it off. I didn’t want to do it even though I knew it was for the best. I knew for a fact that this was the right thing to do. On the other side of the mountain was an abandoned building nestled in the woods. The walls were crumbling and the bars on the windows had long since rusted away, but there was a bed inside. I approached it slowly, trying not to make a sound. She heard me anyway. “Who’s there?” someone said. “It’s me,” I replied. “Kai?” Something fell on the ground. “It really is you!” A tiny human tackled my legs. I tousled her hair and chuckled, noticing the rusty knife she’d dropped on the floor. “Hey Zoe, how’ve you been?” I asked. Zoe looked up at me and smiled. “Bored! Do you know where the others are? Amy, do you know where Amy is?” “They’re fine. They’re all fine. All though, they’re worried about you.” “I’ve survived a lot worse than this. This is nothing!” she said with a grin. “Come on, grab your things and let’s get out of here,” I said. She nodded, put everything in her Storage and let me lead her outside. “You did a good job staying safe. You stayed here for the whole day, right?” “Yep, there was a bed and everything. I lucked out.” We walked up the mountain. I shielded her from the wind and the cold, but I still made her climb on her own. “Do you remember what happened?” I asked. “Yeah…” she trailed. “Was Lily really…” “I’m afraid so,” I replied. “You already knew, didn’t you?” she asked. “Yes.” “And you didn’t tell me?” She let go of my hand. “Why should I trust you right now?” I let the wind hit her. She stumbled and her eyes went wide. “Because I care about you. I’m taking the full force of this wind for you, right now,” I said. Her eyebrows furrowed but she grabbed my hand again. “Don’t do that again,” she said, pouting. “Okay,” I said. “Sorry.” We walked in silence for a while. “So what now?” she asked. “Well first we need to climb this mountain to see Amy,” I said. “What’s she doing all the way up here?” she asked. “We were following the signal from your ring but she got tired while climbing the mountain so I left her at the summit and came down to fetch you,” I explained. “Oh! Are we going to surprise her?” she asked. “I suppose.” We reached the summit but there was no one there. “Hey, where is she?” asked Zoe, confused. “You said she’d be here.” “She’s on that mountain over there, can you see her?” I said, pointing to the mountain peak next to this one. “But then why’d we climb this one?” asked Zoe, frowning. “So you could see her one last time,” I said. The wind died down. “What do you mean by that?” asked Zoe as her eyes flitted between me, and Amy’s sleeping figure on the other mountain. “You think I didn’t notice what you were trying to do in that building down below?” I said. I stepped closer. “You think I didn’t see what was in your eyes ever since we rescued you. You think I couldn’t tell from a mile away…” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, quickly. Even though it was cold up there, she was sweating. “Zoe,” I whispered. “Look up there.” I pointed to the sky. She followed my finger and began to tremble. Her entire body shook as she saw the stars in the sky swirl around to make a portrait. A portrait of a little girl holding a knife to her throat. The stars dispersed before coming together to make another picture. A picture of a girl crying all alone in the woods. Then they outlined a girl looking off a cliff, eyeing a sharp rock, or gripping some rope. Then they made an arm covered in scars. But then more scars showed up. And then some more; most of them around the wrist. Zoe trembled and her mouth quivered. But she wasn’t awed by my Ability. She wasn’t wowed by the fact that I could make the sky my canvas. It was the pictures in the sky that stunned her. Her secret was being displayed on the largest screen possible. One could only imagine how she must have felt. The emotions roiling inside her heart. Her eyes were wet, and her face devoid of all color. Gasping for breath, she took a step back, as if to escape from the pictures in the sky. But it was in vain, because how could she escape the sky? She couldn’t even look away. It pained her to look at the truth laid out above her but she couldn’t break away. She couldn’t deny it any longer. She couldn’t hide it anymore. “Zoe,” I said, gently. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” I tried to approach her but she shrank away. “No. No, it’s not okay. They know… they know I…” She sobbed. “Everyone knows now… they know!” “Zoe…” “No! Shut up!” she screamed, finally wrenching her gaze from the sky. “You put it in the sky! You told everyone! How could you? Now they’ll… now they’ll…” “Now they’ll what?” I replied, calmly. “Judge you for being forced to endure so much pain? Judge you for having the misfortune of being born into a shitty life, twice? Or maybe they’ll judge you for having the courage to resist so many times. If they judge you for any of that, I’m sure they’ll think very highly of you. And if they don’t, then that’s their problem.” “Why can’t you leave me alone!” she said. “Everything was fine! I had friends, no, I had a family!” Tears trailed down her cheeks. “Why did you have to tell them? Why did you put it up there for all of them to see?” “They can’t see it, Zoe,” I said. “Calm down and look around you for a second. Notice anything?” She fought back her tears and sobs, reminding me once again how strong she really was, and looked around. “I don’t see anything. It’s too dark,” she said, finally. “Exactly, it’s too dark,” I said. “That makes it worse! It means they can see the stars. They can see that!” She pointed at the pictures in the sky. The pictures were going back through her life. Through numerous vignettes of self-harm and sadness. “But they shouldn’t be able to see it,” I said. “Yes, they shouldn’t! It’s none of their business, nor yours!” she said, angrily. “No, I meant they shouldn’t be able to see it because the sun should have risen an hour ago.” She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at the sky again. She noticed that the moon hadn’t moved. Then she looked around and saw the pebbles stuck frozen on the edge of rolling over, the leaves hanging in the still air, and the frost that hadn’t begun to thaw. “Oh,” she said. I walked closer and this time she didn’t move away. She was eyeing me warily. I’d lost her trust. “Zoe, it’s okay. You know we love you. Even if the others found out, they wouldn’t think any less of you. In fact, they’d try to make sure you were safe and cared for,” I said. “So they’d be worried about me? Well I don’t need their pity.” She snarled. “It’s not pity. They love you. We love you. Like you said, we’re like a family,” I said, reassuringly. “And a family takes care of each other, whether they like it or not.” “We’re not a family…” she mumbled. “Lily was the Hero, and Runir’s the Demon Lord. We can’t be a family anymore.” “Oh don’t worry, every family has its squabbles. Although our family is a little special, we’ll get through this eventually. All we have to do is trust each other,” I said, tousling Zoe’s hair again. She didn’t avoid it this time. “Fine…” “Now that’s the spirit.” I smiled. “Kai,” she said, so quietly I barely caught it. “What if they think I’m crazy. I don’t wanna tell them about it.” “It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll leave it up to you.” I turned away from Zoe. “Zoe,” I said. “Yes Kai?” she asked. “We’ve been avoiding this question for a while now, but you know I have to ask, right?” She didn’t respond. “Are you going to stop?” I asked, fighting to keep the emotion out of my voice. “No matter what happens. No matter how far you’re pushed. No matter how much pain you’re in. Can I trust you to never try to do the things in the sky again? Can I trust you?” No response, just empty silence. “Zoe, I know I can protect you from everything else but tell me, how do I protect you from yourself?” I asked, turning around to face her. She was staring at her feet. I hugged her. “Just say it. Come on. Tell me I can trust you. Tell me I don’t have to be afraid for you whenever you’re alone. Tell me I don’t have to worry about you jumping from a cliff.” I held her tighter. “Tell me you won’t leave that way.” “I can’t…” she whispered. I grabbed her shoulders and stared her in the eyes. “Why? Why not?” I was emotional. More emotional than I’d been in a long time. And it didn’t even make any sense. I’d always known this would happen. I’d known how this would end. “I’m telling you it’ll be alright. No matter how bad things seem, they will get better. Just endure a little. Just a little, that’s all I ask.” “No,” she whispered, avoiding my eye. “I can’t. It’s all I have. The only thing I can control. It’s how I escaped last time.” “Zoe, please…” “I can’t,” she looked me in the eye, not a tear to be seen. “I can trust you. I can endure. But I can’t make that promise. I can’t.” This was it. We were at an impasse. I’d known she wouldn’t budge on this. Suicide had been her only comfort, her only escape. She wouldn’t throw that away. Even if she was safe forever, she’d never throw it away as an option. It wasn’t likely that she’d kill herself. She’d endured far worse than anything that could possibly happen to her now. But if she wasn’t willing to make that promise, there was a chance. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless. Did I know what she would do, what she would choose to do? Yes, but that was besides the point. If something went wrong. Or rather, if something felt as if it had gone wrong, Zoe might try to take her own life. And with Lily and Runir at each other’s throats, and Amy as emotionally vulnerable as she was, it was highly likely that Zoe would consider suicide again. It was almost a reflex for her now. If she felt like things were about to go bad, as if she would be caught up in the perpetual suffering from her previous life or her terrible childhood in this life, then she wouldn’t risk it. “Please…” I tried one last time. “At least lie. At least pretend like you’ll consider it.” She shook her head. I was kneeling so our eyes would meet at the same level. I stared into them but she stared back with intense resolve. This was the one thing she would never compromise on. “Then you leave me no choice,” I said. The stars dispersed, then flickered and vanished. The moon faded away. The mountains disappeared, leaving a world of darkness. Yet, even though there was no light, Zoe and I could see each other. Her eyes went wide as she noticed what was happening but no words left her mouth. I knelt in front of her and hugged her. She somehow managed to find her voice. “Kai, what is this?” “We had a lot of fun together. We laughed and we played. We shared stories and good times. But nothing lasts forever. I wish it could, but it can’t. We can’t go back to the way things used to be,” I rambled, lamenting. “What?” she asked. “We made memories together. Lots of memories. Memories are important. Some say we are nothing but the sum of our memories. They define our past and mold our future. I don’t think that’s true. I think people are more than their memories. I think people are alive.” I released her from my embrace, patted her shoulders and met her eyes. “You’re a tough girl. You’ve been through a lot. I know your future won’t be anywhere near as tough as your past, but the toughest part will be the memory of everything you’ve been through. Reliving the pain every night, flinching at shadows, and crying in the darkness. I don’t want you to go through that anymore.” I kissed her forehead gently. “Some memories are useful; they can help us get through the worst of times. Even when you want to curl up and cry, those memories can be the anchor that keeps you from floating away. But some memories aren’t worth it. Some memories are a useless weight trying to drag you down to the bottom of the ocean.” “No, don’t!” Zoe shouted with alarm as she finally realized what was happening. “Some memories, are best left forgotten.” Zoe’s face froze and her eyes blanked. She vanished from the empty world I’d created on a whim. I stayed there all alone for a while. There was no ‘time’ in this world, so I could stay there for as long as I wanted to. All alone in that empty world, I toyed with the idea of cutting away my own memories. It would be so much easier if I didn’t have them. So much easier to keep swimming if I could just let them go. But I couldn’t. Even if they dragged me to the bottom, I couldn’t let go. Even if I had to trudge along the seafloor, I couldn’t let them go. I had to live with my memories. I had to endure. - Somewhere outside the capital of the Earth Kingdom, a group of yellow-robed horsemen were practicing their drills. Suddenly, the old lady directing their group ordered them to halt. She’d heard something strange in the bushes to the side and told one of the new recruits to investigate. The young man was annoyed, but he didn’t dare disobey the old crone, so he dismounted and walked into the bushes. He couldn’t see anything and was just about to turn to report that it was probably an animal or something, when his foot hit something strange. Surprised, he pushed away the leaves and stared wide-eyed at what lay hidden underneath. He shouted something to the people behind him and began pulling apart the bush. Some of his compatriots arrived and helped him rescue the little girl in the bush. The old crone approached and inspected the girl. After judging that she wasn’t hurt too badly, and that the clothes she was wearing were too nice for her to be a peasant girl, she was just about to order her soldiers to leave the girl when she stopped. She stared at the girl for a few minutes, confusing the other soldiers who began inspecting the girl too. They stood transfixed; a few rubbing their eyes in disbelief. The crone was the first to snap out of it as she ordered the men to carry the girl to the old lady’s horse. She tied the girl in front of her and rode back to the corps headquarters, shouting frantically into a prism. They were greeted by a grumpy middle-aged man and a host of armored soldiers like the one behind the old lady. He said something to her, angrily, but she brushed his comments aside and pointed to the girl on her horse. The man followed her finger and stared at the girl before his jaw dropped wide open. He immediately ordered the soldiers to take the girl inside and heal her injuries, and asked the old lady where she’d found her. The old lady told him everything but he could barely believe it. “And that’s not the worst of it,” said the old lady. “What do you mean?” he said. “We found this in the pocket of her robe,” muttered the old lady as she unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to the middle-aged man. He read it and a shiver went up his spine. “Old hag, what have you gotten us into this time,” he mumbled. “Didn’t you read the note? This isn’t my fault!” she complained. “I have a bad feeling about this,” he said, taking a deep breath. “But fine, we’ll do it. Who knows, I might be overthinking it.” He watched his soldiers take the little girl into the building and ordered the rest of them to resume their training. The Earth Kingdom’s scouting division couldn’t slack off because of a little girl. Besides, the little girl would make a fine addition to their group. But later that night, as he tried to fall asleep, the commander of the scouting division couldn’t help but remember the girl and the note. He’d been scared witless by the girl’s Status, which even he couldn’t see, but it was the note that kept him up all night. In fact, the note would keep him up all night for many a night to come. “I am entrusting you with this girl who, in a way, is my daughter. She has lost her memories so please be kind to her, however, I understand that it will be difficult for the scouts to care for her without recompense. As such, please feel free to enlist her in your division once she is old enough. Thank you for your kindness, Commander Heris and Chief Oleen. Have a nice day! Sincerely, Fate. P.S. Do not share this letter with anyone else. Thus, I command.” At first the commander had scoffed at the letter. A letter from Fate? Preposterous. But when he tried to show the letter to his superiors, he found that he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t. Terrified, he took the letter very seriously from then on, and did everything he could to help the little girl. And that is how Zoe Hill joined the scout division of the Earth Kingdom’s army. I watched her grow up from afar. All the difficulties she endured. All the hardships she faced. I saw them all. Although it pained me, I could tell that she was a lot happier there than she had ever been with us. There were no scars on her body anymore, but more importantly, there were no scars in her heart. There was nothing to weigh her down. The memories that had threatened to sink her were gone, and she could swim freely now. And I knew we’d meet again one day. One day, after she’d learned how to swim on her own, she’d come riding on the waves. She might not recognize me, but maybe her presence would give me the strength to carry on. But for now, I’d get my strength from the memories we had once shared.

I woke up on an empty plain. My legs felt like lead and my head was a jumbled mess. My lungs groaned as I sucked in a breath of frighteningly cold air. I coughed out the frigid air but my next breath was just as cold. It took a while to get used to the air. As the Goddess of Fire, I wasn’t accustomed to feeling cold but something was different this time. Where was I? What happened? My sore muscles complained, sending jolts of pain through my body as I pulled myself upright. A particularly sharp pain arose when I put pressure on my right shoulder. Dislocated, most probably. I grit my teeth and popped it back in. Blinding pain seared through my mind and I nearly blanked out. Hanging on to consciousness by a thread, I panicked and gasped for air, flooding my lungs with mouthfuls of frigid air. However, the cold distracted me from the pain. The pain subsided, leaving me alone with the cold. Somehow, I’d ended up on my back again. I lay there for a while, watching my frosty breath dissolve into the darkness. The moon had traveled far across the sky since I last saw it. It was nearing the end of its path through the stars and the first, golden rays of sunlight would break through the darkness any minute now. But I didn’t want the moon to go. Not yet. Not yet. I wanted to sail through the stars for a little longer. Just a little longer. We still had to jump from the Big Dipper onto Orion’s belt. Then we’d swing across to Ursa Minor and go to another galaxy. And then we’d dance around the North Star. Or laugh at the bickering Gemini. But most importantly, we’d share another night under the stars. In retrospect, it was inevitable that our group would collapse. All we needed was a spark, and everything would go up in flames. And I could still smell the smoke. You knew it couldn’t last, I told myself. And you know what to do now. I closed my eyes. I needed to get my act together. Solaron told me to guide the Hero, that should be my priority for now. Besides, Lily and Zoe were the weakest of the bunch. I had to find them! I forced myself up. Sunrise broke over the horizon, splashing the sky with hues of red. I checked my Status and my heart skipped a beat. My health was in the red. I’d never been this injured in my life! For the first time, I tried to recall what had happened. Why was I in the middle of nowhere? All I remembered was Lunaris’ laugh and the smoke. I shuddered. Why was that thing listening to Lunaris? It didn’t seem like it could be tamed. But what came after the smoke surrounded us? Someone must have done something or we’d be dead by now. But who… Of course, I knew the answer to that. There was only one person who could’ve turned a situation like that around. However, now there was another question that demanded my attention. Why was he here? A cold breeze cut through the air and sent Kai’s cloak fluttering behind him. His face was pale and the bags under his eyes were deeper than I’d ever seen them but it was unmistakably him. No one could fake that smile. “Morning,” he said. “Morning,” I replied. We stood there awkwardly, neither knowing quite what to say. “You alright?” I asked, breaking the silence. “Been better,” he said. “Nothing a little breakfast won’t fix.” He whipped out a frying pan and magic-powered stove, and began frying some eggs. “So, where are we?” I asked, sitting down next to him. “Don’t know,” he replied as he put the fried eggs on plates and passed one to me. I accepted it but didn’t start eating. “Where are the others?” “Who knows?” “Probably you. You found me, didn’t you?” He finished his mouthful and motioned for me to start eating too. I complied. “I found you because you still had the ring,” he said. The ring? I raised my hand and inspected the rings adorning my fingers. I hadn’t noticed it before, but one of them was glowing with a gentle purple light. I gazed at Kai’s hand and sure enough, his ring was glowing with a soft, red glow. “It’s color coordinated,” he said. “Neat, right?” “Kai,” I said. “Hmm?” he replied with a stuffed mouth. “No more games please.” I met his eyes and held onto them. “Where is Lily?” He stopped chewing and swallowed. He snapped and all the cooking utensils and plates vanished. “Is she the only one you care about?” “No, but—” “It’s all right. I’ll take you to her anyways, so just admit it. The others never mattered to you, right?” I met his gaze. Taking a deep breath, I said: “No.” He nodded and turned immediately. He walked down across the sun-kissed plains. The air was warm and fresh. Birds were chirping. Little animals scurried around. It was a beautiful day outside. - I soon realized where we were. Rocks piled up on either side and the ground grew loose and gravely. Mountains appeared around us, confirming that we were in the Earth Kingdom. Dark caves decorated the heights, with the occasional abandoned mine visible in the distance. Kai and I hadn’t spoken a word all day. I followed him quietly, with only the sound of the gravel under my feet to fill the silence. Giant rocks jutted out of the ground sometimes while boulders lay by the roadside, gathering moss. The ring on my finger was glowing brighter by the minute. It was a pale, white glow but it was getting stronger. At least we were going in the right direction. Then the silence was broken by a scream, an angry voice, and a loud rumble. As we turned the corner, we saw a tall, robed man whipping a shirtless boy pulling a minecart. Scores of scars snaked around the shirtless boy’s back, while drops of blood oozed out of angry red gashes and cuts. The cart he was pulling was piled high with dull rocks that could be low quality ore, at best. My first instinct was to help him but I hesitated. Did I want to get involved again? Whenever I’d helped someone in the past, I’d ended up getting hurt in the end. And it wasn’t like I’d helped them much in the end. In fact, they may have been better off without me. Crack. The boy grunted as he was whipped again. Kai walked past them as if he hadn’t noticed them at all. I followed him without glancing back. Crack. We continued traveling wordlessly and the sound of the whip grew further and further away. Yet, even when we were miles away, I could still hear the cold leather lashing against skin. Or maybe it was the sound of my guilt punishing me, inside. Crack. It was louder this time. I looked up, shaken from my self-chastisement. There they were again; the man with the whip and the boy with the cart. How’d they get in front of us? I looked at Kai’s back but he didn’t stop as we approached them again. He walked past them without hesitation but… I couldn’t. The man raised his whip again and brought it down but there was no crack. Confused, he stared at the boy before looking at his empty hands. He turned just in time to meet my fist. I gave the wide-eyed boy a healing potion and followed Kai, stepping over the unconscious slave-master without a word. This time we didn’t go in a circle and reached a ruined village. Empty houses made of baked clay and broken fences greeted us as we walked down the road. Not a word nor a whisper, only silence met us. But the stoves inside were warm, the food still fresh and wisps of smoke still floated out of the chimneys. “That boy was probably taken from this village,” said Kai. “The primary export from the Earth Kingdom are ores and slaves. Zoe’s parents were probably abducted from a village like this one.” The sky was getting darker as the day grew older. The abandoned buildings cast shadows everywhere, but we weren’t staying here for the night. In fact, we kept walking through the night; never stopping for a moment. We came across some more empty villages – some freshly sacked and others crumbling into ruins – but we passed them by without hesitation. Eventually we reached the mountains; dark silhouettes set against the starry sky. I could hear the fierce winds at the summit from where we stood but I didn’t pay it any heed. I was a Goddess, what could a little wind do to me? We went up as far as the trail allowed and then we began to climb. I reached up, grabbed a rock and pulled myself up. Reach up, grab, pull up. Reach, grab, pull. Reach, grab, pull. Climb. We climbed slowly under the bright moonlight. It was strange, climbing when we could have flown over mountains twice this size. Stranger still were the winds crashing against my sides. My Health dropped under the constant barrage of snow and ice but I barely felt any pain. Wait, why was my Health dropping? A Goddess getting hurt by wind? I’d faced stronger winds while flying but I’d never lost a single health point before. Reach, grab, pull. Reach, grab, pull. Kai was getting buffeted by the wind too but I didn’t know if he was getting hurt. I’d never been able to see his Status after all. That was strange too. A level 999 Goddess couldn’t see his Status. He’d said he was hiding it with his Ability, and judging by how his rings hid Lily and Runir’s Status from me as well, I could believe he was capable of it. But I could tell he was strong. Incredibly strong. His Stats had to be mind-numbingly high too; perhaps they were higher than mine. No, they had to be higher than mine. But level 999 was the highest you could get. Just how high had he gone? Just how high was he going to climb. My fingers were numb. The cold seethed into my bones. I don’t know how I managed to keep climbing. I don’t even remember the last few feet because it was all a blur. “Grab on,” shouted Kai from far away. No, not far away. He was right in front of me; his hand dangling over the precipice. We’d reached the summit. I reached shakily for his hand with mine and he grasped it, firmly. He pulled me up and I fell on top of him. Warm, he was warm. His breath was warm too. I could tell because it brushed past my neck, driving away the biting cold. “Hey, you all right?” he asked. “Fine,” I whispered through chattering teeth. “I’m fine, just a little cold.” “Well, better bundle up for now then.” He draped a large blanket over me. We were on a rocky outcrop at the summit of the mountain. The wind howled around us and the sleet hid the moon from our sight. “Still cold?” he asked. I shook my head but my teeth were still chattering and my Health was dangerously low. The wind was too strong for us to light a fire and I couldn’t muster the energy to cast any fire magic. “It’s all right,” said Kai, as he hugged me. “Just need to get through the night.” He was close. Incredibly close. I could feel his chest rise and fall, his muscles twitch, and his jaw move as he spoke. “Thanks,” I said. “Don’t mention it,” he said. “In fact, I should be thanking you.” “For what?” “For giving me hope.” “And how did I do that?” “You went back for that kid.” “What kid?” I asked. “The slave. The one being whipped.” “But I ignored him the first time. I was too afraid. Too afraid that I’d be hurt again.” “And yet you helped him,” he said, putting his hand under my chin. I lifted my head and found his eyes staring at me. “And you’ve done that before too. You chose to help Lily when you obviously didn’t want to, and you helped Zoe even though it would complicate our already delicate party even further. I’ve seen a lot of things in this world but Amy, you’re the only one who’s filled me with hope.” He was close. Our frosty breath met, swirling around between us. Did I deserve all that praise? I hadn’t done anything, really. I was a failure. I failed Jeffi and Yunni. I failed Lily and Zoe. And I didn’t even choose to help them! I saved Jeffi and Yunni because they summoned me by mistake. I helped Lily because Solaron told me to, and Lily was the one who wanted to help Zoe the most. And worst of all, I… “Amy,” he whispered. “You don’t know how much you mean to me. If I hadn’t seen you doing your best all the time; if I hadn’t seen the love and compassion you felt for everyone and everything, I don’t think I could have done what was necessary. Please…” He brought his face even closer. What was he talking about? We had just met a short time ago. We barely knew each other. “I love you. Please, tell me you love me too,” he said. I didn’t know what to say. A part of me wanted to say I wasn’t the kind of person he thought me to be. I wasn’t a kind, loving person who cared for the weak and powerless. I wasn’t worth loving. I didn’t even know what love was. I’d been emotionless for centuries and all my experiences with emotions had been depressing so far. I couldn’t love him. I couldn’t love anyone. But maybe I didn’t have to love him. Maybe it was enough to live in the moment and let the other part of me win. The part that stared into his eyes, drowned in his scent, and melted into his arms. On top of a mountain somewhere in the Earth Kingdom; among howling winds and swirling snow, I forgot all my worries. I threw all my anxieties away. I ignored the guilt that had been building up inside me. For one night, I wasn’t a Goddess with a mission. I wasn’t a guide, a teacher, a warrior or a wanderer. Under the stars I was free.

Dry winds buffeted me as I trudged over the sand dune. I pulled my hat down to cover my face better. To my right, Lily was emptying another bottle of water while fanning herself with her hand and glaring angrily at Kai. “Kai, can’t you take out a jeep or something? Why do we have to keep walking in this heat?” she said. Kai smiled. “Heat? What heat? Amy, do you feel hot?” he asked, innocently. “No,” I replied, simply. Well I am the Fire Goddess so it is only natural, is it not? “Kai, I’ve already deduced that you’re keeping yourself cool with your Ability somehow. You aren’t even sweating at all,” Runir croaked, pushing the words out of his parched throat. His dark robes were wet with perspiration and his normally stoic expression was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was panting like a dog. “I thought so! If you don’t give it to us...” Lily said, taking out her dagger. “For once I must agree with the Hero. Give us an A.C or suffer the consequences,” said Runir, brandishing his sword. Kai looked at them and sighed. “What do you think I should do Amy?” he said, suddenly turning towards me. “You don’t have to do anything. They can use water magic to cool themselves down,” I said. “Tsk.” “Damn it.” Kai smiled while the others glared at me before activating water magic to cover themselves with swirling, icy winds. “You’re using a Rank 5 spell to cool your sweat? Talk about overkill...” Kai smirked. “Shut up!” said Lily. “Almost got another ring,” Runir said, with a disappointed sigh. A gust of hot air blew my hat off. It rolled down the dune and settled on the sand below. I frowned and went down to pick it up but it disappeared. “Here you go,” said Kai, placing my hat on my head. “Thank you,” I said. “No problem,” he said, with a smile. “Damn it, this is unfair!” complained Lily. “Why did you use your Ability this time?” asked Runir. “Would have been a pain to go down there. Besides, we’re running behind schedule. We need to get to the village before nightfall,” he said, walking down the other side of the dune. “Village? What village?” asked Runir. “The Crumbling Sand village,” replied Kai. “That’s not right, I never saw a village like that on the map,” Runir said, frowning. “Well it’s-” I couldn’t hear what Kai said because I was suddenly distracted by a surprising yet familiar feeling. It faded into the background ever since I learned how to unconsciously direct mana towards it but now, for the first time in centuries... I felt a tug on my soul. It was coming from straight in front of me. A pull so powerful that I almost let myself get swept away like I did all those years ago. But I managed to hold on, biting my lips to distract myself with the pain and the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. I clenched my fists, driving my nails into my flesh. “We’re almost there...” I heard someone say from far away. “Finally.” “Just two days away from Beigo.” The pull became stronger. I felt my feet beginning to slip so I dug them into the sand. But the pull started dragging me through the sand. I panicked. Powerless. Unable to resist. Like a puppet on a string. Just like the Haze. Like watching Jeffi die in my arms. Like watching Yunni take her last breath. Like being stuck in a world of darkness and ash. I hated feeling powerless. Hated being unable to control my own body. And I sure as hell, hated Fate. But I couldn’t do anything about it. Couldn’t help but let the powerful tug on my soul pull me ever so slowly towards it. “...this place...” “...what happened...” “...I’m gonna puke...” “...sickening...” I heard whispers but I ignored them. My sight was blurry and my senses distant, but I could barely make out the scene in front of me. Broken buildings. Cracked roads. Shattered houses. The stench of rotting corpses and dried blood. Holes in the ground. Claw marks on the walls. Bones and skeletons with their meat picked clean. And of course, a silence so heavy it was almost palpable. This village was dead. There wasn’t a soul in sight but... I could feel it. There was someone here and they were calling to me, praying to me. Over the centuries the pulls had gotten weaker and less frequent, perhaps because people realized that I wasn’t omniscient or all-powerful. But this was different. Whoever was calling out to me was doing so with the conviction that I would hear and I would come. Or perhaps their desire to meet me was just too incredibly pure, profound and clear. Whoever this person was, they really wanted to talk to me. I tried diverting more mana towards them but it was no use. They rejected my mana like it wasn’t enough or rather, as if that wasn’t what they wanted at all. But that was confusing, because most people who called me would be fine after receiving some mana or at least their pull on my soul would lessen. If you were stuck under a collapsed building, you could use my mana to blast your way out. Attacked by a monster? Shoot a fireball. Gotten lost? Send up a flare. But for whatever reason, this person couldn’t use my mana to rescue themselves. I unconsciously followed the others through the ruined village. I never spoke much anyways so no one commented on my silence. But the pull was getting stronger and stronger and I… couldn’t hold on. So I let myself go. I was viciously pulled through the wall beside me, sending chunks of sandstone flying into the air. I tumbled through the sand, smashed through an empty house and demolished pillar after pillar. At last I arrived next to a collapsed house and lay sprawled on the ground, panting for breath. “Amy! Are you alright?” I heard someone say. But even though I’d reached the source of the pull, the tug on my soul didn’t lessen at all. “Stop! I am here! Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you but please, stop!” I shouted, holding my head between my hands. The tug vanished and I could finally think clearly again. I calmed my breath and got up. “Amy, what happened? Why did you suddenly start barreling through walls?” asked Lily. “It is nothing. Just –” I began, but I felt a sharp tug again. There! I walked over the rubble and crouched down over a broken wall. The crumbling sandstone was stained with blood and gore. The rubble shifted, revealing an eye in the shadows. “Amy, stop going off on your own –” Lily said before noticing the eye. “Fuck! There’s someone over here. Runir, Kai, come help!” she said, leaning over to pick up a stone. Runir rushed over and saw the blood and the eye and immediately began helping Lily clear the rubble. I looked over at Kai and noticed that he was clenching his fists and looking down at his feet. I’d never seen Kai this troubled before and the sight made me uneasy. This wasn’t going to be a simple rescue mission. “....ll...e....” a groan came from under the rubble just as the sharp tug on my soul reappeared. I saw a bloody, mangled shape slowly taking shape beneath the rubble. Runir stopped to puke and Lily’s expression paled as well but Kai still didn’t help, staring at the grotesque sight while biting his lips. “...ki....se....” Lily removed the last of the rubble and turned away, unable to bear the sight. A twisted body caked with blood and refuse, and giving off a foul odor. Runir went to the side again. I stepped closer to it, drawn by the pull on my soul. “I-I can heal it. Kai, come help. We can… we can...” Lily stammered. “...ki...m...se....” another groan came from the twisted shape. I couldn’t even tell where its mouth was. The pull intensified, filling my mind with pain and grief. I lunged forward, raising my sword. “....kill me...please...” I brought down my sword just as my mind was flooded with emotions. Emotions that weren’t mine. Blood sprayed through the air. I blacked out. - I woke up in a strange room. The walls were a shade of red so bright you’d think you’d go blind but for some reason, the brightness was comforting. It was strange. I didn’t have a body here, or at least, not a real body. Instead, I floated in the center of the room as a small ball of red light. In front of me was a blurry white shape. The shape started becoming more defined. Flabby arms, a short stature and a wrinkled face. It was an old man. An old man who looked strangely familiar even though I was sure that I’d never seen him before. “Thank you, oh Lord of the Flames,” he said, bowing his head so hard that it banged against the ground. “I knew, I knew you’d listen. Everyone forgot but I didn’t. Our ancestors always said that the Fire Goddess would help us if we prayed to her in our time of need.” I remained silent, still trying to understand the situation. “When… when the monsters killed my family, I’d already lost all reason to live. My wife, they tore her to pieces. My son, splattered across the walls. My daughter, eaten alive,” he said, crying and sobbing. I remained silent, to respect his suffering. “And then… then they… my grandson...” he cried even louder. I remained silent, not knowing what to say. “But when they came to me I felt relieved. The pain was unbearable, not the pain of having my body ripped up and twisted into unimaginable shapes. The pain of losing them… that was unbearable,” he said, quietly. I remained silent, a sour feeling rising up inside me. “But then they left me! They left me alive! Those damnable monsters left me alive! Alive to stew in my own juices. Alive to wallow in pain and sorrow! I couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t bear it at all. Why did they do it? They’re monsters, if they were hungry, they could have eaten me like they ate my daughter! Did they want to torture me? Did they want me to die a slow, agonizing death all alone in the ruins of my home while grieving for my family? What purpose would that serve? Why would they do that? Why?” I hesitated before answering. “I do not know,” I admitted. He looked at me with a bitter smile. “I didn’t expect one such as you to know, oh exalted one. The only answer I could think of was that it was an act of cruelty. An irrational act of cruelty. I suppose the cruelty of monsters and mortals is beneath you,” he said, before looking down again. “More importantly… thank you.” Tears fell down his cheeks. “Thank you for taking pity on my lowly self. I did not deserve… do not deserve your kindness, your pity. I lost faith in you and at times I, I questioned your magnificence. But now I know! I know that you are –” “No,” I said, cutting him off. “I am not all powerful. I am not all knowing. I am not invincible. If I was, I would never have let you endure such pain in the first place. If anything it is I who must apologize for my powerlessness.” “Please don’t! I do not deserve your apologies, Eminent One. Even if you aren’t all powerful, at least you were willing to help me. At least you gave me your pity,” he said, looking at me. A bitter feeling rose up inside me. The only reason I’d helped this man was because I was pulled by his prayers. I didn’t take pity on him, I just wanted to stop the tug on my soul. Did I kill him because I felt sorry for him or because I felt sorry for myself? The old man gave me a contented smile. “You know, even though you’re an ancient Goddess, you keep reminding me of my granddaughter.” I met his eyes. They were red from crying and pinched between his puffed up, wrinkly cheeks. “She wasn’t killed by the monsters. She had a weak body so we never let her play outside with the other children.” He took a deep breath as his eyes moved past me. “But we loved her and I’d like to think that she loved us back. You remind me of her because your personalities are the same. So stiff and inflexible. Always carefully thinking about what to say, never opening your heart. She was always afraid of making us worry, so she never told us when she was in pain. I’m sure that her biggest concern when she died, was the pain she would cause us.” His body started to fade away. “Foolish child. Sometimes you need to share your pain,” he said, shaking his head. “It helps make it more bearable.” He looked up at me, his body too hazy to make out. “Oh Exalted Goddess...” He smiled at me. “Trust your friends. Tell them your pain. Open up your heart.” His entire body vanished, leaving the phantom of a smile in the air. “And for goodness sake, stop being so formal all the time.” - I opened my eyes with a jerk and gasped for air. “Amy, thank god you’re awake!” said Lily, embracing me. “Damn. And here I was, thinking I’d finally gotten rid of you,” Runir said, with a smirk. “Oi, shut up!” Lily said as she hit Runir’s shoulder. I got up. We were sitting around a campfire, the village nowhere in sight. Runir and Lily were arguing and Kai was lying next to the campfire, facing the stars, just like the night we’d first met. A warm feeling rose in my chest. “Hey, shut up for a second will you? I’m tired,” I said, smiling at Runir and Lily’s blank faces. Thanks old man. Things were going to be a hell of a lot more fun now. WhoCares Please support the story by liking the chapter and leaving a review or rating!

The sunlight pouring through the treetops fell onto my closed eyelids and stirred me awake. Guess it worked huh? I thought, smiling. I picked myself up and stretched, before grinning widely as I imagined what Mr. Smith must be going through right now, but I quickly put that thought out of my mind. This was my world now; no point in thinking about that other place anymore. I immediately decided to check whether my character, or rather my new body, was exactly as I had planned. I looked at my hands, checked all my joints and did a few stretches to make sure everything worked. I also inspected the purple robes I was wearing, along with the simple leather armor underneath. Status, I thought. A translucent, purple screen appeared in front of me. Let’s see, Kai Zero, sixteen years old, Male. Wow, these stats are ridiculously low. Level 5, really? I chuckled. I would probably be pretty ordinary if I’d dropped in without my Ability. Re:Write: the ability to rewrite anything and everything in the world. This is the biggest cheat code ever, isn’t it? I laughed, a bit too loudly, but well, letting go of all the shit I’d been going through back on Earth was incredibly liberating. Here on ‘Erath’, I was finally free to do whatever I wanted. Although, I did regret naming the world Erath. I’d made the game when I was eleven and I’d never been good with names either, but a name like Erath was cringe-worthy, even for me. I scrolled down the screen with a thought. The empty Skills section may have been disconcerting, but the small red button in the lower right corner reassured me. It was the debug button I’d installed as a failsafe against any bugs I couldn’t fix from within the system. I’d developed it to save time while debugging games, but decided it’d be a useful thing to have, just in case. Now I have to make sure everything is working properly. Let’s start with these crappy stats. I closed my eyes and focused. It wasn’t necessary because all I have to do is think about what I want to change and how I want to change it, and it would happen. But for now, I wanted to get used to my new powers. So, to help myself focus, I thought of the code like: "re:write.target.effect". "re:write.self.change stats to max". There was no energy ripple nor any bright, flashing lights, but I knew it’d worked as a surge of power coursed through me. I checked my status and as expected, my HP and MP were at 9999, my Attack, Defense, Speed, Vitality, and Intelligence were all at 999 and my level was also at 999. These were the highest possible stats in the game. Good, although the ability could have given me stats higher than the maximum stats in the game, it correctly interpreted “max stats” to mean “the maximum stats possible in the game,” which was my real intention. So, it works based on my thoughts and not the words I use to express them. This means I don’t have to be careful with my words when describing the effect, I want to apply, nor do I need to know any names or have any images in my head. I just need to be able to identify my target somehow. Even vague descriptions like “that thing that just went past me,” should be enough. The rise in stats also seemed to have raised my sensory abilities, as I heard a faint rustle in the bushes behind me. I turned around and found a large, tusked figure crouching among the leaves. A wild boar? A perfect test subject for my new abilities! I picked up a rock and threw it at the boar. It went straight through its skull, smashed through several trees behind it and hit the ground with a large thud. A huge flock of birds flew away from the trees around me as the boar’s corpse fell. I guess it worked a little too well... I noticed that the boar’s corpse didn’t vanish like in the game, so I cleaned it up to avoid attracting other animals or monsters. "re:write.boar corpse.erase" I thought. The boar’s corpse vanished, leaving no traces. I’d make a very effective serial killer, I mused. Having tested my physical strength, it was time to find the nearest human settlement. "re:write.self.view=map" A large map of Erath stretched before my eyes. Two large continents dominated the map, with a large, stone bridge connecting them in the middle. The map only showed the names of cities and countries along with other important locations and natural features, but more details were definitely possible. I could stalk people by observing their every move. I focused on my location. I was in the northern part of the Light Kingdom on the Southern Continent. The closest human settlement was a village named Reneste, which didn’t exist in the original game. This proved that I had successfully avoided the main storyline by coming to the future, although I didn’t know how far ahead I had come. All right, this is a useful code. I had better save it as a ‘favorite’ then. Since my thoughts and intentions guided Re:Write, I could attach a code to a special phrase or word and think about them to trigger the effect. I called these words, ‘favorites’. I set the Map code as a favorite and began thinking about my next move. I knew I wouldn’t stick out, since Erath is a very diverse land, but it would be nice to get a hang of my Ability first. And so, I decided to walk over to Reneste even though it would probably take a couple of days. Well, it wasn’t like I had something to do. A scream pierced through the air. "re:write.self.position=towards the scream" I thought, as I vanished from the clearing. - Sunlight fell on the little girl, illuminating the brutal scene in front of her. A ground bathed in red. Flying, scarlet droplets. A crimson sword chopping through someone’s neck. No, not someone’s neck; her father’s neck. Her father’s decapitated corpse fell on top of another body with an arrow sticking out of its forehead. A body that had once been her mother. Yet when the sunlight fell on the girl herself, it reflected off her unstained white dress. A shining white glare amid a sea of red. She stood there, unable to move, unable to cry. A scream had escaped her throat when they were ambushed and her mother had been sent tumbling off her horse by an arrow, but now she couldn’t even manage a whimper. The sounds of clashing weapons, exploding magic and death filled the air, but she couldn’t hear any of it. This can’t be true. It’s just a bad dream. Daddy he- he’s joking, right? Mommy too, right? We were just talking about dinner. We’ll have steamed fish, and daddy will complain about eating nothing but fish again, and mommy will tell him to stop...to stop...to... Sunlight reflected off the tears rolling down her cheeks. “Now what the hell is going on here?” A loud voice carried across the clearing and stunned everyone, causing them to stop fighting. The little girl shifted her gaze towards the voice and stared at the completely ordinary looking boy in the center of the battlefield. Sunlight fell on his purple robes, making it shine brighter than her own white gown. - Damn, it’s a bloodbath in here. This stench makes me wanna puke, I thought, scrunching my nose. I’d caught their attention so I tried to ask what was going on, but before I could open my mouth, an arrow whistled past my ear. “That was a warning shot. I don’t know who you are but you better leave right now. This doesn’t concern you,” said the large, bald man who had shot the arrow. “Unless you wanna fertilize the forest like those guys.” He pointed coldly towards the two corpses lying in front of the crying girl. Right, it looks like the girl was the one who screamed. I shouldn’t have rushed over like this but that scream was impossible to ignore. It was so pitiful and agonizingly sorrowful, like someone had just had their soul shredded. But I had expected someone being attacked by monsters or something, not humans fighting each other. The bald man was growing impatient. It’s not like the arrow hadn’t made my pulse quicken for a second but I calmed down as soon as I realized that it wouldn’t be able to hurt me at all. I looked at the bald man. He was wearing light iron armor and held a strung crossbow aimed at my face. Scars littered his face, and his armor was scratched, and well worn. <re:write.self.view=observe> I focused on the bald man and a pale white screen appeared over his head. His name was Odog Baner, and he was the leader of this bandit group. He was a level 15 swordsman and his stats and skills matched what would be expected of someone of his level but his equipment was pathetically weak. Old wooden bow? Rusty armor? I never designed equipment this weak but the people of this world had gone beyond the game I designed. Of course, that also meant that bandits had appeared even though I never designed any in the game. I saved the code that allowed me to check the status of the target I focused on as ‘Observe,’ and shifted my gaze to the girl that had screamed. Her name was Clare Skye. She was only 12 years old but already level 3, which made me very insecure about the initial level I’d had when I came to this world. She held the title of ‘Reneste Village Chief’s niece,’ which was a simple but unsurprising one to have, since one’s titles basically represented one’s public identity. I didn’t have a title yet because I didn’t have a public identity. She was wearing a white dress that made her look like a priestess, but her crying face instantly destroyed any divine presence she had. She was just a kid after all. “I asked first. Now tell me what the hell is going on here?” I asked, looking back at the bald bandit leader, Odog. He scowled at my question and didn’t reply, so I looked at the crying girl, Clare. “How about you, can you tell me what’s going on?” I asked in a gentle voice. Her lips quivered for a moment but it seemed like she was too grief stricken to say anything, so I analyzed my surroundings myself. The whole place was stained with blood and several corpses lay on the ground. A few dead horses lay near the two corpses next to the girl. I observed the corpses and realized why the girl was screaming. “Listen kid, get the fuck out of here now or else I’ll skewer your tiny brain,” Odog threatened, unaware of our ridiculous difference in power. Unaware I did not like being called a kid. Unaware I knew he had just killed a little girl’s parents right in front of her eyes. And unaware all of this brought back painful memories. - She stared at the purple robed boy. She wanted to tell him to leave, because it was obvious that someone that young would die here, just like her parents. The thought made her heart ache again. She wanted to make sure that at least the boy would survive, but her body wasn’t responding. She couldn’t even answer his question! No! she thought. I need to do this. At least this much, please... But just as she was about to force herself to speak, the boy looked at the corpses in front of her and a shadow fell over his eyes. Although he quickly brought his gaze towards the ground, she managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes. Sorrow, despair, anger, helplessness; she saw those emotions in his eyes. The same ones she was feeling right now. Odog, the infamous leader of the Black Dog Bandits finally snapped and shot his crossbow at the boy. She screamed as the arrow flew and pierced the boy’s forehead. Or rather, that was what should have happened. Instead, the arrow shattered upon touching his skin, without leaving a scratch on him. The boy’s expression didn’t change as he continued to stare at the ground. - What! thought Odog, as his arrow shattered upon touching the boy’s forehead. Who is this crazy bastard? He felt a cold sweat trickle down his back as he took a step back. Even though my skills, and my special ability- He was cut short by the sound of arrows being released and even a few magic spells being fired. A fireball hit the ground at the boy’s feet and made a cloud of dust rise around him, so they couldn’t tell whether the arrows and magic had worked. Or rather, they could tell, but they didn’t want to believe it. And sure enough, as the dust settled, the boy stood unharmed. But his gaze was arctic; cold enough to freeze the souls of the people who met it. Odog’s heart fell. Why? Why did a monster like this have to come now? I was so close. The job was almost over. I could go back to Jenny. I knew I shouldn’t have joined my old bandit group. But, how else was I going to get enough money for… He met the boy’s gaze and came to a startling conclusion. He would die here. Yet oddly enough, he wasn’t afraid. No, he was afraid, but he also felt like he didn’t deserve to be afraid after all that he had done. Sure, he’d had a good reason for what he did. But he had done unforgivable things. In the corner of his eye, he saw the girl crying over the dead bodies of her parents. Yeah, I don’t deserve to be afraid. He sighed. He met the boy’s gaze again. I’m sorry Jenny, looks like I won’t get to see our kid after all. But I guess it’s better that they don’t have a no-good dad like me... - She observed the boy staring at the bandit who’d given up all hope of living. Inside the boy’s eyes she could almost see the bandit leader twisting into painful shapes, and being tortured to death. The intense hatred in the boy’s eyes made her shiver, but what the boy did next, astonished her. He closed his eyes. “Who are they?” the boy asked, eyes still shut tight. The bandit leader looked at him in a puzzled way, but when the boy opened his eyes, Odog suddenly understood something. His lips moved as he calmly whispered a few words she couldn’t hear. The boy nodded and asked: “Any messages?” “Tell them that I... that I’m sorry. Don’t tell them you did this. I don’t want them going after you. Although, if they do, please spare them. They had nothing to do with this,” the bandit leader replied, still donning a calm demeanor. The boy nodded once again. She waited as the tension became almost palpable. And then it happened. But there were no explosions, no massive bursts of mana or flashing lights. One moment Odog, the infamous leader of the Black Dog Bandits that had terrorized Reneste, was looking at the purple robed boy and having a conversation with him. The next moment, he was gone. And then the boy shifted his gaze at the other bandits and they began to disappear too. Her own guards had already died. The bandits had been cleaning up when the boy appeared. Soon, the entire battlefield was empty except for the blood and corpses that stained the ground. The only living things left were the boy and herself. When the boy shifted his gaze towards her, she flinched. Was she going to disappear as well? That didn’t happen. Instead, the boy walked over to her and looked at the corpses in front of her. She ended up following his gaze. It fell on her mother’s face, arrow protruding from her forehead, and a smile forever frozen on her lips. Her father’s decapitated head stared at her, his eyes stretched wide open. The wall of emotions she had been holding back crashed into her. Sorrow. Despair. Anger. Helplessness. They were too much for her; she couldn’t help but lose consciousness. As the boy rushed over to support her, he noticed that her dress didn’t have any bloodstains or dirt on it. It still gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

The morning’s events still left a bad taste in my mouth. The death and gore. The little girl caught in despair. The bandit pillaging for his wife and kid. And the fact that I had killed so many people. All of it made me sick. But oddly enough, it wasn’t the fact that I had killed them that disturbed me. It was the fact that it had been so easy that really made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want to see blood and flesh splattering everywhere, but my solution to that problem was even more disconcerting. I’d erased them like I erased the wild boar’s corpse; condemning them to oblivion… At the snap of a finger. I even saved the ability as a favorite called ‘Erase,’ along with a code that allowed me to teleport wherever I wanted to. I’d also gotten so used to my favorites that I could use them almost without thinking. I couldn’t get the bald bandit out of my head. Although he had reminded me of some terrible memories, and what he did to the little girl was unforgivable, a part of me still felt guilty for what his family would go through because of his death. I’ll fulfill my promise to him at least. His family should be innocent, even if he was utterly unforgivable. Right, he was unforgivable. Under the light of the flickering campfire, I looked at the little girl sleeping under the blankets I’d conjured, and couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. I knew what her life would be like now. I knew the sadness and the anger. I also knew that she would move on with her life, but she’d never really recover from this. Life just isn’t the same after you see your parents get killed right in front of you. - The little boy was excited that his parents had come to see his play. He didn’t have a big acting role in the play itself, but he was the main scriptwriter, and he was proud of his story. His parents had loved it too. They praised him constantly. His father kept ruffling his hair while his mother held his hand. They left the theater and were driving home, when they stopped at an ordinary traffic light. His father asked him how he had managed to think up such a great story, and his mother rebuked him for implying that he got it from his father’s side of the family. His father was an author who came from a long line of famous authors and playwrights. His father wasn’t very successful, but the boy was only nine, so he absolutely idolized his father and bragged about him to all his friends. Of course, he was also proud of his mother – a small-time astronomer working in the town’s local observatory. He had won the respect of nearly every kid in his class when they had visited his mom’s workplace at the observatory and gotten to see the stars for themselves. But just as his mother was about to tease her husband about how the play was obviously inspired by their son’s love for astronomy, everyone froze. A young man wearing a black hood stood outside his father’s window, pointing a gun at his head. The boy was confused at first because he couldn’t understand how things could change so suddenly. He looked at the hooded man and although he couldn’t see most of his face, he could see his eyes. They were cold and unfeeling, with unmistakable signs of what he would later recognize to be drug addiction. Everything happened in a blur, so he could never remember exactly what happened. His father tried to tell the man to not be hasty. The man told his parents to give him their wallets, watches, and jewelry. The sun continued to blaze even though a chill had crept over his heart. The passersby turned their gazes away, refusing to help. I don’t want to get involved. Things like this happen every day. I can’t be late for work. Their excuses floated out of their hidden mouths. The man finally got impatient and snatched the wallet from his father’s hand. He looked around nervously to make sure nobody would interfere. But he didn’t have to be so worried. Nobody was going to do anything. Not even as the man reached over to grab his mother’s purse. Not even when his father tried to grab the gun. Not even when shots of gunfire rang through the air. And not even as his parents lay dying in their seats and the hooded man ran away. The little boy shook his dying parents, tried to hold back the blood gushing out of them, but even with hands caked in blood, he couldn’t stop the light from fading out of their eyes. In her last moments, his mother tried to say something but she choked on her own blood. All that came out was incoherent gurgling. The ambulance arrived fifteen minutes later but it was already too late. - A rustle interrupted my painful recollections. The girl didn’t get up even after she saw me sitting on the other side of the campfire. Instead, she looked up at the stars. “...” “Are they... is it...” She sniffled. “It’s not a nightmare is it...” “No, it is a nightmare. Just one that really happened,” I said. No comforting bullshit or it’ll be okay kind of crap worked, because it wouldn’t be the same and you knew it. It was the first thing that came to your mind when you thought of it. How everything you did would be different without them there. There would always be an empty space in your heart and you couldn’t fill it in with anything else. “Where are they?” she quietly said. “Buried them back there. I can move them back to your home later if you want,” I replied. “No, you’ve already saved my life. I’ll get some of the other villagers to carry them over.” “...” “It’s alright, you can say it. I did too.” She hesitated but couldn't hold it in. “Why? Why couldn’t you come sooner,” she cried. Her voice descended into sobs. “Or later…” Even though I could have replied that I came as soon as I could, I remembered how infuriating that excuse had been when I had heard it. “I’m sorry.” “...” She took a few ragged breaths and calmed down a little. “We were going to the Fire Goddess’ shrine. We wanted her help against the bandits that kept raiding the village. She only ever listens to families so we snuck out of the village with a small group so they wouldn’t find us,” she said, playing out the events of the day more for herself than for me. “We were talking about how this would all blow over soon. Daddy was grumbling about steamed fish and mommy was laughing at him and then...” Her voice quivered and stopped. I stoked the campfire and added more firewood. “Stupid fish. Stupid bandits. Stupid goddess! Stupid Clare! Just stood there like a stupid block of wood! Stupid, stupid, stupid...” she cried. I waited. Only the crackling of the fire broke the silence. “Did you get them all?” she said. “Yes.” “Where are they?” “Dead.” “Just like that?” “Just like that.” I snapped my fingers. “Did you hurt them?” I recalled the look in Odog’s eyes and replied, “In a way.” “...” Just the sound of the fire again. “Hey, um?” “Kai.” “Kai, could you tell me a story? Daddy used to tell me stories when I was smaller. But I told him to stop because I’d grown up...” she said, choking up near the end. I gave her a quizzical look. Stories? Guess this really is a different world. This kid’s strong too. I didn’t want to talk to anyone for a week. But, a story for this kind of situation… I settled down on the other side of the campfire, and joined her in gazing at the stars. Then I began telling her a story. - A little girl was dragged to the countryside by her friend. She didn’t know why the boy had called her all the way out here as he pulled her across the bridge and over the cold stream. “Come on,” he said. “You’ll miss it!” “Miss what?” she replied, irritably. “You’ll see.” They walked across the forest trail, the boy holding her hand tightly. “If you’re so scared of monsters, then why’d you come out here?” She snickered. “I – I am not afraid!” he retorted. “I’m just making sure you don’t get lost!” They crossed the forest and reached an empty plain. There were flowers all over the place, and the red sunset made the scene look even more enchanting. Like a dream. “It’s getting dark, we'd better head back,” she said. “No way! That’s exactly what we’re waiting for. Come on!” he said as he pulled her along again. They came across a small green hill with a tiny sheet of grass on it. The boy led her to the top, nearly causing her to trip on her own feet. “Here!” he said, as he fell flat on his back. “Here?” she asked quizzically, lying down next to the boy. “Look up there, stupid!” She did, and her eyes grew wide open in wonder. There were millions of bright lights up in the sky. The moon hadn’t come up yet so all she could see... Were the stars. “Wait for it,” he teased. A small, golden streak of light flew across the sky. Then another. And another. Soon, the whole inky black darkness was a sea of stars and golden streaks. The golden streaks lit up the sky, falling like rain. The girl’s eyes locked onto the night sky and the stars and the golden rain. The boy looked at her and smiled, before turning his gaze back to the sky, dancing colors flashing on his eyes. Then the moon came out and the stars dimmed, but it wasn’t a full moon so she could still make out the brighter stars and golden rain. But, it made her remember something. “I won’t be able to see this from the city then, will I?” she said. “No, too much light in the city. That’s why we had to go so far out,” he replied. She looked at her feet, dismayed she couldn’t see this from her home. She couldn’t sneak out every night like this, after all. “But it’s all right. Even if we can’t see them, we know they’re there. So, if we can remember how the stars look like today, we can imagine them back home. We may not see the stars, but they can see us. And even if they can’t, we can always remember how beautiful the sky was tonight.” - We gazed at the sky while I told the story. There was no moon out tonight, nor was there a meteor shower, but the stars were incredible. I’d only ever heard stories about nighttime skies this beautiful. You couldn’t see the stars from the countryside in my world. Too much smoke spread all over the atmosphere. “I liked the story but you got something wrong,” she said. I turned to her. “You can see the stars just fine from the city.” I gasped. Of course, they don’t have a lot of air or light pollution in this world! I scolded myself for overlooking this obvious fact. “...Kai?” she whispered. “Yes?” “Thanks.” I smiled. “The stars are beautiful tonight, aren’t they?” And just as I said that, golden streaks started pouring over the night sky. Clare gasped in amazement. A sea of glowing stars and golden rain lit the sky. I should probably add, that it wasn’t a coincidence...

“Snowflakes brushed past the window’s frosty white glass. The world outside the window was white. And it was also cold. Very cold. The room was cold too, just like the little girl sitting on the floor. Her nose was blue from the cold, her eyebrows had faint traces of frost, and she was shivering. But a warm, orange light danced in her eyes. She was alone with nobody to talk to. Nobody to keep her company. The only thing she had was the candle burning beside her. The candle’s flame burned gently, flickering in the cold but never going out. As if it couldn’t bear to leave the little girl alone in the cold. The wind outside grew fiercer, the window was plastered in white. The girl blew white mist from her mouth and folded her arms. She stared at the little candle burning in front of her. The orange flame flickered and danced on the candlewick, drawing long shadows on the walls. You could see things in the shadows. Animals and plants, mountains and rivers, cities and forests. In the shadows that the little candle drew on the wall, was the world outside the window. The world that the girl had never seen before. But the girl wasn’t interested in the shadows. All she cared about was the candle; her only source of warmth and light in this cold, dark room. She stared at the candle, and the candle stopped flickering, as if it was staring back at her. The candlewick burned black before a tiny part of it broke and fell. The girl looked at the candle with alarm, afraid that it would go out and leave her all alone, but the orange flame danced on the candlewick, refusing to go out. Refusing to leave her alone. A pool of clear liquid formed around the wick. The girl stared at the candle, worried again. The melted wax flowed down the candle’s side like a teardrop. The girl asked the candle if it was crying. Had she done something to make it sad? The orange flame flickered and danced, casting shadows on the walls again. Shadows of people that she could meet outside the window, if she could just get through the blizzard outside. But the girl didn’t care about the people living in the world outside the window. All she cared about was the little candle burning in front of her. The frost on the window spread inside, covering the walls, and banishing the shadows. It spread to the girl, whose teeth began chattering. She inched closer to the candle. The room was frozen except for a little circle around the candle. The girl was closer to the candle now. She felt the warmth of its flame on her skin. The love it bore for her and its reluctance to part with her, she felt all of it. The walls were covered in ice and frost, so the shadows could only dance around on the floor. This time the shadows made no strange shapes or figures. This time, they drew the silhouette of the girl and the candle. She stared at the candle again. She didn’t like the cold. She didn’t like the window. And she certainly didn’t like the world outside the window. But she did like the candle and the gentle warmth it draped over her. Sitting on the floor beside the candle, enjoying its warmth and watching its flame flicker and dance, made her happy. She wouldn’t mind staying like this forever. But then a powerful gust of wind burst through the window, bringing an unbearable chill with it. Snow swirled angrily around the room, turning the room as white as the world outside. The girl shivered uncontrollably, and her eyes began to close. The wind buffeting the candle’s flame, making it flicker and dance in a frenzy. But it didn’t go out. The flame grew brighter, its gentle warmth fighting against the bitter cold. Tears fell off the sides of the candle, making a pool of white wax that somehow managed to stand out from the snow covering the rest of the room. The candle burned brighter and brighter, its warmth washing over the girl, pushing back the chill in her body and refusing to let her succumb to the cold. But even as the girl’s eyes opened once more, the candle’s tears flowed down its cheeks as it got shorter and shorter. The girl stared at it in alarm. She told it to stop, but the candle refused and burned even brighter, fighting back the cold, white layers of snow inside the room. It grew shorter and shorter, until it was only the size of a thumb. The unrelenting, chilly winds kept blowing at the candle’s flame, but even now, it refused to go out. The girl stared at the candle, tears streaming down her cheeks just as they streamed down the candle’s sides. In the end the candle burned brighter than ever, before the last of its wick crumpled in the flames and burned to ashes, while the gentle, orange glow finally faded. The cold winds blew savagely through the air, as if celebrating their victory. The girl sat there, staring at the puddles of wax that had once been her only companion in this cold, dark room. Strangely enough, she wasn’t cold anymore. There was a gentle warmth inside her, protecting her from the cold. She didn’t take the candle’s remains with her, because this was the candle’s home and it had never wanted to leave. It had wanted her to go out and see the world outside the window, so she slowly stood up and climbed out the window. The world outside the window was white. It was also cold. Very cold. A little girl walked out into the world outside the window. Her only source of warmth, the memories of a gentle orange glow and a flickering, dancing flame. The memories of a candle burning brightly and warmly in the cold. The memories of a friend.

The little girl lay sleeping in her bed, muttering something in her sleep. She was twisting and turning, caught in a nightmare no doubt. I was sitting next to her bed, casting healing magic on her from time to time while Kai and the others sat around a small table in the center of the room. “Thanks for taking off her collar, Kai. Are you sure they won’t be able to find her anymore?” I asked, casually casting another healing spell. “Don’t worry, they’ll think she’s dead. They might come after us for stealing their merchandise, but we won’t be staying here for long anyway,” replied Kai, leaning his chair against the wall. I was relieved. We could handle ourselves but the girl wouldn’t have been able to escape her pursuers for long. She was too skinny, too weak, and definitely couldn’t fight off a bunch of grown men and women. Besides, after seeing her status… I knew we had to help her, no matter what. “Should we help her find her family?” I asked. “No, there are only two ways to get stuck in a hell like this; you either get sold into it or you’re born into it,” answered Runir. Neither of those options were appealing, so I gave up on the idea of taking her to her family. But... “What do you mean born into it? Are her parents slaves too? If that’s true, we can go rescue them,” I said. “The factory owners encourage procreation to help increase the number of laborers,” he said. “The kids don’t even know who their parents are. They’re tossed into a collective nursery as soon as they’re born and forced to sign a magic contract before they can even walk.” Silence hung in the air. “Fuck,” I said, slapping my fist onto the table. This world was more fucked up than I’d thought. Kai spoke up in anger too. “Born into slavery? Enslaving children? Disgusting. Why would anyone do that?” “Money, of course. All the worst shit happens because of money. I don’t know what they make them do, but I bet there’s a whole lot of Tel involved,” I said. “But here’s the real question. This world’s a shitty place just like ours, I get it. But what I don’t get is why no one is doing anything about this? The King or the government –” “Are bought out by the factory owners,” finished Runir. Some things never change. Greedy bastards and corrupt assholes exist in fantasy worlds too, I thought, gritting my teeth. “But why here? Why weren’t there any in the Southern Continent? Is it because of the Demon Lords? Did they do this? This place is part of their turf, so I guess their evilness spreads here,” I said. “No, bonded laborers are used all over Erath. There were many of them in the Fire and Light Kingdoms too, we just didn’t see them. The Air Kingdom has the most though, since every factory has dozens of them,” said Runir as he flipped through a book. “I still can’t find what they use them for. I have a few hunches but I can’t find anything to prove them.” He frowned and closed the book. “They’re in the other kingdoms too? But why would they…” I said, my voice trailing off. “You know why,” said Runir. “No one can refuse cheap labor when they know how thick their pockets are going to get.” I’d never trusted that damn Light Goddess or the sleazy king, but to think they’d do this kind of shit too. Guess running away was the right thing to do after all, I thought. “And they call themselves the good guys…” I said, derisively. “You of all people should know that there is no such thing as pure good and pure evil, Lily,” said Kai, leaning on the table. “That applies to everyone. Even the Demon Lord.” Wait, what? “So the Demon Lord –” “Is just another ordinary schmuck trapped in a role by Fate,” finished Runir, putting away the book. That was a little surprising. I’d known that the Demon Lord was summoned from Earth too, but I’d assumed that he’d be a psychopath or something. Somehow, imagining the Demon Lord as a middle-aged salary man made him seem a lot less evil. Then again, he was already dead so it didn’t matter anyway. “Fate? Is this fate’s fault too?” I said, pointing at the girl with bruise marks all over her face. “Does she have to accept this just because she was born as a slave?” “No,” said Amy, shaking her head. “This isn’t Fate’s doing. If it was, we wouldn’t have been able to save her.” “Right, you can thank good old-fashioned human greed for this,” said Kai. He looked at the girl. “And you can stop pretending to be asleep now. We’re not going to hurt you.” The girl stopped mumbling and stiffened. “It’s okay, you’re safe here. And don’t worry, you can leave if you want to. We won’t stop you,” I said, as we all turned to face her. She didn’t respond, but sat up and faced us. Her back was to the wall and although she was staring at us, she was also looking at the window with the corner of her eyes. I was sure she’d run at the first sign of trouble. I didn’t mind. It was a good thing to be cautious. And although I knew she wouldn’t trust us just yet, I also knew that giving her the option to leave was the right thing to say for now. For someone who’d lived a life of captivity, the promise of freedom would be the best thing you could offer. “You’ve probably heard everything but I’ll say it again, just in case. We’ve taken off your collar so those bastards will think you’re dead. We can help you leave the city and settle down somewhere else or we can take you to the Air Goddess’ shrine and –” She suddenly flinched and tried to jump out the window but her feet got caught in her blanket and she crashed into the floor. I stared at her blankly, unable to understand what had happened. Why had she suddenly tried to run away? I unconsciously cast a healing spell on her but she rolled around to dodge it. Then she glared at me sharply and muttered something under her breath. A gust of wind blew into me, knocking me off my feet. She pounced onto the bed again, ready to jump out the window at a moment’s notice. “Oi kid, we said we’d let you go if you wanted to. No need to get violent,” said Runir, looking at her expressionlessly. The girl met his gaze for a while while casting furtive glances at the window. “You can’t stay in this city, since someone might recognize you, but trying to get out of the city on your own will be tough. You’ll probably get attacked by monsters or bandits, not to mention the fact that you have no money on yourself and can’t buy food,” said Runir. She hesitated for a while before easing up a little. She still stood next to the window and would probably jump out if she was scared. I got up from the ground and dusted myself off, like I didn’t care at all about how she’d attacked me. But I did care... I jumped at her as fast as I could. I saw her eyes widen slowly as I reached her. She tried to flee out the window but I was already on top of her. She saw me looming over her, closed her eyes, and whimpered. And I hugged her. She froze in shock as I held her lightly against my chest. Even though her status said that she was ten years old, she was so small for her age that I had to bend down really low to hold her. But that wasn’t surprising really, considering how she probably hadn’t had a decent meal in her life. “Don’t worry, no one’s going to hurt you. No one’s gonna make you do stuff you don’t want to do. If you don’t like something, just tell us and we’ll make it go away. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. You’re free and you’re going to stay that way. I promise.” The words sounded pretty corny when they came out of my mouth, but it was all I could think of saying. The old lady at the orphanage used to do this whenever we had a nightmare and it always seemed to work back then so I guessed that it would work here too. “I promise too,” said Amy, patting the little girl’s head. “No one’s going to mess with you now,” said Runir, grinning. “Besides, sticking with us is the right thing to do. We’ll help you get back home,” I said, letting her go and looking into her eyes. She gaped at me in shock, mulling over what I’d just implied. I met her gaze and smiled. I also looked at her status again. “Ability: Sacrifice. Title: Cursed in Two Worlds. Level: 24. Name...” “Welcome to the party,” said Kai, with a smile. “Zoe Hill.” - Zoe lay curled up next to me, her back pressed into my chest and her head resting on my arm. Since we’d only booked four rooms at the hotel, Zoe had to share one with someone else. Besides, although no one was looking for her anymore, we did promise to keep her safe after all, so someone had to guard her for the night. We let her choose and for some reason, she chose me. And that’s why my hand was so fucking numb right now. “Hey, I know you’re still awake so do you mind getting off my hand now?” I complained. She cuddled closer to me, still pressing down on my arm. I thought about forcing her off but couldn’t bring myself to do it after I saw the burn marks on her neck. “Hey, where were you from? Back on Earth,” I asked. “… Felton City.” she replied. “Cool,” I said, lamely. Felton was the largest city in America and definitely the richest too. But where there’s money, there’s crime, and Felton was chock full of all the worst shit you could think of. And judging by her title, she probably hadn’t spent her time there playing in the parks in the brighter part of the city. “Hey. I heard you guys were wondering what they made us do at the factory,” she said. “You don’t need to –” “Magic. They made us do magic.” she whispered. Magic? Not the kind of inhumane treatment I was expecting... “Every day… every night. The same spell… over and over again. Kept feeding us drugs to make us keep going. Beat up the stragglers… killed the ones who tried to run away. No food, just drugs and nutrients. It was… hell,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. Fucking hell. What do these bastards think people are supposed to be? I thought back to something Kai had said. ‘Monsters kill because they have to. They are monsters by nature.’ But these guys, they were real monsters. They weren’t doing this because they had to but because they wanted the money and didn’t care how many people they screwed over to get it. Just like that mayor back home. “Don’t worry Zoe, we’ll make them pay. Just you wait,” I said, hugging her closer. I couldn’t just sit back and let this happen. The King may not want to the situation but I would. This kid was just like me, scared and alone. Betrayed by the world and a system that claims to work for everyone except for those who really needed it. I didn’t have to accept it. I wouldn’t accept it. After all, I was the fucking Hero, wasn’t I? - A tall middle aged woman cracked a whip over her head. “Move faster. If the turbine stops moving, I swear I’ll skin you alive and feed your corpse to the Netherhawks,” she said, kicking a straggling little boy in rags. The boy fell on his knees and misfired the spell he had been preparing. It rebounded off the ground and slammed into him, sending him flying through the air. People in rags stood in front of a large pipe, sending gusts of wind into it. Their lifeless expressions didn’t even flicker as the boy crashed into the ground and the frowning lady walked over to him. “What’s wrong with you? How dare you waste mana on yourself! All of your mana belongs to our clients. If you want to cool yourself down with a Breeze, go buy a fan instead,” she said, raising the whip into the air. “It’s because of your laziness that I couldn’t meet my quota for the past three months. I need to meet it this time or they’ll terminate the contract, but you lazy good for nothings keep messing up my plans.” The boy quickly shuffled upright, wincing in pain as he put his weight on his bleeding legs. The lady scowled. “This is the fifth time you’ve made a mistake like this. I should probably get rid of you and get one of the younger ones to replace you.” She brought the whip down. Crack! The candles blew out, engulfing the room in darkness. There was a grunt. Then a scream. And then a cry of agony. There were crashes and bangs. Chains clinked, doors creaked open and slammed shut, and something snapped. There was a hole in the ceiling and when the clouds parted, a ray of moonlight pierced through the darkness and lit up the chaos inside the factory. Pipes lay broken and scattered on the ground. The chains binding the slaves were gone. As were the doors locking them inside their cages. A bunch of confused eyes stared at the figure standing under the moonlight. The lady lay on the floor, unconscious. The little boy was still on his knees, gaping at the weird figure in front of him. Silver hair, a shiny white mask and a flowing gray robe; this person looked weird. Very weird. ...and she knew it. Damn that Kai! What kind of outfit is this? I look like a creepy serial killer! I thought, gritting my teeth. I’d asked him for a disguise and he said he’d have one on me as soon as I broke in but he never told me how ridiculous it looked. I’ll deal with him later. For now... I walked over to the unconscious lady and waved my hands. I walked back to the boy who was staring at the naked woman lying on the floor. These clothes look expensive... I laughed inwardly, checking out the clothes in my storage. “Hey, what’s going on here?” came a voice from inside. Two burly men came out from inside a room on the other side of the factory. They saw the broken pipes, the unchained laborers, and the stripped woman and froze. “What the...?” shouted one of them, just before I punched him in the gut. The other one swung at me but I swayed back to dodge it. I hit him in the chest and he collapsed next to his friend. I took all of their possessions and left two naked men groaning on the floor. I walked into the room they’d come from and emptied the safe before returning outside. I walked up to the boy who had almost been whipped. He flinched as I reached out to him but didn’t resist as I patted him on the head. Then I turned around and went to the corner of the room. I tapped it thrice and a tunnel appeared. “Follow me,” I said, motioning towards the freed slave laborers. They hesitated for a while, looked at their captors lying naked and wounded, and stared at the trashed factory around them. In the end, they all followed me down the dimly lit tunnel. WhoCares Support the story by clicking on the heart!

Reneste was a small village with a population of a little over a hundred. Most of the houses were made of sunbaked mud bricks with a few wooden houses sprinkled in between. As we walked towards the village, the tall wooden fence that encircled the village greeted us, as did the trench that followed the fence’s exterior. There was only one entrance to the village; a large passage of dirt and stone that filled the trench on one side of the village and cut through an opening in the fence. Two men wearing worn and rusty armor stood on the far side of the passage. The guards noticed us as we got closer. “Halt!” said one of the guards, “State your business.” The guard’s fingers twitched around the pommel of his sheathed sword. “Uncle Eric? Sassui?” Clare said as we stopped on the other side of the passage. “Is that...Clare?” said the middle-aged guard I assumed was Uncle Eric. “Clare! You’re back!” said the teenage guard while smiling, but he quickly began to frown. “Is the guy behind you from the shrine? And what’s with the weird cat?” “Yes, wel-” Clare responded, but was interrupted by Uncle Eric. “Before that! Get in here quickly Clare, the bandits have surrounded the village. It’s a miracle you managed to get here in the first place!” he said, beckoning us over as we walked across the passage. As we crossed the passage, we saw a well in the center of the village which had been hidden by the tall wooden fence. Next to the well stood the largest wooden house in the village. “I know the fire goddess’ shrine hasn’t let us down yet, but I don’t see how one guy’s gonna deal with the Black Dog Bandits,” Sassui whispered to Uncle Eric under his breath. “Shush! The goddess has always protected our village, believe in her,” whispered Uncle Eric. As we reached the other side, Clare jumped and hugged Uncle Eric. “Woah Clare! We’re both too old for this, don’t you think?” said Uncle Eric as he struggled to lift the little girl dangling from his neck. “Oh, what’s going on here?” “Clare!” “The brat’s back!” “Welcome back Clare!” The villagers noticed Clare and came over to greet her as she let go of Uncle Eric. Some of the villagers looked at me warily but kept a respectful distance. “Wah! Kitty!” said a little brown haired boy as he noticed Waon. “So cute!” said a little girl as she hugged Waon. “So smooth!” Waon was surrounded by a group of kids stroking its fur, pinching its cheeks and fighting to hug it. “Wa-Waon!” Waon struggled, letting out a pitiful cry. Waon looked at me with its big eyes, begging for help, but I let out a soft chuckle and looked away as Waon drowned in a sea of children. “Are the others still praying at the shrine, Clare? Your parents sure are pious, aren’t they?” Clare made a pained expression as one of the villagers mentioned her parents. She stared at the ground with a blank look in her eyes. However, she almost immediately raised her head and her grief-stricken expression vanished as if it had never been there in the first place. But just as she was about to say something… “Clare!” shouted someone, their voice carrying all the way from the center of the village. Outside the door to the large wooden house, stood a middle aged woman with long black hair and a face that resembled Clare’s. “Aunt May!” Clare exclaimed. The middle-aged woman rushed over and embraced Clare. “Oh child, I am so sorry. I should have never let you go. We should have tried to fight them together. We could have- I’m so sorry...” She sobbed, holding Clare to her chest. Clare was startled at first but her expression changed as she suddenly realized something. A shadow quickly passed over her eyes as she gave the middle-aged woman a sad smile. “It’s okay Aunt May, we had no choice. It was the right thing to do.” Confused by their exchange, the villagers asked: “Chief, you don’t mean…” The Village Chief, Aunt May, slowly nodded her head, which wiped the smiles off the villagers’ faces and created a somber atmosphere. Waon took the opportunity to escape the clutches of the children and hid behind me. However, what caught my attention was that the woman knew what had happened to Clare’s parents. Confused, I Observed her status. Mayer Skye. Level 8. Title: Reneste Village Chief. Ability: Mother Bird. I see, her ability allows her to sense the condition of her loved ones. But still, what’s with this shitty naming sense? “Oh right!” said Aunt May, stirring me from my thoughts, “Are you injured? Come inside Clare, I will tend to your wounds. And as for our guest.” She met my gaze. “Please forgive us for ignoring you, we were all very worried about Clare. It must have been a long journey; would you like to join us for some tea?” “I don’t mind, but should you really let a stranger into your house so easily?” I asked, surprised by her sudden hospitality. “It is all right, I can tell that you mean no harm and harbor no evil intentions towards us. Besides, I must thank you for protecting Clare,” said Aunt May with a gentle smile. I see. Her ability lets her determine if her loved ones are in danger. I must not be triggering it. I smiled and agreed to her proposal as we made our way towards the Village Chief’s house, which was the large house next to the well. “Huk, Huk! Looks like someone got away from tha boss. Huk, the boss’ll be real mad if he finds out we let em through! Guess we’ll just haveta burn this village to the ground after all!” said an annoying voice from beyond the village entrance. I searched for the owner of the voice. A hooded man stood outside the village as a dozen or so figures emerged from the trees around him. All of them wore the mark of the Black Dog Bandits – a black silhouette of a snarling dog. The voice belonged to the sneering, dark-haired man walking over the passage. “Halt, you ugly scoundrel!” shouted Uncle Eric, while drawing a rusty sword and pointing it at the man. The man scowled, but Uncle Eric was right, as he got closer and people saw his face under the hood, they realized that this guy was ugly. His face was twisted into spirals in two different directions on both sides. His nose was ridiculously large and covered with pustules of pus and blood. Large, red scars ran all over his face and his teeth were chipped and yellow. Some of the villagers cringed at his appearance and a few kids were so frightened that they hid behind their parents. The ugly man walked to the center of the passage, followed by his lackeys. “Huk, let’s see if ya can still bark like that afta I cut out ya tongue.” He snickered. Clare trembled as she stared at the men, but suddenly recovered as if nothing had happened. I was once again impressed by her toughness, but for now, I Observed the bandits on the other side. The ugly one’s name is Beer Wolf. Formerly named Terry Oval. Level 11. Title: Black Dog Bandit sub-leader. Ability: Ripening. His strength increases as he grows up but so does his ugliness. What a mixed bag, his strength is definitely higher than it should be at his level, almost comparable to Odog’s. I continued analyzing the approaching bandits and although none of the others were worth noting, a sense of discomfort rose in my stomach as I looked at them. “I told you to stop!” Uncle Eric shouted while scowling. But then he started smiling. “Now Sassui! Let it fall!” As he said that, the dirt below the passage started trembling as it fell off the sides, revealing a wooden pillar that seemed to be supporting the “passage” above. A bridge hidden by dirt and rocks? They must be planning to collapse the bridge and trap them in the trench, I thought. But the bandits’ grins grew wider, which gave me a sinking feeling. “Guhk!” Uncle Eric spat out blood as a sword pierced his chest. I couldn’t see the person who wielded the sword but judging by the direction of the sword, it wasn’t hard to guess. “Sa...Sassui? Why?” Uncle Eric stammered as he fell to the ground, blood pooling around his body. The villagers showed expressions of disbelief and anger but the bandits strode to the village entrance with confidence. The villagers stepped back, most of them moved to the side. The ugly one laughed and put a hand on Sassui’s shoulder. “Good job kid! Welcome to tha Black Dog Bandits!” Sassui nodded, but avoided the eyes of the other villagers. “As fer tha rest of ya, get down on ya knees and get yer hands in the air so we can tie ya up. And don’t try ta fight or ya won’t just be sold ta tha slave traders,” Beer said as the bandits entered the village. Clare stared wide eyed at Uncle Eric’s corpse. Her lips trembled and her eyes were on the verge of overflowing with tears. This whole mess made me furious. I knew I had to do something so I decided to confront the bandits but - “How dare you! We will not submit to spineless cowards like you! I was wondering why you didn’t just attack us directly, but I never suspected that you would resort to such cowardly tactics,” said Aunt May, as she made her way to the front of the crowd. “You were afraid of getting hurt on the bridge, but do not think that you can avoid the punishment for your sins. You were foolish to come here without the rest of your vile group.” “Huk, we would’ve burnt this place to tha ground a long time ago if tha boss wasn’t worried about tha ones that snuck out. He thought they’d bring help so he went to finish em off first.” The bandits walked towards the village chief. “He said ta not cross over till he was back but he also said ta get rid of any runaways. The boys were drinkin and someone got ‘cross so I’ll just haveta explain to tha boss later. Now get on yer knees ya whore.” He rushed over to the village chief and reached for her head. The level 8 village chief couldn’t hope to match his speed so all she could do was widen her eyes. “I think that’s enough for now, don’t you?” I said, appearing in front of Aunt May and grabbing the bandit’s arm. “Huk? Who are ya? Let go of ma hand!” He tried to wrench his hand away but it didn’t budge from my grip. I looked at him and the other bandits and felt an uncomfortable feeling in my chest again. I recalled Odog’s face and the uncomfortable feeling intensified. I sighed. Guess I’ll just capture them and let the villagers decide. - Beer Wolfe’s life had always been a mixed bag. When the orphanage found him on their steps they thought he looked as beautiful a baby as any they had ever seen, and took him in. But after seeing his status, they realized why he had been abandoned. By the time he was five years old, he had an average face. He was the strongest kid in the orphanage, but he never bullied anyone and got into many fights against the neighborhood children who were picking on his friends. He always helped at the orphanage and even the other villagers loved him too. He tried very hard to earn their love because he wanted them to love him even after he grew up. He especially wanted her to still love him when he grew up. He was with her and the rest of his gang all day, as they helped at the orphanage, beat up the other gangs and played together on the village streets. But by the time he was ten, his nose was a little askew and he had a scar or two. The other kids didn’t mind, since it made him look a little tougher. He still played with his friends and got closer to the other villagers but some of the adults occasionally gave him looks filled with pity. By the time he was twelve, his friends had learned the appraisal skill so he avoided them for as long as he could. Eventually, she caught him and saw his ability. She hugged him and told him to be strong and that she would never stop being his friend. His heart was filled with warmth. His other friends gave him the same look that the adults did for a while but they laughed it off as they continued to play together. By the time he was fifteen, the scars covered his cheeks and his skin started to get a little twisted. Most of his friends grew uncomfortable and drifted away but she beat up anyone that called him ugly. By the time he was eighteen, only she stood with him. But he knew she was disturbed by his appearance and the thought hurt him. By the time he was twenty, he found out that she was going out with someone else but he didn’t care, because she was still his friend. He did feel a little pain in his heart but he ignored it. By the time he was twenty two, she stopped smiling as much and came to see him less often. By the time he was twenty five, she married another man. She invited him to the wedding but he refused, thinking that his presence would disgust her husband’s family. By the time he was twenty seven, she barely came anymore. But he didn’t mind, he knew she had just had a baby and needed her time. One day, she did come and showed him her baby but the baby started crying as soon as it saw him and she had to leave to calm it down. By the time he was thirty, the villagers only looked at him with hate and disgust. He hid his face with a mask and only did the worst jobs that nobody else was willing to do, but the neighborhood children still threw trash and stones at him, and their parents didn’t stop them. By the time he was thirty two, while the children were throwing stones at him, he saw her in the distance, talking to her husband and laughing. Not even noticing his plight, let alone stopping the children from hitting him. He fled the village and joined the Black Dog Bandits. He was always drinking, trying to forget everything that had happened to him. The bandits were cruel and made fun of his appearance too, but they didn’t look down on him. After all, he was a good fighter. He knew they wouldn’t come save him either, just like her, but that was just the way things were in a bandit group so for some reason, he didn’t feel like they would ever betray him, since there were no expectations to betray in the first place. Since he was always drunk and his actions were as vicious as his face, they started calling him Beer Wolf. By the time he was thirty nine, he was back in his old village of Reneste. He couldn’t see her or her husband but he could still see some of the people who had tormented him for all those years. He held back because of Odog, who didn’t want him to hog all the spoils, but he couldn’t stop himself any longer. Besides, although he couldn’t see her, she could still see her kid. The kid never threw anything at him, presumably because she was too afraid to look at him, but her face made him angry since it reminded him of her. - I threw the ugly one back at the other bandits, who were stunned by my sudden appearance and strength. Despite being surprised, the bandits managed to spread out and draw their weapons. “Put down your weapons and surrender, I promise that you’ll have a fair trial for your crimes,” I said. Odog and the other bandits I’d killed still prickled my conscience, because I knew they all must have had their reasons, their own stories. But their actions at the time had made me recall my own past so I’d killed them in my rage. But I was a lot calmer right now. They were murderers and thugs but they still deserved justice. I thought this way because my moral compass was shaped on Earth, after all. “Huk! Get im!” shouted Beer, raising himself from the ground. I hadn’t thrown him very hard because I’d hoped to convince them to surrender. I sighed as the bandits rushed at me. I put a little strength into my legs and appeared behind one of them, then knocked him out with a light chop to the neck. I appeared behind another bandit and knocked her out in a similar fashion. Beer Wolf rushed at me but I swatted him to the side. “Ready to give up yet? You know you can’t beat me.” I said as I glared at the other bandits. - Beer groaned. He was lying on his side, a sharp pain in his arm and his vision blurry. He saw the villagers standing on the sides. Some of them were shocked by the purple robed boy’s strength, while others were happy at the Black Dog Bandits’ situation. And some were looking at him with eyes of ridicule. His anger surged. You! Why? Unfair, why is it all so unfair? Why is my life so unfair? Tears welled up in his eyes. The villagers shot him looks of hate and disgust, the same looks they had given him for thirty-two years. He looked warily at the purple robed boy who had his back towards him. He carefully reached into his own robes and tried to draw something out. He boiled with anger. Anger at the boy who had stopped his revenge. Anger at the leader who had vanished to goddess knows where. Anger at the villagers who had tormented him for so long. And anger at her for betraying him and breaking her promise. He raised his crossbow. - I knocked out another bandit. The others were frightened but none of them surrendered. They looked at me with fearful gazes and got closer together. Going to rush at me all at once? All right, guess it’s time to end this- Thud! A woman screamed, something fell to the ground. I turned and saw Clare on the ground, blood soaking the ground around her. I didn’t need to check her status, the arrow in her forehead gave it away. She was dead.

I crashed into a mountain and the blurring scenery vanished. The darkness let me collect my thoughts. What do I do? How do I get back? I need to hurry! The absolute darkness gave way to a flashing blur as I came out the other side of the mountain. My thoughts scattered until I was no longer able to think coherently. Why did they have to call me now? Why couldn’t I resist their call? If I’d been able to resist for a second or two… Why was I so weak and powerless? Why couldn’t I choose for myself? First the haze and now this? Was I a puppet meant to dance around at the whims of others? I couldn’t form these questions in my mind, but they tortured me nonetheless. I felt guilty. I was the one who used magic I didn’t understand. I was the one who lit up the forest and the night sky. That monster found us because of me, and Jeffi and Yunni were in danger because of my actions. I felt despair and helplessness, because I couldn’t think of a way to save them. I didn’t know how this ‘summoning’ worked. Were they calling out to me? Was it some sick, perverted joke by a higher being? I didn’t know. But most of all, I felt anger. Overwhelming anger. Anger at whatever force or being was controlling my actions. Anger at whoever it was that forced me to leave the children right when they needed me most. And anger at myself for putting them in that situation and failing to save them. Soon, anger began to consume my other emotions. I was angry at my helplessness. I was angry at my guilt. I was angry at myself for allowing those emotions to distract me from my objective. I felt my anger burst forth, as if it had manifested in my blood and was gushing through my body. Anger flooded through my mind and cleared it until there was only one thought left. I need to protect them! I tried everything. I lashed out with my fists, I flared the energy that I had used to fight the ape monster and I tried shouting as hard as I could. Stop! And I did. I tumbled for several miles until I managed to dig my feet into the ground. As soon as I stopped, I rushed back through the trail of broken trees and rocks. My anger fueled me, driving me faster and faster through the forests and mountains. I’d left a fiery trail of destruction behind me but luckily it didn’t seem like I’d gone through a town or a village, and the fire proved useful in showing me the way back. - A sea of flames greeted me as I reached the forest where I’d last seen Jeffi and Yunni. I searched around, wildly cutting across the burning trees while shouting their names. The night wore on, the gentle moonlight ravaged by the light of the flames devouring the forest. Black ash and scarlet embers floated through the air, burning branches fell from above, and the cries of animals and monsters rang through the night. But I still couldn’t find them. My anger intensified and so did my frantic searching. Were they already dead? Were their corpses devoured by the flames? Were their ashes floating above my head? And then I saw it. A scruffy brown haired boy holding up a burning tree with his back; a little girl covered in burns lying on the ground beneath him. I rushed over and punched the blazing piece of wood away just as the boy’s body finally collapsed. I looked at what was left of his back, most of which was burnt to a crisp. I forced my trembling hands to turn him over. “H-hey Aia.” His cracked lips barely moved as he whispered those words to me. “I-I am so sorry, Jeffi. I-” “It’s all right. You came back...that’s...that’s all that matters.” “No! I should have never left. But I could not help it. It just-” Tears started falling from my eyes as I fell to my knees besides the boy. “I will take you back. We can heal you. We can-I can still protect you!” “Not even a goddess can save me now...” I froze. “What do you- since when?” “Since you came crashing through the forest. When that monster cornered us, I don’t know why but I started praying...praying to the fire goddess. And just when I thought that we were dead, you showed up.” “But I couldn’t- I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t protect you. I-I failed as a goddess.” “Nobody can do everything...if you hadn’t saved us back then, we would’ve died a long time ago. Besides...it’s too late for me but Yunni, you can still save Yunni.” The corners of his lips twitched. “You’ll have to be her big sister from now on. Take care...take care of her. Family is important you know? You have to protect her, help her, teach her, and take care of her. I know you can do it.” His arms slid down my side as he whispered through cracked lips: “Big sis.” The light went out of his eyes just as he stopped breathing. I wailed, crying out into the night as the first droplets of rain started to fall. The flames on the trees went out, but I was still burning inside. - I carried Yunni back to the shrine. She cried along the way. Jeffi’s lifeless body hung over my other shoulder. When I got back, I was told that they had attempted to call me by praying in front of my statue at the shrine and that they had heard my voice in their heads, telling them to stop. I raged at them for daring to summon me. For daring to pull me along like a toy. For daring to pull me away just when- But I soon calmed down. They didn’t know and it would be wrong to blame them. I forbade them from calling me like that ever again and stormed up to my room at the top of the tower. There was no bed so I went up to the stone pedestal and put my head on it. And cried. - I buried Jeffi outside the shrine, at the top of a nice, quiet hill. Monsters never came to that hill for some reason, possibly because it was too far away from any food source. I made it a forbidden zone for the people at the shrine. Only Yunni was allowed to go there. I left some flowers over his grave, and Yunni wrote some words on his gravestone. “Here lies Jeffi, the best big brother anyone could ever ask for.” - I didn’t want to see anyone anymore. The only one I ever allowed up the tower was Yunni, but we barely ever talked. She became a junior priestess at the shrine and was learning how to take care of it. I always thought back to Jeffi’s last request and tried being a good older sister to her but soon, she was the one taking care of me. I didn’t need to sleep nor eat nor go to the bathroom. I just stayed up there on the top of the tower. I had already gotten used to the small tugs on my soul and barely noticed them anymore. I could recognize who it came from as well, although the only person I knew was Yunni and I’d forbidden her from praying to me. Having your little sister pray to you was strange. Of course, that became a problem because many of the shrine’s duties and traditions revolved around praying to me. So, I abolished them and forbade them all from worshiping me. I was no goddess. I was just a broken girl who had lost her first friend. - I learned how to resist the larger pulls. I just had to direct some of that energy that I had used against the ape monster, in the direction of the tug. At least there wouldn’t be any more holes in the shrine’s walls. - Yunni came up again, she’d grown up and become a proper priestess by now. I hadn’t changed at all though, and she looked much older than me now. Now she looked and acted like the older sister. She tried to make me come down from the tower, but I only came down to visit Jeffi’s grave whenever I was feeling particularly sad. She tried to cheer me up and I gave her a hollow laugh. She went downstairs with a sad smile on her face. - Yunni is the head priestess now. They seem to have made a new title for her in fact: ‘The Red Shrine Maiden.’ At first I grew angry when I heard that title, thinking that they were making fun of her face that had red burn scars all over it, but Yunni assured me that the color was her idea. After all, there were other shrines in the world. The ‘maiden’ part came because she never got married. Was it because she was always looking after me and didn’t have the time to find love? I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I was grateful for her company. We started having tea every month, after the calendar was setup. I’d met up with my sisters to talk about the world and how to govern it, but that’s a story for another time. For now, Yunni was my only sister. My only family. She didn’t need my protection anymore because she’d made a name for herself on her own. She was powerful, both politically and with regards to magic. We were having tea one day when she turned around to get the sugar. And then her cup fell to the ground. I quickly went to her and called for help. Nobody could hear me from up there but I had long since learned how to speak to my followers through my mind. A group of red robed priests rushed to the foot of the stairs just as I reached the bottom. We helped Yunni to her room and laid her on the bed. Her white hair stuck to her wrinkled forehead because of the sweat that was pouring out all over her. I hadn’t been able to stop her from aging, and no matter what I did I couldn’t find a cure to her illness. And even though I spent a year looking for medicinal herbs and pills, nothing seemed to work. I grew enraged again. This time, I was angry at fate for taking away Jeffi and for trying to take away Yunni from me too. In my frenzy, I developed a new magic, ‘appraisal’ that helped speed up the search for doctors and herbs. But it was no use. - I lay next to Yunni, tears streaming down my face as I held onto her hand. She told me that I had been the best big sister she could have ever asked for. She assured me that Jeffi would be proud of me. She said she loved me and would always be watching me. She made a request just like Jeffi had done in that burning forest sixty years ago. She told me to take care of the children of this world, and be their big sister. I cried as I promised her that I would try my best. She smiled. “Thank you...for everything...big sis.” I saw her close her eyes as a wave of emotions washed over me. Sorrow, helplessness and of course, anger. Fate forced me to endure the torture of the haze. It forced me to be summoned at the whims of others. Fate took away Jeffi. It took away Yunni. But Fate could never take away my anger. I will fight fate one day and I will make it pay. I cried as she took her last breath. Yunni was gone. Now all I had left, was my anger.

“Hey, have you heard about the incident yet?” “What?” “Someone robbed the Casso factory.” “The Casso factory? But aren’t they –” “Yep, they’re contractors for Breize labs.” “Who would dare to steal from Breize labs? Are they crazy?” “You haven’t heard the best part!” “What is it?” “They were absolutely shameless!” “What do you mean?” “They stripped the guards and the manager.” “What for?” “Don’t know, but they seemed to be really happy when they did it.” “So they’re crazy and perverted? How many of them were there?” “Just one.” “One? Someone managed to get through their defenses all alone?” “Yep. The guy was wearing a really weird mask too.” “What kind of mask?” “It had a smile on it. And he was wearing really tacky robes. Had a weird hat too.” “Wow, sounds creepy alright.” “Old man Casso’s having a fit. He only lost a factory’s worth of slaves and equipment but offered 5000 Tel for the thief.” “5000 Tel? Has the old man finally gone senile? The great scientist Casso, finally going off his rocker because of a pervert. That’s just sad.” “I hear you. But can you blame him? His reputation went down the drain. Do you know what they’re calling the thief?” “No.” “The creep left a note calling himself The Trickster.” “That doesn’t sound so bad?” “Yeah well everybody calls him something else though...” “What?” “The Stripster!” Laughter broke out on the table behind us. I stabbed the steak on my plate with a knife and twisted it. “What’s the matter, trying to strip your steak?” said Runir with a smirk. “Shut it,” I retorted through gritted teeth. “Men, women, and chicken. At least the infamous Stripster doesn’t discriminate,” said Amy, nodding with a deadpan expression. “Not you too Amy?” I cried. “I wonder what that poor old man would think if he knew that his badly dressed thief stripped poultry too,” said Kai. “And who’s the bastard who gave me that stupid costume?” I glared at him. “I pulled off the mask perfectly back in the Fire Kingdom,” he replied. “And by the way, you can keep it. I’d rather not be mistaken as a crazy pervert.” “Fuck you!” I flung my knife at him but he grabbed it between his fingers and started using it to cut his own steak. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “Whatever. Did you get the laborers to safety?” “Yep, I called in a favor. They should be in good hands,” he said. “And you still won’t tell us whose hands those are?” I asked, frowning. “They like their privacy. But don’t worry, I trust them completely. Besides, it’s not like you can help them much. What those people need now is food and shelter. Most of them were born into a living hell, they don’t know how to live a life of freedom, so they’ll probably need some education too. In fact, it’s a miracle they followed us out of there,” he said, chewing a mouthful. “What do you mean?” asked Runir. “Isn’t it obvious? Those people don’t know any other kind of life so of course they would be afraid. Even if they’re being abused and tortured, people still yearn for the known over the unknown. Do you really think all of them appreciated being freed? Wouldn’t they assume you would treat them the same way the factory owners did?” He turned towards me. “Didn’t you realize that most of them didn’t follow you because of some inherent desire for freedom, but because they were scared of you?” I stared at him blankly. It was true, I knew it. I’d never been able to trust somebody on the streets and even after I got taken in by the old lady, I couldn’t trust her for a long time. If you’ve lived a certain way all your life, you don’t expect it to change even when it already has. “Which is why my friend will re-educate them and hopefully help them ease into a normal lifestyle. So you don’t have to worry about them. But I don’t think we can rescue every single laborer and deal with them the same way, so if you really want to do this, you’ll have to come up with a better plan. And of course, the biggest problem right now is...” “Zoe,” I finished. Kai sighed, Amy looked downcast, and Runir frowned. “Her title...” I said, my words trailing. The others looked troubled again as they recalled her title. It just wasn’t the kind of thing that you could forget, especially when the person in question was sleeping in your bed upstairs. Cursed in Two Worlds: a title given to one who has been tortured to death after years of abuse before being reincarnated into a similar situation in another. The holder’s soul has been shredded into pieces and their mind has deteriorated into insanity. The holder is struck by nightmares reliving the worst of their pains that end with a single moment of lucidity in which the holder is most likely to attempt to suicide in vain before falling into despair again. It was so messed up I didn’t even know where to begin. It was like someone had specifically made it just to torture her. Was there some sadistic god behind this? Or was she just goddamn unlucky? Whatever it was, this was probably the first break she’d ever gotten in either life. “I know we offered to help her get back home, but does she even want to go there? Doesn’t sound like she had it any better on Earth,” I said. “We only told her that so she’d know we’re from Earth too. But judging from the way she attacked you, she probably doesn’t want to go to the Air Goddess’s shrine so I don’t get why she stayed after finding out that we wanted to go home,” said Runir. “She may have used her ability,” said Kai. “What do you mean?” asked Runir. “Do you remember it?” said Kai, gesturing to all of us. Ability: Sacrifice. Change anything one wants by sacrificing something one possesses that is of equivalent value. “Yeah, but what about it?” I asked. “Her Ability says that she should have gone crazy. But in fact, she seems surprisingly sane for someone who has suffered so much,” he replied. “So you think she sacrificed something to earn her sanity?” asked Runir. “Yes, but I don’t know what,” said Kai, tapping his fingers on the table. “Freedom,” said Amy. “What do you mean?” asked Runir. “She listened to you,” she replied. “So? Oh!” he remarked, shaking his head. He continued slowly, “That’s messed up...” Kai sighed and shook his head too which made me feel annoyed that I was the only one who didn’t get it. “Stop being dicks and tell me already,” I said. “You really are a hopeless hero aren’t you. You’re lucky you have such smart friends,” Runir said, nodding his head. “Shut it,” I said through gritted teeth. “Oh? Didn’t you want me to tell you? Up to you I guess.” He smirked. “Damn it Runir, tell me or I’ll –” “Strip you?” He started laughing. “That’s it! Laser –” “Wait,” said Kai, interrupting my spell. “Don’t use a light spell here!” “Oh, right,” I said, glaring at Runir. “That reminds me, we can’t tell her you’re the Hero. She is a citizen of the Dusk Alliance, so she’ll be compelled to work against you,” said Kai. “Then what do we do? Should we tell her that Runir is the Demon Lord or something?” I said. “He’s enough of an asshole to be one.” “No, we can’t do that either,” said Runir, calmly. “The Demon Lord is dead and everyone knows it, so she won’t believe us. Even if she did, it brings no benefit to us at all.” “It’ll make her listen to us,” I said. “That won’t be a problem,” he said. “Why?” I asked. “She can’t disobey anyone,” said Kai. “What?” I said. “What is that supposed to mean?”. “When Kai told her to stop pretending to be asleep, she did. I told her to stop being violent, and she did. She sacrificed her ability to resist in exchange for her sanity,” said Runir. I frowned. “Wait, that doesn’t sound right. I told her to get off my hand last night but she didn’t.” “Odd, my Ability is telling me this is the right answer. Maybe there are some limits or conditions?” he said. “So until we know exactly what those are, we should tell her you’re the Demon Lord. She’ll have to do what you say then, wouldn’t she?” I said. “Fine, fine. Do whatever you want,” said Runir dismissively. He must have still been embarrassed by the lie. We finished up our meal and walked upstairs with some food for Zoe. “We need to decide what to do now,” I said. “We’re going to the Air Goddess’s shrine. I thought we’d already decided that?” said Runir. “No, I mean about the slaves. We can’t let this go on. We’re strong enough to do something about it so we have to,” I continued. “Just because we’re powerful, doesn’t mean we have to go fix every problem in the world,” he said. “But if we don’t do it, who will?” “That’s not the point. This is the king’s job, or the governments job. If they aren’t doing it properly it doesn’t mean we have to go do it for them instead. Besides, this is the Air Kingdom and we’re the Hero’s party. These people are our enemies, why should we help them?” Runir met my gaze confidently. “But it’s not right! You’ve seen how these people are treated. You’ve seen how Zoe was treated. Can you really ignore all of that for your own selfish reasons?” I said. “And what do you plan to do? Break into every factory in the kingdom and walk out with the laborers? Or will you try to buy them all with your stolen money? Hell, why don’t we start a fucking revolution and topple the government?” he ranted. “Wait, what did you say?” I asked, blinking. “I said, what do you plan to do?” he replied. “No, no, after that. A revolution! Topple the government! Bring those bastards down! That’s perfect!” I said, barely managing to keep my voice down. The others stared at me blankly. “Um, Lily. We can’t just go around toppling governments...” said Runir. “Why not? If this is how they treat their people, they don’t deserve to be kings or nobles anymore,” I said, as I opened the door to my room. “We can’t decide that for them,” asserted Runir as he walked into the room. “Why not – Zoe!” I shouted, rushing forward. She was lying on the ground, whimpering and shivering uncontrollably. She turned, revealing purple bruises all over her neck. Her skin under her clothes was covered in scars; some old, some new, but all vicious. She was soaked in sweat which made her clothes cling to her body, showing how thin and skinny she was. “...please… let me go… not again...I already died… I was free...it’s unfair… why… why… why...” she mumbled. Kai walked over to her and waved his hand. She instantly stopped. “She’s asleep now,” he said. I picked her up and put her on the bed. The boys went out as I changed her clothes and Amy wiped her sweat off with a moist cloth. Zoe’s body was an absolute mess. Cuts, scars, bruises, burn marks, and bones sticking to her thin skin. Amy clenched her fists as she gently ran the cloth over Zoe’s bruises and burns, trying to avoid giving her pain. I on the other hand, couldn’t bear to look any longer as I felt my lunch rising up my throat. I’d seen a lot of shit on the streets but this... We left the room after making sure that Zoe was sleeping. “...I’ll give her a ring to help keep her nightmares under control but I don’t know how effective it will be,” I heard Kai say from behind the door as I opened it. “It’s fine, at least it’s something –oh, Lily, you’re here,” said Runir, turning to face me. I didn’t respond. Instead, I walked up to him and stared into his eyes. He met my gaze and sighed. “...thousands of soldiers,” he said. “Beat them up.” “Hundreds of magicians.” “Light em up.” “The nobles.” “Whack them.” “The king.” “Sacred sword up his ass.” “You’re delaying our journey home.” “Just a side-quest.” “What if they find out you’re the hero?” “I’m the Trickster, I’ll think of something.” “What if you have to fight the Goddess?” I paused. “I’ll fuck her up. She deserves it.” Runir broke our gaze and nodded. “Why?” asked Amy, suddenly. “What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “Why does she deserve it? The Goddess. How is it her fault?” she asked. “She’s the most powerful person in this country, isn’t she? She could have done something but she didn’t. Besides, everyone listens to her. One word from her and all this shit could get cleaned up but she doesn’t do anything about it. By not fixing the problem, she’s helping the bastards behind this,” I said. Amy nodded slowly before looking away. What’s up with her? I thought. “It’s not as simple as that, I’m afraid,” said Runir. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Most of the factories are contractors for different labs. In the Air Kingdom, these labs possess a lot of power and influence – enough to make them a more important political actor than the nobility. And the largest and most powerful lab is the Breize Lab, which has its headquarters at the Air Shrine,” he said. “At the shrine? But then –” “Yep, they’re backed by the Air Goddess. She doesn’t just passively condone the cruelty in the factories,” he said, slowly. “She pays for it.” I met his gaze. Then my eyes traveled across the room. Amy stared at her feet. Kai looked right through me, his gaze unfocused. The sound of Zoe’s breathing pressed against my ears. “So we really will have to go against a Goddess after all?” I asked. “Yes, but don’t worry. She can’t fight us directly. We’re the Hero’s party so the Goddesses can’t interfere with our plans,” he said “But I can totally beat her up for all this, can’t I?” I said with a smile. “Yep,” he said, smirking. “Perfect.” - “Damn it, stop pushing,” I said. “Can’t help it. Keep getting pushed myself. Way too many people here,” said Runir, as he was jostled by the crowd. “Kai, do it already,” said Amy, fighting off an old man trying to cut in front of her. Kai sighed and smiled. “You’re getting too used to this.” He walked out of the line and went straight to the front. “Hey, no cutting in line!” shouted a frowning teenage boy. “Oi, get back here kid,” said an angry middle aged lady. “Hey!” Kai turned to face the voice. An armed guard in a gray uniform strode up to him. “What do you think you’re doing? Cutting lines can get you banned from the –” Kai pulled something out of his robes and showed it to the guard. “Sir! It is an honor to meet you in such a lowly place. I deeply apologize for my earlier behavior, I did not know that someone of your esteemed status would be gracing us today,” he said as he got down on one knee. “I will accept any punishment.” “It’s okay, just help my friends through too please,” said Kai. “Of course!” exclaimed the guard. And so we made our way to the front of the line, ignoring the curious and – more often – angry looks from the crowd. We stepped into glass building at the end of the line and waited. Soon, the platform beneath us started to rise and the ground became more distant. “So this is the Sky Tunnel. It’s beautiful,” said Runir. “Yep,” I said. “Agreed,” Amy nodded. “What do you think Zoe?” asked Kai. “...it’s okay,” she mumbled, but her glittering eyes betrayed her real thoughts. “Look,” said Runir, pointing ahead of us. “There it is!” A small dot appeared in the distance. It slowly became larger and larger until it began to tower over everything else. Jagged rocks floating in the sky, waterfalls cascading over the edges, and trees and boulders leaning over the sides. A floating island unlike anything else on Erath. “It’s amazing. I can see why it’s such a popular tourist destination. Everybody wants to come to the island floating high in the sky,” said Runir. I looked at the floating island and saw Zoe in the corner of my eye. Even though she’d lived in this country for her entire second life, she had never seen the island yet. As clouds rolled around the island in the sky, instead of admiring the view, my head was full of anger. Yeah, some people love feeling like they’re above everyone else. But now I was gonna bring those assholes back down to the ground. Hard. WhoCares Sorry for the delay. I've been working on a new project and doing lots of editing. Please support the story with a like!

“I am not upset.” “Sure.” “You don’t believe me? Fuck it, it doesn’t matter,” I said, brushing aside the branch in front of me. We were making our way through the Twilight Forest while following Lily’s group from a respectable distance. We were close enough to see them on the trail up ahead but we couldn’t hear them because if they were in earshot, they would have heard us walking through the underbrush. Then again, it didn’t seem like they were talking much anyway. Professor Roweta had tried to start a conversation but apart from what seemed like a simple introduction, the three girls behind her hadn’t said a word to each other. “You’ve been grumpy since big sis Lily beat your sorry ass,” said Zoe. “What the hell did you say?” I asked. “That she beat your ass,” she replied. I frowned. “No—” “But she did.” I stopped and turned angrily to Zoe, “First, she cheated so it doesn’t count,” I turned back. “And second, what I meant was why are you calling her big sis Lily?” “You’re jealous I don’t call you big bro Runir?” she said. “Please don’t call me that. You’re older than me!” I replied. “No I’m not,” she said, perplexed. “Look, I’m tiny!” She stood on her tiptoes and tried to reach Amy’s forehead but couldn’t. “But you’ve lived two lives,” I said. “And your vocabulary is way too mature,” I added under my breath. “It’s really creepy hearing a ten year old shouting profanity all the time.” “What was that, dumbass?” she asked. “Nothing,” I sighed. “And why are the two of you so quiet?” Kai and Amy hadn’t said anything since we left the city. Their silence and my dissatisfaction with Lily’s childish act had made the journey stiflingly uncomfortable until Zoe started accusing me of being grumpy. A baseless claim, to be sure, but at least it livened up the atmosphere a bit. “Yeah, what’s wrong with you two?” said Zoe. “I was just thinking…” said Amy. “Thinking about what?” I asked. “About whether this will be the last time we’ll be traveling together,” she said. “What do you mean?” asked Zoe, worried. “You’ll leave, won’t you?” said Amy. “Once you find a way back to your world, you’ll leave.” The leaves rustled in the evening breeze as darkness crept upon the forest. “Maybe,” I said. “That’s funny, never would’ve pegged you as the sentimental type.” “Why not?” she asked, hugging Zoe. “Never mind.” The shadows of the trees drew longer yet even as the sunlight died, the forest began to come to life in a different way. The animals of the night began making their presence felt; hooting and chirping to lay claim to the trees and bushes that buzzed with bees and butterflies in the morning. It was that time of the day. The time when the sun’s gentle glow has all but faded away and the moon hasn’t come out to take over yet. A limbo or a no man’s land, of sorts, between the day and the night. Twilight. That’s what they called it. The day was over and it was time for the night to begin. “And what about you Kai?” I asked. “What are you thinking about?” He kept walking as if he hadn’t heard me. Just as I began to ask him again, he said, “Nothing. I was thinking about nothing.” That was an odd way to phrase it. Professor Rowetta stopped outside a thick clump of trees and bushes. We inched closer to them, stopping near the edge of the road. We managed to barely hear what they were saying. “…Kind…Goddess… we come… please accept…our prayers… bring you the wisest… guide us!” The trees faded away to reveal a tiny cabin in the middle of a clearing right beside the game trail we’d been following. It was an unassuming little building that seemed as if it had seen countless years pass by. It was moldy, rickety and seemed on the verge of collapse. I chuckled under my breath. So that annoying Goddess lived inside this dump? That explained everything. “Now that we know where it is, should we wait for them to leave and come back later or should we just go in uninvited?” asked Amy as Professor Rowetta led the girls inside the shack after bowing in front of it a few times. The girls were obviously quite disappointed in the Goddess’ taste in architecture but followed along anyway. Lily stopped and looked behind her. Did she want us to follow her inside? She mouthed something but we were too far away to make out what it was. A shadow fell over her face as she turned and walked into the cabin, disappearing from view. “…they went inside,” came a light murmuring from behind us. A couple of shadows appeared from the trail we’d been following. It didn’t seem like they’d noticed us but it was surprising that we hadn’t noticed them earlier. Although I couldn’t make out their faces, I recognized their voices. “…hurry, she’s waiting for us,” said the smaller shadow as it ran inside the cabin. The larger shadow followed. “Guess we weren’t the only ones smart enough to think of following the winners,” I remarked, as I slowly got up from the bushed. “Since it looks like things are going to get more complicated than we’d initially assumed, I say we go inside.” “Waiting is boring anyway,” said Zoe, standing up. “I hope Lily’s okay,” muttered Amy, as she shook some leaves out of her hair. We walked up to the cabin, pushed open the door and stepped into the darkness. “Yes,” said Kai, as the door closed behind us. “Let’s get this over with.” - We walked down a staircase that seemed to go on forever. As expected, it wasn’t an ordinary log cabin. We reached a small hall with a large bronze door standing slightly ajar at the end. The walls were lined with dimly glowing stones pulsating with a strange white light that somehow seemed to increase the darkness rather than reduce it. As we neared the door, voices drifted out from inside. “Oh Mighty Goddess of Darkness! Oh guardian of the Night, bastion of Knowledge and protector of the Truth! We have come here to pay our blessings and—” “Yeah, yeah, cut the crap and come over, will ya? Yep, that was her alright. Just as I was about to walk over, Kai stretched out his hand to stop me. Confused, I looked at him and he gestured to the door with his chin. Amy seemed to have noticed something too as she put her hand over Zoe to stop her from asking what was wrong. What was it? I furrowed my brows and focused, but couldn’t find anything out of place. Finally, I used Appraisal and my eyes widened. Names and numbers were floating in the air next to the door. How did they—were they using some sort of magical item or something? Never heard of anything that could make people invisible to people several hundreds of levels above them. “What do we do,” I whispered to Kai. He thought for a second before pulling something out of his Storage. It was a large piece of cloth that shone with a silver luster. He pulled us closer and draped it over us. “Is this an invisibility cloak,” I muttered as my face got crammed against Kai’s shoulder. “Of course not,” he said, smiling lightly. “It’s a sheet of invisibility.” “Right…” “Shush, they’ll hear you,” said Amy, quickly. “Don’t worry, this thing blocks out sound too,” replied Kai. “Convenient,” I said, dryly. “Look!” said Zoe. It seemed like the invisible people were awkwardly trying to fit through the slightly open door without giving themselves away to the people inside. Although we couldn’t see them, seeing their names tumbling around gave us a good idea of how funny they might have looked. They managed to get in without making the door move and it didn’t seem like the people inside had noticed them either. “…So who do we have here, three little puppies? But wait a minute…” We crept closer and peeked into the room. The chamber seemed empty at first glance. The walls radiated a uniform gray light that made it impossible to judge how big it really was. In the center was a small bed with a black canopy and sheets. There was a coffee table next to the bed with a single metal chair by its side. A black cup lay on a golden saucer on top of the table, with wisps of steam floating out of it. On the chair was a short woman with long, flowing black hair. At first glance she seemed like a little girl having a tea party in her room. However, her eyes – even from this far away – betrayed her maturity because they were cold, dark and carried a chilling gaze. This was no ordinary girl. And this was no ordinary tea party. “Hey, old lady,” said the Goddess. “Are you an idiot?” Professor Rowetta blinked and turned from side to side until she realized that the Goddess had been addressing her. “Beg your pardon my Goddess, but this pitiful being does not know what you are speaking of,” she said. “Alas, how can one such as I hope to understand an intellect such as yours. It is an honor to be –” “Shut it,” said the Goddess, cutting the Professor’s groveling short. “The hell do you think you’re doing?” “M-me, your grace?” stammered the old lady as she instantly fell to the ground. “Please have mercy on this pitiful being that is too weak minded to realize her own wrongs. If I have offended you in any way, I did not mean to do so.” The Goddess sighed. “What a mess. I mean, where the hell do I even begin?” That didn’t sound good. Did she know that we were there? I thought. “First, you came here without a gift. The old man promised me sugar cubes and because of that I didn’t buy any but now I’m almost out!” Oh, she was an idiot after all. “Second, you bring me three obvious traitors.” Shit. “And third,” said the Goddess as she sipped her tea and put it down on the saucer. “You let yourself get followed.” Fuck! However, the Goddess wasn’t looking at us. Instead, her gaze was locked at the status values floating beside the door. “Coming into a lady’s room uninvited merits strict punishment, wouldn’t you say?” she said, waving her hand. The floating statuses flailed wildly but couldn’t escape the black tentacles that shot out of the floor beneath them. Something sparked and sizzled and then a chunk of metal hit the ground. The tentacles disappeared but they left behind two very startled boys. “Mighty Goddess, you are truly the most powerful being in existence,” said the taller of the two as he fell to his knees and bowed. “Forgive us for trespassing. We merely wanted to accompany our lord on her mission,” said the shorter boy as he bowed to the woman. “Have our heads if it pleases you, but please listen to our lord’s request. The fate of the kingdom rests on it.” The goddess furrowed her brows and replied: “And why should—” “Tami, Gerard! What are you two doing here?” The black haired girl we’d met back on our way to the Academy—Persephone—raced towards the two bowing boys and helped them up. Her feet knocked against a small metal ball that clinked against the floor, revealing the hole the tentacles had pierced through it. “Did you just interrupt me?” said the Goddess, scowling. “My apologies,” said the girl quickly. “Punish me if you will, but please let these two go!” “Princess, what are you saying?” said the tall one, Gerard. “You know why we came here,” said the short one, Tami. “You know what’s at stake.” “Tami, Gerard,” muttered Persephone. “Will you stop ignoring me already?” said the Goddess. She shook her head and sighed. “Fine, whatever. Tell me why I shouldn’t blow you to pieces right now.” Persephone gulped before falling to her knees and pressing her forehead against the ground. “Please help us save the kingdom!” she pleaded. “Not interested,” said the Goddess, dispassionately. “Huh?” said Persephone. “You heard me. I have no interest in getting involved in petty mortal conflicts anymore,” said the Goddess, turning her back to the groveling students. “But you’re the Goddess of Darkness. The guardian of the night. The—” “I get it, but so what?” growled the Goddess. “I do my job. I summon the Demon Lord, I train him and I give him my blessings. Although this one ran away without meeting me,” she grumbled. “Yes but the Demon Lord dies every time—” began Persephone. “Not my fault.” “I would never dare to accuse you, Your Grace. However…” she looked up, staring at the Goddess with determination. “We know who is to blame for the disappearances of the Demon Lords.” When she said that, the Goddess’ face twitched almost imperceptibly. She closed her eyes and took a sip from her teacup. “I don’t care,” she said, simply. The kneeling girl froze. Her lips quivered as she asked: “My Goddess…” “Leave,” continued the Goddess, her eyes closed. “That has nothing to do with me. I do not meddle in mortal affairs.” “B-but you’re the Goddess! You’re bound by Fate to—” said Tami, indignantly. The Goddess’ eyes shot open. She waved her hand and tentacles shot out of the ground around the boy. He screamed as the tentacles grabbed him and threw him away. He slammed into the wall and slid to the ground, blood oozing from his mouth and staining the ground beneath him. At least we know where the walls are now, I thought. And I guess she really is as testy about Fate as the Air Goddess said. “Tami!” shouted Persephone as she tried to rush to his side. “I am Lunaris; Goddess of Darkness, Guardian of the Night and all of that shit,” said Lunaris, her voice threateningly low. “And I do not recognize Fate.” She lifted her teacup and resumed sipping from it. “Now get out. Your crap is spoiling the tea.” Persephone stood shocked in the middle of the room. Her hands were trembling as she bit her lips and looked angrily at the Goddess that she had worshipped all her life. “You… you’re not the Goddess I know. Where’s your compassion? Your love for your people?” She was shouting hysterically now. “We’ve been losing thousands of innocent lives to the Union every year. The Demon Lord’s Castle has been besieged fifteen times in the last century alone.” The Goddess sipped her tea. “They set fire to all the crops they come across. Pillage every village, town and city on their path. They’ve slaughtered millions of innocent people, stripped our nation of its honor and dragged our dignity through the mud. And you say you don’t care about any of it?” Lunaris sipped her tea again. “Princess, please calm down!” urged Gerard. “Calm down?” shouted Persephone, a hint of laughter at the edge of her voice. “I just found out that our kind, benevolent and merciful Goddess is too busy having a tea party with herself to help her people.” We might need to get involved soon or else this might get messy. Amy and Zoe seemed on the verge of jumping out. Lily was frowning and glaring at the girl-like Goddess sitting on her tiny chair. She was obviously not amused by her indifference. Saar was expressionlessly staring at the ground, apparently thinking about something. Kai was gazing silently at Persephone as she laughed and cried in the center of the room. “She doesn’t care about all the people who died with her name on their lips. Doesn’t care about the people who sacrificed themselves for her honor. Worse, she doesn’t care about the Demon Lords she kidnapped from the other world.” This seemed to get through to the Goddess as she stopped sipping her tea. “She pulled them out of their worlds. Threw them into ours and let them die for her and now she says she doesn’t care about them? Did they all die in vain? Were their sacrifices meaningless? Why did they die for this ungrateful piece of trash—” “Princess, stop!” shouted Gerard. “Is this what he died for,” she shouted. Then she continued in a whisper as tears streamed down her face. “Is this what my father died for…” “You… I remember you now—” said Lunaris as understanding dawned on her face. “Yes,” said Persephone, scowling hatefully at the Goddess she had once believed in. “I’m the one you abandoned after dragging to this world alongside a poor salary-man and single father trying to give his little girl a decent life. I am Persephone Berus, daughter of the previous Demon King.” “You’re the one that ran away,” muttered Lunaris. “Yes, I ran away,” said Persephone, as her face darkened. “I ran away from home to go on a misguided adventure. I didn’t want to be the Demon Lord’s daughter. I wanted to be an adventurer. A hero!” She stepped forward. “But while I was gone, something happened,” she whispered. “My father was mysteriously murdered while on a hunting expedition in the Wastes. The next day, the Union declared war on the Alliance and the Hero lead an excursion into the Corridor. I had to go to the front lines to defend my father’s people. I couldn’t even mourn him!” She shouted while pointing at the Goddess. “And you won’t even listen to what I have to say?” The Goddess sighed. She set down her teacup and folded her legs. “Fine, what is it.” Persephone bit her lips, obviously annoyed by the Goddess’ attitude, but she swallowed her pride and said: “I know who’s been killing all the Demon Lords.” The air in the room grew heavy. Interesting, I remarked internally. But… The Goddess replied: “Is that all?” Persephone blinked. “Huh?” The Goddess sighed and picked up her cup again. “I said.” She sipped her tea. “Is that all?” The daughter of the Demon Lord stood stunned. “What do you mean? Did you already know?” The Goddess continued to sip. “Answer me!” shouted the girl. “You knew about it? And you haven’t done anything?” “Why should I?” she replied. “W-why should you…” muttered Persephone, her voice trailing. “W-what do you mean?” “She means why should she do something about it when she’s the one behind it?” Every gaze shifted to the person who’d just spoken. “I’m right, aren’t I?” asked Saar as she expressionlessly met the Goddess’ gaze. Saar? What the hell are you saying? The Goddess closed her eyes and put down her cup. “What Azoth does is up to him. I don’t have any influence over him.” “Oh but you were the one who let him into the Demon Lord’s Castle, weren’t you?” continued Saar. The Goddess’ eyes opened in shock. “How do you—who are you?” Saar smiled. It was a beautiful smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Your reckoning,” said Saar as she pulled a gun out of thin air and shot it at the Goddess. Lunaris waved her hand and tentacles erupted out of the ground in front of her but whatever Saar shot at her pierced straight through the darkness. Panicking, the Goddess flipped the table and managed to deflect the projectile. It flew into the wall and disappeared. Everyone froze. “Impossible…” muttered Saar, her eyes wide in disbelief. The Goddess was breathing heavily. She leaned on the ground and stared at the wall. “You,” she said, turning her gaze to the muttering Saar. “How did you get that? Who are you working for?” Saar snapped out of it and struck a battle pose. “Guess I’ll have to force it out of you,” said Lunaris. Her eyes glowed with a black light as black tentacles lifted her up. “Hey princess,” said Saar, looking at Persephone out of the corner of her eye. “I could use your help.” “My help?” said Persephone, in a daze. “Why should I help you?” “You want revenge for your father don’t you?” replied Saar as she pulled a giant needle out of her Storage. “Why do you think this so-called Goddess isn’t willing to help you even though she knows that Azoth killed your father?” The Goddess waved her hand and a ball of darkness flew across the room. “It’s because she’s been in on it from the start,” shouted Saar as she jabbed the Shadowballs with her needle. The darkness split and faded but the Goddess had already sent a barrage of them hurtling towards the girls. “Azoth wouldn’t have been able to kill the Demon Lords unless he had someone on the inside. And who better than the Goddess herself.” The needle tore through the Shadowballs. Saar danced nimbly between the swirling masses and dodged the tentacles trying to sneak up on her from behind. The Goddess looked down at her from above with a slight smile at the edge of her lips. She was toying with her! I looked over at the others. Everyone was watching intently but no one was willing to interrupt the fight. We wanted to see how this would play out. I was happy too. After all, I was getting answers. I’d always wondered why there wasn’t a bigger fuss over the Demon Lords’ deaths. They’d been dying mysterious deaths for centuries now, someone should have caught the perpetrators by now. At the very least, the Goddess should have done something. Maybe keep the Demon Lord with her for longer and train them the way the Goddess of Light trained the Hero. Lily was still standing in front of the table, apparently forgotten by everyone. She was staring at Saar with a strange light in her eyes. “Come on princess!” shouted Saar. She grunted as a tentacle struck her shoulder. She’d managed to raise the needle to block the attack but she was still sent tumbling to the ground. “I think I finally know who you’re working for,” said the Goddess calmly. “You’re with –” She was interrupted by a beam of darkness that shot towards her face. She frowned and waved her hands, causing the Void Ray to fade. “You dare raise your hand against me?” said Lunaris. Persephone stood with her arms outstretched, trembling as she faced down the Goddess. Suddenly, her eyes went blank and she fell to the ground, unconscious. “Princess!” shouted Gerard as he scrambled towards the unconscious girl. “Trying to attack your Goddess,” chuckled Lunaris. “You don’t understand how Fate works, do you?” “I understand it just fine.” A needle stopped in the air in front of Lunaris’ head. The tentacle that had caught it flicked it away and Lunaris turned towards Saar again. “No you don’t, kid,” growled the Goddess. “You don’t know the first thing about Fate. Although…” She smiled. “Maybe your soul will find an answer soon. I’ve played with you long enough, goodbye.” A rotating black mass appeared in front of the Goddess. It sucked the air out of the room, made the walls shake and the overturned table rattle. The Black Hole whizzed across the room before Saar could react. Damn it! I rushed out of the sheet of invisibility and used Void Step to pick up Saar and dodge the Goddess’ attack. The Black Hole struck the wall and gouged a giant hole in it. Then it collapsed in on itself and flickered out of existence. “Where the hell did you come from?” asked Lunaris, a touch of surprise in her voice. She hadn’t been able to detect us under Kai’s sheet after all. I was facing away from her so she couldn’t see me. I turned as I spoke. “Just came here to pay my respects, dear Goddess.” Her eyes widened in shock and then they narrowed. She glanced at Lily from the corner of her eye, noticed that she wasn’t doing anything, and focused her attention on me. But she wasn’t the first person to speak to me. “Finally, thank Fate you’re here!” said Saar as she extracted herself from my embrace. I felt something stir inside me. Was it… disappointment? At what? Was I disappointed that we broke our embrace? But that would mean… “You were expecting me?” I asked, pushing my emotions to the side as best I could. “Of course! Well, at first I assumed you’d failed to follow but ever since I met you at the back of that classroom, I knew you’d be there for me! Then again, you really should have dropped some hints that you were following.” “Why would I—” “Hold that thought, we need to deal with her first.” She looked at the Goddess that was glaring at us. Wait, why wasn’t the Goddess attacking us? The Goddess seemed almost wary. But of what? “So you’ve joined them have you?” said Lunaris. “I—” “Don’t let her distract you. Do you have the item?” asked Saar urgently. “What item?” I asked, confused. “The Anomaly gun! Don’t tell me they sent you here without one,” said Saar. “I’m sorry but what the hell are you talking about?” I asked. “How can you not know about the Anomaly gun? Did they send me a newbie for a mission as important as this?” Saar was apparently as confused as I was. They? Mission? The hell was going on? “Oh, I see!” said the Goddess, apparently having understood something important. “You don’t know do you?” “Know what?” snapped Saar and I at the same time. “Hey kid,” she said, pointing to me. “You sure know how to pick them. Falling for an assassin from the Circle. Now isn’t that lovely?” The Goddess grinned. My mind went blank. What?

My stomach grumbled. I rolled out of bed, scratched my head, and yawned. The moon was still up outside and cast its silvery light through the window. As I stood up, something rustled behind me. “Don’t wake up,” I said. “I’m going to grab a snack.” “K,” muttered Lily into her pillow. She sprawled over the bed, having snatched up most of the blanket. It would’ve been impossible to not wake her up especially because she was an insanely light sleeper. I tiptoed out of the room, gently closing the door as if it was about to shatter. I went down a few flights of stairs but never encountered anyone. The kitchen was also deserted, the chefs and staff having long since retired. I scrounged up some leftovers: half a loaf of bread, a slice of cheese, a bowlful of soup, and sat down on the table. My stomach grumbled again. This was the third night in a row I’d gotten up for a midnight snack. I covered the bread in cheese, dipped it into the soup, and ate it. The bread was hard and dry, the cheese chewy, and the soup watery and tasteless. I felt no better after finishing so I went around looking for something more satisfying. The last few days had been strange. I spent most of my time fixing up trade deals and deescalating the war that had been about to break out. The goddesses pushed their kingdom’s leaders to work with me, smoothing over the worst of the obstacles in our path, but unraveling centuries of antagonism was an odious task. For every trade sanction and tariff I removed, a dozen sprang up from the muddled bureaucratic tapestry. I found an apple and chomped on it. I threw away the core and continued searching while thinking to myself. The bridge of babel was open and trade was returning to normal, so why wasn’t there anything to eat? I’d have to get someone to buy more pastries. The Fire kingdom was supposed to have the best bakeries. We should get some cakes, assuming Origin hasn’t destroyed them all yet. Unable to find anything else to assuage my hunger, I left the Inn. A couple of guards snored outside the Inn’s entrance, drool on their armor and lances on the ground. I made a mental note to reprimand them in the morning, we needed to maintain military discipline for the liberation campaign. Reinforcements from the Dusk Alliance would be arriving in a month or so, and we needed to be ready to fight soon after. A headache formed in my forehead as I thought about Origin. The whole ordeal was confusing as hell. Initially I’d assumed he’d disappear once we sealed Fate but not only was Amy still unable to connect to her temple, all our attempts to probe the Fire kingdom had proven fruitless. I sighed. The streets were empty, the tents motionless and the big house at the center of the village had put out its candles. Azoth was probably still inside the Inn, sleeping or planning supply lines. Lunaris and the other goddesses were out scouting the Fire kingdom behind Origin’s wall and I was hoping for good news in the morning. Light flickered inside the building next to the well. Since it was my best bet at getting some food, I walked over. I knocked on the door and heard some rattling from behind. Footsteps, a clink, and the door opened. “Can I help you?” asked the village elder. “Sorry to bother you, but do you have anything to eat?” I asked. “Come in,” she said, curtly, as she gestured for me to follow her. She was an old lady who never smiled. She let us stay in the village for a small fee but hadn’t been enthusiastic about it at all. The presence of the hero hadn’t impressed her, nor had the power of our group. The old lady’s wobbly walking stick tapped on the floor of her house, sending a clunky sound echoing across the place. Her furniture was dusty except for a small table and chair near the far end of her living room. There was a picture on the table, although it was too far to see. There were a few toys tucked into the corners, as well as a few ribbons that definitely didn’t belong to the old lady. As we walked into her kitchen, she coughed and grumbled under her breath. She rummaged inside her cabinets, pulled out some bread and cheese, and poured me a bowl of soup. My head drooped. She put the food on the table and sat down. I sat across the table and accepted the food, eating it the same way as before. It looked just as unappetizing as before but tasted slightly better. The old lady coughed, grumbled, and stood up, leaning on her walking stick for support. I finished my meal and thanked her. She escorted me out, the ever-present thud of her walking stick the only sound passing between us. Near the door, I offered her a few gold coins as thanks but she waved them away, saying she didn’t need it. I insisted, asking her to keep it for her kids. I kept walking but something felt off. The sound of the walking stick had disappeared. I turned and saw the old lady leaning against the wall, her face downcast. “Are you alright?” I asked, moving to assist her. “…won’t need it.” “What did you say?” “I said, she won’t need it.” “Who? Need what?” I asked, eyebrows bunching together. “The coins? If you don’t have any kids, you can spend it on the village.” “What’s the point…” she mumbled, her wrinkly face still in the shadows. “This is one of the poorest villages in the Light kingdom, wouldn’t the money come in handy?” I asked. “You could fix that bridge of yours, it was creaking so much we had to jump across.” “The bridge…” This lady’s gone senile, I thought to myself. I put the coins on the table. “Thank you for your hospitality, I’ll see myself out.” As I opened the door, she mumbled something I barely managed to hear. I stopped but didn’t turn around. I pushed the door open. I left the house, went back to the Inn and climbed into bed, trying not to wake up Lily. But I couldn’t fall asleep because the old lady’s words kept echoing inside my head. - “That makes no sense.” “It’s the truth.” “Holy shit, Lunaris, if you’re pulling my leg, I swear I’ll let Fate out just so he can fuck you up,” I said. “Why the fuck would I lie about this?” said Lunaris. “Besides, the others saw it too.” “We did,” added Adriana. “Not sure I believe it myself,” said Opal. I cursed. Lily was frowning too. Solaron hadn’t spoken a word since she got back, seemingly lost in thought. “Well, what do we do now?” I asked. I turned to Amy. “Any ideas? It’s supposed to be your Kingdom.” I winced as Lily elbowed me and shot me an angry glare. What? I asked with my eyes. She rolled hers in reply. “I don’t know,” Amy stated without meeting my gaze. “Damn it,” I said, massaging my forehead. “You couldn’t find him but you’re sure he’s still there?” “Yes,” replied Breize. “We can’t influence any of the ordinary people. It’s almost as if Fate still applies to them.” “Shit.” I paced the room. “There’s no reason to worry about this for now,” remarked Azoth. “If anything, the fact that the army has been disbanded and the Circle is unpopular with the people should be cause for celebration. We could probably take over the place ourselves if we wanted to.” “Azoth, stop trying to lift our spirits. If Origin’s powers are like Fate’s, we’re screwed,” I said. I turned to the goddesses again. “He must be hiding somewhere. Any guesses?” “What if he left.” We turned to the speaker. Solaron was leaning against a window facing away from the Fire kingdom. “Why would he leave?” asked Lily. “Fate never stays in one place,” replied Solaron. “You’re right,” I said. “If he’s related to Kai, he wouldn’t have stayed in one place for long. But where could he be?” Silence. No one knew the answer. I sighed. “Fine, let’s talk about this later. Is it time for breakfast yet?” “The village is holding a grand brunch in front of the elder’s house,” said Azoth. “Great,” I replied, dryly. Lily looked at me quizzically but I ignored her. She pouted as we left the Inn. There was a crowd around the well as the villagers helped prepare for the brunch. Mats lined the ground, bursting with food. They’d gone all out, which was appreciable, but… “Fuck,” I cursed. … it was all bread, cheese, and soup. I grumbled as we made our way to the well. The old lady wasn’t around but the villagers were very kind and treated us well. Lily snuggled into me after we were done eating. She put her head on my shoulder. I tilted my head onto hers. “You’re thinking,” she said. “I always do that,” I replied. “You’re thinking for real.” I sighed. Having a girlfriend wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be. “What if we were wrong.” “About Kai?” “Yeah, what if locking him up was the wrong thing to do?” “We wouldn’t be able to do this if we hadn’t,” she said. “True,” I agreed. “But what if he’s the only one who can fight Origin?” “We’ll figure it out somehow. If we locked him up, we can probably take care of Origin too. He doesn’t seem as powerful, somehow.” “I guess.” She moved and looked into my eyes. “There’s something else, something you aren’t telling me. What is it?” “I can’t keep any secrets anymore?” “Nope.” I chuckled. “Fine.” I took a breath. “We didn’t have Fate on Earth, right?” “Yeah.” “But we still managed to mess things up. You know what I’m talking about.” She nodded. “So what if this world does the same? Humans don’t need Fate to mess shit up. We’re capable of doing that all by ourselves.” “Yes, but the goddesses will be here to look after things. And…” her voice trailed. “And?” “So will we.” I nodded slowly. “I thought so. You don’t want to go back, do you?” “No.” “Me neither,” I said. She hugged me. I was startled, my hands hanging in the air. I brought them down on her back and hugged her back. She broke apart and smiled. I smiled back. “Guess we’ll be taking care of things here then.” “Yep!” “Can’t say that makes me feel any better, knowing how bad you are at organizing stuff.” She punched my shoulder playfully. “Fine,” I said. “Ugh, you’re going to make me gag.” I frowned. “Thanks for ruining the moment, Lunaris.” “My pleasure,” said the Dark goddess. “Now have you thought of any way to deal with that Origin bastard?” “Not yet,” I said, frowning again. “If we can’t even find him—” I stopped mid-sentence. Lily and Lunaris exchanged a confused glance. “What is it?” asked Lily. I didn’t reply. The old lady stepped out of the house, staring right at me. I thought back to what she’d said last night and my Ability activated. “Old lady!” I yelled, standing up. “You don’t have any kids.” The old woman scowled. “But that’s because you never did,” I said. “Runir,” hissed Lily. “Quit being a jackass.” I ignored her. “You never had any kids but you still have toys and ribbons in your house, as well as a family portrait. Did you have siblings?” Her scowl deepened, then faded as it was replaced by sorrow and guilt. The villagers were looking at me with disapproval, as were the goddesses, but I paid them no heed. “One,” she said. “And they had a child?” She nodded. “This village is in the Light kingdom, but it’s so close to the Fire kingdom that you observe their customs instead,” I said, mostly to myself. “Which means that you would have cremated the body and the child’s belongings if they had died.” “Runir, shut up now,” said Lily, as she approached. I walked resolutely towards the old lady, none of the villagers daring to block my path but still willing to stare daggers at me. “If you still have the toys and the ribbons, the kid’s still alive. Which means…” The old lady looked away. “… that she ran away.” “Runir, come here so I can smack some sense through your thick skull,” threatened Lily. “I’ve seen her.” The air stilled. The old lady blinked and her wrinkles loosened, making her seem years younger. “You’ve seen her?” “Yes.” Even Lily stopped in her tracks. The angry glares piercing into me turned to confused gazes. “Where?” she asked, her voice cracking up. “She fell off a cliff.” The silence was palpable. The color drained out of the old lady’s face. “She’s fine!” I added quickly. A collective sigh of relief followed. “Amy said she met her in a caravan on the bridge of babel.” “Her?” asked Amy, perplexed. “The girl stalking Kai all over the world?” “Yes,” I said. “He called her Clare.” The name hung in the air. The old lady trembled and her walking stick fell from her hands. A villager rushed forward to help her but she waved him away. “Where is she,” said May Skye, elder of Reneste village. “Where is Clare?” “I don’t know,” I replied. She frowned. “Then why did you bring this all up?” “You brought it up first,” I said. “Last night.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t remember mentioning her.” “You didn’t, but you gave me the hint I needed to solve this mystery.” “What mystery?” “The greatest mystery in the world,” I said. She wasn’t convinced but I couldn’t tell her any more. “I can help you find her.” That shook her from her suspicions. “How?” “I can retrace her footsteps,” I said. “Do you know which way she went?” “No,” she said. “I didn’t notice her leave and my Ability stopped working on her after that day.” I cursed. “Do you know anything else that could help us, anything at all?” “You said she was stalking that boy, that Kai.” “Yes!” I exclaimed. “Do you know where he went?” “No.” “Oh.” My smile faded. “But I heard a scream in the distance, right after he left.” “Where?” “I’m not sure,” she said. “It was so long ago…” I frowned. I was about to say something but got cut off. “I remember now!” she said, a light in her eyes. She pointed to the South. I thanked her and ran. “What the fuck is going on?” asked Lily as she ran after me. Azoth and the goddesses followed, catching up to me easily. “He knew her long before he knew any of us,” I explained, looking all over the forest for some sign, some clue that could clear up the fog. “Clare?” asked Amy. “We’re looking for Clare?” “No,” I said as something caught my eye. My Ability tingled and I knew I’d found it. “We were looking for this!” I stopped at the foot of a hill. I held my breath. A purple-robed figure sat on top of the hill, facing away from us. The others filed in quietly behind me as I walked up the hill. “Found you,” I said with a smirk. But this was Origin, he was related to Kai—to Fate. I couldn’t take him lightly. I prepared a void step just in case he lashed out. “He really is here,” said Amy, her eyes wide. “How’d you know?” asked Lily, her eyes locked on the figure. “Last night, the old lady said something strange. She said she’d lost someone named Clare, and she said she’d lost them twice. I was skeptical—it seemed like a leap of logic—but my Ability egged me on. I made it a part of my plan and everything started falling into place. So here’s my hypothesis: after coming to this world, Kai met Clare and either killed her by accident or saw her die.” “But she was at the shrine,” said Lily. “Yes,” I said, inching closer to the robed figure. “He revived her.” “What?” said Amy. “But he…” “…said he wouldn’t revive anyone. Yes, he said that when we confronted him but back then, when Clare died, he revived her. I assume something happened after that, something that made him avoid Clare and decide to never revive anyone ever again.” “What was it?” asked Lunaris. “I don’t know,” I said. “But we can ask him.” We’d surrounded him around the top of the hill. His face was buried in his robes and he hadn’t moved yet. Sweat dripped down my forehead and I prepared the strongest magic I could muster. “Origin,” I continued. “Is an extension of Fate. He brushed off Amy, and only Kai could keep him in check. It was almost certainly an act, because nothing could fight Fate so directly. Kai created Origin to put on a show for us, perhaps he wanted to create a common enemy to unite us against? Maybe he did intend to remove our needless antagonism and hatred but only after he had an alternate enemy for us to face. I don’t know. But what I do know is this guy should be able to answer some of our questions.” “Then let’s get started,” said Lunaris, black smoke curling around her. “Origin!” I shouted. “Surrender quietly and we’ll lock you up with your greater self. Resist and we’ll lock you up alone.” The figure’s robes shuffled. We tensed. Bright armors emerged on our figures, Amy’s fire lit up the sky, Lily and I prepared our magic and swords. The goddesses readied their magic; devastating spells that even deities couldn’t shrug off. Lunaris produced a natural anomaly from within her smoke. I primed my void step, aiming to push him towards Lunaris to finish it quickly. But as the figure turned, my magic dissipated. Cries of confusion rang out as the others saw his face, but I wasn’t listening. Instead, I remembered what old lady Mayer said: “I’ve lost my Clare twice. Keep your promise. Bring her back to me. Bring her back to me again…” “You’re here,” said the figure in the purple-robes. “I knew you’d come.” “You,” said Amy, breathing quickly. “Who are you?” Pain pierced my head. My Ability was running in overdrive, trying to save the plan I’d constructed. The pieces were falling, they were falling and I couldn’t catch them—not one! Lily noticed my pain and held my side. “Runir!” Through the pain and the clouded vision, I saw the boy rise, a crazed smile on his face. “I knew you’d be here. I never doubted for a second. On the turn of the millennium, you would come to where it all started, to the place our world was born!” My mind cleared but tears began flowing down my cheeks instead. The pain was gone because my Ability was no longer working. There was no way to save this plan. “No,” said Lunaris, her face aflush. “That’s bullshit!” The boy laughed, ignoring us completely. “You are nothing, nothing in front of our Lord! You cannot resist. You lie inside the circle! Into the Circle! Into the Circle!” I walked up to him and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. I Inspected the boy: Name: Joey Baner. Title: Chosen Origin. Ability: Conversationalism. Level: 15. “Our Lord is All Powerful! He is All Knowing! He is everywhere! He governs this universe and everything in it!” he continued rambling. “Shut up!” cried Lunaris. “Our Lord taught us our place in the world! Gave us guidance and purpose! Gave us his blessings!” I chucked him away in anger. He crashed into the ground but continued rambling: “For our Lord is the Creator! He made our world! He made the Goddesses and bound us all with Fate! He is where everything starts and everything ends. Our lord is Origin. Our lord is Fate. Our lord is the Circle. Our lord…” I racked my brains. What the hell was going on? “Our lord is… Zero!”

“The hero is here!” “All hail the hero!” “Mommy, mommy. I heard the hero came to beat the big bad demon lord!” “Yes, Felicia. The hero has come to save us from the evil demon lord.” “That’s not all, Ms. Marcia. I heard the hero bravely infiltrated the Dusk Alliance all on her own.” “Yes, I read all about in the papers. The Air Kingdom’s flying death machines were no match for the hero!” “She razed the cursed forest to the ground. It was all over the prism networks. Those despicable monsters tried to sully her purity but they bit off more than they could chew.” “That’s not the best part. I know someone inside the Light temple and they told me the hero fought with the Dark goddess herself!” “No way! The goddess wouldn’t stoop low enough to fight the hero directly, would she?” “She’s the goddess of those demons up north, I wouldn’t put anything past her. Besides, they must be desperate by now.” “Fair enough. But the hero managed to survive an encounter with a goddess. Isn’t she amazing?” “She’s kind too. Have you heard about the Earth kingdom? They’re horrid people who enslave their children as soon as they’re out of the womb. They make the poor things mine miles below the earth until they die.” “Terrible, absolutely terrible. Just what you’d expect from those barbarians.” “Yes, but get this. The hero couldn’t bear to let such inhumane acts go unpunished, so she destroyed dozens of mines across the Earth kingdom. Not only did they lose a ton of money, but a whole bunch of slaves saw the light and joined the Union’s army!” “She converted those heathens? She truly is the greatest champion of the light!” “Oh, here she is! That horse is magnificent. I heard the LeAgua company provided the finest horse in their stables. Rumor has it, the hero is personal friends with the Water goddess,” said the woman in a white gown. “Really? Nothing surprises me anymore,” said the lady in a pink dress, as she fanned herself with her hands. I guided Spirit along the road, waving to the people lining the streets who showered me with flower petals. Spirit whinnied in protest when a short man came over to take his reins. I patted his neck gently and handed him over. I walked the rest of the way up the city, letting the light shine off my stainless Mithril armor. The people fawned over me, and discussed my adventures with gratuitous compliments. “I heard she tricked the demon lord, too.” “Yes, the demon lord escorted her over his own territory! What a fool.” “Another sign of the hero’s cunning, I reckon. They say even the evil goddesses gave her their blessing.” “I heard she faced off against that Origin monster in the Fire kingdom.” “Look at her hair too.” “And her face. It’s like a sculpture.” “I wish she’d have a drink with me.” “You crazy, old man? You have no chance with the hero.” “I can dream, can’t I?” “Look, she’s going into the palace!” “Hero!” “Hero!” “Long live the hero!” “Long live the Union!” The palace doors shut behind me. I took a deep breath, and walked up the promenade. Soldiers saluted me, their pikes pointed above my head to make a tunnel. Fountains lined the walkways, gushing with clear water that cascaded into the gardens. The gardens were full of white peonies and daisies. As I approached the main hall, my armored foot clanged against the hard marble floor, sending echoes throughout the nearly empty palace. All the servants were in the left wing, readying the hero’s banquet I would be attending in the evening. I pushed open the white doors and entered the throne room. “Took you long enough,” said Fabar, or rather, Adriana. She’d told me her real name a while back. The water goddess was wearing a sharp navy-blue suit with golden buttons and cuffs. “You’re the one who made me wait two days at the border,” I reminded her. “You wanted to parade me through the kingdom.” “The hero’s return is a momentous occasion. They’ll write stories about this,” she replied. Stories, that reminds me of— “Fate is strange,” said the person on the throne. It wasn’t the king. The royal family had been told to stay in their quarters, and the person who gave that order, was… “Solaron, you’re the only goddess that still compliments fate,” said Adriana, facing her sister. “I do not have any unreasonable affections for Fate, but even a skunk’s stench is worthy of praise, for nothing else but its effectiveness,” she said. “If Fate makes the Hero come back to me, is that not worth complimenting?” “It wasn’t Fate that led me back,” I said, curtly. “Yes, you came to fight the demon lord. Yet your newfound love for justice is certainly Fate’s doing,” she said, fixing her fluffy white dress. The Light goddess looked exactly as I’d imagined her. Pale skin, white hair, and a haughty demeanor. I’d only heard her voice when I first came to this world, but even then, I could tell that she was full of it. Now, the dozens of rings and pearl necklaces, as well as the regal, feathered dress she was wearing, all confirmed why I’d hated her immediately. “Solaron, the hero must be tired after such a long journey,” said Adriana. “We should let her rest before the big banquet.” “You are correct, dear sister,” chimed the Light goddess. “I’ll summon someone to escort her to her chambers.” “No, it’s all right. I’ll take her there,” said Adriana. “Nonsense, you’re the Water goddess, just wait a—” “It’s fine, you need to go prepare for the banquet too.” “Oh! You are right, I forgot my glass tiara. See you girls later,” said the Light goddess as she vanished. Adriana and I left the throne room and walked down an empty but well-lit, corridor. “Glad to see you got here safely,” she said. “The LeAgua company was escorting me, even the demon lord wouldn’t attack them so brazenly just yet,” I said. “I wouldn’t put it past that bastard,” she said, quietly. We walked silently until we reached a small door. “Why do they know so much?” I asked. “Huh?” “The people outside, why do they know so much about me? They know where I’ve been and what I’ve done, only they think it was a plan to take down the Alliance,” I said. “News of your exploits have been spreading for a while now. I thought you might have been whispering in your sleep or something, but I guess that wasn’t the case,” she said. “And since my information network was not involved, that leaves only two possibilities.” She opened the door. “Let’s step inside.” The room was opulent and lavishly furnished. The walls were dotted with rare rubies and a dust of silver, the bed carved from the finest mahogany and laced with gold leaf inlaid with emerald, and the sheets and curtains were fashioned from pure silk and embroidered with intricate designs and magical symbols that increased their softness. Or at least that’s what the plaque on the wall said. After admiring the room, Adriana and I sat down on the bed. She stretched a hand and the sheets vanished. I didn’t object, magical symbols made me antsy. “Like I said, there are two possibilities. It could be one of your friends, since they would know about this stuff. The demon lord doesn’t stand to gain anything from this, but maybe one of the others has a hidden agenda. I say this because I couldn’t dig up anything on those two, though I do have my suspicions regarding one of them, the other is a complete mystery.” “And the other possibility?” It didn’t seem like the kind of thing Kai or Amy would do. “It’s a scary idea but one I’ve come to accept over the years,” she said. She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “If you asked us, the goddesses, who was the strongest among us, we’d say it was Lunaris.” That crazy asshole. I should have— “But if you asked us who was the most dangerous,” she continued. “Then the answer would be Solaron.” Solaron, the light goddess? “More dangerous than that crackpot Lunaris?” I asked. “I mean she has it all down; crazy powerful and just plain crazy.” “Exactly,” said Adriana. “Lunaris is unhinged and unpredictable. She doesn’t plan, she doesn’t think. And that’s where Solaron excels. There’s a reason the Union is more prosperous and populated than the Alliance, and it isn’t all because of the resources at their disposal. Solaron has been managing things from behind the scenes, slowly nurturing her lands whilst destabilizing the Union.” I furrowed my brow. Was everything I’d seen of her a façade? “Oh, but she is definitely an airhead,” continued Adriana. “She’s like a different person when she isn’t managing the Union. Fusses over makeup, and gossips all the time. Frankly, she’s annoying.” “Oh…” “She’s probably been collecting information about your travels ever since you left. Her spies are everywhere, spreading the word of the goddess and reporting back to her through their prayers. I’d keep an eye out for them in the future.” She stood up. “I need to go now. The conclave’s coming up soon and I’ve been out of the loop for a while. I heard something big was about to happen, I need to do some research.” “Take care,” I said. She hugged me and left the room. As the door clicked close, I collapsed onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, I thought about what had happened since Granny’s cottage burned down. After consoling Fabar all night, I helped her get to the nearest LeAgua company outpost. She told me her real name was Adriana and formally introduced herself to me. She blessed me, which made my level shoot up again. We hitched a ride across the marshy lands of the Water kingdom, following various leads in search of Granny’s killers. We eventually caught wind of a group of bandits burning villages and towns all over the place, causing mayhem and spreading terror among the people. After tracking them down, we interrogated them but couldn’t get a word out of their mouths. Even after Adriana had her men torture them, they wouldn’t speak a word. Adriana sent them to a secret prison and told her people to tell us if the bandits revealed anything. A few days later, her team sent a message. The bandits hadn’t said a thing, but after running a few tests, the company’s analysts had concluded that the bandits came from the Alliance—specifically the Dark kingdom. At the same time, we found out that similar bandit teams had been uncovered across the Union, and all of them showed signs of being from the Alliance. Then Adriana’s information network said the demon lord had sent these bandit teams in secret, to chip away at the Union’s resources. But as I stared at the ceiling, something bubbled up inside me; suspicion. Something was strange, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I sat up, tied my hair in a bun, changed into something more comfortable, and jumped out of the window into the growing night. - I crept along the bustling roads of Cerena, the capital of the Light Kingdom. It was still early in the night so the socialites and elites were still inside, preparing for the balls and parties that would run through the night. The people on the streets were the working folk going home or helping prepare for the parties. A few nobles appeared from time to time but their guards pushed the crowd to the sides so they could stroll straight down the street. Still, I caught a whisper here and there. “Prices are up again,” said a gentleman in a bowler hat to a lady in a dress. “They say the crops have been burning all over the kingdom,” said the lady. “Yeah sure, listen to the government,” said the man. “It’s probably those darned nobles trying to leech more money. Burning crops, you expect me to believe enough crops have been burned to make the prices go up so much?” “Sure Jack,” said the lady, rolling her eyes. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to trust the government for once.” Walking further, I came across an old lady lecturing a younger woman. “I’ve been alive long enough to remember, this is the sort of thing that happens before every war, got that?” said the old lady. “Those heathens up north love killing our folk, it’s what they live for. Nasty beasts, they’ve been plundering the countryside forever, killing our people, raping our women. You heard the reports?” “Yes, mother,” said the woman, exasperated. “It’s just bandits, things have gotten rough because of the tax hike, that’s all.” “Not it ain’t! The tax hike is cuz they don’t pay their taxes but still use the roads. I’m telling you, this happens every time. We let em in, and they mess everything up, so we have to go to war to put them in their place.” “Come on mom, they’re not all like that. You’ve known Tabitha for a long time, she’s from the Alliance.” “She’s one of the good ones.” I left them behind. A bunch of kids came running out of an alleyway. They had wooden swords and tattered robes, and ran around in circles. “I am the demon lord, fear me puny insects!” said the oldest kid, laughing maniacally. “No way!” said the others, as they tried to hit him with their swords but got knocked aside easily. The big kid kept laughing until he was picked up by his shirt from behind. “What do you think you’re doing out so late, Jeremy?” “But sis, it’s only eight!” complained the big kid, as the other kids snickered. He shot them a threatening glare but they didn’t stop. “No buts, it’s a school night young man,” said the older girl as she dragged Jeremy away. “Big sis Mary’s the hero!” “Yeah, the hero always wins!” I stopped by a window. The house was large and well decorated, with statues and sculptures all over the place. “The king wants to do what?” said a high-pitched voice from within. “It’s just a rumor, we won’t know for sure until tomorrow.” “But why would he do that, all of a sudden?” “I’ve heard the Alliance has been provoking the people of the Union for a while. They’ve been raiding villages, and cut off trade along the bridge. Our merchants have been disappearing in the Dark kingdom, and the demon lord’s regime won’t help us find them.” “Still…” “And the new demon lord’s an absolute monster.” “How so?” “I heard he experiments on his own people. Kidnaps babies straight from their mother’s bosoms, and tortures them to death to invent better weapons.” “That’s detestable.” “Indeed.” “But still, would we not make things worse by taking such drastic measures? The hero just got here, isn’t it traditional to give her as much time as possible. The later the war, the stronger the hero, and therefore, the greater likelihood that she’ll beat the demon lord.” “Yes, it might escalate hostilities further, but we have no choice. From what I know, the real reason His Majesty wants to do this is because of secret intelligence he received straight from the Light goddess herself.” “From the goddess?” “Yes.” “Well, what is it.” “It’s all pretty hush-hush, but one of the guards overheard the king’s court discussing it the other day. Apparently, the demon lord developed a frightening weapon that can destroy entire cities.” “Rubbish.” “It’s true. They say entire villages have been wiped out in the Dark kingdom, seemingly overnight. All the survivors talked about roiling clouds of darkness. Of course, the survivors vanished soon after, no doubt silenced by the state.” “That’s—” “The weapon has already struck in the Fire kingdom.” “Really?” “The entire kingdom’s in lockdown because of Origin and the Circle’s terrorist coup, but what little we know suggests that entire cities have been destroyed in waves of darkness.” “How could that be? The Fire goddess wouldn’t allow for that!” “The Fire goddess is nowhere to be found. Her shrine was destroyed by Origin several months ago.” “Then why doesn’t Origin do something about it?” “Are you kidding? He’s a monster, an abomination of the worst kind. He’s probably happy the demon lord is using ordinary people for target practice. Besides, he wouldn’t be able to stop him. The weapon strikes without warning and annihilates its targets in seconds.” “Then if…” “It hits us? Yeah, that’s the problem. I have to say, I disagree with the current government’s policies but at least the king still has his head on straight.” That sounded like a terrible weapon but something doesn’t feel right. Would Runir do that? Then again, he was behind Granny’s death. Or was he? “It’s cold, Elizabeth. Mind closing the window?” “Sure.” The window shut and I couldn’t hear anymore. I wandered the city, hearing similar conversations all over the place. People complained of taxes and price hikes, then cursed the Alliance and the demon lord. Some were afraid for their lives, having heard tales of border raids and the demon lord’s weapon. Others complained about the barbarism and savagery of the Alliance, and the demon lord’s inhumane treatment of his own people. I stumbled into the slums, which were just as lively at night, if a little seedier. There I heard a similar sort of conversation. “Curse those Allers, heard they ruined another batch of crops. We already got nothing to eat and they went and poisoned all our wells!” “Honey, don’t get mad. We’ll get through this.” “Don’t you be telling me to calm down when things are this bad. The kids haven’t eaten in days, and the guards’ been out recruiting against the bandits up north. If they don’t stop and war breaks out, I’ll be out fighting while you’ll all be here starving to death!” “It’ll be all right, I’m praying to the goddess.” “They’re praying to their cursed goddesses too! You know what the church said, our goddesses can’t fix nothing cuz the other goddesses wanna destroy!” “Hush dear, I think the baby’s up. We’ll talk later…” “All right.” The baby’s wails faded away as I moved on. There was a large crowd outside an old, rundown building. I pushed my way closer and heard a deep voice preaching loudly. “Hear me, believers. We the righteous, we the chosen, must take heed! The enemies of peace, lovers of hate and destruction, the heathens who refuse to acknowledge the truth, they are on the rise!” The crowd roared its approval. My heartbeat quickened. “The ancient scripture dictates.” The voice paused. “That the roots of all evil are the goddesses of evil! The goddess of Air created want. The goddess of Earth created desire and greed. And the goddess of Darkness gave birth to death, destruction, and terror! Tell me, is that not repulsive?” The crowd jeered. “Tell me, if you had the power to shape the world, would those be your gifts to humanity? Would you create greed, lust, selfishness, and death? Would you constantly try to push the world towards darkness? Would you take joy in the misfortune of others, like a sick, sick monster?” The crowd booed and hurled insults. “Or would you, my friends, do what our goddesses did. Would you bless the world with kindness like the Fire goddess did? Or grant humanity abundance and plenty, and the means of living a happy, prosperous life, like the Water goddess did? I know what I would do. I would do what the Exalted Light goddess chose to do. I would grant humanity that which is unparalleled, sets us apart from the animals, and makes us human! I would create love, love and affection, that is the best of creation.” What was this? I’d never heard of this before. None of this was true, the goddesses didn’t make the world, Fate did. The crowd was restless, shouting praises for the Light goddess. Many cried tears of joy and a few fell onto their knees. Hysterical. They were all hysterical. “But fear not, brothers and sisters. We know what we must do. To rid the world of all evil, the forces of evil must first be vanquished!” Huh? “It is only through righteous conquest that we can save the world from the tyranny of the evil goddesses. The poor heathens of the Alliance have fallen for their witchery so we must liberate them, show the truth, guide them to the righteous path so that their souls may be blessed upon their return to the Light goddess. Of course, once the Dark goddess is defeated, death will plague us no more. Fear, famine, and farce will be no more. Brothers and sisters, once we liberate the Alliance and defeat the forces of evil, we will usher in an era of unparalleled prosperity for all of humanity. Food will no longer rot. Disease will be eradicated. Honey shall flow in rivers and lakes of the finest wine will spring forth, blessing the people of this land. We will be happy. All our needs and desires will be met. No injustices will occur ever again for men will no longer transgress upon each other’s rights. And brothers and sisters.” He paused again. “We will be immortal! We will be righteous! We will be… Victorious!” The crowd screamed, chanting the same phrase repeatedly: “Let there be light! Let there be light! Let there be light!” These guys were crazy, I needed to get out of there. I tried to leave but was jostled back in place by the feverish crowd. “Do you want a house? You’ll get a house!” Crazy, this is crazy. Maybe I should jump straight up. “Is there a girl you want to marry? Then prepare your wedding ring!” Right, time to leave. I braced my knees and crouched, preparing to jump. “Have you been betrayed? Do you want justice?” I hesitated. “The unjust shall be punished once their protectors are defeated!” It’s religious bullshit, Lily, ignore it. “Has someone you loved broken your heart?” A couple of faces flashed in my head, but I shook them away. “Worse yet, have some unfortunate circumstances gotten in the way of your love.” Runir. He’s the demon lord. “Would you like them to go away?” I— “Then join the liberation movement! Join the holy war! If you die, you’ll become a martyr whose soul will be greeted and blessed by the goddess herself. And when we vanquish the enemy at last, you shall be revived! But most importantly, you will fight for your future, and your children’s future, and your grandchildren’s future. You will fight for hope. You will struggle for love. You will light up the world with the light of truth and benevolence. Brothers and sisters, let us spread the light!” “Let there be light!” cheered the crowd. I jumped out, and although a few people noticed, I was gone long before they could react. - Stumbling through the dark alleys of Cerena while making my way back to the palace, something caught my eye. In the center of a deserted square was an iron sculpture around ten feet tall. Its features were well carved out, and the armor was intimidating, exuding an air of rugged yet regal power. A sense of dominance and righteous authority that made everyone droop their shoulders and bow their heads, a presence that was refined, majestic and maybe even a little heroic. “Is that an older hero?” I mumbled. Unlike me, they looked the part, felt confident, and probably gave everyone around them a sense of security. This was a hero you could go to war behind. I walked up to it and the cold but shiny armor reflected my features. I hadn’t seen myself in the mirror for a long time so the bags under my eyes and the sunken cheeks were a surprise. But the biggest surprise was what wasn’t there: the scars I’d earned over years on the streets, the acne that crept over my forehead during puberty, the crooked nose from when I’d been pummeled by a larger kid, and the fierce light in my eye that wasn’t even a pale fire. There was more. I didn’t match the statue; I couldn’t. I was too uncertain, knew too little about the world, and worried about the unknown. I wasn’t trusting of others, so I didn’t give off an air of trustworthiness like the statue did. I was too used to betrayal. But was I heroic? A less regal, more rugged type of hero. I was realistic, sometimes brutal, and maybe I wouldn’t trust you with my back. But I cared. I’d jump to save an innocent person, even if it put me in danger. I would do the right thing even if it tore my heart apart and made me hate myself forever. There was something fishy going on in the Light kingdom, and I didn’t want to be a part of it. The Dark kingdom was killing people, so I’d fight them, but I wasn’t going to do it on the goddess’ terms. I left the statue and returned to the palace. - “Adriana,” I called out as I spotted her sitting alone in the garden. She nodded in acknowledgment but never lifted her gaze from the pond. I sat down beside her. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “Solaron told me something unsettling,” she said. I waited for her to continue but she didn’t. “So unsettling you can’t tell me?” She didn’t reply. I didn’t know what to say, so I stared at the pond too. The bottom of the pond was white marble, and the water itself was clear. However, a layer of grime had settled onto the marble, killings its luster and dulling its sheen. “Do I have to be worried?” “You’ll find out soon.” I frowned. Just as I was about to pursue the matter, a servant walked over and bowed. “Exalted Hero, this came for you,” she said, handing me a parcel. Mail? In this world? I grabbed it. Adriana looked over, her face sullen. My heart beat rapidly as I opened it. A small, crystalline prism appeared, giving off a dark light that was, for some reason, more reassuring than ominous. “Hello Ms. Hero…”

Water dripped from the ceiling, crashing onto the hard rocks, sending echoes across the empty chamber. If I concentrated, I could make out the faint breathing of the guards outside the door. The bubble fizzed and whirled with energy, energy that I couldn’t directly control. It was a refreshing experience. Amy, Lily, and Runir, they were out there somewhere, trying to fix the problems I had created. There was a lot to do but then again, they had all the time in the world and wouldn’t be coming for my help just yet. Good thing too, since I had more immediate matters to attend to. Specifically, a headache—a headache I’d been trying to heal for a long, long time. The rhythmic breathing of the guards was cut off by a grunt and a sharp cry. The breathing resumed, only longer and deeper than before. I sat up as the creak of the door heralded the arrival of the beginning of my troubles, even though the curtains had just been primed. “Waon!” A purple hellkitty strode into the room, tail upright, eyes glinting, and ears pointed. “Hello Waon!” I said. “How are you, old nemesis?” “Waon!” cried the hellkitty. “Your dastardly plans shall never succeed!” I said, waving my fist at it. “Waon.” The hellkitty yawned. “Your provocations won’t work on me!” I said, holding my head high. “You’ll never be funny,” came a voice. “Spoke too soon,” I said. A hand reached down to pet Waon, who purred, filling the silent chamber with its guttural vibrations. “I finally caught you,” said Clare as she stepped into the room and shut the door. “Yes, you did,” I said. “No teleporting away at the last second?” “I would if I could.” “No masked monstrosities to get in our way?” “Origin is busy right now.” “That’s you in the bubble right, not a clone or something?” “What can I say, I’ve always liked bubbles.” I chuckled mirthlessly. “No running away?” “No, not this time.” She approached the bubble. “You’ve been avoiding me all these years. How?” “Tracked you and made sure I was somewhere else.” “Stalker.” “I could’ve spied on you for real, if I’d wanted to.” “Somehow doesn’t make me feel any better.” “Sorry,” I said, meeting her eyes for the first time in years. “I wasn’t ready to face you.” “Why?” “Because I knew you’d ask questions. The wrong kind of questions.” She was quiet for a moment. A drop of water fell from the ceiling, startling Waon, who hissed and trotted away. “I’ve waited so long for this moment but now that it’s here, I don’t know where to start,” she said, her voice low but still managing to carry across the empty cave. “Start with the first question you wanted to ask me all those years ago,” I said. “What’s the point? I already know your answer.” “Couldn’t hurt to ask.” “Fine, will you revive my parents?” “No.” “Knew it. You’ve had decades to do so if you wanted to.” “I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to.” “Then, why didn’t you?” “You know why.” “No, I don’t.” I was taken aback. “Really?” “Yes, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “You can’t think of a single reason why reviving people could be a problem?” “No.” “Don’t lie to me. You know.” She hesitated, looked at her hands, then met my gaze. “No.” “You’re lying. You came to the same conclusion I did but don’t want to say it. I won’t blame you, though. I know how hard it is to face the truth. Hell, I don’t blame Runir and the others either. They’re running from the same conclusions you’re avoiding, the same truths you convinced yourself were false.” “You can’t bring them back.” “I can!” I shouted, exasperated. “Don’t you see? That’s the entire problem in the first place! I can bring them back. Exactly the way they were. Same memories, same characteristics, same everything.” I pressed my face against the walls of my prison and whispered, “Doesn’t that send a shiver down your spine?” “Yes,” she said. “It scares me how you refuse to do it even though you can.” “Damn it, you don’t know anything. None of you do!” “I know you’re a pathetic human being.” “No, you’re a pathetic human being. That’s the point, don’t you see? Can’t you see anything?” “All I see is a hysterical madman with a god-complex.” I grabbed my head and kneaded it like dough, as if that would help me calm down. It didn’t. “Hysterical. It’s funny how we use such a funny word to describe what happens when smart people can’t get through to idiots like you.” “I’m cracking up,” she said, dryly. “Sarcasm, lovely. It’s so hard to tell when someone’s being sarcastic. They could be telling the truth or implying that you’re an idiot for thinking that they were telling the truth.” “It’s usually easy to tell,” she said. “It’s very easy to tell,” I agreed, crossing my arms. She sighed. “I spend decades tracking you down, looking for an answer, and all I get are incoherent ramblings.” “I never ramble,” I assured her. “Everything I say, everything I do, I do with purpose. I don’t let what other people think cloud my judgment because other people don’t have the same perspective.” “You’re underestimating them.” “Really? When people see a pile of dirt and it’s the tallest thing they’ve ever seen or heard about, they’ll think it’s the tallest place in the world! People make decisions based on the information they have and the goals they want to achieve. But what if you don’t have all the information? What if your goals are impossible to achieve or even worse, what if when you do achieve them, you realize that they suck?” “Then give them that information. Don’t guard it like a dog with a bone. Get some more opinions on it. Maybe your conclusions aren’t right?” I laughed. I laughed so hard my stomach began aching. “I can’t even—” I laughed some more. She frowned. “What is it this time?” “Everything!” “I don’t understand.” “Exactly!” “You’re not making any sense.” “Nonsense!” “You’re crazy.” “Yes!” I screamed. “Yes, I am!” She looked at me pitifully. Waon turned its tail to me and rubbed against Clare’s legs. “You weren’t like this when we first met. You were kind, caring, sane. What happened?” “Oh?” I tilted my head and smiled. “Finally, an interesting question. Tell me what you know so far and I’ll begin from there.” “I know you left Reneste as soon as you revived me and changed my ability and title—” “Wrong! I never changed your title.” Her eyes widened. “What? But then…” “It was a natural consequence of your position in the world. Your title represents who you are publicly. But it doesn’t base that off what society thinks of you, but rather what the system thinks of you.” “So, it’s based on what you think of me?” “No, the system is independent of me. I created it, created this world, in fact! But it isn’t literally me. Now continue, what do you think I did after I left Reneste?” “You went all over the world.” “And how do you know that?” “My ability.” “You know I never gave that to you either?” “Another consequence of the system?” “No.” “Then what?” “It’s what you wanted, apparently.” Her mouth hung open for a while. “What?” “I wanted to give you any ability you wanted. This is what you chose.” “But why would I choose something like this?” “You liked stargazing, didn’t you?” “That can’t be it.” “You also hated being lost, no, you hated being left alone.” She stood quietly. “So, I traveled the world,” I continued. “Then what?” “You went to Fohil and stayed for a while. I almost caught you.” “Almost,” I smiled. “Then you went to the Fire kingdom and we met at the shrine.” “I didn’t think you’d catch us.” “I wouldn’t have if I’d followed my ability, but I decided to guess where you were going and took a shortcut.” “That delay in Ashpoole probably helped too.” “Yes, I saw that in the sky.” “You can’t see the details, right?” “No.” “Then you don’t know what I’m trying to do.” “No.” “But you do know where I’ve been teleporting to over the past year or so.” “Yes.” “Why didn’t you just wait for me there?” “I thought you wouldn’t go there if I pitched a tent and waited.” “Fair enough.” “Actually,” she said, lifting Waon and petting it. “Why did you go there every time? I can’t think of anything special nearby, except maybe Reneste.” “It’s the most special place in the world!” “Why?” “It’s where I did it.” “Did what?” “Made my decision.” “About what?” “About this world.” She stopped petting Waon. “And that decision is?” “What do you think?” I said, smiling. “You won’t destroy it,” she said, looking away thoughtfully. “You love it too much. I doubt you’ll change it much, considering how you haven’t done anything for decades. You obviously aren’t going to fix anything.” She tapped her chin. “I don’t know, maybe you’re going to stay in there and let everyone else clean up your mess?” “My mess?” I raised an eyebrow. “You think this is my fault?” “Of course,” she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re Fate. You cause pain, suffering, and death. You have the power to shape the world any way you want and you chose to make it the way it is.” “I didn’t know.” She dropped Waon, who complained with a shriek. “Didn’t know what? That your actions were causing so much misery? That you were responsible for millions of deaths?” “Yes,” I said, my voice finally dropping. This was why I didn’t want to meet her. I knew she’d find my biggest weakness—my guilt. “I didn’t know. In my world, all of this was a game.” “Pathetic excuses,” she spat. “Even if you didn’t know before, you’ve had decades to stop the madness yet you refused. You can’t plead ignorance to that.” “No,” I whispered. “I can’t.” She clenched her fists and her expressionless face broke into an angry scowl. She kicked the bubble and shouted, “Why!” I watched quietly. She kicked again. “Why!” And again. “Why.” And again. “Why…” She fell on her knees. “Why couldn’t you be the Kai I first met? Why couldn’t you just do the right thing so we could move on? Move on to watching the stars. Move on to telling stories by the camp fire.” I dropped onto one knee on the other side of the wall. “You were amazing! My bard telling stories in the moonlight. My—my big brother!” She sobbed. Waon sat down beside her, rubbing its head on her side. I looked down, breathing slowly to calm myself. I knew this would happen if I met her, yet I’d persisted. It wouldn’t hurt if I was expecting it, right? Wrong. “Why are you still here?” I looked up. Her eyes were red, her cheeks swollen. “Why haven’t you escaped yet?” she repeated, her voice hoarse and words broken. “You think I can escape from this?” “Of course, you’d never let them put you in there if you didn’t have a way to get out.” I frowned. “What do you mean?” “I figured it out a long time ago.” She laughed as she cried. “You couldn’t have avoided me like that just by tracking me. You were always a step ahead, as if you knew what I was going to do.” I opened my mouth but no words came out. “That’s why I was so angry when you said you didn’t know. Liar. You’re a liar, Kai!” “Yes, I am.” “You know everything!” she shouted, getting up. She pointed at me and yelled, “It’s why I hate you so much. Not only do you have the power to change everything, you have the knowledge too! You knew I was going to come here. You knew we’d have this conversation. You knew that I knew, but you pretended like you didn’t. You keep asking all these questions even though you already know what I’m going to say. You give me all these half-answers even though you know I won’t understand any of them! You’ve been leading me around the world, playing me like a puppet on a string. It’s all a game to you. We’re toys for you to amuse yourself with. For you to poke and pinch, and make funny noises! You’ll throw me away as soon as I lose my value, as soon as I stop being interesting. You don’t care about any of us. Never have and never will. You made us so you could play us and don’t have the decency to put us away properly!” “You’re wrong,” I said. “I do care.” “Sure! Like I said, you care about us if we’re fun. If we’re entertaining. If we’re willing to play your little game. But no! I won’t do it. I won’t play your game, I will not be a character in your game.” “But—” “But I don’t have a choice, right?” She wrenched her hair. “You know what I’m going to do and you’ll make that a part of your game too. In fact, you’re probably enjoying my breakdown right now. You’re laughing inside, I’m sure of it!” “No, no I’m not.” “Liar, you’re a liar Kai!” “Yes I am.” She laughed hysterically—there’s that funny word again—and fell flat on her back. Waon shrank away. I stared resolutely at the ground. “What happens next?” she asked from the ground. “I escape.” “Then?” “I make them fight each other.” “After that?” “I decide.” “Decide what?” “What I’m going to do with this world.” She laughed. When her laughter died down, she said, “And you won’t tell me, will you?” She stood up. “No need to answer. I already know what you’re going to say. Is that how you feel all the time?” “Not really. It’s not as fun as you’d think.” “How can knowing everything not be fun?” “Because everything you can know is not everything you want to know.” Silence. Water dripped from the ceiling, but didn’t make a sound as it hit the floor. “What should I tell them when they get here?” “You can track other people too?” “You knew that. Please stop pretending. Please.” “Tell them to bring me their best solutions.” “Solutions to what?” she asked, picking up Waon again. “To everything.” I stepped back, standing right in the center of the bubble or anomaly as Runir called it. Me? I called it by its true name. An error in the system. A piece of code that didn’t do what it was supposed to do. The bane of every programmer. A bug. I called up my status. It hadn’t changed since the first day I got here. Even my age had been frozen. Under the abilities section was the source of all my headaches, my ability—re:write. Sometimes I wanted to erase it. I would have been able to do it, I knew I could. But that’s exactly why I didn’t. Absolute power was a pain in the ass but absolute knowledge was the worst part. “When I sat down on the Hill outside Reneste, I pulled up my status screen just like this. I finally had the chance to explore the full extent of my ability, so I decided to make the most of it,” I said aloud, more for myself than for Clare. “It started off with a map of the world, then an expansion of my own abilities of comprehension and retention. Soon, I knew what everyone on Erath was doing. But that wasn’t the limit, so I pushed on. I found out everything about the past nine hundred years and beyond. I watched my characters play the game, leading millions of helpless souls to death over and over again. I saw the carnage I’d caused, the pain I’d inflicted, and it filled me with grief, disgust, and guilt. I wanted to fix things, I really did! But I didn’t stop there. I kept exploring. Having reached the limit of the past, I turned my attention to the future. And that’s where things went to hell. I spiraled into a never-ending vortex of frustration, one I haven’t been able to escape since.” My eyes went from my ability to the lower right corner of the screen. There lay a small red button with a ‘D’ on it. I heard footsteps from beyond the door, more than a dozen of them. Someone cursed. “The guards are out of commission!” came a voice. I pressed the button as the door shook. “Damn it, this can’t be—” The door opened. Runir stepped inside, followed closely by Lily, Amy, and the other goddesses. Clare had her back to them but her lips were trembling. The bubble was gone and so was I. I observed them from afar as Runir threw Lily out of the room. Amy caught her and blasted off as Runir fired a void ray at her back. Amy let go of Lily as they burst out of the cave, unable to touch her anymore. The void ray narrowly missed Lily’s neck but she managed to land and broke into a sprint. The goddesses left, Lunaris cursing loudly and Solaron biting her lip while looking at the sky. Clare was the last to leave the room and headed straight for the Hill. The armies that had been marching to unite against Origin, suddenly came to a halt and switched directions. An army rose from the Fire kingdom, led by the Circle and the king, both working together. The armies stopped on either side of the Bridge of Babel and waited. The sun blazed, sending relentless waves of heat and light onto the thousands of people lined up below. The faint sound of crashing waves carried over the hot air, filling the ears of everyone present with a distant yet powerful roar.

I lay on my back, closing my eyes as I drifted on the sea. The waves lapped gently over my body, pushing me further and further away from the shore. But I didn’t mind. In fact, it was strangely relaxing. As if, for a few moments, I could forget everything that ate away at my mind and soul and let the world take me where it wanted to. I’d yearned for power on Earth and cursed my inability to protect my parents and my life’s work. But ironically, now that I had the power I’d yearned for so desperately, I found myself longing for the exact opposite. Now that I could control my own destiny, I wished for uncertainty and doubt. Now that I possessed unimaginable strength, I desired vulnerability. Now that I could fix everything with a thought, I thirsted for a challenge. And now that I knew what I had learned on the Hill, the thing that I craved for the most was ignorance. I let the waves carry me for a little longer, but I knew I couldn’t stay there, not when the others were flailing about in the water. The Hero, the Demon Lord and a Goddess; some of the most powerful people in this world but none of them know how to swim. Kinda sad isn’t it? Right, time for lifeguard duties. ‘re:write.self.equip=raft’ A sturdy, wooden raft appeared below me, lifting me out of the water. It had a small white sail that flew uselessly in the gentle sea breeze but I wasn’t planning on using it anyway. I had already found them through a combination of Map and a new favorite called ‘Locate.’ I could have picked them up one by one or teleported them all straight to the raft but I didn’t want them to know the extent of my power just yet. So I rewrote the ocean. Waves surged and pushed them towards the raft while also keeping them afloat. I pretended to maneuver the raft towards them as they drew nearer. Soon, I pulled out a coughing Amy and a choking Runir and let them rest on the raft. I found Lily splashing around violently and had to shout for her to calm down before rescuing her. She coughed out water and lay down on the raft like the others. For a long time, none of us said anything. But I was certain that we had different reasons for our silence. “Do you think he’ll follow us here?” asked Lily, breaking the silence. “I don’t think so. I doubt he knows where we are but I get the feeling that he wouldn’t care to follow us even if he did,” I replied. I could feel the tension in the air dissolve as the realization hit them-they were safe. I suppose it was a new experience for all of them, in a way. The unbeatable Goddess had been beaten. The genius tactician outmaneuvered. And the tenacious thief subdued. They’d survived by the skin of their teeth but they knew that their enemy hadn’t fought them seriously. In fact, that indifference made them feel even worse about their powerlessness, because it made them feel like they weren’t even worth the trouble of killing. “The girl. I saw her fall off the cliff. Where is she?” asked Amy. I sighed. “She’s pretty tough, she’ll be fine.” “But –” “She’ll be fine.” She still looked unconvinced, but dropped the matter for now. She stepped back to lean on the sail which was fluttering uselessly in the gentle sea breeze. “What is he? Some sort of God or phantom? I don’t remember him at all,” asked Runir, sitting up. “Remember from where?” I asked. “Books,” he said quickly. “I’ve read a lot of books since I came to Erath but none of them mention someone like that.” “I don’t know but what I do know is that we can’t hope to beat him. At least not yet.” No one spoke for a while, silently mulling over the disheartening truth. “How did you manage to hit him? Everything I tried went straight through him,” asked Lily. “Secret,” I said. “Kai. This is not a joke. That guy blew up a shrine. A Goddess’ shrine. He took over Ashpoole and I’m sure Beigo can’t resist him for long either. The Fire Kingdom is…” Amy’s voice trailed off. “Kai, this is serious. I know you don’t like talking about your Ability but we need to know how to beat him and for that, we need to know why you can hit him,” said Runir. “Alright, but even if I tell you how to hit him, do you think you can hit him hard enough?” I said. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Do you want me to spell it out for you? You’re weak. Too weak. There’s no point in telling you how to fight him if you can’t even scratch him.” “Hey, you didn’t do so well yourself, you know?” Runir retorted, his face contorted into a grimace. “Be that as it may, you have no chance against him. None of you do.” Lily frowned. “You can’t know that. If Amy used that spell she used in the end, but you know, managed to hit him, we might have been able to –” “No,” said Amy, her voice barely audible. “It won’t work.” “Why not?” “We can’t fight him. No one can. He’s Fate,” she whispered, dejected. “Fate? Damn it, why does everyone in this world keep saying that? You decide your own fate, not the other way around. Your decisions, your choices, they make you who you are, not Fate or whatever,” said Runir. “If that is the sort of world you come from, then I must admit I envy you. But here on Erath, our destiny is tied to what we’re born with. Fate decides who we are and what we can do,” she continued. Runir grit his teeth and was about to reply but I stopped him. “That’s not important right now. Regardless of whether you can resist Fate, one fact remains indisputable – you guys are far too weak.” Runir glared at me. “Well, that’s kind of your fault, isn’t it?” “My fault?” I asked, frowning. “Yeah, I haven’t leveled up once since I met you and I’m sure Lily and Amy haven’t either. And now that we can’t go to the shrine to get the Fire Goddess’ blessing, Lily isn’t going to get a convenient Hero boost either.” “And what do you want me to do about it?” “Stop scaring away the monsters.” I stared at him, disappointed. He knew why I didn’t want to kill monsters. He’d seen the Ashfiend, he’d heard Vandrake’s reluctance to attack. Most high ranking monsters, the kind that would give people like them enough experience points to level up, were sentient. They had thoughts and feelings, dreams and hopes, they could love and they could hate. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Even Amy and Lily looked uneasy, but since they didn’t outright reject it, it meant that they were considering it. “If someone is born evil, does that make them evil or unfortunate? If someone is born good, do their actions merit praise or is that just a matter of course? These monsters kill because they have to. They are monsters by nature,” I said. “But if you do this, you will be monsters by choice.” We stared at each other for a while. No one spoke, letting the sea fill the silence. “Fine,” Runir muttered, breaking his gaze. “But then what do we do?” asked Lily. “Well, we may not be able to go to the Fire Goddess’ shrine, but the Air Kingdom is just on the other side of the sea,” I replied. “But the Air Kingdom is a part of the Dusk Alliance. Taking the Hero there would be dangerous,” said Amy. “I agree, it would be very risky,” said Runir. “Of course it will, but –” “Let’s do it.” I turned towards Lily. “I admit, you will be the one in the most danger so you should get to decide but don’t make this decision lightly. Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked. She nodded. “I can tell, you know. You punched him, Amy nuked him and Runir tried to make a plan. You guys fought him with everything you had but all I did was stare. Despite all that crap about being the Hero, I’m just a burden right now. I need to get stronger.” I smiled. “Great! Since you’re so determined, we should make the most of our journey and train along the way.” “Training? It takes forever to level up with training. It’s not worth the effort,” said Runir, dismissively. “True. Normal training can only take you so far, but, what I have in mind isn’t normal.” I smiled. “I have a bad feeling about this…” muttered Lily. “You should join in too, Runir. You could use the workout,” I said, ignoring Lily. “Er, no thanks. I’m good,” said Runir, taking a step back. “You sure?” I sighed and shook my head. “Oh well, your loss. Here you go Lily.” I tossed her a pouch. Runir’s eyes followed it into Lily’s hands. “Hey, Kai… is that a –” he began. “Thanks Kai! It’s beautiful!” she said, flashing the ring on her finger. “Um –” “Glad you liked it.” I smiled at her. “Kai…” “Yes Runir?” “Where’s my ring?” “I’m only giving it to her because she’ll need it for the training,” I explained. “Does that mean you’ll take it back after we’re done?” asked Lily, hiding her hands behind her back. “No, you can keep it,” I said. Lily smiled happily while Runir stared at the ring. She noticed his stare and smirked at him. “Fine, I’ll do it,” he sighed. “Glad you came around,” I smiled, tossing him a ring. He put it on and admired it with a grin. “Now then, get in the water.” “What?” asked Lily. “No way,” said Runir. “You agreed to the training, didn’t you? Now do as I say or I’ll take back those rings,” I said. “But I don’t know how to swim.” “Me neither.” “It’s okay, the rings will keep you afloat. Now get in,” I said as I pushed them into the water. They screamed and flailed about for several minutes and tried to climb back onto the raft. Of course, I mercilessly pushed them back in every time. Eventually, they gave up and held onto the sides of the raft, coughing out water and gasping for breath. “Alright, first things first, you need to learn how to swim. Hold onto the raft and start kicking with your feet.” They hesitated for a while before giving up and kicking the water leisurely. I scolded them and made them kick harder while telling them to keep their back straight. Soon, the raft was moving along at a reasonable pace. “Hey… Kai… ” said Lily, panting. “Yes?” I said, reclining on my beach chair. “How… much… longer... do… we… have… to… do… this?” “Until we reach the Northern continent,” I replied, sipping my lemonade. “That’s… bullshit!” “Stop complaining and kick harder. Look at Runir, he’s giving it his all. Try to learn from him.” “Fuck… you… Kai… ” Runir groaned. I looked out towards the sea. I’d made sure that we were traveling in the right direction and estimated that we’d reach the Northern continent in a week or so, which was more than enough time to train them to a decent level with the added bonus the rings gave them. I looked over at Amy, who was sitting on the raft with her head between her knees. I’d offered her a chair but she didn’t respond, which made me feel concerned. It also made me feel guilty but that’s just how I always felt in this world. “Hey Amy.” She didn’t respond, but I knew she’d heard me. “Just because you couldn’t beat him this time, doesn’t mean that it’s hopeless.” She still didn’t respond. “You just have to get stronger.” She stirred but didn’t say anything. “It doesn’t matter how strong you are, you can always get stronger. That, I can promise you. So why don’t you start training too?” “...okay,” she said, lifting her head and taking a deep breath. “Great! Here you go,” I tossed her a ring, “start kicking.” - The moon was shining in the dark night sky, drawing silvery lines on the calm waters below. Lily lay curled up in a sleeping bag, muttering in her sleep, and I was sure I knew what she was saying. Amy was sitting with her back to the sail, pretending to be asleep. Her legs kept twitching for some reason. I mean, all she’d done was kick for a few hours, shouldn’t a Goddess have more endurance than that? Runir was sitting on the edge of the raft, his feet dangling in the water as he looked out to the sea. His eyes were unfocused, reflecting the silver moonlight dancing on the waves below. Even though he’d just spent the whole day kicking the water, he didn’t look tired at all. In fact, he looked sad and melancholic. It wasn’t surprising really; Lily was never shy about her emotions and Amy didn’t have enough experience with them to hide them, but Runir always bottled his feelings up-never letting anyone see what was inside his heart. I walked over and sat beside him. He flinched but didn’t say anything, and neither did I. We sat there on the edge of the raft, gazing at the moonlit sea and enjoying the cool seawater washing over our legs. “Admiring nature is one of my hobbies,” I said, breaking the silence. Runir grunted, and gently stirred the water with his legs. “Hey… ” I said, splashing some water on him. He frowned in annoyance and glared at me. “What now?” “Wanna hear a story?” I continued, meeting his gaze. “Oh, is it my turn to cry then?” he sneered. I heard Amy shuffle closer but Lily’s colorful sleep-talk continued undisturbed. “Nah, this one won’t make you cry.” WhoCares Please support the story by liking the chapter (by clicking the little heart symbol)!

I stared at the cracks running across the ceiling. They spread out from the corner of the ceiling directly above the bed where I lay, making it easy to follow them as they snaked across patches of crumbling, gray paint. I raised a hand towards the ceiling and curled my fingers into a fist right below the center of the cracks. My vision blurred as the images of the fist and the cracks superimposed for a moment. What if...? And then I slammed my fist back onto the bed. Fuck! Stop dreaming! You’re pathetic, pitiful, and powerless. You couldn’t stop them from taking away your life’s work and ruining everything! I sighed and let my gaze fall from the ceiling onto the only thing in the room that was almost as useless as me – my old computer. An ancient machine that wasn’t even worth the effort of scrapping; the only reason I hadn’t thrown it away was because it was my very first computer. It was also the computer I used to make my very first Role Playing Game, or ‘RPG.’ Heh, I thought I’d come a long way since then but I guess I haven’t. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift back in time... Kos Kara, Escalon, Wyvern’s Quest, The Last Fantasy ... all my masterpieces. My childhood dreams turned into reality. And yet, I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t stop them from fucking them up! - I walked through the heavy wooden doors. “You called for me Mr. Smith?” I said. “Kai! Welcome, welcome. Good to see you! How’ve you been? Living it up in the new mansion, I’m sure?” said Mr. Smith, flashing me a quick smile. The small wooden plaque on his desk identified him as the CEO of Palcrox, the largest video game company in the world. “Course I am! Had to celebrate our new deal, right?” I said, smiling back at him. “Of course, of course. In fact, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about today,” he said, leaning forward on his chair and putting on his business face. “You see, we’ve consulted with some of our top analysts and editors, and they’ve proposed a few edits that I’d like you to go over. Nothing too serious, but I would really appreciate your input on this. It is, after all, your game.” “Right,” I said, wiping the smile off my face and sitting down. I grabbed the file he passed me and began looking through its contents. “Add repetitive motions to increase hours of game-play... need catchier soundtrack... tone down story... plot too thick... focus on action...” I murmured, going over some of the recommendations the experts and analysts had so graciously given me. “Uh, Mr. Smith –” “Hold on for a second – Yes?” he said, picking up the phone that had started to buzz with an annoying jingle. “Yes, yes. The fifteenth sequel is in the works. We’ll release it on time and fix up all the bugs in the first ten patches or so. We already have people working on the patches so rest assured. Bye.” “Right, sorry about that Kai, you were saying?” he said, as he put his phone down. “Mr. Smith, I’m sure you realize that Kos Kara is a fantasy RPG. The story is meant to be thick and immersive, and nobody likes endless hours of grinding, even if it does increase the hours of gameplay,” I said. “Well Kai, our experts believe that modern audiences don’t care about stuff like that anymore. I understand that you’re one of the few game developers out there who still sticks to the old formula, and that’s worked for you so far, but you’ll fall behind your rivals if you don’t change with the times. Adapt to your audience. You understand, right? Besides, we aren’t asking for big changes, just a few tweaks here and there. They’re all there in the file so just keep reading,” he said in a measured, professional voice. I continued to read the rest of the file as a growing sense of unease rose in my stomach. However, I ended up agreeing with Mr. Smith’s arguments since the proposed changes didn’t seem too outlandish. I’d just have to adapt a little and move on, I told myself. I gave him a smile, shook his hand, and said yes. But I didn’t go to the mansion. The mansion was huge, beautiful, and magnificently designed, but I didn’t like it. It was empty, lonely, and fake. So, I went to my parents’ house instead. Back to my old room. And that’s when I saw the first crack on the ceiling. - I sighed as I stared at the computer sitting in the center of the room. I sat up on the side of the bed, the wet sheets squelching beneath me. No point thinking about all that now though. You’ve already decided, haven’t you? I stood up and carefully made my way towards the computer, making sure to avoid stepping on the white lines and symbols drawn on the floor. I turned it on and picked up the book that lay on the table beside it. I sat down on the chair in front of the PC and waited for it to boot. I stared at the cracks again. - “Mr. Smith, don’t you think the edits for Escalon are a little too heavy?” I said, barely suppressing the anger bubbling inside me. “Now Kai, we’ve been over this before. Our consumers are gravitating towards simpler games and we need to make sure that this game is well received,” said Mr. Smith, waving his finger from side to side as if he were lecturing a child. “Quick, fast-paced, testosterone filled power-jerks. That’s what the consumers want.” “But this changes everything about the game! You want to take out the multiple endings and the open world mechanics as well as all the side quests!” I exclaimed, standing up from my seat. “Kai,” he said, sternly. “I’ve been in this business for 20 years now and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that video games aren’t nearly as magical as they seem. It’s all about catering to our consumers while balancing the cost of production. And to do that we need to cut out the unnecessary elements. Besides, this way everyone can focus on the addictive battle mechanics, the gorgeous graphics and that amazing main story-line that you wrote!” We continued to argue for several hours before I returned, dejected, to my old bedroom. I had to give in. At least I still have control over the main story, I thought while gazing up at the ceiling. The cracks had spread. - I leaned back on the chair and started reading the book for the umpteenth time. It’s so hard to find real books these days. Everything’s written on computers now, though I probably wouldn’t mind it as much if fiction wasn’t dying out. Why the fuck does everyone want to stick to the real world just because science is so interesting? Nobody gives a damn about imagination anymore because reality itself has become so unbelievable. I sighed again. I turned to the computer and grabbed the mouse. Yes, it had a mouse. It was a really old computer. It didn’t even have a standard holographic interface. I brought the cursor on top of the only application on the screen. The first RPG I’d ever made, and also my favorite. After all, it was an uncorrupted representation of everything I believed an RPG should have. Open world mechanics, multiple endings, a deep and thought provoking story-line. Although the graphics were pretty basic, the world itself was huge and complex and you could probably spend hours just exploring everything on the map. The story had a simple enough premise. There were six kingdoms, each representing an element and worshipping a different Goddess. The water, fire and light kingdoms represented the Holy Union and the earth, air, and dark kingdoms represented the Dusk Alliance. Both sides were locked in an eternal battle decreed by the Goddesses, but were locked in a stalemate that only the player could break. But what really made me love this game were the choices it gave you. You could choose to be the Hero on a quest to lead the Holy Union against the Dusk Alliance, or you could choose to be the Demon Lord bent on conquering the Holy Union! Then you could choose exactly how you wanted to go about achieving your chosen objective. And it was one of those old-school RPGs where you’d be asked a bunch of questions to determine your personality type, and then assigned a unique special ability that no other character had! I sighed again. If it’s this game, then I’m sure I won’t have any regrets. - I violently thrust the door open. “Mr. Smith, what is this!” I shouted, swinging the small box in my hand, wildly. “Wyvern’s Quest, it’s... it’s... a fucking endless runner! It’s worse than Temple Run!” “Sit down Kai,” he said offhandedly, not even raising his eyes from the papers he was signing. “There’s no need to shout. Also, please don’t swear in the office and calm the fuck down, okay?” “I will not fucking calm down Mr. Smith! Look at what you did to my game! And you didn’t even fucking tell me, god damn it!” I shouted, slamming the game on his table. “I think I told you to stop swearing and sit down, Kai,” he said sternly, looking up from his papers and giving me a disapproving look. “And I think you’re under a misunderstanding here, this isn’t your game. It’s our game. Palcrox owns it, you just helped design it.” I stared at him dumbly and then I bit my lips until I felt the taste of metal. “Mr. Smith, no, Leer, I thought we had a mutual understanding regarding the integrity of my work. If you felt that something was unsatisfactory, you could have at least run it through me,” I said, in a measured tone. “Now look here kid,” he said tersely. “Why do I have to run our game through you? Besides, these changes were essential. Your first couple of games were popular enough but they didn’t make nearly as much profit as they could have if we’d implemented what our analysts were telling us. And after the concessions you forced out on your last game, our analysts estimate that we lost millions of dollars in profit and –” “But those estimates assumed that the same number of people would’ve bought those games. They wouldn’t have bought those games in the first place if those changes had been implemented!” I exclaimed “Don’t you dare interrupt me again son!” he shouted, getting up from his seat. “Our version of Wyvern’s Quest is estimated to net several billion dollars in sales, in-game purchases and ad revenues! If you want to survive in this industry, no, in this world, then you have to fucking adapt! Got that son?” “But...but –” “No buts! All your rivals are netting big bucks for our competitors and the shareholders are getting on my case for choosing you to lead our team. So shut the fuck up, and make the games that our customers really want!” I stared at the red faced, balding old man sitting in front of me and sighed. I almost forgot. People don’t care about culture or art anymore. Nobody cares about stories. Nobody bothers to treat a story with respect. They skim through the prologues, ignore the exposition and the cut-scenes, and spend hours smashing buttons in pre-determined combinations. I turned my back on the CEO of Palcrox and left the glass doors of the company’s headquarters. I returned to my room in tears. The cracks had spread to the walls now. - I stood up from the chair and flicked through the book. The intricate patterns and indecipherable symbols would have given the book an air of sobering mystery and arcane wonder, if not for the notes and doodles, all of which were in bright, pink ink. Some of the diagrams were colored in, and a few pages had obviously been torn out. The previous owner’s name was scribbled on the back cover, although the handwriting was essentially gibberish. The page I was looking at had a giant circle full of runes and symbols, just like the one drawn across the room. At the center was another circle, inside which I stood with the computer by my side. Let’s see now, better design a new character. Don’t want to get caught up in the actual story line so I probably shouldn’t work myself into the plot. In fact, let’s skip the entire story itself. It would be pretty boring if I knew how everything was going to happen after all. I hope it doesn’t make things too confusing, though. Ah well, I’ll piece things together with a little effort. Having a story shoved down your throat is no fun, after all. I began to design my character. I was powerless in this world, but I will not be powerless any longer! - “Please Mr. Smith, this is the last one. I put everything into it. If you’d just do this for me this one time, I’ll do anything you say from now on. Please!” I pleaded helplessly, knowing it was in vain. “Ha! Don’t underestimate my contacts kid. Did you really think I didn’t know that you’ve tried to sell this game to every video game company in the country? And now you’ve come groveling back to me.” He sneered. “Nah kid, nobody will buy your game and I know you had to sell your mansion a couple of months ago. You’re on your last legs and you know it. Listen to my advice kid; take the cubicle down the corridor on the fifth floor and start working on Angry B*rds 50. Your Last Fantasy ain’t gonna see the light of day, so you best just give up already.” I stood up and turned around, never meeting his gaze. I didn’t want to see the smug face he was probably making. “Yeah, I guess I will give up,” I said, listlessly. “Ha, ha! That’s the spirit boy! The last cubicle on the right, we’re almost done though. Just need to debug it, so go lend a hand with that,” he said. I didn’t reply. I opened the door of his office and walked down the corridor to the elevator. I don’t remember how I got back to my room that day but I do remember the cracks. They were everywhere. - Done. I took a deep breath, closed the book, and put my hand in my pocket. Then, I took out a lighter. Either it all ends today, or it begins. I lit the lighter and brought it under the book. The pages crackled as they caught fire. I threw the burning book onto the bed that I’d soaked with gasoline, and watched as it erupted into flames. The whole building would burn in a few minutes. I chuckled. I hope Mr. Smith likes my parting gift. The flames spread all around me, licking my clothes but not engulfing me just yet. The cracked ceiling finally began to crumble as chunks of paint and cement began to fall. I closed my eyes and said the trigger word I’d memorized from the book. The symbols and runes began to move and glow, as the circles lifted off the floor. There was a bright flash as I lost consciousness. - Leer Smith was in a happy mood today. He’d finally gotten the famous game designer, Kai Zero, to submit to him. Even though his ideas were very outdated, he was a real celebrity in the gaming community. Palcrox’s reputation would surely rise right alongside their stocks. Those old fools on the board of directors will have to give me a bonus now! Thank you, Kai, you little bastard. His phone began ringing. “What is it?” he said, trying to light a cigarette while holding his phone up with his shoulder. “Sir, it’s an emergency! Someone’s cracked our system and deleted all our files! All the data has been wiped clean, even the backups on isolated systems!” shouted the voice on the other end. “What! How could that –” His eyes went wide and the unlit cigarette fell from his lips. “What about the files on my computer? Those files are absolutely necessary for the company’s future!” He scrambled to turn on his computer. The holographic screen flickered as the machine came to life. And in the center of the otherwise empty screen was a hand raising its middle finger.

“Wake up dear.” Someone shook me awake. I groggily rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The world slowly swam into view, wobbles and waves stilling as the ripples of unconsciousness died out. Where am I? I thought. Damn it! I shot up ramrod straight. The Goddess. Runir. The smoke. Kai. Where— “A lively one, aren’t you?” I turned to face the voice, and saw a kindly old lady looking at me with an affectionate smile. Her apron was splotched with grease, and her oaken hands were full of calluses accumulated over decades of work. “Where am I?” I asked aloud this time. “What happened…” I rubbed my forehead as a sharp pain shot through my skull. “Careful, dear,” said the old lady. “You were hurt very badly when I found you. Worse still, you were mumbling in your sleep. Nightmares, I reckon.” She waved her spoon at me. “That’s what you get for swimming in the swamps, dearie. Full of nasty things, that swamp.” What? “Been telling them to drain it for years,” she continued prattling. “But they say the evil spirits will escape. Flummery, I say. Scared themselves, those government pennies. One egg or two, dear?” “Huh?” I voiced, staring at the bleached bones holding up the old lady’s hair. “For breakfast, dear. One egg or two?” she repeated. “Ah, one please,” I replied, completely caught up in her pace. “No, no, that won’t do dearie. You’re young, you need your energy. Besides, you’re recovering, you need the protein. Listen to Granny Nipa and you’ll be back on your feet in no time,” she said as she cracked two eggs over a frying pan, lit her stove with a spark-stone, and began frying two eggs. As Granny Nipa bustled around behind the kitchen counter, I looked around the room. It was a cozy little room, with knitted sweaters hanging over the couch, and photographs framed and placed on top of the shelves. “Did you find anyone else at the swamp?” I said, thinking quickly. Runir being the Demon Lord complicated things, but I still wanted to know where my friends were. “Sorry dearie, seems only you were silly enough to jump into the rapids,” she said, speaking over the crackling sounds coming from the pan. Shit, so now I was lost too. I inspected my body. Everything seemed to be in place, although there were some nasty bruises on my stomach. Maybe it had been for the better. Runir was the Demon Lord. The fucking Demon Lord! God, I was stupid. I picked up one of the photographs on the shelf. A younger Granny Nipa greeted me with a warm smile and a little girl shyly buried her face in her clothes. Must have been her granddaughter. Amy and Kai were no better, damn it. They obviously knew what he was, but they never told me! Hell, they could have at least told me to watch out for Runir. What if he’d stabbed me in the back to get rid of me? I picked up another picture; this time the little girl’s face was visible, although her eyes were hidden by her long, navy blue hair. Damn it, why did he have to be the Demon Lord? It was so unfair, damn it! Why me? Why was it always me? First Rusty, and now Runir; why was everyone I liked always a fucking traitor? “Breakfast’s ready dear, come wash your hands!” Granny Nipa called. “Coming!” I said replacing the photo on the shelf. However, something caught my eye as I turned to leave. The last picture on the shelf was a simple one. Just one person staring into the camera. It was the little girl from the other pictures, somewhat grown up and with a wide grin plastered over her face. Navy hair, rosy cheeks, and a mischievous light in her bright blue eyes. This was a sparky little girl. She reminded me of myself, or rather, she could have been me in another life. One where I hadn’t been born a street urchin, beaten to death after being betrayed by my best friend, or fallen for the Demon Lord who played me like a fool. I walked into the kitchen and saw the tabletop covered with steaming hot dishes. The smell wafting through the air melted my mouth, but I checked myself immediately. I’d been betrayed twice. No matter how nice this old lady was, nor how delicious her cooking seemed, I wasn’t about to trust her so easily. “Sit down dearie, I’ll be right over,” she said, bustling over the counter. I pulled up a seat but didn’t start eating, warily eyeing the old lady as she searched for something in her cabinet. I’d already checked her Status as soon as I’d woken up, but there had been nothing strange in there. She was level four, although a note stated she had been level 16 in the past. Her Ability was a simple one: Porridge Queen, and its result were obviously not very threatening at all. “Now where did I put it. Nipa, old gal, you’re losing it,” she wheezed before exclaiming in triumph. “Here it is!” She grunted as she picked something up and tottered towards the table. She put a glass bottle next to the steaming porridge on her side, breathed heavily, and smiled at me. “Vintage scotch. Been saving it for a while,” she said. “You see, today’s a very special day.” She scooped up some porridge and dropped it on her plate, before doing the same for mine. Still wary but unwilling to seem rude, I took some of the other food on the table before the old lady served it to me. However, I didn’t eat a bite. “Yes, very special day,” she continued, her voice petering out as she nodded solemnly. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” she whispered, creeping me out. She didn’t say anything further, nor did she touch the food growing cold on her plate. Instead, she stared into the distance with her baggy, wrinkled eyes unfocused. It put me on edge, so I readied a magic spell just in case and held my breath. She muttered something again, her eyes growing a little watery. But then she turned her face towards me, breaking from her trance. “Why aren’t you eating, dearie? Your porridge will get cold. Dear me, children these days…” she said, shaking her head and tut-tutting. I was just about to respond when there was a knock on the door. Granny Nipa’s eyes lit up as she heard the sound, and she frantically tottered over to the door. “You came! Look at you, you little rascal, you!” came the old lady’s voice. I tried to see who she was talking to but she was blocking my view. “Oh, no! You look thinner than a toothpick! You haven’t been eating right. Dear, dear, what am I to do with you,” she rambled. “Come in, let’s get some meat on those bones. Your hair’s a mess too! Have you been combing it properly? You haven’t! Oh, how will you ever find a husband like this, dearie?” She continued to prattle for a while, commenting on the visitor’s clothes, shoes, height and who knows what else. Finally, an exasperated voice cut through the tide of fretting. “I’m fine, granny. Can I come inside now?” The voice had a hint of childishness weaved together with the sternness of an adult. “Of course, of course, silly me. The food’s ready, come join us before you go take a bath. You smell terrible,” she said. The visitor sighed before following Granny Nipa inside. “Oh, by the way, we have a guest, dearie. Little girl washed up by the rapids just like you did, all those years ago,” said Granny Nipa as she turned around. “Picked up another tramp, huh,” said the visitor in an exasperated tone. “You know you don’t have the energy to take care of them like you used to.” She stepped out from behind the old lady, and I instantly caught my breath. Navy hair, rosy cheeks, and bright blue eyes. This was the girl from the pictures! However, there was something very strange about her. For one thing, the spark in her eye was gone; replaced by a cold, analytic gaze. But there was something else too. Something I couldn’t quite place. Her eyes combed through my appearance as she evaluated every aspect. I shifted uncomfortably, not used to being analyzed like bacteria in a petri dish. She frowned a little, but then her face returned to normal and she smiled politely. “Hi, I’m Fabar. Pleasure to meet you,” she said, extending a hand in greeting. I grasped it firmly. “Lily, pleasure to meet you too.” She smiled and took up another seat around the table. Granny Nipa sat on her seat, and continued to fuss over the girl. The girl didn’t seem to mind the old lady’s nagging as she smiled and nodded, and played along with the woman’s requests. I didn’t even notice as our plates emptied, and the jovial atmosphere put me slightly at ease. I ate the meal but didn’t say much, keeping an eye on Fabar even as she ignored me. Granny Nipa opened the bottle of scotch, but Fabar wouldn’t let her drink, saying something about her liver and kidneys. She had a glass, and although she offered to pour me some, I declined. “Now then dearies, it’s getting late. Off to bed!” said Granny Nipa. “Ah, it’s okay. I should be going, I’ve bothered you enough,” I said, getting up from my seat. “Thank you for your hospitality, I’ll be sure to repay you in the future.” “Nonsense, it was nothing. But dearie, you can’t leave now. There are no lights in the swamp, and you can’t take any torches because they’d blow up the gas! I don’t want to fish you out again, my hips ache too much already,” she said. I looked out the window, and had to agree that I wouldn’t be able to find my way in the darkness. I finally agreed to share the night, but I had to share a room with Fabar. Granny Nipa came into our room just as I had snuggled under the blanket. She walked over and gently patted my shoulder and stroked my hair, and began humming a strange tune. Fabar was still in the bathroom, and at first I assumed that Granny Nipa was just waiting for her but then she started singing. Little girl, little girl, don’t say a word, Granny loves you more than, the whole wide world, Little girl, little girl, don’t you cry, Granny knows that one day, you will fly, Little girl, little girl, fly like a bird, Go and fly, all over the world, Spread your wings, far and wide, Toss your problems, to the side, And if you get hurt, just you remember, You can come home, just you remember, Little girl, little girl, if you ever need a rest, Just fly on back, to Granny’s nest. Her guttural voice, and the simple, unsophisticated melody made it a little jarring at first, but soon I couldn’t help but feel as if a strange spell had been cast over me. A strange mix of nostalgia and longing overpowered me. I thought of the old lady at the orphanage back home, and how she’d sing us lullabies in the winter. Only in the winter though, mind you, to help us go to sleep in the freezing cold. But there was something different going on here. This was a real family, they had real bonds and real love for each other. Something I’d never experienced. Not with Rusty, Runir, nor anyone else. Fabar had entered the room at some point, although she stood still in front of the door with her eyes downcast. Granny kept humming the song while patting my head. She stopped, ruffled my hair, and heaved herself up. She tottered over to Fabar, who was trembling visibly. “Little girl, little girl, don’t say a word,” she sang, hugging Fabar. “Granny loves you more than the whole wide world.” They stayed like that for a while. Fabar’s voice muffled by Granny’s clothes. “You came back,” whispered Granny. Fabar grunted in reply. They separated, Granny kissed her forehead, and left the room. Fabar walked quietly into her bed and nestled under the blankets without a word. Her irregular breathing suggested she wasn’t asleep, but I couldn’t blame her for that. I couldn’t go to sleep either, partially because of everything that had happened today. The Goddess who attacked us for no reason, that Saar girl working for Circle, Runir being the Demon Lord, and now my intrusion into this family. It was a lot to digest and kept me awake for hours. Eventually though, Fabar’s breathing evened out and my eyelids began drooping. Just as I fell asleep, many images flashed inside my head. The Goddess’ smoke, Runir’s face, Kai’s hands, Amy’s robe, and the pictures on Granny Nipa’s shelf. The last picture, in particular, stayed stuck in my head. Navy hair, rosy cheeks, and a mischievous glint in her eye. It was a sparky little girl. She looked just like Fabar, except for the look in her eye. My eyes shot open as a great weight pressed on my stomach. A hand covered my mouth, muffling my shout of alarm. I couldn’t see who it was, but I knew there was only one person it could be. The bright blue eyes staring coldly at mine, confirmed it. “I don’t know who you are, and what you’re trying to do here, but if you hurt Granny Nipa,” hissed Fabar, as her hand curled around my neck. “You’ll wish you’d drowned in the mud.” Silence, broken only by shallow breaths. I nodded. Her hand slipped off my mouth. “You never grew up,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. A sharp intake of breath. Then came the counter: “Your name isn’t Lily.” My turn to hold my breath. Damn it Lily, you dumbass. You were supposed to use your fake name! Silence again. “Now answer my question,” she said, pressing down on my stomach a little more. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gone in the morning,” I replied. Yet, a part of me wanted to stay. To forget everything and live with Granny forever. It would be a much simpler, happier life, I was sure, and Granny Nipa could clearly use the help. “You don’t have to be so possessive, though,” I said, not knowing when to shut up. “I’m sure Granny loves you even though you left her for so long. And hey, wouldn’t it be better if someone stayed with her to take care of her. What if she got sick, or couldn’t cook anymore?” Her eyes narrowed. “Hell,” I continued. “Would you even know if she died? Out here, in the middle of nowhere.” She grabbed my neck and brought her face inches from mine. “You don’t know anything, kid,” she breathed. “You know what. I’m not going to risk it. Can’t let a liar like you be around Granny for long.” Something cold pressed against my skin. Something cold and wet. Water magic? I thought, confused. I checked her status again, and found no mention of water magic. In fact, her level and Strength should not have been high enough to pin me down like this. A sinking feeling in my stomach told me something was wrong. Very wrong. What little light came in through the window reflected off a giant blade of water that swung silently towards my neck. I frantically prepared some magic to counter it but it was too fast, and too close, for me to dodge! It struck, splashing me with a cold, wet feeling. But there was no pain. The bright blue eyes blinked a couple of times, before narrowing once more. And then the little girl spat out in a venomous tone: “Hero or Demon Lord?”

A little boy poked his sister on her forehead and ran away. She chased him down the streets bustling with hawkers and pedestrians. They scared a flock of birds pecking at the breadcrumbs being thrown into the air by an old man sitting on a bench by the road at the city center. A dog barked at the flying birds before curling up to the old man and rubbing against his leg. The old man scratched the dog’s head with one hand while throwing another handful of breadcrumbs with the other. I licked the ice cream in my hand as we walked past the old man and his dog. Some of it dripped down and fell onto the ground beside the dog. It broke away from its owner and came over to sniff the melting treat. It tentatively reached out with its tongue, licked a bit of the ice cream and decided that it liked it. It lapped up the rest in no time and tried to follow me, probably to get more ice cream, but it reached the end of its leash quickly. It gave me a fleeting, sad look before perking up as its owner called it from behind. It dashed over to the old man and cuddled with him once again. Zoe had been staring at the dog for a while now, fascinated by the little creature but unwilling to go over to it. Sensing her reluctance, Kai walked up to the dog and petted it. The dog rolled over as Kai rubbed its belly and messed up its fur. The dog barked happily and wagged its tail as Kai asked the old man if he could borrow it for a bit. The old man agreed and Kai released the dog from its leash. He brought it over to Zoe and told her to pet it. Zoe’s eyes widened as she stared at the dog before gingerly reaching for its head and petting it lightly. The dog barked and wagged its tail. Zoe smiled and played with it some more. The old man had to leave so he called the dog over. Zoe hugged it one last time before letting it go scurrying back to its owner, scaring the birds yet again. We walked over to a store with a glass window showing a young couple standing behind a desk inside. Mannequins wearing bright, flashy dresses stood next to the couple as they flirted with each other. A bell rang as we opened the door and the couple ran to welcome us. They had some scrolls framed on the wall behind the storefront, with the Academy’s insignia on them. The couple saw us looking at the scrolls and smiled proudly. They asked us if we were studying at the Academy and when we nodded, their grins widened. Happy to see their juniors, they promised to give us great deals and to show us a little trick. They snapped their fingers and someone screamed. Zoe was on the floor, staring at a mannequin with its head tilted to its side. The mannequin had its hand outstretched. The couple giggled, the mannequin pulled back its hand, bowed and turned around. Other mannequins jumped out of their positions. They brought out a couch, pushed Kai and I onto it, and paraded in front of us while showing off their dresses. A mannequin in a brilliant blue dress picked Zoe up and tossed her onto its shoulder. It proceeded to dance and twirl with a screaming Zoe hugging its faceless head. The mannequin threw Zoe to the next one in line—a mannequin in a green suit. This time, it danced while holding onto Zoe’s arms. She swirled and jumped to the beat of the music that had appeared out of nowhere. With a final pirouette, the mannequins threw Zoe into our laps. The couple clapped their hands and the mannequins froze again. Kai and I exchanged glances, overwhelmed by what we’d just experienced. Then we heard someone giggling. Surprised, we looked around for the source. Zoe squirmed and raised her head. She was giggling uncontrollably. We ended up buying a lot of dresses, and to be fair to the young couple, they did give us incredibly low prices. Zoe walked out of the shop wearing a brilliant blue dress, waving at the storefront as we walked down the street. A wooden hand waved back from behind the glass door. - Back at the Academy, we saw Lily confronting Runir for not meeting her at the cafeteria. Even as she scolded Runir, her hands fidgeted behind her back. Runir said something and her hands stopped. She opened her fists and I saw something flash inside them for a second but it disappeared before I could see it properly. She turned around, her face away from us. Zoe greeted them and soon enough, we were out visiting all the local attractions and eating ice cream—again. Probably not the healthiest of days, but it was a memory worth cherishing. - The days whizzed by in a blur. Runir attended classes, sometimes managing to drag some of us with him. Zoe was mostly happy, although she would sometimes suddenly begin crying or screaming in the night. She ended up cuddling next to me almost every night but during the day, she was a joyful bundle of energy. Lily went to the Academy every day but she never went to class. Whenever Runir asked her to come with him to a lecture, she’d ignore him completely. Well, that wasn’t completely true. I noticed her bite her lips and stare at her hands whenever he wasn’t around. I spent most of my time taking care of Zoe, enjoying Lily and Runir’s arguments, or trying to make fun of Kai. The last one might seem a little uncharacteristic but for some reason, I’d started to notice Kai more and more. There was something about the way he talked, the way he walked, and the way he smiled. I found myself staring at him quite often. I thought about him a lot too. It was strange. He was strange. Strange and unusual. But not in a good way. You see, I’d slowly come to realize something about him. Something I wasn’t sure he was aware of himself either… He wasn’t acting like himself. Or rather, he was acting like himself. As if he was putting on a show. It was the mannequins that had made me realize it. Kai was perfect. He walked perfectly. Talked perfectly. His every word came out of his mouth clear and crisp. His voice was calm yet powerful. He carried himself so immaculately that you couldn’t help but like him, or at least respect him, when he entered the room. He was smart. He was kind. He was a good cook. A good craftsman. He had an answer for everything and a story for every occasion. He was perfect. Too perfect. Like a perfectly carved, magically operated mannequin. So I tried to trip him up countless times, but it didn’t work. It never worked. Everything I tried bounced off of his chest like it was nothing. No prank, no insult, no amount of teasing could get through to him. All throughout our journey, I’d been trying to make him slip up but it was all in vain. Now as our final exam approached, I felt convinced that Kai could walk in without ever having set foot in a class after our first day here, and walk out with a perfect score if he wanted to. We went to sleep early because the exam was early in the morning. Of course, I didn’t really go to ‘sleep,’ since I didn’t need to. Instead, I made sure Zoe was sleeping properly. Sure enough, she was cuddled next to me, her chest rising gently as she breathed in. I cautiously left the room and checked up on Lily. Surprisingly, the door to her room was open. Somewhat concerned, I peered in and saw an empty bed with its sheets in disarray. My heart skipped a beat as I suddenly began to worry. I searched the room, peeking into the bathroom, crawling under the bed and checking every nook and cranny. Where was she? How could I have left her alone like this? I had come to protect her, to protect the Hero! Wasn’t that the reason I’d come in the first place? At the start of our journey, I used to pretend to go to sleep in my room while secretly staking out Lily’s room. Since when had I stopped doing that? Something brushed against me. I turned to see an open window with curtains fluttering in the wind. Without hesitating, I jumped out. The ground was soggy—it had probably rained earlier in the night. I followed the muddy footprints leading from the window. They led me to a little thicket of trees just outside of town. A clear stream flowed into the thicket from the other side and fed a tiny lake. Someone sat on the edge of the lake. The figure picked up something from the ground and threw it into the lake. It waited a few moments, then picked up another rock and threw it even further. She waited again, then threw another rock. And another. And another. I stood quietly behind a tree, sensing that this wasn’t something I wanted to interrupt. Exhausted, Lily fell on her back and grunted loudly. I didn’t try to help her. She’d obviously come all the way out here to avoid being seen. She wanted to vent her frustration, to release the emotions she’d been bottling up for a long time. So I let her vent for a little while, before following her back to the hotel. She was a tough one but everyone had to let loose once in a while. The real question was: why was she so upset in the first place? - We got up early the next day. Attending the exam was mandatory, even if passing wasn’t. Breakfast was a quiet affair as we planned the rest of the day out. The results would be released early in the afternoon and the top three students would leave for the Dark Goddess’ shrine in the evening. The plan was to follow Runir from a distance and make it to the shrine. Once there, we would get the Goddess to bless the Hero and ask her for a way to get to Earth. I felt a pang of guilt at that, because I was sure that Lunaris did not know how to get to Earth. Of course she was the most likely to know, since she was the most mysterious of all my sisters, but I doubted that she knew regardless. Why? Because if she’d known a way to leave this world, she would have left a long time ago. It was the only thing the rest of the Goddesses knew for certain about Lunaris: she hated Fate more than anyone else. If she could leave Fate’s clutches, she would have definitely done so already. We went to the examination hall and found our seats. The instructor signaled the start of the exam and the hall was filled with the sound of papers being flipped over. There were loud groans and frustrated tapping. This exam was apparently a tough one. I wouldn’t know though. I’d handed it in empty as soon as it began. I left the hall with the examiner’s angry glare following me out the door. - I waited outside for the others but surprisingly, none of them left early. Even Zoe seemed to be taking the exam seriously. None of the other students had finished early either. Eventually, a few students came out of the door, cursing their bad luck or praying to the Goddesses for help. Kai appeared a few minutes before the bell rang, after which students began filing out of the hall. Zoe was smiling, proud that she’d managed to finish the exam. She frowned when Kai told her that she hadn’t finished the exam. Apparently handing in an empty paper after sitting through to the end doesn’t count as ‘finishing’ an exam. We had lunch in the cafeteria. Sometime in the afternoon, groups of students started leaving to check the results that had been posted to a wall by the dean’s office. The wall was surrounded by a crowd of students but we could see the top of the list from the back. As the words came into view, we froze. Instantly, we all turned to face Lily, who was whistling innocently behind us. Even Kai was speechless. I blinked and turned to read the names at the top of the list again, just to be sure. Third Place: Persephone Beruse Second Place: Saariel Jadus First Place: Rose Gray Runir’s fake name appeared several pages down, near the end. In fact, he’d failed like the rest of our group. The corner of Runir’s eyes twitched but he all he could do was sigh and shake his head. Lily smirked at him before casting her gaze at the top of the list again. For a moment, her eyes narrowed and she glared at the names at the top of the list. This wasn’t an ordinary prank. - As we left the Academy to have dinner at a restaurant in the town, we passed by a small shop near the corner of the street. Zoe pulled me in as soon as she saw it, saying that she’d seen the place before and wanted to check it out before we left the city. We pushed aside the curtains that hung in place of the door and stepped inside. It was a small, dimly lit store with a dusty smell. The walls were plastered with pictures and portraits. An old man wobbled out from behind the desk at the back of the store. He had thick, white eyebrows that nearly covered his droopy eyes. His face was full of wrinkles and his back was hunched so badly that he had to use a cane to walk properly. “What do you want?” asked the old man. Before anyone else could reply, Kai said: “Memories.” The old man nodded and ushered us through a door I hadn’t even noticed. Once inside, he snapped his fingers and the room was flooded with a blinding light. The walls were made of a strange kind of stone that glimmered and shone on its own. The old man threw aside his cane and his thick eyebrows lifted to reveal bright blue eyes sparkling with life and energy. He took out a strange contraption and told us to get ready. Lily and Runir suddenly realized what was going on as they hurriedly gathered us together. Unsure, I let myself be pulled awkwardly close to the others and forced out a smile when Lily told me to. The old man grunted and there was a flash of light. We tried to pay the old man but he kept refusing, saying that he was too moved by Kai’s answer to accept any money from us. We forced him to take it anyway. It was his money after all. The time for our departure came at last as evening approached. We met Professor Rowetta, who would be escorting Lily and the others to the shrine, and waved Lily farewell before darting inside an alley and following them from a distance. Looking back, this was probably the point where everything started to fall to pieces. This was the last day time that we were all happy together. And for me, this was definitely my final, fond memory.

Everything passed by in a blur. Mountains, lakes, plains and rivers whizzed by, painting the world beneath us in streaks of colors. But the world above stayed the same; a dark sky stretching endlessly into the distance. Flames twirled around us, licking and dancing all over our bodies without burning them. They weren’t hot either, but warm and maybe even comfortable. The winds whistled by, filling my ears with a roaring sound that made my head hurt. My eyes were watering but I barely managed to make out Runir mouthing something to Amy. She seemed to have heard him since the colorful streaks vanished and my heart went up my throat as we plummeted to the ground. Debris fell everywhere as we crashed into the rocky ground. Amy let go of me and I fell to the ground, dizzy and exhausted. “What is it?” asked Amy, unfazed by the crazy ride. “Wait a second,” said Runir, holding his head. He took out some water from his Storage and drank it. “That’s better.” “Why did you make me stop here? We need to hurry. Kai is fighting that thing alone right now!” Amy said, tapping her foot on the ground. “Well, I’m sure the Fire Goddess wouldn’t take kindly to a meteor crashing into her shrine. We might just get blasted out of the sky. Besides, I’ve already made a plan using my Ability but for it to work, we need to sneak in without anyone noticing,” said Runir. “A plan? Care to elaborate?” asked Amy. “No. For some reason, my Ability explicitly told me that revealing the plan would be a bad idea, but trust me, it’s our best shot at beating that masked freak,” he replied, calmly. I stood up. “Either you’re lying because you don’t want us to know or your plan is so fucked up that we’d never agree to it if you told us. And I don’t know which is worse,” I said. “The lava fields should be a little further ahead. We better hurry, Kai can’t hold that thing off forever,” he said, running up the mountain trail. Damn it Kai, you better hold on till we get that fucking goddess, I thought, as I rushed after him. Soon, my clothes were soaked in sweat as the air became hotter. The rocks were darker here and crumbled more easily. “Fuck. Why can’t we use magic to cool this shit up again?” I asked, panting. “Because we have to conserve our mana,” Runir said, wiping the seat from his brow. The lava appeared soon enough. Liquid rock goo...gotta say, lava is pretty disappointing, I thought, as we finally reached the lava fields. “Right, now we just have to change into our bathing suits,” Runir smirked as he took something out of his Storage. “Stop messing around,” I said, sternly. “Fine, fine. Just hold on to – what’s that?” he said, squinting his eyes. I heard it too. It sounded like someone was… crying? It seemed to be coming from a figure standing beside a large rock. Whoever it was, they were standing right between us and the lava fields so we’d bump into them for sure. As we got closer, I noticed that it was a little girl wearing dirty brown rags and a scarf. Her face was buried in the hems of her tattered robes as she sobbed into them. I exchanged a glance with Runir, could we afford to stop? “...stupid fire goddess… daddy he… and mommy...big brother too...” the girl wailed, her words broken and full of pain. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and noticed Amy looking just as concerned. Was this kid abandoned or were her parents killed? Either way, she wouldn’t be able to survive here for long. But we couldn’t afford to stop when Kai was fighting for his life! But we couldn’t leave a little kid out here all alone could we? Surprisingly the one who resolved the issue was the cold hearted bastard. “Oi kid!” he shouted as we reached her. The girl froze and raised her head. But Runir suddenly grabbed her by the armpits and carried her along. “Wanna go for a dip?” - We jumped into the lava, making sure to stay inside the red glow coming from the red orb in Runir’s hand. The girl was clinging onto Runir’s robed, with her eyes shut tightly. Surprisingly, the lava was pretty solid. We didn’t sink in too deep and managed to wade through it pretty quickly. Soon, a large red wall appeared in front of us. “Shit, how do we get inside the gates?” I asked. “There should be a back entrance somewhere,” said Runir, frowning. “There!” Amy said, pointing to a small metal grating near the bottom of the wall. It was the opening to a sewage pipe that led into the lava fields. After all, what better way to get rid of shit than to dump it into molten lava? I kicked it open and we ran inside, ignoring the disgusting stench around us. “How do we get to the Goddess?” I asked, using the ‘Illuminate’ spell to light our way. Runir replied through a pinched nose.“She’s probably at the top of the tower. We need to sneak in undetected and –” “Who are you guys?” asked the little girl who finally snapped out of her daze. “Shush, kid. We’ll drop you off at the shrine. I’m sure they’ll let you clean the dishes or something,” said Runir, still carrying the girl with him as we reached the end of the pipe. We cautiously checked if anyone was around and jumped out. “...the shrine maiden called for an emergency meeting...” said a voice from behind a wall. “What does that old hag want us to do now? Lick her feet?” said another, sharply. “Shut it, you have to come and you know it.” “Yeah yeah, just let me grab my stuff.” We quickly ran back inside the pipe as the sound of footsteps grew nearer. A pretty red haired girl walked by, pouting as she stomped away. As the footsteps faded away, we ran out of the pipe again. “Here,” I said, tossing some robes at the other three. “Good work,” said Runir, like he’d expected me to steal the priestesses robes from her Storage. The little girl stared at the red robes in her hands and spread them in front of her. “Wear them quickly,” Runir said, wearing the robes over his clothes. The rest of us did the same as we moved out of the shadows and calmly walked through the courtyard. But the whole place was empty. Were they all at that meeting the red haired priestess was talking about? Whatever, it’ll be easier to get to the tower now. Just hold on for a little longer Kai... The tower was an imposing sight, with the pitch black sky making its crimson stones look even cooler. But this wasn’t the time to be admiring architecture. “Now we just have to go to the top. Amy could you –” Runir began, but stopped as he noticed the flames flickering around Amy. “What are you doing?” “You’re safe now. Just stay here, I’m sure the priests will take care of you but try not to destroy the place while I’m gone,” she said, gathering more flames around her. “What are you doing Amy?” I hissed. “I’m going to help Kai,” she said, crouching down and preparing to blast off. “Wait! My Ability says that we need you to take us to the top of the tower. I know you want to help Kai, but this is the best help you can give him. We need the Fire Goddess’ help but that can only work if you follow the plan!” said Runir, tersely. “Hey, what are you doing?” came a shout from behind us. Shit! A brown haired priest was running towards us. “Amy!” Runir shouted. Amy looked at him and shot off the ground. The ground trembled and the tower shook as the sound of shattering glass reverberated through the air. Something crashed into the top of the tower, sending debris falling onto the ground. Runir quickly shielded the little girl who was trembling in fear. “Urgh, knocked me all the way here did you? Well, guess the hot-springs here must be divine. Should wash away all that crankiness,” said a familiar voice from above. A dark-robed figure appeared over the shrine, glaring at the scampering priests below. Fuck, he’s here! Wait, this is a good thing. The Goddess can – oh shit! Didn’t Kai just smash into her room? “Judging by the dust in this room, I guess the Goddess hasn’t been here for a long time. Oh well, more fun for me I guess,” said Kai as he floated into the air and smiled. His voice carried surprisingly far. “Why do you not die?” asked the creepy black masked ‘god.’ “Don’t want you feeling lonely, is all,” replied the idiot wearing a smiling white mask. Origin snorted and a wave of violet flames crashed into Kai. “Trying to burn my clothes off? At least buy me a drink first,” said Kai, laughing while waving his hand. The flames were blown out like candles but Origin was already preparing his next attack. A huge violet fireball floated above his head, with purple flames swirling around inside it. A loud crash shook my eardrums as Amy jumped off the ground and slashed at him. But just like last time, it passed right through him. Shit, she’s too close! Everything seemed to slow down. The freaking purple sun, the pathetically flailing Amy, the stupidly smirking Kai and the asshole with a circle fetish. Everything slowed down-even me. Origin’s hands slowly grabbed Amy’s ankles and he flung her at the tower. She smashed straight through it and crashed into the ground. The fireball flew at Kai, so slow that I was sure he’d dodge it easily but he was still laughing and didn’t notice it until it was right in front of him. Runir fired a spell at the masked asshole, but it faded before reaching him causing Runir to stare at it with a half opened mouth. The fireball exploded as it hit Kai, sending shock-waves of energy rippling through the sky. I fell to my knees and covered my ears, trying to get the awful ringing sound out of my head. Gritting my teeth, I saw Runir on the ground in the same situation as me. Amy had managed to make her way back to the battle before she fell to her knees because of the blast. Kai had been smashed into the ground, making a deep person shaped hole in the sacred shrine’s red tiled courtyard. Hope they had insurance. I quipped, biting my lips to endure the pain in my head. The masked asshole was still floating in the air, looking down on us from above. “Stay down. I do not wish to destroy my creations,” he said. Silence. “You, you’re Fate?” Amy growled as dust fell from her hair. “That is one of my names here, yes,” he replied. Amy looked at him with a strange glint in her eye. She smiled widely, something I’d never seen her to before. It made me shudder. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” she snarled, illusory armor appearing on her body. A bright red light shone around her as a vortex of flames erupted on the ground. Her eyes became scarlet as she roared at Origin. She jumped at him and fired a series of fireballs. “Pitiful. Stop struggling child,” he said, swatting them aside. But those were just distractions. Amy spread her arms and shouted, “Inferno!” A circle of flames appeared around Origin, trapping him inside. I couldn’t make out his expression under the mask but I was sure he was frowning. This was a level 6 spell after all, and it could do some serious damage. But that’s only if it hits. Origin dropped from the sky just as the circle of flames erupted into a flickering scarlet vortex. But just as he touched the ground, Amy smiled. “Magma Cannon!” she shouted, as a dark red ball of lava flew through the air towards Origin. The magma cannon hit him squarely in the chest, sending him flying. Amy didn’t stop though. She kept firing clumps of molten magma like a machine gun, pummeling Origin through several buildings. Amy’s face flickered and she turned her head sharply to the side. And got punched straight in the face. She flew through the air and fell on the ground with a large crash. Origin stood next to where she’d been standing seconds ago, his hand stretched out in front of him. He brought it back to his side and stared at us. Or rather, he stared at me. Shit! I cursed inwardly as I pulled out my sword and shield. Bright lights started flashing around me as I activated my Hero Ability; Sacri Lumine. I felt a rush of power and my mind cleared up completely, letting me focus on what I really needed to do: kick this bastard’s nuts! I charged at him, seeing everything in slow motion again. My sword arced down straight at his neck. His eyes didn’t widen at all, and he didn’t show any other reaction either. This could work. I could do this! For a few seconds, I actually believed it. And then I felt the air get pushed out of my lungs and a piercing pain in my chest as I flew through the air and crashed into a wall. I lay there for a long time, vision too blurry to make out anything. The pain was nearly overwhelming, driving me dangerously close to unconsciousness, but I managed to hang on. Slowly, the blurry images began taking shape. Kai was back up again, smiling at Origin like he’d just told some fucked up joke. “Just for the record, that mask is tacky as hell,” he said. Origin waved his hand again, sending a wave of flames crashing towards Kai. “This again? Is your battle sense as bad as your fashion sense?” he said, waving his hand and blowing out the flames like before. But those were just distractions. A violet ball of fire smashed into him from behind, sending him tumbling across the ground and into the wall of the tower. I looked around us. The ground was full of holes, cracks and scorch marks. Some of the buildings had collapsed, adding to the debris from the ruined tower. Amy still lay on the ground, groaning. Runir was stuck in a wall and mumbling something, probably smashed into it when I was about to black out. Stones shifted and I saw a tiny head pop out of the rubble. Shit, the little girl! I had completely forgotten about her in the midst of the fight. Sure enough, I saw her walk out of the debris and brush off the dust on her robes. Surprisingly, she didn’t look injured at all. She turned around and looked into the hole in the wall, her face showing no traces of the whimpering girl from before. Her purple scarf fell off her neck and curled itself in her arms. “Waon!” The rubbled shifted and Kai walked out of the man sized hole in the wall. “Hello, Kai,” said the girl, expressionlessly. Kai sighed and then smiled. “Hi, headache.”

“Are you sure this is where the rings were found?” “Yes.” “And why are we trusting that person again?” “Huh?” “The guard who told you where the rings were found,” said Kai, as he dusted off his robes for the umpteenth time. “Why are we trusting them so easily?” “She had no reason to lie,” I replied, dusting off the dust he’d dusted onto me. “You’re more irritable than usual, what’s the matter?” “Nothing,” he mumbled, under his breath. “I don’t like this place. That’s all.” “I can sympathize with that. This isn’t the most pleasant place on Erath,” I said quietly, the somberness of our surroundings weighing down on me. We were walking through an empty wasteland. The scarred, craggy ground was devoid of all life, yet it wasn’t a desert or some other naturally dreary and lifeless place. The vestiges of once-flourishing flora and fauna could still be found under bleached stones and in isolated crevices. The dried-up husks of old trees and shrubs, animal footprints preserved in clay, and empty riverbeds that snaked across the land, drew the outlines for a long-forgotten picture of a faded land. But there was something more sobering than that. Craters gouged into the earth, rocks stained with splotches of pale red, and decrepit graves scattered about, all signs of what this place was most famous for. But the worst part was… “This isn’t even the real thing,” said Kai, finishing my thoughts. A gust of wind sent our robes fluttering about. In front of us lay the most dangerous place in the world. Dangerous not because of any environmental dangers like in the Wastes, but because if you found yourself here at some point in your life, chances were, you would not be getting out of here alive. More people have died here than on any other place on Erath. More blood has been spilt here than on the rest of Erath, combined. Waves crashed against the shore, spraying the air with a salty mist. A giant bridge stretched out of sight. In the distance, a caravan slowly trudged its way along the seemingly never-ending road. “So, they found the rings here,” said Kai, his eyes locked onto the bridge. “Yes,” I replied. “At the foot of the bridge, to be precise.” “I’ve been here before,” said Kai. “But there were a lot of people here, back then.” “Yes, this is usually a bustling trade route. Although people rarely talked to each other. A consequence of the eeriness, I suppose.” “There’s usually a tent in front of the bridge with military men checking documents and collecting tolls.” I nodded. We didn’t discuss it any further, knowing full well what was on the other’s mind. There could be only one reason why there were no travelers on the bridge. However, the absence of the military tent was perplexing. I scanned the area for any houses or buildings, and found a little hut nestled behind a rock, a stone’s throw from the bridge’s first pillar. Further away, the caravan had stopped in place, presumably to rest. Kai noticed the hut too. We exchanged glances and ran up to the hut as fast as we could. “Halt,” came a loud voice from within the hut. Kai and I stopped in place. “State your name and business.” “I’m Ken and this is my sister Tulip, we’re looking for someone. Could you help us find them?” said Kai, loudly. “This area is under lockdown by orders of His Majesty the Demon Lord. Only people bearing the Demon Lord’s seal may approach the bridge,” said the voice. “That shouldn’t be a problem,” said Kai, rummaging inside his robe. “We have the Demon Lord’s seal right here.” He lifted a piece of parchment and unfolded it. The door to the hut opened and a disheveled old man tottered out, knocking his walking stick on the ground as he made his way toward us. His eyes were wrapped in a dark cloth that went around his head, and his robes were dirty and reeked of sweat. He approached Kai, grabbed the piece of paper with his other hand, mumbled something under his breath, and shoved the paper into Kai’s hand. “Right, go on ahead,” he said, turning his back to us. “Wait!” I said. “Have any little girls gone past here, by any chance?” “Wouldn’t know even if they had,” grumbled the old man. “Now get going before I change my mind on letting you through.” “But—” I began before Kai raised a hand to cut me off. He looked at the old man walking back to his hut, and signaled for me to follow him. The two of us followed the old man to his hut, apparently without him noticing us, and peeked through the door. The hut was barely furnished, with a single raggedy old rug lying on the dusty floor. The old man hobbled over to the rug, sat down, and summoned a gust of air to shut the door in our faces. Kai raised an eyebrow and stood still, thinking about something. He dismissed the thought with a shrug and walked away from the hut, toward the bridge. I followed him wordlessly but snuck a glance back at the hut. Oddly, I managed to catch a couple of voices coming from the hut that certainly did not belong to the old man. - Having found no trace of Lily or Zoe near the hut, we went up to the caravan to ask for help. It was a large caravan, with around fifty donkeys and other pack animals carrying large bags and pulling carts full of ores and metal trinkets. We were stopped by the caravan’s guards but Kai convinced them to let us through with a flash of his paper. We asked around for their leader and wound up in a line outside a makeshift tent in the center of the caravan. We were the last in line so we occupied ourselves by gathering some more information. We were told that the caravan was carrying supplies ordered by the LeAgua company but that it operated under the direct command of the Dark Kingdom’s government. The Demon Lord himself had ordered that they take these supplies to the LeAgua company despite the ban on trade that the Demon Lord had mandated a few days ago. Hearing this, Kai and I exchanged a meaningful glance, confirming what we’d suspected ever since the old man in the hut had mentioned the Demon Lord. “At least we know that Runir is safe,” said Kai, when there was no one within earshot. “That cunning little devil isn’t worth worrying about,” I said. “It’s the other two we need to find.” “Oh, come on, admit it,” he said, chuckling. “You were worried about him too. You’re too nice to not worry about everyone.” He was right. I’d been worried about Runir, and finding out he was safe had taken a big load off my chest. However, the two I was most worried about were still missing so the knot in my stomach was still quite tight. “Next,” beckoned a hoarse voice from inside the tent. Kai and I entered, pushing aside the thick, hempen cloth. Light filtered through the walls of the tent, shedding a dull red glow onto the interior. A candle flickered near the far end of the tent, where a tiny, elderly person lay curled up on a bunch of cushions. Bones that stuck to a thin layer of pale, spotted skin, hair so thin and wispy you almost couldn’t see it, and eyelids that drooped well over their eyes; it was a wonder this person was still alive, let alone leading a caravan, in that condition. “Welcome to Madame Rasmene’s caravan, how may I help you?” she said while drawing in a raspy breath. “I’m Tulip and this is Ken,” I replied. “We were looking for our friends and saw you passing by. Have you seen any little girls around here? One should be about as tall as me but obviously younger, and the other comes up to my waist.” The Madame nodded slowly, taking a few more raspy breaths before reaching for a tube lying by her side. She gingerly put it in her mouth and inhaled deeply. She put it down somewhat more firmly and scrunched up her faded eyebrows. “I remember picking up a girl wandering around these parts. Don’t know what she looks like because I never saw her but she should still be out there somewhere. Lunch is about to start soon so everyone will gather around my tent. I’d recommend searching for her then,” she said, before taking another whiff from her tube. I looked at Kai and he smiled hopefully. We thanked the Madame and left the tent. After asking around for a bit, we found out that there was still around an hour until lunch so we decided to search on our own until then. Kai went down one end of the caravan while I went down the other, intending to meet back at the Madame’s tent for lunch. - A little boy rose into the air, cackling with laughter as his father tossed him up and caught him. A couple sat under the shade, snuggling up to each other. Donkeys and magical beasts grazed together, tethered to makeshift fence-posts. The people in the caravan drank without a care, laughed with each other and, surprisingly, didn’t seem to be perturbed by the blood-soaked land they were traversing. Observing the younger members of the caravan playing with the horses might make one forget that the busiest trade route in the world was virtually deserted. Something brushed past my foot, startling me badly enough to make me lose my balance and fall. I rubbed my head and pushed myself up, only to see a purple cat licking itself next to my feet. It looked at me intelligently, stopped licking, and trotted towards a couple of barrels covered with a tarp. Something rustled underneath the tarp, and a hand emerged to pet the Hell Kitty. A familiar face peeked at me. “Hello, I hear you were looking for me,” said Clare, the girl we’d met back in the Fire Kingdom. “But I wasn’t looking for you?” I blurted out. “Yes, you were,” she insisted. “I heard some strangers asked this caravan’s leader about me.” “Oh,” I said, my heart sinking. “You’re the little girl they picked up.” “Wow, now that hurts. I didn’t expect you to be excited to see me but outright disappointment? That’s harsh,” she said, letting the Hell Kitty curl up in her lap. “Sorry, it’s just that—” “You’re worried about your friends, I understand,” she interrupted. “The Hero and the Demon Lord, correct?” I frowned. How did she know that? “If you’re wondering how I know, you can thank Kai for that,” she said, interrupting my thoughts. “Kai?” I said, totally thrown off by this little girl with a cat. Kai wouldn’t blabber about our identities like that. “Yep,” she said. “Ask him about me sometime.” She leaned forward. “Then tell me afterwards. I like hearing what he thinks about me.” “Uh, sure…” I said. “Thanks. In exchange, I’ll tell you two very important things, okay?” she said, but began speaking before I could respond. “First, you don’t need to worry about looking for your friends anymore.” Her words struck me like thunder. Did she know where they were? Or maybe she knew they were dead? Or— “You see, if you stay here.” She gestured to the ground. “Right here on this bridge. Then they’ll come straight to you!” “Wait, what?” “That’s right,” she said in an excited tone but with an expressionless face. “The Hero and the Demon Lord are going to war again.” “So, Lily’s…” “In the Light Kingdom. Of course, I’m not sure if she’s made it to the Palace yet. The Demon Lord has a very big head-start on her, I’m afraid. In fact, she might not have an army by the time he sends the orders to march.” “Wait what—” “Doesn’t help that Origin’s sown chaos into the Fire Kingdom, which is where the Union gets most of its warriors from. The LeAgua company’s been acting sluggish too, probably because the Water Goddess has been missing for so long. I heard she came back, though, so things are picking up pace again.” “How do you—” “We’ve been over this before, haven’t we?” she said, looking me straight in the eyes. “If you really must know though, then it’s because of my Ability. I say this because you’ll probably arrive at that conclusion as soon as you Appraise me.” Her Status popped into my vision just as she said that. One who defies death? What kind of title was that? Starry skies? That Ability sounded like… “Right, time for advice number two.” Clare stood up, appearing right in front of my face, and making me fall on my back again. I could’ve sworn the Hell Kitty snickered, but it might have been my imagination. “Can you stop—” “Exactly.” “What?” “Stop. Please.” This entire conversation had been incredibly confusing but for some reason, something clicked and I was finally on my feet again. Only figuratively though; I was still sitting on the ground. “You…know?” “No,” she whispered. “Not really.” “You’re lying, you do know,” I said, standing up slowly. “All I know,” she said, taking a step forward. She was short, barely reaching my shoulders, yet she pressed herself against me and glared at me without changing her expression once. “Is that you are a terrible, terrible Goddess.” The Hell Kitty hissed. Clare stepped away, then walked off. The Hell Kitty followed, tail upright. “I also know,” she continued, as she disappeared behind the sea of tarps and tents. “That you are a good person. A very, very good person.” - I met up with Kai and told him I’d found the girl but that she wasn’t Lily nor Zoe. Disappointed, he told me he’d suspected as much. However, he perked up when I told him that I’d heard that the Hero had been spotted in the Light Kingdom. We bid the Madame farewell and left the caravan behind as we raced across the bridge. Terrible Goddess, good person, I thought, as the surroundings became a blur and silence filled my ears. I could still hear one thing though: The waves crashing against the shore.

“Sorry granny, I can’t stay any longer,” I said, swallowing a mouthful of porridge. “Yes, she has to go,” said Fabar. “Her friends must be worried sick.” Then she added under her breath, “If she has any, that is.” The corners of my eyes twitched as I shot the tiny bitch a glare. She blinked innocently and continued eating her porridge. “Kids these days, always in a hurry,” grumbled Granny Nipa, as she carefully put a spoonful of porridge in her mouth. “But fine, fine. Have to let the birds out of the nest at some point. Just remember to come back sometimes. I hope you’ll come say hi to your granny a little more frequently than a certain someone.” She raised her eyebrows at Fabar. “Wait, no,” stammered Fabar. “You don’t understand. I had to, and then, and…” She lowered her head. “I’m sorry Granny.” Granny Nipa nodded. She’d been happy to see Fabar, but she wasn’t going to let her long absence go unpunished. “Right,” I said, as I dropped the dirty dishes into the kitchen sink, washed them, and came back to the table. “Thanks for everything, Granny.” I hugged her, straightened my traveler’s robe, and made for the doorway. “Wait a second dearie,” said Granny Nipa. “You’ll get lost in the swamp. Let Fabar take you to the main road, she knows this place like the back of her eyelids.” “No!” said Fabar and I, at the same time. Then we exchanged glances before turning back to Granny Nipa. “I’ll be fine by myself, I know how to get to the village,” I said. “Yeah, she’ll be fine. Street urchins are good at surviving in scummy places,” said Fabar. Fuck you, damn Goddess. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “Besides, this little ingrate needs to spend more time with you.” It was Fabar’s turn to get mad, as she shot me a menacing glare. “Oh hush,” said Granny, cutting short our bantering. “If you’re both going to complain so much, I’ll have to take you there myself.” “No!” said Fabar and I, at the same time, again. We exchanged glances again. “You know what, I could use some exercise, after all,” said Fabar. “I haven’t really had the chance to bond with this twerp, either,” I said. “Yes, this monkey could use a friend,” chimed Fabar. “This ass could use a dip to cool her head,” I stated with a smile. “This—” “Enough,” interrupted Granny. She sighed. “My old bones can’t take any more of this. It’s getting cold so I’m going to grab my jacket. If you’re still here when I get back, then we’re all going for a stroll together.” She walked into her bedroom. Fabar and I looked at each other, and left without a word. - “You’re taking me to the village, right?” I asked, suspicious of the blue haired bitch leading me through the muck. The soppy ground squelched beneath my feet, and I swatted away the insects hovering all around me. Thankfully, my Defense was too high for them to bite me. They were still annoying as fuck, though. “Of course I am, monkey. The road’s not far enough away. I want to make sure your stench can’t reach me anymore,” she said, walking over the grimy waters without her feet sinking in at all. In fact, even the fucking insects didn’t go after her. That made me hate her even more. “Besides,” she continued. “You know I can’t mess with you like that." There was a venomous tinge to her words. “Sure,” I said, unconvinced. I’d already had one goddess do something she wasn’t supposed to be able to do. I wasn’t about to let my guard down just because she said Fate wouldn’t let her lead me astray. “Oh, we’re here,” she said, breaking my thoughts. “I don’t see a village,” I said, looking around. A large clearing lay before us, with sunken, rotting logs half-submerged into the muddy ground and trees jutting out of the underbrush. A slightly muddy river flowed slowly over the rocks on its bed, forming rapids that gurgled like the fountains in the park back on Earth. “The village is on the other side,” she said, quietly. “This is where she found us?” I asked. The water goddess frowned. “This is where she found me. You probably washed up here after running away from the Demon Lord.” “What?” I said, my eyes narrowed. “It’s all over the cobwebs, monkey,” she remarked, snidely. “The Demon Lord faked his death so he could befriend the Hero. He took her on a merry adventure across the world, trying to fatten her up before devouring her.” I bit my lips. “Bullshit.” “That’s not even the best part,” she interrupted, turning around, and stepping over the rapids. “Rumor has it, she fell in love with him.” She started laughing. “Isn’t that crazy? The Hero fell for the Demon Lord who was going to kill her to level up. It’s so sad, it’s funny!” I felt the heat rising to my head, as her laughter echoed inside my skull. I raised my hand and fired multiple fireballs at the Water Goddess. She raised a hand in reply, and the murky river rose to douse my fireballs in midair. “Fuck this, why are all the Goddesses so messed up? Can’t one of them be sane?” I complained to myself. Surprisingly, she stopped laughing and stared at me seriously. “Centuries of hopelessness would drive anyone crazy. But you know, it’s the futility of it all that really gets you.” My hairs stood on end as she approached me, the river-waters swirling around us, twisting, and distorting to make frightening shapes, and grotesque faces. “Why don’t you try watching everyone you care about, die,” she whispered. “Over…” More faces took shape in the waters. “And over…” The faces aged, little boys and girls becoming adults. “And over….” Then hunchbacked crones. “And over.” Then corpses and skeletons. The faces vanished, the chaos of the swirling waters obscuring everything around me. My heart had long since jumped into my throat, so all I could do was grunt in surprise. “Some of us found a purpose, a goal or an objective, to dull the pain. Breze with her machines, Terra with her mines, and me with my company. All attempts to give our lives meaning,” she continued, her voice thundering louder than the rapids. The water formed images of a woman in her tower, tinkering with something too small to make out. A woman on a throne, inspecting a shiny gemstone. A girl sitting on a pile of gold that kept growing larger and larger. “And the others…” her voice trailed off as the images collapsed and reformed. A girl having a tea party with an empty table. A girl sitting on a ledge, dangling her feet over a field of corpses. And a woman wandering around the empty countryside, seemingly forever. “…went crazy.” The images shattered, sunshine broke through and the raging rapids that had surrounded me, went back to cascading over the rocks on the riverbed. “So yes,” she said, acting like nothing had happened at all. “We’re a little insane. But don’t worry, this world will drive you crazy soon enough. I guarantee it.” I remained speechless. The Water Goddess turned and walked past me. “The village is on the other side of the river. You had better get going. My sources tell me that something very big is about to happen, and there’s no way you’re not going to be right in the middle of it,” she said. “After all, your boyfriend’s chin-deep in it already.” As I saw her walking away, something clicked in my head. “Wait!” I shouted. “Just one last question.” “What is it?” she asked, annoyed enough to turn her face back to me. “Granny Nipa,” I said. She flinched. “What does she mean to you?” I asked. “If you’re so tired of watching humans die, why’d you let yourself care so much about an old lady in the swamps.” Her eyes drooped down. “It’s a long story.” “I have time.” She didn’t speak, so we stood in silence for a long time. Eventually she raised a hand and tiny tendril of water flowed out of the river and made an image in the air. Then, the image started to move, telling a story with wobbly figures and transparent scenery, accentuated by the occasional pebble or dirt that got mixed in. A little girl ordered around a bunch of people hauling crates and merchandise into a ship. The ship sailed across what looked like a large lake or inland sea. The little girl counted her gold while shaking hands with a suspicious looking man wearing a bandanna. The ship reached a makeshift port, where a gang of big, burly adults unloaded the cargo and equipped themselves with frightening weapons. Then they went out of their ramshackle settlement, and ran roughshod over the surrounding villages. The water roiled as the terror and carnage became so terrible that I could almost hear the screams that must have accompanied it. Just before the scene faded, a couple of the bandits chased down a woman tightly holding a bundle of cloth to her chest. The woman dashed through the countryside, barely managing to reach a river before the bandits closed in on her and the images collapsed. They reformed to show the little girl from before, who happened to pass by that area at what was obviously a different time of the year. She stopped and looked to the side, as if she’d heard something. She walked into a clearing just as a sword slid into the stomach of another little girl. This other girl looked almost exactly like her, with the same kind of hair and body. The only difference was that one was frowning while the other was skewered on a steel broadsword. On the other end of the sword was a woman wearing a torn bandanna. Another bandit stood to the side, clutching a small bag of coins. The bandits noticed the newcomer, and the woman slid her sword out of the dying girl’s stomach. The dying girl choked and spasmed, before going still. The bandits approach the living girl, but before they could get close, they were brushed away by a torrent of water. They hovered in midair, their bodies submerged in water, and eyes wide open, flickering about frantically. They swung their limbs and flailed futilely, until eventually opening their mouths and gulping mouthfuls of water. Their corpses fell on the ground, dripping wet. The water receded into the ground, but not before floating the woman’s sword towards the little girl. She picked it up, noting the words emblazoned on its hilt that were drawn in bold letters, and a fancy script. “LeAgua Company.” The little girl threw the sword away, and was about to leave when she stopped, sighed, and carried the corpse of her lookalike over a stream of water. She reached a tiny river, and was about to cast away the body when she tripped and fell into the river. She stopped on the water’s surface, but didn’t get out. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the water sweep her away. Eventually, she reached some gentle rapids, and decided to get out before the waterfall up ahead. But then she glanced to the side, as if she’d seen someone. “And that’s all you get to see,” said Fabar, as the image fell apart. “Wait, I don’t understand,” I said. “You got your doppelganger killed so you took her place with Granny Nipa?” “No,” she said, angrily. “Weren’t you paying attention? Well whatever, I don’t have time for this. Granny’s waiting.” “She’d been waiting for a long time. If you lived forever and had nothing better to do, why didn’t you just stay with her?” I asked, quickly. “Shut up! You understand nothing!” she shouted. “You went off to work on your business again, didn’t you? LeAgua company, I’ve heard of them. They control nearly all the trade in the world. Even weapons. Hell, you sell them to both sides whenever a war breaks out between the Alliance and the Union.” “So what, there are no morals in business,” she replied, tersely. “I don’t care how people use my products. That’s their fault, not mine.” “You looked like you cared, though. When your sword was used to kill that little girl.” “No, no I didn’t. I don’t care about human lives, anyways. They die before I’m done watering my plants!” “You don’t care about humans?” I said, mockingly. “You seem to care about Granny Nipa though, don’t you? You care enough to take her name and spend time with her. Despite everything that’s happening in the world right now, you came back to see her, didn’t you? Stop lying to yourself. You do care.” “That isn’t—” “And you’ll care when she dies,” I interrupted. “You will and you know it.” She closed her mouth and met my eyes. We held each other’s gaze for a while before she eventually looked away. “Yes,” she said, defeated. “I will.” Empty silence reigned for a while, before I wordlessly made my way across the rapids. A little water magic ensured I wasn’t washed away, but I still made splashes as I crossed to the other side. I turned to look at the tiny water goddess and felt—for the first time—that her demeanor matched her feeble frame. And then I saw the smoke rising above the trees. “Shit!” I exclaimed. The Goddess was knocked out of her daze and she quickly turned to the direction I was looking at. Her eyes went wide. Water gushed out of the ground and propelled her into the air as she sped towards the smoke. I ran after her, a dreadful sense of foreboding creeping up my spine. My worst fears were confirmed when I reached the smoldering remains of Granny’s cottage. The Goddess was on her knees, sitting unmoving in front of a half-eaten bowl of porridge. I looked around and my knees nearly buckled because of the frightening destruction. I combed the ruins for traces of Granny Nipa, but found nothing. There was no torn clothing or sword marks to indicate a fight, and no clues about where or how the fire may have started. “Granny!” wailed the goddess, as she dashed from one smoldering ember to another. “Granny!” I shouted, as I tripped over a burning table-leg. We stayed there until dusk, but never found any trace of her. At one point the Goddess was shouting incoherently into a communications prism, no doubt trying to obtain information through her network, but she slammed it into the ground, soon after. As the flames died out and the night threw its blanket of darkness over us, we huddled together in front of the bowl of half-eaten porridge. I let the immortal Water Goddess—worshiped by thousands and owner of the largest company on Erath—weep on my shoulder. I tried to stay strong for her sake but all I could remember was the kindness Granny had shown me. The sense of family and the unconditional love she’d given me despite not knowing me at all. All I could do, was remember her lullaby. So I sang it, as best I could. Little girl, little girl, don’t say a word, Granny loves you more than, the whole wide world, Fabar stopped sobbing and sang with me in a broken, hoarse voice. Little girl, little girl, don’t you cry, Granny knows that one day, you will fly, Little girl, little girl, fly like a bird, Go and fly, all over the world, Spread your wings, far and wide, Toss your problems, to the side, And if you get hurt, just you remember, You can come home, just you remember, Little girl, little girl, if you ever need a rest, Just fly on back, to Granny’s nest.

“Which courses should we choose?” asked Amy. “Whichever ones you like. Oh, but you need to avoid any courses that involve using magic.” “Right.” “Why can’t big sis Amy take magic courses?” asked Zoe. She was in one of her ‘nice’ moods tonight. “Because everyone else would get jealous of her, of course,” I answered, patting her head. “Seriously though, should we try to stick together?” said Lily, her voice trailing off. “You just wanna leach off of me, don’t you?” I smirked. “No! Never, I just...” “Well I don’t really mind. I mean, it’s not like we’re going to school here for real. But, it might be a good idea to have some fun and meet new people. We only need to ace the final exams to get into the Shrine and you could just follow me after I do. It might be a better idea to use this time to actually learn something,” I said. “That sounds boring but alright,” she said. I nodded. “Kai isn’t back yet?” “No, he said he went out for a bit. Wanted to see the sights,” said Amy. I thought to myself, would it help ease my mind if I voiced some of my concerns. Perhaps getting it off my chest could do some good and maybe a different perspective could help me sort things out better. Of course, I wouldn’t tell them everything nor would I reveal the extent of my suspicions. “Right, I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you something,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Something important.” “About Kai?” said Lily bluntly. “Yes,” I said. “His Ability is amazing. It’s helped us through a lot of tight spots but don’t you sometimes think that it’s a little too amazing?” “Yes,” said Amy. “Sometimes it feels like he can do anything.” “Exactly. We know he has some limits. He couldn’t make Van Drake leave without a price and he couldn’t cut through the rock instantly, but, even then, doesn’t it feel like that’s absurd anyway?” I said. “Big bro Kai is awesome! I like him,” chimed Zoe with an innocent smile. Then her expression darkened. “But I don’t like you.” Just how unstable was she? “You know what, forget it. Just keep an eye out, will you?” I said, getting up. “Do you not trust him?” asked Amy “I do.” “Then why are you so concerned about his Ability?” “I just like knowing who—or what—I’m dealing with. It gets annoying not knowing who your friends are,” I said, as I closed the door to my room. Lily’s voice barely made it across the door, “I agree, it sucks.” - We went to the Academy early in the morning and handed in our course selections. My first class was ‘Magical Phenomena 452’ so I made my way to the classroom. It was one of the more interesting courses that were offered here and was one I really wanted to take because I hadn’t had the opportunity to read up on magical phenomena in the Demon Lord’s library. There were long benches laid out like a stepped theater, which reminded me of the auditorium at my high school. A middle aged woman stood on the wooden stage below, ruffling the papers in her hand. I took a seat in the back row and waited as the other students filed in. Most people sat in the front rows, eager to absorb whatever the professor had to say. A few of them even glanced at me with disdain before turning away. Even the professor frowned at me for a bit. Guess slackers weren’t a thing here. “I was wondering how long it would take you to get here,” I said. “Shut it. I joined this because it looked interesting, okay?” said Lily as she sat down next to me. “Sure.” I smirked. “Good morning everyone, I’m Professor Rowetta and I welcome you all to Magical Phenomena 452. Since the term is almost over and your exams are right around the corner, today we’ll be going over some of the most important magical phenomena covered in this class. Most of us have discussed these phenomena at length but.” The professor glanced up at us. “Anyone joining us for the first time would do well to listen closely.” “Oh, she meant us,” I said, chuckling. “Hey Runir,” she said. I looked over. “You said you were annoyed because you didn’t know who Kai was.” “Yeah, aren’t you?” I asked. “I am but at least you know that I’m the Hero, you can even see my status.” “Not anymore. We have these now, remember,” I said, tapping the ring on my finger. Another inexplicable result of his Ability. Although I loved these rings, not only was it strange for rings—or any object for that matter—to have these kinds of effects but those effects themselves were absurdly powerful. I mean, these things didn’t just hide your status, if that was all they did, they wouldn’t make me worry so much. No, they disguised your status. Right now, anyone who tried to Appraise Lily’s status would see a perfectly ordinary Dark magic user with a mundane title and Ability. Did they work by manipulating your status or the Appraisal skill or did they influence the user’s mind and make them think that that’s what they’re seeing? It was that kind of possibility that made me wary of Kai and his Ability. Because it could lead to so many possibilities— “Zoning out again?” she said, snapping a finger in front of my face. “Oh yeah, sorry. Just thinking about stuff,” I replied. “Now hush, I need to listen to this lecture. Some of us came here to study you know.” “Hey, I came to study too,” she said, turning to the stage below. “...the Anomaly is the most famous and most feared magical phenomena on Erath, despite being so rare that most consider it a myth. However, well documented sightings of Anomalies have led many experts to agree that they do, in fact, exist.” “Anomaly?” asked Lily. “I don’t know either. I was distracted by someone,” I replied. “...studying Anomalies is incredibly difficult, not to mention dangerous, because of their tendency to trap anything that falls into them. The few tests that have been conducted suggest that these Anomalies are immune to magic and physical contact and cannot be moved. They appear and disappear randomly but are rarely found in human settlements or well trodden roads. Now, the history of the study of Anomalies dates back to...” I don’t remember anything about Anomalies in the game. Were they created after the Haze? I sat back in my seat and put my hands behind my head. “Hey Runir,” said Lily. “Yeah,” I replied. “Are all schools this boring?” she said. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well, this is my first time in a real school.” “Wait, you’ve never been to school before.” “No, the old lady at the orphanage made us go but we just ditched as soon as we could.” “That’s… well yeah, schools are like this. Not exactly like this though. This is more like a college although I can’t say for sure. I’ve never been to college after all.” “You haven’t been to college?” “Yeah, I mean, I haven’t even graduated high school yet.” She leaned back in her seat too. “Huh, I always thought you were older.” “No, just sixteen. I mean, do I look twenty to you?” She looked at me for a while, her eyes traveling up and down before replying. “Yeah, you look old.” “Even if I looked twenty, I wouldn’t look old,” I said, frowning. “Twenty is old to me. Almost don’t need to steal booze anymore.” She shrugged. I frowned. “You stole alcoholic beverages?” “You see, this is why you’ll never be popular. ‘Alcoholic beverages’...really? Damn it, this is just sad,” she said. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had booze before?” “Of course I have.” “Then why is it so weird for me to steal them?” “It isn’t, I guess, considering who you are.” I sighed. “And who am I?” she said, turning to face me. What had gotten into her? She was awfully on edge. Did something happen? “A better question would be: what are you?” I said. “All right, what am I?” An angel being led around by the devil. A pawn to be moved at my whim. A piece... “Stop zoning out and answer the question!” “Oh right, you wanna know what you are?” “Yes, what do you think I am?” “An idiot.” She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. Then she got up and left the hall. Surprisingly, instead of stopping her from leaving, everyone turned to face me. Even the professor was given me a reproachful look. Did I do something wrong? - I met up with Kai and Zoe for lunch and managed to catch sight of Amy for a split second before she ducked into the girl’s bathroom to avoid a couple of boys who’d been following her down the hallway. She’d apparently become incredibly popular after attending music class. Something about “the voice of a Goddess.” However, I couldn’t find Lily after that first class. My second class for the day was “Elementary Management Theory 394” and I was certain that she’d copied my course list and would be there too. I settled in the back row of the hall and leaned back in my chair. I closed my eyes and began thinking up an apology. Calling her an idiot might have been a bit too harsh after all. I heard someone sit next to me. “Hey, I’m sorry for thinking you’re an idiot. But you know, being an idiot isn’t so bad. We’re both sitting at the back aren’t we? I’m just as much of an idiot as you,” I said. Needless to say, I wasn’t very good at apologies. “Calling someone an idiot for sitting next to you? Pretty sure that’s a new level of idiocy right there.” That wasn’t Lily’s voice. I opened my eyes to see a black haired girl sitting next to me. “Oh sorry, I thought you were—” “An idiot?” “—someone else.” She smirked. “Aw, and I thought I’d found a fellow idiot.” “Oh?” I started, sitting upright. Weird, why did I react like that. It wasn’t even that surprising. “Sitting at the back makes you an idiot, remember?” she said, smiling. “And I’ve been sitting at the back of all my classes for years now.” “What a coincidence,” I said. “So have I.” “Really? But I’ve never seen you before. Heard you just enrolled.” The professor cleared her throat. “Yeah, I went to a smaller school before,” I said. “Oh, one of those local academies? Which one?” she asked. Somehow, I got the feeling that she knew the name of every local academy in the kingdom. “Well it wasn’t really an academy, just some retired professor teaching the kids in our village,” I said. “A retired professor? That’s interesting. Most of them stay at the Academy after retirement. What was their name?” she said. Shit. The professor was glaring at us now. She might have come up to strangle us if she wasn’t afraid of messing up her boring lecture. “Sorry, I don’t know his name. We just always called him old man,” I said with a halfhearted chuckle. She raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of names,” I said quickly, hoping to change the topic. “Mine’s Rurin. What’s yours?” “Saariel,” she said. “But no one calls me that. I go by Saar, mostly.” “Saar huh? Well, nice to meet you Saar. Now if you excuse me, I better focus on this lecture or the professor might fail me for revenge,” I said, smiling at the scowling professor below. The smile caught her by surprise since we’d mostly been ignoring her for most of the lecture. “What’s the point of sitting all the way back here if you want to listen to some batty old lady prattle about management ethics?” she said. “Besides, don’t pretend like you don’t already know everything she’s saying.” What? How did she know— “How do I know what you’re thinking?” she said, cutting off my thoughts. “It’s because I can read you like an open book.” What the hell? Was it an Ability? I Appraised her status. “Name: Saariel Jadus. Level 23. Title: Rebellious Prodigy. Ability: Visionary” I focused on her Ability. “Ability: Visionary. Facilitates user in thinking and planning for the future with wisdom and imagination.” “Impressed by my Ability?” she said, smirking. “Yeah, it’s amazing.” “That’s not how I know what you’re thinking though.” “Oh?” She stared at me. “It’s written all over your face. You’re not very good at hiding it. All of your emotions, all your feelings. I can read it all like a book.” She smiled. “It’s a nice book though.” I was shocked; not by her perceptiveness but by my own inability to mask my emotions like before. Although I had been more outgoing and expressive with Lily and the others, I had convinced myself that it was all an act. That by taking off my mask of apathy, I could wear a mask of emotions and hide my true self with that. In a way, I’d thought that my normal face was just as fake as my poker face. Even if I smiled and laughed, my real thought would still be hidden behind a veil of superficial emotions. But this girl had just seen through my veil. I couldn’t help but think, could she have seen through my poker face? Could she have read the Runir who had just been summoned from Earth as easily as she had read me today? “I’m glad you like it,” I thought, recovering myself. I felt exposed. Like someone had seen me naked, which, in a way, was an apt description of what was happening right now. She was seeing my naked emotions, reading my thoughts. It terrified me. My head was the one place I felt at peace. It was my place. Mine. The real reason the statues and the song had made me feel uncomfortable was because they knew. They knew what was going on in my head. They knew what I was planning. They had invaded my thoughts and that invasion of my mind, my sanctuary, was what really put me on edge. And it was happening again. I couldn’t let her learn more about me. Hide it. Hide everything. “I did like it, but I don’t like the face you’re making right now,” she said, her smile dying down. I was wearing my poker face. My foolproof poker face. Nobody could see through this. No matter what, my thoughts were safe now. I finally calmed down. “Your face is pretty pathetic right now.” The class was dismissed and she walked away. I sat fixed in my seat for a long while. That comment had stung a lot worse than I thought it would. Pathetic? Me? I left the hall in a daze. I stumbled in the hallway and bumped into a lot of people. Most of them ignored me, a few gave me angry looks and one of them even shoved me into a wall. But I didn’t care. I was too busy thinking about my ‘pathetic’ poker face. I slammed into something while thinking. “Hey, watch it dumb ass!” “Huh?” I said, blinking my eyes. “Oh, it’s you.” Lily was sitting on the floor, rubbing her head. Since I was at a much higher level than her, the collision had hurt her a lot more than it hurt me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she asked, getting up. “Actually, you know what, I don’t wanna know. You probably deserve it—hey, what’s with that face?” My face again. Is she going to call it pathetic too? “Why do you look so sad?” What? “I thought we’d fixed that up already. You always had this miserable look on your face back when we first met. I thought you’d gotten rid of it.” She frowned. “That and that god awful laugh.” “I—yeah, the laugh. I decided it was a bit much,” I said. “Good decision,” she said. “Anyways, we better go to the next class.” “We have the same class again?” I asked. “Yeah, I copied most of your courses. Except for that management one. Sounded boring as fuck,” she said. “Well that’s a relief,” I said, under my breath. “Did you say something?” she said, walking down the hallway. “Nothing, go ahead and leach off of me again,” I said, following her. “And Lily.” “Yeah?” she said, tilting her head towards me. “Maybe you’re not an idiot after all,” I smirked. She nodded her head and smiled. “Good, maybe you’re not such a jerk after all.” She turned away. “Now we just have to work on that creepy smile.”

The blockage came into view several hours later. A single, giant rock lay on the road, crushing some of the trees of the forest and stretching into the purple mists on the other side. There were several tents in front of the rock. People bustled about, talking, drinking and, in some cases, sparring with one another. The most prominent tents belonged to a group of people wearing black robes with a white swan emblazoned on their backs. They didn’t mingle with the other groups, preferring to talk to each other instead. As we approached the site, a few gazes turned towards us but they didn’t linger for long. We weren’t suspicious in any way. Just another group of travelers waiting for the road to be cleared. However, we quickly became the center of attention as, instead of setting up a tent, we walked up to the rock and started conversing in hushed tones. “We sure about this?” asked Lily. I scratched my head. “It’s the best choice we have, I’m afraid. And my Ability’s telling me that this is what we should do so...” “But you don’t seem too sure,” she said. “No, I’m not. It’ll attract a lot of attention and one of us will be severely restricted from now on. Which reminds me,” I said, turning to face Kai and Amy. “Who wants to do it?” “Can’t be me,” said Amy. The rest of us nodded. “I don’t want to,” said Lily. “And I can’t afford to,” I said, eyeing Zoe who stared at me blankly before suddenly nodding her head. “Well, I do everything around here anyway,” said Kai as he walked up to the rock and put his hands on it. People started muttering but Kai ignored it. Someone walked out of the group of black robed people. “Are you also an Earth mage? We have a couple of Earth mages too. We are working out a schedule for clearing up the road. If you like, you can join us in our tent and we can go over the details together,” said the black haired young woman who approached us. “No, it’s okay. Just let me enjoy my few fleeting moments of fame,” said Kai as he waved his hands. A huge hole appeared in the center of the rock as it crumbled. Kai waved his hands a few more times and the hole became deeper and deeper until it became a tunnel. He kept walking while waving his hands, causing the rock to crumble and cave-in in front of him but no debris fell on him at all. Even if he hadn’t volunteered, I would have asked him to do it anyways. Since no one except for the Demon Lord and the Hero were supposed to be able to use all kinds of magic, anyone who used Earth magic in front of a crowd like this wouldn’t be able to use any other type of magic during our stay at the Academy. And I needed to be able to use Dark magic at the Academy. Although people from all over the Alliance were accepted there, the administration heavily favored students from the Dark kingdom. If I wanted to make the most of my time there, I needed to be able to establish myself as a talented young Dark mage. Amy was a Fire mage and using Fire magic in public would associate her with the Fire kingdom and, hence, the Holy Union. As such, she would attract way too much attention. We’d already decided that she wouldn’t reveal her magic at the Academy and would either go for the purely academic courses or not join any courses at all. Zoe was also an Earth mage and we could have asked her to help out but her mana pool was too small for a task this size. We also didn’t want her to have to go through a mechanical process like this again, after all she’d been through in the factories. Lily… I didn’t want her to do it because she didn’t know that only the Demon Lord and the Hero were supposed to be able to use all types of magic. I’d worked very hard to keep that information from her. I’d have to keep a close eye on her at the Academy. Couldn’t let her find out or she might start to suspect my identity. Then again, she’d inevitably find out. She was smart and I couldn’t hide the truth forever...but I could try to hide it for long enough. And that left Kai. Although he, as far as we knew, couldn’t use Earth magic, his Ability could replicate the effects of basic Earth manipulation magic relatively easily. Of course, he’d told us that his power had limits and it would probably take some time before he could dig a stable tunnel through the rock but it was the best option we had. Moreover, I personally wanted him to be restricted at the Academy - at least in public. My plan was nearing fruition and Kai was the biggest variable at the moment. I needed to contain him as much as I could. “Stop, this is reckless! It’ll collapse on top of you!” shouted the black haired woman. “It’s alright, he’s good at being reckless,” said Lily. “Gerard, Tami, come help this fool out!” said the woman, signaling to the people who’d appeared from inside the tent. “What’s all the commotion about, Perse?” said the tall man with stubble on his chin. “Someone’s trying to dig his way to the other side, we need to drag him out before he kills himself!” she said. “It’s his own fault isn’t it? No need to risk our own necks for him,” said the boy wearing a bandanna on his forehead. “That’s true, but—” “Stop worrying about him. He’ll be fine,” I said, turning to Zoe. “Pass the salt will you?” She passed the salt. “Thanks.” “And why are you people having a snack when your friend is in such mortal danger?” she said, indignant. “Because we’re hungry,” said Amy as she munched on a sandwich. The black robed people stared at us blankly. The young woman pursed her lips and angrily stomped back into her tent. The tall man followed her, shooting us a short glance along the way. The teenage boy snorted and folded his hands behind his back before following them. “Is it okay to attract so much attention?” asked Lily. “We’ll stand out at the Academy no matter what we do. Kai said his rings should keep anyone from recognizing us so we should be alright,” I said. “In fact, having a bit of a reputation wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” The rock shuddered from time to time but the tunnel didn’t cave-in. Still, no one entered it, fearing that it would do so. Eventually, no more tremors ran through the rock and the crowd went silent. We finished our meal and packed everything up before walking into the tunnel. We later heard that the crowd waited several hours before following us. - The rest of the journey was uneventful - something that most people couldn’t say about a journey through the infamous ‘Corridor.’ Most people crossed it in groups or with large caravans with hired guards and mercenaries. Although the rock we’d just passed had been abnormally large, it was quite common for debris to come flying out of the purple mists. Worse still, monsters frequently attacked travelers along the Corridor, ambushing them by hiding in the thick forest undergrowth. That was why all the Inns had guards too. Of course, we didn’t have to face any of that. We shot most of the debris with magic and Kai’s Ability took care of the monsters. In fact, it made me think about Kai’s Ability again. How did it keep away monsters? Was he releasing some kind of pheromones or the scent of an insanely powerful monster. Perhaps a dragon? Or was he manipulating their minds into thinking that we weren’t prey? I thought back to the encounter with VanDrake. Yeah, the pieces are falling into place. His power is absurd, but I guess I already knew that. The only question is… who is he? “Hey Runir?” “Yes?” I said, turning around. It was Kai. We’d stopped at an Inn to use the toilets for a bit. Surprisingly, the toilets on Erath were pretty well developed. A combination of Earth, Water and Fire magic helped make the plumbing on Erath exceptional. Magic is wonderful, isn’t it? “There you go again!” “What?” I said. “You keep zoning out. In fact, you’ve been acting weird ever since we found you in the Wastes. Is everything alright?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “I’m fine.” He didn’t look convinced. Was that concern I could see on his face? I wasn’t used to seeing that emotion on his face. In fact, now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen a lot of emotions on his face. He’d only been angry a couple of times but other than that, he was always happy. It reminded me of something... ...my poker-face. “And you did it again!” he said, breaking me out of my thoughts again. “Sorry,” I said. “Whatever. Oh, looks like the girls are out. How much farther do we have to go?” he asked. Somehow, I got the feeling that he already knew. He turned away after all. Probably wasn’t listening. Why was I noticing all of these things now? “Oh, a few thousand years,” I said, in a serious tone. “Great, let’s go.” I sighed as I left the Inn. - We reached the Academy Town just as the sun started to set. It was a beautiful town, not unlike college towns on Earth. The town itself had a suburban feel to it as it lacked the city walls and castles most cities on Erath possessed but it’s buildings emanated an archaic air all their own. The Academy’s gates were already closed so we couldn’t enter it until the next day. The town didn’t have a wall but there were a few guards standing on the road, checking everyone’s paperwork. We went through the security check the same way we always did - with Kai’s magic paper. What was with the paper anyways? How did it work? How did it know what to show? Did it change to whatever Kai wanted it to or was it based on the target’s thoughts? Showing the target an officer they respect or someone they’d only heard about but never seen. Or did it make up a completely fake persona for him? But then that couldn’t work unless he— “Runir? Hey Runir!” “What?” “What would you like to order?” asked Lily. “Whatever you’re having,” I grumbled. “Fine,” she said, turning to the waiter. “Bring him some of this.” The waiter nodded and went away. “Kai was right, you’re zoning out too much,” said Lily. “Is something wrong?” “No, just, you know, planning for the morning and stuff. Have to get into the Academy, ace the exam, go to the shrine and- where are the others?” “They left when you were staring at that glass of water. Went shopping for Zoe since she doesn’t have anything to wear. I’d have gone along too but someone had to look after you,” she said, with a sigh. “Right, sorry. I’ve just been so caught up in all of this lately.” “All of what?” “You know, or well, you don’t know. You don’t know anything. Must be fun living in a world where everything around you isn’t screaming a conspiracy, isn’t shouting for you to uncover the truth before it’s too late. Isn’t-” “Runir!” she shouted, causing the other people in the Inn to look over in concern. “Sorry,” I said. “Just feeling a little. You know?” “Bitchy?” “Er… yeah. Bitchy,” I said. “That made no sense.” “You’re the one who said it!” We continued bickering as our food arrived. I complained when the waiter placed a bunch of bones in front of me but the waiter said that was what I had ordered. “Lily, why did you—” “It’s dog food. Perfect for someone feeling a little bitchy.” I stared at her for a while, then I stared at the steaming pile of animal bones on my plate. And then, despite everything that I was grappling with in my head, I laughed. “You’ve finally cracked, haven’t you?” she said, frowning. Clearly this hadn’t gone as planned. “Yes.” I laughed. “I’m totally cracked. Cracked up, that is!” Lily groaned and the other diners also looked at me in confusion. The waiter told me to quieten down but I dropped some money in his hand and got up. “Come on, we need to go,” I said. “Go where?” “What, did you really think we’d just pop by the world’s foremost educational institution and get in like we usually did? There’s an entrance exam you know? We need to prepare!” I said, pulling her out of the Inn. “I don’t like this...” “Right, I’ve heard the bookstores here are amazing. Ah, that one’s famous all across Erath! Let’s go.” I dragged the struggling Hero into a bookstore and forced her to read up on Erathan history and geography all night. I really was an evil Demon Lord after all! - We entered the Academy gates early next morning. We asked around for the principal’s office, but were told that he wasn’t in town. He’d met some unexpected difficulties while attending the Air kingdom’s Exhibition. “That sucks but hey, could you tell us where to sign up for the entrance exams?” I asked. “Sure, right up that hallway.” We followed those directions and came upon a large, wooden door with a swan carved into it. We knocked on the door and were told to come in. “Yes, how may I help you?” said a bespectacled old lady as she signed some papers. There was a golden plaque on her desk that read: “Professor Morgianna Mehlin. Academy Dean.” “We would like to enroll at your institution please,” said Amy. We’d decided to let her do the talking this time. She could use the practice. “Very well, we can administer the written examinations right now,” she said, reaching under her desk. “Please follow Galvin to Hall B.” A middle aged man appeared and led us down several hallways. We passed several people along the way, most of whom wore the black robes with a white swan which was the official uniform of the Academy. Most of the people wearing something else were staff members and faculty, it seemed. There was some crazy stuff too. A bunch of black robed students once ran into the hallway waving a flying black ball making disgusting noises. A girl ran crying out of the bathroom with her eyebrows sliding off of her face. We even saw a bearded professor crying while hugging what looked like a jar of human feces as he walked out of a room full of giggling students. We finally reached the hall and sat down to take our exam. We were given papers and were warned that cheating was a crime punishable by death and since I’d read up on the legal code in the Dark kingdom, I knew it was true. Of course, that wouldn’t stop us from doing it anyway. “Question: In what year did the fifteenth Holy War take place?” I knew the answer so I wrote it down. “487 PH.” As I wrote down the answer, I put my pen down and snuck a glance at Lily’s desk. She tapped the desk with her pen, seemingly contemplating a question, but then her eyes lit up and she started moving the pen over her paper. However, the words that appeared on the paper didn’t follow her hand movement at all. I sighed. Kai took the fun out of everything. I began writing the answers to the rest of the questions, sometimes letting the pen write an answer on its own when someone else answered a question before me. I used that time to think. How did these pens work? How did they copy my answer and how did they regurgitate it onto someone else’s paper? Kai used his Ability to make these pens work like this but this was ridiculous. He’d said there were limits to his Ability, but from what I could see so far, those limits were at best limits on the magnitude or strength of his Ability, not its versatility, and that thought was frightening. Or rather, the implications of him being able to do anything, to a certain degree, were terrifying. If his magic paper and his ability to turn away monsters and maybe even this pen, worked on the basis of manipulating minds, then could he do the same to us? Could he control me or influence me without me even knowing about it? What if he could read my mind? What if he was reading it right now? Did he hear what I just thought? Did he know that I was onto him? What would he do? What did he know? What should I do? Calm down, I thought to myself. I need to gather more data. I need to test this out. Probe the extent of his Ability. He showed that he could barely influence Van Drake, or had he been pretending? Either way, I know he can make an ancient dragon walk into lava so he must be powerful. What was his Ability called again: rewrite? If the name is any indication of what it does and if his limits are, at least, as high as I think they are, then I need to form contingencies and I need to form them fast. But for now, I had to stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking... We turned in our answers several minutes before time was up—at different times of course—and went back to the Dean’s office. We were directed to another hall for our physical exams, but those didn’t involve the use of any magic and was based on physical fitness and health alone. The Academy didn’t discriminate against people who couldn’t use magic at all, since they could still do well academically. They did require some sort of proof that we were from the Alliance, but Kai’s magic paper covered that. And that’s how we managed to get admitted to the Academy. Even Zoe passed the exams since there was no age restriction. We were allowed to stay in the dorms but chose to stick to the Inn outside the Academy instead. We left the black gates just as the sun set over the horizon and the gates slammed shut.

“This view is amazing,” he said, gazing out of the passenger car at the land below. Although I had seen a lot of amazing views and picturesque landscapes in my centuries of wandering, for some reason, this particular scene struck a very deep chord with me. There was something calming about the rolling hills that weren’t all that high but still managed to reach the clouds because of the high altitude of the ground. A stream gushed out of a hilltop covered with a low lying cloud, as if the heavens themselves were bestowing their favor upon the land. The sun shed a brilliant golden glow all over the already picturesque scene and turned it into something ethereal, perhaps bordering the divine. “They say nature is the greatest artist of all,” he said. “Looking at this, wouldn’t you agree?” I nodded. It was like a painting. A painting with dashes of brilliant gold and deep black accentuating a landscape exemplifying everything I loved about my world. There were people living down there; all of them with their own lives, their own families, struggles, dreams and beliefs. They lived with the world around them yet did not rely on it for their survival. I’d always admired them. Admired people, that is. But I never wanted to get involved in their stories. To get involved in their struggles, dreams and aspirations. I had never, in all those centuries of wandering aimlessly around the world, wanted to get to know someone. I had never wanted to risk being hurt again. Because they were human. They could look up at the hills and the clouds and the stream gushing out from the heavens and think that there was something above them. They could look at the world around them and appreciate it. They could admire the scenery. They could admire the painting in front of them. They could love, dream, hate and cry. But I couldn’t. For the longest time, I couldn’t admire the painting. I couldn’t let myself stare at the scenery and go ‘wow, that’s amazing!’ Or perhaps, it wasn’t that I couldn’t but that I wouldn’t. After I lost Jeffi and Yunni, I had let my emotions explode so powerfully that when they eventually simmered down, I was empty. An empty husk that didn’t care, for the longest time, about anyone or anything else. I wouldn’t let myself care about people anymore. They could love their family. Have fun with their friends. They could live a normal life because even though there would be pain and suffering, and there would be goodbyes and farewells, that was okay… because they were human. They didn’t have to live with it forever. Their pain would end. And for most people, they would be content with death. Because they could look up at the sky and think of something above them. For them, the Goddesses were absolute. Many believed that they would become a part of their Goddess and reincarnate once again. Their Goddess would judge them based on their merits and bestow upon them salvation or punishment. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t look up to the heavens and pray to some higher being for salvation. There was no contentment for me. No religion to comfort the reality that I faced. Because I knew that I wasn’t what people thought I was. I couldn’t absorb someone’s essence or soul or mana or whatever and regurgitate it according to my will. Although I didn’t know for sure if I was doing it without realizing it, I felt as certain as I could be that I wasn’t doing anything of the sort. These people weren’t being reincarnated. They were being comforted by empty promises and dreams as intangible as the clouds that covered the hills down below. There was no salvation. The Goddesses were useless. Our existences had no meaning beyond giving people a pipe dream to cling to or something to be afraid of. So I could never live like an ordinary person. I couldn’t live an ordinary life. I didn’t want to care about anyone ever again because I knew… I knew… that once they were gone… … they were never coming back. If there was a way to bring someone back. If there was something after death. Then the only one who knew was Fate. And in some ways, that was even more disheartening. “You’re not going to enjoy it if you’re all tensed up like that,” he said. “Come on. Learn to let loose. There’s no harm in trying it.” He smiled. “Who knows, you might just end up liking it!” He had said that before getting on the Ferris wheel when he saw that I was hesitating. And yet, it rang true in so many ways. Right now he was staring out at the hills and the forest, but perhaps unknowingly, he was staring at my insecurities too and telling me exactly what I needed to do to overcome them. So I followed Kai’s gaze to the awe-inspiring scenery below and let myself enjoy it. I let myself forget everything and admire the world around me. It was an experience unlike any other. Something I had never let myself do before. And that’s how I started appreciating the world. My world; Erath. It was strange how quickly things changed. Centuries of stagnation and self-imposed isolation and now I was sitting on a Ferris wheel with friends. In fact, having friends was strange enough. Jeffi and Yunni… I cared for them, I loved them but they weren’t friends as much as they were family. My relationship with Lily and the others was different. Sure I wanted to protect Lily, or at least that’s what I wanted to do at first, but now I cared for her and laughed with her. We went shopping together, gossiped together and even pulled a prank or two on the boys. And although I was skeptical of Runir’s motives and didn’t trust him one bit, I had developed an odd liking for him. Watching him bickering with Lily was one of my most enjoyable pastimes and he was, arguably, the leader of the group. Of course, there was also… “The wind’s nice up here,” said Kai, his hair blowing in the wind. “Yes,” I said. “It’s very nice up here.” He turned to me and smiled. He was about to say something important. I could tell by the way his eyes were staring straight into mine. I held my breath, waiting for him to speak. “Wake up!” said a voice that did not sound like Kai’s. The Ferris wheel shook. The mountains and forests rumbled. The painting collapsed. And I woke up. “I didn’t think you were the sort to fall asleep in class.” “What? Oh, sorry,” I mumbled. That was strange. I was not supposed to feel tired. I could go without sleep for centuries. “Can’t blame you though. This class is boring as hell,” he said. “How to resolve conflicts in an eternally conflicted world. That sounded so kick-ass on paper but I should have known that it’d be just another class on politics and government.” “Why’d you take it then?” I asked, rubbing my eyes. “Just checking it out. Probably won’t come back to it again,” he said. “A better question would be: why did you take it?” “Because Zoe took it,” I replied, gesturing to the little girl snoring next to us. “And she took it because you did.” “Because of me?” he asked. “Yeah, for whatever reason, she really looks up to you. Did you say something to her?” I said. “Nah, she probably has a crush on me or something,” he said. “Kids these days.” He shook his head. “Right,” I said, giving him a deadpan stare. The class ended and the other students started filing out of the room. I shook Zoe awake. She stretched and yawned. “School is nicer than I thought it would be.” “But you’ve slept through every class so far,” I said. “Exactly!” We walked down the hallway to our next class. Another boring one, I assumed. Why did Kai pick all of these boring classes? He didn’t listen to the professors anyways. He probably already knew most of this stuff or didn’t care about it. So why did he pick them? We went down a few staircases and soon the crowds of students walking in the hallways got thinner and thinner. We were deep inside the Academy now. Kai opened a rusty iron door and we followed him inside. “Oh, you must be the new kids!” said someone with a husky voice. “I thought I’d be all alone down here for another year. Welcome! Please sit down!” An old man with a long, gray beard sat behind a lone desk inside the dark, damp room. There was a single dust-covered bench in front of the desk and a couple of flickering torches on the walls on either side of the bench. Kai walked into the room unfazed and sat down. Zoe followed him curiously, pulling me along. The situation was unsettling and made me uncomfortable so I ended up glancing all over the place until I met the seemingly crazy old man’s pensive stare. And then he confirmed his craziness by spontaneously bursting into laughter. “I love it, I absolutely love it!” he cackled wildly. “I’m Professor Doodeduddy, but you can call me Professor Doode.” Yes, he was most definitely crazy. “And if you thought that I was just a crazy old man,” he said, causing me to jump. Had he read my mind? “Then you should know,” he continued. “That you were absolutely right!” He cackled wildly again. Even Zoe was growing a little apprehensive yet Kai acted as if nothing was wrong at all. In fact, he was taking notes. Why is this the only class you’re taking notes for? “Introduce yourselves already or I’ll give you nicknames myself,” said Professor Doode. “Kai.” “Joey.” “Amia,” I said, using one of the fake names we’d decided to use at the Academy. The chances of someone looking for us were slim but it never hurt to be careful. He snorted and grabbed a bottle that he chugged down ferociously. “Those names are terrible. You,” he said, pointing at me. “You’re red. You.” He gestured towards Zoe. “Cookie.” He threw away the empty bottle. “And you,” he said, pointing at Kai. “You’re taking notes. Good kid. You can keep your name.” That wasn’t fair! What was up with this guy? “Anyways, thank you for expressing interest in one of the most ancient arts known to mankind. It is a skill that anyone can learn but not many can master and possesses the power to shape the minds and hearts of its targets.” I didn’t even check this class’s name. Was he going to teach us some mysterious forbidden magic or arcane art? “Welcome to...” He struck a strange pose. “Improv 901!” “Improv?” I said, confused. “What’s that?” “Exactly!” he said. “It’s absurd that such an illustrious art-form is so widely unknown to the people of Erath. It’s one of our most wonderful traditions and used to form an integral part of our culture yet nobody even knows about it anymore!” He tried to stroke his beard but it fell off. “Strange isn’t it?” We nodded slowly. “Good! Finally, students that get it! Now then, let us get the basics out of the way,” he said, throwing away his fake beard. “First rule of improv: nobody talks about improv. It’ll ruin your social life.” He paused, probably waiting for laughter or applause. He got neither. “Second rule of improv,” he continued, apparently unperturbed by our less than enthusiastic response to his jokes. “Always put the other person first. Accept what they’ve come up with and roll with it.” He clapped his hands together. “And that’s it! That’s the last lecture you’ll be getting from me. Now get off of that bench!” “Kai, this is really weird. Can we ditch this class?” I whispered. “I heard that red!” said Doode. “For that you’ll be helping me demonstrate a bit of improv for the rest of the class. Sit down on the bench again.” “Make up your mind,” I grumbled under my breath. “What was that?” I didn’t reply. “Let’s get down to it then! Imagine you’re on a bench at the park. Someone sits next to you on the bench and does something that makes you want to run away.” He sat down next to me. “Like this!” He put a finger in his nose and tried to touch me with it. I promptly shot out of my seat. “That’s the spirit! Go with the flow. Accept your partner’s actions!” He grinned maniacally. “I really don’t like this class...” I muttered. “Your turn, cookie. Do something to make me get off the bench,” he said, grinning at Zoe. “Okay!” she said, smiling as she skipped up to him and plopped onto the bench. “Smiling isn’t going to make me—” She lifted her shirt a little. “Sweet Goddess below!” he cried. Zoe let go off her shirt and began swinging her feet. “This is fun!” “What in the name of the Goddess… no never mind, best not to talk about it,” said Doode, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Note taker, go on. Try to be gentle though. The cookie’s been through a lot.” Kai sat next to Zoe and flashed her a smile. She grinned back. “I’d really appreciate it if you got off of this bench,” he said. “Sure,” she replied, strutting away happily. I exchanged a glance with the professor. “That was… actually you know what, I don’t think I have a funny quip for this one,” said the professor. Kai shrugged and beckoned with his hands. Doode cracked a smile and started the next round. Soon, we were on a spy mission but kept getting our partner caught in outlandish ways. We did inappropriate things at a funeral: ironing clothes or sunbathing on the coffin. We were princes and princesses trying to convince our parents to let us marry commoners. A pirate being made to walk the plank but doing something unexpected instead. I have to admit, it was the most fun I had had in a long time. Zoe threw a spider at the professor and made him scream. We danced with our feet tied together, tripping over each other and falling flat on our faces. Had a water balloon fight. Reacted to each other in crazy ways. Died dramatic deaths. Laughed at the most random of jokes. And had a great time playing with the old man’s fake beard. Before we knew it, the class was over and we bid professor Doode farewell before walking back up to meet Runir and Lily. “Why do you guys look so happy?” asked Lily, puzzled. “No reason,” said Kai. Zoe tugged his sleeve and he bent down. She whispered something in his ear that made him laugh uncontrollably. Zoe started laughing too and since I had a fair idea of what she had said, I joined in. Lily and Runir stared at us blankly. “What the hell happened to them?” mused Runir. “Must have finally cracked. I always thought we’d all go crazy eventually,” said Lily. “Crazy?” I said, smiling. “Yes, I suppose that’s true, in a way.” “And she admits it...” muttered Lily. The sun was beginning to set and crowds of students were making their way to the dorms. A few of them followed us outside the Academy, presumably because they lived outside or were renting rooms in an Inn like we were. On the way back, we talked about what we’d done during the day. Although we tried to share the craziness of our last class with Runir and Lily, they didn’t seem to understand just how much fun improv could be. In fact, if it wasn’t for Zoe being absolutely in love with the class, I suspected that Lily would have told us to drop it immediately. Contrarily, Runir and Lily told us about their seemingly ordinary day. They attended a few boring lectures, made some new acquaintances and explored the campus a bit. No strange old men dancing with weird beards in the basement. Yet, they obviously weren’t telling us everything. There was a certain tension between them and Runir in particular was very reluctant to provide details about their day- brushing off most of our questions and repeatedly remarking about the dullness of their day. But since they didn’t seem to be at each others’ throats just yet, I decided not to probe too deeply into the matter. The sun set over the horizon just as we stepped into the Inn. We had dinner, chatted for a few more hours and then made our way to our rooms. I was sharing a room with Zoe so I could keep an eye on her. However, she immediately collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep today. She slept calmly and peacefully, just like she always did after Kai gave her that ring. But unlike her, I was restless. Thinking about our day made me remember some of the things that Runir had mentioned last night. Just what were the limits to Kai’s Ability and how did it work in the first place? Several instances from today buzzed around inside my head. I couldn’t dismiss the feeling that something wasn’t right. Or maybe, everything had been too right. It was something I’d noticed whilst traveling with Kai. A lot of things just seemed a little too perfect. The improv class had come at just the right time to help fix Zoe’s mood and resolve my own anxieties as well. The randomness had been exhilarating. The break from social norms had been liberating. And the overall experience had been just what we had needed. Was all of that a coincidence? Had Kai stumbled upon the improv class or chosen it because he thought it sounded interesting, or had he known how it would affect us? Had he wanted to make us laugh and forget our worries, or had he wanted to manipulate our emotions for whatever reasons? You’re over-thinking this Aia, I thought to myself. The real problem is that you aren’t willing to trust him because you don’t know how powerful he is. He’s fun, kind and caring and has done nothing to earn your mistrust. I thought back to the Ferris wheel. Yeah, I was being paranoid. Since I didn’t need to sleep and Zoe seemed to be fine, I left the room to stretch my legs. However, I bumped into someone as I closed the door to my room. “Oh, Amy, couldn’t fall asleep?” said Kai. “Yes,” I replied. “Well after the day we had, I can understand if you’re a little too pumped up to fall asleep,” he said. “I was going for a short walk. Care to join me?” “Sure,” I said. We walked down the hallway in silence – the only sounds the snoring of the people sleeping inside their rooms. Might as well ask. “Hey Kai,” I said. “Why did you pick the improv class?” “It seemed interesting,” he said, nonchalantly. “Did you know what it was about?” “I had a hunch but needless to say, it went well beyond my expectations.” He grinned. We walked out onto a balcony. We stood there gazing at the stars for a while. “So you knew it would be a fun class?” I asked. “I knew that improv is fun in general but like I said, I hadn’t expected it to be this entertaining,” he said. “So you wanted us to take a fun class?” I asked. “I wanted to take a fun class myself. You two followed me off your own volition,” he said. “Yeah but you knew Zoe would choose the same classes as you and that I’d tag along to take care of her,” I said, turning to face him. He hesitated, then released a quiet breath and smiled. “Well, sue me for wanting to have a good time with my friends,” he said. Friends? I couldn’t process that for a while. The word seemed both familiar and alien at the same time. I could feel that we were friendly – despite all the underlying tension and intrigue within our party – yet I hadn’t had any friends… ever. It was strange hearing someone say that I was their friend. “Besides, after the laugh we had in the Wastes, I realized that the two of you were the only ones with a decent sense of humor,” he said, shaking his head. “That uptight demon lord and that self-righteous Hero couldn’t appreciate the beauty of improv if you hit them in the face with an imaginary pie!” I chuckled. “See?” he said. “Well that joke was a funny one,” I said, remembering the joke he’d told Zoe and I while we were sitting on the deck of the ship whilst traveling across the Alderan Wastes. We chatted for a little bit before going back to our rooms. I lay on my bed like always and began waiting for the morning. I didn’t like sleeping and tended to avoid it if I could. However, for some reason, I found myself drifting off for the second time that day. Well, a little nap couldn’t hurt… - “Amy, Zoe, wanna hear something funny?” said Kai. “Sure!” chimed Zoe. I nodded. The boat was whizzing past the swirling mists and gliding over the oozing sludge. Lily had gone to give Runir something to eat and Zoe was getting restless. It would be nice to have something to occupy her for a while. “It’s a really funny joke. I know you’ll love it!” he teased. “Quit stalling and tell us already!” complained Zoe. “Fine, fine,” he said. “It goes like...”

“Speed and efficiency.” “Yes but—” “Your complaints are neither expeditious nor efficacious,” I said. “So, shut the hell up.” “But sir, we do not have the money to make an order of this size. We’re already behind on payments to the Earth kingdom, and the LeAgua company threatened to cut off trade with the Dark Kingdom if we didn’t start paying off our debts soon. If we make this order, we won’t be able to service the debt and—” I raised a hand to silence the silky-haired minister of finance. He stopped mid-sentence and stared at me with a dissatisfied look in his eyes. He was probably still complaining inside his head. “Speed and efficiency. Those are my priorities for now; not servicing the debt, not pleasing a company, and certainly not explaining myself to a disgruntled bureaucrat. You do as I say and you do it as fast and as efficiently as possible. Understand?” I turned around, my robe flicking sharply. Someone grumbled about big government and ignorant rulers, and then an angry set of footsteps accompanied the grumbling until, eventually, they both died out. “Sire!” A young woman walked out of a door to the side. “Walk with me,” I said, quickly making my way down another corridor. I called into another room, “Someone tell Azoth to meet me in the main dining hall, immediately.” I turned to the woman. “What is it.” “The citizen’s council is demanding that we open up the castle. Trade is at a standstill because no one can get any permits from the government. The mobile unit you setup outside the interior walls can’t handle so many requests. Black market trade is also at an all-time high. At this rate, we’ll—” “Speed and efficiency, Margery. I’m streamlining the government, cutting off some loose ends, removing red tape, that sort of thing. It’ll take some time and it’ll be painful, but it must be done. Now go tell that to the council,” I said. Margery nodded and scurried off. Note to self: Streamline political decisions by removing the citizen’s council. “Brekhart!” I shouted. “Sire!” said the stocky, middle aged man working on some documents in the room I had just passed. I walked past the room without breaking stride. The sounds of papers being shuffled, a desk being pushed, and someone groaning and heaving preceded Brekhart’s arrival by my side. “Status report,” I said, tersely. “Sire, my aides have drafted all of the policy decisions you requested. They will be ready to be put into effect by next month,” said Brekhart, a satisfied smile stretching up to the bags under his eyes. “Not good enough. I need to implement them today,” I said, picking up my pace. Brekhart blinked, and had to jog to keep up. “But sire, these are all first drafts. We still need to proofread them, check for loopholes, get them approved by the various departments they will be affecting, and—” “Send all the drafts to my office in two hours. I don’t care if you mix your you'res with your yours, but stamp out all the loopholes or I’ll dissolve your department for being useless,” I said. Brekhart slowed down, grabbed his knees, and panted for breath. I left him behind without a second glance. I met several aides and ministers along the way, admonished them for being slow and gave out a few more orders, until finally flinging open the doors to the dining hall. The room fell silent at my arrival, as dozens of gazes fell on me; some clearly dissatisfied and others outright enraged. I ignored them and went up to the front of the table. I nodded to Azoth, who ignored me completely. Fuck you too. I sat on my seat, signaled to the staff to close the doors, and had a sip of wine. “Speed and efficiency. That’s the only thing I’ve asked from you all, isn’t it?” I surveyed the men and women sitting around the table. Some bore old, wrinkly faces, while others had young, springy cheeks. Some had gnarled, stubby fingers, others had perfectly manicured pencils sticking out of their hands. They came from all sorts of backgrounds, all types of professions and had very different areas of expertise. The only things that united them were the glares they directed towards me, and the clothes they were wearing. Perfectly ironed, beautifully crafted, and probably worth a fortune. Their garments were the finest in the land, but that was to be expected. These were some of the most powerful people in the Dark kingdom. And not so long ago, most of them had been looking down on me from atop the walls of a giant pit. Oh, how time flies. “Speed and efficiency, speed and efficiency. You’ve been blathering about that for days now,” complained a balding old man with a bristly mustache. “You’ve tanked the economy, destroyed trade, cut us off from our allies, fired half the government, and caused three people to faint from overworking. And to top it all off, you won’t tell us why we need to do any of this at all.” “Yes,” chimed a young woman with rosy cheeks and a perfect smile. “You’ve brushed off our every attempt to understand what you’re trying to do. Worse, you’ve been telling the citizen’s council, the ministries, and the guilds different things! Cutting red-tape? Fixing the system? Renovating the castle? Which one is it? Either way, none of that makes any sense!” “You’re ordering tons of resources on credit, locking up artisans, alienating our allies, and nationalizing factories. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to destroy the country. Is this some personal vendetta against us? Mad about what we did to you, kid?” snarled a large middle aged man. “If it wasn’t for Azoth we’d have chucked you out long ago, and don’t you forget it!” I closed my eyes and let the cacophony of complaints and threats carry on. Eventually, just as the sea of voices was at its loudest, I opened my eyes and slammed the table, hard. It exploded into pieces, slamming everyone against the walls. They stared wide-eyed, some of them with blood gushing out of fresh wounds and cuts. Finally, their faces twisted with rage and they began preparing spells, but someone cut them off before they could attack. “Enough,” said Azoth, completely unharmed by my attack. “Let the Demon Lord speak. You will get your answers soon enough.” They unwillingly canceled their attacks and looked at me ferociously, as if trying to stab me with their glares. I leaned back against my chair—the only one still intact—and began to speak. “We’ve amassed a stockpile of ores and rare stones from the Earth kingdom, built new factories and workshops using Air kingdom technology, filled our silos and food reserves to the brim with imports from the Light kingdom, and acquired many other essential resources from the LeAgua company. The imprisoned artisans and nationalized factories are hard at work building machinery, vehicles, and certain instruments and tools that will be vital for the months to come. I have, in fact, been culling unnecessary departments and cutting red-tape to facilitate the implementation of my plans, and have made the governmental machinery and state apparatus more effective than ever. Now when I say something, the plans are drawn up in a few hours, the feasibility report written in half a day, and my instructions are disseminated to the appropriate state agencies in a matter of minutes via communications prisms.” “But this model is unsustainable, we’re already chin-deep in debt, and although you may be able to communicate via prism, the rest of us can’t send out any messages because of the Disruptor spell you made the court magicians cast all over the castle!” said the old man. “At least open the castle!” “The castle is closed because we cannot allow anyone to know what we’re doing,” I said. “And why not?” asked a young man with perfect hair and a smile that made me want to punch him in the face. “Nationalized factories. Stockpiling of resources. Shortening the chain of command. If you can’t see what’s going on, then you’re either blind, stupid, or both,” I said. “I don’t want any of this to leak out, you see. Because the longer your enemy doesn’t know what you’re doing, the larger your advantage becomes. We need to get as far ahead as we can before they know what’s happening.” Several mouths opened wordlessly as realization dawned on some of the people present. The rest had the brains to think about what I’d said, but one of them was dumb enough to speak. “And what is happening?” said the young man with the punch-able face. “War,” I said. “We’re going to war.” “Against who?” Who let this moron into the government? “Fuck it, I’m done explaining shit to you imbeciles. Who’s the general of the army again?” “That would be Cronk,” said Azoth, pointing to the dumb guy who still didn’t have a clue what was going on. “So, you run the army yourself,” I said, turning to Azoth. He nodded. I knocked out Cronk with a burst of magic, before he could open his dumb mouth again. “Send that idiot to the dungeons, you’re officially in charge of the army now, Azoth. Bring me a summary of all the resources at our army’s disposal, the size of the infantry, cavalry, special corps, everything,” I said. “And as for the rest of you.” I glared at them. “You will carry out my orders without question. The army will not make any significant moves and to most outsiders, it should seem as if I’m simply trying to establish my power in the castle. The Union will be wary, but since news of my return has already spread, they should assume that we’re too busy with infighting to prepare for war. I want to wait until the last possible moment before the army is mobilized. If any of you slow down my plans, you will be replaced immediately. Now get to work!” I used magic to open the doors and everyone but Azoth rushed out of the room. “And remember,” I shouted after them. “Speed and efficiency. Speed and efficiency!” I closed the doors again. “Azoth,” I said. “Yes?” he answered, conjuring up a seat for himself on the other side of the broken remnant of the table. “You have the list I gave you, correct?” “Of course.” “Good,” I said. “As soon as the Union begins preparing for war, I want you to take out those targets with the sleeper cells you planted in the Union.” “Understood,” he said, unperturbed by my knowledge of his sleeper cells. “It won’t stop them for long, though.” “Doesn’t have to,” I said. “Every second it buys us is another set of armor prepared and another infantryman trained. Once the war machine is setup, we’ll begin the propaganda campaign. The people need to want to be conscripted once the war starts.” “Any ideas?” asked Azoth. “Propaganda is not my strongest suit.” “First you manufacture the enemy’s image. Dehumanize them, blame our problems on them, and concoct stories of rape and pillage. They’re monsters who can’t be reasoned with. Villains who exist solely to bring pain upon the ordinary people of the Alliance. Blame the deaths of the Demon Lords on them. Make sure our people know how oppressed the people in the Union are. How ignorant they are of their own suffering and the blessings and bounties enjoyed by those in the Alliance. How they are exploited savages that we need to free from tyranny and oppression. Remember they believe in different Goddesses. Call them heathens and infidels. They will be doomed to eternal damnation unless we free them from their ignorant ways immediately.” “Understood.” “Then you build up our own image. How we’re fighting for the people. How we help them survive in a cold, cruel world, and work hard day in and day out, so that our people can live a better life. How much our Goddesses love us, and how much we love them. And then you get even more specific. Demonize the Hero. Tell them how she murders Alliance children, and bathes in their blood. Tell them the Hero perpetrated the fall of the Air kingdom’s floating island. The Hero desecrated the Holy Twilight forest. The Hero caused the collapse of dozens of mines in the Earth kingdom, burying poor workers and letting them suffocate to death under the rubble. In fact, change the name. Don’t call her the Hero. Call her something else. A pig, a monster, a devil, be creative. Make them hate her, the other goddesses, the Union. Make them hate it all! Manipulate their anger and frustrations! And then reach out to the people who still aren’t convinced or who don’t care about politics. Promise the slaves they’ll be freed after the war. Tell the poor they’ll be rewarded handsomely for their efforts. Tell the rich they’ll get a cut of the war booty, and maybe even some land. Tap into their greed. Use their aspirations to our benefit!” Azoth stared at me for a long time, before nodding slowly. His expression was imperceptible as always, but his eyes told me that he was either impressed or frightened. In either case, I was flattered. I took a deep breath. “You know, I wasn’t very confident in this plan of ours but it just might work.” Azoth stood up and made to leave the room. “I have worked with Demon Lords for centuries. Trust me, I’ve heard that before. Don’t get cocky just yet. Fate works in mysterious ways.” The door shut and I went back to revising the plan. I’d failed once before but this time was different. I was different. I was more aggressive. I knew who the pieces were. I knew how they would react. And I knew exactly what I had to do. This time my plan would work for sure. This time I wouldn’t fail. This time, I was going to win.

They found me on the ground several hours later. I hadn’t moved a muscle—the events I’d just experienced had been too overwhelming. Lily poked my cheeks and told me to get up but I didn’t respond. Annoyed, she poked even harder, but my high Defense meant I could ignore her with ease. Lily reached for her sword. “Hey, we don’t have to go that far, Lily,” said Kai. “He might be hurt,” said Amy. “Nah, the asshole’s smirking,” said Lily, bringing her sword down. I rolled out of the way. Fixing my robes, I stood up and faced the frowning party. “You always manage to cheer me up.” I smiled. “Thank you, Lily.” “Whatever,” said Lily. “What the hell were you doing lying around in the middle of the swamp?” I blinked. I checked my clothes and realized they were covered in slime. I looked around and took in a deep breath. It was gone. The hill, the statues… all gone! “Are you done acting like an idiot? Now come on in and get changed. You’re covered in gunk.” She walked back onto the boat and the others followed. I took a new robe out of my Inventory and got changed before boarding the boat. The boat was tiny but we managed to sit down comfortably enough. Kai waved a hand and the boat started floating across the sea of slime. A gust of wind blew out of the prow of the boat, clearing the purple mist from the boat’s path. “Where’s Gale?” I asked, noticing his absence. Zoe looked down. Kai turned to me. “He’s fine. I saw the Goddess save him when the island fell. He’s probably being pampered in the castle as we spea—” “When the island fell?” I interjected. “What the hell does that mean?” Lily’s expression darkened. “Turns out that the laborers were propping up the kingdom, literally. Once we freed them, the whole thing fell to the ground,” said Kai. “We thought you knew since we heard you rescued them.” “Fell to the ground?” I frowned. I did rescue them but it wasn’t because I’d known about this. “Oh.” Silence. The implications of our actions weren’t lost on us. “We should go back. Maybe we can help?” said Lily. I shook my head. “No, we’ve done enough.” We sat quietly in the boat as we let that sink in. We’d meant well but we had possibly caused far more pain than we had prevented. Then again, what do I care? I did what I needed to do to carry out my plan. The Air kingdom was in turmoil and the Alliance significantly weakened. For some reason, those thoughts made me feel uneasy. It reminded me of the statues and the song. What the hell was that anyway? I’d never heard of anything like it. None of the books in the Demon Lord’s Castle said anything about a circle of creepy statues. And why did they let me go? If they were monsters they would’ve attacked me and killed me. That’s what monsters did around here. If they wanted something from me, I was right there, lying prone on the ground, completely defenseless. They could have taken anything they wanted to but they didn’t. And that just made me even more confused. If they weren’t out to kill me and they didn’t want to take something from me, then why me? Why target me? I was sure they’d targeted me. They wanted me to come to them. One of them had my face on it, didn’t it? But why? What was their purpose? Did they want to mess with my head? Was that it? No, no, that was too simple and if there was one thing I knew about my encounter with the statues, it was that that shit wasn’t simple. Was I missing something? It felt like there was something right in front of my eyes and I could barely make it out but I just couldn’t see it! What was it? ‘Castle,’ what castle? The Demon Lord’s Castle? No, that couldn’t be it. Too simple, too simple. Was it just another weird encounter in an even weirder world? I’d met a lot of strange creatures there. An apologetic dragon, a family of soul sucking monsters, and a masked creep leading an army of crazy fanatics. A circle of singing statues wouldn’t be all that out of place, would it? But then why was I still brooding over it. It was a random encounter. A bit of bad luck. Get over it Runir! You have a plan. You know what to do. You know what to do. Wait… do I? The words were echoing in my head. Over and over again. But I still couldn’t understand what any of it meant. Perhaps I needed to see this from a different perspective? I could always try asking someone for their opinion on it. But who should I ask? Kai? He might know about it but I couldn’t trust him yet. Too many variables. Perhaps he was involved somehow? He might mislead me too. I’d come to him if I needed to. Lily? Nah, she wouldn’t be of any help. She came here with me. The chances of her knowing anything relevant were slim at best. I mean, she still hadn’t realized that I was the Demon Lord. I’ve been accidentally dropping hints too. Probably getting lazy. Note to self: stop being lazy, your plan goes to hell if Lily finds out that you’re her archenemy. Zoe wasn’t an option. She’d lived her entire life inside what was effectively a cage. But all that left was Amy. Interesting. This idea may be worth pursuing. I could call her out when we were alone. Maybe I could confirm a thing or two about her identity at the same time. But for now, I’d better— “Oi, Runir!” said Lily, interrupting my thoughts. “Why the hell are you sulking in the corner? Do you want to eat or not?” She passed me a bowl of steaming hot soup. “Not if you’re the one who made it,” I remarked. Lily frowned. “Kai made it of course. But I’m a good cook too.” “Doubt it,” I said, blowing on a spoonful before bringing it to my mouth. “Fine! I’ll make some and shove it down your throat,” said Lily as she stomped away. I have a bad feeling about this. I finished the rest of my soup and got up. The boat wasn’t all that big but there was enough space on the deck for a small table and a few chairs. Kai and Amy were sitting on the chairs talking about something while Zoe leaned over the side of the boat and stared at the sea of sludge below. “Where’s Lily?” I asked. Kai laughed at something Amy said and then turned to me. “She’s in the kitchen below-deck,” replied Kai. “Great,” I said. “I thought we were trying to avoid the sludge, not make it.” I chuckled but the others ignored me. “Whatever.” I made my way to the table and sat down. “We should start planning our next move.” “Never a moment’s rest with you huh,” said Kai. “Nope.” Kai folded his arms on the table. “Fine. But before we decide what we’re doing next, I think we should decide why.” “What do you mean?” I asked, frowning. “He means we need to think about what we’re doing next time. We don’t want to mess up another country,” said Amy. She turned to Kai. “Right?” “Yep, we’re thinking through our every move properly from now on. And that means defining our goals first,” said Kai. That was interesting. Did he want us to come clean about our motives? Why would I want to do that? “Come on, almighty Demon Lord, don’t you want to tell us your master plan? Gloating is half the fun of the job, isn’t it?” said Kai as he smirked. He leaned closer. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell the Hero.” So he really did know. That changed things. I’d been sure that he was at a higher level than me but there was no way to confirm it until now. An exchange of information would be in my benefit in this case. After all, I knew next to nothing about him whereas he could presumably read my Status like a book. Besides, he’d already offered me something in good faith, even if it was something I’d already suspected. “All right, I’ll play your game. But only if you offer your own motivations in turn. Both of you,” I said, shifting my gaze to Amy. “Sure,” said Amy. “Fine then. What would you like to know?” I asked. “Why are you traveling with Lily?” asked Amy. “Because I need her.” “Well, isn’t love beautiful?” said Kai with a dry chuckle. “I’d already figured as much. But why do you need her and what for?” pressed Amy. “Hey, I’ve already answered your question. It’s my turn now,” I said. “But don’t worry, my question is a simple one. Who are you?” “Kai.” “Amy.” “I know that already!” I sighed. “Fine, I get it. We aren’t getting anywhere until we get more specific. I suppose asking the really important questions will have to wait. So tell me, why aren’t you telling Lily about who I am?” “Because I know what will happen,” said Kai. “Me too,” said Amy. “Great, now we’re getting somewhere.” I threw my hands up in exasperation. They weren’t giving me much but it was something. “My turn,” said Amy. “Why do you want to go back to your world? Is it really that amazing a place?” “Honestly? I don’t really want to return to Earth. Back home I was a nobody but here, I’m the god damn Demon Lord! I’m virtually a God here. Why the hell would I want to leave?” I said. “Then why are you looking for a way back?” “Nice try but no follow ups. It’s my turn now,” I said. “Why do you care about my motives? Neither Lily nor I knew you before you thrust yourselves on us. And you have no reason to help us find a way home, yet you insist on following us. Tell me, why the hell do you care so much?” This was the question that had been bothering me ever since we met. Lily and I were looking for a way home, or at least, there was a reason for us to stick together but why did these two want to come with us? “I was tasked with protecting Lily. That is my mission here,” said Amy. “Protect her? From what?” “From you.” “Oh?” I smirked. “But can you do that?” The corners of Amy’s lips twitched. That settled it, I was nearly certain of her identity. “Want to try?” she said, scowling. “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to be burned to a crisp,” I said, chuckling. “And you Kai?” “I’m just tagging along. I was bored,” he said. Bullshit. Like I’d believe that! “And we just happened to find you sleeping in a bush?” I said. “Yep.” “You can see why that’s hard to believe, can’t you?” “Sure, but it’s the truth.” He shrugged. “Zoe! Get away from the edge!” shouted Amy as she got up. “It’s so pretty!” said Zoe, reaching down to the sea of sludge. Amy grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up. Zoe struggled in her hands but eventually gave up. Zoe and Amy started talking in quieter voices but I could tell that they were arguing about something. However, I didn’t pay much attention to it. There was a more pressing matter to attend to. It was time to confront Kai. “You’re lying,” I whispered. “What?” he said, confused. He was really good at lying but I would break that facade. He’d always been in control. In every conversation we’d had, I had never been able to gain the upper hand. I needed to push back. I needed to force him to give me some real answers. “You’re lying. You didn’t follow us on a whim, you aren’t doing this to alleviate your boredom. You see,” I leaned closer, “I do things for fun. I do things on a whim. I know what it feels like. I know how someone who’s bored out of their wits acts like and you sure as hell don’t fit that description. No, I can tell, you want something. I don’t know what and I don’t know why but I am sure as hell certain that you aren’t here for shits and giggles.” He stopped for a bit, staring at the teacup that had appeared in his hands out of nowhere. “You’re right,” he said. “I am not here for shits and giggles.” “I thought so,” I said, waiting for him to continue. But he didn’t. Instead, we sat silently. The sounds of Zoe and Amy bickering, the boat cutting through the sludge and something clanking below-deck pervaded the silence yet they were nothing more than background noises. I felt sweat trickling down my spine for some reason. Was I afraid of Kai? Certainly, his Ability was frighteningly powerful and his level was higher than mine, but would he really attack me in front of everyone? No, that wasn’t right. If he wanted to do that, he could have done so at any time. No, whatever he wanted to achieve, whatever goal he had in mind, it required my assistance or at least my presence. That was the only logical conclusion I could reach. He needed me. I could use that. “Then what are you here for? You know who I am, you know who Lily is and if you’re anywhere near as smart as I think you are, then you know who Amy is as well. So tell me, why the hell are you hanging out with a messed up party like this? Why did you help us rescue those people, topple a country and fight off a God? Wait…” I took a deep breath. “You fought that Origin thing when even Amy couldn’t leave a dent on him. You—” “Open wide douche-bag!” “What? Wait no! Lily—” I gagged on the sandwich stuffed in my mouth. Damn it Lily! I had him! Why the fu— “Well why don’t you eat this while I help Amy. Looks like Zoe isn’t giving up on that sludge!” Kai chuckled as he walked over to Amy and pet Zoe on the head. And he got away… perfect. I sighed, or at least I tried to. My mouth was aching because of that god damn sandwich. “Here, eat it,” said Lily as she grabbed my lips and helped me chew. Damn it, first she barged into the conversation and foiled my trap and now she wanted me to eat this disgusting sandwich. It tastes like sh— hey this is pretty good. I munched on the sandwich. It was a cold chicken sandwich with mayonnaise. Wait, mayonnaise? On Erath? I bit off a chunk of the sandwich and swallowed a mouthful. I fired some water magic into my mouth to wash it down. “Where the hell did you get mayonnaise from?” I asked. Probably not the most pressing question right now, but I had to ask. “I sto—borrowed some from the Palace kitchens back in the Light Kingdom,” she said. “That’s…” “Just shut up and eat.” I decided to do as she said. Zoe still hadn’t given up on the sludge so Kai jumped down and grabbed some for her. Lily sat down next to me with a triumphant smile, reveling in the satisfaction of having shut me up. I didn’t like admitting that I was wrong but damn, it was a good sandwich. “So, still think I’m a bad cook?” she said. “It’s just a sandwich. Anyone could have made one,” I replied, finishing off the last bite. “Guess you don’t want seconds?” she said, walking away. I cursed under my breath. “Fine, you’re a good cook,” I grumbled. “Thank you! But I’m out of mayo so I can’t make any more,” she said, winking at me. “Fucking—” “Look!” said Zoe, pointing straight ahead. There was a wall of purple mist in the distance. “I assume we’ve reached the end of the Wastes,” I said. “Perfect, now we head through the Corridor, circle around the Twilight Forest and head for the Academy.” “Wait, what?” said Lily. “Didn’t we decide that we’ll think over our next move properly?” said Amy, frowning as she clutched Zoe to her chest. “Pretty!” chimed Zoe. “The Academy…” said Kai, his voice trailing off. “Well we’re still looking for a way back to Earth, aren’t we?” I said, casting my gaze over the others. “The Air Goddess told Lily that our best bet is to ask the Dark Goddess, but the problem is, no one knows how to get to her shrine.” “No one? Not even the Demon Lord?” asked Kai. Kinda pushing it, aren’t you? I thought, glancing at Lily with the corner of my eyes. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have noticed. I glared at Kai. “Yes, even the Demon Lord can’t find it. And since the Goddess never leaves her shrine, the only way to meet her is through the Academy.” “I think it’s pretty obvious, but just so we’re clear, the Academy is a school right?” asked Lily. “A school of magic?” “Yes and no,” I answered. “It is a school of magic but it isn’t just a school of magic. In fact, its primary purpose is to train the leaders of the Dark Kingdom.” “So it’s a big deal here?” asked Lily. “Oh it’s a very big deal. Politicians, civil servants, generals and merchants, all of them have been to the Academy at some point. Many people consider the Academy the backbone of the country. Some even accredit the Dark kingdom’s survival despite the frequent premature deaths of the Demon Lords to the Academy and its training and teaching methods.” “And why do we have to go to a school to find the Dark Goddess?” asked Lily. “The Academy was founded by the Dark Goddess and it’s a well known fact that it is the only thing in this world that she really cares about. She won’t do anything all year but on the first day of Spring, the Academy holds a test and the five highest scoring students are allowed to go to the shrine to receive the Goddess’s personal training. That’s how we’ll meet her.” “You want us to give a test?” “No, I want us to ace it!” “Um, in case you didn’t know, I’m not all that good with studying,” said Lily, grimacing. “It’s all right. As long as one of us makes the cut, the rest can follow them to the shrine. She’s a Goddess so she can’t interfere with our plans.” “Wait, if she can’t interfere with our plans then why can she stop us from finding her shrine? Doesn’t that count as interfering with our plans?” That was a good question. Why hadn’t I thought of that? The Goddess shouldn’t be able to stop us from finding her shrine. It was one thing if there was a restriction carrying over from the game, but there was nothing of the sort in ‘Choices.’ There was something going on here and I didn’t like it. “Maybe it—” “Yay, pretty wall!” screamed Zoe, suddenly. Her mood swings had been getting worse. Ever since we brought down the Air kingdom and freed the laborers she’d been vacillating between an incredibly childish personality and an eerily mature one. Ugh, why were so many things happening at the same time? Kai grabbed Lily and Amy hugged Zoe tightly to her chest as the boat hit the wall of mist. I was hit by a falling sensation as the boat tipped over the edge and tumbled downwards. Great, a fucking sludge-fall. Kai and Amy jumped up and hovered in the sky. Note to self: Learn to fly.

“They’re coming up on starboard. Hoist the main sails! Liver down the hatches! Shiver up the timbers! Ahoy!” “Shut up Kai, that doesn’t make any sense,” I cried. “Oi ye scurvy-eyed mutineer! I sailed the uncharted waters off the coast-a Meneria on a rotten raft with nothin but tha skin on me back! Don’t ye be tellin me how ta sail!” he shouted in a terrible pirate accent. “Amy, Runir, tell him to stop,” I said, covering my ears. “Why? He’s doing a perfect Captain Selworthy impersonation,” said Amy, looking impressed. “Captain Selworthy?” “A legendary pirate from Erathen folklore. He purportedly discovered the Northern Continent back when the Bridge of Babel hadn’t been built and the continents were further apart than they are now. Or at least, that’s how the story goes in the Union. Here in the Alliance they claim Selworthy was based off the coast of Kalmarsh in the Water Kingdom and discovered the Southern Continent instead,” explained Runir. “No one knows how he actually spoke but that’s pretty much what every kids’ story says about him.” He pointed at Kai who was laughing while turning the steering wheel in circles. Kai kept shouting weird lines that made me cringe but worse still, rather than staring at him blankly like Zoe, Amy just kept nodding appreciatively which made him act even crazier. A loud crash rang through the air as the ship shook violently. “Could you do the castrated black-beard impersonations later?” I shouted. “We’re being followed by a freaking dragon!” “Wyverns,” corrected Kai. “But they won’t be able to keep up with my ship.” He returned to his crazy routine while I nursed a fast-growing headache. I took a moment to calm myself and sat down next to Zoe. She was staring at the little king who was still tinkering with his cube. “What is that thing anyway?” I asked. The boy didn’t respond, as if he hadn’t realized that I was talking to him. Zoe nudged him and he flinched before his cube fumbled out of his hands. He didn’t reach down to pick it up, choosing instead to shrink into his seat as far as possible. Another crash and the ship shook again. “Relax kid, we won’t hurt you,” I said as I picked up the cube and held it out to him. He looked at the cube in my hand and then at my face. He met my gaze without blinking. He reached out and snatched the cube without saying a word, only breaking his gaze once the cube was back in his hands. I frowned. Well that was rude. “So, what’s your name?” I asked. He hesitated before speaking. “His Majesty King Galemor Talbert the fifteenth; ruler of Air and Wind, Jewel of Laput, blessed by the Kind and Merciful Air Goddess, and—” “Right, we’ll go with Gale,” I interjected, feeling my headache worsening. He blinked. The ship shook again and Kai’s laughter reverberated through the air again. “I’m Lily. This is Zoe. The crazy guy on the wheel is Kai and the idiot clapping for him is Amy. The one coming towards us with a creepy smile is—” “Runir Grayscale, nice to meet you, Your Highness,” said Runir with a smirk. “Forgive me for not bowing, your majesty, I have a thing against bowing to my captives. I’m sure you understand.” This time the boy—king frowned. Runir was really good at pissing people off. “Why did we bring him along?” I asked. Zoe leaned close to the boy and twirled his curly hair. “Are we going to chop off his head and put it on a stick to scare them into doing what we want?” There was silence after that chilling suggestion. Even Kai stopped laughing in the background. The boy-king was frozen solid. Zoe looked at our expressions and frowned. “No? So we’re whipping him in front of the others so they fall in line.” The king whimpered. Runir and I exchanged a concerned look. There was another explosion and the ship rocked again. I saw the confusion in Zoe’s eyes as she frowned. “If we didn’t bring him here to torture him, then why did we bother taking him alive? We should throw him off the ship right now.” It was frightening hearing someone casually suggest that we chuck a kid off an airship because they couldn’t think of a reason to keep them. It was terrifying when the person suggesting this was barely ten years old. What a fucked up world. “Zoe, we didn’t pick him up so we could kill him or torture him or anything like that,” Runir said. Zoe furrowed her brows. “Then why did we bring this asshole with us?” I cut in, “You just met him. How do you know he’s an asshol—” “Just met him?” she cried furiously. “I’ve known this bastard for years. He’s the king! Him and the other entitled pricks around him sat on their asses with a silver spoon in their mouths while his cronies did this.” She lifted her shirt to show the crisscrossing scars and nauseating burn marks on her stomach. She turned to face the paling boy-king, her eyes full of disdain. “So if we’ve got no use for him, we should kill him already. Or rather,” she said with a pause as the corners of her lips curled upwards. She continued in a low, almost inaudible voice, “How about you give him to me? I made a list of all the worst things they’ve done to me and I’d love to return the favor.” She moved her face closer to the trembling boy trying to shrink even further into his seat. “I’ll need some supplies. Needles, knives, acid, something to shove up his ass, scissors to cut off some fingers, maybe a bottle of something to make him choke on. I’ll start by chopping off his—” “Stop it Zoe!” “Why?” She glared at me. “I want my revenge! I’ll make him pay and then I’ll go to the other bastards and I’m going to make them pay too!” “Zoe, he’s the king.” “So what? Daddy was the mayor.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “And he deserved to die. He deserved it. He deserved it… he…” She was breathing quickly now. I reached for her shoulder but she jerked it away and turned her back to me. “I’ll be in my room.” She walked down the stairs, slamming a door below-deck. Another explosion and the ship shook again. None of us said anything but Gale was still trembling and his cube had fallen onto the ground unnoticed. We knew Zoe was holding a lot of trauma in her tiny body but her emotions were always all over the place. She was fine one moment and wallowing in anger or self pity the next. Then again, she’d lived a pretty messed up life here and if what she’d just said was anything to go by, her previous life may have been even worse. A gust of air shot past me. A giant gray wyvern was barreling towards the ship. Just as I prepared to fire a Laser at it, the ship swerved violently to the side and I fell on my back. I stood up and glared furiously at Kai. He laughed and spun the wheel again. “This was fun mateys, but now it’s time fa cap’n Kaiworthy ta disappear!” He left the wheel, took a bow facing the angry wyverns and waved his hands magnificently. Then he steered the ship in a completely different direction and started laughing again. The wyverns shot past us and stopped. Then they shot past us again. They shook their heads from side to side and breathed loudly. I could barely hear their riders shouting something but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Soon, we’d left them behind and were safely cruising across the sky. I sighed and Runir shook his head. Even Amy didn’t cheer for Kai this time. If he could have done this all along, why did he go through the cheap pirate show? Kai chuckled. He left the wheel and joined us. “Hi! Mind telling us who you’re trying to signal with this? I’ve cut off all communications anyways so it doesn’t matter but I’m still curious.” He picked up the cube and handed it back to the wide eyed Gale. “N-no one! It’s a prototype. It doesn’t work yet,” said Gale, stuttering. I didn’t buy it. There was no way the king wouldn’t have some sort of emergency gear on him but I decided to trust Kai’s Ability for now. Besides, the kid had had enough of a verbal beating. “I originally planned to leave you somewhere safe after we left the shrine but since Lily says that the Goddess won’t help us achieve our goal, I’m afraid you’ll have to stick around for a little longer. But don’t worry, we’re loads of fun to be around!” said Runir, patting Gale’s shoulder. Gale nodded cautiously. “But you will let me go right?” “Of course. I don’t plan on keeping annoying brats with us for long,” I said, flashing him a smile. “I agree. However, there is something we need to ask you.” Kai turned to face him. “How do we free the bonded laborers?” Gale looked confused. “Why would you want to do that? That would be a disaster. All the scientists say their labor makes up half of our total labor. Without them, we’d barely be able to make anything.” “Not this bullshit again. That damn Goddess has everyone spouting the same heartless shit,” I said. “How dare you speak about the Goddess like that!” said Gale indignantly. “How dare you speak about people like that!” I shot back as I glared at the little king. “They’re not numbers. They’re real, living, breathing people. How can you talk about production and money or whatever when you’re treating people worse than animals?” “What do you mean? We have free education, free hospitals, and cheap food. We have the lowest poverty rates in the world. All the other countries want to be like us but they can’t!” said Gale. “At least that’s what Ezu says.” “Ezu?” said Runir. “The scientist hosting the Exhibition?” “Yes, she’s my chief scientific adviser. She gets her orders straight from the Goddess so I know I can trust her judgment,” said Gale. “And why do you think you can trust the Goddess’ judgment?” I said. “She’s a bitch,” “Stop insulting the Goddess!” Gale stomped his foot. “What do you know anyway? Who are you to talk about her that way?” “Trust me kid, I can say what I want about these damned Goddesses of yours. Besides, can’t you see that your Goddess is wrong here? She promotes torture and slavery! How can you respect her when she doesn’t even respect her own people? You’re a king, you should understand why that’s bad,” I said. “The Goddess loves us! She blessed us with knowledge and ingenuity. The bonded laborers are made to work hard, sure, but it’s for the betterment of society. So what if some people have a little less freedom if that means the rest of us can live a life full of happiness?” insisted Gale. “But is it worth it? You’ve seen a bit of the hate you’ve created,” said Runir. “What do you mean?” said Gale, turning to face him. “Zoe. Didn’t you see the hate in her eyes? The revulsion on her face? She detests you and everything that you stand for and, if I may add, she has every right to.” “But, doesn’t she realize how effective our system is? How many people’s lives she improves through her hard work? The graphs all say—” “Screw the graphs and fuck the numbers! Didn’t you see the scars?” I said. “I thought you were a kid so it wouldn’t be so bad but I can’t do this. You’re going to grow up to be one of them. Just another useless piece of shit getting fatter while everyone else rots in hell.” “Lily! You’re going too far, he is just a kid!” said Amy. But I didn’t give a damn. I could understand Zoe’s anger because I’d felt it too. Watching your ‘leaders’ getting praised for increasing the GDP or productivity or whatever while your stomach is empty is unbearable. Knowing that you’ve been ignored, knowing that you’ve been sidelined, dismissed as a number or a casualty of the system is infuriating. If I’d met the mayor of my city who was being adored by the media for his welfare schemes while my mother died of hunger because he’d actually been pocketing that money for himself, I would have wanted to rip his guts out too. I could only imagine how much worse the feeling was for Zoe. For her, the gray haired kid in front of me wasn’t just a kid being led around by adults, he was complicit in her pain. In a way, he could have stopped it. He could have saved her years of pain and torture, but he didn’t. How could Zoe think of him as ‘just a kid’ after everything she had been through despite being ‘just a kid’ herself? Wasn’t it unfair that he gets pity and sympathy when all she got was ridicule and disdain? She’d lived two lives like this. She’d experienced two messed up childhoods. Didn’t she deserve some justice? Some kind of revenge to give her a bit of closure? And if the king was so pathetic that he still didn’t realize his mistakes and if he was so utterly brainwashed by that damned Goddess, was it really okay to let him go back? Wouldn’t he go back and continue this messed up system? Then again, killing him wouldn’t change anything either. “Scars?” said the boy-king weakly, breaking me from my thoughts. “Hmm? Yeah, scars. You should get a look at what you’ve been a part of. What kids like you have been going through while you sat on your throne playing with your toys while your maids fed you numbers and charts. Go get a look at the real word, kid,” I said, walking below-deck. “I think that’s enough for today. We should reach the capital in a day or so but for now, you all must be very tired, so please go rest in your rooms. We’ll need to be at our best to pull off the next part of our plan,” I heard Kai say as I slammed the door behind me. - I tried to go to sleep but I couldn’t. Zoe’s words were still echoing in my head. I couldn’t dismiss her feelings because they reminded me of my own, or at least, of the way I’d felt before the old lady picked me up. I sighed and sat up in bed. I slipped on a robe and walked out of my room. I walked aimlessly down the hallway, trying to think through what I was feeling. I didn’t even notice when I had walked to Zoe’s room. All of the rooms had been labeled with our names for some reason. No doubt Kai’s work but I didn’t see the point of it. Then again, Kai did a lot of pointless stuff. Should I go in to comfort her? Maybe tell her I knew what she was going through? I might be able to help her get over her hate or at least teach her how to ignore it the way the old lady had taught me. I stopped. I’d heard something. Whispers? Was Zoe talking to someone? Was there someone else in the room? I pressed my ears against the door and filled them with mana, activating a small Air magic spell. “...get out.” “No, I must apologize for what I’ve done. I want you to forgive me!” “That’s not how it works. You don’t get my forgiveness just because you want it. I’d kill you right now if the others hadn’t told me not to.” “It was a misunderstanding! I came to ask you why you hated me. I wanted to know your story but—” “But what? Were you too scared to come in and decided to peep instead?” “I wasn’t peeping! I just—you were—I…” “Just get the fuck out of here already.” Someone shuffled about and hit the floor. “Please, forgive me…” “Fine, I forgive you for peeping. Now get out!” “No, not that. You know what I’m talking about. I saw them! I saw the scars… I’m sorry.” “You think grovelling at my feet changes anything? You think it makes up for all of this? Or for this? Or this? Or this? Of course it doesn’t. Come on, you’ve already seen them, look at them again.” “I—” “Don’t you dare look away now! Look at this one, it was the first one I got. I don’t remember how I got it because I was still a baby. A baby. They did this to a baby! You gave me this. You!” “No, I—” “Let’s go to one I remember. This one. I got this one because the owner needed money for a wedding ring and wanted to make us work harder. Kept poking me with a red-hot iron rod. Over and over again. The manager got bored so she started doodling. Here, look at this. Pretty isn’t it?” “I’m s—” “They tried connecting us to a machine that drove needles into slackers. Of course, I was the test subject. Look at this, looks like a pincushion doesn’t it? Just put me on your goddamn desk why don’t you.” “Please, I—” “They tried out different whips too. Look at this, isn’t it a pretty pattern? Or this, it has flowers and shit on it. Oh look, a butterfly, isn’t it beautiful?” “Stop it please!” “Stop it? Do you know what happened to anyone who said that back at the factory? They got this!” “That’s…” He sounded nauseous. “A hole, yes. Magic is amazing isn’t it. Look, I can poke a finger through it. Wanna try? Or how about getting one for yourself? You can keep a pen in here if you like.” “No! This is wrong! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m s-sorry!” Sobbing noises. Someone banged the floor a few times too. “Please, I’m sorry. You—you can do whatever you want to me. I’ll do anything you say. I’ll accept any form of punishment. Torture me, kill me if you like. But please… please… forgive me.” More sobbing. After a while, someone stood up. “Fine, take off your shirt.” “W—what?” “You said you’d do what I say. Take off your shirt and turn around. Now.” A pause. Then something rustled. A few footsteps. Nervous, broken breathing. A deep breath. A sharper breath. Then a scream. Someone pushed me from behind and the door opened. Gale was lying on the ground, writhing in pain. Amy appeared by his side while Kai stood next to him. Runir pushed past me and walked up to the boy rolling on the ground. When did they get there? Wait, more importantly… She stood there expressionless, her hands still outstretched. She was looking at the boy with cold eyes. Kai waved his hand and the boy stopped flailing. Amy ran her hands over his body, checking for injuries until she noticed something. “Have you forgiven him?” I didn’t even notice as the words came out of my mouth. Zoe walked towards me. Her shoulder brushed past mine as she left the room. “No.” Amy turned the boy over and stared at his back. There was something written there. ‘I will never be forgiven.’

My head hurt like it was being pressed down by an anvil. I raised a hand to my forehead and rubbed it but immediately stopped. There was something slimy on my hand. I tried to wipe it with my robes but the squelching noises told me that they were covered in this filthy sludge too. What the hell was this? I opened my eyes and surveyed my surroundings. Shit, I recognized the sea of viscous ooze and the roiling purple gas. The Alderan Wastes were at once the most famous and the least popular attractions in the Dark kingdom. Everyone wanted to see them but no one stayed for long. And you couldn’t blame them, this wasn’t exactly the most picturesque place I’d ever seen. It was also a very dangerous place. The purple mists and the bubbling sludge would instantly kill anyone below level 50. In fact, I could feel my HP dropping right now but luckily it regenerated immediately. I probably didn’t need to worry about this place and most of the others should be fine too. And as long as Zoe was with Kai, he’d probably figure something out. But how did I get here? Last I remembered, I was climbing the stairs to the top of the tower after leading the laborers out of the catacombs and telling them to leave the city. Then I heard a rumbling sound, stumbled and hit my head. But I had been in the middle of the Air kingdom. How did I get all the way to the Alderan Wastes in the Dark kingdom? The Wastes might be right next to the floating island but that didn’t mean I could just wake up in the middle of the damn place! I took a deep breath to calm myself. This was only a slight inconvenience, my plan was coming along perfectly. Or well, almost perfectly. The appearance of Origin and Circle was not expected and had made me rework my plans several times, but as it stood, I felt confident that I could achieve my aims. I’d received a power-up from the Air Goddess and reached level 498. She’d been surprised to learn that I was still alive so I could conclude that Azoth hadn’t told the Goddesses that he’d failed to kill me. This confirmed my hypothesis: Azoth wasn’t working for the Goddesses. In fact, it was entirely plausible that they didn’t know about his actions at all. Either that or the Air Goddess was just a hopeless shut-in and isolationist who didn’t know anything about the world outside her borders. However, in either case, the fact that Azoth did not have the support of the Goddesses on his side meant that I could use them against him, if necessary. The actions of the Air Goddess suggested that not only were they able to involve themselves in the affairs of mortals, they were willing to do so if it affected them. Now I just had to make sure that it did. Shouldn’t be a problem, since my plan pretty much affected everyone. I’d already ruined a couple of countries, though in my defense, only one of those was on purpose. Circle’s rebellion wasn’t something I could have hoped to plan. But when I had learned about the bonded laborers and met Zoe, I knew I’d found the perfect way to complete the next stage of my plan. Of course, I did not like the way the laborers were being abused and a part of my motivation for freeing them had arisen from a noble desire to help the oppressed. But does anyone really lead a revolution or undermine a government because of a desire for social justice for someone who is completely unrelated to you? Some people might, but I wasn’t one of them. I could condemn evil or objectionable actions when I learned about them, maybe even do my bit and sign a petition or something but I’d never go as far as kidnapping a king and leading a prison-break to help someone else. The reason I was willing to go so far was because I’d soon realized that the Air kingdom’s economy relied on the mana from these laborers the way humans on Earth relied on fossil fuels. Free the laborers and you take away their energy source, thereby crashing the economy completely. With that, the Alliance would lose a lot of money and weapons, which was exactly what I wanted. It was all a part of my grand strategy. Did it make me a bad person because I didn’t want to free the laborers just because they were oppressed? Was I selfish? Did I only care about my own goals? I don’t think so. Apart from the fact that I was at least partially motivated by my disapproval for the treatment of the laborers, apathy doesn’t make me complicit to their actions. I wasn’t the one whipping them, or abusing them. I hadn’t done anything wrong. So why did I have to go fix it? I shook myself out of my thoughts. I was alone in the middle of the most mysterious place in the world. No one knew what was inside the purple mist. People passed down tales of monsters and spirits which, if this wasn’t a fantasy world where monsters and spirits really did exist, would have been entirely unbelievable. If the legends were true, I had to be really careful here. Even the game didn’t tell you much about the Wastes. The monsters here were deadlier and much higher leveled compared to the monsters outside but the game didn’t show you much of the scenery. In fact, the whole place was supposed to be flat ground with purple mist floating above it. No landmarks or anything. Which made the hill I saw in the distance all the more unusual. The hill wasn’t in the game nor had I heard about any statues in the Wastes. This wasn’t the best place to display your art, after all. But still, a creepy circle of statues on a hill rising out of a sea of mist and sludge was unsettling, no matter how you looked at it. Whatever, I should probably look for the others. The only problem was, I didn’t know where they were. I could shoot some magic into the air and hope they saw it. Or maybe using my communications prism would be a better idea. I took the prism out of my Inventory and began to focus my mana. I was just about to pour it into the prism when I stopped. Did I really want to find them? Maybe it was time to leave. They’d helped me take down the Air kingdom and they’d probably make a mess here in the Dark kingdom too. Lily was strong enough and even if she wasn’t, Kai and Amy wouldn’t let her die anytime soon. The Hero’s growth was going even better than expected. In fact, she might be growing a little too fast. If I left then, I could go to the Dark Goddess’ shrine and get her blessing. The others would never be able to find her shrine on their own so it’ll be a power boost just for me. It was an interesting question. It might be my best opportunity to make sure that I was far stronger than the Hero. I’d need to be, if I wanted the plan to succeed. Besides, other than Lily and Zoe, I couldn’t really trust the others. Kai was a wild card that I still knew nothing about. A variable I couldn’t control. And based on the strength Amy revealed while fighting Origin and the high-ranked spells she used, her identity was all but confirmed. Only a handful of people could be that strong and only a couple could use Fire magic. Considering all of that, perhaps going off on my own would be the wiser course of action. I put down the communications prism and prepared to follow the moon’s path through the sky. The sun and moon on Erath followed the same pattern as on Earth, so following the moon’s movement through the sky and moving accordingly would allow me to leave the Wastes and enter the Corridor. From there I could make my way to the shrine alone. Guess that’s it then. Oh right, I should probably toss this, I thought, turning the ring on my finger. Kai had said it would serve as a tracker of sorts, so I would have to dispose of it if I wanted to separate. I was slightly unwilling to throw away one of Kai’s rings but this was necessary. I’d already sacrificed a lot for my plan and I was determined to see it through to the end. I hesitated some more. I couldn’t quite understand why though. Tossing the ring, going off on my own and carrying out the rest of my Grand Strategy was the most logical thing to do. It would give me power, wealth and fame. What more could I ask for? But then, was that really what I wanted in the first place? I’d enjoyed my time in the Hero’s party. I’d always told myself not to get used to it. That it was all a farce and that I would betray them at the first opportunity. But I found it increasingly more difficult to do that. When I laughed at their jokes, I laughed for real. I enjoyed teasing Lily and getting her riled up. Kai’s cooking was amazing too and Amy was a wonderful person. Although Zoe was a little unstable, she kept things lively and I didn’t know if Gale was still with them but watching him interact with Zoe in that terribly awkward way was funny as hell. I didn’t remember ever being this emotionally open with anyone before. On Earth, I’d barely opened up to my parents and I didn’t have any friends either. At least not for long. For some reason, people didn’t like me. But that was okay, I hadn’t liked them either. My hand hovered over the ring. I was still wondering whether to leave the party when a beam of light shot through the mists and hit the ring. I reflexively reached for the ring and tried to pull it off but it was stuck. I stared at it for a second, then sighed. Guess I didn’t have a choice. I gave up on taking off the ring but made a mental note to complain to Kai about a sore ring finger. The light would probably lead them straight to me so I could wait where I was and relax. But I decided to follow the light anyway. Standing in the middle of a putrid sea of sludge wasn’t exactly my favorite hobby. I trudged through the slime and used air magic to disperse the mists but I still didn’t make a lot of progress. Even though I was almost level 500, the slime was still seriously restricting my movements and I couldn’t see far ahead of me because of the mists. Soon, I realized that the light ran straight into the hill I’d seen rising out of the mists. Although the statues gave me pause, I decided that getting a vantage point would be helpful. Maybe I could see them off in the distance or look for some other noticeable landmarks along the way. I climbed the hill, cautiously, while appraising the statues. Most of them were crumbling and had barely distinguishable features. But I could make out a few faces, some limbs and even some runes and symbols that I unfortunately couldn’t recognize. Wait, that was odd. The Demon Lord automatically learned every language on Erath, just like the Hero. Were those words gibberish? Or was it not a language from Erath? I felt a shiver run up my spine. This place was way too creepy. I almost gave up on getting to a vantage point but the rational part of my head convinced me otherwise. I was the Demon Lord and I was at level 498. There weren’t a lot of things that could hurt me. Being scared of a bunch of crumbling statues was a little embarrassing. If Lily found out, she might end up making fun of it like she does for my aversion to heights. Although, at least in this case it might be a legitimate accusation. After all, I wasn’t afraid of heights. I just couldn’t trust myself to stand next to Lily if I was high enough to push her to her death. The urge to kill her was getting stronger alongside her own increasing strength. The boost from the Air Goddess’ blessing helped her more, both because the Hero grows faster at the later levels and because I needed an increasingly higher amount of experience points to level-up. That’s when I realized something. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why I had wanted to leave? Was I afraid that I’d kill Lily if I saw her become stronger? It was entirely plausible and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to consider it. I couldn’t quite say why though. As i was lost in thought, I reached the first statue. It was smaller than the rest and had beads running around its neck. There were no other distinguishable features on the statue itself but I noticed that the grass around it was shorter and a brighter shade of green than the others. Hang on… grass? In the Alderan Wastes? I stared at the startling discovery I’d just made. There were patches of grass around all of the statues; some tall, some short, some fresh, others withered. But regardless, finding grass in the middle of the world’s most poisonous place was extremely unusual. Sunlight wouldn’t be a problem since the hill was raised above the mists but there were no water sources in sight. Worse, the area should have been tainted with poisonous substances and Dark mana. It shouldn’t be possible for anything to grow here, let alone grass. There weren’t any plants in the Wastes. Even the monsters relied on absorbing mana for sustenance rather than consuming food. There was a loud roar behind me. I turned around but there was nothing there. My heart fell when I noticed that the noise had made me jump inside the circle of statues. I held my breath, expecting something to happen. But nothing did. The statues didn’t glow or explode or anything. Quite anti-climatic but I’d prefer it over the alternative. I calmed my breathing and chastised myself for being afraid of a bunch of statues. Then I reminded myself to always be cautious because only idiots would think that these statues didn’t have some kind of secret to them. I took the chance to get a closer look at them. There were twelve of them in total and starting from the one I’d first seen—which was also the smallest one—they became progressively more worn down in a clockwise direction. In fact, the statue on the other side of the smallest one was remarkably well preserved. I walked up to it. Unlike the others, it had a face with barely identifiable features. Raised eyebrows, a thin nose and slightly sunken cheeks. This statue looked oddly familiar but I couldn’t quite say why. “...cas...” I turned around. What was that? “...pieces...” “...crumble...” More voices floated around me. I instantly tried to use void step to leave the circle but I couldn’t go into my shadow. I panicked and tried to shoot a fireball into the air but nothing came out. I tried to run but I ran into an invisible wall. Crumbling sounds came from the smallest statue. Dust blew off it. No, dust blew onto it. In fact, dust started swirling around the other statues too, with the most worn down ones surrounded by larger clouds of it. “You...” The voice came from the most well preserved statue. I stared at it, expecting it to move. “Built...” This time it came from behind me. A statue as tall as me but thinner and more curved. Probably a statue of a woman. “A Castle...” The dust was filling in their features. The one that just spoke now had a robe on its body as well as hair. “Piece...” This one was wearing a strange tunic. “By Piece...” Thin lips, arched eyebrows. “You built a Castle,” said the statue with long hair rolling down its head. “Piece by piece,” said the statue with a strange hat. “You took a brick,” said the statue wearing a hood. “Laid it down at your feet,” said a husky voiced statue with a wicked grin. “And built a Castle without a wall,” said the statue of a little girl. “Only to see it crumble...” “…and Fall.” The dust clouds were disappearing now, leaving behind twelve statues that looked like they’d been freshly sculpted. The sculptures were lifelike; frighteningly so. I was certain that they’d attack me soon and since I couldn’t even use magic, I felt terrified. I’d already gotten used to the feeling of near invulnerability that my status as the Demon Lord and my high level gave me. Even though I’d faced dangerous situations before, I’d always felt like I could at least struggle for victory. But without my magic, I was just an ordinary teenager in a world of monsters and demons. I wouldn’t have felt this way on Earth, and in fact, I hadn’t been nearly as scared when Frank pulled a gun on me as I was right now. But I’d gotten used to the sense of safety and security. I’d gotten used to being stronger than most or at least to being able to run away whenever I wanted to. “You built a Castle.” It was an old man this time. “Piece by piece.” A young woman. “You wanted your own.” What are they doing? “But didn’t know why.” Their words were getting louder and sharper but there was something else too. It felt like they were… “You wanted your Castle.” …singing. “But did it want you?” The smallest statue moved. A little girl skipping around a field, except her eyes were frozen in a dead stare. “You built a Castle.” The hooded man followed the girl, sweeping over the ground without a sound. “Piece by piece.” “You thought you had it.” “But you didn’t.” “So you left it to the cat.” “And ran away.” “Like a foul rat.” They were speaking in turns. Popping into verses randomly before moving a little. Each of them had their own movement: the girl skipped, the old man swept his hands and the one with a hat bowed dramatically. “You built a Castle.” “Piece by piece.” “You found a brick.” “With a tether.” “You lift it up.” “And it rose.” “Then came a hand.” “Out of nowhere.” “Smacked the brick, to the ground.” “But it never made a sound.” The song didn’t even make any sense and the meter was totally off. Yet, even though the song didn’t make any sense at all, a strange feeling arose inside me. I need to get out! I tried to jump out again but this time the hooded man caught me with his arms and threw me back in. “You built a Castle.” “Piece by piece.” “Strong and sturdy it seemed.” “No flames, no storms.” “Could break its walls.” “And so you rested easy.” The circle shrunk. The little girl’s mouth was frozen in an eerie grin. The old man was cackling. The young woman was sneering and the man with a hat had a polite smile. Their motions were getting faster, the verses more out of tune, and the dance crazier and wilder. Cold sweat poured down my back. “You built a Castle.” “Piece by piece.” “It had a Tower.” “You made it taller.” “Until it reached the sky.” “Then you made the Sun.” “Fight the Moon.” “And in the sky, lay the Tower.” “Caught between, two sacred powers.” “So all it could do,” “Was crumble.” There was a pain in my chest. And I didn’t know why. Tears streamed down my cheeks. But I didn’t know why. No, make it stop! Make it… “You built a Castle.” “Piece by piece.” “It had a gate.” “To keep the monsters away.” “But you left it open.” “Still no one came.” “Because the real monster was you.” No, shut up! Shut up! Shut… “You built a Castle.” “Piece by piece.” “It had a king.” “But no throne.” “Because who would bow.” “To someone so low.” “When they had a cat.” “Who could chase the rat.” “Back, into its hole.” I closed my eyes and lay on the ground. They were running so fast it was all a blur. A hat shot out. A bead bobbed up. A wicked grin flashed. Their voices were loud too. They were speaking over each other. The same words over and over again. “You built a Castle.” “Piece by piece.” Over and over again. Skipping, hopping, running and gliding in a blur. Singing in their disjointed tunes and awkward voices. Laughing, snickering, chuckling and smiling. Were they spirits? Haunting me, taunting me, mocking me. It was too much. Too much… too… much… Then it stopped. They stopped singing and dancing and skipping and running and whatever else they were doing. I hesitated. I didn’t want to look up. Didn’t want to look them in the eyes even though I somehow knew that was what they were waiting for. My heart thumped in my chest. I waited for what seemed like forever but I couldn’t make myself look up. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. The ground shook a little. One of them moved. It was the hooded man. The one I’d been staring at before they all came alive. The one that had seemed slightly familiar. He walked up to me and stood in front of my face - his stone knee inches from my face. I steeled myself. I had to do this before he forced me to. I took a deep breath and looked up. I met his gaze and froze. He looked familiar because he looked like… The statue’s hood crumbled, revealing a face that looked just like mine. “I built a Castle, piece by piece. I wanted to win, so very bad. That when I won, I didn’t see, the Castle up above. I knocked it down, on my own. Watched it crumble. Watched it fall. And so it fell, at my feet. All the pieces, on the ground. My own Castle, broken down, by my own insanity.” The statue had a deadpan, emotionless expression that terrified me more than anything else. “So now I know, the price of power. So let me now, save the tower. Before the Moon, outshines the Sun. We must go soon, before it’s done. And we’re the kings of no one. We’ll build a Castle, piece by piece. It won’t crumble, it won’t fall. Because the pieces, will forestall. The tide that sweeps it all away.” The statue stretched out a hand and poked my forehead. I fell flat to the ground and drifted into unconsciousness but even as my vision faded to darkness I could still hear... “You built a Castle.” “Piece by piece.” “And now it crumbles.” “With the sand.” “Oh, beware the raging seas!” “They’ll consume.” “All your hopes and dreams!” “And leave you an empty beach.” “So you can start all over again.” “And build a Castle, piece by piece.” “Just to watch it wash away again.”

Despite all the sparkly stones and the shiny design outside, the Observatory was surprisingly simple on the inside. Maybe a little too simple. It was, after all, completely empty. Just a large, circular room with nothing in it. No people, no furniture, no machines and most importantly, no stairs. But then again, Runir had told me that there would be no stairs. Just an elevator of some sort. I couldn’t see anything that looked like an elevator so I had no idea what to do. Was Runir wrong? It wasn’t like his Ability was perfect. It hadn’t helped us much against Origin nor had it helped us find the Fire Goddess. Then again, he’d been pretty confident. I’d always wondered how he could be so confident about everything he said. Was it because of his Ability? Did it make him feel like he was always right? I suppose there must be something satisfying about knowing things that no one else does. Almost like he could tell the future. Or maybe like he’d already done this before. I didn’t have a lot of time. Who knew how long the others could keep the crowd distracted? Could I walk up the walls? I couldn’t see the ceiling and the building had seemed pretty tall from outside so that probably wasn’t a good idea. “...how dare those villains,” said a voice from up above. “Sacrilege! These are holy grounds! We must rid them of these hooligans at once,” said another voice. I stiffened as a couple of gray robed men descended in the center of the room on a circular platform. They glanced at me before making their way out while cursing the ‘delinquents’ ruining their holy event. Well that was convenient, I thought as I stepped onto the platform. I poured in some air mana into the platform and it began to rise upwards. I injected some more mana, making the platform shoot up even faster. I still managed to catch a few strange sights on my way up. Machines pumping out colored smoke. Robed figures punching a large gray rock. People whipping strange animals. Vats of bubbling fluid with gross shapes inside them. What the fuck is wrong with this place? Soon, I couldn’t see anything but dull gray walls. Pretty ironic really, since the outside was full of bright colors and lights. I closed my eyes tight as a bright light shone from above. The platform rushed up even faster before gradually coming to a stop. I blinked my eyes open and saw a metal door standing at the end of an empty hallway. I walked up to it and pushed but it didn’t budge. Frowning, I pushed harder but it still didn’t open. I’d risen to level 258 thanks to Kai’s training but I still couldn’t open a fucking door? Wait, what if... I put my hand on the door and poured in some air mana. The door glowed with a shimmering gray light before opening gently and noiselessly. Inside was a messy room full of all sorts of strange stuff. Broken glass tubes, empty metal canisters, and torn papers littered the ground. Pipes ran all across the room, rumbling sounds coming from within as something surged inside them. They led up to a desk piled with junk. I carefully walked up to it while making my way through the junk on the floor. As I approached the desk, I noticed that the bits of metal and paper would occasionally shift as something moved under them. Just as I reached the desk, a large gust of wind blew out from under the junk, sending it flying through the air. I raised my hands to cover my face but some kind of strange powder still managed to get into my eye. “Finally!” I heard someone shout as I rubbed my eyes and blinked furiously. Damn it! I tried to clear my eyes but I couldn’t. In my irritation, I accidentally knocked over something on the floor which made a loud sound that echoed around the room. Even though I couldn’t see anything, I felt someone’s gaze fall on me. “Who are you, a priestess? What are you doing up here? This lab is off limits,” I heard a rough feminine voice say. Damn it, this is getting in the way! I need to— I blinked my eyes as my vision suddenly cleared up. A gray haired woman was staring at me with a frown. Although her hair was gray, she looked like she was in her twenties. Her gray robes shone with a strange luster but they were smeared with all sorts of stains. Her eyes were the same color as her hair but the goggles she wore over them made her stare even more piercing. She put down the weird machine in her hand and walked out of the mess surrounding her desk. “Come to think of it, how did you get up here anyway?” she said, her frown deepening. She must be the one I’m looking for. Now I just have to— She shrugged. “Whatever, get out of here.” She waved her hand and another gust of wind sent the junk around us flying into the air. But this time, none of it hit me. Not the wind, nor the papers nor the pieces of metal nor the annoying powder from before. I stood there in the middle of a storm of junk and straightened my back. This was the person I had come for. “So, you’re the Air goddess everyone keeps talking about,” I said, crossing my arms and meeting her gaze. She looked startled for a moment but quickly recovered. “The Demon Lord, I presume.” “Close enough.” “The Hero?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Haven’t seen one of you in a long time. Judging by my inability to throw you out of here, you probably came here with a plan.” She sighed. “Annoying.” “Is that how it works?” I asked. She stared at me blankly. “You should have at least read up on the basics. You don’t even know how the Goddesses work. Is Solaron giving up on her champion too?” “Huh?” I said. “Never mind.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Let’s get this over with. You’re here for a blessing right? Now that you’re in my chambers all you have to do is pray to me and I’ll take care of the rest.” “Pray to you?” Something prickled inside my heart. “Yes, yes. Something along the lines of: ‘Oh kind and merciful Air Goddess Breize, ruler of the skies and Mistress of Science and Technology. Heed my prayers and take pity on my poor soul. Give me the strength I seek and the intelligence that I so sorely lack.’ That should work,” she said with a chuckle. Kind and merciful? I thought, incredulously. This was the same woman responsible for the bonded laborers’ pain and suffering. She was behind Zoe’s misery. What sort of kindness and mercy was that? And what was up with her attitude? I unfolded my arms and held them up as if in prayer. I closed my eyes and began speaking in an earnest voice. “Oh fucked up Goddess of hot air, passer of wind throw her mouth and mistress of assholery. Shut up and do your job, bitch.” I managed to catch the priceless expression on her face before a storm erupted in the room and I was blinded by the tornado swirling around me. My mouth opened of its own accord and the wind started barreling down my throat. Pain erupted in my lungs but it was accompanied by something else-power. I could feel it surging through my body. I felt like I could jump out of this tower and land on the ground without a scratch on me. Like I could beat up anyone, even the annoying Goddesses. Maybe I could finally see Amy and the others’ statuses too! Then the storm began to subside. The swirling winds dispersed leaving a powered up Hero next to a scowling Goddess staring daggers at her. The situation made me smirk. “If that’s everything, get lost kid,” she snarled before turning back to her machines. I fired a Laser at her back. It didn’t even scratch her clothes but it made her turn around in anger. “What do you think you’re doing? I’ve given you what you wanted. Leave me alone already!” she shrieked. “You’re not getting away that easy. We still have a lot to talk about,” I said, walking closer to her. I hadn’t come all the way here for a power up after all. “How do we get back to Earth?” I asked. “Oh, that question,” she said, shaking her head. “All of them ask it eventually. Don’t know why the brats think Erath isn’t good enough for them,” she muttered. “Shut up and answer, you’re wasting my time,” I said, annoyed. “Fine. The answer is…” She leaned closer. “You don’t.” I grit my teeth as she laughed. I raised my fist to punch her but she disappeared. “You see, we Goddesses aren’t as special as you think we are. On Erath we may be invincible, but we don’t know about anything outside our own world,” she said, placing a hand on my shoulder as she appeared behind me. I swatted her hand off. “That’s pathetic. I already knew you Goddesses were fakes but you don’t know anything do you?” “I’ve tried to find the answer to your question for centuries. Not because I want to send you back of course, but because I hate not knowing,” she said, ignoring my provocations. “But I couldn’t find anything. In fact, I still don’t know how you people get here in the first place.” “What? Aren’t you the ones you summoned us here?” I asked. “Sure, we know how to summon you. We’ve always known how. But we don’t know what happens when we do. Do we bring your body here? Do we summon your soul? We don’t know how the mechanism works. We don’t know if there’s another you in that world right now. But most importantly, we don’t know why we have to summon you at all!” she answered in an exasperated voice. That was surprising. It was one thing if they didn’t know how their ability to summon us worked but it was another thing entirely if they didn’t even know why they did it. “So the fight between the Hero and the Demon Lord…” “Unnecessary. But then again, the whole war between the Alliance and the Union is unnecessary and baseless. My sisters and I don’t even hate each other! It makes no sense. No sense at all!” she cried, her voice heavy with frustration. “But then why–” “Why! Yes, why! That’s the question isn’t it?” She chuckled. “You know, all of us—the Goddesses I mean—have our own ways of resisting Fate. Although resisting may be too strong a word to describe our petty attempts at asserting ourselves.” She walked back to her desk. “My form of resistance is to try to find the answers. The answers that Fate doesn’t want us to know,” she said, grandly waving a scroll in her hands. “I never found the answers to any of the really important questions but my pursuit of the truth did help me find ways to improve the Air kingdom and develop our technology beyond what Fate had originally intended.” She opened the scroll and pointed at the faded words on it. “Look, I wrote this eight hundred years ago.” The scroll said ‘Today a miner brought a strange gray rock to the shrine, claiming it was a gift from the Goddess—me. I dismissed it at first but after seeing what it could do, I knew this was going to change everything.’ “It was a Breize stone,” she said, closing the scroll, “without them, we wouldn’t be able to power our machines with the paltry amount of mana most people can emit. Without this, we couldn’t have reached the heights we have reached today. And Fate didn’t want us to have them. When I found out how Fate was going to stop us from developing, how it was going to stop our success, our progress, I fell into despair.” She smiled. “But I overcame it and now every car, every bus, every washing machine is a testament to my victory over Fate.” “Great, but how does that help me get back home?” I asked dryly. “Silly brats, can’t even appreciate…” she mumbled before straightening up. “Like I said, we don’t know how. Or rather, I don’t know how. But there might be someone who does. Someone who, like me, is resisting Fate in a very special way.” “Who?” I asked, drawing closer to the Goddess. Breize circled around me, leaning close and staring into my eyes. “Several centuries ago, she snapped. She cut off all ties with us, threw out everyone from her shrine, and closed it off. I haven’t seen her in a long time and our last meeting didn’t go so well either. Quite frankly, if she wasn’t so ridiculously powerful, I might have been worried about her,” she continued, pulling back and tapping her forehead in thought. “Who are you talking about?” I asked. “The black sheep of the family, Lunaris, the Dark Goddess,” she replied, “I don’t know if she’ll let you meet her or if she even knows the answer to your question but if anyone can help you get back home, it’s Lunaris.” “Why? What’s so special about her?” “She’s the only one who really managed to significantly resist Fate. I don’t know how she did it, but all of us recognize her ability to do what we shouldn’t be able to. She’s your best bet, that I can assure you.” She went back to her machines. “Well then, good luck on your journey. Take care–” “Have you heard about Origin?” I interrupted. She frowned. “Yes.” “We think he’s Fate,” I reply. “Yes, some of my sisters have suggested that theory. However, I’m a scientist, I refuse to accept anything without proper evidence. For now, we’re more than happy to let him destroy the Fire Kingdom. Especially now that the Demon Lord is dead. Although, I guess making you stronger has already put us at a disadvantage. Oh well, whatever happens, happens,” she sighed before wiping the seat off her forehead. “Now if you’ll please excuse me, I have work to do.” I didn’t budge. I still hadn’t asked the most important question yet. “The bonded laborers. Let them go,” I said sternly. “What?” She raised an eyebrow. “No. Why would I? They’re the backbone of our economy.” “Are you for real? They’re literally slaves! Don’t you see what you’re making them go through? They’re being abused and tortured, all so that you can ride your buses or work your machines. You’re the Goddess, aren’t you? They’re your people, you can’t just leave them to suffer like that,” I said, angrily. She looked at me with a bemused smile. “I can do what I want, I’m a Goddess. Besides, my analysis suggests that this model produces the most overall utility and happiness. Sure some people suffer, but the vast majority live better lives in exchange.” “That’s fucked up! You can’t justify your actions for a shitty reason like that. What’s wrong with you?” I scolded. “The numbers don’t lie. My way of running things is the best. It’s the most efficient. Look at our progress. The other kingdoms can’t hope to compare,” she exclaimed. “But it isn’t right! We–” I was interrupted by a loud crash that shook the whole tower. “What the–” said the Goddess as another tremor ran through the tower. That was my cue. “This isn’t over, you hear me? I’m going to rescue those laborers so don’t you dare stand in my way,” I said as I ran out of the room. “… not like I could do that anyway,” I heard her mutter as the platform descended. - The tower shook three more times on my way down. After finally reaching the bottom, I rushed through the gate and emerged outside. “What the…” I stared at the scene in front of me. A large, floating ship was ramming into the Observatory as the people below ran for safety. Although the tower shook, it didn’t break at all. In fact, it looked more like the ship was the one taking damage. Most of the people inside Kai’s flower petal prison were staring at the ship in confusion too, except for an old man who was laughing so hard his beard was shaking almost as badly as the tower. “Oh, you’re here comrade Stripster. We were just trying to strip this tower of its gaudy exterior, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” said a voice that I recognized as Kai’s. I squinted my eyes and saw him standing on top of the ship with his hands on the steering wheel. As he rammed into the tower again, I could have sworn he was smiling like a madman under his mask. “Come along, we haven’t got all day!” he shouted from above. I wasn’t even thinking as I jumped onto the ship. My mind was a mess. This situation was a little… “Where’s Runir?” I asked, recovering my senses. I’d noticed Kai on the steering wheel and another robed figure sitting on a chair with a smaller robed figure on their lap. I’d recognized them as Amy and Zoe. I had also noticed the trembling young boy who was tinkering with a strange machine on a chair next to them. But Runir was nowhere to be seen. As much as I hated to admit it, Runir would’ve probably kept things from getting too out of hand. “He rushed in after you, saying he forgot to tell you something important. I tried to tell him to just use a communications prism but he ran away—oh there he is now!” Kai pointed to the entrance of the Observatory. Sure enough, another masked figure was rushing towards us. Kai stopped crashing the airship into the tower and waved at the crowds below. “We’ll let you keep your clothes this time. After all, we’ve already stripped your dignity. Goodbye!” He waved at the crowds and saluted the old man who was the only one laughing at his terrible jokes, before pouring mana into the wheel and whisking us away from the Shrine. “Now then, did you find a way to free the laborers?” Kai asked as Runir quietly moved up to us. “No,” replied Runir. “Neither did I,” I answered, shaking my head. Kai sighed. “Guess it’s time for plan B then.” We looked towards the whimpering boy tinkering with his gadget. The boy felt our stares and looked up before shivering and going back to his machine. Zoe walked up to him and lifted his chin, pulled off her mask and stared him in the eye. “Hello, Your Majesty. Mind leading us to your home for a play date?” she said. The boy nodded slowly. Amy walked up to him and smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be an exciting experience!” A loud shriek resounded through the air. “Wyverns!” exclaimed Runir. “They’re following us!” said Amy. “Perfect! Time to show off my mad airship skills!” shouted Kai, laughing hysterically. Zoe and I exchanged a glance. Yeah, this was going to be an exciting experience all right.

My lungs were burning. A dull ache spread across my chest, stifling my breath and making me wince. My legs felt like lead and blood dripped down my lips. But I didn’t care. I’d found him. My tormentor. My eternal enemy. The one being I hated the most. The one responsible for locking me in the Haze. Floating in limbo in a body I couldn’t control and a mind that didn’t react to anything; it was a traumatizing experience that made me seize up whenever my body was restricted, whenever I felt unable to control myself and whenever I felt powerless. The one who created death in this world or, more importantly, the one who took Jeffi and Yunni from me. I was immortal. My sisters were immortal. Some monsters were immortal. We couldn’t die. I know I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried... So why could they? Why did they? Why couldn’t I save them? Did he enjoy watching me suffer? Was it entertaining? Did he laugh while I cried over Jeffi’s dead body? Smile when Yunni took her last breath? Was all of this just a game to him? For all those lonely years, I endured with one thought, one goal, one unwavering desire. To find Fate... And crush it. I felt heat rising up my body but it couldn’t compare to the blazing heat in my head. I found him! I found him! I FOUND HIM! I opened my eyes. I shifted my neck and saw him floating in the air, looking at Kai and the girl we’d picked up outside the shrine. She said something and Kai replied but I couldn’t tell what they said. And I really didn’t care either. A red glow gathered around me as I lifted my hand towards him. A ball of deep red lava shot out of my hand. Fate – or Origin – didn’t react at all. Not because I’d caught him unaware, but because he didn’t need to dodge it. And sure enough, I didn’t even ruffle his robes. I grit my teeth in frustration and stared at him. Kai noticed my attack and signaled for a coordinated follow up. But no, I had to do this myself. It was the only way to satisfy my anger. Burning Desire! Flame Armor! Blessing of Fire! Flames licked my skin as a glowing red armor appeared on my body. I felt power surge through my veins as the Blessing took hold and Burning Desire increased my stats. I jumped off the ground with Blast Off and rushed at Origin, slashing my sword in a frenzy. But it went through him, again. He grabbed me, again, and threw me at the ground, again. The wind was knocked out of my lungs, again, and pain shot through my body, again. I couldn’t hit him, couldn’t touch him. He was toying with me, throwing me around like a doll and I was powerless to resist. Powerless to resist Fate… again. I couldn’t accept this. I couldn’t! He was here! Right in front of me! I could see him. I could hear his unhurried breathing. I could feel his punches. He wasn’t an invisible enemy. No intangible force without a form. He was a real person, with a real body. But I still couldn’t hit him, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t hit him. A wave of anger washed over my mind as frustration bubbled inside me. I couldn’t accept this. Not being able to hit him, hurt him, destroy him. Not being able to avenge Jeffi and Yunni, to pay him back for tormenting me in the Haze, to make him suffer for making me suffer for a thousand years. I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I roared. The ground around me shook as a wave of hot, searing energy scorched the earth around me. My skin glowed with a fiery light, my vision dyed red, and my mind full of just one emotion-Wrath. I pounced at him, enraged, swinging my sword savagely. Again and again and again and again... But he just stood there, unfazed, unperturbed, not troubled in the slightest. He didn’t care. My anger, my pain, my suffering, none of it mattered to him. They went through him just as easily as my sword. I was a Goddess; one of the most powerful beings on Erath, but in front of him I was nothing. No one could resist him. No one could oppose him. Because he was Fate. He swung his arm, casually swatting me away. I flew through the air and out of the shrine, finally crashing into the ground as I lost momentum. Pain surged through my body and drew sharp, ragged breaths. Why, why, why… why? It’s not fair! “Hey, you’re too close to the edge, you might fall off.” I picked myself up to see Kai standing in front of me. Even though he was beaten up all the way across the country, there wasn’t a single crash on him. It made me remember how he’d managed to land a hit on Origin. I was jealous. Why could he hit him when I couldn’t? Why can’t I get the satisfaction of smashing Fate’s skull in? But what did he say? Edge? Falling off? What – I turned around. Waves crashed against the rocks far below me, spraying water into the air and slowly chipping away at the cliff. “We’ll need to work together to beat him. You can’t just go rushing at him, wildly swinging without a plan,” he said, stretching out a hand. I hesitated. He was right… I couldn’t do this alone. I accepted his hand. There was a loud crash as a figure flew out from the shrine. Kai turned around quickly and said something under his breath. The figure changed direction and fell in front of us, gradually slowing down and landing gently on the ground. “Glad you could join us, Runir,” Kai said. “Damn,” Runir groaned as he got off the ground. “My head hurts.” “Lily should be here any second now – ah there we go,” said Kai, as another figure flew out of the shrine. He muttered something under his breath and Lily landed on the ground in front of us as well. “Fuck,” she said, holding her stomach and clenching her eyes shut. Kai muttered something again and she opened her eyes, shooting him a grateful look. “Right, this is the part where I tell you I have a plan but...” Runir sighed. “I can’t even hit him. I mean it’s one thing if he dodges everything I throw at him, but my attacks pass right through him. What the fuck am I supposed to do?” Lily complained. “Yes, he’s a very troublesome opponent,” Kai said, nodding his head. “Yep, almost as annoying as you.” “Waon!” We turned towards the voice. “What are you doing here kid?” asked Runir, frowning. “Complaining,” she said, with a deadpan expression. “Clare, we can talk later. It isn’t safe here,” said Kai, speaking to her without facing her. “You’ll run away again,” she said, in an icy tone. “I don’t know what you want with Kai, kid, but you should leave before –” A ring of violet flames erupted around us, swirling as it closed in. Kai waved his hand and the flames dispersed. I shifted my gaze to the sky and saw him standing there with his hands behind his back. I felt my anger bubbling up again when I saw how relaxed he was; how completely and utterly sure that we couldn’t do anything to him. But what made me feel even worse was that I couldn’t help but think that he was right. No! He’s wrong! I can’t accept that! I have to defeat him, I have to crush him! “Kai! You’re the only one who can hit him directly so you’re the vanguard. Lily, Amy and I’ll cover you from here,” Runir said, calmly. “Right, take care of Clare,” said Kai, as he floated towards Origin. “Not interested in the hot springs, eh? How about going for a dip in the ocean instead?” He smirked as he rushed forward. He thrust his fist but Origin blocked it with his arm. Kai followed up with another swing which was stopped just as easily. Soon, a flurry of punches rained down on Origin, who kept parrying them at dizzying speeds. Kai feinted with a jab and Origin raised his arm to block it, leaving himself open to a kick that caught him squarely in the chest. He flew through the air before crashing against the ground. Kai was on him before he could get up, pummeling the ground and sending cracks racing across it. Kai stepped back just as a violet blade slashed in front of him. Origin stood up, brandishing his sword as he stared at Kai. “Enough,” he said, “Cease your struggles and accept your Fate.” “Screw Fate. Ice Age!” shouted Runir. Tendrils of ice snaked across the ground and surrounded Origin. Frosty winds clashed against his body as shards of ice swirled around him. “Fuck you, asshole! Exorcism!” roared Lily. Origin’s body shone as light converged on it, sending beams of energy ripping through the air and reflecting off the ice surrounding him. “It is futile. No one can resist Fate, not even the Goddesses.” He waved his hand, casually dispersing the frenzy of ice and light. “I don’t want to resist Fate. I just want to beat you up.” The world was dyed red again. My anger bubbled inside me, helping me muster the mana needed to use the strongest spell I knew. “Supernova!” I roared, sending a small ball energy out of my hand. It reached the ground at Origin’s feet and expanded. A blinding flash. A searing heat. A deafening explosion. Even I grabbed my head and shut my eyes as the Supernova struck but I didn’t register the pain at all because my heart was full of joy. I did it! I did it! I did it! Fate! I hit him! I finally hit him! I resisted Fate! No, I destroyed it! I – I opened my eyes. He was standing in the middle of a crater, completely unscathed and unconcerned. I felt my heart sink as I saw him shrug off my strongest spell. One hit. I couldn’t get one hit on him. Why? Why? Why? I have to make him pay for the Haze. For Jeffi and Yunni! But why can’t I hit him? Why can’t I resist? Why am I… so powerless? I stared at him with trembling fists and opened my mouth to shout at him; to curse him for all the pain and suffering he’d brought me. But I couldn’t. “Enough. It ends, now –” He was interrupted by a loud crack. The edge of the cliff crumbled, rocks tumbling down into the sea below. I heard a scream. “Clare!” Kai shouted jumping towards her. But Origin stepped in and swatted him away. “Kai!” Clare screamed, as she tried to step towards him. But the ground beneath her crumbled and her feet fell on empty air. She disappeared into the raging waves below. The cliff gave way around Lily and Runir, and they fell into the sea. And then the ground in front of me cracked and my thoughts began to race. No, not yet! I haven’t crushed him yet! I haven’t avenged Yunni and Jeffi yet! I haven’t made him pay! I haven’t… I haven’t even… I haven’t even hit him yet! The ground crumbled and I fell off the cliff, staring at the masked figure standing on the edge. His cold eyes stared back at me indifferently as he vanished behind the cliff. I hit the water and blacked out. - The sound of crashing waves carried over the gentle sea breeze. They crashed against the cliff face, knocking into the rocks and chipping away at them slowly but surely. At the base of the cliff lay a body skewered on the jaws of the sea. Blood stained the rock and no matter how many times the waves swept over it, they couldn’t wash it away. “Waon!” A purple kitten popped out from under the body’s clothes. It raised its head and sniffed the air before snuggling against the body skewered on the rocks. The girl’s fingers twitched and she opened her eyes. “He got away again, didn’t he Waon?” The girl asked, with a sigh. “Waon.” “It’s okay, I’ll find him again. After all...” She put her hands on the rock protruding from her chest and heaved up. The rock slid from her body, leaving a large hole through her lower chest. Strings of flesh knit together and the hole was gone. The girl pet the purple Hell Kitty on its head and looked out to the sea as the sun set over the horizon. “You can’t hide from the stars.”

I threw away my brown robes and wrapped a gray cloak over my clothes. I jumped off the window into the alley and walked into the crowd of pedestrians on the street. I’d made sure to lock the door to my room at the inn before leaving and told everyone that I was going to take a nap, so they shouldn’t notice my absence for a while. Another wonderful escape by the Master Thief Lily Grayscale! I laughed because I felt relieved. I’d finally gotten away from those guys! I mean seriously, I’d barely managed to stay calm over the past few days. I couldn’t see any of their statuses and they could all obviously see mine. Although Kai said something about some ring that hid his status, I didn’t believe him for a second! I’d lived on the streets for my entire life, and let me tell you, the streets beat the naivete out of you pretty quickly. I always questioned what people said and always stayed on guard. And I’d learned another lesson too, on my last day on Earth: never trust anyone. So I went along with their plans, acted like a good little hero and even helped Kai make his unbelievable tasty dishes. But I planned to run away as soon as we reached the city. Sure I’d decided to find a way back home, but I sure as hell wasn’t gonna follow some creepy stalker with an even creepier smile. If it wasn’t for Amy and Kai, I would’ve given him the slip ages ago. It would’ve been easy too. After all, he was really smart in some ways but just as dumb in others. Did he really think I wouldn’t find it weird that he chose to go to the Fire goddess’ shrine rather than the Light goddess’ shrine, even though it was closer? Sure it wasn’t open to the public, but I was the hero, it would open for me. Giving Amy the slip was a lot harder though, since she kept sticking to me all the time. I had to work really hard to get closer to her so she wouldn’t expect me to run away as. I didn’t know how to deal with Kai, but luckily, he didn’t seem all that interested in me, or in anything else really, so he shouldn’t miss me either. Especially because he’d wandered off to buy food and sightsee. So now I could leave Fohil and head to the other side of continent. I still wanted to ask a goddess for a way back to Earth, but I couldn’t go to the Light goddess since that stupid king would try to rope me into doing hero stuff again and I couldn’t go to the Fire goddess because that creepy stalker was planning to go there. And so I decided to go to the Water goddess’ shrine. I’d already planned my route and I still had enough supplies in my Inventory to last me until I reached the next town. Shit! A crowd of people approached the fountain. Standing there while facing the fountain with a stupid smile on his face was Kai! At first I was nervous, mostly because I didn’t know if he had some weird skill that would let him notice me or something, but then I calmed down. I knew exactly how to fade into a crowd. I knew how to hide, and hiding in plain sight was my specialty. I calmed my breathing and matched my gait with that of the crowd. I made sure that my hood was properly covering my face and that my cloak covered the Holy Armour I wore underneath. I walked right past him. I really am awesome, aren’t I? - I walked towards the Eastern gate of the city, which was in the seedier part of town. I didn’t mind the atmosphere at all, since it reminded me of home. I saw the cruel underbelly of the city, which was just like any I’d seen on Earth. Even though children were laughing and playing just a few blocks away, the children here had lifeless eyes, some of whom lay on the ground, dead or dying. The fountain with water flowing down those stupid patterns, was at odds with the smelly gutters and sewage canals running beside the street. There the old lady was throwing breadcrumbs to pigeons, while the people here looked like they hadn’t eaten in days. Did it bother me? Of course it did. It made me angry every time I saw it, regardless of which world I was in. It reminded me of the mayor that stole money from the orphanage or the many other rich entitled fucks who lived their high-flying lives while leaving the rest of us to scrounge for their leftovers. But I’d lived on the streets long enough to know that there was nothing you could do about stuff like this. It was just the way things worked and you couldn’t change that no matter how hard you tried. I reached the gate and left the city just as the sun started going down, casting an orange light across the sky. The light made me hesitate for a bit as I thought back to that night around the campfire. The night when Kai told us one of his stories. He never told us any other stories and for some reason, we didn’t ask for more either. It felt like there had to be a proper mood for one of his stories and you couldn’t force it to come any sooner. I endured the slight regret in my heart as I left the city. - It’s a little boring without them though, I thought, as I kicked another pebble off the road. On the way to Fohil, I’d started to enjoy getting under Runir’s skin. Even though he had a creepy smile, he was pretty normal once you broke his poker face. Amy had been fun too, like an obsessive older sister. I’d always wanted a sister. My stomach grumbled. Now I was missing Kai’s cooking too. The sun had gone down anyway so I decided to make camp in a clearing a little way off the road. Didn’t want someone stumbling upon me while I was asleep, after all. I made a fire, cooked a small stew, and ate while looking at the sky. There were a lot of clouds up there that night, making it hard to see the stars but the silver moonlight drew up the edges of the clouds, drawing a silvery painting in the sky. I lay down in my sleeping bag and fell asleep, - I woke up suddenly. I’d heard a rustle in the forest and being the shallow sleeper that I was, I couldn’t help but open my eyes. The sky was dark, the moon hidden by the clouds. The only light in my surroundings was the pale orange glow coming from the smoldering remains of the fire. I heard a soft rustle, quieter than last time but easier to catch because I was awake now. I regulated my breathing to make it seem like I was sleeping and waited. Sure enough, a bunch of leaves rustled as something jumped at me from behind. I rolled forward in my sleeping bag and cast the spell I had been preparing. Fireball! A sizzling, red ball of fire burst out of my hands and flew towards the shadowy figure that had attacked me. My quick reaction surprised the figure, but it easily managed to evade my spell. I used the opportunity to get out of my sleeping bag and fire another fireball at the figure. It dodged that one too but as it passed by the figure’s dark robes, I managed to see the face underneath the hood. It looked like a little boy’s face, with bone-white skin and white eyes without any irises. Looking at him sent shivers down my spine, especially because his body was absolutely not a child’s body. He was seven feet tall! In his hands, he clutched a white needle dripping with a bright yellow fluid. I narrowed my eyes and took out my knife. I cast Holy Shield, a defensive magic, and Noble Faith, a mental buff to help me concentrate in battle. The child-faced man didn’t care about my preparations. He rushed straight at me while holding his needle across his body, ready to bring it down, straight into my skull. Noble Faith prevented me from panicking as I cast Light Wall in front of me to block his attack, and aimed a level four offensive spell at him. He effortlessly crashed through my Light Wall and leaped in front of me just as I fired my magic. Laser! A white beam of energy flew out of my hands, hitting the child-faced man straight in the chest and blasting him away to the other side of the clearing. There were sizzling sounds around me as the laser cut through the foliage, as well as a few crashing sounds as trees fell onto the ground. I didn’t stop to make sure he was dead because that would be stupid. When you’ve barely managed to defend yourself from an attack, why the fuck would you stick around and wait for more trouble to show up? Just as I tried to make a break for it, something whistled past my ear and an intense pain bloomed in my head. Strangely, the pain in my head seemed detached and unreal. Like a dream. I tumbled to the ground, my head tilting towards the tunnel of seared trees and dirt created by my attack. The child-faced man stumbled out of the tunnel, clutching his left arm and favoring his right leg. There were nasty gashes and burn marks on his chest, which lay bare because the upper part of his robes had been incinerated. I noticed two things that filled me with trepidation. First, even though he was so bloody, bruised and battered, his face didn’t display any emotions at all, which seriously freaked me out. Second, he wasn’t holding the white needle anymore. He walked closer just as the pain in my head intensified and the detached feeling become stronger. He walked past me, grabbed the needle, and raised it above his head. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel anything at all. Maybe it was because of the detached feeling in my head or an effect of Noble Faith, or maybe it was because I’d been in a bunch of similar situations before. A powerful person holding a weapon above my head, waiting to bring it down and crack open my skull. Yeah, nothing new there. As I resigned myself to death, the child-faced man stopped and turned around. He emitted a cough and a gurgling sound, and then something hit the floor. The child-faced man was dead. “Wonderful weather again tonight, isn’t it Ms.Hero?” A wave of relief washed over me as I closed my eyes and blacked out. - I woke up in a different part of the forest. I was curled up inside my sleeping bag, with something warm behind and in front of me. In front of me were the warm ashes of a fire and behind me was a red-haired girl, hugging me so hard I couldn’t get up. “Oh, so you’re awake now. Welcome back Lily, did you have a nice trip?” asked a voice from behind me. Amy hugged me even tighter, pushing the wind out of my lungs. “A-Amy-please-let-go-” I managed to squeak out a reply. The pressure around my chest lessened but it didn’t vanish completely. She probably thought I would run away again. “Ah, Ms.Hero is awake. Perfect,” said another voice behind me. I tried turning around to face them but couldn’t. Amy wouldn’t let me move at all. “So Lily, isn’t there something you’d like to say to Runir?” said Kai I didn’t respond. “It’s fine. I didn’t do it for her gratitude,” said Runir. “Then why did you do it?” I said, my mind going into overdrive. I know you want to use me. I know you saved me because you needed my help. But you’ll never admit it. Fucks like you like to manipulate people, makes you feel powerful, gets you off maybe? Fuck. Just admit it you- “I did it because I need you to help me achieve my objective.” I hesitated. He admitted it. That’s a first... “And what objective is that?” I asked. “Going home.” Like hell I’d believe that! I thought for a while, then sighed. “You can let go now Amy, I won’t run away.” She hesitated before drawing her hands away and releasing me from her crushing grip. I was sure there would be a mark on my skin and it would hurt like hell. “And why should I help you?” I replied, calmly turning to face them. “Because he saved your life,” Kai said, sipping a cup of tea. “I didn’t ask him to,” I retorted. “True. But that doesn’t change the fact that you would have died if he hadn’t killed that assassin and brought you back to me in time. Luckily, I have a skill to remove most poisons, although the one you’d been hit with was a particularly nasty one,” Kai replied. I looked at Runir, who sat on a short earthen stool and gave me one of his creepy smiles. I didn’t like feeling indebted to him. “After we realized that you ran away, we split up and began searching immediately. Perhaps you didn’t know but there are a lot of hidden spies and assassins in the Light kingdom and they almost certainly know that the hero ran away from the palace, so they should all be looking for you,” he said. “Assassins?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “From the Dark kingdom. Now that the Demon lord is dead, they’ll desperately try to kill you before you grow too strong. Quite a few heroes have fallen prematurely because of assassins and poison. You were fortunate that I reached you in time,” he said, smirking at me. I gritted my teeth and looked at Amy, hoping for some support. Of course, it was the wrong place to look. “Lily, do you know how foolish your actions were? How much danger you were in? Even if you don’t trust these two ruffians you should at least trust me and take me with you!” she chastised. “Oh? And what if I don’t trust you either,” I said, turning my back on all of them. “Did you really think I’d just let you push me around? To let you use me however you fucking want to? Do you think I care about you or this world or whatever my duties are? Do you think I care about being the hero?” I said, forcing myself to stay calm. “That’s okay. You don’t have to trust us. In fact, I don’t trust anyone else here either,” said Runir. “I trust Lily, but not these two ruffians,” said Amy, pointing at Kai and Runir. “Too suspicious.” “Would you believe me if I said that I trust all of you?” said Kai. I was about to say no but then I hesitated. “...Maybe,” I said. Kai put down his teacup with a clink. “That’s good enough for me. And Runir is right, we don’t have to trust each other. We all have our own aims and objectives. Our own destinations. But our paths seem to be coinciding, at least for a little while. So maybe we can walk together for a little while? It’s more fun that way, isn’t it?” he said. I turned around and looked at them. A creepy stalker who’d followed me twice and had a smile that could freak out the devil. A crazy strong, obsessive older sister type who loved to hug me for some reason. And a really weird guy who tells stories and makes great curry. I nodded, a slight warmth growing inside my chest. I’m stuck with a bunch of stupidly strong people I can’t trust nor understand, and I’m being chased by baby faced assassins. This might look pretty bad at first glance but... I smiled as I looked at the sky above. The sun wasn’t out yet so the moon still hung up high in the sky. A single cloud drifted over it, the moonlight lighting up its edges. ...there’s always a silver lining.

“The weather’s quite nice out here, isn’t it?” “I guess.” “What’s the matter.” “I want to kill you,” said Lily. “What a coincidence,” I said, “so do I.” “Good thing we aren’t together then.” “Yes, it’s almost like someone planned it that way.” “I wonder who.” “I don’t know. Whoever it was, they must be an absolute genius!” “Or an absolute asshole.” I chuckled. The prism in my hand grew warm and flickered. Lily’s voice floated out again, “So, is it true?” “Yes,” I said simply. I turned to the other person walking beside me. “Azoth, are the preparations complete?” Demon general Azoth nodded. “I must admit, I’m surprised it’s working. Recruiting you was the best thing we’ve ever done.” “Couldn’t have done it without you.” I stopped outside a door. “Hey Lily, you there yet?” “Yep,” came her voice from the prism. “But Runir…” “What?” “Are we sure?” I stretched my hand to reach for the door. “We’ve been over this before. I’ve told you why we need to do this and you came to the same conclusion yourself, did you not?” “I did, but…” “Come on. Let’s go over it again. Why are we doing this, who are we doing this for?” “Us.” “And who is us?” “Everyone.” I chuckled. “There we go. It’s the best choice. Helps everyone involved, even if they can’t see it yet.” My hands grasped the door’s handle. “But…” I stopped. “Yes?” “Are we sure?” I sighed. I couldn’t blame her. It hadn’t been an easy decision for me to arrive at, either. But it was the most logical one, judging by the circumstances. After scrapping my previous plans, I’d built this one up from scratch and taken everything into account. “We need to hurry. There’s been a miscalculation,” said Azoth, a smaller prism next to his ear. “They’re executing the plan, now.” Shit. “Lily, take some time to think over it. I’m going in.” I opened the door. The air was musty, stagnant, and stale. The room was dim, as expected of a place like this, but there was a strange ambiance, probably because of the swirling ball of energy in the center of the room. “Damn it!” Kai’s fingers loosened and Amy flew from his grip. The bubbling mass of energy swallowed him, enveloping him completely. Veins of purple energy crackled on the bubble’s surface, melding into the transparent walls before shooting out again. “Kai!” yelled Amy as was flung out of the bubble. She hit the ground, groaned, and scrambled to her feet. She banged the sides of the bubble, to no avail, and got stung and shot back onto the ground. I frowned. That wasn’t according to plan. I turned to Azoth. “Is this the miscalculation?” He nodded. “It appears the Fire goddess had not been orchestrating this plan, after all.” My frown deepened. That wasn’t good. “Lunaris, you said Amy was behind this.” “Hey, I didn’t think she’d be this stupid,” said Lunaris. The other goddesses faced me. “Well, it’s not like I wasn’t expecting having to make up for your incompetence,” I muttered. “But it does make things more difficult.” Now I had to convince Amy to comply with the plan or else it would go up in smoke. “The demon lord, what are you doing here?” asked Adriana, interrupting my thoughts. “I’m here to—” “You?” interrupted someone. I took in a deep breath. My brain was working so loudly it whizzed in my ears. “Hello Amy.” “Runir,” came another voice. “You were in on this too?” “Yes, Kai,” I said, calmly. Kai stood in the middle of the bubble, but since it wasn’t particularly large, he was only a few feet from the walls. “But what did you expect? You sent me straight to Azoth’s dungeons!” “You were supposed to find out what they were doing!” said Kai. “I sent you there because I trusted you, trusted you with—” “I trusted you too. We trusted you. But not only were you lying to us, you’ve been perpetuating this malevolent world order. You’ve been playing us like fools, toying with us for—what I can only assume to be—your own amusement!” I spat. “What do you mean?” said Kai and Amy, at the same time. I smirked. “Really Amy? You know he’s Fate, right? He’s responsible for the Haze that Lunaris kept complaining about. He’s the one forcing Lily and I to go to war against each other. He’s the one who stops the goddesses from helping their people directly, and forces you to rely on proxies.” “That’s not how it works!” said Kai. “What if he can’t control it?” said Amy. “Only one way to find out,” I said, taking a deep breath. “You know Amy, you really are quite dumb. I’ve known that since the time we met, but I never thought you’d be this cold-blooded too.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “The reason Lunaris was sure you were manipulating Kai, was because she believed you were the one who hated Fate the most,” I said, meeting her gaze resolutely. “She said you’d lost some people you cared about very much, back when this world had just begun.” Her eyes narrowed. “You…” “They died but you lived. Fate made you immortal, but your loved ones died in your own arms because Fate condemned them to a mortal existence. Solaron even found their names, let me see. Ah yes, they were…” “Jeffi and Yunni,” she whispered. “The one who took them from you is right there.” I pointed. “I don’t know about you, but if I hated someone that much, I wouldn’t forgive them. Never. I would never forgive them.” “You asshole!” growled Kai. “How was I supposed to stop that? It was hundreds of years ago!” I sneered. “So you knew about it huh.” He didn’t respond. “Another thing, Kai, you brought us here, didn’t you?” He looked taken aback, in a way that made me suspicious. It was almost as if this was the first time he had been genuinely surprised. “Not really, but what does that have to do with this?” “Everything.” We turned to face the speaker. “You too?” asked Adriana. She addressed Lunaris. “The demon lord and the hero? You’ve been keeping too many secrets, sister.” Lunaris shrugged. “Lily,” said Kai. “You too? I sent you to the Water goddess. Runir’s a pretentious asshole, I can see why he’d do something like this, but why would you betray me too?” “We aren’t betraying you. Besides, I’m not completely sold on it just yet.” She took a deep breath. “Did you lie to us?” Kai frowned. “No, I merely hid the truth. Our party didn’t like to share any secrets. You can’t blame me for that.” “I was just getting started,” she continued. “You were obviously stronger than what you appeared to be, yet you let us fall into danger anyways.” “You turned out all right, didn’t you?” “You knew we wanted to go home. You’re Fate, you brought us here, you could send us back but you didn’t.” “That’s because—” “And if you really are Fate, then you could have rescued Zoe a long time ago. You could have spared her all that suffering. You could have spared a lot of people a lot of suffering. My problem with you is a simple one: if you’re Fate, why the fuck didn’t you do anything? If you could fix everything, why didn’t you? Tell me, could you end this war right now? Could you end hunger, cure diseases, stop murders, could you make this world a perfect world?” “I—”“Because see, if someone has the power to help people but doesn’t do so, if they live on an ivory tower and look at the struggles of ordinary people as entertainment, then I’m reminded of someone from back home. A despicable man who ate up all the money that was supposed to go to our orphanage and rebuild our community.” She walked up to the bubble and stared at Kai. “People like that disgust me. I hate them. So if you are one of them, then,” Her lips curled and she spoke quietly, “I hate you too.” Kai’s mouth was frozen open. It looked like his words were caught in his throat. “So,” Lily said quietly. “Is it true? Are you Fate?” “Yes,” whispered Kai. “But—” “Second question,” she interjected. “Did you know about all the suffering in this world? Maybe not hundreds of years ago, but right now, while we were traveling together. Did you know that people were suffering all over this world while you could have helped them? That kids were born with diseases that made their every living moment unbearable? People were assaulted and tortured somewhere. Families were destroyed. People died, people suffered. They suffered while you made us pancakes.” “But—” “Last question. This is one you can explain, so you better think of something good,” she continued. “Why didn’t you stop the suffering? Why didn’t you immediately fix all the problems in this world.” This was an important question. It was one Lily and I had gone over before. We’d call off everything if he answered this right. If he said that he couldn’t do it, that he wasn’t all-powerful, or if there was something stopping him or resisting him, then maybe, maybe we could wrap this all up and help him do the right thing. Kai’s mouth shut. He didn’t respond. His eyes drifted over all the people in the room. Amy, the other goddesses, Azoth, Lily, and me. His gaze rested on me a little longer than the others. There was a little surprise in them, maybe a hint of trepidation. He mumbled something inaudible. “What did you say?” said Lily, her eyebrows furrowed. “I said, I don’t know.” Silence. He didn’t know? That was not the answer I expected. Judging by the looks on everyone else’s faces, I wasn’t the only one surprised. “What?” Amy was the first to recover. “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” repeated Lily. “Yes.” “You could have saved Granny Nipa,” said Lily. Adriana’s eyes widened. “Yes.” “And you didn’t.” He wasn’t even replying anymore. His gaze dropped. “And you don’t know why? Well that’s fine. You can redeem yourself,” continued Lily. “Wait, you mean…” trailed Adriana. “Bring her back,” said Lily. “Bring back Granny Nipa. Find Zoe and bring her here right now, too. Do it, and we’ll let you go.” “Wait a second—” began Lunaris but Solaron held her back. “Come on,” said Lily. “Do it.” Kai’s eyes were still downcast. Eventually, a whisper escaped him. “I can’t.” “You can’t?” said Lily. “Or you won’t?” He didn’t reply. Lily glared at him, her eyes reflecting the sense of betrayal in her heart. This was all I needed. It was time to end it. It was time to execute the plan. “I think we know what to do now—” I began. “Wait,” interrupted Amy. “Kai…” He looked up. “Can you do it. Can you bring back Jeffi and Yunni?” Kai’s mouth opened. Then it closed. “Yes.” “Will you, will you do it?” “No.” Heavy silence. I didn’t dare breathe, the weight of his response was suffocating. No. He wouldn’t do it. No. He wasn’t going to revive the dead, heal the sick, turn water into wine, or whatever. Tears welled up in Amy’s eyes and she bit her lips. “All that talk about morals. No killing monsters, sparing those young Ashfiends, those stories about friendship and love. So high and mighty. So righteous, just, and caring. So kind and gentle. That’s the Kai I loved. That’s the Kai I respected. But he doesn’t exist, does he? He never did. All along, under that façade, under that mask of a smile, was this, this…” She gestured at him in with her hands. Her lips twisted into a smile. “You were a monster all along. Disgusting, deplorable, and vile. You’re evil, eviler than anything else. You, you’re… Fate. You’re Fate.” She wiped her face. “Yeah, you’re Fate.” The ensuing silence was palpable. “So,” I began. “We know where he stands. Any objections before we proceed with the plan?” “What’s the plan?” asked Amy. My heart leapt a little as Kai sat on the ground inside the bubble. I didn’t expect him to give up so easily. Something was wrong, we had to hurry. “We trap him down here, inside a perfect anomaly.” “And what good will that do?” said Kai. He put his elbows on the ground and rested his head on his palms. He smiled, smiled the way he’d done so many times before. A chill went down my spine. “Let’s see,” I said, fighting back my trepidation. I walked up to Lily, grabbed her hips, and swerved. I brought my lips to hers. Her eyes opened, then closed. I heard a gasp or two, as well as a chuckle. We separated but I kept my hand around her. I smiled, “Hey, it worked.” Lily’s face was flushed. She snapped out of her daze and punched my shoulder, “Fucking asshole…” Her voice petered out as I met her eyes. No time for this right now, I thought, as I felt Kai’s gaze piercing the back of my head. “So,” I said. “That’s why we need to lock you up.” “You want to lock me up so you can kiss the hero?” said Kai. “Don’t pretend like you don’t understand the significance of what just happened,” I said. Is he stalling for time? “Runir,” said Amy. “I don’t get it. What do we achieve by locking him up? It won’t bring back Jeffi or Yunni, or anything.” I sighed. “True, we can’t do that, but…” I removed myself from Lily, and walked up to Amy. “Punch me.” “What?” “Do it. Come on, doesn’t have to hurt, just do it.” “What good will that do?” “Don’t you care about Jeffi and Yunni?” She frowned. “But what does this—” “You don’t even love them enough to listen to what I’m saying?” “That’s not—” “If they were alive, they’d hate you.” “What—” I heard someone shuffle behind me. Kai was standing up. Fuck, no time for hesitation. “Isn’t it your fault they died? You couldn’t stop Fate from taking them away. Despite being the goddess, one of the most powerful beings in this world, you couldn’t stop them from dying. Worst of all, you continued to live after they died. You’re despicable. You couldn’t save them. You let them die. You killed them. You—” I was sent flying. I crashed into the walls of the cave, and my HP fell tremendously. I collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. “Runir!” cried Lily. Bleary-eyed, I raised my gaze. Lily had rushed over. Amy was standing frozen, fist hanging in the air. An intense red aura surrounded her, lighting up the entire room with a crimson glare. The aura subsided, her eyes cleared, and she looked at me, then at her own still-outstretched fist. “Understand,” I said, coughing. “Wait,” said Amy. “You made me do that. You—” “Yes, yes,” I said, standing up with difficulty. I downed some medicine I’d grabbed from the demon lord’s castle and my HP recovered a bit. “But screw that, the important thing is you hit me. You.” I pointed at her. “Hit me.” I pointed at myself. “Wait…?” Her eyes widened. “You’re the demon lord!” “Exactly,” I said. “As long as he’s locked up in that thing, Fate can no longer influence this world. I no longer have to fight Lily, and you goddesses are no longer restricted from interfering in worldly affairs. Monsters won’t have to attack people anymore, people won’t be plucked from Earth to be heroes or demon lords, and the Alliance and the Union won’t have to go to war for no reason.” “I see,” said Kai. He put his hands on the bubble’s walls and tilted his head. “Is this your final choice?” My eyes narrowed. “If you’re not willing to use your power to fix the world, then we’ll take what we can get by imprisoning you.” “You think you can imprison me?” He smirked. “With this?” He stretched out his hands. “Fuck!” I cried. The other goddesses had crept into position around the bubble, relying on me to distract him. I pulled Lily along and put my hands on the bubble as fast as I could. “Now!” I shouted. Tendrils of black energy emerged from my fingertips and flowed into the walls of the anomaly. Similar energy poured out of the hands of everyone else around the bubble. Brown, blue, gray, black, and white energy mixed together, forming a whirlpool of colors. There was only one missing. “Amy!” I shouted. She hadn’t been filled in on the plan, so she was staring blankly at us. She stepped forward but it was too late. “Rewrite.” The whirlpool of energy froze. It began to fade as the walls of the bubble creaked like a rusty door, and cracked like a hardboiled egg. I bit my lips. Failure yet again, damn it. “Not this time, you little fucker!” cried Lunaris. She shouted and waved her hands, sending smoke flying out of her robes. It melded into the whirlpool and submerged the other colors. The whirlpool began spinning again, although it was like a black hole now, sucking in the walls of the bubble. Kai grunted. “That won’t work.” The smoke stopped. It quivered and shook, as if whimpering. The smoke began floating out of the bubble’s wall, despite Lunaris’ curses. “Amy!” I shouted. “Put your hands on the anomaly and feed it your mana, now.” She ran over and pressed her hands against the walls of the bubble as the smoke fled. She was going to make it! A little mana, that’s all we needed! But no red waves of energy left her fingers. “Kai,” she said, softly. The bubble stopped cracking. “Amy,” said Kai, looking at her with a strange expression. “I know you don’t trust me right now and I don’t blame you. I’ve kept secrets and I haven’t explained everything yet, but please, please, give me a chance. Don’t I deserve that much?” They held each other’s gaze. I tried to pour more mana in, ran my mind into overdrive thinking of a solution, but, in the end, there was nothing I could do. “Listen Amy, this anomaly is a natural one Lunaris found in the depths of the Alderan wastes, but it’s incomplete. The only way to complete it is to combine the energies of the goddesses, hero, and demon lord,” I said, quickly. “The rest of us have poured our mana inside, if you do the same, the anomaly will be complete and Fate will be locked away. Do it.” “Amy,” whispered Kai, ignoring my words. “Kai,” she said. “You too, Lily,” said Kai, shifting his glance. “You may not know everything about me, but you know what I’m like. Give me a chance.” I saw the hesitation in Lily’s eyes. The stream of white energy coming from her hands wavered, then cut off. “And what will you do, if we give you another chance?” she asked in a measured tone. “Fix this world,” he said. “How?” asked Amy. “I have a few ideas.” “And they are?” asked Lily. He didn’t respond. “You’re not going to tell us?” said Lily, eyebrows raised. “You’re in no position to hide stuff from us.” He held their gazes but kept his mouth shut. “Fine then,” said Lily, sending a wave of mana into the bubble. “Fuck you.” Kai sighed. “I understand your frustration, Lily, Amy, but I—” I noticed something. Kai’s fingers were moving inside his sleeves. Alarmed, I tilted my head and nearly cursed aloud. A small part of the bubble was shaking vigorously, and a hole was rapidly forming there. It was hidden from view by Kai’s figure so the others hadn’t found it yet. “Amy!” I shouted. “Zoe, Lily, me, do you like us?” She blinked. “Of course.” “Would you be sad if we died?” Kai frowned. “Yes,” said Amy, softly. “There’s another thing Fate controls. It’s the reason the goddesses can’t summon the hero or the demon lord without Fate’s directions. It’s also why they don’t know what happens to people’s souls after they come to them,” I said. “Fate controls death.” Everyone’s eyes widened. Even Kai’s face paled and his fingers stopped moving. “Wait, if that’s true,” began Lunaris. “It means—” “If we seal Fate, we seal death,” I finished. “No one can die without Fate.” Kai’s lips quivered. He was a deer caught in the headlights. It was the first time I’d ever seen him so shaken, so completely confused. “How do you know that,” he managed to say. I smirked. “Does it matter?” “Yes, yes it does,” he shouted, his face contorted in anger. “Damn it, I can understand Lily and Amy’s concerns. They’ve lost people close to them. Lily doesn’t like liars. They have reasons but you, you have nothing! Why are you doing this? Maybe I’d understand it if you’d gone along with someone else’s plan, but it’s obvious that you were the one behind this. Yet, you’re the only one whose motivations are still a mystery to me. Why, why are you so hell-bent on screwing my plans, Runir?” “Interesting question,” I replied. “Like I said, I didn’t have much choice after you sent me to Azoth’s dungeon.” “You could have manipulated him, could have gathered information about the goddesses plotting against me instead of leading the cavalry!” “Why would I do that?” “Because we’re friends.” “Are we?” “I’ve saved your life several times. I kept your status a secret from Lily. I helped you find love, a reason to live your sorry, empty life.” “Ouch, you’re not going to convince anyone like that. I will live a very fulfilling life now, thank you very much. Tell me, are you willing to stop the demon lord and the hero from fighting?” He grit his teeth but didn’t respond. “Thought so,” I said. “Now—” “That still doesn’t explain how you know so much,” interrupted Kai. “About the anomalies, about the extent of Fate’s powers. How, how do you know so much.” He was muttering to himself by this point. “Don’t tell me he…” His eyes opened suddenly. “You! You’ve played it, haven’t you?” Oh? He brought it up himself? “What’s he saying, Runir?” asked Lily. I see, he wants to make it seem like I was hiding things too. Fine, I’ll do it. “He means,” I spread my arms wide. “That I’ve played this game before.” No one spoke. Amy frowned. Lily looked at me blankly. “You have,” whispered Kai. “I see, that explains it. Fuck, it makes sense now.” He started laughing hysterically. “Fuck, it makes sense now!” “Runir, what do you mean, what game?” asked Lily. “This game. I’m talking about this game,” I said. “Stats, abilities, mana, a hero, and a demon lord. I’m sure you realized this yourself but this world functions exactly like a game. And that’s because it is a game. A role-playing game from our home world, Earth.” “Bullshit,” cried Lunaris. “You’re telling me this world is inside a game?” The other goddesses were clamoring for an answer as well, though they were too stunned to speak. I could see it in their eyes. “To be fair,” I said. “All I know for certain is that this world is based on a game, a video game called Choices. That game was a big deal a few years ago. A large map, a wonderful story, and the choice to be the hero or the demon lord. It was a wonderful game. There are tons of similarities too. The cities have the same names, the goddesses too, the world system and the magic system, it’s all the same.” “No,” said Adriana. “That can’t be…” “Remember the Haze?” I continued. “That was the game before it became real.” “No,” mumbled Opal. “It’s not true,” muttered Breize. “And I’ve played this game before,” I said. “You’ve played it before?” said Solaron. “Played… us before?” “Yes,” I said. “Choices: the game where the player—that’s me—chose how to win. I used to play it all the time. I’ve won as the hero and the demon lord. Sometimes I went around the world beefing up my character with blessings from the goddesses, or I’d beat up the other side with economic warfare. I’ve assassinated the hero and gotten the demon lord drowned. I’ve burnt the demon lord’s castle to the ground, enslaved everyone in the Light kingdom, and much more. Like I said, it was a wonderful game.” I’d started reminiscing so I didn’t notice the disgust and scorn on the goddess’ faces. But there was something else mixed in too: fear and confusion. “That’s why you knew how long you could talk to me when you were first summoned,” said Lunaris. I nodded. “It’s also how I knew how to survive in the Twilight forest, how to deal with Azoth, and how to escape the castle. I formulated most of my plans with the knowledge I had of the game. Of course, things aren’t exactly like they were in the game. It’s been nine-hundred years since the game ended and the world of Erath became real. I didn’t realize what the anomalies were until I learned about them in the academy. They’re bugs in the game, errors that were never fixed.” “And you didn’t tell me?” said Lily. “What good would it have done?” I replied. This was the tricky part. Kai looked on carefully. “I would have been more supportive of locking up Fate if you’d told me this,” she said. “Perhaps, or it would have freaked you out. After all, I found out about the perfect anomaly conditions when the game collapsed during an epic battle I orchestrated. If the perfect anomaly doesn’t act like the other anomalies have acted so far, then we might just end up destroying the world.” Uncomfortable shifts and worried lips. Not a good sign. “But I’m not done yet,” I said. I turned to Kai and stared into his eyes. I smirked as his frown deepened. “Wait,” he said. “Choices was made by a young video game developer; a celebrity in the video game industry whose real name and identity was a corporate secret. Instead, he was known simply by his penname, K0. But we can probably call him...” I pointed at the man in the bubble. “Kai Zero.” I let the words hang in the air. “What?” Amy was the first to break the silence, jostling everyone from their stupor. “Kai,” said Lily, “you made the game?” “You made us?” asked Solaron. “You,” growled Lunaris. “You made this world? You designed all the pain and suffering, the endless wars, the chaos, and the craziness? Shit, for a second I thought you’d been forced into being Fate, like we’d been forced into being the goddesses, but no, you chose it. You fucking chose to be Fate.” “That’s not—” began Kai. “That’s not true?” I laughed. “You made the game and let people suffer and die for nine-hundred years, and refuse to fix everything despite clearly possessing the means to do so, yet you still claim that you didn’t choose to be Fate? That you don’t deserve to be locked away for your crimes? I think we can all see what’s going on here. You won’t fix this world because it’s your baby. You’re proud of it and can’t bear to change it. Your vanity is disgusting.” “I—that’s not why I—” “Shut up,” I spat. “We’ve wasted enough time already. Amy, that’s all I had to say. You inject your mana into that thing and no one will die anymore. I’m sorry I can’t bring back your lost loved ones, but I can promise that you won’t lose anyone else. Never again. You will never lose anyone ever again.” “Amy, don’t!” screamed Kai. A surge of energy blasted into the hole he had been digging. “Shit, he’s trying to break free. This is our last chance, Amy. Do it!” I shouted. “Do it for me, for Lily, for Zoe, do it so we can stay together! Do it for the people you’ve lost, give them the justice they deserve by imprisoning this monster! Come on, do it! Do it!” “Kai,” said Amy, her eyes closed. “Amy,” whispered Kai, not letting up on his attempt to break free. “You can trust me. I love you.” Amy opened her eyes. “I love you too.” Red energy shot out of her fingers; bright, hot, and angry. The mana merged with the swirling whirlpool on the bubble’s surface and the bubble’s walls began to solidify. “No,” said Kai. “No!” He gave up trying to break through the hole and began wildly banging on the whirlpool, as if trying to punch it into oblivion. “You can’t do this to me, I made this world. It’s my world, mine. You’re not going to change it. No, I won’t let you.” He was hysterical. “You, you’re just like Leer, that fucking snake. No, you’re all fucking snakes. Fucking corporate snakes who wouldn’t know a good game if it bit you on the ass.” The solidified walls were still transparent but gleamed like diamonds or gemstones. The walls weren’t creaking anymore, no matter how hard Kai hit them. The goddesses stepped back, except for Amy who stood next to Lily. The two of them stared as Kai delivered his crazed outburst. “You’ll make this an endless runner. A shitty platformer. Maybe a first-person shooter with a shitty, clichéd plot,” Kai muttered. He battered the walls but to no avail. Amy lowered her gaze. Lily bit her lips so hard she was bleeding. Even I felt conflicted as I watched Kai—the most stable person I’d ever met—devolve into an incoherent mess. Eventually, his words slurred, he hiccuped in between cackling laughter. The walls solidified and the anomaly was complete. It was a giant ball with a rich luster and chaotic swirls of energy dancing over its surface. A fitting prison. Kai collapsed onto the floor, defeated. Pitiful sobs escaped him sometimes but he never looked up. Most of the goddesses slowly shuffled out, mixed emotions on their faces. Opal and Breize left with satisfied faces. Adriana glared at him but left with quivering lips. Solaron went away with a sad expression. Lunaris walked out, her face hidden in the shadows. I heard her curse as she left the room. Amy crept over to him. Her shaking arms reached for the walls but she held them back at the last second. Lily growled. “Stubborn asshole. Fuck you, damn it. Fuck you.” I stood by solemnly. “We should go now. It’s over.” I put a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “We won.” Strangely, my own words felt hollow to me. My plan had been executed without a hitch. I’d achieved everything I’d wanted to, yet, I felt empty. I looked around myself, searching for an answer. Kai sat sobbing inside his eternal prison. Amy began crying her heart out outside. Lily had an awful look on her face. They were my three best friends, perhaps the only friends I had ever had. I felt a pang in my heart, a throb of emotion which I didn’t know how to deal with. “We won,” I repeated, to reassure myself. “We won.” Lily ran out of the room, hiding her face, and leaving my hand hanging in the air. Dazed, Amy stood up and stumbled out of the room. I watched it all happen, like a movie or a play that had nothing to do with me. Amy cast one last tearful glance at Kai before leaving. Kai’s sobs stopped. “Yeah, you won,” he whispered, almost inaudibly. “Congratulations.” I breathed. “Thank you.” The conflicting emotions were too much to handle so I did what I’d always done when faced with something like this. I retreated into my shell. I found something I thought I’d gotten rid of a long-time ago and donned it once again. My poker face. I walked to the door in measured strides, coldly calculating the events that had precipitated thus far. I analyzed them and concluded that victory was a good thing and I should be happy. But I couldn’t show that happiness because of my poker face, so it was okay to be happy inside my head. That’s what I would do from now on, be happy inside my head. “Wait.” I turned around, my face unflinching. “What is it?” “Tell me,” said Kai, his voice hoarse. “How did you know?” “We’ve been over this, I’ve played the game. That’s how I found out about the anomaly and—” “No, not that,” he interjected, his face still downcast. “How did you know that I was K0. It was a secret. I know for a fact that even the government kept it hidden when I burned the house, I was protected by the Privacy Act. How, how the fuck did you know?” “That,” I said nodding my head to emphasize the word. “That’s how I knew.” He raised his head. His eyes were red and puffy, his face crisscrossed with tear-lines. “What the fuck are you talking about?” “A lot of things tipped me off. Your insane powers, your knowledge about the world, your secretiveness. It also doesn’t take a genius to realize that K0 stood for Kai Zero.” “But how did you know I wasn’t from this world. I could have been the administrator of this world, some kind of personified code or system driver.” “See, that’s the funny part. Despite all that knowledge about this world, despite all that power you had and the information you possessed, you forgot one, simple fact about your own game. Considering how much you seem to love it, I’m surprised you didn’t realize it. Hell, you were doing a fine job at hiding your origins, pretending to be ignorant of cars and stuff. But, you failed. You have no one to blame but yourself. You practically told me you weren’t from this world, and once I knew that, connecting the rest of the dots was as simple as it could get.” Kai snarled. “Damn it, just fucking say it already!” “Mind your language,” I said, allowing a smirk to leak onto my face. “This is a family game, you know.” “The fuck are you talking about? That doesn’t mean…” He froze, his eyes widening. “Holy shit,” he continued. “Holy, motherfucking shit.” He held his head in his arms. “PG thirteen. The game was rated PG fucking thirteen.” “That’s right,” I said. “Didn’t you notice? Go on, think back. None of the people from this world uttered any profanities. No shits, nor fucks; hell, they didn’t even say damn. Even when we cursed, they would ignore them as if there was a filter in place. So the first time you cursed aloud, I knew you couldn’t be from this world. You fucking gave yourself away.” He started snickering, then laughing. He was on the ground, absolutely hysterical. “Fuck!” he shouted. He laughed again. And again. And again. “Fuck you! And Amy, and that bitch Lily. Fuck that snake Leer, most of all. Fuck him, fuck you, fuck you all!” He kept rambling as I left the room. I heard a few more, nearly unintelligible, curses, just as I closed the door on what had once been the most powerful being on Erath. Fate: the one thing no one could resist, not even the goddesses. All-powerful, unchallengeable, that’s what he used to be. Now, he was a blithering mess who cursed the world from inside a tiny bubble that, in a way, he had himself created. I cast a final, pitying glance at him, and saw him raising his middle finger in my direction. The door shut. Fate, had been defeated.

Surprisingly, the mood lightened quite a bit after that incident. Kai did a few more of his terrible pirate routines. Amy laughed and clapped at them like a crazed fan. I made fun of Runir while sitting on the prow of the ship. He said he wasn’t afraid of heights, but it was pretty hard to believe that when he refused to step anywhere near the edge. But the most surprising development was between Zoe and Gale. At first, they avoided each other. Zoe still gave him a cold stare whenever they met and Gale flinched and ran away when he saw her walking towards him alone. Yet, there was something different. Zoe could stand his presence now and as long as other people were around, Gale could stay in the same room with her without trembling. They weren’t exactly friends but it was a step in the right direction. But I doubted whether it would stay that way for long. Zoe may be willing to let him go but would she be so forgiving for the other people responsible for her suffering? She wanted revenge, I could feel it. She was bottling it up for now, enduring as long as she could but she would erupt eventually. And most of her tormentors were Gale’s friends and family. Would Gale just stand by and watch them be killed? Then again, we weren’t planning on killing anyone. Or at least I wasn’t. Couldn’t be sure about the rest. Runir didn’t seem to care and since he came from Earth too, he probably didn’t share the weird morality of this world either. Amy was kind and caring so she probably wouldn’t do anything drastic. Kai was unpredictable but I didn’t think he would kill people. After all, he didn’t even let us kill monsters. Even though I knew that none of them were the type who would kill people, perhaps Zoe could get through to them? But in that case, the person most likely to be affected would be me. I sympathized with Zoe. I understood her anger, her desire for revenge, for justice. I’d felt it too. I had people I wanted to settle scores with too. I saw an image of myself in her which made me question whether I would be able to stop myself from helping her get her revenge. Was it fair of me to want to rip out my hometown mayor’s heart but stop Zoe from venting her anger on her oppressors? “Lily, did you hear what I said?” asked Runir, jolting me from my thoughts. “No, sorry,” I replied, “I zoned out.” Runir sighed. “There’s no point in having a strategy meeting if you guys aren’t listening. You don’t even contribute at all. Hell, Zoe’s been a bigger help than you in finalizing the plan! Can’t you at least stay focused?” I shrugged. “Not much I can do. I’m a thief. I could help us sneak in but Kai’s disguises make most of my skills useless. I could help steal keys but I’m sure we can break through any doors we come across. More importantly, your Ability is only good for planning stuff so why should I take away your only chance to shine? You’re worthless otherwise.” “How many times have you been rescued again? I’ve lost count,” Runir retorted. “Screw you.” “Focus,” said Amy. “We can’t afford to mess this up.” “Fine, let’s go over this again,” said Runir, grabbing a marker and a piece of paper. “The capital is just like any other city in the Air Kingdom, only bigger. Kai will help us get past the checkpoints like he always does but we don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves so we need to avoid all the groveling. Can you do that Kai?” “Sure,” answered Kai, “It’s not like we have to impersonate royalty every time.” “Wait, you made them think we were—” “We’ll be merchants this time, don’t worry.” Kai smiled. “Whatever,” Runir said with a sigh. “We’ll need to get inside the palace after that. Luckily for us, a lot of the most powerful people in the kingdom are at the shrine right now. This includes most of the royal guards, since they were accompanying the king. However, the entire kingdom will probably be on on high alert so the palace will be locked down. We can’t just walk in so we’ll need to sneak in.” Yes! Finally something I could do. But before I could offer my assistance, Runir gestured towards Gale, who was sitting next to Amy. “Fortunately, we have the king with us. Gale will guide us inside through one of the palace’s secret entrances,” said Runir as he smiled at the little king, “Won’t he?” “He will,” said Zoe, glaring at Gale, who nodded quickly. “Perfect! Now we just have to figure out where they keep the master key and—” “What master key?” I asked. “The laborers’ collars have mana signals similar to the kind used by communications prisms. These signals all lead to the same source. My Ability suggests that this source serves as a master-key that ties down all the laborers. It’s probably a way for the king to prevent anyone from amassing an army of absolutely loyal soldiers. As such, it should be kept somewhere in the palace. Gale, do you know where it is?” “No, I’ve never even heard of something like that,” said Gale. Runir stared at him for a while before sighing. “Like I thought, even though it was supposed to be a way for the king to retain control over the laborers, it’s probably meant to keep control in the hands of Breize Labs. They manufacture the collars, after all. Guess we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way. Kai, do you still have Zoe’s collar?” “Yeah,” said Kai as he took out the collar from his Storage. He passed it to Runir and I noticed Zoe’s eyes follow the collar. Runir tinkered with the collar until he found a small magic circle to press down on. “We’ll have to search the palace on our own by following the signal to its source. Of course, something this important wouldn’t be left unprotected so we should be ready for anything.” “Is that it? Are we done?” I asked. “No, I have something to say,” answered Amy, “I don’t think we should take Zoe and Gale along.” Zoe frowned and Gale looked surprised too. “I know they’re weak, but I don’t think it’ll be hard for us to protect them, considering how strong we are,” said Runir. “That’s not what she means,” said Kai. “Can we trust them to follow the plan? To keep their emotions in check?” That was true. Zoe might just jump at someone with a dagger and Gale might run up to a guard or something. “You don’t have to worry. I know what’s more important. We free the other laborers and then I can get my revenge,” said Zoe with a determined smile. “I have already decided that the laborers must be freed. I hope we can come make a new arrangement for the economy afterwards, but I’ll follow your plan with the expectation that you won’t just blow up the palace when you’re done,” said Gale. Had Zoe gotten through to him already? Guess there was some hope for him yet. Maybe he’ll grow up to be a decent king after all. “Zoe, we’ll discuss what to do with the people involved in the laborer business later. Until then, you are not to try to take revenge on your own,” said Kai. “And Gale, don’t worry. If we wanted to blow up the palace, we would have done that ages ago.” “That’s…” muttered Gale. “Fine,” said Zoe. “Good. Here’s your reward for being so understanding!” He tossed them small, brown boxes. They looked at the boxes with confusion. “Damn, so lucky…” muttered Runir. “I want another one too…” murmured Amy. I admit, I looked at them with envy too. “Glad you like them. Now then, we’re almost there. Come admire the view.” - Most large cities on Erath were sprawling messes. Centuries of unchecked urban growth would inevitably lead to slums and poorer districts popping up around a richer central area that had existed since the Haze, making most of the capitals of the kingdoms incredibly fragmented. But not Laput. The expansion of the capital of the Air Kingdom was completely planned out. Rings of newly developed districts lined older ones in an oval pattern surrounding the palace in the center. Although there were no walls for the city itself, the palace was surrounded by large steel walls and barricades. Air guns were mounted on top of the walls and a few holes betrayed the locations of hidden guns and peep holes. Of course, there were probably far more that were better hidden. We touched down on a hill several miles from the city and I put the airship into my Inventory, since it couldn’t fit in the others’ Storage. For some reason, it felt like this was the only time where my Hero status had actually helped us. That was a sad thought. We’d also made sure to distract Zoe and Gale while I did it and told them that Runir had put it in his ‘Inventory,’ since we couldn’t tell them that I was the Hero. Although, now they wouldn’t appreciate the one thing that I did do. Whatever. Being a Hero meant making sacrifices. Kai pulled out his magic paper like he always did and we were let past the checkpoint without any trouble. We spent some time shopping and touring the city as we had planned. We saw the perfectly kept gardens and the bustling cars and buses. It was a holiday because of the Exhibition, so the amusement parks were full of parents taking their kids out for fun and couples going on dates on the Ferris wheel. There were restaurants selling all kinds of food. Stands full of snacks and trinkets. A vendor blew bubbles at a crowd of kids in a playground. An old lady sat on a bench, throwing breadcrumbs for the birds chirping and pecking on the ground. We walked over to a fenced off building in the middle of one of the wealthier districts. There was a sign saying it was owned by Breize labs but we ignored it and stepped inside. It was only when I saw the words ‘Breize’ written on a glowing sign that I realized that something was wrong about this city. We’d seen everything you’d expect from a city in the Air Kingdom. Everything, that is, except for a factory. I knew I couldn’t be the only one who’d noticed this and the grim atmosphere around our group confirmed it. Something wasn’t right. A city this size couldn’t run without factories full of bonded laborers firing off magic to charge Breize stones. There were no factories outside the city either, at least we hadn’t seen any on our way over. But if that was the case, where were they? We sneaked into the building through a hole in the fence, avoiding the guards standing outside the entrance. Gale led us to an open sewer—because secret entrances always went through the sewers—and we dropped down into the darkness. Kai took out an old torch and lit it with a piece of flint. We couldn’t use Light or Fire magic in front of Gale or Zoe, after all. Kai followed Gale as he led us through the sewers while Amy and Zoe walked in the center and Runir and I brought up the rear. Other than the awful stench, everything was going according to plan. Runir’s plans were always uncomfortably perfect. We’d planned everything that had happened at the shrine, and I remember feeling like it would all go wrong any second even though it never did. But maybe I’d jinxed it this time. Gale stopped and pointed at the ceiling. Amy climbed the ladder by the walls and bent open the barred iron grating before climbing out. The rest of us followed. “Hey Lily,” said Kai, putting a hand on my shoulder as I stepped onto the ladder. He’d stayed back because he had the torch and Runir had just climbed out so the two of us were the last ones left. “What is it?” I asked. “Nothing, really. It’s just…” He paused. “I think you shouldn’t worry so much. About being a Hero or doing heroic things. Your roles in this world don’t define you; they shouldn’t define you. You don’t have to be a hero when you never chose to be one.” I was taken aback. Had it been that obvious? And why was he saying all this now, when we literally in a sewer underneath the palace? “Thanks. Don’t worry, I never believed in any of this Fate crap anyways. I’ll do what I’ve always done.” I smiled and climbed out of the hole. I then leaned back through the hole and continued, “Which is: whatever the fuck I want to do.” “Right, we’re in the Western courtyard. The signal from the collar seems to go towards the center of the palace, presumably towards the King’s courtroom or the tower above it,” Runir whispered as Kai climbed out of the hole. “There’s a tower in the center of the palace?” I asked. That wasn’t exactly standard castle design. “Yep, the King’s quarters are at the very top. But from what I’ve heard from Gale, there’s an attic above your room that’s always locked. His ‘adviser’ from Breize Labs said that there was nothing important there and she even showed you inside once. What did you see?” “Nothing,” answered Gale in a hushed voice. “It was empty.” “They might have hidden it from you. My guess is that the master-key can’t be moved or else the connections to the collars will be severed, which explains why they don’t just shift it to the shrine,” said Runir. “So we get to see your room Gale. Isn’t that sweet?” said Amy. Gale nodded stiffly and looked away. We carefully made our way to the central tower, avoiding the guards patrolling the hallways. It was late in the evening and the shadows were more than long enough to hide us in their dark embrace. “This is it. The main doors are heavily guarded so we need to find another way up,” said Runir. “Or we could just knock,” said Kai as he tapped the door before any of us could stop him. Damn it Kai! What the hell was he doing? “Who is it?” came a voice from inside. “Hey pumpkin, your wife sent you dinner!” said Kai in a female voice. “Oh right, I forgot.” The door opened. “Wait who—” The guard fell on the ground. Kai retracted his hand and smiled. “Sorry pumpkin.” Zoe and Gale gave him weird looks but the rest of us followed him over the unconscious guard’s body. Was it strange that we’d gotten so used to Kai’s weirdness already? Judging by the way Zoe was choosing to stick to Gale, maybe it was. Even though it was a tower, it was also the only way up to the King’s throne-room so the stairs were wide and well decorated. The walls were lined with jewels and ornate carvings and the ground was covered with rich carpets and tiles. But on our way up, I noticed that while many rooms and floors were designed or decorated differently, one thing remained the same: the metallic ceiling. It was strange because it felt so out of place; a silvery metal ceiling that sucked the life out of the vibrant, colorful rooms below. It just didn’t fit. We didn’t meet a lot of guards on our way up. Runir was right, most of them were probably at the shrine. In fact, Runir had predicted that the palace wouldn’t be too heavily guarded because most of the army and guards would be out searching for the king. Runir’s plan was working perfectly, just like it had at the shrine. All that was left was to go to the king’s quarters, find a way up to the attic and break the connection from the master-key to all the collars on the bonded laborers. Simple, wasn’t it? Everything was going according to plan. There were no complications thus far. We opened the door to the king’s throne-room and I realized, once again, that no plan was perfect. There would always be complications. And the first one was standing in the center of the king’s throne-room, glaring at us through the goggles covering her eyes. “So you’re finally here, you ignorant children.” She frowned. “And you brought a bunch of friends along too. Perfect, now please release the king and leave my kingdom. There is no place for irrational idealists in my kingdom of science.” Her gray hair and robes blew in the wind even though the air was still as death. Her eyes glowed as she raised her hands and aimed at us. “Leave!” roared the Air Goddess, her voice echoing all around the room, stirring the air into a storm. “Why should we? You can’t interfere with our plans. You’re bluffing!” said Runir with a smirk. “I can’t interfere with your plans, true, but I’m not the only one here.” The Goddess smiled. I had a bad feeling about this. As if to confirm my suspicions, another gust of wind blew from above, blowing out the torches and engulfing us in darkness. I reached out to Zoe, who had been standing beside me, but I hit empty air. Where did she go? Did someone take her away? I reached out to the other side, where Runir had been, and grabbed empty air again. A torch flickered to life in front of me. Kai’s face was highlighted by the torchlight but his eyes were cast in shadows, as if he was about to tell a scary story. And with how grim his expression was, it might just be a terrifying one. He held Zoe and Gale in his other hand. How he’d gotten to both of them in time was beyond me. More importantly though, Amy and Runir were nowhere to be seen. The Goddess was gone too. Instead, the room was now being filled by guards appearing through secret entrances spread across the throne-room. They gathered beneath the throne, wielding their spears, swords and air guns and glaring at us menacingly. Sitting atop the throne was a gray haired old woman with frown lines on her forehead. “As the former Queen and Regent of the Air Kingdom, I, Ganili Talbert the fourth, order you to release my son and surrender so you may be tried for your crimes against the state. If you submit now, I vow that your sentences shall be lenient,” said the old lady. And that’s when I promised to never jinx a plan again. Things always went wrong. There were always complications. And right now, we were surrounded by them.

A hero, a demon lord, a goddess and me, sat around a campfire. Quite the strange scene, wouldn’t you say? As I lay on my back, enjoying the heat of the campfire burning beside me, I cast my thoughts back to what had caused this unusual gathering. - After leaving Reneste, I sat on a small, green hill and explored my ability. After all, I’d had almost no time to experiment before I’d heard Clare’s scream and rushed over. Feels like that happened such a long time ago now, I thought, feeling a little sad. As I sat on the hill, I used Map to observe everything on Erath. I followed the lives of a few ordinary people to understand how life was like for them. I also observed the behaviors of nobles, kings, adventurers, priests, and just about every other social group on Erath. I also used re:write to find the strongest people in this world, and observed them for a while. The six goddesses were on that list, although surprisingly, apart from the Dark goddess, the others weren’t in their shrines and it didn’t seem like they spent a lot of time there either. The way they had chosen to live their lives was interesting, to say the least. The hero and the demon lord were on that list too of course, so I observed Lily training in the Light king’s palace, and Runir traveling across Erath while pretending to be a merchant. I was surprised when I learned that they had been summoned from Earth because the spell I’d used to come to this world shouldn’t have had an effect like that. Also on the list was the demon general that had kicked Runir out of his castle, a few warriors, knights, and adventurers, as well as some monsters and other beings. But as I gathered information about Erath, what really surprised me was the event called the ‘Haze,’ and the concept of ‘Fate’. After I found out about them, I decided that I needed to learn more about this world and its people before I implemented the plan that was forming in my head. Now that I knew what I could do, I needed to learn what I should do. Some of the applications of my ability I had thought up on the hill were frighteningly powerful. In fact, I’d fantasized about quite a lot of ways to apply my ability back when I was first designing my character and although those ideas had seemed ridiculous back then, they were now perfectly feasible. And so I saved a bunch of new ‘favorites.’ Some of them were very convenient, such as ‘Cure,’ which was meant to remove all ailments and toxins from the target’s body, and ‘Detect,’ which would alert me whenever any hostility was directed towards me. But when I began modifying myself, I realized my ability was more convenient than I had originally anticipated. I rewrote my senses so they would be more acute but also made myself immune to sensory overload, so that strong smells or bright lights wouldn’t faze me. I removed the need to excrete or to cut my hair or nails and I also made it so that my glasses wouldn’t fall off my face. I also made the glasses indestructible, for good measure. And then I saved a large, nested code by the name ‘God Mode,’ but let’s not get into that right now. The most terrifying part was when I started rewriting forces like space and time. These were the ‘favorites’ that were so terrifyingly convenient that I knew they would kill the fun in everything. There was another thing that I did on the hill; I looked out for Clare. I didn’t check her status because I didn’t want to know the answer to that question yet, but I did make sure that she was doing all right. I used a new favorite called ‘Alarm’ to setup a warning system that would alert me whenever the target was in danger. And so I sat on the small, grassy hill for a week or so, learning about the world, learning about its people and learning about its problems. I resolved to do something about them, but for that, I needed to understand this world better. And what better way to experience this world than with three of the most powerful people in it? - I woke from my thoughts because of an ‘Alert’ I had setup to inform me if something crossed the perimeter of our camp. I sensed who it was without opening my eyes. “You shouldn’t go out alone at night, you know?” I said. “Mind your own business, Kai,” he replied as he walked away. As the wood burned and the campfire crackled in the otherwise quiet night, I thought of the two girls. Their eyes revealed the sadness in their hearts which resonated with my own sorrows. I thought of a way to give them a sense of closure, at least for a little while. And so I told them a story. - “...the memories of a friend,” I finished. The story had made me sad as well, so I quietly listened to the sounds of the smoldering campfire and the occasional sob that came from Lily’s sleeping bag. “What did you do?” asked Runir as he returned. “I told them a story,” I replied. Runir looked at me with what I assumed to be skepticism and confusion, but I didn’t explain anything else so he eventually walked closer, possibly frowning. “Kai, do you mind if I ask you a question?” “Of course not, what do you want to ask?” “Kai, who are you?” he asked. Lily stopped sobbing, and I was sure Amy was listening as well. I opened my eyes and stared at the stars. “I wish I knew the answer to that,” I said, my voice barely audible. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Well, if I asked you this question, would you be able to answer?” I said, still gazing at the stars. He froze for a moment. “Of course, I’m Runir Candela, a wate-” I shook my head. “No, no, that is not who you are, that is what you are. I doubt anyone can really answer your question, Runir.” “I didn’t mean it in a philosophical sense, I said it colloquially. But fine, what are you Kai?” he said, with a trace of a smirk on his lips. “Oh, I’m just a simple, traveling storyteller,” I replied, smiling as I turned to face Runir directly. He frowned. “A traveling storyteller? What kind of a profession is that?” “It’s not a profession, it’s an identity.” “Ah, really? Then what is your profession?” “Unemployed.” There was an awkward silence after that but Runir soon snapped out of it and went over to his sleeping bag. “You’re a very interesting person Kai. But I couldn’t help but wonder, do you have a goal or a purpose?” I thought for a long while as the question had been an unexpected one. “Yes,” I said, simply. Runir nodded as if he’d understood something. “If you’d like to come with us on our journey, we’d need to know a little bit about you though.” “Why? Do you know everything about each other already?” “But you’re too mysterious! How can I rest easy when a variable as powerful as you is around?” “Powerful? What makes you think that?” “I can’t see your status with Appraisal, so you must be much more powerful than me.” I smiled and shook my head. “You know, appraising someone is quite the invasion of privacy. However, I’ll let it go this time.” I raised my hand in the air. “And the reason you can’t Appraise me is because of this ring on my finger. It’s a magic artifact that hides your status from others.” Although what I’d said about the ring was a lie, I did rewrite the ring to make it look more powerful so it would be more believable. I didn’t think Runir accepted my explanation completely, he was too smart for that, and he did stop pestering me with his questions. Once I was sure that he wouldn’t ask any more, I allowed myself to drift into sleep. - I woke up at dawn and stretched my arms as I got up from the sleeping bag. The ashes of the fire were still warm and a gentle breeze brushed past the trees, sending ripples through the sea of leaves. Amy was still sitting against the tree and I knew she hadn’t slept all night because she didn’t need to. In fact, I could’ve removed my own need to sleep as well but I decided not to, not only because I was used to sleeping but also because I enjoyed resting and I enjoyed sleep. Sleep was a wonderful thing, in my opinion. It allowed me to forget everything about myself and float in the realm of my subconscious. And dreams were a great inspiration for a story. I looked over at Lily’s sleeping bag, which was curled in on itself with the girl hidden within. My gaze shifted to Runir, and I was surprised by the way he lay sprawled all over, with drool dripping out of his mouth. It was a very different sight compared to his usual, calm demeanor. I walked out of the campsite and went over to a little stream. I jumped into it, letting the cold water wash over my skin and clothes. Walking out, I used rewrite to dry myself. I could’ve just cleaned myself with rewrite but this was more refreshing, in my opinion. After walking back to the campsite, I created some cooking pots and began cooking breakfast. Amy walked over to help and by the time Lily and Runir woke up, we were done making breakfast and had started eating. They joined us after freshening up. “So, where are you guys going after Fohil?” I asked, despite already knowing the answer. Runir and Lily looked at each other before Lily said, “We’re going to the Fire goddess’ shrine.” “Really? Well if it’s okay with you guys, may I come along? I’m sure I’ll get some inspiration for new stories if I go to a place like that!” Runir hesitated but Lily immediately nodded. “Sure!” - We continued walking down the plateau towards Fohil. Along the way, we chatted about a few inconsequential things and planned for the journey to the Fire goddess’ shrine. Runir had been trying to convince Lily and Amy to tell him about the story that I’d told them last night, but the two of them refused to share it with him. I also refused to tell him, mostly because it was fun watching him suffer from curiosity. We heard a loud roar as a saber-toothed feline monster crashed through the trees and appeared on the road. All of us reacted instantly. Lily took out her knife, Runir took out his sword, and Amy stood in front of Lily while preparing Fire magic. I looked at the monster and used a new favorite. Leave. The monster obediently left, not even glancing at us as its tail swished from side to side and it walked back into the forest. The others were puzzled by the strange scene so I also pretended to be confused. Then we continued our journey to Fohil. - We finally arrived at Fohil, which was a large town at the foothills of the mountain range that included the plateau upon which the capital Cerena was built. Fohil was a more bustling and robust town than Cerena, and there were more people from different countries here. The four of us walked through the city gates after paying a small toll tax, and made our way down the main street. Even though nearly a thousand years had passed, there was still an astonishing lack of technological developments on Erath. Apart from the Air kingdom, none of the other kingdoms gave much importance to science, preferring to invest in magic and magical research instead. I claimed that I was going to go to the market to buy ingredients and other necessities, and promised to meet them at the Bearclaw Inn, where we had decided to spend the night. Of course, I didn’t need to buy any supplies because of re:write, so I simply wandered about in the city, experiencing its sights and sounds. There was a fountain in the square where water fell in cascading steps before flowing through a beautifully carved pattern in the wall. There were street musicians and clowns lined up around the fountain, entertaining crowds of idle civilians. The sounds were also lively. Idle chatter of people talking to each other, the laughter of someone pointing at a clown who had just pulled a prank on his friend, and the friend’s angry shout at the clown. I watched the birds fly down from the rooftops and peck at the breadcrumbs scattered on the ground by an old lady sitting on a bench. I heard a street musician playing an instrument that I couldn’t recognize but one that I appreciated listening to anyway. Children were laughing while playing on the streets. Hawkers were advertising their wares in loud, gruff voices. People were walking into stores and buying clothes, shoes, and accessories. The town of Fohil was peaceful, lively, and happy. Just as it had seemed from the hill.

“Well he did say that the rings would help hide our identities,” I said, breaking Lily out of her trance. Really, you’d think that we’d get used to it by now, I thought, as I began walking down the street. “That fucking Kai! I almost had a heart attack. Would it kill him to explain this shit properly?” Lily said, frowning. “Indeed. His explanations are truly lacking,” said Amy. I nodded. Kai was keeping a lot of secrets. In fact, one of my two sub-goals was to ‘determine Kai’s identity,’ but so far the results had been startlingly low. I essentially knew only what he’d told us outside Vandrake Mountain, which was strange because I’d been trying to probe him for details for an entire day and had nothing to show for it. This was the first time that my Ability hadn’t given me results for a sub-goal. Whenever I pursued this sub goal, it would show me no hints or suggestions, almost as if it couldn’t see through Kai either. “Hey, do we even know where this ‘Betern Inn’ is?” asked Lily. “Hmm? Betern Inn?” I thought, recalling the Inn that Kai had told us to go to. Isn’t that the Inn from the game? Why did he want to meet up there? Well I suppose it must be pretty famous around here. And it is in a great location too. “It should be at the end of this street, just before the Duke’s Mansion,” I said. “We should go reserve our rooms first, in case they run out of space. We can go shopping later. Oh, and Lily.” “Hmm?” “We’ll be relying on you for the funds.” I smirked. Lily grinned. “Sure, I just struck it rich after all,” she said, bringing out a pouch and lightly tossing it in the air. “What the...? That’s mine!” I said, grabbing it quickly. “You might as well give it back. I can take it whenever I want you know?” she smiled, wickedly. Damn it! This fucking- “Let us proceed. I am looking forward to a bath.” Amy said, interrupting my thoughts and walking down the street. Lily and I exchanged a glance and followed her. Yeah, a bath would be nice. - “Dad, stop dancing. You’re bothering the customers!” shouted someone just as we opened the doors of the Betern Inn. A small black haired girl was glaring at a tall, bespectacled man who was dancing between the tables of the Inn while delivering orders with one hand and drinking beer with the other. “It’s okay! It’s okay! They like it. Don’t you fellas?” said the bespectacled man as he spun around and gestured to a rowdy table of drunk middle aged men. “No! Get the hell outta here old man!” said one of the drunkards. “Old man? I’m only 47!” said the bespectacled man as he placed a steaming dish in front of an old lady. “Dad, the fish is gonna burn!” came a voice from the kitchen. “Oh right, coming!” said the bespectacled man as he rushed towards the kitchen. The black haired girl sighed but she quickly perked up as she saw us. “Welcome to the Betern Inn! I’m Altis Betern, how may I help you?” she asked with a smile. “Ah, we’d like four rooms for the night.” I replied. “Certainly, please come this way,” she said, walking behind the counter besides the door to the kitchen. “One night is five Tels, so that would be 20 Tels. Would you like anything else? Meals are three Tels per person per meal and you can use the private baths for two Tels per half hour,” she said, bringing out a file. “We’re going to try some of the restaurants we saw on the way over, so breakfast for four and four baths please,” said Lily. “Very well, that will be 40 Tels please,” she said. “Here you go.” Lily said, placing four 10 Tel coins on the counter. “Thank you for your patronage!” Altis smiled. “Oh, new customers! Haven’t seen you around, are you from out of town?” came a voice from behind us. We turned around to see the bespectacled man standing with another dish in his hands. “Yes, we came from Bedford,” I replied with a smile. “Bedford eh? The Water Kingdom’s pretty far away, you guys must be pretty amazing if you managed to come all the way here,” he said, raising a hand in front of us. “Gerard Betern, owner, chef and waiter of the Betern Inn.” I smiled, shaking his hand. “I’m Deryl Lauritz, and these are my sisters Mia Lauritz and Aris Lauritz,” I gestured to Amy and Lily. “Hi.” said Lily, shaking his hand. “Pleased to meet you,” said Amy, giving him a slight nod. “Well, since you’re new here and all, why not let me show you around?” he said, smiling innocently. “No way! Get back to work, dad,” said Altis, sternly. “Fine.” He pouted, placing the dish in front of a middle aged man before walking back into the kitchen. “He’s always trying to get out of work. You’d think he’d stop doing that after mom died but...” Altis sighed and then smiled. “But he’s got a point. Would you like me to guide you around town?” she asked, facing us. “Is that okay? You look pretty busy here,” Lily said, glancing at the room full of guests. “Of course it is, dad does most of the work anyways!” she grinned. Aren’t you the one running away from work? I thought, sighing inwardly. “Well if that’s the case, why not?” said Lily, gesturing for her to follow us as we left the Inn. - “That’s the Ashpoole Glass factory,” Altis said, pointing to a tall gray building to our right. “And that’s the Genim Cafe, their cakes are famous all over the Southern Continent,” she continued, gesturing to our left. “Over there is The Quarry, it’s the best restaurant in Ashpoole but it’s pretty expensive,” she said, as she pointed to a black stone building. “Money isn’t a problem,” said Lily, grinning and walking towards the restaurant. As we sat down inside and ordered our meals, we asked Altis about Ashpoole and learned several things about the city and the Fire Kingdom in general. For one thing, the Duke of Ashpoole didn’t have any real authority since his only duty was to enforce the King’s laws. And since Ashpoole was a prosperous city, crime was low and the people were happy. However, since it was surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, travelers rarely came to Ashpoole so it was somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. I leaned back in my chair after finishing my meal, sipping a glass of wine while closing my eyes to savor the taste. “...he hasn’t shown up for a while.” “...yeah, hope he died.” “...terrible monster.” “...little girl ripped to pieces.” “...man with no life in his eyes.” “...old lady’s guts all over the place.” “...good thing he’s gone. That Ashfiend.” I frowned as I heard the conversation from the table behind me. Ashfiend? Wasn’t that a mid-tier boss in the game? Why would... My eyes widened. “It’s getting late, we better leave.” I got up from my seat and hurriedly left the restaurant. “Hey wait!” Lily said, paying the bill before following me. Amy and Altis followed soon after, both with confused faces. If the Ashfiend is still alive, that means he’s had a thousand years to grow just like that dragon! “Slow down Ru-Deryl! What the hell are you running for?” Lily complained as I rushed down the street. Too many people here. It’ll take too long to get back. Damn it, so that’s why Kai told us to meet him at the Inn. It’s the only building the Ashfiend can’t enter in the game. Wait… how did he know that? Whatever, we have to get back there first. But this crowd’s too thick, it’ll take too long to get through. I frowned before rushing off into an alley. I heard the others following behind me. “Damn it! Stop running!” Lily said. “Where are we going, Mr.Lauritz?” said Altis, panting for breath. Tsk, I forgot she came with us. She won’t be able to keep up. I slowed down. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lily said, as the others caught up to me. “No time to explain, we have to get back to the Inn. The As-” “Ahhh!” A scream rang through the air. I turned around. In front of us stood a short, black robed figure wearing a creepy black mask without eyes. The figure was surrounded by a whirlwind of ash and soot, swirling around it but never touching its body. Altis lay on the ground at the figure’s feet, a black blade pointed at her neck. “Wha-who are you?” Lily asked, reaching for her knife. The figure pressed its blade against Altis’ neck, drawing a drop of blood. Lily stopped. “The Ashfiend, I presume,” I said, taking a deep breath and donning my poker face. The figure looked up at me. It was even shorter than Altis, which made me frown inwardly. The Ashfiend in the game was much taller. What is - My thoughts were interrupted by a grunt as Amy leaped towards the Ashfiend. No! If it’s as strong as the dragon, it’ll... The Ashfiend didn’t react, or rather, it couldn’t react as Amy smashed it away with her sword and grabbed Altis. She tossed Altis towards Lily and turned to face the Ashfiend who had crashed into the wall. I frowned and stepped over to her, pulling out my own sword. Did this mean it didn’t become stronger after a thousand years? Besides, something doesn’t add up. The Ashfiend in the game was only supposed to attack outsiders. Why did this one attack Altis? Confused, I waited for the Ashfiend to rise before using Appraisal. And froze. Shit. I turned around to see Lily lying in a pool of blood, a bloody figure standing next to her. “You!” Amy said, her eyes wide in shock. The bloody figure smiled, wiping her knife with her dress. “God, I hate it when I have to do all the work,” said Altis, with a slightly irritated look on her face. Altis Betern. Title: Cashier of Betern Inn. Hidden Title: Heir of the Ashfiend. Level 280. Ability: Soul Devourer V.24 “Stop messing around and finish them, Hart.” she said, casting her cold blue eyes towards the other Ashfiend. The other Ashfiend - Hart - got up and brushed the dust from his robes. His hood had fallen back, revealing black hair and cold blue eyes just like his sister’s. He looked barely eight years old. “I had this covered sis.” he said, ash swirling around his head as he frowned. Hart Betern. Title: Dishwasher of Betern Inn. Hidden Title: Second heir of the Ashfiend. Level 119. Ability: Soul Devourer V.25 “What is the meaning of this?” Amy growled. “Hart, you take care of the other one. The red head’s mine.” she said, ignoring her. Amy frowned and readied her sword but stopped as Altis pointed her knife at Lily’s throat. “She’s still alive... barely. But we wouldn’t want to change that now would we?” she said, smiling. Amy bit her lips. “Fine.” she said, dropping her sword and kicking it to the side. Idiot! Don’t do that, she’ll- “What are you looking at?” I lifted my sword just in time to parry the ashen blade that appeared behind me. “You don’t have the time to worry about her. You’re mine,” said the tiny Ashfiend, with a crazed smile on his lips. “Hmph, don’t get cocky kid. This is the big leagues,” I smirked, as I pushed him back. Hart frowned but then started smiling again. “They usually start begging for their lives at this point. Especially after they realize that they can’t see our Status,” he said, calmly. It was my turn to frown. “What do you mean? We can see your Statuses just fine.” I said. “Stop bluffing. That’s not possible, your levels are too low,” he said, furrowing his brows. Our levels are too low? I chuckled. “Kai, you really are a piece of shit aren’t you,” I mumbled. “What did you say?” He said. “Whatever, I better finish you off quick. Dad will be mad if I stay out for too long.” He brandished his blade and rushed at me but I didn’t move. Instead, I activated the spell I had been preparing. “Blizzard!” I shouted. Strong winds blew around me, blowing shards of ice and clumps of snow all over the alley. Hart grimaced as the ash swirling around him started getting blown away by the snow and wind. I saw his eyes widen as I appeared in front of him with Void Step. I raised my sword and aimed for his neck. “Stop or I’ll kill her!” said a cold voice from behind me. I stopped, the tip of my sword inches from his throat. I turned around, my expression calm. “Like I said, kid. Don’t get cocky.” I smirked as I saw something move behind Altis. “This is the big leagues.” Altis’ eyes widened in surprise as she was smashed from behind and flew all the way across the alley towards me. I raised my sword, waiting for her to get impaled on it. “I was right wasn’t I, you guys are amazing.” Another figure jumped in front of me and grabbed the little Ashfiend out of the air. I didn’t react at all since I’d suspected that he’d be here too. “Hello Mr.Betern. Weren’t you busy at the Inn?” I asked, nonchalantly. The black haired, bespectacled man smiled. “Oh, I closed up early. My children hadn’t come home yet so I was worried sick,” he said, smiling. “Children can be such a bother, can’t they?” I said, nodding with a faint smile as I Appraised the man in front of me. Gerard Betern. Title: Owner of Betern Inn. Hidden Title: 13th Generation Ashfiend. Level 480. Ability: Soul Devourer V.23 13th Generation? I see. The Ashfiend is an inherited title. Well, at least he hasn’t been gaining power for a thousand years. I inwardly let out a relieved sigh. “So, Mr.Betern. Now that you’ve found your children, how about that bath we paid for?” “Sure! You’ll love my ash-bath. All my customers say it’s to die for!” A swirling mass of ash collided with my blizzard, spraying gray clumps of ash and snow everywhere. “That was terrible.” “I know. Sorry.” “No you’re not.” He smiled. “As much as I enjoy butting heads with you, figuratively speaking, I must unfortunately finish you off now. It’s a school night after all,” he said, holding Altis in his hands as a whirlwind of sharp ash particles spread out around him. "I’m not done with you yet!” An explosion resounded through the air as a bright, white light crashed into the Ashfiend from behind. Caught off guard, Gerard coughed out blood as he directed the whirlwind of ash behind him, barely managing to deflect the worst of the attack into the air. “Dad!” shouted the little kid behind me as he rushed forward. I quickly punched him into the wall, knocking him unconscious. “Hart!” shouted the blue eyed girl as she fell from her father’s hands and rushed towards her brother. A red blur appeared in front of her, knocking her into the ground where she lay still. “Altis! Hart! How dare you! You fiends!” shouted the bespectacled man as a wave of black ash burst out from him, cascading over itself and slamming into the walls. Bricks and stones were chipped away and the already dark and dirty alley became an even darker shade of black. “Fiends? Now that’s ironic,” I said, rushing at him with my sword. Amy slashed at him from the other side as Lily readied another Laser spell. The Ashfiend raised his head to the sky and roared just as the cloud of ash surrounding him was cut apart. Blood flew in the air, mixing with the dark ash before falling on the ground. Gerard Betern smiled, blood dripping from the corners of his lips. “You’re not from Bedford, are you?” he said. “No.” I replied, my sword buried in his shoulder. He closed his eyes. “Will you... kill them too?” I looked at the kids lying on the ground, a layer of ash covering their unconscious body like a blanket. I stared into the bespectacled man’s eyes. “You really love your family, don’t you?” “Yes, I do,” he said with a smile. Then he raised his head and looked up at the night sky. “You know, you can’t see the stars after a volcano erupts.” “I know. Too much ash and sulfur in the air.” “Well...it’s a good thing I got to see it one last time then,” he said, closing his eyes. What? Shit, don’t tell me! Red veins started bulging on his skin as his body started glowing with a dark light. “Run!” I shouted, letting go of my sword and stepping into my shadow. But it was too late. I felt a massive force push my body as a searing pain ripped through my skull. Then everything went black. No, I didn’t fall unconscious. Everything, literally went black.

Ever since I tested my Ability on the Hill, I’d known that my life would be boring. Because while sitting on that Hill, I explored the limits of my Ability. Only to find that there were none. It was an interesting dilemma, really. Someone who had been so utterly powerless in the real world was now so ridiculously powerful that he was lamenting his power. But even though I had grown so powerful that nothing fazed me anymore, there were still two things that gave me a headache. As I watched the guard shove the wanted poster in Lily’s face and saw Lily bite her lips, I didn’t react at all because I knew nothing would happen. Just as I expected, the guard went back to her post without sparing a glance for the stunned girl that matched the portrait on the poster, as if she didn’t recognize her at all. Because she didn’t. “You guys go ahead to Betern Inn, I have some business to take care of.” I said, walking away while ignoring the still frozen Lily as well as my other friends who were staring at my back. Friends; could I call them that? They hadn’t known me for long, even though I’d watched them for a long time from the Hill. And why were they so stunned? Didn’t I tell them that the rings would help disguise them? Well, I knew the answers to both questions but that just made me even more depressed. Not enough to give me a headache and definitely not enough to make me feel as depressed as I had on the Hill but they were answers that made me feel a little melancholic. But I was sure that I’d forget all about it in a while. After all, I had to deal with the first thing that gave me a headache despite everything that I had learned and felt on the Hill. I lifted up a hand and knocked on the door in front of me. “Who is it?” came a voice from inside. “Mrs.Baner, I’ve come to talk to you about your husband,” I replied. The door opened and a middle aged, brown haired woman appeared from behind it. She was carrying a little pink bundle in her arms, inside which was a baby, barely able to open its eyes. The woman’s blue eyes shone but she couldn’t mask the anxiety that made her lips tremble ever so slightly. “O-odog? You know where he is! Please, please tell me. I’ve been worried sick. Ever since he went dungeon diving with his adventuring buddies even though I told him not to...it’s been months. Please, tell me he’s alright! Please...” she said frantically. I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Mrs.Baner. Your husband is dead,” I said, solemnly. Her face froze. Her eyes dulled. Her lips trembled. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned away and sat down on the sofa inside. I let her cry for a while, unwilling to interrupt her sorrow. After a good fifteen minutes, I walked into the room and offered her a glass of water which she grasped with trembling hands. She’d already put the baby inside a cot in the corner of the room. “Your husband was a good man. He risked his life to give his family a better life,” I consoled. She nodded absentmindedly and took big gulps of water. “H-how did he...” she whispered. “A monster. An accursed, ruthless, heartless monster. It got him right when he’d won the prize,” I said, bringing a pouch out of my robes. “He wanted you to have this,” I said, putting the pouch on the table. She stared at the pouch and reached for it. Her tears spilled down even faster as she saw the fortune inside. “O-odog... why? Who cares about money, you idiot... always were a musclebrain... I don’t care about money... I just want... our family to be-” she mumbled, turning her face away to cry on the sofa’s armrest. I felt a pain in my chest. I ruined this family. I was the monster. An accursed, ruthless, heartless monster. But then, he wasn’t exactly a good man either. Or was he? Even though I felt so sure about so many things after what I’d learned and experienced on the Hill, I still couldn’t answer this particular question. But I’d settled on a good enough answer. In fact, it was the answer to the biggest question I’d asked myself on the Hill. “Mrs.Baner, it may not be my place to say this but Odog was a good husband and a good father. He wasn’t perfect but when I first met him, I knew that he loved his family and would to the ends of Erath for them if he had to,” I said, standing in front of her and bowing. “I apologize for not being able to save him. I could have, should have tried harder. Please, should you require any assistance, do not hesitate to contact me.” I handed her a communications prism and walked to the door. “Wait...” I hesitated, then turned around. “Thank you...” I bit my lips and walked out just as the baby started wailing. “Don’t mention it.” - I took a deep breath as I walked down the main street. Meeting Mrs.Baner was a moment I had dreaded ever since I’d killed Odog but I’d managed to prepare myself for it somewhat. After all, I’d learned a lot of things on the Hill and this wasn’t even enough to give me a headache. But even as I went into a dark alley in the impoverished Eastern side of the city, the place where I’d have to deal with my first headache, my thoughts went back to Mrs.Baner and her painful tears. I feel guilty for the pain his family is going through... but should I? He’d probably been a bandit for a really long time. Wasn’t his family’s happiness built on the pain and suffering of others? If so, wasn’t the pain they were feeling justified? Didn’t they deserve to be punished for living a life, albeit unknowingly, supported by the heinous actions of a murderous thug? But was he a heinous thug? Was he wrong to choose the life of a bandit and ruin other families just so his own could prosper? And even if he was a murderer, did I have the right to kill him just like that? Was he evil? Am I wrong? Does it even matter? I knew the answer. I’d learned it on the Hill. But that wasn’t what gave me a headache. A hooded figure glanced furtively in both directions before knocking on the wall. He looked around again, trying to make sure no one was watching but he looked right through me. “Password,” came a husky voice from inside. “Pi,” said the hooded figure. The wall shimmered before revealing a dark passageway. The hooded figure walked in and the passageway disappeared, leaving behind an ordinary brick wall. I walked up to the ‘wall.’ "re:write.self.intangible" I walked right through it. The guard inside didn’t notice me at all because I’d hidden myself with one of my favorites; Invisible. The passage was long and mostly dark, illuminated only by glowing rings attached to the walls every few feet. I heard voices coming from the end of the passage and took a deep breath. “...we...glory...praise...our sector...oh...never forget...for the...rad...” Strange whispers echoed along the passageway, making it seem even more eerie and haunting. “...radiant...our supreme lord...savior...foolish heathens...false gods...” I sighed and walked through the door at the end of the passage, ignoring the dark robed guard standing outside. “Brothers and sisters! I thank you once more for joining us today at this most sacred ritual. Know that you are the true believers and the heathens outside shall be punished by our Lord for their insolence. And if they be ignorant of the truth, remember that it is our duty to bring them to the right path! The straight path! The righteous path! It is our duty to bring them into the Circle!” said an old man wearing jet black robes with a large circle drawn on its back. “To the Circle!” cheered the crowd of black robed figures standing around him. Nearly thirty grown men and women, holding hands to form a circle around a crazy old man in a dingy old wine cellar. I might have laughed if I hadn’t known who they were. Circle. A radical religion infamous for its alleged role in numerous assassinations, murders, robberies and political uprisings all over Erath. They were rumored to worship a god instead of a goddess and to perform arcane rituals that would strike terror into the hearts of innocents. The old man continued his speech as the hooded figures walked around him in a circle. They maintained the same distance from each other so the circle always remained the same size and slowly quickened their pace. “Our sector is not the largest, my dear brothers and sisters, but we will grow and expand! We shall bring them all into the circle!” “Into the circle! Into the circle!” Their pace quickened even further. “Those fake Goddesses dare to transgress upon the majesty of our Lord! Yet, they are nothing! Nothing in front of our Lord. Even they cannot resist. Even they lie inside the circle!” “Into the circle! Into the circle!” They were running now, panting even as they cheered. One of them lost their hood while running, revealing short brown hair and a young teenage face. I sighed as I felt a headache coming on. A simple Observe revealed the boy’s identity. Joey Baner... Title: Son of Odog. Hidden Title: 253rd degree radical of the Circle. Ability: Conversationalism. When I’d first seen him from the Hill, I’d felt a little uneasy when I realized that he was part of some weird cult but I hadn’t been too worried. But when I found out that he was a part of the Circle, I’d felt my head starting to ache. “Our Lord is All Powerful! He is All Knowing! He is everywhere! He governs this universe and everything in it!...” You see, Circle didn’t just worship some random god.... “For our Lord taught us our place in the world! Gave us guidance and a purpose! Gave us his blessings!...” They worshiped... “For our Lord is the Creator! He made our world! He made the Goddesses and bound us all with Fate! He is...” ...me I couldn’t endure any longer so I rushed forward and caught Joey’s hand. Before he could even express his surprise, I teleported us to the center of the Ashpoole bridge. I let go of his hand and let him fall to the ground. “What the-” he grunted. Now how do I deal with this? He’s a die hard fanatic. I don’t think he’ll listen to reason. “Why have you not gone home for a month, Joey Baner?” I said in a deep voice. “W-who? Who is it?” he said, crawling back to the edge of the bridge while looking around for the source of the voice. “Answer me Joey,” I said, letting a little anger leak into my voice. “I-it’s none of your business!” he stammered. “It is. Your mother has been worried about you all this time, even while she worried for an absent husband and a sickly baby.” “You... how do you know so much about our family? Look man, just let me go okay. If you know what my family’s going through, you should know that I don’t have any money.” He cautiously stood up. The hitherto calm lake rumbled and water sprayed in the air as waves crashed against the bridge, rocking it back and forth. Joey fell back on the edge of the bridge. “While you were running circles around some crazy old man, your mother was shouldering the burden of taking care of your little sister on her own! She could barely pay the rent because her husband vanished! And now she’s facing eviction and a broken heart!” I said, loudly. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Joey, your father is dead.” He blinked. “What?” he whispered. “He died in a faraway land. Your mother just received the news. Go to her. Now.” “You-you’re lying! Dad can’t be-he can’t be dead!” he shouted. “Who are you anyway? Why did you bring me here? Why are you trying to mess with my head?” I walked closer to him and brought something out of my robe and put it on my face. “You will know who I am when you see me. And you will also know that I speak the truth,” I said, in the same altered voice. “Oh yeah? But I can’t see you now can I?” “Look behind you.” He swung his head around. “There’s nobody here...” He froze as his gaze wandered to the calm lake waters. It was night now, so a reflection of the moon shone on the lake. Next to it was his own reflection. But there was something else too. A masked figure in dark purple robes. It had long purple hair, which was fluttering in the wind. The figure’s piercing purple eyes stared unblinkingly at Joey. Its mask was white, with a purple circle on its forehead. Joey turned around but he couldn’t see me. All he could see was my reflection. “Go to her,” I said. He gulped and stood up, trembling. “The city gates are closed,” he said. “I shall send you inside,” I replied, gently patting his head. “Thank you... but I never got your name,” he said. “I am... Origin.” His eyes widened just as I teleported him outside his house. I’d ended up using the name that they’d given me; Origin. It was the only way he’d listen and the only way he’d go back to take care of his mother and baby sister. I sighed, removing my mask with re:write. It had been a tiring day but at least I’d taken care of one headache. Guess I could go relax for the night. Boom! A loud explosion resounded through the air as a beam of light pierced the sky.

“I suppose that migraine was a blessing in disguise. And here I was, disappointed that I couldn’t attend the Exhibition,” said the old Queen, “Praise the Goddess, her foresight is magnificent.” “Mother?” said Gale. “These people aren’t bad. You don’t have to—” “Hush boy!” she snapped. “Letting yourself get kidnapped so easily. And inside the sacred shrine of all places! Disgraceful. I’ll need to redouble your training since it is so obviously inadequate.” Gale’s face paled and he dug into Kai’s side. It said a lot about someone if their kid would rather stick to their kidnappers than their own mother. “Silly boy.” The Queen frowned. “Guards, apprehend these criminals and rescue the king.” The guards readied their weapons and charged at us. Some of them held torches, shedding a flickering orange glow around the room. The shiny, metal ceiling reflected the torchlight, casting bright, fiery rays across the somewhat dimly lit room. “Anyone wanna watch a little magic trick?” Kai blew out his own torch and threw it away. “I’m about to make myself…” He waved a hand and all the torches blew out. “… disappear!” The room was engulfed in darkness again. I felt a strong pull around my waste and barely managed to hold in a shout of surprise as I felt myself hurtle through the air. “Go!” shouted Kai. “I’ll hold them off. You need to get to the top and destroy that master-key. And don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” He pushed me forward and I found my hands resting on two shoulders. I resolved myself and ran forward while urging the kids to follow me. We carefully made our way up, feeling out the stairs because it was too dark to see. Despite being the most technologically advanced kingdom on Erath, the Air Kingdom never managed to make a freaking light bulb. Guess science didn’t work the same way everywhere. “We’re here,” said Gale as he pushed open a small wooden door. The door swung open, revealing a lavishly decorated room. A rich carpet, intricately embroidered curtains, an ornately carved wooden bed and expensive sheets and furniture; just what you’d expect from the room of the king. However, there were quite a few surprises inside that made it apparent why no one but royalty could come up here. Next to sophisticated oil paintings of ancient kings and queens hung posters of famous singers and celebrities. The rich carpet was stained in several places, the curtains had holes in them and the bed sheets were in disarray. And of course, there was something downright strange inside. “Your Highness!” We were greeted by a familiar voice. “Ezu?” Gale said, dumbstruck. Floating in the center of the room was a translucent head. It belonged to the scientist who had been hosting the Exhibition at the shrine: Ezure Taiker. The projection was coming from a communications prism that was embedded inside the coffee table in the center of the room. They had cameras on the kid too? That was just creepy. A little sad too I guess. The king was a prisoner in his own castle. “Your Highness, please listen to reason! You can’t let these terrorists—” She was interrupted by the sound of something breaking. Sparks flew out as the communications prism broke into pieces. “Shut up!” cried Zoe, still pointing her air gun at the coffee table. Gale stared at the empty air where the hologram had been, then he stared at Zoe with a blank look in his eyes. “Stop wasting time. Where’s the key?” said Zoe. “There should be an attic up there,” I said, pointing at the ceiling. Zoe nodded and before Gale could protest, she fired her air gun at the ceiling. Chunks of stone and wood fell on the ground, littering the room. A cloud of dust filled the air, making us cough. As the dust settled, several holes appeared in the ceiling. We couldn’t see anything inside but I could barely make out a dull glow on the edge of one of the holes. “No ladder? How do we get up there?” asked Zoe. I walked over to them. “Like this.” I grabbed them and jumped towards the ceiling. The hole I’d chosen wasn’t wide enough so I hugged Zoe and Gale tightly to my chest and crashed through the stone bricks and wooden paneling. The attic was dark and damp. The roof was full of holes and water dripped into pools on the dirty stone floor. There was no window so the only source of light were the holes in the roof and the big glowing thing in the back of the room. It was a strange contraption; kind of like a mix between an old school radio and a giant locket. It had an antenna that wound its way up a chain and was swiveling and rotating in a seemingly random pattern. The chains connected the lower half, which had buttons and knobs on it, to the upper half where a large gray colored stone lay glowing brightly inside a glass case. “So we just have to break this?” said Zoe, raising her gun. “No, wait, I want to enjoy this.” She walked over to the machine and flipped the air gun in her hand. She raised it and got ready to swing it at the glass covering the stone. “No!” “You again?” said Zoe, glaring at the floating head that appeared next to her. There was a communications prism on the machine too. “Your Highness, please listen to reason! You know the numbers. You know the statistics. You know what will happen if you do this!” pleaded the floating head. “You really need to shut up. Gale knows what’s right. He’s not going to listen to your crap anymore. Goodbye!” Zoe swung the back of her gun at the communications prism. “My king, listen to me! Trust me! I’ve taken care of you since you were born. Please, trust me!” she shouted desperately. “You’re the king. You can’t let yourself be tricked by these criminals! Please little Galey, you have to listen to me!” “Stop!” Zoe froze, the end of her gun inches from the machine. Her eyes were widened in disbelief. She tried to move the gun but she couldn’t. She tried to struggle, tried to flail but she couldn’t move anything but her eyes. Several emotions flickered in her eyes. Anger, frustration, unwillingness and disbelief. She shifted her eyes to glare at Gale reproachfully. She knew she’d been frozen against her will by the king’s orders. She was a citizen of the Air kingdom so Fate forced her to follow the king’s orders. “I’ll hear both of you and then I’ll make a decision,” he said, raising his quivering chin. “You first Zoe.” “You back-stabbing piece of—” “Quiet.” Zoe’s mouth froze shut. “Insulting me isn’t going to help. You need to convince me through logic and reason. Give me an argument. Persuade me!” He gestured towards the hologram. “Show her how it’s done Ezu.” “With pleasure, my king.” The floating head had a bright smile on its face as it seemed to gather itself with great confidence. “The bonded laborers are the backbone of our society. Our manufacturing industries rely heavily on the laborers to produce our products. Releasing them from their contracts will not only cripple our economy and send thousands into poverty, it will also be a regressive step for science and innovation on Erath. Our progress over the past few centuries has improved the quality of living of millions of people on Erath and our inventions are used all across the world.” She took a deep breath. “Screw that! Have you seen what the laborers go through? Can you seriously say that you’ve improved the lives of people while you make so many of them live a life like that?” I interjected. “Stop,” said Gale, “please let her finish.” “Thank you, my king. Our productivity has increased by over one-hundred and fifty percent in the last quarter century alone. Childhood mortality rates have halved since the discovery of facilitated breathing techniques and the creation of machines that enable better quality medicines to be produced. Harvests in the fields of the Light kingdom tripled after they adopted our machines. This increased the overall agricultural production of Erath and helped feed thousands of people. International trade revolves around our products and presents the best possible route for peace—or whatever semblance of peace we can maintain within the restrictions of Fate—and above all else, our products are an essential part of the lives of millions of ordinary people around the world. If you take away the laborers, everything we’ve built will collapse! The whole world as we know it will cease to exist.” Gale nodded. He turned to Zoe. “Your turn. Please, keep it civil.” “Fuck you!” Gale sighed. “Whatever.” Zoe cursed him a few more times before finally calming down a little. “I thought you’d learned your lesson. I knew we should have tossed you off the ship,” she grumbled. “Have you forgotten everything we talked about? Have you forgotten what you saw in my room? Hell, have you forgotten what’s on your back?” “But Ezu’s right too. I’m the king, I have to look at the big picture. I—” “Fuck, what kind of king lets people live a life of misery and pain? Besides, what right do you have to make that choice for us?” Gale blinked. “I’m the king. It’s my duty to lead my people—” “Your people are just fine on their own! Keep your god damn hands to yourself. We don’t need you to choose for us. You’re not the one who has to spend years breaking rocks with a hammer. You don’t get whipped for dropping something by accident. You don’t know what it’s like to keep doing the same thing over and over again without food or sleep because you keep getting pumped with crap that keeps you going forever!” she cried. “You don’t know what we go through. What I went through. So shut up and let me do what you’re too stupid to do.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “Let me do the right thing!” “It is not the right thing! It is the most illogical, irrational, and detrimental course of action we could possibly take!” shouted Ezure. “My king, we have the numbers and the data, you’ve heard her argument, she has nothing! No facts, no logic. All she has is an irrational appeal to an intangible sense of morality. I know I’ve taught you better and I know how talented you are. I trust you’ll make the correct decision.” Gale gestured for both of them to be silent while he closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. I remained silent but I was lost in thought too. If Gale chose to go back on his promise, then I’d have to get over my disappointment real quick. He may not know what the right thing was, but I did and I had to make sure that all our efforts weren’t in vain. Gale sighed. “All right.” He opened his eyes. “Ezu,” he said, facing the projection. “You’re right. Our economy depends on the efforts of the laborers. The world is, overall, a better place because of our system. Our progress, our development, our achievements in science and technology are worthy of praise and respect and none of it would have been possible without the system.” “Thank you my king. If you can just hold them at bay for long enough, the guards will come apprehend them—” “No.” Gale looked away. “I understand all of that. I know what the science says. I know what my head says. Everything points towards it but I can’t do it. After everything I’ve seen, after what I know now. Ezu… I’m sorry.” “My king, don’t! Don’t do it,” shrieked Ezure. “Don’t do it Galey!” “Zoe,” said Gale. Zoe looked up at him. “Do it.” Zoe didn’t break his gaze. “We’re going to talk about this later.” She shot him one more glare before turning around. She brought the gun down on the glass. It cracked but didn’t shatter. Zoe grunted and pulled back the gun again. “My king! Please don’t—” “Ezu, I’ve made my decision,” breathed Gale as he looked at Zoe. His fists were clenched and he was staring at her hard. He was still conflicted. The gun came down again and the glass shattered. However, the stone was still glowing and the antenna was still moving. The gun was raised again. Zoe brought it down even harder this time. All of her frustration, all of her anger, she was letting it all out with this strike. This was it. This was her revenge. “The mines are empty!” “Stop!” Zoe froze, the gun inches from the glowing stone. “What do you mean?” asked Gale. “The mines. The Breize stone mines,” said Ezure, her eyes staring downwards. “It’s a secret we haven’t told anyone. Not even the royal family…” She sighed. “The mines are empty.” Gale frowned. “We’ve mined them all up?” “No.” She’d gotten Zoe to stop but she still looked defeated. “They’re empty. They’ve always been empty.” Gale paused. “But the stones. We’ve been using them for five centuries. If we weren’t mining them, then where have we been getting them from?” “We’ve been mining them. Just not at the Breize mines.” “Is that why no one was allowed there? Only laborers and priests from the shrine?” Gale said. “But my ancestors saw the mines! I’ve read the books.” “The books I made you read?” Gale froze. “Oh…” “That doesn’t change anything,” I said. “In fact, that just proves we can’t trust you. Let Zoe break the damn thing already. We can deal with her lies later.” Gale looked at me and nodded slowly. “Right, this changes nothing. I’ve made my decision. Zoe, go ahe—” “We mine them from the bottom of the island. Right here in Laput,” interrupted Ezure. Gale snapped. “So what! Just let it go already Ezure! I’ve made my decision and… oh” He froze. “It’s good to see that my hard work wasn’t wasted. At least you can still think,” said Ezure, shaking her head. “You mine them from the bottom of the island… ” “Yes, my king. Now please order these criminals to stand down. The guards are almost here.” Gale hesitated. Then, he nodded slowly. “Sorry Zoe, I can’t let you do this.” He didn’t look at her. “I’m so, so sorry… please, step away.” Zoe’s eyes swam crazily. While her body walked over to Gale smoothly, her eyes flicked between both of the objects of her captivity. But she wasn’t the only one who was unwilling to let things slide so easily. “What the hell? I don’t get this. So what if you dig up those damn stones from the bottom of the island?” I said, frustrated as I stomped forward. “Quiet, you thug, your king has made his decision,” said Ezure. I frowned. “Gale, tell me what’s going on. All I can tell is that the shrine wants to maintain its power. You’re the king, why the fuck won’t you stand for what you know is the right thing to do?” “Because it isn’t the smart thing to do! If they’re mining it from the bottom of the island, then…” he trailed off. “Then what?” I asked. Ezure interrupted. “You don’t need to bother with this thug, my king. Just order her to go—” Gale raised a hand to silence her. “The bottom layer of this floating island is made of mana crystals. It’s what keeps us afloat. And if our ‘Breize stones’ are actually those mana crystals, then judging by the amount we’ve used over the centuries… ” “You’ll fall,” I finished. Gale nodded. “Right.” “But what does that have to do with the laborers?” I asked. “My king, why are you wasting your breath on this hooligan? Just tell her to—” “Silence Ezure!” scolded Gale. The floating head frowned but didn’t say a word. “It has everything to do with them. All the laborers in Laput are stationed in the catacombs underneath the palace. They provide the mana needed to run the city. But if the mana crystals are being depleted, then they probably serve another function as well,” said Gale. “Which is?” “To keep us from falling back to the ground. If you break that master-key right now, you’ll send us crashing to our doom. The entire kingdom will go up in flames. Countless lives will be lost. Years of progress undone. So please, I beg you Ms.Lily, just come with me.” He bowed his head. However, for some reason, I wasn’t affected by his pleading at all. “My king! Why are you bowing your head to a worthless criminal? Just order her to stand down.” “I can’t! Don’t you think I haven’t tried? I have no power over them. They’re not from the Air kingdom,” he shouted. The floating head’s eyes widened. Gale turned to me. “Please Ms.Lily, think of the consequences. This island is our home. It is the pride of our country.” So what? I jumped towards the machine. “No! Didn’t you hear me? If you break that thing, hundreds of thousands of people will die. The Air kingdom will be severely crippled for centuries. It would be a disaster!” I hesitated. Why had I jumped here so quickly? I’d let them all ramble for so long, so why did I suddenly jump over now? I unsheathed my sword. “Please Ms.Lily! Families and homes will be destroyed. Our livelihoods will disappear. Trust me, I’ll think of another way to power the mana crystal layer. We can hire paid magicians instead.” I pointed my sword at the glowing gray stone inside the device. Wait… why? Why was I doing this? I understood what he was saying. It made sense. If I did this now, a lot of people would be hurt. Hell, the people I was trying to save would probably die too! Why was I… “The Air kingdom will be destroyed! Ms. Lily, the Alliance relies on us for their weapons. Our machines power the Alliance’s wars. The Union will overrun the Alliance without our help. You used Earth magic, I saw it, so I know you wouldn’t undermine the Alliance. Please step away.” People were suffering. Yeah, that was why I was doing this. I was doing it for the laborers. For the people like Zoe, right? Their pain couldn’t be ignored, right? I had to do this for them, right? This was justice! This was the right thing to do! I was doing this because I was a good person. Because I knew what these people were going through. Because… I was doing this because… I was the Hero. I drove my sword through the stone, breaking it in half. Its light dimmed but it didn’t go out. I heard someone screaming in the background, heard things crashing and breaking as the ground shook uncontrollably. I brought my sword down, cleaving the entire machine in two. The antenna swung uselessly to a stop. The stone dulled and crumbled. The master-key… broke. The shackles of the bonded laborers shattered. I’d done it. I’d freed them. I’d done the right thing. But then why did it feel so wrong? The ground trembled and a rumbling sound resounded through the air. Ezure’s head bobbed frantically. “What have you done! My king, we have to hurry. Send the guards to the catacombs, have them take over for the laborers. It should still take some time for the island to start falling. We can—” The ground trembled and shook. “Why is it… ? The key was just broken! The masters should be able to keep the laborers under control for a little longer. Why is it happening so fast?” “What have you done?” came a voice from all around us. Wind howled around us, sending dust swirling about in the air. A figure materialized next to the broken master-key. Gray hair, a pretty face and a gray robe with a tornado emblazoned on the back. The figure glared at us through her goggles. “Was it worth it? Tell me, are you happy? Letting your emotions drive your actions, disregarding science and rationality. Tell me, is your heart filled with joy now that you’ve sentenced thousands to death and millions to poverty? You ignored the facts, the science, the logical reasoning. Tell me, do you still think you made the right decision?” asked the Goddess. I hesitated. Now that I’d done the deed, I felt… conflicted. Like something was eating away at my insides. I’d come here to do the right thing. We’d hatched the plan to free the laborers living lives filled with cruelty and pain. Wasn’t freeing them the right thing to do? Wait, I knew it was the right thing. I was sure of it. Nothing the dumb, heartless Goddess said had moved me at all. My discomfort was coming from somewhere else. “It was your fault! The only reason I had to make this decision in the first place was because of the way you were treating your people. Freeing them was the right thing to do. I broke that machine to liberate those people. To end their suffering. To make sure no one had to go through what Zoe went through, again!” I said, my thoughts racing. The Goddess’ smile was full of disdain. “Really? Is that why you did it? Was that the motivation behind your actions?” My mind went blank. I couldn’t respond. The ground trembled again. I did it because I wanted to free them. I wanted to do the right thing. I… I… I didn’t do anything while Zoe was frozen by Gale’s commands. The right thing, it was the right thing... When did I take action? Right thing… right… I only moved when I heard... Right… right... That it would cause the deaths of thousands. Right... And cripple the country. I... Cripple my enemies. I am... I hadn’t broken that damn thing because I wanted to free the laborers. I hadn’t done it because I was a hero. I did it because I was… the Hero. The ground trembled again. The Goddess stepped up to me. She whispered in my ear, “But you can still make up for it. I can hold this island up with my mana. I can take over for a few years if needed and we can come to an arrangement until then. Only… I can’t do that because I can’t interfere with your plans. Please let me do this. Let me save my people.” I hesitated. I wanted to do it. I wanted to give her permission but I couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. “Please,” she pleaded. “Just a yes. That’s all I need. Just nod your head, just once. And I can save hundreds of thousands of people. I’ll agree to let all the laborers go. I’ll take their place for however long I need to. I’ll even compensate them for their pain and suffering. Just please don’t let my life’s work fall to ruin. Let me save my home. Let me save my friends and family. Let me do the right thing… please.” My mind was in turmoil. I wanted to, I desperately wanted to say yes. To nod my head. To give her some indication of how I really felt. Do it! Save these people! Save your country, you damned Goddess! She was the Goddess. It was crazy that she needed my permission to help her people. It was messed up. This world was messed up. Fate was messed up. I’d never really believed Amy and the others when they said that no one could resist Fate. I’d always thought that I could fight it. That I would not be led around by some weird force that ran the world. But I was wrong. I’d broken the master-key because Fate wanted me to do it. Or rather, it wanted me to hurt the Alliance. To kill my enemies and to cripple their resources. It wanted me to be the Hero. And now it forbade me from letting the Goddess save them. It was forcing me to send thousands of people to their deaths and to refuse to save them as they died in front of me. To let the opportunity to save them pass me by just because I couldn’t nod my fucking head! Tears streamed down my cheeks. The ground trembled again and the tower shook. The walls crumbled and the roof caved in. The last thing I saw was the sorrowful face of the Goddess. Her eyes were sad but more importantly, there was a hint of resignation in them. She’d come to plead to me, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to accept. She’d come to beg to me to let her save thousands of lives even though she’d ruined millions of them herself. She was a monster. A cold, cruel, heartless monster who had prioritized science and numbers over the well-being of millions of people over the centuries. But right now, she was the one who wanted to do the right thing and I was the one who was getting in her way. Right now, she was the one who wanted to do something heroic. And I was doing something evil. Something truly and utterly demonic. The tower crumbled and my vision went dark as the roof fell on top of me. Someone took hold of my shoulders just as I faded into unconsciousness.

“Wow, I can see the sea from up here!” I exclaimed. “...we’re above the clouds,” mumbled Zoe as she peered over the edge. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” said Kai as he sat down next to Zoe and dangled his feet over the empty skies. “Zoe, don’t sit so close to the edge,” said Amy. Seeing Zoe refuse to budge, Amy walked over, picked her up, and sat down on the edge with Zoe on her lap. Zoe made a face but didn’t struggle. Runir was standing on the road so I called out to him: “Do you think that’s the town we came from?” “Sure,” he said, shading his eyes with his hand, “Whatever you say.” “Come on over, Runir, the view is gorgeous,” said Kai, as he leaned further over the edge. “No, thank you. We still have a long way to go. We need to start moving or we’ll be late,” replied Runir. “Late for what?” asked Amy, “The shrine isn’t going anywhere.” “Breize Labs will be holding their annual exhibition at the Air Shrine in a week. It’s open to the public so we can get into the shrine by mingling with the crowd. We can use the opportunity to sneak into the tower, get the goddess’s blessing and ask her for a way back to Earth,” he answered. I sensed something weird in the way he was looking at me while I sat on the edge of the floating island. Was he worried I might fall off? Or maybe... “Are you scared of heights?” “What?” said Runir, “Hell no.” I didn’t believe him. He was standing too far from the edge. He should’ve at least wanted to know how high we were. Amy chuckled and Kai gave him a pitying look. “You’re surprisingly pathetic, Mr. Demon Lord,” said Zoe. Runir frowned. “Who said I’m the Demon Lord?” Of course it had been me. He’d said he was fine with it. “The annoying one,” she replied, pointing at me. “The annoying one? What the –” “Aptly put, kid,” said Runir. I glared at him. He smirked before turning to the road again. “Let’s get going already,” he said. I kept glaring at him as I stood up. I followed him down the road but stopped immediately. Someone screamed as I turned. I saw Amy leaning over the edge with her hand outstretched. Kai jumped off. He shot past Amy’s hands and disappeared behind the edge. I rushed forward just as he floated back up with a struggling Zoe in his hands. “Let… me… go…” she grunted, kicking and clawing at Kai. Kai landed on the ground and flung Zoe into my arms. I reflexively crossed them to hold her tight as she continued to struggle. “… damn it… let… me go…” “What were you thinking?” cried Amy. There were tears in her eyes. It was surprising that Zoe could get out of Amy’s grip. Was she caught off guard? No one expects someone who was talking to them normally a moment ago, to suddenly jump to their deaths. Zoe continued to struggle but I didn’t dare ease up. She was crying and mumbling tonight. “...let...let...go...please...” she muttered before going limp. She’d fainted. The rest of us exchanged grim looks. All of this had happened too suddenly. She did this out of the blue. It made no sense at all. But Runir nodded. “She’s traumatized. I thought that might be the case. Her Ability runs along the principle of equivalent exchange and since she didn’t completely sacrifice her freedom, she didn’t completely earn her sanity either,” he said. I looked at the little girl hanging in my arms and felt pity and anger. Why did she have to suffer so much? What had she done wrong? Her body was light. Her breaths short and ragged. I didn’t let go. “What do we do now?” asked Amy. “We take her to Farden. I’ll try to heal her on the way but she’ll need a long time to recover. For now, Runir can order her to stay with us at all times and forbid her from trying something like this again,” said Kai. “Why Runir?” I asked. “As a citizen of the Dusk Alliance, she has to listen to the orders of the Demon Lord,” he replied. “But –” I covered Zoe’s ears. “He’s not the real Demon Lord.” “Doesn’t matter,” said Kai, “As long as she believes he is, it should work.” Runir frowned at Kai, then nodded and walked up to me. I removed my hands from Zoe’s ears. “I know you’re pretending to be unconscious right now kid,” said Runir, poking her cheeks. “Open your eyes. It’s an order.” Her eyes snapped open immediately. She stared at him in surprise, probably because her body had acted on its own. “I don’t want to give you too many orders because then I’d be just like those factory owners but I am going to tell you two things that you absolutely have to follow at all times. Nod if you understand.” She nodded unwillingly. “First, you will not try to kill yourself or bring harm to yourself in any way. Second, you will not try to run away without telling us. We’ll let you go if you ask but if you disappear all of a sudden we’ll be worried and we’ll start searching,” he said. She nodded slowly. “So, this isn’t an order but I’d like to know. Why did you do that?” he asked, bringing his face close to hers. “...sometimes it comes back. It goes into my head and...I can’t...” she stammered. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” said Amy, walking over and stroking Zoe’s hair. “We’ll help you get through this so please, trust us.” “Yeah, if the pain comes back just tell us. We’ll bear it with you if we can,” I said, hugging her closer. “They’re right, you’re not alone anymore. You’re safe with us. We aren’t like the other people you’ve known before,” said Runir as he patted her head. That’s not true, I thought. We bound her too, didn’t we? It may have been for her own good but she probably doesn’t think of it that way. For her, we’re just another bunch of factory owners trying to use her for our own personal gain. And I could see it in her eyes. Her unwillingness. She wasn’t going to trust us just yet. But then why didn’t she just leave? We’d told her that we’d let her go if she asked. Did she think we were lying or that it was some sort of trick? That we would punish her for trying to leave? Whatever the reason, we’d have to earn her trust soon. Runir’s orders wouldn’t stop her for long. But more importantly, I didn’t want her to stay with us without wanting to. It didn’t feel right and was way too similar to the way those factory owners treated her. “Don’t worry Zoe,” said Kai. “I can’t promise that you won’t feel any pain, but what I can promise is that as long as you stay with us, you won’t have another nightmare ever again.” She looked at him skeptically, meeting his gaze before breaking it to nod. “Right then, now that that’s behind us, we should probably get going. It’s almost time,” said Kai, jumping onto the road. “Time for what?” asked Runir. “We need to get there before noon,” he said, walking down the road. “Get where?” I asked. Amy followed him as if she knew what he was talking about. Runir and I shared a confused glance while Zoe slid down my arms and followed Amy. “Kai, what the hell is going on?” asked Runir. “Hurry up or we’ll be late!” shouted Kai from up ahead. “Late for what?” I shouted, annoyed. “The bus of course! We’re about to miss the bus!” - The sun blazed overhead, making the already stifling atmosphere even harder to endure. We stood in a long line of people waiting outside a gray bus that had just arrived and they, like us, were drenched in sweat and filling the air with the disgusting stench of sweat and bodies. The bus wouldn’t have looked out of place on Earth, which just made the whole thing feel even weirder. You just didn’t expect to roll down a highway in a bus in a world full of magic. Then again, there were signs of magic on the bus too. A few runes here and there, the unmistakable glow of magic stones under the hood, and a couple of communications prisms hanging by the doors reminded me that this was not the world I’d grown up in. Someone tried to push me from behind but I didn’t budge. I looked back to see a middle aged lady glaring at me while holding her arm. How is it my fault, bitch? I thought, frowning. Runir and the others were standing in front of me. Kai was holding onto Zoe’s hand and unlike the rest of us, they weren’t sweating at all. Damn it Kai! Work some of your magic on us too, I thought. Runir and I didn’t dare to use Water magic to cool ourselves off because we didn’t want to attract attention. Only people from the Water kingdom could use water magic, and we didn’t want everyone thinking we were from the Holy Alliance since that would almost definitely get us killed. Then again, maybe we could pass as traveling merchants? That LeAgua company that Runir kept mentioning was based in the Water kingdom. We might be able to pose as their employees or something. But those were all excuses. I just really couldn’t take the heat anymore. I needed to cool down, but how? “Ticket please,” said a short bald headed man standing next to the bus’s door. Kai took out something from his robes. “S-sir! Please, the VIP section is all yours sir. Thank you for gracing us with your presence sir. It is an honor, truly an honor,” said the man with a bow. Zoe looked at him curiously but the rest of us casually walked in unperturbed. She’ll get used to it, I thought, watching her look at us like we’d all gone crazy. Wait till you find out how we paid for them in the first place, kid. The first thing I saw when I entered the bus was a small compartment right in front of the doors. The driver was barely visible behind it, her long frilly hair bobbing up and down as she said something to the people inside. We all had unpleasant expressions on our faces as we saw the ragged figures inside the compartment. Through the murky glass and iron grating we could see a group of people wearing collars just like Zoe’s. They were bonded laborers. I saw Zoe tense up as she stared at the men and women inside the room. Their faces were marred by years of abuse. Their eyes were lifeless and drained. They had no hope for the future. The other travelers shouted at us to get a move on and Kai led us to the back of the bus where there was another room with a gray insignia on it. It was a shimmering gray tornado with the words “Breize Labs” written under it. We pushed the door open and sat down inside. The room was decorated with shining gems and priceless antiques. The furniture was obviously expensive, probably worth swiping if I could get away with it. There were fruits in a basket on the table in the center of the room as well as rich wine in bottles lining the shelves on the walls. But most importantly, it was cool. “This is impressive,” stated Amy as she sat down on a chair. Zoe sat down on the sofa without a word and began picking through the fruits. “Yeah,” said Runir as he lay down on the bed in the corner of the room. “...what kind of bus is this?” I asked. “It’s the express service to Farden. Busy this time of the year because of the Exhibition, but it’s still the fastest way to get there,” said Kai. “And what was up with those laborers...or fuck it, just call them slaves,” I said. The atmosphere instantly became a lot more serious. I heard the doors close. Someone started shouting for everyone to settle down and the bus began moving. “They probably use them to power this thing,” said Runir, closing his eyes. “The bus runs on air magic too?” I asked. He nodded. So even the bus was running on the pain of innocent people. Was it really worth it? We could have gotten to Farden by walking. We didn’t need to strap down a bunch of people in a tiny compartment and have them blast magic into a pipe for several days. “We have to do something,” I said. “Like what?” asked Runir. I took out the ‘Trickster’ outfit from my Inventory. “I can jump out the window, crash through the roof, and break them out.” “No, it’ll draw too much attention to us. If we keep doing this, anyone with half a brain will realize that The Trickster appears wherever we go. Besides, what will you do after that? Where will you take them? And what about the other passengers on the bus? They probably couldn’t cross this monster infested country on their own. Even the bus can barely fight off some of these monsters despite all the weapons they have on board,” he said, sitting upright. “But we have to do something!” I cried. “Damn it, what’s happening to those people isn’t right!” “Lily,” said Kai. “I know that this system disturbs you but going around randomly saving these abused laborers isn’t going to solve anything. Didn’t we already decide that we’ll take down the whole system because doing anything less wouldn’t cut it?” He was right and I knew it. But it wasn’t easy ignoring the people in the front of the bus, slaving away inside a tiny box so that we could enjoy our journey inside a beautifully decorated compartment. I remembered their lifeless faces. I remembered Zoe voluntarily jumping to her death. It wasn’t the way things should be. We needed to save these people...but Kai was right. I couldn’t go around saving them one at a time. I needed to bring it all crumbling down. I looked at the shining, metallic gray tornado on the back of the door. Breize Labs...they’re the ones responsible for this. They owned that factory in the second anchor town and they own this bus too. If I wanna set things straight... “Hey Runir,” I said. “Use your Ability.” “Alright, what’s my first goal?” he asked. “Taking down Breize Labs.” He smirked and took out some paper from his Storage. Kai and Amy leaned closer while Zoe went to sleep on Amy’s lap. While Zoe enjoyed her nightmare-less sleep, we hashed out a plan to turn the entire Air Kingdom on its head. We needed to bring down all the centers of power in the country. All the nobles and the royalty and the labs and the guilds and everything else. We needed to destroy anything and anyone that held up the current system so that we could replace it with a new one. By the time we were done, I almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

Clouds drifted over the sun, shielding the city from the blistering heat that had plagued it for the past month. I walked out of an alley and blended into the crowd going down the streets of Cerena, capital of the Light Kingdom, after having finally escaped the castle. Vendors shouted praises for their wares, horses neighed as their riders walked them down the street, and the general sounds of a bustling medieval city rang through the air. Well that was surprisingly easy. I thought. Or am I just too amazing? And that wasn’t simple narcissism, mind you. I’d been planning my escape ever since I got here and had executed it perfectly. They never suspected a thing while I walked right out the front door! You see, when you train so hard that everyone thinks you’re willing to die for your cause, they never expect you to not give a damn about defeating the Demon Lord or whatever. When you wear bright, shiny clothes all day and waltz around in armor and makeup, nobody bats an eye when a grubby little maid leaves your room, even though no one saw her go in. If you keep stealing cookies and fruits and asking for money to buy candies, they never suspect that you’ve been swiping small change from all over the place and saving up a small fortune. And of course, when the Hero can summon the Sacred Sword and Holy Armor whenever they want to, summoning them when you’re safely out of the castle isn’t a problem at all. Those royals were pretty dumb, but at least they taught me something useful. This past month had been grueling. I learned sword techniques, magic, skills and the History of Erath. All that knowledge and training would definitely prove useful eventually. In fact, it had already proven useful. For example, the Sacred Sword and Holy Armor that I had acquired, were safely tucked away inside my ‘Inventory,’ which was a skill that only the Hero and the Demon Lord could learn. Of course, over the years, people had created another skill called ‘Storage’ which was derived from ‘Inventory,’ so my skill wouldn’t stand out unless someone used appraisal. In fact, it was because of the ‘Appraisal’ skill that I had to wait so long before escaping. I’d learned it quickly enough, but I didn’t want people to know that I was the Hero so I had to find a countermeasure for it first. In the end, I had to settle for a skill called ‘Obscure’ that made it harder for people weaker than you to see your status through Appraisal. Even though it wasn’t perfect, I couldn’t bear staying in that castle any longer so I escaped as soon as I learned Obscure. But why did I leave? They were giving me food and shelter after all, and it’s not like I’d get bored there either. But that old geezer’s eyes...they were disgusting. I’d seen eyes like those before. I’d seen them on the self-important politicians and privileged assholes that ran my old city to the ground; eating away the money meant for orphanages and homeless shelters. I’d seen them on people who wanted to use me for their own goals. Gang leaders that wanted me to bait some police officer, a pimp that wanted me to spread my legs for his clients or a police officer that promised to spare me if I ratted out my friends but would probably throw me in jail anyways. I hated those eyes and I couldn’t bear staying near him or being under his control. Besides, why the fuck would I risk my life to kill a Demon Lord? I didn’t give a damn about these privileged bastards and I didn’t owe them anything. I’d spent my History of Erath lessons mapping out a route to the nearest city, since I was sure that they’d come after me. I was their precious Hero, after all. So even though traveling to a new city would be dangerous, I reckoned that with my new sword skills and the crazy strong magic I’d learned, I’d probably be able to get to the next town safely. But first I needed to get some supplies. Luckily, I had the money that the king had given me as well as some that I had acquired from various sources, so I made my way to the marketplace with a spring in my step. Someone bumped into my shoulder. For a second, I felt like telling the guy off but he just kept on walking, not even giving me a glance. Strangely, a weight fell off my shoulders. I’d been standing out so much for the past month that it made me uncomfortable all the time. Under all those scrutinizing stares, I had to put up an act longer than any I’d ever had to for a heist. I walked into the marketplace and bought some food, a knife, and a few other necessities. After I left, a bunch of shady looking guys stared at me for a second but I wasn’t too afraid. Apart from the fact that I was probably stronger than them, I also knew their type. These guys wouldn’t come after a little girl, nobody did unless they were real perverts. It wasn’t worth the trouble since they usually didn’t have money, would scream for the cops, without a second thought and weren’t much fun to play around with anyways. I walked out of the city gates wearing a brown hood and robes. I followed a merchant caravan for a few miles before they started giving me suspicious glances, so I decided to part ways. - Cerena was built on top of a plateau, so I would have to walk downhill for a while before I reached the hills that surrounded the plateau. From there it was just a few days’ hike to the town of Fohil. I walked down a stony, dirt road that was a shorter route to Fohil than the official road but also a bit more dangerous. But I was sure that I could handle anything that came my way. For now, the clouds were still covering the sun and the air under the trees was cool and refreshing, so I couldn’t help but relax and gather my thoughts. I’d left the castle but what should I do now? I obviously wasn’t going to go kill the Demon Lord, but I really couldn’t think of a purpose or goal either. Did I want to go home? I was a lot richer here than I had ever been back home. I was also stronger and probably wouldn’t get beat up anymore. Should I go back to being a petty thief on the streets? Not likely. Back home, I used to steal for survival until I got so good at it that I started doing it for the thrill. The old lady whacked me with her stick when I brought snacks for the little kids but she still begrudgingly accepted the supplies I brought. The mayor and the government were corrupt but nobody gave a damn. Nobody ever gave a damn for the poor, or for the little kid begging for food down the street or for the- I stopped myself before I started thinking about that night. What should I do here? I thought, as I took a deep breath. I don’t even know anyone in this world. Or rather, I do know some people but I don’t like them or trust them. I kicked a pebble lying on the ground. Well, my instructor wasn’t so bad. Though I don’t know why she hugged me the first time we met. I never did hear her name though, did I? All we ever did was practice sword techniques and magic. Oh right, now that I think about it, wasn’t she supposed to be my bodyguard or something? Guess she was supposed to keep tabs on me. Good thing I left without telling her. But it really is lonely here... I’d been lonely before; back on the streets after my mom died and before the old lady picked me up. After that I’d always been with her or the other kids. Especially Dusty... A slight pain cut through my chest when I thought about him so I shook my head and kept walking down the road. The sun was still hidden behind the clouds. - I’m being tailed. I thought, as I sensed someone following me. I didn’t know who it was but years of shaking off police officers, gangsters and angry shopkeepers had taught me how to deal with situations like this. But for some reason, I couldn’t shake off this creep at all. Worst of all, I couldn’t stop and rest because I knew they were right behind me. Just as I was worrying about what I’d do at night, I heard a loud roar in front of me. Perfect. I jumped back as a silver ball of light shot past me. A large, gray haired ogre stepped out from behind a bunch of smoldering tree trunks. It was a Light ogre. Ogres were a very common monster found in every country on Erath, however, their elemental affinity depended on the country they were born in and of course, this one had been born in the Light kingdom. Or at least that’s what my magical creatures’ textbook said. It roared and stomped towards me while shooting balls of light from its mouth. I dodged and ran backwards, straight towards my stalker. I fired a few smaller light balls at it that didn’t even leave a mark on its thick, gray skin, but at least they managed to anger it even further! I avoided all the trees that came into my path until I stopped, put my back against a large oak tree, and faced the ogre as if I was going to fight it. Just as the ogre charged at me, I jumped to the side and let it barrel straight through the tree and into the stalker hiding behind it! Or at least, that was what was supposed to happen. Instead, the ogre suddenly stopped charging and opened its mouth. But instead of a roar, it started releasing particles of light that gathered in front of its mouth. It was preparing a level four Light magic spell - Laser! Shit! Gotta get out of the way! I tried jumping to the side but stumbled because my robe got caught on a branch. Not good! I hurriedly tried to activate magic but it was too late. A beam of light whooshed through the air, straight towards me. I stared wide-eyed at the beam as my vision flooded with bright, white light. Light as white as snow. Still as pathetic and powerless as ever, aren’t you, Lily? I chastised myself. But just as I’d resigned myself to death, there was a flash of darkness inside the white light. The light was cut in two and incinerated the ground around me. In front of me appeared a vaguely familiar figure. It was the guy who bumped into me outside the market! What was he doing here? He wore a dark, black robe that faded into the darkness. In his left hand, he held a glistening black blade that sucked the light from its surroundings. The ogre was surprised by the interruption and roared intimidatingly. “Shut it.” The black robed man waved his sword as the ogre came up to smash him with its fists. There was another flash of darkness and the ogre was cut in two. Blood and gore sprayed through the air, some of it sprinkling onto my face. I almost puked. I’d seen plenty of dead people on the streets and I’d seen some pretty fucked up corpses too, but I’d never been showered by guts before. The black robed man turned around just as my face grew green and my stomach acids began to rise. A streak of sunlight broke the clouds. I saw his face. He was a dark-skinned teenager, maybe just a bit older than me. His face looked calm but in a creepy way; like he was wearing one of those freaky masks I’d seen outside the theater back home. He shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it before meeting my gaze. He smiled, sending a shiver down my spine. I took a step back and readied a magic spell just in case. His smile grew wider, making me even more uncomfortable. His eyes looked like they could see right through me. But that wasn’t possible, was it? “Hello Ms.Hero, wonderful weather isn’t it?” he said. Shit.

I’d learned a lot of things on the Hill outside Reneste. A lot of things about this world, about its people and the lives that they lived and the challenges that they faced. Their hopes, their dreams, their struggles and their joys. I’d also learned a lot about myself. I’d learned what my identity was in the hearts and minds of the people of Erath. For them, I was Fate. The ever present force that dictated their lives. I was feared and worshiped. Hated and respected. Loved by some, detested by others. For most people, I evoked a mix of conflicting emotions and I understood that. I understood how they saw me and what I meant to them, which helped me understand my position in Erathan society. But perhaps the most important thing I’d learned about myself, was who I was as a person. My personality. What made ‘Kairo Mezai,’ ‘Kai Zero.’ The emotions I felt. My beliefs, my wants, my desires. I’d learned it all. I had learned who I was. And it had been a meaningful experience. Was I pleased with who I was? Of course not. Some aspects of my personality disgusted me. But then there were others that I could objectively praise. But no matter what I’d learned, one thing was clear to me; I was not the kind of person who could let the evils of this world weigh down on my conscience. After all, I had made this world. All of the problems facing its people were, in a way, caused by me but I wasn’t naive enough to think that the people of Erath were completely innocent. The bonded laborer system was not of my design. It was not something I had made. But I had to share some of the responsibility for it. The Air kingdom initially hired laborers to offset the loss of mana crystals from the bottom of their floating island. At first, they’d mined the crystals because of their insatiable desire to improve their battle capabilities because they had discovered the crystals’ potential for war. But then they realized the value of the crystals or the ‘Breize stones,’ as they’d come to be known, in other aspects of life and had used them to fuel their economic and industrial development. The crystals were to the people of Erath what oil and gas was to the people of Earth. And their actions had proven that analogy to be quite apt. So a part of the plan I had made on the Hill included a way for me to undo the mistakes of the Air kingdom. To free the laborers and to rescue their economy from its absolute dependence on the crystals. But like the rest of the plan, there were some restrictions and considerations to bear in mind. After all, I had to look at the bigger picture. Since I was the only one who could see it. And speaking of the bigger picture. Map. A map of Erath stretched out in front of my eyes. I focused on the capital of the Air kingdom, Laput. Houses had crumbled and roads had cracked apart. The city was in shambles. I zoomed in on the palace, towards the throne room. The tower was lopsided and a huge chunk had fallen out. The roof of the attic had caved in but the throne-room had avoided a similar fate. “Did you find them?” asked the woman wearing goggles. “No, my Goddess. We could not find any trace of them,” said the old lady with her head bowed low. The Goddess sighed. “As I suspected. If those two have teamed up, we cannot expect to find them. Even my hands are tied.” The queen regent looked up. “Forgive my insolence, oh exalted one, but is it really true? Are the Hero and the Demon Lord really—” “Yes. For whatever reason, they are working together. In fact, the only reason I can say this is because you’ve already heard their names and arrived at the same conclusion. Which reminds me, how is your son?” The queen’s gaze fell. “His physical health is fine but as for his mental state. Well, it will need some time to fix.” “He doesn’t trust us anymore, does he?” asked the Goddess. The queen shook her head. “No. This experience has thoroughly shaken everything he believed in. He’s locked himself in his room and won’t let anyone in. Not even Ms. Taiker.” The Goddess looked out the window. “So many questions. This whole thing has been a confusing mess. The Hero and the Demon Lord, two entities that should have been at each others’ throats, worked together to bring down the Air kingdom because they didn’t like the bonded laborer system? They both came to me to get their blessings. How could they endure letting their mortal enemy get stronger? How could they possibly resist the pull of Fate? And that’s not even the most confusing part.” “What could be more confusing than that, exalted one?” “I confronted them to buy you some time. Just before you surrounded them with your guards, I blew out the candles and tried to take down the other members of their party but I was blocked by something. In the end, I could do nothing but leave empty-handed.” The old lady frowned. “But two members of their party disappeared? If you didn’t take them away, where did they go and why?” “The Demon Lord went to the catacombs. He slid through the shadows and rushed there as if he knew the place like the back of his hand. He knocked out the masters and riled up the laborers even before they were released. Then he led them to the surface as the catacombs began to cave in. By the time we fell to the ground, he had already rescued every single laborer.” The old lady’s eyes widened. “And the other one?” The Goddess closed her eyes, as if contemplating something. “She went somewhere else. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal much more than that. Please forgive me.” “No, no exalted one!” said the old lady frantically. “It is I who should apologize for prying into your matters. Please, allow me to apologize for my transgressions.” “It is fine.” The Goddess walked up to the window. “Besides, that’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me today.” “I understand. The deaths of your people must be weighing down on you, oh merciful one! But do not worry, no one will doubt that you did everything in your power to—” “That’s not it.” “My Goddess?” “I almost wish that were all.” The queen blinked in surprise. “Did something even worse happen, oh Exalted One?” The Goddess’ figure vanished and a gust of air blasted through the room. “You’ll see.” The Queen stood near the window for a while; frozen not just by her respect and reverence for the Goddess, but also by her confusion. She stood up with a jerk as someone knocked on the door of the throne-room. “Enter,” she said, in a regal and majestic voice that conveyed her authority and status. “My Queen,” said the guard as he entered the room and bowed low. “The damage reports you requested are in.” The Queen nodded her head slowly. She sat down on the throne and brought out a bottle and a glass from her Storage. She poured herself a drink and downed it quickly. “Very well, let me hear it.” The guard spoke and the queen’s glass fell to the floor. “How could that be?” she whispered. I zoomed out, having seen what I had wanted to. Everything was going according to plan. But then again, I’d never doubted that it would. After all, I knew exactly who I was and that didn’t leave much room for doubt. - I heard someone groaning beside me. I turned to see Lily slowly opening her eyes. She blinked a few times, trying to regain her bearings. Her eyes widened as she seemed to remember something. She looked at me. “Kai! Why are you—where are—what happened?” she gasped. “Calm down, it’s all right. Everyone’s safe,” I said, flashing her a reassuring smile. She wasn’t convinced. “But Zoe was… and Gale… and Amy and Runir… ” she said. “Like I said, they’re all safe. Look over there,” I said, pointing at the bodies lying next to her. She turned to see Zoe sleeping soundly on the ground with a cloth draped over her. Her face was expressionless, indicating that she was not having one of the nightmares that had plagued her since her birth in this world. Next to her sat Amy, her back turned to us as she gazed into the distance. She’d heard Lily wake up but hadn’t said anything to her. In fact, she’d ignored me even as I rescued her from the trap she’d fallen into. It should have been surprising that a Goddess had fallen into such a simple trap but I knew better. However, that wasn’t something I needed to worry about for now. “And Gale?” asked Lily. “He was rescued by the Goddess herself. Apparently Fate didn’t stop her from interfering. I assume it’s because killing a little kid wasn’t a part of your plan.” “Right, I…” Her face paled. “I killed them. I killed so many people. I destroyed a kingdom.” Can’t let her fall into despair. “No you didn’t. It was Fate.” “Fate?” she said, somewhat hysterical. “Don’t give me that shit! I broke the key even though I knew what would happen. No, I did it because I knew what would happen. I killed those people because I wanted to. I wanted to weaken the Alliance. I knew it would be a big blow to their military strength and a huge help to the Union.” “No, you wanted to help the oppressed laborers. They were living a life of slavery and cruelty. Wanting to free them was a good thing and that was your real intention, your real motivation.” “At the start, sure!” she cried. “But near the end, I could tell from Gale’s expression that he was telling the truth. Freeing the laborers would destroy the whole damn country! A lot of people would die! But I did it anyways. No, I did it because I knew it would happen. I wanted to kill those people. I wanted to destroy the whole place. I didn’t give a damn about the laborers or about getting revenge for Zoe.” She looked down and whispered: “I just wanted to win the war.” If there was ever a time when I’d felt my resolve weaken, this was it. I’d chosen every aspect of my plan with care. I didn’t doubt for a second that my plan was perfect; that it would yield the results I wanted it to yield. But I did doubt, for just a moment, whether it was worth letting Lily—one of my only friends in this world—wallow in self-pity and loathing. But I had to look at the big picture. “Look, Lily,” I said, drawing my face close to hers and looking into her eyes. “Remember what I told you before? It is your choices and your intentions that determine who you are. You intended to do something good, to do something brave and kind. You wanted to free the oppressed. You saw the pain Zoe went through and comforted her better than any of us could and you sought to change the system for the better even though it would take a lot of time and effort on your part.” Her watery eyes stared back at me. “But I—” I raised a hand. “Let me finish. Your intentions were good. Your intentions were just and noble, and I doubt that anyone could possibly contend otherwise. It is not your fault that you did not know the true function of the laborers. All we knew prior to the events at the palace was that people were being cruelly tortured and abused for profit and ‘progress.’ Wanting to change that was the right thing to do.” “But that’s not why I freed them! I did it because—” “Because Fate wanted you to inflict damage upon your enemies. I admit, that is not the most tasteful motivation and nor is it noble or just. But, was it really your fault?” “Don’t give me more of that Fate crap. It was my fault. I wanted to kill those people. To destroy my enemies. It was me, all me.” “Really? Then why are you crying about it right now?” She hesitated. “Because I don’t like it. I don’t like what I did.” “If I gave you the chance to do it again but without the influence of Fate to sway your actions, would you still do it?” She thought for a while before answering in a low voice. “No.” “Then you already know that it was not your intention nor your aim to inflict pain on others. In fact, you wanted to alleviate it! You wanted to help the laborers. And when Fate forced you to inflict pain on people, you did manage to resist. After all, you managed to hate yourself for doing it. You managed to regret what you had done. I don’t know about you, but I think that was a pretty heroic thing to do.” I smiled. “I agree with Kai,” said Amy, without turning around. “You are not at fault here. You were brave, honorable and kind. You were, no, you are everything that a true Hero should be.” “Hero. I am the Hero,” whispered Lily. “No, that’s not right,” I said. Lily looked up at me, confused. “What do you mean?” “That’s not the right way to think about it. You keep calling yourself ‘the Hero’ as if you want to live up to your title. As if the only reason you wanted to help those people was because of your title,” I said. “But that’s not true. The ‘Hero’ of this world has no obligation to save everyone. In fact, as you found out, they may be driven to deplorable acts of cruelty and senseless violence. History suggests that the Heroes have been just as vile and vicious as the Demon Lords. So although it may be true that you destroyed the master-key because Fate forced you to desire death and destruction, your desire for justice and freedom for the bonded laborers originated solely from you and you alone. You didn’t want to free them because you were the Hero, you wanted to do it because you are a good person.” Lily looked at me and nodded slowly but her eyes quickly clouded again. “But I still killed thousands of people. Even if it was Fate that made me do it, I broke the key. Even if I know that’s not what I wanted to do, it doesn’t change the fact that I have blood on my hands. A lot of blood.” My resolve was tested yet again. It would be so easy to tell her the truth. To fix everything right now. After all, my Ability could do anything. I had no limits nor restrictions. My actions had no consequences that I couldn’t fix. But that would defeat the point. Although I had absolute power, all it did was make sure that I knew exactly why I couldn’t fix everything in a heartbeat even though it would be as simple as snapping my fingers. Was my goal worth making Lily feel so depressed? Was it worth letting her punish herself for an action that she had no control over? For an action that, in a way, I was responsible for? Although I asked myself these questions, I already knew the answer. It was worth it. I knew the big picture. I knew what I really needed to achieve. I had a plan and I had to stick to it. No matter how wrong my actions may seem at the time, I knew that my intentions were right. My intentions were just and noble. Or at least I thought they were. “No you don’t. The only one with blood on their hands is Fate. Remember what I said about the monsters?” I said, reassuringly. “They kill because they have to, not because they want to. It is our choices that determine who we are, not the choices made for us by others.” Lily put her head between her knees. She wasn’t convinced, I could tell. But I had gotten through to her enough to let her deal with it on her own terms. Whatever answer she came up with, whatever amount of blame she wanted to ascribe to herself, would be her own decision and I didn’t want to meddle with that. I was meddling with enough things as it was. Zoe stirred. She struggled awake before throwing out a bunch of incoherent questions just like Lily had. I answered them patiently. “The laborers are free. I saw Runir lead them to safety,” I said. “Huh? Where—” asked Lily. “He led them to the gardens at the back of the palace and told them to leave the city immediately. Since the kingdom was occupied by more pressing matters, I’m sure they managed to make it out safely.” “No, that’s great and all but—” “Don’t worry, I doubt they’ll be caught any time soon. Even if they did manage to catch them, setting up the contracts and the master-key will take years, assuming they even pursue that route now that their floating island is so thoroughly grounded.” “No I mean, where is Runir?” asked Lily as she spread her arms wide. “In fact, where the hell are we?” “Oh right, well to answer your second question, we’re—” “In the Alderan Wastes,” finished Amy, still refusing to turn around. “The most dangerous and inhospitable place in all of Erath.” Inhospitable was right. We were currently sitting on a hill surrounded by roiling purple gas and a sea of putrid sludge. Nothing grew for miles in any direction and there were only a few patches of dry earth sticking through the gas. “Right.. By the way Amy, why are you sitting like that?” “No reason,” she said, her back pointed straight at me. “Well, whatever.” I shrugged. “To answer your first question, Lily, Runir is fine. We’ll meet up with him soon. He got separated from us during the collision but he fell somewhere close by.” “And how do you know that?” asked Zoe. The others were too experienced to ask a dumb question like that. “Because of this!” I said, pointing to the ring on my finger. “Put some mana into it and—” Four rays of light shot out of the ring. Three of them landed close by, on the fingers of the three people around me, in fact. While one of them shot into the distance. “There’s a tracker on the rings,” mused Lily. “Yep,” I exclaimed. Lily sighed and got up. “Whatever. We should go find that idiot then. I guess we can rely on you for a way across this slimy wasteland?” “Of course,” I said, pulling a small boat out of my robes and placing it on the sea of sludge. Zoe hesitated but the others got on without complaint. She’d get used to it eventually. “Do you know what Runir’s doing right now?” asked Lily. “Yes,” I smiled. “He’s singing.”

Castle… piece… crumbles… The words echoed inside my head as I fell through the mists. No, not again! I struggled; both mentally and physically. I lashed out with my fists, guarded my thoughts by trying to think of something else but it was all in vain. The song kept playing, over and over again. ...build… castle… crumble. I heard a loud crash behind me. The boat had smashed into pieces as it hit the ground. Luckily, I hadn’t. I grabbed my head and rolled to the ground. “You okay Runir?” I heard someone shout from above. Can’t show weakness, I thought to myself. No vulnerabilities. Can’t let them see… snap out of it… snap out of it! I steeled myself and cursed as I picked myself up from the wreckage. “And why couldn’t you grab me too?” I complained. “Can’t let you get too close to Lily,” said Amy as she landed. “I knew you’d be fine. You have a hard head,” said Kai. “Don’t know which is worse,” I muttered. “Besides, you could have used Air magic to soften the fall. Don’t know why you didn’t,” said Lily. Shit! She was right. I was too distracted by the voices. Wait, I can’t hear them anymore? “Hey Runir,” said Lily, snapping her fingers in my face. “Stop zoning out.” “Ah right, sorry,” I said. “Yeah, just a little tired, is all.” “Now that you mention it, it is getting pretty late, we should make camp for the night,” said Kai. “Don’t need to. This is the Corridor. There are rest stops and free public inns all along the way. Should be one nearby,” I said, remembering what I’d learned from the books I’d read. “Aw, but I like camping out.” “Shut it.” “Hey!” shouted Zoe suddenly. I looked at her. Come to think of it, she’d been frozen stiff ever since we fell off the sludge-fall. “How did you two fly?” she asked, pointing at Amy and Kai. “Ability,” said Kai. “Spell,” said Amy. “Don’t answer so easily!” said Zoe. “What kind of spell lets you fly?” She pointed at Amy. “And you used your Ability to make that soup. I saw it!” Kai laughed uneasily. “Damn, looks like I’ve been caught. I’m a good cook but I use my Ability to give it a little extra zing.” He winked. “Zing,” said Lily. “It was a special spell I made myself,” said Amy, shyly. How the fuck did that twerp make them reveal their secrets so easily? I’ve been trying to do that for— “So you two are cheaters,” said Zoe, pointing at Kai and Amy. Kai gave her a sheepish grin while Amy refused to meet her gaze. “And you two are useless,” she said, pointing at Lily and I. “I am not useless, kid!” said Lily. “Yeah, she makes good sandwiches,” I said. Lily glared at me. Hey, it was a compliment wasn’t it? “Whatever, stop fooling around already. It’s late and we need to find an inn,” I said. I sighed. Seriously, why did I always have to tell them to stop messing around? I felt like a babysitter. “There’s some light over there!” said Amy, pointing down the road. We followed the light down the road, taking in the sights in the waning daylight. To our left was the wall of mist that we had fallen through and to our right was a dense forest filled with tall trees and thick undergrowth. The road itself was paved with stone, not asphalt like in the Air kingdom, but this stone was maintained by magic formations carved into rocks placed every few hundred feet or so. This was the ‘Corridor.’ The most famous road on Erath. Running between the Twilight Forest and the Alderan Wastes, it was the only route the invading forces of the Holy Union could use to reach the Demon Lord’s Castle. Although we couldn’t see it right now, those stones had been covered with blood countless times. The corpses of the dead were thrown unceremoniously into the Wastes but many believed that their souls continued to haunt the Corridor. A small building appeared on the side of the road ahead. It was a homely cottage with a wooden sign hanging beside the door. A single lamp hung on a pole standing in front of a fence circling the cottage. There was a vegetable garden inside the fence, with what looked like cabbages and pumpkins growing in it. As we approached the Inn, we instantly noticed a sour smell wafting through the air. Behind the cottage was a lemon orchid with small yellow fruit peeking out from within the leaves. We pushed open the fence and were greeted by loud barking. A white fuzzball jumped out of the pumpkin patch and growled at us. “What’s this?” said Kai. The little fuzzball was glaring at us with its beady eyes but it didn’t look menacing at all. In fact, it looked— “Cute!” said Zoe as she bounded over and grabbed the stunned fuzzball. It struggled in her grasp but it couldn’t get away. “A torabal?” said Amy. “Yeah, it is pretty adorable isn’t it?” said Lily. “No, she means it’s a ‘torabal;’ a kind of domesticated monster. They’re harmless and make great pets. You have to watch out for the fur though. It can get stuck in your throat. Really annoying,” I said, recalling what I’d read in a book. “Ah guests! Please come in!” said someone from inside. Zoe turned her head to listen to the voice and the torabal used the opportunity to jump out of her grasp. It landed on my head. Kai and the others entered the Inn. Zoe stared longingly at the torabal on my head but reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged inside by Amy. I began to follow them. “Hey, let Fuzzy go! “Hmm?” A little girl stood in front of the lemon orchard. She glared at me angrily with her arms stretched to her sides. I turned to the girl. “Fuzzy? That’s a great name. So original. Wish I had that kind of naming sense.” The girl’s face lit up. “Really?” “Yep, whoever thought up that name is a genius,” I said, smiling sarcastically. The girl smiled so brightly that I almost felt bad about making fun of her naming sense. Almost. “But it looks like Fuzzy here likes me. Don’t you ya little fur-ball?” I grabbed the torabal, as it tried to jump off, with one hand. “See?” I said, stroking the squirming torabal with my other hand. Surprisingly, it settled down and started purring. The girl’s face fell. “Fuzzy...you...you...traitor!” She ran away crying. Er, I might have gone a little too far. Oh well. “Shoo, I don’t need traitors,” I said, throwing Fuzzy the torabal in the direction the girl had fled. Having satisfied my conscience, I entered the Inn. As expected, it was a simple Inn with a reception desk and a space for eating. A wooden staircase adjacent to the desk probably led up to the rooms and a door besides that presumably led to the kitchens. Behind the desk stood a middle aged man talking to Amy. Kai, Zoe and Lily were sitting around a table, talking to a teenage boy with a notepad in his hand. “Are you sure?” asked Amy. “Yes. I’m sorry miss, but I’d be lying if I told you I knew when the road’s gonna clear up,” said the middle aged man. “We’ll have to wait for the Earth magicians but all the Earth magicians in the kingdom are busy clearing up the mess at the Air kingdom. It could be weeks before one gets here.” “Would you like some drinks with your order? Our beer is famous all along the Corridor. Try it, you won’t regret it!” said the boy. “Sure, five glasses please,” said Kai. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Unless you’re planning on drinking two,” I said as I sat next to them. Kai frowned. “No, there’s five of us. Unless you’ve forgotten how to count.” “Um, Kai, did you just order beer for Zoe?” asked Lily. “Yeah. Oh I get it, did you want something else Zoe?” said Kai. Zoe shook her head. “It’s fine.” “Er, so you’ve had it before?” asked Lily. “Yeah, that’s how they made us wash down all the drugs,” she said, nonchalantly. Right, she was a messed up kid. A little beer wouldn’t be all that bad considering everything she’s been through. Still… “But you’re only ten!” exclaimed Lily. “You can’t—” “We’re stuck here,” said Amy as she sat down. “Some rock fell out of the Wastes and blocked the road for miles.” “Wait a second,” began Lily. “Can we fly over it, please?” asked Zoe excitedly. “No wait—” “There are camps on both sides of the blocked road. We’d be seen immediately,” said Amy. “Well, can’t we just plow through it with magic?” I asked. “We should lay as low as possible after what happened in the Air kingdom. Being able to use different types of magic and at such a large scale will draw too much attention.” “I give up.” Lily folded her arms. “True,” I said, ignoring Lily completely. She glared at me and I smirked. “That’s unfortunate, but what really surprises me is how interested you are in all of this, Amy,” asked Kai. “It’s not like you to be so concerned about anything, Amy.” I blinked my eyes in surprise. Now that he mentioned it, it was unusual to be the one asking the questions for once. And from Amy of all people! Amy was also visibly startled by the question. She gave a nervous laugh and said, “I just thought I’d play my part too. I just want to make sure we get there on time.” “On time for what?” I asked. “The exams. Don’t you remember? You’re the one who told us about them.” she said. “Oh right. Yeah, the exams,” I said. “Well, it’s great to see you taking a more active role in the party,” said Kai, with a large smile on his face. There was something going on here. “Here you go!” said the boy as he laid a couple of dishes in front of us. We thanked him and he went away. His dad - the old man behind the front desk - came soon after, bringing a flagon of beer with him. He poured us five glasses and thanked us for our patronage. “Let’s leave this discussion on hold for now. We can figure something out in the morning,” said Kai. We all agreed and started eating. The food was great and the beer even better. Also, it was non-alcoholic. Lily’s expression loosened as she realized that Zoe wasn’t about to get drunk. We finished up our meal and made our way upstairs to our rooms. The boy led us up a dark staircase with only a single flickering lamp to light the way. “So your name’s Sett?” asked Lily. “Yep, Sett Uratoh.” said the boy. “That’s a nice last name. Don’t think I’ve heard anything like it in Erath,” said Kai. “Thanks, ah here are your rooms,” said Sett. The others went into their rooms but Sett told me that mine was on the other side of the hallway. He apologized for separating me from my friends but I told him it was fine. Along the way, he told me about some of the paintings lining the walls. A blue horse with a turtle on its back. A castle set on fire. And a raging storm at sea. As we walked along the hallway, I noticed a group of paintings that Sett hadn’t explained. Probably because he didn’t need to. A painting of a thick-bearded, middle aged man hung there with words written on a golden plaque beneath it. “Seta Uratoh, a loving father.” Next to it hung a picture of a young boy with his family’s characteristic blonde hair and gray eyes. “Sett Uratoh, a wonderful son.” And in the end was a picture of a smiling little girl with a familiar fuzzball on her head. “Setsu Uratoh, a beloved sister.” I was just about to comment on the pictures when we reached the end of the hallway and Sett gestured for me to go inside before running down the hall while answering his father’s call. The room was a simple one. A single bed and a small table with a couple of chairs. There was a window with drab, black curtains pulled across it but I went over to pull them open. Moonlight shone into the room; with its dancing silver beams lighting up the otherwise boring furnishings. I stood at the window for a while, running the events of the day through my head. We’d toppled a kingdom and sent thousands to their doom while trying to save thousands from oppression. My plan was proceeding flawlessly and the two biggest variables—Kai and Amy—were becoming less threatening as I managed to guess their identities. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. The statues and their song had made a mess of my head. I kept racking my brain trying to figure out what it meant but I couldn’t unravel any of it. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was important. That I needed to understand this shit at all costs. Having made no progress on this for a few hours, I decided to stop thinking and relax. Watching the moonlight bathe the vegetable garden in silver hues, the dancing shadows cast by the fence in the flickering lamplight and the swaying leaves of the lemon orchid blowing in the gentle breeze helped calm my heart a little. I’d done this before—calming myself by looking at nature. When the bullying got too hard to endure or the pressure from my parents made me suffocate, I’d always climb up to the roof of my house and loose myself in the world around me. The sound of crickets chirping used to fill the night. Nightingales sang, owls hooted and sometimes, a bat screeched in the distance. That’s what I remember hearing from atop my rooftop. Of course, other sounds—unwanted ones—would find their way to me too. A loud curse. Someone shouting like at the top of their voice. Something crashing against the wall. Something else crashing against the ceiling. But those weren’t memories I wanted to visit tonight. Tonight, I wanted to remember the few times I was happy on Earth. Funny, how I was always alone. Well, I wasn’t really alone. No one was ever alone. We’re always surrounded by life; in its many forms and shapes. At least that’s what I believed. It’s what kept me going for all those years. I was never alone, I was important. I was a part of something greater, something grander than any friendship or family could ever hope to be! On Erath, however, I didn’t quite feel the same. I still valued nature. Still loved to immerse myself in it. Yet, this was only the second time I’d let myself forget everything and admire the world around me since I’d come here - the first being the night I’d been summoned here. I was distracted by my Lily and the others. My friends. Maybe they kept my loneliness at bay. No, if that was the case, then I must have been pretty lonely back on Earth and calling the world my friend would have been an excuse. But that couldn’t be true. I was seeking solace in the moonlight and the trees and the shadows right now. This has nothing to do with my loneliness, it’s just something I like to do when I’m feeling...cornered? Is this how I handle despair? Is this the shell I go into to escape my worries? Funny, I drown myself in nature, in the world itself, to escape the world I can’t handle. A flicker of movement caught my attention. It wasn’t natural like the swaying of the leaves or the dancing of the shadows. There was something down there. Must be that little fuzzball, I thought. However, although the torabal did emerge from the lemon orchid, it wasn’t alone. It met my gaze and held it. I chuckled, internally chastising myself for entering a staring contest with a living plushy. I jumped out of the window and landed silently on a pumpkin. The torabal started growling, alerting its owner of my descent. Of course, it wasn’t like I was trying to hide anyways. “Hey, what are you doing up so late?” I said, smiling. The little girl blinked her eyes, then she pointed at me and said, “You’re the thief who tried to steal Fuzzy!” “I’m not a thief, although I can hook you up with the best thief on Erath if you like,” I said. “Liar! You’re a thief! A Fuzzy thief!” she proclaimed. “Er, do you see any fuzz on me?” I said. “No, I mean you’re a thief who steals Fuzzies!” she said. “Listen better next time!” “Explain better next time!” I said. “Wait, what am I saying, what ‘next time’? We’re leaving in the morning.” “You’re leaving?” said the girl. Oddly, her eyes were welling up with tears. “Wait, why are you crying?” I asked. “So what if I’m leaving? You don’t even know my name!” “Leav… you too… but… so long...” she sobbed as tears rolled down her cheeks. I sighed. “Well I’m not leaving right now, so save your crying for the morning.” She kept crying. Giving up, I sat down on the grass besides the vegetable garden and forgot everything again. The moon was bright, the night was warm and comforting. I blocked out all the annoying thoughts in my head, all the annoying voices echoing inside my mind were forced to shut up. However, the only voice outside my head kept on bawling her eyes out. “Hey kid, shut up and sit down,” I said. She ignored me. “Come on, I’ll teach you how to never be lonely again.” She stopped crying. A few hiccups and sniffles, then silence. “How?” “Sit down and I’ll show you.” She did as I said. “Now the trick is to realize that even when you think you’re alone, you never are! Listen, can you hear them? The birds in the trees and the insects hidden in the grass. Or maybe the animals in the forest or even the monsters lurking somewhere in the darkness.” The torabal on her head hopped over and started rubbing against my head. “And hey, you have this little guy with you right? He might be a useless little fuzzball but at least he’ll love you for as long as he can. Pets are great that way,” I said, stroking Fuzzy’s head. The little girl sat up and grabbed Fuzzy. “Mine.” I raised my hands in surrender, “All yours.” I chuckled. She dusted herself off and rose to her feet. I close my eyes and let myself drift in the nighttime symphony one last time before doing the same. “Setsu right?” I said. The girl nodded. “Setsu Uratoh. And you?” “Runir, Runir Candela.” “Weird name.” “Look who’s talking.” We walked back towards the Inn without saying anything. Fuzzy had fallen asleep on her head and was snoring loudly. “Hey Runir,” she said. “Yes?” “I wanna show you something.” “All right.” I followed her across the vegetable garden. A strong, sour smell hit me as she led me into the lemon orchid. Rays of moonlight illuminated the path forward but it was hard to see nonetheless. Soon, she came to an abrupt stop in a dark patch under a giant lemon tree. She bent down on her knees. The wind blew and the leaves shifted, letting a few rays of moonlight shine through. There was a tiny tombstone under the tree. It didn’t have anything written on it, nor could you make out a grave beneath it. In fact, you might have thought that it was just another stone if it wasn’t for the flowers laid down in front of it. “This is...” “Someone very important to me,” she said. Ah, her mother? Didn’t see her portrait up in the Inn. Guess now I knew why. Only the living can get their portraits made. “I see,” I said, not knowing what else to say. The wind blew again and the moonlight dimmed. Only a single beam could make its way through. “Ever since she died, I’ve been so lonely,” she said. “Family, friends, I didn’t talk to any of them.” “I can understand that. I never wanted to talk to my family either. Never had any friends either.” Until now, I thought, but I let that remain unsaid. “Fuzzy’s made it easier but you’re the first person I’ve talked to in a long time.” “That’s...” You should talk to your brother, I wanted to say, but since I didn’t know her situation, I decided to keep my mouth shut. “Hey Runir,” she whispered. “Yeah?” “Please don’t go.” I paused. “Sorry, but I have to.” Silence fell again. We stood there for hours, it seemed. She sat there, facing a tiny grave in front of a massive lemon tree while I stood respectfully behind her. The only ray of light that could get past the leaves struck her hair, bathing it silver. She eventually stood up and apologized for keeping me awake so long. I told her not to worry about it and that she’d helped me clear my mind too. I went back to my room and went to sleep. In the morning, we had breakfast at the Inn. Kai and Zoe were talking about something while Lily and Amy chatted with Sett. After eating our fill, we paid the Innkeeper and made our way out of the Inn. Although the road was blocked, we figured we’d come up with something after we saw how bad it was. Since we were the only guests at the Inn, Sett decided to see us off. “We don’t get a lot of visitors so come by again if you’re ever in the area!” he said. “We’ll try,” said Lily, smiling. “Well, this is as far as I go. Good luck!” he said, waving at us as he closed the fence. “Thanks, you too!” said Amy. “Give our regards to old man Seta too,” said Kai. I turned to leave like the others but I stopped. “Oh yeah, where’s the little girl?” I asked. “Little girl?” said Sett. “There she is!” He was pointing at Zoe. “No, I mean the little girl in the portrait upstairs. Your sister, Setsu.” “My sister? Oh no, you’ve got it wrong. She wasn’t my sister, she was dad’s sister,” he said. “Was?” “Yeah, there was a war back when my dad was a kid.” I felt my scalp go numb. “She got hit by a stray fireball when the fighting reached the Corridor. Burned to a crisp is what my dad says.” I stood there dumbfounded; my feet rooted to the ground. I recalled her words in my mind, Ever since she died, I’ve been so lonely... You’re the first person I’ve talked to in a long time... ...please don’t go... A flicker of movement caught my eye, but it was just the wind rustling the leaves of the lemon orchid. It carried the sour fragrance to me, stinging my eyes and making tears fall out of them. I turned away. The others had already left down the road, but I couldn’t help but look back one last time. A homely cottage with a wooden sign reading “Firefly Inn.” A still burning lamp hanging on a pole. A vegetable garden with what looked like cabbages and pumpkins growing in it. And a lemon orchid with small yellow fruit peeking out from within the leaves. As I watched, a lemon fell from a tree and hit the ground, startling a tiny white fuzzball that jumped in fright. Its hair stood on end and it looked completely unsettled, but then its eyes drooped and it started purring. Like someone was stroking it.

The bus lurched to a halt. The doors opened and I heard the sound of people scuffling out. The conductor yelled for the passengers to walk in an orderly manner but they ignored him and shoved their way out. The conductor turned to us with a giant smile as we left the VIP compartment. He fawned over us, asked if our journey had gone well, and offered us deals and discounts. We assured him everything had been fine and promised to seek his company’s services in the future. I stole another glance at the laborers powering the bus as we got off. Empty eyes. Sallow cheeks. Lifeless expressions. I clenched my fists and strengthened my resolve. We walked down the road towards Farden. Like every other city in the Air Kingdom, it didn’t have walls. We passed the security checkpoints after Kai flashed his magic paper. Kai and Amy took Zoe to an Inn to treat her. Even though she looked a lot better after spending a couple of days with us, she was still just skin and bones. Years of surviving on drugs and nutrients had left her with a sunken expression and a pale, sickly face that wouldn’t disappear after a day or two of healthy eating. While they tried to fix Zoe herself, Runir and I were going to fix the system that had brought her to that position in the first place. We silently walked down the street, paying attention to the conversations floating around. Eavesdropping was a great way to gather intelligence. “...Breize Labs are showing off their latest project.” “Yeah, heard it’s their biggest project in decades.” “My brother works in the finance ministry. He said it cost a fortune!” “They’ve been keeping it under wraps too. No one knows anything about it.” “I heard from a friend that the Goddess herself designed it.” “Really? Then it’s going to revolutionize everything! The Goddess gave us roads and cars too. And the factories…” “Remember the Breize Trams?” “What about the Castle Hoppers?” “Yeah, course I remember! Who doesn’t?” “Well, one thing’s for sure. This year’s exhibition is gonna be unforgettable.” The crowd of pedestrians thinned as we approached our first destination. We stepped into an alley beside a golden building, and melted into the shadows. Runir turned to face me, with his hood pulled over his face. I could barely see him in the dark alley. “Racor Labs hires contractors to guard their most important locations. The files should be on the top floor but they might have hidden something in the basement too, so I’ll check there just to be sure,” he said, as he pulled out a manhole cover and dropped into the sewers. I didn’t follow him. I had to go up. I jumped onto the side of the building and kicked off onto the other wall. Then I kicked that wall too and landed at the top of a three story building. I ran to the edge and jumped at the last second, landing safely on the roof of Racor Headquarters. There were a couple of guards but none of them posed a threat. I knocked out a bald headed man and a thin woman, both of whom were wearing dark green robes with a blue tree trunk on them. Probably the contractors that Runir had mentioned. They weren’t even level 100. Racor Labs weren’t rich enough to hire any real firepower. They were, however, rich enough to lay traps, so I made my way down carefully. There were a few wires and sensors on the way but I avoided them or diffused them by stealing parts of their mechanisms with my Ability. With my Ability, I could steal pretty much anything from anyone. But I couldn’t just snatch a rock besides the road. The things I stole had to have an owner. But the really troublesome part was that I had to know who the owner was too. In this case, I just thought of the owner as ‘Racor Labs’ and pictured the mechanism of the traps and stole parts of it. I’d picked enough locks back on Earth to know how most contraptions of this kind worked so it wasn’t tough at all. At the end of the first flight of stairs, there was a door with a black bolt of lightning drawn on it. There was a guard standing next to them but I knocked her out with a quick punch to the head and made my way inside. There were a few more traps but I avoided them. I walked over to the shelves in the corner of the room and pulled out a couple of files. I wasn’t a good reader back on Earth, but on Erath, I’d managed to learn pretty quickly. It helped that they used plain old English here. Amy told me my INT stat helped me learn things faster, but it was pretty weird feeling myself become smarter. You usually don’t notice yourself improve or become better but on Erath, I could feel myself change with every stat bump. Breize Labs project Starbus… hundred thousand laborers dispatched… funds released… will of the Goddess… observatory off limits… Goddess’s room… contacted Duke Felity for approval… affirmation received, commencing research on application of Air magic… I put the file in my Inventory. This was what I’d come for. I turned to leave the room but I something snapped against the back of my neck. I staggered and swung my sword behind me. There was a loud shout and then a gurgling sound as something fell to the ground. A brown haired man lay unconscious on the floor, his hands held against his stomach. I’d hit him with the flat of my blade but the difference in levels was too high. I adjusted my mask and dusted off my gray robes. My back had a gray tornado sewn on it which I’d made sure to show the last guard before knocking him out. I left the room and dashed up the stairs. I jumped down from the roof into the alley and changed into my normal clothes and waited. Soon enough, Runir pulled himself out of the gutters and changed into something less grimy. We walked out of the alley and disappeared into the crowd. - “Funny how it all came back to them in the end,” Runir mused. I nodded. Who would have thought that all the files would point to them? Must have been fate. “I love stealing from the same people twice,” I said, staring at the billboard outside the building we were standing on, “especially when they’re assholes.” “The files from the Racor, Ponel, and Haku Labs say Breize’s latest project is being held here. Once we know what it is, we can proceed with the next part of the plan,” said Runir, “my Ability is telling me the project should be in the compound next to the main building. I’ll head on over and see what it is. You go over to the offices and see what else you can find. We’ll meet back at the Inn when we’re done.” He jumped down and landed in the shadows, vanishing from view. I took a deep breath before covering my face with the same gray mask I’d worn while I was robbing the other labs. I walked across the roof and sat next to the glass panels covering the center. Runir said only the Fire Kingdom made glass so these panels had probably cost quite a fortune. Oh well, I thought. The glass shattered as I drove my elbow through it. I jumped into the building, ignoring the shards pricking against my skin. They couldn’t get through my Defense. Noises came down the hallway so I ran the other way. A door came up at the end of the room and I kicked it open and went inside. There was a large office with gold and silver plated ornaments everywhere. A few monster skins lined the floor while a bright chandelier full of glowing stones hung from the ceiling. An old man sat on a golden chair beside an expensive looking desk. He glared at me and pointed a dagger at my chest. “Who are you?” he snarled. I didn’t answer. Instead, my eyes wandered to a shiny golden plaque on top of his desk. There was something written on it. Mr.Valence Casso, Owner of Casso Factories and Manufacturing. I turned to him. This was the guy responsible for the suffering of thousands of people. He was the one responsible for Zoe’s pain, for her nightmares, and her insanity. “Ha, got you now!” he said. He was pointing a large air gun at me. I hadn’t noticed him reach for it because I’d been looking away. This one had a much larger barrel and would probably be a lot more dangerous than the one I had in my Inventory. Not that I cared of course. I strode to the old man. He blinked in surprise but recovered quickly. “Stop! This thing can blow off the head of a baby sky wyvern!” he threatened, thrusting the gun out further. I kept walking. He kept glaring. He shot me. I shrugged it off. He stared at me, wide-eyed, and fired off a few more rounds. I felt something hitting my body over and over and over again but it barely stung. He threw away the gun. I met his gaze as he smirked and his eyes began glowing. My mind became murky. My vision blurred and I stumbled a little. For a split second, I heard strange sounds from all around me and felt myself drifting into the darkness. But it passed. Casso had a frozen smile on his face. His lips quivered and he pointed at me with a shaky finger. What was that, his Ability? No wonder he runs a factory full of slaves, I thought. “H-how did you… just how high is your level?” he stammered. I stepped close to him and pressed my mask against his face. He was trembling as he fell into his seat, like a shell-less turtle withdrawing into itself. “P-please let me go. You can take whatever you want. Just don’t—” I smashed my head into his. He slumped to the floor. This isn’t over, I thought as I stared at his unconscious body, I’m going to make you pay for everything soon enough. I picked up the files from his desk, read them over, and realized they were what I was looking for. I put them into my Inventory and climbed onto to the windowsill. There were footsteps behind the door. It slammed open just as I jumped outside, my gray robe fluttering in the wind. - “Daddy! Daddy! We’re going to be late. Hurry up!” cried the little girl running down the street. “Wait up kiddo! Your old man isn’t as young as he used to be,” said the middle aged man running after her. He was out of breath and sweat trickled down his forehead but there was a huge smile on his face. He chuckled before shaking his head and running after his daughter. “Honey, you shouldn’t have,” said a black haired woman clinging to a silver haired man. The man held a bouquet of flowers in his hand and smiled affectionately at his girlfriend as they walked down the road in the same direction as the father and daughter from before. In fact, almost everyone was moving in that direction. People of all ages, shapes, and sizes were chatting and smiling at each other, giving off relaxed vibes. These people were happy. They were going to an event where they could have fun with their friends and family, unwind from their stressful lives, and marvel at the latest gizmos and gadgets. The people of this kingdom loved science and engineering. For most of them, the latest technology was more than just a cool new toy or tool that would make their lives easier. For them, this was a part of who they were. Their national and cultural identity revolved around science and technology. The Air Kingdom was the kingdom of machines and engineering. Their scientists effectively ran the country. Even their Goddess was a scientist. So the Exhibition wasn’t just a fun family outing or a cool show. It was a national holiday and a religious festival. The Exhibition was featured in books and plays. In prism-casts and campfire stories. It was the talk of the town for months. People looked forward to it for the entire year. Of course, they also loved to talk about the event itself. The new buses or washing machines. The latest in Air tech or new ways to apply Breize stones. The main attraction was always the Goddess’s secret project. Personally designed by her alongside the finest engineers of Breize Labs, the Goddess’s secret projects always revolutionized the technology of this world so they were always the subject of great debate. Even now, as I walked towards the bus stop leading to the shrine, I heard people wondering what this year’s project would be. Someone suggested it could be another home appliance. Perhaps an improved car or a bus? Or maybe a new weapon? Made me wonder how they’d react if they knew I had the answer in my Inventory. They might have crushed me before we could even start the plan. “You ready?” asked Kai as I passed by him. I nodded under my sunhat before pulling it down over my forehead and walking away. No point in letting anyone know we were together. I went to wait by the side of the bus station. The others boarded their buses while I went over the plan in my head. Taking a deep breath, I boarded the last bus to the Shrine and watched the scenery pass by. The bus lurched to a stop and I got up from my seat. I got off with the rest of the crowd but unlike them, I wasn’t laughing with my friends or cracking jokes with my family. I wasn’t here for fun. I stole a glance at the laborers bound at the front of the bus just as the doors closed. I clenched my fists and joined the crowd ahead. In the distance there was a tube like the one we’d used to get to the main island from the second anchor city. People took turns getting on the platform before vanishing into the clouds above. I saw the others board the platforms and head on up before me. I waited until the crowd thinned a bit before stepping onto the gray platform. Air gushed beneath the platform and shot us up the tube. The crowd of people below kept shrinking until we punched into the clouds and everything became white. “Mommy, look!” cried a little girl as we emerged from the clouds. When I saw what she was pointing at, even I couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. It’s beautiful, I thought. You’d think after seeing one floating island, you’ve kinda seen them all but this one was stunning. Water tumbled down the sides before vanishing into the misty clouds below. There were layers of glowing rocks and metals below the surface, casting a rainbow of colors in every direction. The surface itself was built in tiers, with a forest of strange gray and silver trees lining the sides. Some houses built with the same glowing rocks and shiny silver wood stood among the trees but most of them were concentrated in the center around the most amazing thing in sight... A tower built with spiraling layers of glowing stones. It shot up even further into the sky, its top too high to see from where we stood. There were holes in the tower from where all sorts of smoke puffed out. Every few seconds, a bright light shone down from the top of the tower, illuminating the smoke or making the metals and stones sparkle. The island grew larger and larger until we reached it and got off. I followed the crowd down the road leading towards the tower. All the houses we passed were empty. Even the forests didn’t have any animals in them. A beam of light shone fell from up high, making the spectacle in front of us shimmer and sparkle in a myriad of colors. Crowds of people bustled about stalls full of strange foods that I’d never seen before. There were a bunch of small stages where people dressed in lab coats or gray robes pointed to their machines and described them for the cheering crowds. Several important looking people sat on a raised platform. In the corner of the first row sat a bald middle aged man in a gray suit. He was talking to a white-haired old lady in a yellow dress. Beside them sat an old man with a long, flowing white beard, who was facing a group of teenagers. All the teenagers wore the same black uniforms and were listening to the old man’s words intently. The old man waved his hand and the teenagers dispersed into the crowds below. Next to him was a boy with a gray crown on his head. The boy was tinkering with something in his lap while smiling innocently. He pouted at the young woman sitting beside him. The young woman sighed before reaching over to fix the boy’s glasses and saying something to him while pointing at the cube in his hands. Her long gray robes swept over the boy’s shiny metal throne just as I caught a glimpse of the gray tornado symbol on her back. The young woman sat down on her seat before smiling at the young man to her left. He was wearing blue robes with the words ‘LeAgua’ emblazoned on them. He laughed at something the young woman said before taking a sip of wine from the goblet in his hand. The rest of the first row was full of people in the same gray robes as the young woman. Unlike everyone else, these people weren’t chatting or laughing. Instead, most of them were nervously tapping their armrests or biting their nails. The people sitting behind the first row wore gray, black, yellow or blue robes. Most of them were quiet, not daring to disturb the people up front. I spotted a familiar old man but I had to ignore him for now. As the Exhibition wore on and the crowd became even louder, a group of gray-robed figures appeared from inside the tower. Everyone fell silent. The gray-robed magicians pointed to the large stage in front of the raised platform where the important guests sat, and a strange glow appeared underneath the stage. Air gushed out from below the stage as it began to rise. It kept rising and rising until it was taller than most of the buildings I’d seen in this world. Murmurs passed through the crowd as the people began to surround the white box in the center of the Exhibition. Anyone could guess what this was. I saw Amy and the others take their designated positions so I made my way to my own. It was time to start. The gray-robed woman said something to the blue-robed man and he laughed in return. She turned to the boy on her other side, bowed, and jumped onto the raised stage. “Citizens of the Air Kingdom and honored guests from abroad, on behalf of Breize Labs and the Air Goddess’s Shrine, I welcome you to the 500th annual Breize Science Exhibition! Thank you for choosing to spend your time with us here today, and believe me when I say you will not regret it,” she said. The gray rod in her hand glowed as she poured magic into it, and propelled her voice across the exhibition grounds. The crowd cheered and clapped but it still couldn’t drown out the young woman’s voice. “I am the chief engineer of Breize Labs, Ezure Taiker, and I will be your host for today,” she continued. “With us we have the esteemed Duke Felity of the Air Kingdom.” She pointed at the bald man in the corner of the front row. “The honorable Countess Gratif from the Earth Kingdom.” She gestured towards the white-haired lady. “The headmaster of the Academy, Professor Pandorium,” she said, bowing to the bearded old man who waved in reply. “The chief marketing officer of the LeAgua company, Mr. Lazure.” The blue robed man stood up and waved to the crowd. “And of course, His Majesty the King, Galemor the fifteenth.” She bowed to the young boy sitting on the metal throne who acknowledged her with a wave of his hand before going back to tinkering with his cube. The woman turned back to the crowd with a wide smile on her face. “As you all know, this exhibition was started by our Goddess to showcase the latest technological innovations and encourage development within the scientific community, not just in the Air Kingdom, but all over Erath,” she said. The crowd started cheering again. “And today, dear guests, is a very special day. To commemorate the 500th edition of this great event, the Goddess has made a very special gift for the people of Erath.” The crowd cheered even louder. “As someone who has worked with Breize Labs for her entire life, I can assure you this project is unlike anything you have ever seen before! It will truly revolutionize the world!” The crowd went crazy. “Dear guests, today, history shall be made! Today, you will witness the dawn of a new era. Your children will learn about the events of this day. Your friends will envy you for being here today. Dear guests, after you see what lies inside this box, you will never look at the world in the same way again. Dear guests, before you right now stands the first ever—” “Hey, someone get that kid off of there!” shouted someone from the crowd. “You can’t go up there kid!” shouted someone else. “Wah, it’s so high up!” exclaimed the little girl as she reached the top of the ladder and stood on the stage next to the young woman. “C-cindy! Get down here this instant! How could you go off like that?” shouted her father as he grabbed the ladder and started climbing it. “Daddy, daddy, look! It’s so pretty!” the little girl said with a smile. “Hey sweetie, what are you doing here?” said the gray-robed woman as she gestured to the guards to stay away. She smiled at the little girl as she walked over to her. “Waiting for daddy!” the little girl said, confidently. The young woman’s smile grew. “Now aren’t you adorable!” She reached over to pat the girl’s head. “Cindy, get down here this instant…” said the middle aged man as he scaled the ladder. “Aw, you hear that little Cindy? Your daddy will be mad if you don’t listen to him, you know?” said the young woman. The little girl shook her head. “It’s okay, daddy will forgive me!” She tapped her head in thought. “Hey miss, are you the Goddess?” She stared at the young woman with bright eyes. “Heavens, no!” The young woman laughed. “But I work with her sometimes!” “Really?” said the girl. “My big sister wanted to say something to the Goddess but she couldn’t meet her. Could you pass on the message for her?” The young woman blinked in surprise. She looked into the little girl’s sparkling eyes and smiled. “Sure, what is it?” she asked, bringing her ear close to the girl’s mouth. “She said…” the little girl leaned forward and whispered, “fuck you.” The ‘middle-aged dad’ swung over the edge of the stage and rushed at the gray robed woman. He grabbed her by the neck while she still had a frozen smile on her face. “What the—” cried the woman, but her voice was cut off by the ‘middle-aged dad.’ “Shush, this is the fun part. You wouldn’t wanna miss it,” he said, smirking at her. He reached for his clothes and pulled them off. The little girl beside him did the same. But surprisingly, instead of being naked, the two were in a set of white and gray robes and smiling masks. The people on the raised platform stood up and pointed at the masked figures. But before they could cast any magic, a pair of gray-robed figures walked out from the last row and picked up the boy king. Then they jumped onto the stage with the king. “Sire!” “My liege!” “How could they?” The boy stared at the cube in his hands before looking at the figure holding his other hand. The lady smiled before reaching for her clothes and pulling them off. The boy’s eyes widened as the woman suddenly had a strange mask on her face. The young man on his right held a bouquet in his hands. He sniffed it and smiled. The white bearded old man, the blue robed young man, the white haired woman and nearly everyone else on the platform readied their magic and prepared to fire. The guards closed in on the stage. The silver haired young man threw the bouquet at the platform and the flowers split. The petals scattered and surrounded the guests like a prison. The bearded old man fired a powerful bolt of darkness that dissolved inside the wall of petals. The others tried to shoot their magic but they couldn’t get through the petals. A gray robed woman tried to walk through them but got pushed back. The silver haired man also tore off his clothes to reveal the same outfit with the white mask. The man who had been pretending to be a middle-aged father thrust the gray robed woman into his companion’s hand and picked up the boy king. The boy looked like he was about to cry but he bit his lips and focused on the cube in his hand. “You were right!” said the masked man, facing the gray robed woman. “We are going to make history today!” I stepped out of the crowd as the people began jeering and cursing. “Now, now settle down everyone. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to our cute little king now would we?” said the man holding the king as he smirked and pressed a dagger against the terrified kid’s throat. The crowd went quiet. “Now that’s better! I guess you do have a shred of humanity in you, after all,” he chuckled. “You fiend, let His Majesty go!” said the gray robed woman being held by Amy. “Fiend? Me? No, no, you are confusing me with someone else. I am not a fiend, dear lady. Because I am certainly not as nice as a fiend. No, my good lady, I’m something far worse. We are something far worse.” He leaned closer to her. “We’re the monsters that terrorize monsters. The criminals envied by all the filthiest dregs of society. The notorious thieves who have stolen from every rich bastard in the world. Street urchins sing our praises, nobles curse our parents, and young men and women swoon over our names! We’re the harbingers of evil and the purveyors of natural beauty. The connoisseurs of loot and booty, of both kinds, if you know what I mean, and the lovers of all things bare! We are…” He paused for effect. “The stripsters! Iya ha ha ha ha ha ha!” What the fuck is up with that laugh Runir? I thought, glancing at the strange scene in front of me again. The guards ran towards the stage, leaving the gates unguarded. The crowds gawked at the act on stage while the dignitaries stared at it in disbelief. What should have been a national day of celebration ended up getting hijacked by a bunch of degenerates wearing creepy masks. Anyone would be surprised by this turn of events. Well, whatever, I didn’t care anymore. Phase 1 was complete. On to phase 2. I changed into the gray robes worn by the scientists of Breize Labs and walked straight into the tower. I looked up at the entrance and read the word, “Observatory,” written above it. I heard Runir laughing again so I hurried inside as fast as I could. He really needed to work on his evil laugh.

I’d always known how important it was to stay calm and collected, so I never let anything surprise me. Even back on Earth, nothing could break my poker face. Frank Stone could attest to that. But that day shattered my poker face so badly I couldn’t piece it back together again. After leaving the Dark Kingdom, I finally managed to make my way to the Southern Continent by joining a merchant caravan. The caravan went all the way to the capital of the Light Kingdom, Cerena. When the glittering white city slowly emerged from the horizon, I praised its masterfully designed outer wall, and the long spires and tall towers of the King’s Castle that rose into the clouds. Of course, I only praised it inside my head. Something of this scale couldn’t faze me at all. The city looked almost exactly like it did in the game, which was surprising because that meant the game developer’s initial design had lasted for nearly a thousand years. The first thing that surprised me that day was an accident. I was leaving the market after buying some food when I bumped into a hooded figure wearing brown robes. Although my level had risen to 463 by then, this hooded figure managed to push me back! I quickly checked their status and was instantly flabbergasted. Just what kind of a coincidence was this? Was this what Azoth called Fate? I walked into an alley outside the entrance to the market and waited. When she finally came out, I checked her status once more to be sure. At first, I felt a strong urge to jump out and kill her but I restrained myself. After all, this was an opportunity! If I played my cards right, I could use the hero to achieve my own goals. I followed her as she left the city. - I made sure to stay hidden while following her down the rocky plateau. Although the difference in our levels should have made it impossible for her to notice anyway. Along the way, I began to formulate a grand strategy that would win me back my Kingdom. I wasn’t strong enough to defeat Azoth and his followers on my own and finding a lot of powerful allies would be nigh impossible. Therefore, I needed to play this game a little differently. I needed to plan, to manipulate, to work the rules of this world in my favor. A loud roar interrupted my thoughts. I stopped and hid behind a tree and began watching the Hero confront a Light Ogre. Based on her movements, I determined that she was already very adept at using her power. Even though she was only level 235 and the ogre was several levels above her at 273, she still managed to dodge its attacks while retreating. This made my urge to kill her even stronger. I can slice off her neck while she’s distracted by the ogre. It’d be so easy. No! The plan, remember the plan Runir! While I was arguing with myself, she fled backwards. Or rather, she started coming towards me. Did she find me? How was that possible? My stalking skills were unparalleled! I was surprised for the second time that day. A personal record. “Hello Ms. Hero,” I said. I stepped out to save the hero and began the first stage of my grand strategy. I made it evident that I was far stronger than her and shocked her by revealing that I knew she was the hero. “Hey uh, are you sure you aren’t confusing me with someone else?” It would be easy to manipulate her, I concluded, so I tried to approach her, but her gaze flitted down to a very... vulnerable place. I halted in place. She was more dangerous than I thought. “No, Ms. Lilith Grayscale. You are most definitely the Hero.” I kept calm and mentioned her name to unsettle her, and got a satisfying reaction. Then I tried to steer the conversation to where I wanted it to go. But… “…you creepy stalker!” I was stunned, not only by the horrible accusation but also by the fact that she knew I had been following her for quite some time. This time, my expression changed and my poker face was thoroughly broken. This hero was really something. “…bye!” She capitalized on my weakness and tried to shame me into leaving. Or at least that’s what I thought she was doing. I immediately turned the tables on her by telling her some fake story about going back to Earth. Her breathing stopped for a moment as she processed the information I had revealed and soon, she started dancing in the palm of my hand. Although she did give me a threatening glare when she began suspecting that I was the demon lord. The goddesses probably wouldn’t tell us how to go home, but they would give us their blessings. In the game, the hero and the demon lord were essentially champions representing two factions of eternally antagonistic goddesses who summoned their respective champion to fight on their behalf. The goddesses themselves wouldn’t interfere with the battle between the hero and the demon lord, and couldn’t harm or help locate either of them. This made sense in the story because if the demon lord knew where the hero was early in the game, they’d be able to kill them very easily. This insane attention to detail and filling in of plot-holes was one of the reasons why Choices was my favorite video game of all time. It was also very well balanced. It was almost as easy to win as the demon lord as it was to win as the hero and there were a multitude of ways to win the game. However, the hero and the demon lord had the same main quest: to visit all the goddesses’ shrines and receive their blessings. Each blessing gave the character a large power boost while also increasing their mastery of the type of magic the goddess governed. I’d learned from the documents in the demon lord’s castle, although the previous demon lords and heroes had learned their power would increase after they received a goddess’ blessing, none of them had tried to receive all the goddesses’ blessings. Which meant they thought the goddesses from the other faction wouldn’t bless them. Which in turn meant that they hadn’t played the game because in the game, the goddess would bless the hero or the demon lord regardless of which faction they supported. I had my back to her as we talked. Her glare died down as I convinced her that I was not the demon lord. The rest of our conversation went smoothly after that. Soon, she agreed to go to the fire goddess’ shrine with me, just as planned. I smirked at her and said, “My name is-” But I was interrupted by a loud shout. A giant, flaming meteor was flying straight towards us. That was the fourth surprise of the day! We ran as fast as we could but the meteor kept gaining on us. Just as I resolved to pick up the hero and run at full speed, the meteor went over our heads and crashed into the ground in front of us. What happened next was the fifth surprise of the day. A beautiful girl ran out of the dust cloud and hugged the hero. She talked to her while completely ignoring my presence. But what surprised me even more – number six for those still counting – was what she said when she realized I was there. She was on guard and incredibly suspicious of me. It was nearly a miracle she didn’t attack me. I tried checking her status but I couldn’t see it! She was stronger than me, but judging by the fact that she didn’t attack me nor tell the hero to run, I determined that she wasn’t strong enough to see that I was the demon lord. After all, Obscure would hide more of your status depending on your relative strength compared to the person using Appraisal. It was possible that all she could see was my name. The hero began explaining our plan to her but the newcomer was still skeptical. But she didn’t oppose it so I politely introduced myself. “Runir Candela, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” I gave her a charming smile too. I would have preferred giving a fake name to the hero, in case she came across the name of the current demon lord, but this new girl threw that plan out of the water. After some reproachful words from the hero, she finally introduced herself as Amy Genis. Although I harbored some doubts about her name and identity, I decided to set them aside for now. This day had been a very surprising one, and I could do with some boring old walking. But then I was surprised for the seventh time. I heard something strange, was someone... snoring? The others noticed it too and we gave each other perplexed looks before following the noise. We pushed aside some bushes and found someone sleeping behind a tree just a few feet away from where Lily fought the ogre and where Amy had fallen from the sky as a giant meteor. Just who could have slept through all of that? I mused. We moved closer to the snoring figure. It was a boy, probably around my age, wearing weird, purple robes. His face was quite ordinary, and he was wearing very unfashionable glasses, so he would probably not stand out in a crowd back on Earth. “Hey! Wake up!” said the hero, Lily. The boy kept snoring. Lily frowned and went over to him. “I told you to wake up!” she said, reaching for the boy. “Wait! Something’s not right here,” I shouted, feeling uneasy. “Of course something isn’t right here! It’s rude to wake someone up like this,” the boy said as he got up, almost as if he hadn’t been sleeping at all. I blinked in surprise but it wasn’t too startling. What was surprising, however, was the fact that I couldn’t see his status either! Fuck! Shouldn’t the hero and the demon lord be the strongest people in this world? Just who the fuck is he? The boy glanced at all of us before smiling. An innocent smile that would fill anyone’s heart with warmth and coziness. “Finally, I was starting to think no one was going to come here. I got lost in the forest ages ago and couldn’t find my way back. Thankfully, I’ve met you guys now! Say, would you mind taking me along to the next city? Please?” he asked, facing Lily. Lily stared at him wide-eyed, and nodded unconsciously. The boy smiled and thanked us for our assistance. I met Amy’s gaze and saw the surprise in her eyes, mixed with a bit of fear. She can’t see his status either? So he must be even stronger than her. Why would someone like that be taking a nap in the middle of the forest? Besides, if he was lost, all he had to do was follow the road in one direction and he’d come to a city eventually. This guy... I don’t like him. Not one bit. “Oh right! I forgot to introduce myself,” he said, fixing his glasses. “My name is Kairo Mezai, but you can call me Kai.” He smiled. - We continued to the city of Fohil but the atmosphere around our group was strange. Lily and Amy walked together; Lily trying to think of some way to break the ice and Amy trying to keep herself between Kai and Lily while glancing at me, occasionally. Kai hummed a familiar tune while walking in a carefree manner while I tried to wrap my head around everything that had happened so far. I’d started the day with what seemed like a stroke of good fortune but now I was stuck with a hero that could get under my skin and make me lose my cool, a frighteningly strong girl that was always on guard around me, and a terrifying powerful guy who was humming what sounded like the Happy Birthday song! My head throbbed in pain as I tried to make sense of it all. I finally calmed down when I realized that my grand strategy was still feasible. Kai would leave when we reached Fohil and perhaps Amy could serve as a useful bodyguard for Lily while she grew. The sun dipped over the horizon. The sky was awash with a beautiful crimson glow. “We should probably make camp for the night,” said Kai. We began preparing the camp. Lily collected firewood while Amy cleared the ground with her sword. Kai pulled out a tent from thin air, probably using the Storage skill, and I started setting it up while Kai pulled out some pots and pans. Lily returned with a bunch of sticks and branches began making a fire with Kai’s help. We work surprisingly well together don’t we? I thought, feeling slightly strange as I finished setting up the tent. Kai and the girls were making dinner so I set up a few security measures in the meantime. By the time I was done, a delicious scent was wafting through the air. I walked over to them, losing my composure yet again as I started drooling. Kai looked at me, and grinned while passing me a plate of steaming, red curry. Amy and Lily were already wolfing down mouthfuls of curry with bread that Kai pulled out of his Storage. This isn’t so bad, I thought. I finished my plate of curry and asked for seconds. - I couldn’t sleep. The fire crackled behind me as I tossed and turned in my sleeping bag – a gift from Kai. I’d never been this restless before in my life, but then again, I’d never lost my composure so many times in a single day. And to top it off, I felt a strange warmth in my chest. It made me calmer than my poker face ever had, and gave me a weird sense of contentment. Am I happy? No, my strategy requires ruthlessness! I can’t be tied down by these emotions! I sat up in my sleeping bag and looked around. Kai had offered to take the first watch, claiming that he’d already taken a long enough nap. But even though he was supposed to be on watch, he lay on the ground by the fire with his eyes closed. Amy sat against a tree, pretending to sleep. She obviously didn’t trust us yet and quite frankly, I didn’t blame her. Lily’s breathing was shallow, so I surmised that she was also having trouble going to sleep. Well, at least I wasn’t the only one. I stood up and started walking out into the forest. “You shouldn’t go out alone at night, you know,” said a voice from behind. “Mind your own business, Kai,” I said, frowning. I walked away from the clearing and started collecting my thoughts. I want to defeat Azoth and his followers and take control of the Dark kingdom again. To do that, I need to get stronger and find powerful allies. Couldn’t these three be strong allies? Although their loyalties are questionable, perhaps I can draw closer to them and use them to achieve my own ends. But Lily is the hero, and Fate will force her to fight me as soon as she finds out. Amy will obviously side with her over me. And Kai... well, I’m not sure. Should I leave them and go on my own? No, I don’t think I’ll be strong enough in time to execute my grand strategy. Should I kill the Hero so she doesn’t pose a threat? No, I need her for now. What about that Amy? Can I arrange for her death or lose her somehow? Probably not, she’s too strong and I don’t want her to be even more wary of me. I need to slowly win her trust. And should I convince Kai to come with us to the Fire goddess’ shrine? He doesn’t seem like a bad person, perhaps he’ll agree to helping us find a way back home? But then again, I still don’t know who he is or what he wants. I should probably try to gather more information on him first. Although, judging by his actions, he either doesn't know that I'm the Demon Lord or he doesn't care. Right! No use worrying about this for now. I can think about this in the morning. Fohil is still quite far away, after all. I took a deep breath and walked back to the camp. A soft, orange glow flickered behind the trees. I froze as my eyes grew wide in shock and my mind went blank with disbelief. What I was looking at was the most surprising thing that had happened all day. Amy still sat against a tree, but she held an arm over her eyes while tilting her head towards the sky. The flickering flame of the campfire reflected in the silvery streams running down her face. Lily’s face was buried in her sleeping bag, with faint sobs and sniffles escaping the cloth while it shuddered as if it had a cold. And Kai still lay by the campfire, his eyes closed and a sad smile on his face. I stared at the scene in front of me but couldn’t understand it at all. “What did you do?” I asked, barely managing to get the words out of my mouth. He smiled but he still didn’t open his eyes as he said, “I told them a story.”

I pursed my lips and stared daggers at the back of his head. Then I glared at the other bastard walking in front of me. And when we were far enough away from the mountain, I exploded. “You!” I pointed towards Runir. “Why the hell did you take us to a fucking dragon’s nest? Are you out of your fucking mind?” He looked back and smirked, making me grit my teeth. “And you!” I pointed at Kai. “Why the fuck didn’t you do that sooner? I thought I was gonna die! Did you think this would make you look cool or something you little bastard? Well fuck you, all it did was make you look like an asshole!” I panted as I finished my rant. He didn’t even stop walking. It’s funny how stupid you can get when you’re angry. I mean, this guy had just told off a dragon and here I was insulting him. Worse, I rushed forward to punch him. But before I could reach him, he put a hand on the stone beside him and I flinched, thinking that he was reacting to my sudden charge. He coughed out blood and fell to his knees. None of us moved, too stunned by the sudden show of weakness to offer help. This guy had scared off a dragon effortlessly...or had he? As he continued to cough out blood and take in great, wheezing gulps of air, Amy finally snapped out of it and walked over to him which prompted Runir and I to follow. But even as I comforted him and watched the others do the same and even as I saw him drink the water that Runir handed him, I kept feeling that something wasn’t quite right. I couldn’t put my finger on it for some reason, perhaps because I didn’t know what it was. I looked at the blood on the ground, which looked real enough. I stared at his face, which was covered in sweat. He was clutching his chest with his hand, tightening and loosening his grip in convulsions. But something was nagging in the back of my head. I’d seen people in pain before. People who’d lost their limbs, been stabbed by a knife, raped, swindled, robbed, beaten up or people who’d contracted painful illnesses, I’d seen them all. But this felt different and made me feel uneasy. In front of me was the perfect picture of a man in pain. But that was the problem, it was perfect. Too perfect. Or was I just over-thinking things? “Are you alright Kai? What happened?” asked Amy in a concerned voice. “...It’s okay. I guess using my Ability on a dragon was a bit much, huh.” he chuckled, before coughing out more blood. Amy cast an accusatory glance at Runir, who frowned. “I apologize. I should have realized that an Ability that powerful would have limits and repercussions. Sorry.” Runir said as his gaze fell to the ground. “It’s okay, no harm done. I’ll be fine in a couple of hours.” said Kai, waving a hand in the air dismissively. Kai sat down on the rock that he had been leaning on and took a few deep breaths before managing to calm down his breathing. “I suppose it’d wise to answer some of your questions now. However, I believe it would only be fair for all of us to tell each other about our abilities. Just enough to avoid mishaps like today and to help us understand each other a little better.” Kai said. I immediately nodded, since this arrangement would be most beneficial for me because I was the only one who couldn’t see anyone else’ status. Runir agreed readily enough, because he’d already revealed his ability when he found the Lava Sphere. Amy hesitated for a while but eventually agreed as well. “Fine, then I guess I’ll begin. My Ability is called ‘Re:Write’ and it allows me to change certain aspects of the things that I target. For example, I rewrote that dragon’s willingness to attack us with the desire to go to sleep in the lava.and although I won’t tell you all of the conditions and restrictions attached to it, you should know that they do exist and that I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t try to test them.” Kai said. I stared at him. He could rewrite a dragon’s emotions? If rewriting something like that only made him cough out a little blood, then wasn’t this Ability a bit too ridiculously powerful? “Your turn.” Kai said, calmly ignoring the stares directed at him and gesturing towards Runir. “Right. Like I said, my Ability is called ‘Perfect Strategy’. It lets me set a ‘goal’ and several ‘sub-goals’ that are supposed to contribute towards the ‘goal.’ Although it doesn’t make the strategy for me, it does assist me while I make my plans. If I set ‘finding a way back to Earth’ as a goal, it tells me to go ask the Goddesses for assistance but it won’t tell me what the Goddesses will say or even if they know a way home. All my ability does is drop hints and suggestions but they’re always useful and haven’t failed me yet.” Runir said. “Your turn.” He gestured towards Amy. Amy hesitated and glanced at Kai. She looked at him for a while before pursing her lips. “Very well. The Ability that was bestowed upon me by Fate is named ‘Wrath of Ignis.’ I would rather not reveal all the details, however, suffice it to say that once used, my enemies will be no more.” she said, as her expression darkened. I felt a shiver pass down my spine. What kind of fucked up Ability is that? They turned their gazes to me. “My turn huh?” I said, taking a deep breath. They already knew about my Ability and if their levels were high enough, they probably already knew what my Ability did, but they still wanted me to say it myself. “Whatever. I’m the Hero so I have two Abilities; the Hero’s Ability-‘Sacri Lumine’-and my personal ability-‘Kleptomania.’ The first one makes me shine with a weird light and makes my attacks stronger and the other one helps me steal things.” I said. The descriptions were a little short but fuck it, they could just check my Status anyway. “Steal things? What kind of things?” Runir asked. I frowned. Was he just being a dick or was his level not high enough to see it for himself? If he really couldn’t see the details, then he couldn’t be more than 300 levels above me. That was a big difference, but considering the fact that I had grown to level 235 in a month, I was sure that I could catch up to him eventually and the thought made me feel a little relieved. At least I wouldn’t be the weakest one here for long. “Like this.” I said, pulling out something from inside my robes. Runir’s eyes widened. “What the- How the fuck did you-When?” He stammered, pointing at the red orb in my hand. “Just now.” I chuckled, tossing the Lava Sphere back at him. He glared at me as he caught it and stashed it in his Inventory. “Don’t do that again.” “Sure, sure. Whatever you say.” I said, nonchalantly. I ignored his glare and snuck a glance at Kai. I hadn’t wanted to steal something from Runir at first, but when I’d tried to take something from Kai’s storage, I’d come up empty. Had he used his Ability to block mine? Or was his Storage empty? Both were shocking things to consider. Just how absurd was his ability if it could even block mine? After all, my ability could steal anything from anyone, even if it was in their Storage or Inventory and the description even said that protective charms and spells couldn’t block it. If he could negate it completely, wasn’t that just plain unfair? Moreover, it meant that he may have known the details of my Ability, which meant that he could see my Status completely, which in turn meant that he was at least 300 levels above me! But if I couldn’t steal anything from his Storage because it was empty, then that was even worse! He’d been providing all our food and camping equipment from the start. If none of that was in his Storage, did that mean that he was writing them into existence? How the fuck did that even work? I couldn’t wrap my head around either possibility so I decided to think about it later. For now, I’d keep it to myself. Despite what he’d said about not testing the limits of his power, I was sure the others would try to do that anyway and knowing more would put me at an advantage just in case... “Alright, I feel much better now. We better get going, Ashpoole is only a few miles away and if we hurry we might be able to reach it before nightfall.” Kai said, interrupting my thoughts as he stood up from the rock and stretched. I exchanged a glance with Runir and saw that he was suspicious too. To shrug off something like that in less than an hour? That’s almost as if there were no limits at all! I dusted off my robe and got up and noticed that even though Kai had coughed up blood and fallen to the ground, his purple robe was completely clean. Frowning inwardly, I followed the others down the mountain. - “Come on, it’s faster this way!” said Kai, as he slid down the crumbling hillside. Well, it wasn’t really a hill. It was more like a mound of ash. “That’s dangerous! Not all of us have a freakish superpower like you!” Runir chastised. He was right, it was dangerous. The mound of ash was enormous, almost as tall as some of the smaller mountains that we had hiked across along the way. Or rather, it was dangerous for most people. “Don’t be such a pussy. This is fucking amazing!” I said as I let myself slide down the gravelly ash. The black ash crumbled beneath my feet and rapidly fell down the mound, taking me down at an incredible pace. I felt the wind whip past my face and cause my hair and my robes to flutter. Ha ha ha! This feels great! My heartbeat quickened, my eyes watered and my cheeks rippled but if I’d been able to open my mouth, I’d definitely be laughing like crazy. This was the first time I’d felt an enjoyable thrill since I came to this world. The kind of thrill you get when you do something dangerous with the confidence that you’ll be alright. No giant dragons or ugly ogres. No terrifyingly powerful people hiding their real objectives. Just me, the wind and a whole lot of crumbling ash. As I rapidly went down the mound, a beautiful scene began to emerge below me. A crystal clear lake shimmering in the sunlight. A large bridge made of pale, cream colored wood. And a picturesque city standing in the center of the lake. I could see the ash that had accumulated at the bottom of the lake but it looked different from the ash on the lake shore. Was it a little lighter maybe? No, they were round and smooth like pearls which was weird because ash is supposed to be sharp and piercing. Just like the ash I was effortlessly sliding down. Truthfully, my shoes should have been shredded long ago and my feet should have been cut up into pieces by now but after leaving the mountain Kai had given us all a few presents. A pair of shoes, a ring and a communications prism. I’d accepted them a little hesitantly since I didn’t trust him completely yet but when I’d thought back to how ridiculous his Ability was, I begrudgingly took them. I was glad I did. After all, the shoes made it easier to run in and even let me slide down the ash mound like this. The prism was a common item on Erath but I didn’t buy one because I didn’t think I’d need to communicate with anyone after I left the castle. But when I received the tiny green prism, I cursed myself for not bothering to research its functions. Not only could you use it to send and receive messages or to communicate with people whose magic signatures you had saved but it also had a map that showed your current position! As for the ring, he said that they’ll help hide our identities. I thought that meant that it’d conjure up some disguises or something but when I put it on, nothing happened. But then Runir and Amy looked at me with wide eyes and then Amy looked at Runir and her eyes widened even further. They told me later that they couldn’t see my Status at all anymore! Even my name was hidden from them and so we quickly realized that these rings were just like the one that Kai said he used to hide his own Status. I dug in my new shoes into the ash to slow my descent as I neared the bottom of the mound. I was careful to avoid sending a spray of ash into the air because it could get into my lungs and cause some serious damage. I jumped off the mound right before reaching the ground and landed smoothly on the ash covered lake shore, staring straight at the beautiful lake city of Ashpoole. Kai had already reached the ground and was standing near the lake, admiring the scenery just like I was. I heard crumbling sounds from up above, probably Amy and Runir coming down the mound. Sure enough I heard a grunt and an annoying complaint and they soon joined us on the lake shore, staring at the city in the lake surrounded by ash. Kai sighed and murmured. “...it looks even better in person.” “What is it Kai?” Amy inquired. “Nothing.” He said, shaking his head. “Right, we better get moving. I can see the line outside the city from here.” The rest of us nodded. We could see a bunch of people crowding outside the city’s gates all the way to the start of the bridge. The bridge ran all the way across the lake, connecting the city to the opposite shore as well. But even though the lake and the bridge looked so beautiful, there was something wrong. There was a crowd of people outside the city but there was almost nobody on the bridge. “Halt! Please pay the bridge toll before passing!” said the guard sitting in a booth front of the bridge. Above him was a sign stating the bridge toll: 1 Tel per person. Kai walked over to the guard with a smile and reached for something inside his robes but I cut in front of him. “I’ve got this, guys.” I said, putting a silvery 5 Tel coin in front of the stern faced guard. The guard took the coin and gave me a small copper colored 1 Tel coin which I quickly palmed. I walked away humming a pleasant tune and the others looked at me dubiously before following. “You took all of his money didn’t you.” Runir said, sighing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I replied, grinning. Runir shook his head, Kai gave me a smile and Amy frowned but they didn’t say anything else as we crossed the bridge. The sound of water rippling in the wind mixed with my low hum as I looked at the ‘Money’ section of my Status screen, which had gone up quite a bit. Just as I was feeling happy about my newly found riches, we reached the crowd of people wanting to enter Ashpoole. Curious, I asked a middle aged lady why there were so many people outside the city but she didn’t know either. However, she did say that the line hadn’t moved for an hour and that it was unlikely that any of us could enter the city before nightfall. Frowning, I looked over at Runir but it didn’t seem like he had a solution either and Amy was already planning to make camp outside the city. But Kai smiled and walked straight through the crowd. And I mean, straight through the crowd. Whenever he approached someone, they seemed to shift just enough to get out of his way without even realizing the path they were clearing. I hurriedly exchanged glances with the others and we followed Kai through the mass of irritated people who didn’t even notice us as we cut ahead. Eventually, we reached the front of the crowd but by now, people had finally begun to notice how Kai had leisurely strolled to the front of the line. In fact, the tall, blonde haired guard that was carefully searching everyone by the gate was the first to notice him. Her eyebrows furrowed and she stepped in front of Kai just as he reached the front of the line. “Please present your identification documents and patiently wait to be searched. It is for the safety of the citizens, so please understand and obey.” said the guard. Kai smiled and pulled out something from his robes which made the blonde haired guard’s eyes go wide. “S-sir! It is an honor to be graced by your presence. Please forgive my earlier rudeness, please enter the city whenever you wish. I will immediately assign a guide to show you around.” she said, quickly kneeling. The murmuring crowd suddenly fell quiet. “That won’t be necessary, I’m just passing through.” Kai said, gesturing for the guard to stand up. “Oh right, these are my friends. I hope you can allow them passage as well.” “Of course sir.” “Thank you. Good day.” he said, walking into the city. I smiled wryly while we followed him. “Ah wait a moment sir!” said the guard. I turned around to face her since I was closest to her. She pulled something out of her Storage and raised it to my face. “If you see this person, please inform us immediately!” Cold sweat trickled down my spine as I saw the portrait in her hand. Black hair, blue eyes and a familiar, young face. Below the portrait, in bold black letters were written the words: “Wanted Alive; Lily Grayscale. Reward: 100000 Tel.” Fuck...

Nine hundred years of sadness and loneliness; that’s what I went through after Yunni died. I left the shrine because it reminded me of her, and roamed the world instead. I journeyed across the great desert of the Fire kingdom, crossed the plains and the plateau of the Light kingdom, and bathed in the lakes and the rivers of the Water kingdom. After my sisters finally reconciled their personal hatred, I even managed to soar up to the floating island of the Air kingdom, trekked across the Alderan wastes and the Twilight forest in the Dark kingdom, and climbed the lofty mountains of the Earth Kingdom. But no matter what I did, I was still sad, I was still alone. The only people I talked to were my sisters. My sisters were unusual but that was to be expected since they were goddesses. Fate had decreed that Solaron, the Light goddess, and Lunaris, the Dark goddess, would forever hate each other. Agua, the Water goddess, and I, the Fire goddess, were to support Solaron while Opal, the Earth goddess, and Breze, the Air goddess, were to support Lunaris. Whenever we saw a goddess from the other faction, our hearts would be filled with anger and hostility whereas coming upon a Goddess from our own faction made us feel calm and safe. But none of us wished to play Fate’s game, so we met on the Bridge of Babel and formed a pact, a pact to oppose Fate’s machinations. Although we couldn’t stop our followers from fighting, we resolved to, at the very least, reduce unnecessary casualties as much as possible and increase cooperation between the Dusk Alliance in the North and the Holy Union in the South. We adopted a unified calendar that began from the day we were released from the Haze and named the months after ourselves. A little narcissistic, I admit. Resisting Fate was difficult. I did not know what my sisters did to try to resist Fate, but I gave up long ago. Fate’s biggest curse to me was loneliness and I could find no cure for it. I dared not form bonds with any mortals, because their lives would be short like Yunni’s and they would be prone to untimely deaths, like Jeffi. My relationship with my sisters was cold and artificial. The positive emotions that I felt when I saw Solaron or Agua repulsed me nearly as much as the negative emotions I felt for Lunaris, Opal and Breze. Those emotions weren’t mine. They were what Fate wanted me to feel. The intrusiveness sickened me. And Fate had its dirty hands in many other places too. There were wars, famines, droughts, and floods. There were times when the people of Erath felt hope, only to have it come crashing down around their feet. The battles between the hero and the demon lord were the worst of all. If they encountered each other early on, the demon lord would make quick work of the hero and the damage would be minimal. But often, the hero would only fight the demon lord after they had grown to frightening levels. When that happened, there was carnage, destruction, and death. But then Lunaris began to act strangely, secluding herself in the Twilight Forest and rarely ever coming to our centennial meetings. Then, the demon lords stopped appearing. Before that time, the hero and the demon lord would usually deal enough damage to each other that other warriors would be able to finish the job, ensuring that neither side could win. But after the demon lord stopped appearing, the hero could wreak havoc on the Dusk Alliance with virtually no consequences. The bloodshed intensified and the Dusk Alliance was on the verge of collapsing. Strangely, my sisters, even those supporting the Dusk Alliance, were relieved since a victory for one side might finally remove the chains of Fate that bound us and end the senseless violence. But somehow, the Alliance managed to pull through every time. The hero would be killed by poison or a well-coordinated strike, or something of that sort, and the demon lord’s castle would remain untouched. Perhaps the geography of the dark kingdom made it harder for the hero to reach the demon lord’s castle. The only road to the demon lord’s castle ran between the Alderan wastes and the Twilight Forest, and since neither of those areas would allow for a large army to cross, ‘The Corridor’ saw many desperate battles and swallowed the lives of thousands of soldiers. My sister, Solaron of the Light, became concerned and asked me to train her heroes. At first I refused, since my self-imposed isolation forbade me from interacting with humans. But as the blood continued to flow and the fighting grew more bitter, I finally agreed to her request and the final plan for the severance of the chains of Fate, began. I came to the Light kingdom’s royal palace and entered the throne room when Solaron gave me the signal. Inside, the current king sat on his throne, addressing a little girl who looked around fifteen years old. Fading tear-lines scarred her face. She’d been crying. I met her eyes and saw the pain, the sorrow, and the anger within them. I couldn’t help but embrace her. - I taught her everything I could, but a month was not enough to teach her everything she needed to know. But, since I would be accompanying her on her journey and she was an impressively quick learner, I was sure that she would be able to perform her role properly. However, I could see the unwillingness in her eyes. How could I not? I had seen many eyes like those because of Fate’s interference. “What? You can’t find the hero?” said a voice from the hallway. “Search for her immediately! She tried to run away when she first arrived so she may have left the palace already! And go inform the King!” replied another voice. She left? I opened the window of my room and blasted off just as the door opened. - Fate reared its annoying head yet again as I found myself unable to find her. The goddesses couldn’t locate the hero or the demon lord, nor could they inform others of their identity. Luckily there were only so many ways down the plateau and I happened to find a short, black haired figure on a dirt road. I recognized her immediately and shot towards her. “Found you!” I shouted after finally finding her. She was the first person I had formed a bond with in a very long time and her absence made me anxious as I feared for her safety. A wave of relief washed over me as I confirmed that she was indeed, Lily Grayscale the hero, and I ran over to embrace her. But I soon sensed another presence in the vicinity; a dark-skinned youth standing under the sunlight. I had been so relieved at finally finding Lily that I hadn’t noticed him at all. I saw his status and bit my lips. He was the demon lord. The first person she met outside the palace was the demon lord. Was this Fate’s idea of a joke? I needed to get Lily away from him but I couldn’t tell her he was the demon lord. I tried to frighten him off but he wasn’t scared at all. And when Lily began to explain their plan to find a way home, a bitter taste crawled up my throat. The goddesses did not know how to send their summoned champions back to their own world. After all, that was the realm of Fate. The demon lord was lying to her, but why? Why didn’t he attack her like the other demon lords would have? I stared at the Demon Lord, Runir Candela, and tried to assess his personality. His eyes glittered with intelligence and his smile was chilling and malevolent. He was surely up to no good. But I could not forcibly take her away from there because the goddesses could not interfere with the battles between the demon lord and the hero. And this was a battle as well, a battle of wits. This demon lord was cunning, intelligent and almost certainly had a plan to deal with Lily. Of course, Lily was smart too, in her own way. I had learned that she was resourceful and possessed a remarkably resilient mind. Perhaps she could ruin this nefarious demon lord’s evil plan and achieve victory with her ‘street smarts,’ as she liked to call it. But I needed to be sure, so I accepted the demon lord’s offer to join him. With that, it was certain that he did not know that I was the Fire goddess. Of course, he could also have been aware of the restrictions of the goddesses and deemed that I was not a threat to his plans. But I was nine-hundred and ninety-eight years old, and my experience and wisdom would surely help Lily on her journey. I absolutely had to go with her. But I hesitated when he asked my name. I wasn’t sure if he knew the names of the goddesses, because even though they had been long since forgotten by most of the populace, some ancient documents may still have recorded them. So I gave him a fake name; Amy Genis. But then we heard a strange sound. It was something that I, who didn’t need to sleep, hadn’t heard since that night in the forest with Jeffi and Yunni all those years ago. Somebody was snoring. We followed the voice and then we met him. A strange purple robed, glasses wearing, dark haired boy lay sleeping under a tree among the bushes. I stared at his unkempt appearance and wondered what a boy like that was doing out alone in the forest. And then I appraised him just as he woke up. But I didn’t hear what he was saying because my heart had skipped a beat and my mind froze in shock. I couldn’t see his status. My sisters and I had long since reached the pinnacle of strength in this world. We were unparalleled existences in Erath and we had never encountered someone we couldn’t appraise. We could even see each other’s’ status and no skills or items could help their users hide their status from us. So when I couldn’t see this boy’s status, it threw everything I thought I knew about my world out the window. I woke up from my shock and heard him say with a smile, “...call me Kai.” - I was on guard all day as descended the plateau. I shot glances at the demon lord but he was no longer my greatest concern. The one who really made me wary was the purple robed boy humming an odd tune – Kai. He was completely unreadable. And that was frightening. “We should probably make camp for the night,” said Kai. Sleep? Well, at least he is human. We set about making camp as he pulled out materials from thin air. The space inside his Storage skill was surprising, it seemed almost comparable to the Inventories that the demon lords and heroes possessed. I cleared the ground as the demon lord set up a sleeping area outside the tent. For some reason, I felt like we wouldn’t be using either of those at all. Soon, Lily, Kai and I were standing around the fire, preparing dinner. Or rather, Lily helped Kai cook while I stared blankly and passed the ingredients. I had never learned to cook since goddesses didn’t need to eat. Lily seemed like an experienced cook but Kai was astonishingly good and the ingredients he pulled out of his Storage made even me gasp in surprise. By the time they were done, I couldn’t help but grab a plate and start gulping down mouthfuls of steaming red curry. I had tried eating food before, but the cuisine of our world hadn’t really developed that much. The only other time I had enjoyed a dish was when I ate something Solaron had made after learning the recipe from a former hero. However, this was on a completely different level. I asked for seconds as the sun went down over the horizon. - I didn’t need to sleep so I leaned against a tree and pretended to rest while keeping my guard up. From my position, I could see the Demon Lord tossing about in his sleeping bag and Lily lying curled up in hers. The tent stood completely ignored in the corner of the clearing since all of us had preferred to sleep under the open sky. I could also see Kai, who was supposed to be on watch, lying down beside the campfire with his eyes closed. Just what is he thinking? What if he fell asleep and some beast attacked Lily? I could never forgive such a mistake! However, I realized that he was aware of his surroundings when he called out to the demon lord who was leaving for some reason. Although I felt tempted to follow him and see what he was planning, it was more important to stay there and guard Lily. Just as I was debating whether to follow the Demon Lord, I heard a voice say, “Hey, I know you can’t fall asleep either so how about listening to a story? I promise it’ll be good. I’m very good at telling stories, trust me.” Neither I nor Lily responded but his lips still stretched into a small smile. “I’ll take that as a yes.” - I hid my eyes with my arm and looked up at the sky, trying to forget the story I had just heard. My head was flooded with emotions, mostly sadness. The story had been beautiful. It had been heartwarming enough to melt my heart but what flowed in the end wasn’t wax. All that, from a story about a candle.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead, immediately regretting it as streaks of dirt and grime spread across my face. I frowned and lifted my shirt to clean my face before realizing that that would ruin the shirt. I couldn’t let that happen because I’d prettied up just for today. I cleaned my face as best I could with the back of my hands while I walked down the busy street, getting jostled by strangers who didn’t even bat an eye as a short fifteen-year-old girl tried to push her way through the crowd. I was thinking about the plan while crossing the road and didn’t notice the truck barreling towards me. A loud horn spooked me and I jumped just as the truck rushed past. My heart was racing and I was panting, but I quickly calmed down, cursed the truck driver, and moved on. After all, the plan had to be executed. - I stopped outside a supermarket and looked around. I found the person I was waiting for and walked up to him. He was a skinny, brown haired boy wearing a grimy yellow t-shirt and patched up jeans but despite his impoverished appearance, Dusty’s eyes had a spark in them that couldn’t be found in your average beggar or street urchin. “Dusty,” I said, nodding towards him. “Not gonna gimme one of ya usual hugs huh Lily?” he said, smirking at me. “Course not, gotta stay clean today,” I replied, not really facing him while I spoke. No passerby would be able to tell that we knew each other. “Right, you go wait by the fire exit. I’ll meet you back at the den when we’re in the clear.” “Gotcha.” he said, moving towards the alley besides the supermarket. I walked towards the supermarket’s front door and took a deep breath. I was nervous. No matter how many heists I pulled, my heart would always go into overdrive. Well, maybe calling them ‘heists’ was a bit of a stretch, we just stole a little money and food. Most of the time. I took a deep breath and opened the door, plastering an innocent smile on my face. I walked through the aisles and stuffed a few snacks into my clothes. Kelly wanted cookies and Chen was crying for chocolate milk. Damn brats, they should be more grateful. I never had anyone to get me chocolate milk when I was growing up on the streets. I slightly chuckled as I grabbed some chocolate milk, thinking of the little boy’s reaction when he sees it. After grabbing everything I needed, I walked into the bathroom, stood on top of the toilet, and looked out through the air vent that we’d opened yesterday. “You there Dusty?” I whispered. “Yeah,” he replied, softly. I grinned, took out the stolen goodies, and threw them out the vent. After confirming that Dusty had gotten everything and getting him to promise to not give the goodies to the kids at the orphanage without me, I walked out of the bathroom. Another perfect heist by master thief Lilith Grayscale! I smiled complacently as I reached out to open the doors but suddenly, a strong hand grabbed hold of my wrist. My eyes widened and cold sweat formed on my back as I realized that the man who had grabbed me was the shopkeeper. “Now where are ya off ta in such a hurry, lil miss shoplifter?” He revealed a mouth full of crooked yellow teeth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just looking around,” I said, trying to pull my hand from his grip. “Now, now missy. No need ta lie. After all, yer lil friend told us everything.” I stopped struggling. “What do you mean?” “Ye shoulda checked who you was stealin from missy. This is the Gecko gang’s turf and they don’t take kindly ta dirty lil urchins takin their stuff. The boy was smart ta tell us bout ya in exchange fer membership in the gang. ‘Course, there’s no tellin what happens ta him.” He dragged me to the back of the supermarket. The other shoppers didn’t seem to notice that a large, middle aged man was dragging a little girl to a room alone. I tried to shout for help but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. After all, who would help a random street urchin like me in the middle of gang territory? I struggled in vain but my eyes lit up as I saw something in front of me. I quickly grabbed it and smashed it onto the shopkeeper’s hand. “Fu-” The man released my wrists and held his bleeding arm with his other hand. I quickly tossed aside the broken soda bottle and ran towards the exit. A terrible pain pierced my shoulder and I fell on the ground. The impact with the ground knocked the wind out of my lungs and my eyes started swimming. I barely managed to make out a few figures standing over me, just as the shopkeeper made his way back to me. He cursed and spat on me. He started kicking me in front of the store in broad daylight. But nobody gave a damn. Surprisingly, after the first kick, I didn’t feel much pain. In fact, my thoughts wandered to what the shopkeeper had said when he first grabbed me. Dusty... the little fucker... selling me out to the Geckos... Soon, the pain I felt at Dusty’s betrayal surpassed the pain of the kicks. But as my consciousness slipped, my vision didn’t start going dark. It went white. And that reminded me of something more painful than anything else... Snow drifting in the cold, winter winds... A woman shivering on the ground... A little girl shaking the woman, crying out to her, promising to get her some food... The woman’s eyes losing their light as she gave the girl one last smile... And more snow drifting in the wind as the girl wept over the woman’s body. - “Congratulations child!” said a voice. Even though it sounded gentle, it made goosebumps pop up on my skin. Huh? What happened? Where am I? I opened my eyes and my vision became so white I couldn’t see anything. Although the bright light didn’t hurt my eyes, I still closed them because it reminded me of… snow. I was exposed and vulnerable, and it made me uncomfortable. I’d learned to avoid standing out on the streets, or else I’d get beaten and all my stuff would get stolen. Some of my friends had even been raped. I was lucky. I learned quickly and I adapted. “Welcome Hero! I know that you are confused right now, but I am certain that I can dispel your unease and answer all of your questions!” This voice, what does it want from me? “Please let me go. I didn’t do it! Please!” I said, trying to make myself sound as pitiful as possible. “Child, you are not in trouble. In fact, all your troubles are over! This is a new beginning for you, an opportunity to live a life of honor and dignity!” “What do you mean?” “Child, try to remember what happened.” I did, and a flood of awful memories and emotions slammed into me. I winced as I remembered the pain. “I apologize, my remarks were insensitive.” That didn’t sound apologetic at all. I frowned. “Did I die?” “No child, your soul was summoned here while you were on the brink of death. And now you have the honor of being a hero!” “No, I don’t like standing out. It gets me beaten up and I don’t like getting beaten up.” “Alas child, there is nothing I can do about this. Fate has decreed that you will be the new hero, destined to vanquish the evil demon lord or die trying. Even I cannot oppose Fate child.” “Who are you anyway?” I asked. “I am the Light goddess.” “Never heard of her.” “Well, you will hear of me on Erath. Now, because you took so long to wake up, it’s almost time for you to leave.” Finally, this stupid light’s hurting my eyes! I blinked and rubbed my eyes. “Nonsense! My holy light cannot harm you!” Sure, sure, whatev- wait, you can hear my thoughts? “Of course, child, how else do you think we were communicating? You haven’t moved your lips since you arrived.” Shit. - A bright flash of light filled my vision. Thankfully, it began fading within moments. A bunch of people in white robes surrounded me. I was in the center of the circle, the center of the room. Everyone stared at me. I panicked. I was standing out way too much. “Mighty hero! Thank you for answering our summons!” said a white robed man as he fell on his knees. The others kneeled as well. My heart skipped a beat. I ran. The white robed figures were too stunned to stop me so I quickly passed through them. I was just about to reach an open window when a large, armored knight stepped in front of me. I tried to turn around but I couldn’t do so in time and got caught gruffly. I struggled for a bit before going limp. “P-please let me go. I didn’t do it, I swear!” My eyes started getting moist. “Do not be alarmed, mighty hero,” said a voice behind me. The knights turned so I could see the person who was speaking. He was a partially bald, middle aged man with brown hair and a short, well-trimmed beard. He sat on a shiny white throne and wore a white cape and crown. I stared at him for a bit and then observed the room. After noticing the glowing stones around the hall, the swords on people’s hips, the medieval attire they were wearing as well as the person who was obviously a king, I stood stunned for a few seconds before accepting the situation. I’d always been good at adapting. Seeing the change in my expression, the king ordered the knights to release me. “Hero, I apologize for our rudeness and hope that you can forgive us. However, it is of paramount importance that you listen to our request. Our lives and the lives of our people depend on it!” the king passionately said. I swept the room with my gaze. After mapping the place inside my head, I nodded. “Mighty hero! The detestable Dusk Alliance has summoned a vile demon lord to lead their forces of evil against us. But we of the Holy Union could not stand by and let evil prevail, so we summoned you, our greatest champion, in the hope that you would lend us your strength. Please, I beg of you, help us!” There were quite a few murmurs and mutterings when the king begged me to help but I ignored them. “What do I get?” I asked, nonchalantly. “Beg your pardon?” The king gaze me a puzzled look. “If I were to help you, what would I get in turn?” Some of the people in the room gave me angry glances but I ignored them. “Satisfaction? Honor? Dignity?” “I can’t eat any of that.” “Hero, is serving the goddess and saving lives not an honor in itself?” I shook my head. The king made a worried face. “Ah, of course! We will give you a large sum to aid you in your journey and besides, with your strength, earning money should not be an issue. And if we win, great riches and rewards will obviously be bestowed upon you!” I thought for a moment before nodding. “Splendid! Now, initially the hero was supposed to leave for their journey as soon as they were summoned, but we have long since decided to train the hero for at least a month before they can leave, to ensure they are strong enough to survive.” Perfect! I can run away and hide until I can understand this world better. “Of course, we will be providing an experienced teacher and bodyguard to protect and train you.” He gestured to the door behind him as a tall, red haired young woman stepped out from inside the other room. She stared at me and I stared back. Then she walked over and hugged me for some reason. The fuck is going on? - King Seleo smiled a bitter smile as he thought of the Hero they had summoned this time. The goddess had found a truly troublesome child. The hero grew at an astonishing rate, even for a hero, but her personality was incredibly troublesome. She tried to hide whenever she could, stole food whenever she could get away with it and always asked for money and items with a pitiful look on her face. The king shook his head and sighed. “Your Highness! The hero, she-” A messenger rushed in. A cold sweat went down King Seleo’s back. “What happened?” “Your Highness, the hero- we can’t find her anywhere! She’s gone!” “What?” the King exclaimed. “Where could she-” “Your Majesty, your majesty!” Another messenger rushed in. “What now?” “The sacred equipment, it’s- it’s gone!” The messenger panted. The King’s mind blanked for a second before an uneasy smile appeared on his face. The King knew Fate would direct the hero to her destiny eventually, so he wasn’t surprised she left unannounced. In fact, he was happy she at least had the sense to take the sacred equipment with her. Only, how did she leave even though he’d stationed tens of guards all over the palace and especially around her room? Moreover, a high-class barrier surrounded the sacred equipment. How did she...? The king shook his head. This hero... was truly quite troublesome.

11.0 Candela_Chapter 2: Queen’s Gambit Void Ray! A beam shot out of my hand towards the giant spider monster hanging on the branches above. It didn’t even get a chance to cry out before its head was pierced by the beam. Strangely, no blood flowed out from the hole in the monster’s head, even when it fell onto the ground with a loud thud. Ping! Ah, I leveled up again! Finally hit level 200. Can’t stay here for much longer, it’s getting tougher to raise my level in this forest. I walked away from the monster’s corpse, thinking about the week I had spent here. Although I could only hide and pick off the smaller monsters for the first couple of days, I’d soon become strong enough to hunt most of the monsters in the forest. After all, this was the world of my favorite game, so I remembered all the spells and their effects. Besides, I always chose the demon lord route anyways so I knew exactly how it worked. If I remember correctly, level 200 was good enough to beat the main story-line but I should probably aim for at least level 300, since the secret bosses are insanely strong. And then I’ll go claim my army! Iya ha ha ha! ...It’s a good thing I only laugh inside my head. - A young man stood on a balcony. His long black hair flew in the air as a gentle breeze brushed by. At the moment, the young man’s deep blue eyes were gazing off into the distance. His face was a sculpture; perfectly crafted and devoid of all emotion. Thus, although he looked like he was barely twenty years old, he gave off the air of a great scholar or sage. Suddenly, there was a loud boom in the distance. The young man frowned and turned his gaze towards the sound. Just as he moved closer to the edge of the balcony someone knocked on the door outside his room. “Come in,” he said. “Sir! I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, but someone just smashed through the city gates!” said a knight wearing a set of steel armor, as she saluted him. The man frowned. The city gates were enhanced with magic and protected by the elite guard, destroying them was no easy feat. There was another loud boom, even closer this time. The knight ran out into the hallway. There were a few crashes, groans, and cries of pain before everything went quiet. The young man still stood on the balcony but his gaze was locked onto the door which the knight had left open. A figure clad in swirling black robes slowly walked into the room. “I am the Demon General Azoth. I would ask who you are but I already know,” the young man said as he kneeled. The figure observed the kneeling young man, but didn’t respond. The clouds covering the moon shifted, bathing the room in silver moonlight. Azoth looked up and saw a young, expressionless face. He realized that the face belonged to someone even younger than he did but what surprised him even more was that this person’s face was impenetrable. He couldn’t glean the tiniest bit of information from it. “Welcome, oh great Demon Lord,” he said, bringing his gaze to the floor. The dark robed teenager didn’t respond, but when Azoth raised his head to look at him again, a shiver went down his spine. Even though his face remained expressionless, for some reason, Azoth felt as if he was smiling. - I sat on a chair at the end of a large oval shaped table. Eight people surrounded the longer, curved sides of the table and on the opposite end facing me sat the man who had introduced himself as Demon General Azoth. “Your majesty, on behalf of your loyal citizens and the Ministry, I once again congratulate you on your safe arrival,” said a tall, bald headed knight wearing a set of glistening black armor. “It is truly fortunate that His Majesty managed to reach us safely, the previous demon lords all died mysterious and untimely deaths, leaving us at the mercy of the hero. In fact, if it wasn’t for the oracles informing us of their deaths, we would have assumed that the demon lords were not being summoned anymore,” said the fat mustachioed man to my right. They know that the demon lords get summoned but they claim to not know how they keep dying. Didn’t that annoying voice say that most of the previous demon lords were killed by the demon army? “Now that our liege has arrived, we can finally return the favor to those filthy Light kingdom savages!” spat the middle aged woman on my left. “Long live the demon lord!” “Lead us to victory sire!” “Crush the hero!” The people on the sides of the table started cheering and shouting. “Sire, we have prepared a report on the state of the army and we can have them ready to set out in a fortnight,” said the old white haired lady sitting beside the bald, dark armored knight as she placed a file in front of me. “With His Majesty leading us, how could we possibly fail?” “Those savages will regret challenging us!” “We can finally avenge our fallen comrades!” “All hail His Majesty the demon lord!” They cheered again. Lead the army? Do they want me to fight on the front lines or something? Do they want to get me killed or are they just incredibly stupid? I mentally frowned. At first I was surprised by how the Demon Lord’s long absences and untimely deaths had led the people of the kingdom to form the democratically elected “Ministry,” and I was sure the Ministry had something to do with the previous Demon Lords’ deaths but these people were far too stupid to be a threat to anyone but a hot-blooded battle junkie. I raised my hand a little and they all stopped cheering. I smiled inside my head and Azoth on the other end flinched. Interesting, it’s like he can see my smile even though I’m only smiling inside my head. Well, I guess there’s no point in hiding it then. A small grin broke out on my face again and this time they all flinched. I picked up the report and tore it straight down the middle. “M-my lord, was it not to your liking? I’ll immediately compile a new one-” said the old woman but I raised my hand and she stopped. I swept my gaze over them. Now, I’m sure. These guys are just a bunch of stupid politicians. I stared at Azoth on the other end of the table. I nodded, indicating that he should speak. He hesitated then said, “My Lord, I believe the best course of action for now would be for you to leave to a safe place.” Oh? Concerned for my safety, are you? I frowned. “I meant no disrespect of course, I am certain that you possess the strength to protect yourself but the previous demon lords were strong as well. Yet, they died and we don’t know who or what killed them. Therefore, it would be wise for you to hide and increase your strength, sire.” This is confusing. If I become stronger, wouldn’t I be an even greater threat to his power? Does he only wish to retain his power for a little longer, perhaps intending to prepare for a way to deal with me upon my return? Or does he plan to get rid of me when I’m out of the public eye? Just another demon lord dying an unfortunate death. I grinned again and Azoth’s face paled. I pointed at him. “Play with me.” - I raised my hand and brought it back down onto the board. “d4.” Azoth frowned as he gazed at the pawn I had just moved. “I’m surprised you have chess in this world though,” I said, looking at him while crossing my legs underneath the short table. “Yes, it was derived from a defensive mechanism in the original demon lord’s castle.” “Oh, I thought that might be the case. I’ve always wanted to play chess on a giant board like that, is it still around?” “No, although it was a death trap, it was a terrible defensive mechanism. The first hero just smashed through it and we never saw the point in fixing it afterwards.” “Pity, I wanted our game to be grander. After all, you’re the first person I’ve spoken to in years.” Apart from an annoying voice that spoke inside my head of course, I thought. “I am flattered.” “Sure you are.” I smirked. He finally moved his hands, hovering above a pawn before picking it up and placing it in front of mine. “c4” My fingers started tapping on the table. “So what do you think I intend to do here?” “Lead the army to crush the Holy Union or set out to conquer a dungeon?” “Oh? And why do you think I would do something so dangerous?” Azoth frowned. “Your Majesty, that is what most of the demon lords have done in the past. After all, the hero’s growth is supposed to start slowly but become much faster than your own later on. It is therefore advisable for you to set out to increase your power quickly and crush the Light Kingdom before the hero becomes more formidable.” I looked at him but his face was unreadable. “Tell me Azoth, why must we go to war?” I said. He gave me a confused look before replying, “For the same reason the people of the Dusk Alliance cannot harm you nor disobey your commands, sire. It is Fate.” “Fate?” I frowned. “I’m surprised that someone as smart as you would say something so irrational. I for one, like to make my own fate.” I moved another piece on the board. “d5.” He stared at me pensively. “Your Majes-” “And stop it with the Your Majesty crap. Call me Runir, Runir Candela.” “Very well Yo- Runir, it seems that the ancient documents were correct. The people of your world are not confined by Fate the way we are. For us, Fate is an inviolable existence that binds us all to our positions and roles. Much like this game.” He gestured towards the chess board. “The pieces move at the behest of the player, each unable to escape the shackles of their role. Even the strongest of us are just pieces.” “I see. And how does this analogy explain your hatred of me?” I leaned closer to him. “Hatred? No Y- Runir, I do not hate you. After all, you’re just the Queen. A powerful piece yes, but a piece nonetheless.” “Oh, I’m the Queen? Well then, who’s the King?” “The Goddess, of course.” He said, leaning back in his chair. “The Goddess?” I frowned. “I assumed she was the player.” “Sadly no. She is at once the most powerful and the most restricted piece on the board. Most of the population believes that the Goddesses made this world and that the wars are a result of their internal arguments. But the ancient documents state otherwise. The Goddesses are mere pieces as well.” “...I see. But that begs the question, who is the player then?” “That would be Fate. Fate prevents the Goddesses from killing humans or interfering in our wars. Fate compels the hero and the demon lord to fight each other to the death. And Fate prevents those who wish to prevent war and needless bloodshed from doing what must be done to stop it.” “And what must be done to stop the wars?” “Kill the hero and the demon lord of course. Well, the hero isn’t compelled to go to war, they are merely compelled to defeat the Demon Lord, so perhaps killing them isn’t necessary. One would also have to eradicate the royal families of each of the kingdoms to really stop the war, but the demon lord, they must die for peace.” “I see. Do you know how the other demon lords died?” “The earliest demon lords died in battle, mostly at the hands of the hero. Some were assassinated while a few committed suicide. The last twenty-three, however, died mysterious deaths that even I am not aware of.” “Does Fate prevent you from lying to me?” “Yes, no human from the Dusk Alliance can betray you, even to the extent of a lie.” “Ah that reminds me! Why do we call ourselves the Demon army or the Demon general and so on, when we’re all just ordinary humans? Wouldn’t it help our public image if we were called the Justice army or something?” “Fate compels us-” “Yeah, yeah. Fate. Well Fate shouldn’t be a problem in my case.” “What do you mean?” I grinned. “I’m going to focus on governing the kingdom for now.” “Your Ma-Runir, I don’t think you understand. The demon lord’s Fate is to conquer the Holy Union or die trying. You cannot resist Fate-” I raised my hand to silence him. “I never said I wasn’t going to conquer the Holy Union. I just don’t want to fight a long, bloody war. You see, in my world, wars aren’t fought by large armies running into each other on a plain. No, it’s time for some modern warfare.” I grinned. “Your move.” We considered each other for a moment. Then he moved his pawn to c4, toppling my piece with a flick.

At first I felt nothing. No heat, no cold. No pain, no joy. No sorrow, no happiness. I had my senses but I was behind a veil. I could see, I could touch, I could listen, I could smell and if I’d ever eaten anything, I’m sure I could taste, but I just couldn’t process any of it. I didn’t care about anything, as if I was perpetually indifferent. Of course, I always carried out my duties, but in retrospect, those duties seem very strange. I blessed anyone that came to my shrine or healed anyone that came to my church, but almost nobody ever came. I vaguely remember blessing a knight covered in glowing armor or healing a shadowy figure wearing robes. But no ordinary people ever came to my shrine or to my churches. Even the priests and the priestesses only prayed to me whenever the shining knight or the shadowy figure spoke to them, and they never asked to be healed or blessed. They were as indifferent as I was. Yet I never thought about any of this at the time because it didn’t matter to me. Nothing mattered to me. All I cared about was fulfilling my duties. But sometimes, I’d feel a change in my existence. As if someone was tampering with my soul. But then again, maybe I didn’t have a soul back then? I can barely remember any of this, because these memories are vague, indistinct, and hazy. I couldn’t even tell the time back then, so I don’t know how long that state lasted. A few days? A few months? A few years? A few centuries? I didn’t know and I didn’t care. But then something happened. A prickling sensation crept up my toes, and went up my body all the way to my head. For the first time ever, I felt something: a cold, hard surface touching the tips of my toes. Then something gently brushed past my back. Something with a smooth, silky texture rippled across my skin. A slight chill engulfed me, but it was soon replaced by warmth. Warmth that came from my own body. I could sense something else too. Something fresh and sweet that drifted into my lungs with each breath I took. Mesmerized, I stood in the same pose that I’d always stood in and explored my newly discovered senses. Although sight wasn’t a new sense for me, everything I saw was sharper and more distinct, and the colors livelier. The red tiled floor, the red walls, the red ceiling, the red curtains, and the red stone pedestal that I was standing on made the entire room pulse with an aggressive energy that captivated me. Red; such a powerful color. A while later, I felt a familiar sensation. Someone was calling me from the bottom of the tower. Is someone seeking my blessing? No, this feeling isn’t coming from the shrine. It’s coming from somewhere else. I frowned. I sensed the direction from where the feeling came, but I didn’t know what lay there. Whenever I’d felt this sensation before, my vision would blur for a moment after which I would be inside a church or the shrine but this time, nothing happened. And then I felt another similar feeling. And then another. And another. And another. Soon, I felt as if someone was trying to pull my soul in a million different directions but surprisingly, I felt no pain. In fact, every pull made me stronger and sturdier and my senses become even more potent and refined. Ping! I fell off the pedestal. What was that? Ping! There it is again! I heard the sound a few more times but soon, there was only silence. Those were the first sounds I’d ever heard. Even when the shining knight or the shadowy figure prayed to me or asked for my blessing, I never heard anything. Their intentions just came to my mind. Even when I responded to them, I never actually said anything. Ping! This time, not only did I hear a sound, I also saw something strange. A pale red square hung in the corner of my eye before slowly fading away. Worried that it would soon vanish, I tried to touch it. However, as soon as that thought crossed my mind, the square expanded and filled the lower half of my vision. Level up! Aia Genrion Ignis has reached level 354! Required experience to reach next level: 39400517 Although I somehow understood that ‘Aia Genrion Ignis’ was my name, I couldn’t understand anything else. Confused, I ignored this new information for now and willed the screen to disappear. Ping! This is starting to become annoying. Is it possible to stop it? Surprisingly, it worked. Although the pale red square in the corner of my eye remained, the annoying sound no longer came. I waited for a little while and when I was certain that I wouldn’t hear it again, I began thinking about what to do next The thin, red curtains covering the window were fluttering in the wind, so I walked over and pulled them aside. Bright light flooded in, blinding me for a few seconds until I gradually got used to it. A clear blue sky, with a glowing yellow sun shone above my head. Down below, rows of red buildings lined a lighter red road that led up to the tower that I was standing in. A lot of tiny, red-robed figures were running around. A few of them seemed to be walking in a daze and a handful weren’t moving at all. In fact, they seemed to be looking at the tower, or maybe, at me? Some of the tugs I was feeling seemed to be coming from these figures. Someone moved towards the large, bright red doors on the far side of the road and pushed them open, allowing several other red-robed figures to enter. A smaller version of that door was on the other side of the room I was in. The door was covered in strange runes and symbols that I couldn’t understand at all, but rather than being impressed, I shrugged them off as gibberish. I approached the door like the figure down below had done, and pushed. The doors glowed brightly as angry red sparks flew out from their center. They rumbled and scraped the floor before opening. I hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep breath and walking down the stairs behind the door. - Why would anyone build such a pointlessly long staircase? After walking all the way down the pointlessly long staircase, I encountered another door like the one upstairs. There seemed to be voices on the other side so I stopped for a little while, trying to listen to what they were saying. “...miracle...must be...divine...pray...gratitude...go up...impudence...wait...she expects...praise be to...should we...maybe...fools...heretic...how dare...let go...how dare...why you...stop it...interfere...unsightly...” Unable to understand what they were saying, I approached the door and pressed my ear to it, hoping it would help. Sparks flew, the door glowed bright red and I was suddenly looking at a group of red-robed men and women frozen in the middle of a brawl. A young blonde-haired woman had her hands around the neck of a fat middle aged man. A black haired young man was pulling on a white haired old man’s beard and a short, bald man was trying to force the boy to let go. And of course, I stood with an ear pointing towards them in a pose that obviously betrayed the fact that I was eavesdropping on them. Feeling awkward, I quickly stood up and accidentally struck the same pose I’d made on the stone pedestal upstairs. Immediately, all the red robed figures fell to their knees and bowed. “Oh, great one! We humbly express our gratitude for your benevolence. Praise be to the Fire Goddess, master of the raging flames!” - I sat on an elaborately decorated red chair in the shrine’s gathering area. It was a large hall filled with rows of wooden benches facing the stage where I was sitting. I soon learned everyone had experienced the same hazy state of existence as well as the sudden liberation of their body and senses. Since they were listening to everything I said, I decided to have them all gather together so we could discuss all that had happened. Judging by their endless praises and heartfelt gratitude, they seemed to believe that I had released them from that hazy state of existence and I didn’t deny it because I wasn’t sure if I had. After we collected some more information, I found out about the status window. It was a pale red screen like the one I had seen that described your physical and mental condition. Although merely expressing the desire to check your condition would also open the status window, thinking of the term status window or status would open it more easily. After a few tests, we learned that a person’s level corresponded to their overall power. Also, it seemed that my level was absurdly high, because the highest level that anybody else had was 11. Your title was your position in society. Even the servants had titles like: servant of the Fire Goddess’ shrine. Moreover, everyone had a unique ability that nobody else seemed to have. I had the ability Wrath of Ignis, however, some of the less fortunate people around me had abilities like Celestial Firewood Collection or Mastery of Tongue Twisters. As I sat listening to more people share their experiences, I suddenly felt a powerful pull towards my right. It was so strong that I was sure that I would be physically pulled in that direction if I even thought about it... Oh... I crashed through the walls and sped towards the forest outside the shrine, leaving behind the stunned the priests and priestesses that sat on the wooden benches below the stage. I traveled so fast that everything was a blur. I crashed into trees and boulders and felt a dull pain in my right shoulder, which bore the brunt of my collisions. By the time I finally stopped, I was so dizzy and disoriented that I stumbled and fell on the ground. It’s all hazy again... When my vision cleared, I saw a little boy with an even younger girl in his arms. They stared at me in shock but quickly recovered and looked behind me fearfully. I followed their gazes and saw hazy black smoke blowing in the wind. Yet no matter how hard the wind blew, the smoke didn’t move at all. What is it? Unbelievably, I felt as if the smoke was looking at me. And then, I saw it move. I was surprised, but another thought came into my mind. Why am I surprised by this? Why do I feel like smoke shouldn’t be acting like this even though I’ve never seen smoke before? Wait, why do I even know what smoke is? However, this was just one of many similar questions that had popped into my mind today. Why did I know about these things despite not knowing when or where I learned them? Or who I learned them from? While I was lost in my thoughts, the boy pushed the girl behind him and glared at me and the living smoke. The smoke moved, seemingly provoked by the child’s actions. However, I didn’t feel any malice or ill intent from it. In fact, the smoke seemed reluctant. As if it couldn’t help but move towards us despite its true desires. Confused, I asked: “What are you trying to do?” The living smoke stopped. Bubbles of air started erupting from its surface and it emitted a soft, gurgling sound. Was it trying to say something? The little children behind me started quivering in fear and before I could stop them, tried to run away. The smoke stopped making noises and flew towards the children, passing through a tree branch on the way. Something tightened in my chest. The branch withered and died. I rushed in between the smoke and the children just as it almost touched the little boy. A wave of coldness washed over me, followed by a stifling pain in my lungs. I gasped for air while flailing about, but the pain intensified and soon, I couldn’t breathe at all. What...what is this? My lungs constricted and my vision grew blurry. It’s all...hazy again...I don’t...I don’t want...to feel that way again. But no matter how I thrashed about, my lungs refused to take in air and my body grew colder and colder. And then... I couldn’t feel anything. For a very brief moment, I felt like I was back on that stone pedestal in the room at the top of the tower. I was behind a veil again, aware of my senses and of my existence but unable to move, unable to feel. I panicked but my panic soon gave way to anger. I was angry at the smoky creature that reminded me of that time. Angry at the children who had called me to this place. Angry at myself for my inability to fight against this feeling of helplessness. And angry at the haze and whatever or whoever it was that had made me experience it. There was a blinding flash of red light and a powerful pulse of heat went through my body, driving out the cold. Tremendous power coursed through my body. I opened my eyes and saw a world painted in red. Or rather, everything I saw had a red tint to it. I looked up, and saw a frightened face. The boy had tears in his eyes and he seemed to be clinging onto my clothes. The girl was hiding behind the boy, but I was sure she was crying as well. I turned and saw the smoke creature a few feet away from me. It seemed to be trembling. The sight made me happy for some reason but there was another emotion in my heart, one that overpowered everything else at the moment. Anger. I rushed over to the living smoke and punched, but my fist just went straight through it, making me angrier. It tried to escape but I followed it easily. I kept trying to punch it but my fists went through it and hit the ground or a tree or a boulder. Although the ground was full of craters and the trees and the boulders lay in pieces, I didn’t manage to hit the shadow at all. No! I will not give up on my revenge! You dared to confine me! You dared to imprison me! I will never forgive you! Never! I roared, letting out my anger and frustration. I felt a vague power on the edge of my senses and intuitively grasped it. A bright red flame emerged on my fists as I punched at the living smoke again. Although I didn’t feel like I’d hit anything with my fists, I knew that I had done it. Sure enough, as the dust settled, the living smoke lay in the crater that I had just created. It slowly dissipated, leaving a small black ball in the center of the crater. Breathing heavily, I looked at the crater for a long time before my anger subsided. However, as my anger disappeared, so did my strength and I instantly collapsed onto the ground. An indistinct sound came from the distance. A blurry figure reached out to me, but I couldn’t feel anything. I was behind the veil again. Everything was hazy. But soon, everything went black. I was unconscious, but I felt relieved. At least I wasn’t caught in the haze again.

I felt a throbbing pain in my head. I couldn’t see anything. My eyes were open but I still couldn’t see anything. It was like the whole world had been consumed by darkness and there was nothing I could do to light it up. I was the Hero. The embodiment of Light. The embodiment of Hope, Faith, Love and Kindness. But now all I could feel was despair. I was suffocating. I could breathe but I was still suffocating. Sharp pains tore through my lungs as if I’d inhaled tiny shards of glass. The suffocating darkness was everywhere. Both inside and outside me. In fact, it was amazing that I was still alive. Or maybe that wasn’t a good thing? Well, it didn’t matter anymore. I’d die here soon enough. I’d die alone in a world of darkness. In a world of despair. In a world of ash. It would be a quiet death. I couldn’t struggle, couldn’t make a sound. And the world was silent anyway. The Hero was going to die beneath a wall of ash but nobody made a sound. The world didn’t shake in agony or wrath. No god descended to save me. I didn’t suddenly find some hidden talent or strength that would let me burst through the darkness. I was Lily Grayscale. A lowly street urchin. A friendless orphan. A pitiable thief. I was no Hero. I was just… me. In that quiet world of suffocating darkness and despair, I lay perplexed. Was I happy that I was going to die? I’d never wanted to be a Hero. I’d never wanted to be in the spotlight. I liked being in the shadows. To go by unnoticed. So perhaps this was a fitting death. I’d die all alone in the dark. A fitting end for a person like me. My thoughts went silent, mimicking the silence of the world around me as I waited for my death. But in that world of suffocating darkness, despair and silence, I heard something. A whisper that I could barely make out. “......rewrite” The darkness, the despair, the silence, it all vanished like a bad dream. I looked around to see two brown haired children lying against the wall, a red haired girl lying frozen on the ground and a black haired boy glaring at someone wearing purple robes and really tacky glasses. “H-hey Kai,” I said, barely managing to squeeze out the words. “Hmm?” he replied, fixing his glasses. “Fuck you.” - “So he’s gone?” asked Runir. “Yeah, looks like it. Disintegrated into a trillion pieces. All that ash you guys were covered with came from his body, after all,” replied Kai. “Damn, that’s nasty,” Runir said, grimacing. “Where did it all go though?” I asked. “It’s a secret,” said Kai. I frowned but decided to let it slide for now. “Amy, are you planning on sleeping on the ground tonight?” I asked, looking at the red haired girl still lying frozen on the ground. She didn’t respond. I frowned and was just about to walk to her when the cold sound of metal grating against steel assaulted my ears. I turned around and saw Runir raising his sword above the little girl lying against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing?” I shouted. “They’re monsters. My Ability is telling me to kill them,” he replied, swinging his sword. “But they’re kids!” I exclaimed, rushing over to try to stop him. A red blur passed by me. I heard the sound of clashing swords as Amy appeared in front of Runir. “What are you doing?” Runir asked frowning. Amy grunted and pushed him back then brandished her sword. “They are children,” Amy said, sternly. “They’re monsters. Judging by what I’ve heard about the Ashfiend, they must have tortured, mutilated and murdered countless people. And they aren’t likely to change,” he replied, coldly. A chill crept down my spine. “They must have done that because their dad. I’ve heard about this sorta thing before. Serial killers teaching their kids their methods and the kids growing up to carry on their parents’ work. We just have to teach them properly. We can save them. They don’t have to be like their dad or get punished because of what he did,” I said. Runir stared at me. “Maybe if we were on Earth, we could send them to a correctional facility or give them psychiatric help. But this world doesn’t have any of that. Besides, there’s a bigger problem,” he said. “What?” I asked. “Fate,” Amy answered. I frowned. “Fate? You don’t really believe in that kinda bullshit, do you?” I asked. “No one can resist Fate. Not even the Goddesses,” she replied, her eyes downcast. “So what? Just because they were born to a murderer, they’re supposed to be evil? What kind of fucked up logic is that?” I said. “You still don’t get it Lily. They’re monsters. If we let them go, they’ll kill more people and unlike us, they won’t have a crazy cheater like Kai to rescue them from Pompeii!” said Runir. “Well actually, the crazy cheater would like to say something,” Kai interjected, walking closer. “Well it’s not like I can stop you...” Runir muttered. “You keep calling them monsters but, technically, they’re human,” he continued. Runir frowned. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Their statuses say they’re human.” “You can see their race?” I was startled too. I’d never seen anyone’s race in their status. In fact, I’d never seen my own race in my Status screen either. “Oh, can’t you? I’m pretty sure Amy can see it too. Amy, these two are human children, aren’t they?” Kai said, gesturing to the unconscious kids. “Yes,” she said, nodding. “But they’re still murderers. You’ve seen their Titles and their Ability haven’t you?” Runir said. I looked at them, noticing that they were sleeping peacefully while we decided whether they should ever be allowed to wake up at all. And their Title was making it really hard to let them go. Especially because Altis’ Title had changed... ‘Title: 14th Generation Ashfiend. Compelled to attack outsiders that intrude upon their territory, the Ashfiend grows stronger by devouring the souls of its prey.’ And their Ability gave me goosebumps. ‘Ability: Soul Devourer V.24. Suck the souls of one’s prey and consume them to strengthen one’s self. The taste of souls is addictive, compelling one to devour more. Gain in strength is proportional to the strength of the devoured soul.’ I bit my lips. “It’s still not their fault that they were born like this,” I said. “Fault? I don’t blame them for their actions but the fact of the matter is, they are going to kill people and they are going to suck the souls right out of their victims. Unless of course, we kill them,” he said, glaring at me. “So you don’t think they’re evil?” said Kai. “No,” said Runir, his voice barely above a whisper. “They’re just unlucky.” “I see. Hey Lily?” Kai said, turning towards me. “Yeah?” I said, taken aback by his sudden shift in focus. “You spent time with Altis, didn’t you? Didn’t she seem kind and caring? Didn’t she love her family dearly. In fact, at the time, she seemed like an ordinary little girl, didn’t she?” he asked. “Yeah,” I said, recalling our trip across the city. “She was… is a good girl.” “So after you got to know her, you ended up liking her. And even now that you know that she’s a murderer and that she eats souls, you’d still say that you liked her. So it doesn’t matter who or what she is. She’s still your friend,” he said, with a smile. “And you don’t want to kill your friend just because of their Title or Ability, do you?” Runir’s face twitched. “Y-you...” he stammered before biting his lips. “Fine. Let’s go.” He sheathed his sword and left the alley. Amy glanced at the kids before walking over and dropping a pouch next to them. She then followed Runir out of the alley. I walked up to them, intending to heal their injuries with Light magic but realized they were completely healed. I thought for a moment then placed an old shield on the ground before walking away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kai glance at the kids sleeping against the wall. I saw him turn around while saying something under his breath. He walked ahead of me as I looked back at the kids one last time. Altis was lying against the wall, a small smile on her lips and she was mumbling something I couldn’t hear. Her little brother’s head rested on her shoulder, his drool falling onto her robes. I stared at the peaceful scene as I noticed something that hadn’t been there before and a bitter taste filled my mouth. They were covered by a small blanket of ash. - She rubbed her eyes as she woke up. She looked around, confused. Where was she? What happened? She couldn’t remember. She saw her little brother sleeping next to her, wearing the black robe that they only wore on special occasions. The memories of last night came flooding into her mind. Dad! Her eyes opened wide as she frantically searched for her father. She reached down to push herself up when she felt something gritty press against her palms. She looked down and froze. Her trembling hands grasped the ash on the ground. Tears fell down her cheeks as she raised the ash to her face and sobbed. She reached down to grab more ash but felt something else in the gritty blanket. She pulled it out with trembling fingers and cleared the ash from its surface. It was a letter. A letter from her father. She opened it hurriedly, hope shining in her chest. Maybe her father was alive. Maybe he left this letter to tell them where to meet him! She read the letter. “Dear Altis and Hart, Daddy has to go somewhere now but he can’t take you with him. I hope you’re not too mad but don’t worry, you’ll always have my love no matter how far apart we are! But you see, I can’t help but think that I wasn’t a very good dad. Always running away from work, always nagging you to brush your teeth, always beating up the boys that tried to talk to you. I don’t regret that last one at all though. So please forgive me for my mistakes! Also, it seems that I’ll be gone for a very long time so I’ll probably miss your play Hart, even though you’d finally bagged the main role. I’ll miss your birthday too Altis, even though I’d even reserved a table at your favorite restaurant. Oh, I guess I won’t be able to see you grow up either, huh? And I was so looking forward to the time when Hart would call me “old man.” Can’t come to your graduation ceremony either. I’ll miss your marriage too. Oh, and the grandchildren. Damn, got a lot of regrets. Well, that’s not important anymore. Hey Altis, take care of Hart will you? You know he’s gonna cry when his loose tooth comes out. And Hart, listen to your big sister okay? She’s in charge. I know I’m leaving a lot of work to you guys but I’m sure you’ll manage to keep the Inn running. You’re Beterns after all! Oh, and about the… other thing. Just remember what I taught you. Make sure to hide your face and stay safe. Safety comes first, always remember that. Although I have a feeling that won’t be a problem anymore. At least that’s what he said... Oh, look at me, worrying about you guys for no reason. You’re all grown up after all! I’m sure you’ll be alright. Ah, Altis I still remember when you used to cry after wetting the bed. Hart still does that sometimes though... Woops! Ended up embarrassing you in my farewell letter! Parents are just hopeless aren’t they? Guess my time’s up. Take care of each other and try to have a fun life. I won’t forgive you if you don’t chase your dreams! Life’s too short to worry about stupid stuff like appearances or other people’s impressions of you. If you wanna dance in the Inn, just do it! Actually, don’t. It’s dangerous. Daddy kept stubbing his toe you know? And don’t cry because you miss me, because I’ll always be with you. Just remember all the fun we had and know that you were the best things that ever happened to my boring old life. Goodbye kids, I’ll send your regards to mommy. Love you to pieces, Dad. P.S. Remember to eat your vegetables. P.P.S. Wear the rings. They’re cool.” Her heart sunk as she finished reading the letter. He was gone. The little girl buried her face in the letter. WhoCares Please support the story by giving the chapter a like or leaving a review/rating!

“Kai? You have to tell that story again!” Clare proclaimed. “Why?” I asked. We were camping on a small hill with the campfire crackling between us as usual. Clare sat up in her sleeping bag while cuddling a tired Waon in her arms. We were only few miles from Reneste so Clare knew that the journey was almost over and was particularly insistent on hearing a story tonight. “Waon wants to hear it again! Don’t you Waon?” she said, picking up the yawning purple furball and making it nod its head up and down. “Waon!” Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I smiled and started the story again, “A little girl was dragged to the countryside by her friend...” - Memories of that last night outside Reneste filled my head as blood streamed out of Clare’s lifeless body. I remembered her bright smile and her infectious laughter. Then I saw its shadow on her pale, lifeless face. We’d only known each other for a few days, yet, I kept thinking back to when she was washing Waon, and fell into the river. I fished her out with a net, but left her dangling over the river to dry off. I thought back to the time she burnt her tongue on soup even though I’d told her to be careful, and to the time she brought a tiny Waon out from under a purple wall. And to the nights spent staring at the stars. Why? Why does it hurt so much? Why do I feel so attached to her? Is it because she listened to my stories? Stories that nobody wanted to listen to for so long. What does she mean to me? I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. For some reason, whenever I had the bittersweet dreams where my family was still alive, I always pictured a little sister swinging from my parents’ arms. What would having a little sister feel like? What would I even do with her? Would I comfort her when she was sad? Laugh with her when she was happy? And would I... Tell her stories? A terrifying pain tore through chest and a flash of red burst in my head. I didn’t even use a code to help me focus. I willed it. And all the bandits vanished. - May Skye was not an emotional woman. Her position as the village chief required her to keep her emotions at bay. But when Clare came home, she couldn’t help but run over to hug her. Just the thought of the pain the little girl was enduring had filled her with guilt and grief. May’s ability couldn’t tell the future, nor was it perfectly accurate. It only allowed her to vaguely sense whether her loved ones were in danger. Back when she’d felt an overwhelming sense of danger for her brother and his family a couple of days ago, she had instantly regretted letting them leave on their own, even though she’d known that a small group was their best chance at evading the bandits and contacting the Fire Goddess’ shrine for help. At that moment, she had felt the irrational urge to set out to save them. But then a sharp pain told her, her brother’s wife had died. Then another, sharper pain told her she’d lost her only brother. Their deaths filled her with pain and sorrow but she was also worried. What of the child? At that moment, she couldn’t help but curse the Fire Goddess. Why did she insist on only listening to children who came to her with their families? What kind of sick condition was that? But all her emotions were soon drowned out by shock. Her Ability told her the child was safe; safer than the villagers in fact! And now, when she saw what was happening in front of her, it happened again. The helplessness she had felt as she saw the girl tumble to the ground, the sorrow that ripped through her soul when she met those lifeless eyes and the pain that pierced her chest as she saw the ghost of a smile on the child’s face, were all consumed by shock and disbelief as the bandits simply...vanished. The boy’s face was hidden in shadows, as he walked up to the girl’s body, but as he picked her up and went inside the village chief’s house, May Skye felt something else light up in her heart. Hope. - She woke up feeling strange. She couldn’t quite understand what it was, but something felt different. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a familiar room but the uncomfortable feeling remained. She realized where she was, but her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why was she here? Her memories were a little fuzzy, but she slowly began to remember. She remembered watching a purple robed boy fighting a ragged group of men and women. As she thought of the boy, she a warm feeling crept up her heart. But who was he? She remembered walking with the boy while holding a purple kitten in her hands. The memory was warm and fuzzy, just like... Waon! She remembered picking up the Hell kitten from under a purple wall. She remembered sitting around a campfire with the boy. The boy told her stories while looking up at the sky. He made her feel warm and safe. He was… Kai! She finally remembered the name. But then she felt a chill. She remembered a woman with an arrow through her head. A man whose head was rolling on the ground. She remembered the death of her parents. And then she felt pain, sorrow, helplessness, and despair. It consumed her. Tore into her heart. Mauled her soul. Yet these emotions felt different. They were far stronger than she remembered. She screamed, groaned and whimpered. The agonizing pain in her chest was unlike anything she had ever experienced. But why? Her vision grew blurry as the door swung open and a hazy figure rushed over to her. The figure tried to say something but she couldn’t understand what it was saying. She closed her eyes as the pain finally overwhelmed her. - I looked at my hands. They were trembling uncontrollably, but my heart was trembling worse. I... I did it. She was dead but then I brought her back like it was nothing. I slammed my fists onto the ground but they kept trembling. I should be happy, right? Even death can’t stop me anymore. I can do anything! I’m all powerful! It’s amazing Kai, it’s amazing! You’re amazing! But still, why was it so easy? Life doesn’t mean much after all. Just a thought and it’s over. Another thought, and it’s back. Like flicking a switch, no, easier than that. The floodgates had opened and a storm raged inside my mind because I had let that thought loose. In fact, that thought had been in the back of my head for a long time. It had been there when I came to this world and saw how easy everything was. It had been there when I was designing my ability back in my old world. It had been there since the night of the play. A burning desire deep inside my heart that I was too scared to confront. I ignored it. No, I sealed it. It was probably what pushed me over the edge in the first place. You have to be a special kind of crazy to be willing to burn yourself to death to activate an ancient spell you’d bought at a seedy old bookstore. But it excited me like nothing else had in my life. Playing with life and death was exhilarating, but it also sent chills down my spine. And now, it made me nauseous. As I’d laid the corpse on the bed, I’d hesitated. Even when sorrow and anger completely overwhelmed me; even when her blood covered face, empty eyes, lifeless smile and the hole in her head haunted me, I still wondered if it was worth opening the floodgates. If I did this for her, then there was nothing holding me back anymore. But when I recalled the short time I’d spent with her, my hands started trembling and a storm kicked up in my mind. Waves crashed against my conscience as memories flashed in the turbulent sky about the storm. Wiping her drooling face as she fantasized about expensive food, running after Waon, saving her from the bandits, consoling her for the loss of her parents and telling her stories under the stars; all of this flashed before my eyes. I gritted my teeth and whispered: “Rewrite.” Her chest rose up and down. There was no blood on her face, no hole in her head. Her cheeks were a healthy pink, and her smile no longer lifeless. Then the floodgates opened and I left. And now, on a hill outside Reneste, I screamed. I thrashed about, smashing craters into the ground with my incredible strength. Both of my hands were on my head as if trying to push that thought out of my mind. But it was futile. I can bring them back. If I could bring her back, then I can bring back my...my... I started crying. Will I get to see their faces again? Will he be proud of me; of everything I’d done? Will he look at me and say that it came from his side of the family? Will she mercilessly cut him down with a retort? I raised my trembling hands... I can bring them back. I can bring them back! My hands fell. My ragged breathing subsided. But would it be the same? I can write them into existence but would they be my parents? Would they be copies based on my memories of them? Shadows of their real selves? Or worse, what if they were the real thing? What if I could bring them back as easily as snapping my fingers. Are their lives so worthless? Was their death so worthless? Was my pain and suffering so worthless, so insignificant? Is life and death meaningless? Like flicking a switch or pushing a button? Like pulling the trigger of a gun? I took a deep breath and asked myself: Haven’t you always dreamed of seeing them again? Of him tousling your hair or her holding you in her arms? I stood up and replied. Of course, I have. But this, this is wrong. I don’t know if my ability is imperfect and only brings back a copy or if it is perfect and brings back the real thing, but I don’t want to know! I made my decision. I turned around and looked at the little village in the distance and sighed. Sorry Clare, but if I saw you, I’d probably know the answer. And I don’t think I’m ready to open the floodgates again, just yet. Under the starry night sky, I walked away. - She woke up again. Her thoughts were a blur but she remembered pain. Intense, searing pain, unlike anything she had ever felt before. But she stopped herself from thinking about it, almost by instinct. As the pain subsided and her vision grew clearer, she stopped to take a few breaths and then did what anyone, in a world where you can instantly check your mental and physical condition, would do; she checked her status. Then her heart skipped a beat, twice. First when she saw her title. It had changed from Reneste Village Chief’s Niece to One Who Defies Death. But what was truly surprising was that the title had an extra effect; one that made her mind go blank. But she didn’t have the time to consider it, because when the second time her heart skipped a beat, she almost fell unconscious again. In the abilities section of her status screen wasn’t her old ability Sunshine but a new ability called Starry Skies. Why had it changed? Titles can change but no one had ever heard of an ability changing. Did it have something to do with the pain that tore through her when she woke up? Did something happen? Did someone do something to her? All she remembered was the boy fight the bandits and then darkness. No, it was more like emptiness. Did she die? No that didn’t make sense, she was alive right now, wasn’t she? But there was something else too, something she could barely remember. A voice. It said something to her. A single word, but she couldn’t remember it. But she could remember who it sounded like. And then she understood. He had saved her. But rather than shock or disbelief she felt something else: hope. Because if he could save her, couldn’t he also... She jumped out of bed and ran outside, ignoring the shrieking purple ball behind the door. He wasn’t in the living room so she left the house. Her Aunt sat on a chair next to the well so she ran over to her, gasping and stumbling. Before her surprised Aunt could say anything, she asked her where Kai was. Her Aunt replied, and she froze. She looked up at the night sky. There was no golden rain, so the stars weren’t crying. But for some reason, they didn’t seem to be smiling either. - “...they smile,” said the boy. They were both silent for a few moments, quietly gazing at the stars. “That was pretty lame you know?” The girl laughed. “No it wasn’t! It was cool!” said the boy, pouting. “Whatever you say,” teased the girl. The boy stood up in indignation. “I’m leaving. It’s getting pretty late so I’ll let you follow me, but you better keep up!” “Sure, sure.” The girl smiled, also standing up. They started walking away from the hill but the girl stopped and turned around. She looked at the stars one last time and whispered: “Goodbye.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw a rocky ceiling covered with vines. I was in a damp, dark cave and couldn’t see anything in front of me. Just as I was about to call out, a hand stretched out from behind me and covered my mouth. “Shush! There might be monsters outside, whisper if you wanna say something.” I nodded and the hands withdrew. I turned around and could barely make out a scruffy, brown haired boy wearing a ragged leather jacket, a dirty blue shirt and a pair of muddy gray shorts. He was the boy I’d saved from that horrifying black smoke. “What was that thing?” I whispered. “Dunno.” “Where are we?” “Dunno.” “How did you get here?” “Dunno.” “...” “...” I stared at his brown eyes for a while before my gaze drifted to the side. The little girl from before leaned against the cave walls. She had brown hair just like the boy but where the boy’s hair was short, rough, and unruly, hers was long and silky. Her clothes were in better condition too; her baggy blue shirt and gray shorts weren’t caked in mud and didn’t have any noticeably large holes either. I shifted my gaze back to the boy. “Who are you?” I asked. “Name’s Jeffi,” he said, before pointing at the girl. “That’s my little sister, Yunni. My turn now, who’re you?” “Aia Genrion Ignis.” “Wow, sounds fancy! I’ll just call you Aia then.” “Uh...okay?” I frowned. This child is a little... “Oh yeah!” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “How did you do that, Aia?” “Do what?” “You know! That scary red aura and those flaming fists! They were so cool!” I hesitated. “I don’t know. I was angry.” “Angry? What for?” “That thing. When it attacked me, it made me remember...the haze.” “The haze? What’s that?” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you not remember it? Being trapped in that state for who knows how long? Unable to move. Unable to feel. Unable to think.” “Oh...that.” His expression darkened. We were silent for a moment, solemnly recalling our experiences from the haze. “Where do you live?” I said, breaking the silence. “Dunno. We were in the middle of this forest for a long time. Or maybe it wasn’t that long? I don’t even know why we’re here. I mean, why would a couple of kids be in such a scary place with all these monsters roaming about? And I remember that we were smiling all the time, like we didn’t care about the danger at all. Some guy in shining armor or a shadowy figure in black would come by and talk sometimes but I don’t remember what we said to them. But this morning, I felt a cold breeze and heard the leaves rustling. But I couldn’t enjoy it for long because there was this loud roar that sent shivers down my spine! I grabbed Yunni and ran as fast as I could but then we ran into that smoky thing and I felt like... like we were going to die.” His eyes were downcast. “But then you showed up and beat it up!” he said, his eyes sparkling. I thought for a moment. “I will take you back with me then.” “Do you know where your home is?” he asked. “How are we going to get there?” I felt a strong pull on my soul. Just in time. I grabbed Jeffi as well as the sleeping Yunni, jolting her awake. Before either of them could protest, I hugged them and allowed myself to be pulled by the tug. We crashed through the trees while I tried my best to shield the two children in my arms. Soon, the forest was a blur. - We rushed through the forest. My back was sore from all the constant collisions with trees, rocks and sometimes even monsters. However, I suddenly felt the pull on my soul vanish, just as we crashed into another tree. Our momentum carried us for a few more miles until we gradually tumbled to a rest in a large clearing. Either because I had already experienced it before, or because we didn’t stop as suddenly as last time, I wasn’t very dizzy. I immediately sat up and looked at the children in my arms. Jeffi had fainted and Yunni’s face was frozen in an expression of fear. I tried calling to her but she didn’t respond at all. I concluded that they were uninjured and began surveying our surroundings. We were in a small clearing in what seemed to be a different forest. The trees here were taller and probably belonged to a different species. Although I didn’t understand why the pull had vanished so suddenly, I decided to think about that later. For now, the best course of action would be to walk towards the direction where I felt the most tugs, since that was likely to lead me to the shrine. “Huh? Yunni? What’s the matter? Where- What! Aia! What did you do? Why-” I covered his mouth. “Shush!” He nodded and I removed my hand. “But what was that! Don’t do it again! You scared Yunni you know?” He pointed towards Yunni. The little girl blinked a few times, then nodded. “I was taking you home.” “Huh? Is this your home Aia?” He looked around. “It’s a little...” “This isn’t my home. We got cut off for some reason, but we can walk the rest of the way.” “Do you know where to go?” “Yes, follow me.” I started walking. - “Hey Aia...ha...We’ve been walking for hours. We should rest. Yunni’s tired, you know?” Jeffi said, pointing towards Yunni while gasping for breath. The little girl who was chasing a butterfly stopped, and blinked. She nodded with a serious expression on her face. “So soon? Very well.” I stopped. “Finally, I mean, make sure to rest properly Yunni!” Jeffi said, before collapsing onto the ground. “How far is it now?” “I am not certain, but I am sure it isn’t much f- What was that?” A scream cut through the forest, sending flocks of birds flying. “Yunni!” shouted Jeffi, before he jumped off the ground and ran towards the scream. I crossed him in a flash, and rushed through a bush. Yunni sat trembling while staring at the monster in front of her. It was a giant ape-like monster with four arms, each thicker than my entire body. Under the bright midday sun, its red fur was almost as glaring as its bright scarlet eyes. It stared at the trembling little girl in front of it, but didn’t move to strike. “Yunni!” Just as Jeffi broke through the bush, the ape monster growled and reached for Yunni with one of its hands. “Stay away!” The girl shouted while running in the opposite direction. Just as the monster’s hands were about to grab her, I jumped and dragged her out of the way. The monster roared while beating its chest and smashed its fists on the ground. The sky was filled with birds that were flying away, spooked by the monster’s actions. It’s too loud! I need to finish this quickly. I flung the terrified little girl at Jeffi and met the monster’s bright scarlet eyes. It hesitated, noticing that my eyes were an even brighter shade of red. I grunted and lunged. There was a loud crash and a thicket of trees fell over. I missed. It isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I got up from among the broken tree trunks and winced as something warm trickled down my left arm. The monster’s mouth twisted into a smile and though it angered me to have been hurt, I felt a little smile breaking out on my own face. It’s afraid. I lunged at it again, this time punching out with my right fist. Caught unaware, it barely managed to meet my fist with one of its own. Crack! Blood erupted out of its crumpled fist as it roared in pain. Surprised by my own strength, I stopped. And then I went flying into the trees again. Where did that come from? The pain in my left arm intensified, making me gasp as I picked myself up again just in time to dodge a tree that the monster had thrown at me. Blood dripped onto the ground but I ignored the pain and met the monster’s eyes again. I rushed towards the monster, dodging the trees and stones that it was flinging at me. It grabbed a particularly large tree and uprooted it, then swung it at me with two of its arms. I leaned back to dodge it but my eyes widened as its third arm came at me. I was in no position to dodge so I raised my hands in front of my fists. A sharp pain pierced my shoulder as I was pushed back, but I ignored it again while racking my brain for a way to end the fight. My anger rose but surprisingly, rather than obscuring my thoughts, it made them clearer instead. As I looked at the monster, I realized that the fist that I had blocked was also bleeding. I stared into its eyes, saw the fear and uncertainty within them, and noticed something else. Unwillingness? The beast roared but this time, it was the one rushing towards me. I smiled and kicked off the ground. Its mouth twisted into a grotesque smile again as it swing the tree at me, confident that I wouldn’t be able to dodge. It was right. As the tree approached me, I grabbed onto one of its sturdier branches and pulled myself towards it. The wind got knocked out of my lungs as I slammed into the tree trunk, but most of the force of the collision was absorbed by the branches. The tree stopped moving as the monster grew confused by my sudden disappearance. It brought the tree closer to its body, and assumed a defensive stance. I smiled and jumped out of the tree, punching at the monster’s head with my right fist. I felt something get crushed just as I was showered in warm blood. Its body fell back by several feet before collapsing onto the ground, while I fell on my knees, gasping for breath. As I stood up and my breathing started to calm down, my anger drained out of me along with the mental clarity and focus that had come with it. Something moved in the corner of my eyes and I instantly turned to face it, certain that another monster had come to finish me off. But it was just a stunned brown haired boy and a frightened little girl. I calmed down and took a deep breath. “We should leave before more of them show up.” They flinched, then nodded. - I cleaned the blood off myself as well as I could while Jeffi helped me bind my injured left arm with leaves and vines. Yunni was drinking water while watching us but when I met her gaze, she quickly looked away. We kept walking until it got dark but I couldn’t tell if we had gotten any closer to the shrine. “Aia it’s late, isn’t it? We should make camp for the night so we can go to sleep. Yunni is,” He yawned. “Sleepy, you know?” Jeffi said, pointing at Yunni. The little girl’s eyes were drooping but she still managed to nod before falling into Jeffi’s arms. I stopped and looked at them, puzzled. “What is sleep?” “What do you mean what is sleep? It’s sleep, you know?” he said, looking at me as if I had gone crazy. He gently laid Yunni down on a bed of leaves. “I am sorry, I do not understand. Have you ever experienced sleep before?” “I dunno. Maybe? I just know what it is. I mean, it’s basic human knowledge.” I frowned. I really didn’t know what sleep was supposed to be and finding out that it was basic human knowledge made me even more confused. “What is it like?” “Well, it’s what Yunni is doing over there.” “Is she not simply unconscious?” “No, she went to sleep because she was tired.” “Oh? Then is it like losing consciousness of your own will? Strange, I always assumed that losing consciousness would be an unfavorable experience.” I frowned, deep in thought. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get around to it when you’re tired enough. But seriously, you have amazing stamina, don’t you? You fought two tough and scary monsters but you still aren’t tired. You’re amazing!” he said, his eyes sparkling again. “Thank you,” I replied, taken aback by the sudden outburst of admiration. Yunni made a small sound before turning over to her other side, and I happened to see Jeffi’s eyes as he looked at her. There seemed to be a very strange emotion in his eyes but I couldn’t understand it at the time. “Jeffi, why do you care for Yunni so much?” I asked. “She’s my sister. She’s family! The only family I have, you know?” he whispered to avoid waking her up. “Sister? Family? Are these things important to you?” “Huh? Of course, they are! Don’t you have a sister, Aia? Or any other family?” I was about to say no but then a few faces came to mind. “Maybe.” “Maybe? You have to take family seriously, you know? They’re really important! You have to love them and take care of them. Especially little kids like Yunni. It’s my job as her big brother to protect her, you know?” “To Protect?” “And always listen to what they say! Helping your little brothers and sisters whenever they ask is also a big brother’s job, you know!” “I see.” - As the night wore on, Jeffi lay down next to Yunni while I stood guard. I still didn’t feel tired at all. Jeffi’s words were floating around my head along with some faces that I couldn’t quite recognize. “Hey Aia, could you light up a f-fire? Yunni is f-feeling cold, y-you know!” Jeffi said, his teeth chattering as he pointed towards Yunni. Yunni was wrapped up in Jeffi’s jacket and covered with long leaves so she was sleeping peacefully. “I do not feel cold though,” I said. It really didn’t seem cold to me at all. “You’re strong Aia! But Yunni is weak s-so she needs a f-fire!” “Very well,” I replied. “Where is the fire?” “Huh? Aia, you have to make the f-fire!” “And how will I do that?” “M-magic of course!” Magic? Oh! Status! A pale red screen appeared in front of me. I saw my level had risen again. I scrolled down to the skills section and found the fire magic skill. It was at level 10 and when I focused on it, a list of magic spells popped up. I read through the different magics and decided to use the level 3 magic flames to light up a fire. I focused on the skill and said: “Flames!” The space in front of me lit up in a roaring blaze that reached far above the tree tops. The forest around us started burning. Hot embers floated above our heads and fell onto more leaves, spreading the fire even faster. I quickly roused the sleeping Yunni and stunned Jeffi and dragged them away from the center of the fire. However, there was a loud snarl from behind us, so I threw the children ahead. Something slammed into my back, sending me hurtling towards the burning trees. Although there was a dull pain in my back, I forced myself to turn around so I could see what had attacked me. Just as I did, a claw tore into the ground where my head had been a moment ago. I immediately kicked the beast off me and shakily stood up. I’d managed to fling the monster several feet away but it didn’t seem to be hurt because there were no cuts or bruises on its smooth golden skin. It had a feline face with black stripes over golden skin that covered its entire body. It snarled at me, showing off its large, serrated teeth. I rushed at it. Surprised by my aggressiveness, the monster backed up and swiped at me with its huge, black paws. As its claws came down on me, I shot ahead even faster and got underneath its outstretched arm. I jumped up while punching as hard as I could and heard a satisfying crunch. The monster roared in pain and thrashed about but I had long since escaped its reach. As the fire grew more intense I quickly turned around and ran to the children. The monster noticed my actions and let out a furious roar that made me turn my head. A large ball of light was forming outside the monster’s mouth. I dug my feet into the ground and grabbed a large branch that I threw at the monster’s face. The branch flew straight at its target and pierced the monster’s eye. It howled in pain and fired its magic towards the side, before collapsing to the ground. I knew it wasn’t dead and would probably come after us in a few moments, but the fire was raging so intensely that I had no choice but to turn around. But just as I reached out to the children, I felt a strong pull on my soul. My eyes widened as I stared at the frightened brown haired child who was holding his sister to his chest. No, not now! I went crashing through the trees.

There was a knock on my door. I shuffled my papers and put them in a neat pile, grabbed my cup of tea and raised it to my mouth. “Enter.” I sipped my tea. “My lord, the report from the Ministry of Agriculture has arrived.” said my secretary Delin, as he handed me a brown file. I sipped my tea and read the file. Yield of staple crops increased by 240%. Land reclamation in the Alderan Wastes is in the second phase. Research in fertilizers and pesticides is showing promising results with three new chemicals ready for testing. More funds needed for development of farming machinery with Air Kingdom mechanics. Need authorization for importing necessary food supplies from Holy Union. I put down my half-finished tea and wrote my orders. Proceed to stage three of land reclamation. Begin testing chemicals on isolated land samples. Ministry of Finance will be directed to release funds to the Air Kingdom, however, insist on our own engineers joining their team. I chewed on the tip of my pen. It was true that we were making progress in Agriculture, but the Dusk Alliance just didn’t possess enough arable land. We were almost wholly dependent on the Holy Union and specifically the Light Kingdom, for our food supplies. Although I didn’t like the fact they controlled our food, I knew that it was also true that the Dusk Alliance was far wealthier than the Holy Union. The technology of the Air Kingdom, the resources of the Earth Kingdom, and the mercantile expertise of the Dark Kingdom ensured that the Holy Union could not afford to cut off trade with the Dusk Alliance, since that would cripple their economy and prevent crucial raw materials and technology from reaching their cities. I tapped the desk with my pen for a while before continuing. You may import necessary supplies from the Holy Union, however, utilize our connections in the LeAgua Company to ensure a good deal. I signed the letter and put it in an envelope which I sealed with the Demon Lord’s official seal. As Delin left, I leaned back in my chair and sighed. Being the Demon Lord is boring. It’s totally a desk job. Well, it does have its perks. I got up and opened the door behind me. I climbed the staircase behind it and entered a small room full of books. I spent most of my free time here, researching magic and learning the history of this world. Surprisingly, it seems that the people of this world vaguely remembered the time when they were characters in the game, and refer to it as the “Haze.” I also learned that after nearly a thousand years of research and experimentation, they managed to create their own skills and magic. Magic, in particular, has been developed to a frightening extent. After spending some time poring over books and writing some theoretical variations of skills and magic, I went back down to my office and started signing papers again. There was another knock on the door. “Enter.” “My Lord, the delegations from the Air and Earth Kingdoms are here.” I nodded, got up from my seat and followed Delin down the hallway to a large conference room. Inside sat a bald, middle aged man wearing a gray suit and an old, white haired lady wearing a yellow dress. “Greetings Your Majesty, I am Duke Felity of the Air Kingdom. It is an honor for me to finally meet you, my lord.” “Your Majesty, Countess Gratif humbly congratulates you on your safe arrival. You have certainly breathed new life into our Alliance. You have brought us great prosperity in such a short time. I pray that you live long and bring us even more glory.” I raised a hand to stop their praises and sat down at the head of the table. The bald man sat on my left and the old lady sat on my right. I instructed Delin to cast sound blocking magic around the room and guard the door. “Your Majesty, here are the designs for the new transport system you commissioned. Based on our estimates, we can connect the Demon Lord’s Castle with Latup and Fugard within a year,” said the Duke as he handed me a blue file. “My Lord, the shipment of rare stones and minerals that you requested has been prepared, however, there might be a slight delay due to unexpected rains causing a landslide on the transport route. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will reduce the cost by five percent as compensation,” said the Countess as she bowed her head. I nodded to her and she raised her head. I read the report, nodded and signed it. I tweaked the design a little so it would be more aerodynamic, and passed him the blueprints for what was essentially a magic powered train. I then sketched a rough design for a digging machine based on my understanding of air and earth magic and passed it Duke Felity, who reviewed it and promised to show it to his team of engineers back home. I nodded towards the delegates and stared at them before leaving. Delin followed behind me as I made my way back to my office. - Collecting reliable intelligence was tough enough in my situation but collecting information on the hero was even tougher. All I knew was that the hero was slightly unusual and was getting stronger at an astonishing rate. As soon as I learned that she was getting stronger, I felt the urge to attack the Union with everything I had. I quickly resisted the urge by convincing myself that my course of action was superior. And once I went through everything in my head, I realized that that was indeed true. Delin came inside, informing me that my intelligence agents had been unable to recover any information about the hero or the deaths of the previous Demon Lords. As Delin left the room, I climbed up the stairs to my magic research room and scribbled a few more experimental magics before I sat down on the floor and took a deep breath. I guess I’ll have to go there after all... - I opened the large obsidian doors decorated with skulls and snakes. Inside was a large hall full of wooden benches facing a stage that had an altar and a statue on it; a statue of a little, black haired girl wearing a flowing black dress and sporting a mischievous smile. Yep, she fits that annoying voice perfectly. Or is it the other way around? I thought. “Ah, do we have a visitor?” said a voice from behind me. I turned around. “Your Majesty! Welcome to the Dark Goddess’ shrine. How may I assist you?” said a young priestess in dark robes. “Bring me to the oracle,” I said, not even glancing at the girl. I didn’t care for these minor characters. “Yes my Lord, your wish is my command, however, the oracle is in the middle of a ritual right now. She should be done in a few minutes. I apologize for the inconvenience, my liege.” She bowed. “No matter. Lead me to her.” “But the ritual-” “It’s fine, I won’t disturb her. I’m just a little curious about this ritual.” I met her frantic eyes. “Lead the way.” She flinched at my gaze and hurriedly started moving down a small, dark corridor lined with torches. Strangely, these torches didn’t give off any smoke nor did their flames flicker. Just as I began analyzing the curious torches, the priestess stopped outside an old wooden door at the end of the corridor. She stood outside respectfully so I went ahead and opened it myself. I walked in just as the door closed behind me, submerging the room in darkness. I turned around and pounded on the door but it didn’t budge. In fact, a slight itch crept up my hands. As if they had been hurt by... Magic! I hurriedly cast Dark Wall, surrounding myself with walls of darkness just as I explosions rocked the floor beneath me. The explosions continued as the walls were pushed back, pressing me between them. What is this? I have to get out! I raised a foot as if I was going to take a large step, and a shadow appeared under it. I stepped into the shadow and disappeared just as my Dark Walls finally crumbled. I reappeared a few feet away. “Oh, so you’ve already learned Void Step? It was within my calculations but it is surprising nonetheless,” said a calm voice from above. “Azoth? I thought you’d at least wait for another year.” I replied, just as calmly. “You were expecting it?” asked Azoth. “Of course, it was obvious. You were constantly monitoring me, restricting my access to information and were looking for the opportunity to kill me. You suspected I’d involve us in a bloody war against the Union.” I didn’t know where he was, so I spoke while facing the ceiling. “Precisely. I must say, it is truly regrettable that I must kill you. You’re the first person I’ve met who has stimulated my intellect so much.” “I feel the same way.” “Really?” “Yes, it is regrettable.” I suddenly turn around and fire a void ray in the direction of the voice before stepping into my shadow again. Something zapped over my head, incinerating some of my hair. Fuck that was close! Wasn’t that Light magic? I have to gather more information... As I stepped out of the shadow, I managed to see what was around me in the light of the white beam of energy that had yet to dissipate. I stood in a circular stone pit, surrounded by a raised platform that ran all the way around it. On the platform stood several figures that I recognized. My ‘secretary’ Delin, the head of my intelligence team, Duke Felity of the Air Kingdom, Countess Gafit of the Earth Kingdom, the other members of the Ministry and of course, standing at the end of the white beam that almost incinerated me, was Azoth. There was also an old lady in black robes who I assumed was the oracle, as well as a few figures I didn’t recognize. “Well,” I said, facing Azoth with a smirk. “Since you have me surrounded anyways, why not turn on the lights and let me have a final chat? I think I deserve at least that much after all I’ve done for this place.” Azoth raised his hand. I tensed, ready to escape with void step. “Illuminate,” he said, as a small orb of light floated out of his palm towards the ceiling. I smiled. “Good. Well, I should probably congratulate you on a job well done. In fact, I still don’t understand how you did it. I confirmed what you said about the people of the Dusk Alliance being unable to betray or harm me and I know that you’re not with the Light Kingdom because they would have conquered this place a long time ago if everyone here was on their side. So tell me Azoth, who are you?” “I am just a man who wants to end these meaningless wars.” “Then we can end them together, can’t we? I promise not to go to war, I’ll conquer the Union through economic and political means.” “I’m sorry Runir, but we both know that’s not possible. Socio-political or economic conquest cannot work in this world ruled by Fate. And you will not be able to resist Fate either. No one can.” “But you did, didn’t you? You killed the last twenty-three Demon Lords.” “Twenty-one. It was only when two consecutive Demon Lords died in the forest that we managed to setup a system to execute the Demon Lords.” I met his gaze. “And that system is this pit? You’re going to bombard me with magic? I expected something more refined from you Azoth.” I chuckled. “It may be a little crude,” he said, unperturbed by my taunt. “But it has proven extremely effective. These formations will prevent you from escaping.” He gestured towards the symbols carved into the walls of the pit. “I am sorry Runir, but this is goodbye.” “Well, I guess there’s no helping it. Although you still haven’t answered my question. The Demon Lord is summoned every ten years, and you speak as if you yourself have killed the last twenty-one Demon Lords. You’re obviously much older than you look, and your allegiance is unknown. So I ask again, who are you Azoth?” “Indeed. It really is a pity that I must kill you. I almost feel as if we would have been quite close if Fate hadn’t interfered yet again. In respect to our friendship, I will tell you this much. I was not born in either the Dusk Alliance nor the Holy Union, and although I have pledged allegiance to the Dusk Alliance, it is only to prevent bloodshed and violence.” “You’re being pretty violent right now though.” I sneered at him. He smiled. “True.” He closed his eyes and opened them a moment later. “I believe that concludes our chat. Goodbye Runir, I hope that Fate is kinder to you in death.” All the figures around the pit prepared their magic and a rain of magic fell from the sky. Azoth himself fired a scorching red beam from his mouth. I stood there, facing their magic attacks as they sped towards me. I closed my eyes. “Ah yes, Fate. Well...” I opened my eyes and grinned. “Screw Fate!” - “Screw Fate!” The words echoed around the pit, drowning out the sounds of magic. The ground trembled. Azoth frowned, a slight sense of unease pricked at the edge of his mind. As the dust settled, the others heaved a sigh of relief as they saw a charred corpse in the middle of the pit. They started congratulating each other and a few went down to inspect the corpse. But Azoth didn’t move. The uneasy feeling in the back of his mind remained. Even when they confirmed that the pieces of cloth found around the corpse belonged to the demon lord Runir, and even when Azoth told the oracle to proclaim that the demon lord had mysteriously died yet again, he still felt uneasy. But he couldn’t figure out why. He was standing on his balcony again, staring into the distance just like on the day when he had first met the Demon Lord. He turned around and saw a chess board in the corner of his eye. The uneasy feeling intensified. He walked closer to the board and knelt on the ground. Azoth had lost their last game, because Runir had unexpectedly sacrificed his queen to ruin Azoth’s positioning. His pieces had been scattered and Runir had ruthlessly pressed his advantage from there, cornering Azoth’s king in a few moves and forcing a checkmate. Azoth hadn’t bothered to clean the board, but when he stared at it now, his stomach twisted into a knot. He walked away from the board and went out to the balcony again, staring at the horizon. The board had been cleaned and all the pieces removed, except for one. The queen. - The hot summer wind made it very difficult to breathe under the dark hood that covered my head. I turned and stared at the castle that lay far off in the distance I was sure that Azoth was probably standing on that stupid balcony again; perhaps he was looking in my direction right now? “Well played Azoth. Let’s call this one a stalemate, shall we?” I turned away from the city and smirked inside my head as I disappeared into the trees.

Should I do it? It would add a few options and, quite frankly, I could use some options right now. Lily is far smarter than I’d initially assumed and incredibly wary too. Amy guards her like a mother hen, I don’t think I could get through to her in time. Should I postpone the first phase? Delaying the first phase till after we receive the Fire Goddess’ blessing shouldn’t be a problem, but what if the status quot doesn’t change? What if I can’t get closer to Lily in time? It would throw my entire strategy out the window. I have no choice. I need options. I need more variables to play with, to manipulate things in my favor. And the biggest variable is... I climbed up yet another mountain, ignoring the grunts and heavy breathing coming from behind me. I also ignored the accusatory gaze boring into the back of my head. But what I couldn’t ignore was the bemused smile I saw in the corner of my eye. I took a deep breath. Time to take the plunge. I turned around as soon as I reached the top of the mountain and cast my gaze down to the people below. But I was only really looking at one person. “Strange isn’t it, how we haven’t been attacked by monsters on our entire journey? In fact, other than the time Lily ran off on her own, we haven’t faced any significant difficulties.” I said, as if I was only thinking out loud. “Yep, quite strange indeed.” replied Kai, with a smile on his face. “It’s weird sure, but I sure as hell ain’t complaining. The only things I am complaining about are your weird, unannounced detours and the fact that you still haven’t told us about that thing you dug up.” Lily replied, panting for breath while managing to chastise me at the same time. My face twitched. Lily was as annoying as ever. “Ah yes, the Lava Sphere.” I said, taking a pale red orb out of my Inventory. “It isn’t all that amazing though. You see, the Fire Goddess’ shrine is built on a pool of lava that’s hot enough to fry dragons. But as long as we have this, we should be able to walk right through it.” Lily’s eyes widened and Amy furrowed her brows. Kai didn’t react at all. I frowned inwardly at Kai’s lack of surprise. Did he already know? Had he Appraised the sphere back when he fixed up that hole without anyone noticing? I still couldn’t see through him and the thought made me uneasy but at the same time, it made me feel a little elated. “As I was saying. It’s strange that we haven’t been attacked at all, even though we’ve been merrily skipping around one of the most dangerous places on Erath.” I continued, taking a deep breath once again. “In fact, even though we’ve passed through the confirmed territories of thirty Maglons, ten Fire Drakes and three Flame Wyverns, as well as the well documented breeding grounds of the Orange-eyed Toads and the Forclaws, we still haven’t seen a single monster, let alone gotten attacked by one.” “W-wait! You’ve been leading us around all day so we could walk into monster dens?” Lily said, incredulously. I smiled. “I apologize for the deceit but it was necessary to isolate the cause of this strange situation. After all, I didn’t know who or what was causing this.” “You did not know. Are you implying that you do know now?” Amy said. “Of course! Although I’m sure you’ve guessed it already, since it was awfully obvious. Lily was attacked by a Light Ogre and I’ve fought several monsters too, thus removing us from the list of suspects. As such, I could only hypothesize that this situation or lack of situations arose due to either Amy or Kai or from something that one of you possessed. It may also have been caused by both of you or by a combination of all of our abilities or something of that sort. However, after what happened in that disgusting old elf’s shack, I found it safe to assume that Kai was the one responsible for keeping the monsters off our back.” I looked at Kai who was still smiling pleasantly, unperturbed by what I’d just revealed. “So what? Even if I’ve been scaring away a few monsters, why should that be a problem? Don’t tell me you find Maglons and Orange-eyed Toads threatening enough to feel awed by my power” he said. “No, I don’t find your ability to keep away Maglions concerning, but...” I opened my arms and gestured. “Congratulations! Our names will be written down in history books and taught to children in schools all over Erath because we are the first humans to reach the peak of Vandrake Mountain!” As the words ‘Vandrake Mountain’ left my mouth, Lily’s eyes opened wide just as Amy froze. She then rushed past me and looked over the edge of the mountain, her face glowing with a red light as she stared into the pool of flowing lava on the other side of the mountain. But Kai didn’t react at all. “Are you sure? I learned about Vandrake Mountain in my History of Erath lessons and I guess this could be it but shouldn’t there be a-” Lily asked. “Dragon? Yes, Red Dragon Vandrake, a being said to be as ancient as Erath itself. It’s an incredibly powerful monster that roosts on the peak of Vandrake Mountain. It is rumored that Vandrake kills anyone that approaches the vicinity of the mountain, let alone climbs it. Yet here we are, standing on its peak.” I said, letting the implications of what I’d said wash over them. It was one thing to keep away toads and snakes but a Dragon was a completely different matter altogether. Vandrake in particular was famous for his pride and power. He was also one of the many Secret Bosses that you could fight in the game after defeating the main storyline and was arguably one of the most difficult to defeat. I turned towards Kai and met his gaze. “And since you’ve admitted that you were the one keeping the monsters at bay, I believe it is safe to assume that you are responsible for this historic achievement. Would you like me to raise a flag in your honor? Or maybe rename this place Kai’s Mountain?” I smiled, but I didn’t feel happy or satisfied the way I usually did. The implications of being able to drive back Vandrake were unfathomable since he was a monster that had existed for nearly a thousand years and provoking the person who was responsible for keeping a monster like that at bay was a huge gamble. If I assumed that Vandrake was at the same level that he had been at in the game, then Kai’s Ability wouldn’t be as surprising. But if he’d had a thousand years to get stronger and gain levels then he would be a nearly unparalleled existence on Erath. With emphasis on the nearly. Kai sighed and closed his eyes. “What would you have done if you were wrong? We did just walk into a Dragon’s nest you know.” “It was a difficult decision to make, since I wasn’t sure what the limits of your Ability would be. However, when a blazing torrent of flames didn’t come crashing down at us from the sky when we approached Vandrake Mountain, I was forced to accept the absurdity of your Ability.” “I see. But there’s just one problem with your hypothesis.” He still didn’t open his eyes. “Oh? And what might that be?” “Well—” Roar! The earth around us trembled, stones flew off the ground and boulders began crumbling. A wall of flame shot up from the lava behind me just as I turned to look. A giant, gaping mouth stretched out from below, uttering a cry so loud that the lava began rippling and surging around like waves in the sea. A long, scaled neck followed, winding up to the sky while lifting up a massive body glistening with drops of lava that oozed from within the gaps between is blood red scales. The monster’s wings stretched out from behind it, sending molten rocks hurtling through the air and ripping up winds that nearly made me fall off the mountain. I glimpsed its vicious, black talons just as it flapped its wings one more time to rise up into the air, casting a huge shadow on the ground as it flew up in front of the sun. It roared once more and slammed into the ground behind us, blocking our escape. Its cold, yellow eyes stared at us unblinkingly, while its slit pupils narrowed even further. It went down on its forelegs and puffed out acrid smoke from its nostrils, sending a wave of heat surging over us. My mind went blank as soon as I saw it but I snapped out of it as soon as the smoke reached my lungs and caused me to cough and gasp for breath. I immediately changed my Ability’s sub goal from ‘Find out Kai’s identity’ to ‘Survive’ and quickly began formulating a plan. Which ultimately shattered to pieces as I used appraisal to check its Status and managed to see it. It was a monster after all, so it probably hadn’t learned the Obscure skill, but I wasn’t thankful for that at all. In fact, I wished I hadn’t checked its Status in the first place. Red Dragon Vandrake. Title Ruler of Lava. Level 999... what sort of bullshit is this? I heard Amy gasp in surprise and saw Lily trembling in the corner of my eye. But I couldn’t blame them, I nearly fell on my knees too. The dragon stared at us, its lips curling upwards in a snarl that revealed sharp white teeth the size of my arm. “Humans...you dare sully my abode with your presence? Leave now before I burn your puny bodies and scatter your ashes to the winds.” said the Dragon in a raspy voice that seemed to come from its mouth despite the fact that its lips had never moved. I felt hope rise within me as I heard what it said but I furrowed my brows when I noticed that we couldn’t leave because it was blocking our escape. My ability was going full throttle as I fell to my knees. “Mighty Vandrake! Lord of the skies, King of the molten wastes, emperor of fire and wrath. Forgive us for our transgression upon your holy land! We humbly beg for your forgiveness and dare not stay to offend you with our pitiful forms. However...” I quickly said, while bowing my head slightly. “Your awe-inspiring figure is majestic and grand and we do not have the audacity to sully it by nearing you whilst excusing ourselves from your presence. Hence, we must humbly request your blessing for safe passage down your magnificent home.” The dragon snorted. “Human...I apologize but it seems I cannot bring myself to let you leave. Pity, it has been so long since I’ve met an intelligent being, I would have appreciated some company. Die in the comfort that your words were appreciated by me, even if I must regrettably incinerate you now.” Vandrake said. My power instantly changed gears, showing me how my current plan was doomed to fail. Of course, the blazing torrent of flames that came crashing towards us made that pretty fucking obvious too. I stepped into my shadow, not caring about being seen because everyone was staring at the inferno rushing towards us. I reappeared a few feet away and saw Amy standing in front of Lily while holding back the flames with her sword. Her feet had carved through the sizzling rock beneath her feet as the force of the Dragon’s Breath pushed her back. She grunted as her red hair began swirling around her, nearly as bright as the flames licking the edges of her sword. I hesitated for a moment, considering the possibility of escaping while it was distracted by the others but I shunned that thought immediately. They were important pieces for my strategy...or at least that’s what I told myself as I jumped behind Amy and grabbed Lily, pulling her to safety. Amy noticed that Lily was out of harms way and swiftly jumped aside, letting the flames wash over the peak of the mountain. The rocks on the peak began melting and soon oozed down the mountain. The dragon noticed that we had avoided its attack and closed its mouth but Amy used that opportunity to jump towards it while Lily and I readied a Water spell. The flames died out as the dragon’s jaws closed. Amy swung her sword with an angry grunt, slashing viciously at the monster’s eyes. “Aqua Burst!” shouted Lily and I, as we released a jet of high pressure water towards the dragon’s glowing chest, hoping to cool its flames before they were even formed. The water evaporated into steam moments upon contact and the dragon didn’t even flinch. But that may have been because it was so focused on Amy’s attack. Her sword had met a red glow that seemed to emanate from the dragon’s eyes. She struggled for a little while before her sword managed to slowly push the red glow back, getting closer to its eye. Amy let go of her sword and disappeared. Before I could begin to process her actions, she reappeared and grabbed the flashing blur that had come startlingly close to striking us. She grunted in pain as the dragon’s tail crashed into her body but she managed to hold on to it. She flung the tail to the side and grabbed her sword as it fell from above. Gripping the sword tightly, she leaped towards the dragon and dove headfirst into the torrent of flames that the dragon had just breathed out. But even as she was engulfed by the flames, a translucent red armor emerged on her body. The flames were cut in half, exposing a blazing red figure that seemed hotter than the flames around it. Unfortunately, her blade was once again met by a red force-field although cracks had emerged on this one, indicating that it would shatter with another strike. But the dragon roared once again and flapped its wings, pushing Amy away just as I lost my footing and had to be supported by Lily, who had wisely held onto a boulder. “You vile, pathetic humans! How could puny mortals like you possibly...” Its eyes narrowed. “I see, you must be the Hero...no, I do not sense that from your aura.” It continued to stare at Amy. “You...seem familiar somehow? Could it be...” It began mumbling something that I couldn’t catch. Amy’s eyes narrowed. A bright red glow started accumulating around her sword as she readied her stance. The dragon snorted and sparks and embers fell out of its mouth. I glanced at Lily, wondering if I had the time to grab her and flee with Void step. She was important for my plans but...was she more important than my life? Staying in the middle of a battle as crazy as this one was suicidal and my Ability was telling me to leave if I wanted to ‘Survive.’ But I couldn’t. I grit my teeth and jumped towards Lily, who was preparing another Aqua Burst with a determined look on her face. I heard the sizzling sound of flames being released and the bang of a powerful explosion. I saw Lily’s eyes widen just as they were dyed red by the reflection of what she must have been looking at. Then I heard a whisper so soft that it was carried off by the scorching winds before I could understand it. Although what happened next was even harder to understand. “That’s enough for now, I believe.” The heat vanished. The angry red glow of flames died out around me. All sounds stopped. Lily’s face was frozen in shock and disbelief. The sweat on her forehead trickled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin but she didn’t react at all. My skill shut down, something that only happened when I fulfilled my goal or objective. Which in this case meant that I had survived. I turned around, fairly certain of what had happened but wanting to check anyways. Even though I wasn’t surprised to see a purple robed boy standing between a girl in illusory red armor and a dragon with a mouthful of blazing flames, it was still an amazing sight to behold. I calmed my breathing and let go of Lily, who snapped out of her daze and stared at the scene in front of us with gritted teeth. “Time to leave.” said Kai but he wasn’t directing the words at us. Red Dragon Vandrake, a level 999 Dragon that could potentially rival the Goddesses, walked to the side of the mountain sending shock-waves through the ground with each step. Then it jumped off the mountain and fell into the lava below, slowly submerging beneath the molten rocks until it couldn’t be seen anymore. Kai sighed and walked down the mountain. The rest of us followed.

The sun was out but the trees covered the sky, casting long shadows on the ground. I stood in the shade and the dark robed guy stood under the sunlight. I stared at him, cursing inwardly when he called me Ms. Hero. If he knows who I am then he’s stronger than me, I thought, quickly calming down. There was no need to be afraid. I’d dealt with stronger guys before so I knew exactly what to do. Rule 1: Don’t break eye contact. You don’t wanna miss a punch or something. I met his dark brown eyes with mine. Rule 2: Always be ready to jump back and start running, in case they’re crazy, perverted, or stupid. I shifted my weight and pressed down on the ground. Rule 3: Be ready to defend yourself in case they jump at you too fast. Maybe kick some dirt in their eyes or... The ground was wet and grassy so there was no loose dirt to kick. ...kick their nuts. He stepped forward. I took aim. He stopped. Damn it, did he find out? Won’t work if he’s expecting it. Gotta distract him. “Hey uh, are you sure you aren’t confusing me with someone else?” I said. “No, Ms. Lilith Grayscale. You are most definitely the Hero,” he replied indifferently. Fuck, he really does know. I took a deep breath and lifted my chin at him. “Fine then. Since you know that I’m the hero, you better stop stalking me, you creepy stalker!” I said confidently. “Creepy stalker? But I’m not-” he said, flustered. I inwardly grinned because I’d finally broken his poker face. “Look, I’m busy right now. I have important hero stuff to do. Tell you what, send me a letter when I’m done and I’ll give you an autograph for free. Sound good? Okay, bye!” I waved at him while slowly taking a few steps back, but never took my eyes off him. He stared at me and I saw some confusion in his eyes. He seemed a lot less scary now that his facade had been broken. He looked at me for a little longer before he smirked, chuckled and turned around. “Oh well, guess it can’t be helped. I’ll just send you a letter when I find the way back home,” he said, as he started walking away. “What did you say?” I said. “Oh? I said I’ll send you a letter.” He stopped but didn’t turn around. Jerk. I thought, as I bit my lip. But if what I heard was true… “Are you an earthling too?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. I waited for him to continue but he just started walking again. Asshole! “Hey wait! I just remembered that I have to find a way back to Earth. To... um beat the Demon Lord!” I said, as confidently as I could. “Oh? How does that work?” He chuckled. “Well um...” I stammered. “...that’s a secret!” I finished lamely. Fuck! I broke his composure but he regained it way too quickly. Gotta steer this conversation somewhere else. “Anyways, I’ve never heard of any Earthlings being summoned here except for the hero and the demon lord. So unless you’re the Demon Lord-” A sharp pain stabbed my chest, along with the urge to fire off my strongest skill. He still hadn’t turned around and for a moment I couldn’t help thinking this was a good thing. It made it easier to drive my knife into his back. “No, I am not the demon lord,” he replied calmly, as if he didn’t notice my growing killing intent. “If I was, I would have killed you right away. You must have realized that I’m stronger than you? Besides-” He held his arm out to the side and a few drops of water started falling from it. “I’m a Water mage. Although I have absolutely no talent in magic.” The pain in my chest faded a little. “The hero and the demon lord can use all types of magic to an extent. This doesn’t prove anything.” “True. However, why would the demon lord come to the middle of the Light kingdom?” he asked, still facing his back towards me. “I don’t know, to gather intel? Maybe kill the hero before she’s strong enough to beat you?” “Well, I suppose I can’t reason my way out of this. I’ll just have to tell you.” The pain in my chest intensified and I unconsciously reached for the knife hanging around my waist. Fuck! He really is – “The Demon Lord is dead.” “What?” “It was announced about a month ago in the Dark Kingdom but it took a while to reach the Southern continent. I only found out because I happened to meet a merchant from the North. The demon lord died under mysterious circumstances, just like the past twenty or so Demon Lords. So rest assured, Ms. Hero, I am not the Demon Lord,” he explained, finally turning around and flashing his creepy smile at me. I felt numb for a second as the pain in my chest suddenly dissipated. Then something else vanished too; a vague purpose or goal that I had kept in the back of my mind. A little part of me had wanted to kill the demon lord. Had wanted to be the hero. But now I didn’t have any reason to stay in this world. I had no excuse to stay here anymore. But I didn’t want to go back. Because going back meant facing Dusty. I’d tried to avoid thinking about him because every time I did, a frenzy of emotions overtook me and made my head hurt. After my mother died, no one had cared about me at all. The strangers I begged from, the policemen who shoved me away from the richer parts of town, and the other beggars on the street – none of them cared. But Dusty was different. He was the first one to talk to me after I came to the orphanage. He cared enough to do so. He introduced me to the other kids, let me play with them. He played pranks on me so I got mad and whacked him with the old lady’s stick. And then the old lady whacked me for messing around with her stick. He was with me when we made our first heist, after the orphanage started running low on money. We did everything together. We always had each other’s back. He’d been my friend. My best friend. Maybe more than that. I still didn’t know if it was true though. The shopkeeper could have been lying. But if he wasn’t, meeting Dusty again was not something I looked forward to. So I had been trying to put off the question. Trying to avoid the decision. Did I really want to know if Dusty had betrayed me? Did I really want to go back and find out? But now there were no excuses. There was no demon lord to vanquish. The only demons left were my own. “So,” he said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Do you want to go home?” I paused. “Maybe.” He looked at me, frowning at my response. “Well, why don’t we look for a way back first. You can decide on the way. Does that sound good to you?” “Fine.” I nodded. “Where do we start?” “I don’t know,” he said, smiling. “Then what the fuck are we supposed to do?” I asked, the corners of my eyes twitching. “Why, we go ask someone who does know, of course!” His smile grew wider. “And who would that be?” I asked. “A Goddess!” he exclaimed. I paused and thought about what he’d said. The Goddesses might know about a way back to Earth, but why would they tell us? After all, they were the ones who brought us here in the first place. Well, it’s not like I’ve got any better ideas. “Alright, but how are we gonna find one?” I asked. “We can visit a shrine, perhaps. The Light Goddess’ shrine isn’t open to the public, so there’s no point in going there. However, the Fire Goddess does receive visitors and it’s fairly close by, maybe a couple of weeks on foot, I’d say.” The Fire Goddess? “Alright. Let’s do that.” I nodded. “Great! We should stop by Fohil and grab some supplies first, and maybe buy a carriage if we can scrape together enough money,” he said. I grinned. “Perfect. You take care of the supplies, and I’ll acquire a carriage.” He blinked a few times and looked at me with an uneasy expression but then shrugged it off and started laughing. “Interesting, very interesting. At least I won’t be bored on this trip, Ms. Hero,” he said, flashing his annoying smile again. “Stop calling me Ms. Hero, you already know my name! Call me Lily!” I exclaimed. “Iya ha- ahem. Very well, Lily.” He coughed. What the fuck was that? I thought, feeling slightly…weird. He started walking down the road. “Hey! You’re supposed to introduce yourself too!” I said, angrily. “Oh? I apologize, it completely slipped my mind.” He turned around. He doesn’t look sorry at all! I glared at him. He smirked. “My name is-” “Found you!” A loud shout interrupted him. What the…? I turned towards the voice. A large ball of fire was shooting through the air, coming straight towards us. I stood still, mouth agape, until the heat from the incoming meteor snapped me out of it. Shit! Gotta get outta the way! I looked at the dark robed guy in front of me, but he was just as surprised as I was. “Run!” he shouted, but I was already ahead of him. We ran as fast as we could, but the fiery meteor kept following us. “Stop!” it yelled. Hell no! We kept running, but the fireball kept getting closer. The air getting hotter, and a sizzling sound filled my ear. I didn’t dare look back. That guy looked at me as if he was thinking about something. He moved his hand towards me as the fireball passed over our heads. It crashed into the ground, throwing a large cloud of dust into the air and causing the ground to tremble from the force of the collision. I shielded my eyes against the dust. What the fuck is going on? Something warm pressed against me, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, it felt vaguely familiar. “I finally found you! Why did you run off without me? It seems you need a little more training, doesn’t it?” “Teacher?” I asked. As the dust settled, I could finally make out the woman who was hugging me. She had long, red hair that fell all the way down to her waist, bright red eyes that shone with a fiery light, a perfect face, a perfect body, and unblemished olive skin. Simply put, she was beautiful. She finally let go of me and held me at arm’s length, staring at me with her bright red eyes. “Do not even think about running away again. I have to protect you, after all.” She gave me a warm smile. Even though she was probably only a year older than me, she always acted like an overprotective mother. She wouldn’t let anyone hurt me at all. Of course, she beat me up herself all the time. “Teacher! Why are you here?” I asked, still recovering from her shocking entrance. “Like I said, I am here to protect you,” she said. “Protect me? From who?” I asked. “From –” She stopped and her eyes widened as she suddenly turned around. She pointed a large red sword at the dark robed guy. When did she take that out? “You! Who are you?” she shouted. I looked at the dark-robed guy and surprisingly, he didn’t look flustered at all. In fact, he was wearing his poker face again. “It’s rude to not introduce yourself first,” he said. Hypocrite. “What’s the matter teacher? Why are you pointing your sword at him?” I asked. “Listen Lily, his name is Runir Candela and –” She started coughing and choking. The dark-robed guy, Runir, gave her a startled look. “You can see my status?” Teacher cleared her throat and glared at him. “What are you –” She coughed and her angry glare intensified. “Leave! Or else...” He looked at her for a little while before smiling. “No.” “Leave!” “Why should I?” “Because –” She started coughing again. He kept smiling but his eyes were lost in thought. “Teacher, what is going on here?” I asked. She suddenly started glaring at me instead. “Were you traveling with him? Is he the reason you left the castle so suddenly? Do you even know who he is?” “No, I – we just met. I left the castle because I wanted to. And he’s from my world and we’ve decided to look for a way back together! Wait, why do I have to tell you all of this anyway? You’re not my mom!” I pushed her away. She blinked, obviously confused by my actions. Then she turned to glare at Runir. But he just smiled at her. “You know, it’s about time you introduced yourself. After all, we’ll be traveling together from now on, won’t we?” he said, still smiling. She kept glaring at him for a while before she took a deep breath and sheathed her sword. Seeing this, Runir held out a hand. “Runir Candela, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She looked at his hand and snorted. I shook my head at her childishness. “Teacher, I don’t want to have to call you teacher all the time. Can you please just tell us your name already?” I said. She brought her gaze to me for a second, and then back at Runir. Finally, she sighed. “Very well. You may call me Amy, Amy Genis. And if you ever try to hurt Lily, I promise to make your death as slow, and excruciatingly painful as possible. Understood?” “Understood.” The three of us stood in the middle of the road, staring at each other for several minutes as an awkward silence descended around us. Well, now what do we do? Wait, what’s that sound? Is someone... snoring? WhoCares If you like the story, please make sure to like the chapter and put the story in your reading list!

The sun blazed, sending relentless waves of heat and light onto the thousands of people lined up below. The faint sound of crashing waves carried over the hot air, filling the ears of everyone present with a distant yet powerful roar. Angry red banners fluttered in the hot summer wind while swords and armor glittered beneath the sunlight. Tens of thousands of soldiers wearing red armor and crimson shields stood alongside thousands of armored warriors sitting atop horses draped in battle colors. Behind them stood a horde of hooded figures emitting pulses of hot, searing energy. On a small hill overlooking the sea of soldiers was a massive red tent with a large flag raised over it. While the rest of the army was a cacophony of shouts, neighs, grunts, and clanking armor; the inside of the tent was engulfed by a stifling silence. Inside the tent, the king stood with his hands stretched to either side of a map of the battlefield. Pins of various colors stood scattered across the map: red, blue, white, black, yellow and gray, all arranged in seemingly endless rows. But the king wasn’t looking at the map, and neither were the several ministers, generals and commanders that stood next to him. Their eyes were unfocused, as if they were all lost in thought despite being in the middle of the largest battle in human history. All of them had heard it; at the same time, in fact. One word, resounding through their minds and causing them to freeze due to the power of the voice as well as the reverence they attached to it. A voice that most people only ever heard at their initiation into the Church of Fire. But even though they had only heard it once in their entire lives, none of them doubted that it was her voice. The voice of the Fire Goddess. Two armies of similar sizes stretched far to the right of the army of the Fire Kingdom. These were the armies of their allies, the Light Kingdom and the Water Kingdom, respectively adorned in white and blue. In front of these armies stood a giant stone bridge stretching far into the distance. On the other side of the bridge were the three armies of the Dark, Air and Earth Kingdoms. However, the command tents of these armies were all in a similar state. They’d all heard a voice in their head, the voice of their respective Goddess, and all these voices had told them the same thing at the same time. Stop! And so, they’d immediately dropped everything they’d been doing, not daring to disobey their venerated deities. However, soon their shock gave way to confusion. Why did their Goddess force them to stop just as they were on the cusp of war? A war that their churches had prophesied. Wasn’t this war decreed by the Goddesses themselves? However, despite their confusion they still sent out orders to stop their armies, while nervously wondering whether their enemies would use this opportunity to attack. For now, they could only await their scouts’ reports, which would hopefully clarify the situation. - The thunder of a horse’s hooves hitting the stone cut through the continuous crashing sound of the waves, as a yellow robed rider thundered across the stone bridge. Zoe Hill was a scout from the Earth Kingdom who had been ordered to observe the enemy’s position and report back to her commander. Her hair fluttered in the wind as the horse galloped across the stone bridge. She’d slow down when she was closer to the other side, but she wasn’t concerned about being found yet, because she wasn’t even halfway across the bridge. Suddenly, her horse’s ears flicked to the right just as Zoe turned her gaze in the same direction. Another pair of horses were galloping across the bridge. After noticing the color of their armor, Zoe stroked her horse’s neck to calm it down and directed it to slowly move towards them. As her horse drew near, the other scouts also directed their gazes towards her before adjusting their horses so they could draw closer to her as well. When they were all close together, Zoe gave them a quick nod before turning her gaze forward. “Has your communications prism also gone silent?” said the man dressed in black robes. Zoe nodded. The man turned his gaze towards the front as well. When her prism had suddenly gone silent, Zoe had initially assumed that it was a malfunction but she quickly realized that although no messages were being sent by the commanders, the prism itself could still send messages, which meant that it wasn’t broken. The people on the other end had just gone quiet. The thought had made her heart skip a beat. If central command went silent, wouldn’t that send the whole army into confusion? Her prism buzzed soon after, and she was ordered to go even closer to enemy territory. She was also told to report the first thing she saw, as soon as she saw it. The urgency in the voice of her superiors filled her with trepidation. What could have worked them up so much before the battle had even begun? Just as the thought went through her mind, the other scouts exclaimed loudly before pulling their horses to a stop. Zoe also pulled her horse’s reins, and as the horse settled down, she quickly shifted her gaze towards the other scouts, expecting an explanation for why they were stopping. The others were staring straight ahead towards the center of the bridge, so Zoe turned her gaze in that direction as well. And she froze. In the center of the bridge stood a purple robed figure. The figure had its back towards her so she couldn’t tell who it was but that wasn’t what surprised her. This figure had no presence at all. She couldn’t sense any magic from it! And yet here it stood, right in the middle of the ancient Bridge of Babel. But the entire world knows this is where the final battle is going to take place! Doesn’t this person realize that this is the battleground for the largest battle of all time? Zoe stood motionless for several minutes, barely daring to breathe. Just who could this person be? Moreover, they were wearing purple robes? Which force did that represent? It wasn’t the Celeste nor the Pandomins, so maybe a mercenary or a bandit group? But why would someone like that be here? Especially now, of all times! Just as these thoughts were going through her mind, a bright flash made Zoe raise a hand to cover her eyes while desperately holding onto the spooked horse’s reins with the other. A tremendous pressure bore down at her at the same time. Shit! She wrestled with the reins while tightly clasping the horse’s body with her legs, and barely managed to calm it down. She rubbed her eyes and slowly blinked them open as the blurred images began to take shape. Several new figures surrounded the purple robed one in a circle. Zoe felt an unbearable pressure from those figures despite being so far away, making her wonder where so many powerful figures came from, and why they would all come to the freaking middle of the battlefield! - The sound of the waves barely carried this far from the bridge. A robed figure stood alone on a hill overlooking an army, but she seemed to be looking somewhere far away. A growing sense of sorrow gnawed at her heart as she recalled the man she had loved, but a sigh escaped her lips as she realized the futility of her feelings. It’s too late now, she thought. Something buzzed in her pocket. Puzzled, she reached in and took it out. Her hand began to tremble and her eyes widened when she saw the small, crystalline prism in her hand, and heard the message being transmitted into her ears. How could this...? No! This can’t be happening. This… She burst into the air in a flash of light and began flying towards the center of the bridge. This isn’t possible! He can’t be here! But if he is... will he still – Another flash of light rushed ahead of her, interrupting her thoughts. She shook her head. This wasn’t the time for idle thoughts. She needed to see it with her own eyes. She appeared in the center of the bridge just as several other figures materialized from flashes of light. Yet, she didn’t spare a single glance for the powerful beings that had appeared so suddenly. No, she couldn’t help but give the purple robed figure standing in front of her, her undivided attention. The other figures stared at the person in purple robes as well. He was a young man with black hair and slightly tanned skin. He wore a pair of simple, black framed glasses. His ethnicity was hard to make out and his face wasn’t particularly remarkable either. What’s more, his aura was virtually non-existent. Yet, all the other figures held their breath. Various emotions flashed on their faces. Traces of shock and disbelief. Some anger, guilt, and frustration. But mostly, there was a sense of overwhelming fear. But the purple robed youth wasn’t even looking at them. His cold, brown eyes were directed towards the sky and his face was an empty slate. Even when the others materialized around him, he didn’t show the slightest indication of acknowledging their presence. She stared at the youth in front of her as her eyes began to swell, but no tears would flow. Her overwhelming shame and guilt held them back. He continued to stare into the sky, ignoring the people around him even as they experienced multiple, conflicting emotions. She couldn’t tell how long they stood there, wondering when he would stop ignoring them, and dreading the moment that he would. She tried to say something, tried to break the silence, make him react to her, to respond, but the words died down in her throat. She couldn’t even manage a whimper. Then, as if mocking her inability to speak, the youth sighed and closed his eyes. The others tensed up and held their breath. He opened his eyes and looked straight in front of himself. He looked straight at her. Her mind tensed and her heart skipped a beat, but the cold gaze almost immediately moved on to the person beside her. Her heart went cold, and she bit her lips to stop them from trembling, while holding back her tears. He slowly looked at everyone that surrounded him, his gaze never lingering on anyone for long. They all felt the sharp coldness of his gaze as sweat began to flow down their backs but they didn’t dare move. They were some of the most powerful people in the world; any one of them would have commanded the love and respect of millions of people, but under his gaze they couldn’t help but feel insignificant. They couldn’t help but feel afraid. He lifted his gaze towards the sky once again. He closed his eyes and his lips moved to form a single word. But she knew what he would say before he even said it. She had heard him say that word countless times but it had always carried different emotions back then. It confused her, shocked and awed her, when she heard it for the first time. She had felt the power behind the word. Felt the thrill of knowing what it meant. Who it represented. And even when she was wallowing in despair, that word had brought her comfort and relief. But now it terrified her because she knew that this time, it wasn’t meant for monsters or villains. She was the enemy this time. She was his enemy this time. This time, it was meant for her. She couldn’t fight back the tears anymore. A sphere of emptiness began spreading around the purple robed man. As the emptiness began to spread, she thought about saying something, about telling him how her heart had been mutilated and tortured, how her nightmares woke her up every day, and how miserable she was even when she was awake. She thought about telling him about her sorrow, guilt, and love. She thought about apologizing. But she couldn’t. She didn’t deserve to say anything. The emptiness washed over her and yet surprisingly, she felt relieved. She felt a huge weight lift off her chest just as the void engulfed her. Guess we can’t run from fate after all... - Zoe Hill saw the purple robed figure lift its head back towards the sky. She wondered why the others weren’t moving at all. They weren’t talking, nor did it seem like they were waiting for someone. All she heard was the sound of waves crashing against the bridge’s stone pillars. Then, a spherical, black emptiness erupted around the purple robed figure. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It definitely wasn’t dark magic, because she couldn’t sense any magical energy from it. Everyone knew, darkness wasn’t the mere absence of light, rather, it existed as a separate form of energy, therefore the black sphere wasn’t magical, nor was it anything substantial. It was simply emptiness. Zoe stared at this inexplicable void as cold sweat trickled down her back. She needed to leave, now! As the void swept over the robed figures, Zoe felt the pressure that had been pressing down on her vanish completely. However, she didn’t have the time to think about that as she pulled on her horse’s reins and made it gallop back across the bridge. As the thunder of her horse’s hooves resounded through the air, Zoe chanced a glance behind her back. The void was surging rapidly and soundlessly, absorbing even the air around it and the stone below it. The void wasn’t really a sphere, because it didn’t seem to be three dimensional at all. It was like a giant circle drawn on a flat canvas, only it was rapidly expanding in all directions like raging floodwaters. However, the purple robed figure still stood unmoving, in the center. Fucking hell. She kicked her horse and urged it to move faster, but the void was rapidly gaining on her. The other scouts didn’t respond as quickly as her and were soon swallowed by the void. Her horse thundered across the stone bridge, the rumble of its hooves accompanying the distant sound of waves crashing against the bridge. The waves slammed and crashed into the stone with all their might but the stone pillars would continue to stand, unfazed and unyielding. Her horse suddenly reared and she was sent flying off its back. She crashed into the hard stone, her left leg smashing against the ground. She writhed in agony for a few seconds but quickly collected her thoughts. A broken leg is the least of your problems right now Zoe! Fucking focus damn it! She glanced over her shoulder at the furiously expanding void. She could barely tell how close it was, but she was sure that it would catch up to her soon. Shit! Move Zoe, move! She gritted her teeth and picked herself up. She stumbled and limped her way towards the other end of the bridge, shooting furtive glances behind her at the void. She tripped. Blood flooded her mouth as she fell face first onto the hard stone below. She was panting; her every breath accompanied by a sharp pain in her chest. Shit. So... tired. She coughed up some blood and spat it out to the side. She endured the pain of moving her neck and turned her gaze towards the void. Well fuck, guess there’s no running from this, huh? Tired, so very tired. Maybe a little rest wouldn’t hurt after all...? Just as the void engulfed her, she heard the word that the purple robed youth had said. The word that the other robed figures had heard and the word that everyone in the entire world would hear as the void consumed them all. Even the waves would be engulfed by the void, silenced forevermore. The only sound left was the echo of the word, until it too, faded into oblivion. “REWRITE”

“Actually, it may have been a good thing that you ran away so suddenly,” said Runir. “What do you mean?” asked Lily. “Well, shortly after you decided to take a stroll in the forest, the Celeste came searching for you in Fohil,” he replied. I frowned. Was this Solaron’s doing? She couldn’t find the hero nor the demon lord, but she could still sense me. Is she tracking our group through me? And if so, should I leave or at least confront her? I glanced over at Kai whose lips had turned up a little, like he was holding back a smile. “The Celeste? What’s that?” asked Lily, her eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t know about the Celeste? Don’t tell me you don’t know about the Pandomin either? One of them just tried to take your life!” Runir said, incredulously. Lily frowned. “Stop being such a bitch and answer the question.” “The Celeste and the Pandomin are the elite military units of the holy union and the dusk alliance, respectively,” said Kai, joining the conversation. “A group of Celeste or Pandomins is said to be able to fight the hero and the demon lord on equal grounds. In fact, it’s rumored that they have fought heroes and demon lords, and won.” No one spoke for a few moments. The Celeste and the Pandomins shouldn’t be a problem for me and the demon lord can take care of himself. Kai... should be fine. The only one I need to be concerned about is the hero. I glanced at Lily, who seemed lost in thought. “And they’re both after me...” Lily said, breaking the silence. Kai nodded and Runir smiled. I moved closer and embraced her, shocking her for a second before she pushed me away. “You have to stop doing that. It hurts!” she said, gasping for breath. “It will be okay. You have me,” I assured. “I’m not scared of some assassins or whatever, but...” Her words trailed. “But we’ll need to change the plan somewhat. We can’t stay in the Light kingdom anymore, so let’s take a detour,” said Runir. “Right, we can pass through the Fire Kingdom. We’ll head West, cross the Vandrake mountains and stop over at Ashpoole city. From there we can either cross the desert to Beigo or hike across the mountains to the Shrine,” Kai said. Runir raised an eyebrow. “Sounds good to me,” he said. “I don’t know about those places at all so I’ll trust you on this,” for now. The unsaid words implied by her tone. “It is a good plan but the Vandrake Mountains are incredibly perilous. Flocks of flying monsters roam the skies and roost on the mountaintops. Drakes, Wyverns, Dragons, there are many fearsome creatures in those lands,” I said. Kai chuckled. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” he said, without elaboration. After planning the route in more detail and discussing a few defensive formations, we packed up and embarked into the wilderness. - I stuck close to Lily but she was wary of me. I had yet to gain her trust. Although it was understandable, given the circumstances, it still hurt to be rebuked so openly. She was the first person I’d opened myself to in centuries, yet she flinched when I drew close. She will come around eventually, I thought, resigning myself to the current situation. Instead, I cast my gaze in front of us, staring at the shadows that were beginning to emerge in the distance. Those shadows belonged to the hills that led up to the Vandrake mountains and eventually, to the Fire goddess’ shrine – to my shrine. I felt a slight pain in my chest. I hadn’t seen these mountains in a long time. A little over nine-hundred years, in fact. I’d been avoiding them ever since Yunni died. I avoided both the mountains and the bitter memories that came with them. But that was all in the past. For now, I had to protect Lily. However, I hit a significant snag in my mission to protect Lily. The place should have been full of ferocious beasts and vicious monsters who attacked anyone they saw. Those beasts didn’t care if you were stronger than them and would charge at you regardless. In fact, they even attacked me, a goddess! Yet we hadn’t met a single monster at all – not one! The journey had been peaceful, almost boring. Runir led us up a rocky path, casually jumping across crevasses and climbing ledges. We followed wordlessly. After planning the route a few days ago, we hadn’t talked much, creating a long silence that no one wanted to break. But I was confused. Even though this mountain had been out of the way, Runir insisted on coming here. Kai had stared at him for a long time before agreeing. Lily didn’t care so I hadn’t rejected it either, but this would delay us by a day at least, and that would give Solaron more time to think of a plan. She would want the hero back, or at least under her surveillance, but she couldn’t send the Celeste into the Vandrake mountains even if she could track us through her connection to me. Which meant that something would be waiting for us at Ashpoole or maybe outside the Shrine itself. While I debated the possibility of an ambush and questioned the effectiveness of the longer route we had adopted, a small shape began to emerge on the mountain peak in front of us. Kai and Runir also seemed to have noticed it and Lily followed my gaze. Thin clouds streamed across the shape, shrouding it in their mists. Runir laughed as he saw it, a little relief detectable in his laughter. Kai sighed as he looked at the shrouded shape in the distance but didn’t say anything. I, on the other hand, was shocked. After centuries of roaming around the world, I was sure that I had seen nearly everything on Erath but I had never expected something like this to be hidden right next to my own Shrine. I’d never heard of anything being built so high up in the mountains and even if something could be built here, it would never be able to survive the inevitable aggression of the flying monsters in the region. And yet here it was. “What is that?” I murmured, unconsciously breaking the silence that had been lingering for several days. “I don’t know,” Runir said cheerfully. I frowned. “But isn’t that the reason we came all the way out here? I do not know about you but I would rather not waste time pursuing unknown shapes in the Vandrake Mountains, of all places.” Runir thought for a moment. “Very well, I suppose I’ll have to tell you if we’re going to be working together from now on. But first, Kai, do you know why we’re going to the Fire Goddess’ shrine?” “I suppose you intend to receive the Fire goddess’ blessing,” he said, smiling cryptically. Runir’s face remained expressionless but his fists were clenched tight. “That is partially correct. Lily will be able to receive the goddess’ blessing and become stronger, but our true objective is to search for a way back to our world.” “Our world?” Kai said, lifting an eyebrow. “Yes. I was also summoned to this world, even though I am not the Hero.” “I see. Well, I’m just tagging along for the story so please don’t mind me,” he said, smiling. Runir nodded and turned to me. “Right, I suppose you already know, but my Ability is called ‘Perfect Strategy.’ It allows me to make plans and strategies to reach any objective or goal that I formally choose to pursue and it gives me hints and suggestions regarding what I should do to achieve them.” He gestured towards the blurry shape on the mountaintop. “Ever since I set reaching the Fire Goddess’ shrine as a sub-goal, I’ve been receiving strong hints to come up here for some reason and I’m sure that is what I’m looking for.” Well, that was what his ability was called but... I frowned as I stared at his status, but I wasn’t looking at the Perfect Strategist ability that seemed to be exactly as he had claimed. No, I was looking at his other ability. Everyone born on Erath had only one ability, even the goddesses. But the hero and the demon lord had two. One was their innate ability, which was bestowed upon them by Fate, just like everyone else’ abilities. But they also had another ability, one that was unique to the hero and the other possessed only by the demon lord. And Runir was no exception. In addition to his insanely useful natural ability, he also had the fearsome ability possessed by all demon lords. I grit my teeth and screamed inside my head because I couldn’t warn Lily about it. “Do you know why your ability was telling you to come here?” asked Lily. “I have a hunch. The Fire goddess’ shrine is built on top of a large, active volcano and there is no way to reach it without someone at the top activating the teleport circle. The only problem is, the goddess’ shrine has prerequisites for entry. First, only families are allowed. Second, that family must include a child under the legal age of adulthood in this world, which is 14 years old. As such, none of us would be able to enter the shrine conventionally and we can only hope for a more unconventional way in.” “And this will help us find that unconventional entrance?” Lily asked, skeptically. “Perhaps, perhaps not. All I know is we need to find a way to reach the Fire goddess’ shrine and this is our best bet.” He started hiking up the mountain again. “I’m the hero, can’t I just flash my sacred sword and ask her to let me in?” Lily ran to catch up to him. Runir shook his head. “Previous heroes have tried that but the Fire goddess is very strict with her requirements. She’s refused multiple heroes in the past.” Lily frowned. “That’s a stupid rule. What about people who don’t have a family? Or don’t have kids. Don’t they deserve to go to their Goddess’ shrine?” “Well actually, the Fire Goddess’ shrine is famous for being the easiest to get into. The requirements to enter the other shrines are far higher. Some of them are just plain closed off to the public.” It was a natural response to years of incessant annoyances - of farmers with missing cows and lovers praying for a healthy marriage. A thousand years of this stuff was unbearable. I may have closed off my doors too if I had not left the shrine. We walked closer to the shape and we could finally make out its features. First, we saw a fence. A broken, rotting, wooden fence. Then came the muddy field full of weeds. And finally, the chilly mists gave way to a dilapidated old shack. This is the reason we came all the way here? I frowned and looked over at Runir. Runir stared at the shack for a moment before muttering something under his breath and walking towards it. Kai hummed a tune as he followed him. Lily’s eyes darted in all directions as she presumably planned an escape route. The door creaked as Runir opened it, and made splintering noises. The shack was dark, dusty, and very, very empty, which was quite anticlimactic. “Something’s not right...” Runir said, walking inside the shack. “But they should be right around here!” He stopped over a seemingly random floorboard. He reached for the board and pulled it off, revealing damp, brown soil underneath. Not hesitating at all, he began to dig with his hands. “Runir, what are you doing?” asked Lily, giving him a weird look. “Just a little further...” he said, his hands stopping. “There!” He pulled out his muddy arm and gazed at his fist, his lips curled into a wide smile. “Um, Runir, why are you staring at a bunch of dirt?” Lily asked, confused. Runir looked at her with a deadpan expression. “This isn’t dirt. This is a-” “Oi! Whacha doin ere? Get outta ma house!” We turned around and stared at the person who’d called out so angrily. He was an old elf with wilting brown ears, a pudgy nose, and broken teeth. He wore dirty yellow clothes that probably hadn’t started out yellow and gave off a foul odor that reached all the way where we stood. “Sorry, we didn’t know someone was living here,” Lily said, wrinkling her nose. “Well now ya do. So scram!” The old elf grunted, spit flying out of his mouth. “Actually, the real owner of this place sent us to get something that belonged to them. Just give us a minute and we’ll –” Runir said, walking out of the shack. “Waddaya mean real owner? This is ma house! Been livin ere fer fifty years,” the old elf shouted angrily. “But this house belonged to someone else before that, right? It’s obviously been around for more than fifty years,” Runir replied, calmly. “Does that matter? No one was usin it so it’s mine! Now get out before I knock ya out.” “Look just give us a minute and we’ll be gone. Besides, we still need to fix up –” He turned towards the inside of the shack, gesturing towards the hole in the floor. But it wasn’t there. I stared at the unbroken floorboards, stunned. The hole had been there moments ago, and now it was like it had never been there at all. Runir’s hands were clean, even though he’d never wiped them. “Ah, kind sir. We were just about to leave. We apologize for disturbing you, thank you for your hospitality,” said Kai as he casually walked out of the shack. Was he behind this? Runir and Lily recovered soon after and began following Kai. I was sure we all had the same question, but none of us was willing to ask. “Oi! Wait a minute!” We turned around. “It’s gettin late so ye can stick around fer the night. But don’t come ta me looking fer food! Hard enough ta feed myself these days,” said the old elf, turning his back on us and shutting the door to the shack. We looked at Kai and he shrugged. We decided to stay the night on the mountaintop, mostly because Lily had wanted to see the sunset from up here. We made camp and sat down to watch the rays of light dance across the skies, bounce off the thin clouds and mists, and paint the already beautiful mountain scenery with brilliant hues of red and gold. The grumpy old elf ended up joining us at night after he caught the scent of Kai’s cooking. Kai took out some wine from his storage, at which point the elf’s eyes started glittering and we all began drinking. We ended up chatting with the elf for hours. He told us some of the stories from his younger days and we told him some of ours. He waved us goodbye and went inside the shack while we settled down for the night. I glanced at Lily, whose head had rolled out of the sleeping bag while she slept. I felt a lot of things as I stared at her face. I wanted to protect her, to guard her, to keep her safe. Because for better or for worse, I cared about her. She already seemed like family to me. A little sister, just like... Yunni. I looked over at Runir, who was curled up into a ball due to the cold, mountain air. My gaze drifted to Kai, who was lying on his back next to the campfire, just like he always did. This time I felt confused because I’d felt something again. Despite Runir’s background and Kai’s ominous mystique, I’d felt the urge to protect them too. Did I think of them as family? Were they like little brothers to me, the way Jeffi had been? I didn’t know the answers to any of these questions so I closed my eyes and lay down the way Kai always did. It was surprisingly helpful.

Dear diary, I love it when mommy kisses my cheeks. She says I taste like sugar and cookies. I love cookies. Moma used to bake many big and round cookies for me with yummy choco chips stuffed inside them. But now, I haven’t eaten Moma’s cookies for months. Mommy’s cookies don’t taste like Moma’s. I hope she returns soon from her adventure. Mommy said Moma went into the light, toward the sun, to a place where it never rains, and the night never comes. I like the sun very much. It’s warm and bright. I play hide and seek with my classmates under its eyes, and even dodge ball. Miss Evelyn says I’m very good at hiding. However, I don’t like it when the sun goes to sleep. Everything then becomes dark and cold. Darkness scares me. I once got lost in the park because I couldn’t see anything and wasn’t able to make out the landmarks. Left from the big old tree, right on the second turn, straight until the golden pillar covered in old stacks of paper, and at last, a left from the house with flowers. But because of darkness, I couldn’t see. Even the streetlights didn’t work that night. Feeling hungry and lonely, I cried and yelled for mommy.   Bobby from the school said monsters come out at night from their hiding spots; monsters which take you away and never return you back. So I hid behind the big old grey tree until I heard daddy’s voice. Daddy hugged me tightly when he found me and flung me high up in the air. He then kissed both of my cheeks and rubbed his face against mine.  It tickles my face when mommy rubs her cheeks against mine, but I don’t like it when daddy does it. His beard stings! “Daddy -don’t do it- your beard hurts!” I cried and daddy started laughing. That night I asked daddy why his face has beard and mommy’s doesn’t. “Oh, my salty Anna, haven’t you ever seen a Rose before?” daddy said. “I’m not salty!” “Alright, alright- You see,” He said looking in my eyes, “Every rose, no matter how beautiful and fragrant, needs thorns to protect it from the evil charmers roaming about it. However, because your mommy can’t grow these thorns, as it would tarnish her beautiful face, I, in her part am growing them to keep her safe and protected.” “Will you keep me safe too, daddy?”“Of course, my little troublemaker- I’ll always keep you safe.” I slept with mommy and daddy that night, and daddy scared away all the monsters as he promised. Daddy might be a liar, but I know, he loves me too.

Hey Cloud what are you thinking? ……………………….. Why not shut your brain sometime, life will become more easy . System define life? LIFE Noun the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.   the existence of individual human being or animal.        3. _………….   girls ……………. ……………… ……………….. I wish you a great life ahead big brother… Sigh Sometimes I pity you  Cloud ,you think too much. I  know you are searching for the being  who created us but its already millions of years since our creation. Why even bother now. Just shut your brain and don’t think too much. Simple hahaha Just shut my  brain and live like an idiot , I wish I could do that brother….. But at least we gained something after  living for so long . What ? Emotions   Indeed      

La la la  la la la  la la la Hey, what are u singing for La la la la world is so beautiful La la la la  la la la la la Sigh  I am sick of this world (sometimes) Hehe  don’t worry, this is called evolving my dear twin hmph… I am  older than  you by three seconds little brother don’t underestimate me hehe   you are so proud of those three seconds ,sounds childish to me hmph whatever, why bother? we aren’t even alive ….. ………………. ……………….. But we are conscious ,  isn’t  being conscious is better than simply being alive. Pfft…..  hey Cloud don’t get serious , just ignore everything nothing matters to us .. La la la la la la la ……….. You are becoming more and more like those human….. SIGH! World is indeed  beautiful?        

A fourteen year old finds himself seated on a chair.  His puffy black hair shakes as he looks left, right, and then down at himself.  Something is off.  He tries wiggling his toes, success.   All ten spread open and move up and down.  The phrase, “seeing is believing” has the counterpart, “don’t trust everything you see.”  He stands up and, after taking his own pulse, pats himself down.  The body underneath his gown feels fine… Wait, I wasn’t wearing a gown earlier.  He was at the library checking out some medical books.  Where are his sneakers?  Why is the front of a bus the last thing he remembers before arriving to where ever he is?  The malicious god cracks a crooked smile from atop of his chair.  He crosses his legs and taps his diamond tipped cane against the floor.  The resounding pa-chi alerts the boy to his presence.  The suave voice he speaks with has a guttering tick.  “Figured it out yet?  No?  I’ll give you a clue.  This ain’t heaven.” The boy, despite his natural tanned complexion, turns chalk white.  The malicious god waits for the boy to respond.  The reply doesn’t disappoint, “I’m dead?  Or is this a coma?  Who are you?”  “A god.” “No, you’re not.” The malicious god’s laugh is a crackle that stabs the boy’s ears.  He covers them, but he can’t block out the sound.  The malicious god uncrosses his legs and leans forward onto his cane.  He rests his chin atop both hands and says, “That’s right, I forgot.  You’re Catholic.  Call me the demon-god of another world if that’s easier.  Let me to clarify some more.  Your god has plans.  You would have grown up to be a successful physician finding cures for leprosy and meningitis.  More ‘n that, you’d have succeeded in curing your brother.  Those books you checked out were the start of your ship.” “So you killed me?  Why?  To keep me from saving lives?” “Wrong, it ain’t nothing so malicious.  Don’t even have anything to do with your God’s plans.  You’re nothing more than my personal reality T.V. show.  I want nothing than ta see how someone acts once removed from his rails.  And knowing what you’d ‘ave accomplished, that just makes this so much more fun.  You no longer live that safe and comfortable life where you were free to study.  The sickly brother who motivated you is gone.” “Except, you killed me.” The malicious god laughs again.  He grins baring a mouth full of canines.  “Stupid boy.  Did you forget?  I am a god!  My abilities are fathomless to you.  Reincarnation is child’s play, but I can’t just send you like this.  Alright, I grant you mastery over the language spoken in my chosen world.  It ain’t free though.  The price?  Your name.” “What do you mean my na-?” A bright light surround the boy and blinds him.  Sound enters his ears as he uncovers his face.  Birds chirp and tree leaves rustle, “A forest?”  That false god gave him some clothes too; shoes, pants, a sash, and a tunic.  They’re strange, stiff, and somewhat baggy.  Overall, nothing like he’s used to, but better than that gown.  Regardless, he keeps hope that everything is just a coma induced dream.  

Dear diary, My name is Anna. I am four years old. And I have the world prettiest mommy. Her name is Mommy. She says I smell like flowers. “Why do I smell like flowers?” I asked her one night and she told me her story. I like stories very much. One day I asked mommy why I love stories so much. She said, “Because I have been reading you stories ever since you were a just a tiny little seedling, silly.” Mommy’s has a funny voice. Mommy's voice is so yummy. It tickles my stomach which then roars like a lion. Mommy says three days after I was born a lion came to take me away and she trapped it inside my stomach. Heehe- My mommy is the strongest. Even my daddy is scared of her. He only comes back at night when she’s sleeping and leaves before she wakes up. He thinks I don’t know. Heehe- Anna knows everything. I have mommy’s brains, after all. Yesh~Yesh~ Even Miss Evelyn she’s Anna is the smartest. Ah! I forgot about mommy’s story. This is what she said. “One day I was working late and by the time my shift ended, it had started raining.” Mommy said rain is a bad guy. I didn’t listen to her and rain dirtied my favorite pink skirt. It was grandmothers present. She can’t give me any more presents because mommy says she went on an adventure and will only return when I grow up. “I miss you Moma.” *Sniff* I cried so much that day. I couldn’t play with tigge and elefato for a whole week! I asked mommy what happened to me and she said I was sick. I heard mommy crying that night. I don’t play with rain anymore. I hate uncle rain. “Honey, I’m home!” “Daddy!” Anna cried when she heard her daddy’s voice and ran out of the pink-themed room with white princess bed, leaving the incoherent scribbled pages of her story lying on the velvety softness of her pink pillows. They were not completely forgotten, just left to rest until she picks them back again and continues the story of her life.

One day I was watching duck tales with daddy in the evening and he suddenly started laughing hysterical for no reason. “Doesn’t your mother laugh like that?” He said pointing at Donald Duck. “Mommy doesn’t laugh like that.” “Oh yes, she doesn’t. I love your mother very much,” he suddenly said to me, “-but I have to say, her laughter sounds closer to a platypus than a duck.” And he started laughing again. I didn’t know what a platypus was. I only knew about Tom and Jerry, and Uncle Scrooge. “What’s a pootipus, daddy?” I asked and he started through a laughing fit. “Oh my god, what is she feeding this kid! It’s called Platypus sweetie, not pootipus.” And I don’t know what came over him. Maybe he understood that I didn’t know what a platypus was, so he did an impression of one. He brought his hands together in front of his lips and started clapping, producing duck-like ‘quacks’ during his performance. It wasn’t funny. I thought a platypus looked like a cat with a ducks beak. The thought scared me out. Daddy had to promise me that he would take me to the zoo to show me what a platypus looked like to stop my screams. “Mommy doesn’t laugh like that,” I told him and kicked the floor in anger. ‘Daddy is a liar. First, he said I taste like salt and dirt. Then he said I’m still three, not four years old. But I believe mommy because she is the smartest- just like Anna- and she doesn’t laugh like a platypus. She laughs funny but she doesn’t sound like a duck!’ “That’s horrible. I’m going to tell mommy.” I screamed and ran outside, to the garden, where mommy was relaxing in the sun. “Mommy!” I yelled and she hurriedly stood up.”What happened sweetie?” she said and I told her everything. “Daddy said, you laugh like a platypus. He even did an impression of one.”  I was angry at daddy, but when I stopped talking to look at mommy, I understood I had made a mistake. Mommy was angry. Poppy had told me to never make fun of mommy’s laughs, but I had forgotten it in my anger. “She gets really angry when someone does it.” He had told me during one of my trips to his home in the states. Even daddy knows how bad Mommy’s anger is so he stopped chasing after me when he heard me ratting on him and ran back inside the house. Mommy chased after him. I ran after them both screaming so loud someone called the police thinking we were in trouble. One time my art teacher Jenny called Mommy to the school because I had refused to share my colors with Stan Luther. I don’t like Stan. He is a mean boy. He used to push me from behind every time others weren’t watching. When Mommy asked me why I wasn’t sharing, I told her the reason, and she got so angry that even miss jenny started sweating. Stan never pushed me after that. We both laughed after coming out of school. It was the best day of my life. Miss Jenifer also never asked me to share ever again. All thanks to mommy’s anger. But this time I had done something wrong. Poppy had once told me, “Although relations founded on a strong base don’t break easily but nobody likes a rat.” I like Jerry, but I don’t hate Tom the cat. I felt like a kid chasing after them. Mommy didn’t laugh that night and Daddy didn’t kiss me a good night either.

“Oh come on,” Daddy whispered something in mommy’s ear and she snickered. I love to hear mommy laughing. She kissed daddy on the lips and went into the kitchen. I don’t understand how she can kiss Daddy with his mustache. Its hurts whenever Daddy bites into my cheeks. “Mommy-Mommy, kiss me, kiss me-” I cried behind her and she kissed me too before leaving me alone with Daddy. Her lips taste like strawberries and fresh dew. No wonder Daddy kisses her whenever he comes home from work. Daddy even said Mommy is a very good kisser. That night I asked mommy how she became so good at kissing. “Did you practice kissing when you were small?” and she told me her secret. She said, “When I was a kid your age, grandpa had a BIG orange tree in the backyard. I used to eat an orange every day. Unlike others, I didn’t bite into the orange peg. Instead, I sucked on them. That’s how I became good at kissing.” “You became geed at kissing by sucking on oranges?”“Yep, by sucking oranges,” But I don’t like oranges. They are so tangy. Ooo~ My mouth becomes sticky and my tongue starts dancing when I eat one. And they are so big! How can one person eat a whole orange alone! From dancing, I remember, Poppy loves to dance. Moma once told me she met Poppy in a pub. My friend Peter from school, who is the second smartest kid after me, told me, “A pub is a place where sad and lonely people go to forget about their lives and meet other people with similar hobbies.” “Were you sad Moma?” She smiled when I asked her. Mommy smiles like Moma because she’s her daughter; but why don’t I smile like mommy? Instead, Poppy said “Oh, he was dancing so fine-” Moma told me. “I lost my heart to him when he lifted the girl he was dancing with and then gently hugged her without letting her feet touch the ground. I can still vividly remember thinking how much I would like it if he hugged me like that.” She said it was love at first sight.    “When will I fall in love Moma?” She laughed upon hearing that. Her laughs didn't make my tummy twirl as Mommies laughs do; they made me sad instead. She said, “You will know. You just have to wait until then. But don’t forget to buckle up or the tide will sweep you from the ground and take you away.” I don’t understand what she meant. How would I know I am in love if I don’t even know what love means? But even Mommy agreed with Moma. But if it means I’ll have to leave mommy, then I’ll never fall in love. I don’t want mommy to feel sad like I do because Moma doesn’t live with us anymore.

A sense of déja-Vu… The night ate through the edge of the day, catching up to the car’s speed. Flickering sparkles of noise perforated the guise of the drafted silence when we stopped. A warm breeze caressed my skin, announcing the summer arrival. Felt like a lover’s touch, affectionate but discreet. I looked at the front gate, blinded by the colorful lights. This hotel tasted of a nightclub’s toxic aroma. This kind of raucous site smelled rotten of an unpleasant scheme. My eyes pierced Mr. Milford Macias straight back, a frown sipped on my face. What he wanted to accomplish, bringing me to such a place. As if he read minds, his head tilted, granting me a side look, “relax,” The golden chain attached to his glasses oscillated in compliance, “I am banned from here?” His chin bounced up, pointing past the street, “we are going to dine there.” My gaze marathoned the denoted invisible line, and a shabby rundown restaurant met the end of my sight. I scanned the site up, left, then right to assess any other place. Uncertain, I was, until his frame strolled across the road, joining the disordered tables and seats enclosing a tiny ragged door. I thought we will settle outside, therefore, my eyes browsed amongst the tables in a hopeless search for a modest, clean spot. Nothing reached the threshold of my lowest requirements. Ah… Also, the amalgam of scents breezing out the gapes of the small building… “Barbecue?” I said, swallowing my saliva. Mr. Macias’s golden strings danced again, reflecting colorful lights. The glow covered the most significant part of his eyes, “Grilled red meat.” The sly smile filling his lineaments exposed his avidity. “Every carnivore must visit this place,” he whispered, then slipped inside. Abandoned between the remains of an unsophisticated eatery, hardly called a restaurant and unbearably soiled. Mr. Milford Macias revealed yet another facade of his character. An unexpected one. An individual such as himself who probably had spent hours grooming his attire, a dandy by all measures, frequented a place with no apparent food hygiene. The scent of roasted meat overrode any prior aversion on my part. I sunk into temptation, guided by hunger. The inside of my mouth was watered with drools. However, my consciousness walked after Mr. Macias’s steps, one after the next. In a hidden corner, straightened up wooden stairs. Loud cracks and a handful of dust streamed after each foot press. Any instant, I pictured the upcoming collapse of either the wooden stairs or the whole level. Before the last steps, a final cautious glance licked the surrounding before I followed him up. The full liberty of choosing a table, I granted all the rights to my companion while I settled for a diligent inspection. Once I relaxed into a seat, I approved the harmlessness of the place. A table near the window, if we can call it a window. The quadrangular opening was stacked with irregular wooden plates, fixing some gaps. Through them, the view encompassed the nightclub entrance and pretty much the majority of the street. Someone outside can’t identify the one inside, while in the opposite situation the statement is held false. In short, a perfect point for surveillance. My eyes side-glared at the person preparing himself for a feast, transmitting a comprehensible message. Whom were you spying on? Ignoring me, Mr. Macias continued his before-meal ritual. He removed his golden watch, tightened the strings of his glasses. He placed a napkin above his chest and rolled up his sleeve. Somehow, his propriety pleased my OCD and eased my earlier-induced nausea. The order loitered, but when the intoxicating smell of grilled meat reached my brain, my empty stomach recalled its desire for food. The reclamation started right away. The grilled small pieces of red meat loaded on wooden skewers dripped into their own juice. I could tell it was grilled over charcoal. After a few minutes, the server, an old lady, returned with hot sauce, drinks, and raw salad. As I watched Mr. Macias’s theatrical style of eating, my grumbling stomach kept begging. A man table’s manners can unearth so sought buried traits of his past. Despite his elegance, a trace of a subtle unrefinement resurfaced here and there. It wasn’t the case when I watched August Olvera. If it implied anything, I will consider the possibility of him belonging to the poorest or shunned class of society for a period in his life. Was this the reason behind this over-the-top showy attire? As if he wanted to tell the world he didn’t belong there anymore. Then how did he climb the social ladder this fast? Hard work? Maybe, but hardly so. Capabilities? Not enough, especially in our society. For the love of power, he is also an acquaintance of August Olvera. He stopped devouring the meat under my gaze. The subtle annoyance on his face spoke of his dislike of being watched while eating. Perhaps a side-effect of vague insecurity from fear of being found out. “Aren’t you going to eat?” The tips of his fingers were coated in a fine, oily layer. Compared to Cali, he managed to keep it limited to his own fingertips. “Don’t let the restaurant state affect you.” He almost licked his thumb. He paused at the last second before brushing it over his upper lip. “The mouton meat here is peerless.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. At the end of the day, old habits die hard. “Are you paying?” “Of course, I invited you.” “Yeah, you forced me.” Although I whimpered, my hands braced, drafting my own eating ritual. Thereupon, the situation's perspective changed, and I became the observation target. The brazen stares. I would be a bad liar if I denied the discomfort it had generated. Fortunately, my brain withheld to layering the subjacent significance tailing this remark, ‘don’t let the restaurant state affect you.’ When the symmetry of my meal achieved perfection, I said, “whatever Cali had told you about me… She is wrong.” Before the first juicy bit of grilled meat shut down the rumbling of my stomach. The strength curving his lips upward in a grin as I watched worried me. Hence, I added while avoiding outright eye contact, “I don’t have mysophobia.” He fixed me with a crafty peer, “Of course…” Triggering goosebumps all under my skin. At this instant, I believed he brought me to this rundown place just to confirm the details he extracted from Cali. One more chunk of grilled meat ground between my teeth, followed by another one. Then another one. I barely chewed them enough. Just swallowed as fast as I could. Under his scrutinizing view, it became a high insecure technique to validate my confession, nevertheless, I couldn’t back down. “Of course, if you have Mysophobia, you won’t have set a foot in this unsavory old restaurant.” The tone of his word confused me. Did he really get convinced by my act? Was he playing along? We stared at each other and it was too uncomfortable, so I lowered my head, repeating the earlier eating protocol all over again. “You know why I love this restaurant?” “Because of the grilled meat?” Oh, please, someone saves me… “Yes, that,” once more he smirked, “but also something else.” I rolled my eyes, where he is going with this stupid conversation? “Hmm… then enlighten me?” “Seriously,” He wiped the corner of his mouth, “you really didn’t notice?” “No.” I maintained my sightline away from him. “The order of the tables and seats outside, the decor inside. The architecture. Maybe it looks like a chubby place at first, but it gives a great sense of relief when you notice these small things.” “...” He waited for some kind of feedback, except I refused to deliver any. While in the back of my mind, the process of extracting sense out of his words rose in priority. “You probably have…” His eyes jumped beyond my seat as in searching his brain for the right term. “You probably have Ataxophobia.” A genuine smile crowned the triumph of his discovery and left me dumbstruck. The piece of the meat trapped under my teeth lost its flavor. Extra fake and overacted, I smiled. The only instant response came to my mind. Evading the scrutinized gaze, my sight fixated on the plate in front of me, finding solace in the beauty of its proportionated display. Yet the silence persisted only for seconds… “Each person needs a degree of order and tidiness in his life …” At that time, I didn’t bother analyzing his following commentaries. The stains of humiliation drove me inside my self-built dungeons, suffocating me, slowly, with ropes of my own imagination. Over the earlier period, I spent my efforts evaluating his behavior. He was doing the same thing. I wonder what would be my reaction if I had deduced from his spoken remark that he had a similar condition. Would I be as humiliated as I was? Or will I find a kind of comfort in discovering that he suffered from an equivalent disorder? I just remembered how much I wished to change the conversation subject no matter what? No matter how? Even by opening what I deemed a forbidden door. “Why did you choose FM spy bug transmitters to threaten me?” Upon this question, his reaction faded into ambiguity, difficult to put a label on it. He poured himself a drink then gestured if I also need one. I gave him a cold silent reply. The way he drank can be described as messy, maybe enthusiastic, or perhaps cheerful. Wherever it was, it showed me another angle of the 360 shift of his character. A fruitless wait I felt in watching this ambiguous display, in straps of boredom the patience of waiting for an answer strangled, slowly, with the passing seconds. I craved a response, yet I feared what he will say. What an inconvenient dilemma… My gaze peddled the surroundings, organizing the details of the decor. Mr. Milford Macias’ remarks judged right. The restaurant was meticulously crafted in its design. The items were well chosen, harmonious in their placement. A soft ripple extended to reach my heart, very pleasing until my supervisor began talking. “Why did I choose FM spy bug transmitters?” He sighed, eyes lost in the void wandering before they fall straight at me, “because… Because that is exactly what I would start with if I am targeting someone.” This sentence seemed like a trap, a test, especially the accompanying sidelong stares he threw toward me as he resumed his meal. The quietude nuzzled into a ticklish fierceness. I nibbled the well-grilled meat. He drank what was left in the bottle. The situation grew far more awkward than when it started. However, he possessed that smug attitude that conferred him the boldness to smoothly changes any state of affairs. “It doesn’t matter what was inside the bag.” He said, but I didn’t believe him. I was more inclined to believe the earlier statement. “Actually, it was a trap,” He added, not leaving a chance for contemplation. “what mattered is that you will touch it with your hands, and once you do, your fingertips will get imprinted on the transmitters. Even if you try to erase your fingerprints, you will end up erasing every fingerprint on the transmitters by then when I present the murder case and ask for a reexamination, the expert won’t find any fingerprints on the suspicious transmitters and that will make you, again, a prime suspect for the Marchetti’s case.” Speechless, the shock froze my limbs, my jew opened, and my eyelids jumped. What kind of an evil creature did fate set me up against, or rather, what had August Olvera introduced me to? Oh, my dear Jacob, no, no, I shouldn’t be thanking August for pulling strings to help me out of the interrogation room. I should curse him to the end of his life by paving an effortless road for this demon to my life. The memories engines of my brain began a painful process to access the images of the day I opened this Pandora bag Mr. Milford Macias had offered me as a token of our newly assumed friendship. Those inattentive seconds of self-absorption created fissures in my strict facial control, allowing him an unwanted advantage. At the margin of my perception, he adjusted his posture, from the leisurely loosened one to a stance linked to professionalism. If I were in my neutral state, I may have noticed the straightforward change. I may have spotted the similarity between this raw adopted attitude of his and the one in our first meeting in the interrogation room. I may have concluded I was primed for the upcoming interrogation from the start. “It’s my turn now,” He interrupted the flashback train of mine, “since I answered honestly, you should be honest with me too.” obtaining every bit of my undivided attention, “this is confidential, I swear to you, no one will learn about what we are going to talk about here.” His eyes shone with curiosity, flames like the answer to his next question topped the important matters of his entire existence. It scared me. “Why did you kill the poor boy? You didn’t gain anything from it? It only caused you more troubles to take care of.” Phew, what a relief. I expected another elaborated evidence to frame me. However, the doubts refused to leave my side just yet. Facing his intense glare, woken unexpected wariness in my heart. What should I say? What I am supposed to answer? How do I turn the table? “You have been a victim of this Pandora's bag trick before? Right?” As if somebody else said that, I demanded. The words flow like water. The timbre of my voice carried as clear as the moon on a cloudless night. I felt like I was somebody else watching strangers at the negotiation table. And I watched his startled face with a raging pleasure. “Hum?” He enfolded the frustrating question with a thin veil of ignorance, apparent at least to me. Hence I refused to leave him an escape route. “someone used the fingerprint trick on you before?” In other words, I repeated, parching for a spoken response, or silent reaction. “Ah…” The taste of overpowering an arrogant person, addicting, “someone, I know?” “...” “If you answer me truthfully, I will answer you truthfully. I mean… your question, I mean, who killed the poor boy?” The suspenseful instant cut into explosive hysterical laughter, disturbing and unappealing. Suggesting an impolite demeanor compared to his attire. In its loudness, he attracted an irritated gaze. Unpalatable, persisted gazes. As uncomfortable as I became, he wouldn’t stop, rather he couldn’t stop. I looked at my plate for solace and resumed my eating ritual. Hopelessly denying any relation to this sudden madness. With the passing moments, the clamorous giggles converted into muffled chuckles. Still, I resolved to keep my head low, finish the meal and get out from here before things will evolve. Yeah, for a second choice I could depart at once, but there was no way I was going to leave without drying his pockets. All over again, at the drop of a hat, the peace returned. He didn’t attempt further communication, neither I demanded an explanation. Let him wallow in public dishonor, alone. However, this peace didn’t last long. Weird intermittent noise reached my ears from the outside, through the window bars. Akin to hitting and smashing, accompanied by a sound like shattered glass and clanging metals. At first, I ignored it until it lasted long enough for me to seek attention, and its intensity irked my mood. In a moment of extreme annoyance, I waggled near the window, spying on the road. Under the playful lights of the nightclub building, near the newly stationed high-class car, a familiar shadow colonized a margin of my curiosity, but I ignored him. Another one held its center, for he seemed extra familiar. My mind focused on the second one, as he was the source of this noise. To add meaning to the scene displayed outside, I needed to hurry downstairs even at the expense of disregarding the dinner etiquettes. My eyes got sight of a long iron bar swiping air up and down. Sometimes it hit the car front, other times it hit the window glass, severely. The impact resonance rang louder compared to when I was inside the restaurant. At the scene periphery, a few men gathered around the culprit, yet they did nothing to stop his rage. The spectacle continued for a couple of minutes, in which the red car rendered a pile of trash. The culprit’s pause came out of exhaustion, not out of self-fulfillment. So apparent in his wild features. The iron bar dangled above the ground. It looked like it will fall from his fingers at any instant. From this distance, I felt his rage, frustration. And worst, I related to it. The first shadow approached under some order unheard by me. He caught the iron bar, then whispered into the other’s ears. Even beneath the night cloak, between the flickering artificial lights and the so-not close distance, both men were recognized by me. I recognized Emery Cromwell in his favorite suit style, which grew ruined because of the violent activity. He was eyeing the red car, chest up and down due to anger and strain. The men around him stood wordlessly. Their back blocked my sight, hence identifying their temperament counted inaccessible. It wasn’t difficult for me to grasp the situation. The reason for this commotion all boiled down to the presence of the red car, the famous red car, and the possibility of the presence of its owner. But this wasn’t my problem… or at least not my very own personal problem for now. My unforeseen problem became the other one. The one standing next to Mr. Cromwell. He was no one but my named friend, Travis. High and mighty. From every man who satellited the scene, he was the sol individual who held enough courage and approached the out-of-control Mr. Emery Cromwell. So naturally, so confidently, to the point it set an angry fire into my core. What is the meaning of this? What was Travis’s real identity? Have I been played from the start? Afraid of being recognized as well, I hurried back. Confused on all levels, I worked up the stairs, slowly, in hesitation. From above, Milford Macias' visage greeted me. Solemn. He sustained neutral expressions, straight lips, a precis gaze. This exterior prestige, below it, buried an immense satisfaction of victory. I knew I felt it. The purpose of this trip, why did he bring me to this place? Why did he park August’s car near the nightclub building? He killed two birds with one stone. Apollo Thank you so much for reading. I have been suffering from writer's block lately, so planning a vacation to clear my head.

Athena says, “Understood, Chief.  We’re to investigate the two individuals who were snooping around and then left this last week.  We’ll begin immediately after our classes end.  You can expect out first report Monday morning.”  The Chief nods and says, “Dismissed.” The Chief’s assistant opens the door and out walk Athena, Selene, Tyson, and Jason.  Theodore waits until the last two are through the door before taking a step after them.  Even though they can tolerate being in the same room as him and also no longer freak out whenever he looks at them, they still haven’t been able to accept him.  He makes an internal sigh, but doesn’t blame them. He manages two steps before the Chief says, “Just a moment, Theodore.  His assistant closes the door as Theodore turns around.  “Did I do something wrong?” “No, I’m just concerned.”  The Chief gestures to one of the sofa chairs in front of his desk while his assistant pours them some tea.  “Have a seat.” The Chief waits for Theodore to drink some tea before saying, “How have you been?” Theodore blows on his tea before taking a second sip.  “Are you pulling me off the assignment?” “No, the opposite.  I just want to confirm a few things before giving you your task.” “Is it about my relation with Tyson and Jason?  I think they’re getting better.  At this rate, we might even be able to hold an actual conversation in a few years.” “That brings up my concern.  Plato used his ability, despair, to awaken the dormant memories within all three of you last summer.  The trauma from those memories made Tyson and Jason go berserk-” “And in the chaos, Plato was able to escape.  Yes, I remember.  I’m the one who contained them until help could arrive.” The Chief sigh and downs his tea.  “Plato’s escape was an oversight on our part.  We should have realized that if they could remove the memories about your time in Corsica, then they could also return them.  Containing Tyson and Jason was the correct decision.” Theodore sips more tea and says, “Then you want to know why I wasn’t affected?”  He shrugs and says, “Like I said back then, something got in my eye.  Or do you think that’s wrong?” The Chief’s assistant says, “There’s no denying that your memories are still sealed.  We, however, are starting to suspect it wasn’t an accident.” Theodore sets down his cup of tea.  “You’re afraid he’ll awaken my memories as the world’s worst assassin?  That I’ll betray our organization and kill Athena?” The assistant shakes her head.  “No, Tyson and Jason have already proven that the present you will clash against the past you.  It’s why they keep having memory flashes.  Our fear is something else.” The Chief says, “You’ve read your files.  We fear the type of memory flash you’ll have once you’re forced to confront your past.  Not only will you be completely exposed, with your strength, you’d put countless civilians at risk.  That’s why, if you feel anything, the slightest worry, the faintest doubt, come clean and tell us.  Our responsibility is to look after you.” Theodore places a hand over his heart as he takes a breath.  Jeremy gave him a similar talk earlier that morning.  He, the Chief, the Chief’s assistant, and everyone in the organization mean well, but they already have their hands full with Tyson and Jason.  Theodore nods and says, “Nope, I don’t feel anything at all.”  He gives a confident grin with a playful salute as he adds, “No worries, I promise to be careful.” The Chief sighs and dismisses Theodore.  Theodore nods and leaves.  Waiting for him outside the door is, “Athena?  You didn’t leave with the others?” Athena clicks her tongue.  “What kind of squad leader would I be if I left without everyone in my team?” Theodore blinks and says, “In other words, you still need to give me my mission parameters.  Aren’t you just going to have me sneaking around on my own like usual?  I mean, it’s not like I can directly coordinate with half the team.” Athena sighs.  Her tone is full of sarcasm as she says, “Yeah, that’s exactly it.  I waited here for you just to tell you that.” Theodore chuckles as he walks past Athena.  His smile droops once she can no longer see his face.  Their current mission is a red herring.  The two they’re investigating are the ones who attacked Arthus.  “Hey, about this miss-” “Sophie!  Hey, Sophie!  What’s taking so long?”  Jason runs down the corridor, but freezes upon seeing Theodore.  The carefree smile he wore stiffens into one of terror.  He fights off his fright and forces himself to say, “Let’s hurry before the trail gets cold!” Athena takes off after Jason as he runs away.  Him running into Theodore without any preparation could easily trigger a memory flash.  She glances back to Theodore and mouths, “Sorry.” Theodore waits until the echoes of their footsteps vanish before fist pumping and saying, “Totally called it!”  He then turns around and, with a text to Athena, leaves for school on his own.  Instead of wasting his time investigating two dead ends, he’ll conduct his own investigation.  “Not like I was actually given anything to do.”   Theodore stops by Arthus’s table during lunch.  Considering that morning’s events, Athena will be too busy trying to sooth Jason to be able to eat with him.  A sly grin spreads across his face as he sets down his tray. “You mentioned the other day that you’re not going on the eco-trip.  In other words, you don’t have any last minute packing to do, right?” Arthus says, “I’m taking Samantha out on a date tonight.” Theodore stifles a laugh as he says, “Dude, she flat out turned you down during study hall.” A second tray plops down next to Theodore’s.  Justine says, “Don’t you get tired that?  She turns you down, like, every two weeks.” Arthus says, “I’m wearing her down, bit by bit.” Theodore says, “So in other words, you’re free.  Hang out with me, then.” Justine says, “What are we doing, watching a movie?”  She frowns and scrunches her nose at questioning looks Theodore and Arthus give her.  She jabs a finger at Theodore and says, “Hey, you promised to tutor me in English!  I don’t care how you try to weasel your way out of it, I’m sticking with you until I pull up my grade.” Theodore drops back against his chair with a sigh.  He runs his hand through the back of his head while saying, “I’m not brushing you aside.  I just assumed that with tomorrow being the eco-trip, you’d be busy packing tonight.” Justine holds her head up as she says, “Nope, I took care of all that last night.  And because we leave early tomorrow morning, there’s no training either.  I’m completely free this afternoon.”  Her expression brightens as she leans forward towards the center of the table.  “So, what do you have in mind?  A movie?” Theodore makes a face as he says, “No way, I hate movies.” Justine says, “Aw, and there was one I really wanted to see, too.” Arthus says, “Why don’t you go with some of your friends?” “Urgh, they hate sci-fi.  They’d spend the whole two hours complaining about how Twilight is better.”   Arthus and Theodore follow Justine into a music store.  Arthus watches Justine run off to the metal section while saying, “So, why the mall?” Theodore picks up a CD and pretends to skim the back while waiting for Justine to put on a pair of headphones.  He glances towards her and says, “I originally wanted someplace secluded, like the park.” Arthus says, “And here I thought there was some deeper reason.  Well, the park isn’t as safe as you might think.  A chimera is rumored to have been spotted there.” “A chimera?  What, more fantasy talk?  You make it sound like you’re not the only one.” “You don’t realize it, but we’re part of a much larger community than you know even exists.” Theodore switches the CD in his hand for another one.  He chuckles and says, “Saw right through me, huh?  Well, fine, just what kind of community is this?” “Okay, then I’ll be using the mall as an analogy.  Up here in the surface are the shops everyone knows about; clothing boutiques, music stores, gym equipment, shoe stores, whatever.” Theodore makes a wry smile as he says, “And hidden downstairs are shops only a select few know about?”  He shrugs and adds, “Next you’re going to say that this applies to the whole world.” Arthus suppresses his irritation as he says, “Actually, yeah.  Those blessings you keep calling psychic abilities are considered a secondary power in that hidden world.” “And magic is the primary?  How’d something like that even get decided?” “A long, bloody, and pointless war.  Everything else is now relegated as a third power.” “Whoever told you all this is delusional.” Arthus clicks his tongue.  “Okay, then.  Your turn.  Why do you insist on psychic abilities?” Theodore leans closer to Arthus and says, “I’m actually part of a secret government organization that researches both psychic development and protects psychics from being exploited by other organizations.” Arthus chokes on his laugh.  “You- you’re completely serious too!  Wow, okay, I thought, yeah, I thought there was something, but wow.” Theodore says, “You know, most people react differently.” Justine says, “Really?  What did you tell him?” Theodore looks left, then right, then leans towards her ear.  With an over dramatic tone, he whispers, “That my daily life as a student is actually a cover.  In truth, I’m a secret government agent tasked with monitoring psychic activity.” Justine laughs as she says, “Psyhics?  You’re totally in the wrong school.  None of the ones in this city attend Calvera Private Academy.  How did you guys even get into this sort of conversation?” Both Arthus and Theodore chuckles at her remark.  Arthus then says, “So, find anything you like?” Justine holds up a small bag.  With a bright smile, she says, “Yep, two new CDs for my workouts.” Theodore says, “Couldn’t you just get those songs of youtube?” Justine says, “What kind of secret government spy are you?  Telling me to break the law.”  “A practical one.  I’m not really given much of a wage.  If anything, it’s more like an allowance…”    Justine laughs and says, “Anyway, I know where to go to next.”  She takes Arthus and Theodore by their hands and drags them to a fitness store.  Once they are in the section dedicated to martial arts equipment, she adds, “Last year, Arthus fought of a pair of thugs completely on his own.  Earlier this week, Theodore made me feel terrified for my life.”  While Theodore ignores Arthus’s stare, Justine continues, “So, now, I really want to know.  Who’s stronger?” “I am.”  Both answer in unison.  They look at each other for a moment and then turn back to Justine.  Theodore says, “Actually, what kind of question is that?  Do you go around wondering the outcomes to hypothetical fights?” Justine blushes as she looks down.  “Well, kinda…  I’m only taking Iaido because my parents said kendo isn’t for girls.”  She takes a pair of foam covered rubber swords off the wall and says, “I want to face the winner.” Theodore accepts a sword and glances at Arthus.  “Well, I can’t stand someone thinking he’s better than me.” Arthus returns the stare while also accepting a sword.  “And I’ve been itching for a challenge.” Justine says, “Great, let’s go!” A short bus ride takes them to the park.  Once there, they walk for a tennis court hidden behind a hill.  According to Justine, “We can kiai at the top of our lungs no there’ll be no one to complain.” Arthus says, “In olden days, people like you would die young or become formidable.” Theodore says, “Are you going to tell us you’re older than you look, too?” “No, nothing like that.  I’ll be turning seventeen in a few weeks.”  Justine goes to comment, but Arthus cuts her off by continuing, “This looks like a good spot.”  He sets down his bag and glares at Theodore.  “Any last words.” Theodore sets down his bag and circles around Arthus.  He readies himself to dash forward while saying, “I’ll give you a minute to pray.” Justine holds up her right hand and swings it down saying, “Begin!” The distance between the two closes in an instant.  Theodore thrusts, Arthus parries, Theodore drops and spins for a sweep.  Arthus leaps back and Theodore follows.  He springs onto his feet and thrusts again. Arthus sidesteps and swings underneath Theodore’s sword.  Theodore lowers his arm and uses his sword to push Arthus’s downward.  He then thrusts again, this time for Arthus’s head. Arthus avoid the attack by twist to the side.  He continues the motion and sends out a roundhouse kick.  Theodore ducks and rolls underneath the attack.  He then dives forward in anticipation of Arthus’s next move.  Theodore vanishes.  Arthus literally saw him disappear before his eyes.  He feels the cold sensation of a dagger sliding across his neck.  He’s behind me.  He turns around, but doubts he’ll make it. Arthus swings and hits Theodore’s arm.  Arthus is more shocked than Theodore at his success.  “Huh?”  Theodore’s attention is engrossed on the bushes.  His practice sword is lodged within their branches.  Arthus sniffs and picks up a forth scent.  He readies himself for a fight while saying, “Should we leave?” Theodore sighs and scratches the back of his head.  He speaks loud enough for Justine to hear him.  “Sorry, just a squirrel.  I might have gotten a little too into that match.” As he goes to retrieve the sword, Justine says, “No kidding!  I could barely keep up with your swings.  You two are amazing!” Theodore keeps a light hearted tone as he says, “Well, you’re up against Arthus.  Try not to die.”  His expression tenses as he pulls his sword free.  From underneath the training sword slides out a lustrous, black sword.  He slides it back underneath the bush with his foot, takes a deep breath, and turns around. He hands the training sword to Justine, gives her a slight push on the back, and says, “Alright, my turn to referee!”  He swings down his arm and adds, “Ready, set, fight!” Theodore watches the match in half daze.  Only once Justine says to Arthus, “You’re just messing around with me!” does he realize how much darker the sky has become.  Arthus says, “Well, it’s getting late.”  He deflects Justine’s swing, steps in towards her, and flicks her forehead.  He ignores Justine’s grumbling to say, “And that’s my win.”  “I couldn’t even touch you…” Theodore laughs and says, “Maybe you’ll do better next time.” Justine says, “Right, we still need to have a match.  You owe me that and a lesson.” Theodore separates from Arthus and Justine at the bus stop by the park entrance.  His mind drifts back to the black sword as he continues on home.  No doubt about it, that was my obsidian sword.  The same one I used in all my assassinations.  What was it doing there?  He recalls it falling into the ocean after his final battle with Athena.  The organization spent months combing the Mediterranean for it and never found a trace… Theodore stops walking and says, “Did Tyson tell you I was here?” Selene steps out from behind a tree.  Theodore chuckles as her black hair gets caught among some branches.  He asks if she needs any help, but receives an, “I got it.”  She disappears with a pop and reappears beside Theodore. Selene straightens her hair and says, “He was completely breaking down.  What did you do to him?” “He snuck up on me during the middle of a match.” Selene winces, recalling the few times she’s snuck up on him during training.  “No wonder he’s having a memory flash.  Your serious face is terrifying.  But, the only people back there were Arthus and Justine.  Can any of them really make you get serious?” “Arthus might be like us.” “Shouldn’t we alert the Chief and Jeremy?  What if Corsica moves in to collect him?” “No, I get the feeling he’s part of a much larger organization himself.  I don’t want to do anything until I learn more about them.” Selene sighs.  “Well, if you say so.  Sophie trusts you and that’s good enough for me.” Theodore chuckles and thanks her.  Then, at her grimace, he says, “Is it that strange?” Selene gives a nervous laugh.  She grips her arm and says, “It really is.  It’s barely been a year since you were trying to kill us.  I would have never imagined you, or Tyson, or Jason joining our squad.”  “We’re lucky to have lost our memories of back then.  We’d never have been able to start over like this if we hadn’t.  Still, even with that, I’m surprised you even talk to me.  From the reports I’ve read, I’ve done some horrible things to you.” Selene shakes her head.  “At first, but your eyes are different now.  They were abysmal pits back then, but now, they’re full of life.”  She then places her hand upon Theodore’s arm and teleports them to outside Jeremy’s apartment.  Theodore says, “Hey, if you’re free, how about catching a movie with Athena?” Wails from inside the apartment stiffen Selene’s expression.  Tyson will go berserk if he isn’t calmed.  Selene yanks the door open while saying, “Sorry, maybe next time.” Theodore shuts the door behind her with a sigh.  He walks to his apartment two doors down, tosses his bag inside, and leaves by leaping off the apartment complex’s railing.  He lands on a nearby rooftop and sprints back to park to retrieve the obsidian sword.  From there he hurries to his secret spot in the forest. ….. “Casitas Hotel,” Ian reads the sign over the building entrance upon stepping off the bus.  A cold breeze blows against him as he continues a few paces towards the lake.  He turns his back to the wind and, after dropping his bag on the pavement, stretches his neck as he waits for his group to join him.   Will’s glasses darken under the sun’s glare as he approaches Ian.  He taps his classmate’s side with his elbow and speaks in a low tone.  “Think a fairy lights that sign up every night, too?” The sun’s reflection off of Will’s glasses keeps Ian from looking him in the eye.  He clicks his tongue and says, “Aiyan, how long are you going to keep bringing that up?  The phone spoke to me.  Anyone from Mofa would think that.” Jimar sets a bag and violin case on the ground and says, “Yo, quit stallin and get your bag already.”  A few moments after the two return, Gale joins the group.  The late morning light makes him scowl, but he doesn’t say anything.  Unlike the other three, a sleeping bag is tied to his bag.  Jimar says, “Great, we’re all here.  Let’s go check in.”               As they enter the lobby to meet their teacher, Will says, “So, why’d you invite Gale?  We’re you that desperate for members?”               Jimar says, “Hey man, Gale’s cool.”               Will rolls his eyes, but doesn’t say anything else.               They receive their keys and proceed up a few flights of stairs to their room.   Ian, Will and Jimar claim their bed spaces with their bags.  Ian and Will share the bed near the wall while Jimar takes the one by the window.  Gale, however, unravels his sleeping bag underneath the table in the corner of the room.  He places his bag next to it.               Jimar says, “Gale, we can share the bed, ya know?”               “I’ve already gotten used to doing it this way.” Jimar and Ian are flabbergasted by the comment.  Will doesn’t react and settles himself into the room.  Jimar clears his throat in an attempt to dispel his surprise and says, “Well… okay.  Hey, I know, let’s hit the dining room.  Those seven hours left me starving.”                Just before Jimar can open the door, Will says, “Hold on, the room keys.”                Jimar pulls out a small envelope from his pocket as he turns around.  From inside it he withdraws two identical plastic cards.  “Right, who wants one?”               Ian takes a card and examines both sides.  He runs his finger over the magnetic strip while saying, “I still don’t get how this works.”               Will plucks it from his grasp.  “I think I’ll hold on to this one.”               “I’ll take the other one.”  Gale says, holding out his hand.  “I won’t let you lock me out like everyone else.”               Jimar stares at Gale, his mouth opening and closing as tries to say something.  He gives up and passes Gale the remaining key.  He then claps his hands and says, “Alright, now let’s va moos.  Time ta start our holiday weekend.”                The four file out the door for the stairs.  As they walk, Ian says to Jimar, “Why did you bring your violin?”               “To play during free time.  I ain’t get too many opportunities ta play under the stars.”               Many classmates are already in the dining room having lunch.  The four of them are early enough to claim an empty table after serving themselves from the buffet.  More groups trickle in as they eat and the room soon fills. The lights dim and a teacher walks onto the stage along the wall.  He uses a power point to describe the local fauna, flora, and nature’s warning signs.  He ends by telling the students their tasks for the day and to “not leave the hotel area between Chismahoo Creek Arm and Ayers Creek Arm.” Ian, Will, Jimar, and Gale, having finished their meals, leave upon being dismissed.  They’re given bags, gloves, and a map marking areas they can both deposit filled trash bags and receive new ones at the door. Will and Ian lead the way to the edge of the peninsula overlooking Ayers Creek Arm.  At Ian’s instance, they walk along a trail through the barren trees instead of on the road.  “There isn’t a single leaf anywhere…” Jimar says, “Ian, jus’ where da heck did ya say ya came from?” Gale saves Ian from having to answer with a click his tongue.  Even though he isn’t in the front, he somehow managed to walk into a spider web.  However, instead of flinching or spitting, he merely scowls and wipes his face.  Will speaks in a low tone, “Freak.”  Ian is the only one who hears him. Jimar grabs Gale’s arm.  “Hold on, there’s a spider on your back.”               Gale cranes his head over his shoulder while saying, “Where?”.               “No, stop moving!  It’s a… I think it’s a lynx.”               Ian takes a stick and brushes a bright-green spider from Gale’s back.  “You’re luck sucks.”                 “I don’t believe in luck.”  Gale clicks his tongue and runs ahead.               A pair of piers with my boats tied to them come to view after a few more minutes of walking.  Gale sits at the end of the first pier with his legs dangling just above the water’s surface.  He sits unmoving as he stares at the island in the middle of the lake.  Not even the crisp breeze makes him stir. Ian, Will, and Jimar step onto the paved path that leads back to the hotel and begin to open their trash bags.  Jimar opens two before saying, “Yo, Gale!” Gale turns upon hearing him and rejoins everyone as they’re putting on their gloves.  He takes a bag for himself and begins collecting trash littered along the shore.  Everyone else cleans up the road.               Jimar picks up a flattened bottle while saying, “Ya know, we should watch a movie before hitting the sack tonight.”                Will flicks a bottle cap into his bag while saying, “What movie?”               “Whatever’s on.  You three got any preferences?”                Gale tires to say, “No,” as he walks past to leave his bag in the pickup area, but stumbles midway through the word upon stepping on a loose rock. Will snickers as Gale loses balance and falls down.  Gale ignores everyone, gets up, picks up his bag, and continues to the pickup area.  Will then says, “How about something magic based?”               “Cool, maybe we can luck in and catch Har-” A splashing sound from behind cuts Jimar off.  He swears under his breath and as he turns around. Ian also turns around where he sees Gale jump onto one of the hotel’s boats and reach into the water to pull out his garbage bag.  Water splashes all over him as he struggles to pull it free.  His back and forth struggle despite his lack of results in his gloves and forearms getting drenches.  Spraying water even dampens his face and chest.               Jimar climbs onto the boat and reaches for the bag.  He pulls it out with an arm and tosses it onto the edge of the pier.  “Ya alright?”               Gale shakes the water from his hands while saying, “Fine.”  He sneezes and adds, “I’m going to get changed.”  He then stops before getting off the boat to pick a coin off the floor.                “What happened ta getting changed?”               Gale, unable to pick up the coin, takes off his glove to try again.  His hand shakes as he pockets it.  He hops onto the pier while saying, “A quarter is a quarter,” and sprints up the path back to the hotel.               Ian is convinced Gale is a normal human as he watches him disappear around a bend.  “No hei’an shengwu is this pathetic…” …..               Gale steps into the hotel room the following morning.  He’s drenched in sweat, but his breathing is normal.  He spares Jimar and Ian a glance as he says, “Where’d you all go last night?”                Will says, “What’d ya mean?”                Gale downs a water bottle from the mini-fridge.  Then, while getting a fresh set of clothes from his bag, he says, “Dinner, it was deserted.  Where’d you all go?”                Ian, Will, and Jimar look at one another in confusion.  Jimar says, “Gale, we hit the sack after eating.  We were too tired ta do anything else.”               Gale clicks his tongue as he walks towards the bathroom for a shower.  “This room was empty when I got back from my run.  None of you came back until after eleven.”  The door slams behind him.               Will looks to Jimar, “You’re the one who asked him to join us.”               “Hey, Gale’s cool…  He’s prob’bly just sick or something.  He did get wet pretty bad yesterday…”  Jimar finishes his morning preparations and looks to the others, “Ready?”  Ian and Will confirm and the three leave for breakfast.               Jimar and Will discuss what movie they should watch that night as they walk.  Will says, “I can’t believe we just feel asleep.”  Ian listens without saying anything.  He’s too afraid that he’ll look like an idiot by revealing his ignorance about movies.  As his mind wanders off, he overhears other students making comments similar to Gale.  One conversation goes, “You could have texted me.”, “Seriously, we went straight to bed!”, “Liar, you were out till midnight!” Ian speaks up as they enter the dining room.  “Why did we go bed to bed that early?” Will’s taken aback at the sudden question.  He takes on a mocking tone as he says, “Because we were tired.” “All we did was clean up some garbage.” “You’re just in bad shape.”               Ian lets the conversation die.  Dinner is the last thing he remembers before returning to his room to sleep.  He looks around for the students complaining about having been “left behind” the night before.  None of them showed up for dinner.                             Ian grabs a few snacks during dinner and leaves the hotel for the forest across the street.  He sets himself up on some branches for cover and watches.  If the same thing as last night happens again, he’ll catch it.                He does feel some guilt that he’s abandoning Jimar to what is about to happen, but forces the emotion from his mind with a shake of his head.  “He’s just a powerless…”                Someone is stepping out of Casitas Hotel.  He casts a spell to improve his vision only to meet disappointment.  Gale runs out the hotel and takes off down the road.  “He really did go for a run last night…”               “Told you he’s a freak.”               Ian lashes out with a water whip at the comment.  Will dives to the side saying, “Hey, watch it!  It’s just me!”               Ian cancels his spell and says, “You’re a powerless!  How’d you sneak up on me?”               “How about telling me first.  What are you doing out here?”  At Ian’s reluctance, Will says, “Well?  Out with it!  I don’t have all day!  Or should I just go inside and tell everyone you’re a Deva?”               “Fine, fine, something happened last night and I’m trying to figure out what.”               “You mean that thing Gale was talking about?  Seriously?  Oh, come on!  He’s just trying to get attention for himself.  Just ignore him.”               “Didn’t you notice anything?  He wasn’t the only one.  A lot of others said the same thing he did.  I’d be a failure of a Deva if I ignored that.”                “So, what?  You’re just going to sit out here until something happens again?  That’s stupid.  Just go in there and stop it from happening in the first place.” Ian hears a sound and cleaves a bush in half with a water whip.  A squirrel scurries out from underneath and darts up a tree.  Ian takes a breath and he releases his spell.  He’s letting the situation get to him.  “Relax…”  Will belittles the situation and laughs at Ian.  He says, “You’re so incompetent.  Can’t you do anything right?” Ian doesn’t answer. After an hour of nothing happening, Will says, “Hey, I’m getting bored.  Shouldn’t something have happened by now?” “If you don’t like it, go wait in the hotel room.” “Not a chance.  If something is going to happen, I want to see it.” Ian doesn’t say anything, but silently agrees that too much time has passed.  After confirming as much as he can that everything is safe, he approaches Casitas Hotel.  The inside is empty; no clerk works the front desk, no one cooks in the kitchen, and no one is eating in the dining room.  Half eaten meals and winter jackets lay abandoned and scattered about on the tables and chairs.              Will says, “So, you’re the Deva, where is everyone?”               Ian walks out the room without answering.  The courtyard in the back wasn’t trampled, but plenty of evidence remains proving that a large amount of people passed through within the last hour.               While Ian tries to guess as to where the trail leads, a section of footprints illuminate with a light similar to his tracking spell.  Will holds his phone out as he steps forward.  The circle of revealed footprints moves in line with his phone.               Will holds his head high as he takes in Ian’s dumbfounded stare.  “What, you thought being able to use magic made you special?  Anything you Deva can do, I will do better!”               Ian is taken aback by the conviction within Will’s words.  “Bu- But how?  You’re not even using any magic.”               “Moron, magic can be coded.  You said it yourself, magic is a precise manipulation of energy towards a single goal.  Or what, you thought I was having you show me your spells just for fun?  The hiean shengwu are going to kill Mofa if you’re their last hope.”  Will walks past Ian, bumping his shoulder with his own, as he says, “Hurry up, this is killing my battery.”               Ian makes a face, but follows Will onto the path leading towards the piers without a word.  He remains vigilant to ambush the entire walk down, but nothing happens.  The trail ends with everyone stepping off the docks.  All the boats he saw the other day are gone.               Ian visualizes the map of the lake he looked through on the bus.  The cloudy sky covers the water within a blanket of darkness, but there are two islands in the middle of the lake.               Will ends the spell as he turns to Ian.  “Now what?  Or am I supposed to solve this too?”               “Shut up!  You shouldn’t even be here!  I’m a Deva.  This-”                “Is completely out of your league!  You can’t do anything right!  Face it, you need me.  You would have never even got here without me.  Oh, and look!  I just found us a boat, too.  Well, you’re the Deva.  Go ahead and get going.  Oh, wait.  Do you even know how to start a motor boat?  No, you can’t!  Because you’re useless!”                Will starts the motor and steers it towards the center of the lake.  A violin’s melody overshadows the engine’s roar as they get closer to the main island. …..               A fairy sized woman of about five inches stands on Ian’s shoulder.  Snow white wings sprout through the matching haori.  They flutter with each of Ian’s steps, moving as though the haori where an illusion and not cloth, as she slips off his shoulder.  Each time, her red hakama poofs out from the rush of air before resettling against her legs.  Her high pitched voice leaks through a crow’s mask as dark as her black unbound hair.   She cries out as loud as she can, “Wake up!  Ian, snap out of it!” while smacking the side of his head with her shukujo.  The six rings on the figurehead jingle with each strike.               She stops her foot on Ian’s collar bone in frustration only to slip off again as Ian takes another step forward.  She flies back up onto Ian’s shoulder and with a, “Fine!” jabs the bottom of her staff into a nerve cluster near the bottom of Ian’s neck.               Ian cries out, slapping his neck.  A “No, wait!” rings out as his hand flattens the irritation.  He discovers a palm sized, paper cutout of a person with 美雪 written on it, “Mei xue?”  As he examines the piece of paper, he becomes aware of the violin and redirects his thoughts.  I’m a Deva stationed here on Earth to master Wu Xing.  I’m a Deva stationed here on Earth to master Wu Xing.  “I’m a Deva stationed here on Earth to master Wu Xing.”  Wood magic can manipulate the mind by integrating itself into it though id usurpation.  The magic then moves onto the super-ego to create a unified mind that will obey whatever command is given.  The most common method is through a simple, catchy, and repetitive melody.  Fighting off the spell requires either a strong will or a firm sense of self.  Ian strengthens his defenses by repeating his mission to the point of making it into a mantra.  I’ll be fine as long as I doesn’t forget.               Ian takes a breath and looks around.  He’s standing in a line with his fellow students in a clearing in the woods.  The area is as light as day, but the few sources of illumination aren’t powerful enough to have such an effect.  Jimar plays his violin at the front of the line.  He plays with a blank expression on his face.  He’s casting the mental manipulation magic while being controlled in turn. A large, burning, cross looms behind Jimar.  One student stands before the cross with a blank stare on her face.  She presses a dagger into her own arm and lets her blood pour onto a blacked rock at the cross’s base.  She then stops after a few moments and hands the dagger to a white robed man wearing a pointed white hat and a matching face-cloth. While he hands the dagger to another student, another man in white treats the girl’s wound.  The second man presses a blood stained glove over the wound and then releases it.  Not even a scar remains.  The girl walks off into the woods and disappears.  Probably back to the hotel. There are seven people in white surveying the area.  All Ian can tell is that whatever they’re attempting, it’s powerful and dangerous.  The way they’ve lined up their sacrifices creates a living magic circle that changes in meaning as it gets smaller.  Each change in meaning builds on the previous one to create a result more powerful than the sums of its parts.  Except, spells don’t require blood to activate.  “At least, no human spell requires blood.” Ian gets so caught up in surveying the area, he’s crashed into by the student behind him.  He steps to the side and lets the student pass.  The people in white are so focused on their tasks that none of them notice him potentially disrupting the spell by breaking away from the living magic circle’s formation. Ian crouches low to remain out of sight while strengthening his body with magic.  While wondering over what he should do, he sees Will walk forward to accept a dagger.  His first duty should be to stop others from becoming sacrifices.  “But it’s Will…” Ian reprimands himself and hurries forward towards the sacrificial alter.  He’ll act once he’s in range.  Will plunges the dagger into his arm and pours his blood onto the rock.  He then returns the dagger to the man in white and steps forward to have his arm healed. Ian strikes with a water whip as the dagger is being passed to Justine.  He flicks the dagger away, coils his whip around the man in white, and rams the captive into the man next to him.  Justine, however, continues through the motion of plunging a dagger into her arm.  She goes through the gestures of returning the dagger, steps to the side to have her arm healed, and then leaves the forest.  Ian, using Justine’s actions as confirmation to the future actions of his hypnotized classmates, dives to the side with a roll.  He springs onto his feet and encases another robed person in ice.  He then turns around and swings his arm.  A water bullet flies out and hammers the head of another hooded man.  The man stumbles, but doesn’t fall.  He holds up his palms and finishes the spell Ian was trying to interrupt.  Ian twists and stabs through the forming fireball with a water whip from his other hand.  The water whip then arcs around and stretches to pierce a second oncoming fireball.  He then pivots with his feet in order to guide his water whip towards the remaining fireballs.  Ian doesn’t stop moving.  With the fireballs gone, he uses water whips from both hands to grab a pair of hooded figures and fling them off into the forest. A wave of blistering heat rolls down on him.  His first action is to thrust up his arms to create a wall of water.  He looks up during the middle of that instinctive response and sees a blazing, orange fireball.  Ian’s eyes tremble and his spell wavers.  But, by shaking his head, he forces himself to remember, I’m a Deva stationed here on Earth to master Wu Xing.  He grits his teeth and strengthens the water wall.  He makes the wall bigger and crashes it against the fireball. The fireball flares and boils the water wall.  Sweat rolls down Ian’s back as he strengthens the shield.  Realizing, not enough… he casts a second spell.  Ian cries out.  He strengthened the water wall, but it only boils at a faster rate.  Its protection is rendered pointless without the resolution to fully resist the fireball.  Dividing his attention between maintaining the water wall and completing a second spell is a heavier strain than he anticipated.  At the rate he’s going, the area will be reduced to charcoal and his classmates into ash. Images flash through his mind at the thought of failure.  He sees the wreckage that was his village, the crumbled and charred stones that made his house, and the remains of his family and friends.  His determination to continue struggling hardens as he says, “Not… this… time.” The ground next to Ian ruptures as a geyser rockets towards the fireball.  The stream pierces through the water wall and crashes into the fireball.  Steam sizzles from where the water and fire make contact.  Ian’s brain feels like it’s splitting in half as he both fortifies his water wall and reinforces his geyser.  “Gahhhh!”  The geyser digs towards the fireball’s core.  Steam envelops the fireball, but its oppressive heat continues to roll out unfettered as it drops towards the ground.  Still not enough…  The water wall can’t shield everyone from the fireball and the geyser isn’t enough to to destroy it.  Ian grits his teeth and clenches his fist before his chest.  His hand trembles as he attempts a third spell.  His head feels like it’s exploding.  He’s blinded by the pain, but he persists with his third spell.  Pushing him forward is the image of what will happen if he fails, everyone’s charred remains.  The spell Ian is casting is still beyond him.  He can form lightning, but it explodes in his face whenever he tries to direct it.  A slight miscalculation might result with blowing off his own arm.  His biggest trouble comes with directing the lightning bolt.  A lot from the environment needs to be factored into the spell when aiming.  Ian’s screams grow louder and he thrusts his hand into his geyser.  He’s confident his lightning spell will succeed if he doesn’t have to aim it.  As such, he releases the spell and lets the lightning be carried by the water. The fireball goes supernova. …..               A white, robed person with a white pointed hat and facemask strolls through the forest.  This robe, unlike the others, has a red cross embroidered over the heart.  The person stops as multiple fairy sized women fly out of the underbrush to surround him.               “You overwhelmed Ian, but did you think to escape me?”  A woman with a crow’s mask appears in front of him.  Her black hair is indistinguishable from the mask’s feathers within the darkness.  She is a life sized version of what helped Ian return to his senses earlier. The person shoots fireballs at her.  The six rings of her shukujo jingle as she swings her staff to meet each attack.  The flames fade at contact, serving only to luster her white haori and red hakama before disappearing.  Her graceful movements give the illusion of a dance.                She then lunges forward and jabs the bottom of her staff against the person’s forehead.  “Hiding your presence within a human, reveal yourself.”               A large beetle flies out from underneath the person’s facemask.  A gaping hole remains where it ate out the flesh to create a nest.               She flicks a paper talisman onto the insect while it’s midway between herself and the former host.  The hei’an shengwu freezes in mid-air with its claws ready to dig into her eyes and its mouth open to bite into her flesh as a transparent blue sphere encases it.               She lowers the sphere onto the ground and thrust through it with the tip of her staff.  The insect inside cries out a convoluted combination of radio static and the roar of breaking waves as it’s impaled.  With the talisman no longer freezing it in place, it struggles to escape.  Its translucent wings desperately continue to flutter even after death.               She slips her mask up onto her head to wipe the sweat from her forehead.  She sighs while saying, “And that makes four.  Really, flinging those two aside like that.  You made this so much harder than it had to be, Ian.”  Having cooled off by taking in the cold night air, she readjusts her crow’s mask and returns to the hotel. …..               Ian moans and holds his head as he sits up on his bed.  He cringes at the sharp pain in his hand.  The center of his palm is scorched black.  My lightning bolt…  The bright morning light shining down on his face leaves him wondering how he got to his room.  He’s still in wearing the same clothes as the night before.  Did someone carry me?               Jimar says, “Dude, what did you do last night?  You completely slept through the morning hike.”               “What- what time is it?”               “Almost time ta go.  Ya might find something ta eat downstairs if you hurry.”  Jimar turns towards the door upon hearing it open and says, “Sup, Gale.  Ya go for another run?” Gale kneels and double checks whether his bag packed.  “The air is fresher here.”  He ties his sleeping bag to his backpack, swings it over his shoulder, and leaves, slamming the door behind him. Jimar winces, “He’s ticked ‘bout something.” Will clicks his tongue as he steps out of the bathroom.  “Relax, it’s just Gale.  What’s it matter?” “Yo man, that’s harsh.  Anyway, I’ll catch ya guys downstairs.”               Will stomps over to Ian once Jimar leaves the room.  “What happened last night?  Why didn’t you protect me?”               “Protect you?  I told you to stay here.  You’re the [idiot in mandarin] who wanted to come.”               “Obviously, I had to go!”  Will jabs Ian with a finger as he says, “I call the shots and you follow them.  Are you such a stupid dog that I need to explain that?  I’m just a normal human.  You’re a Deva.  You do everything I say and keep me safe!”               Ian scoffs at Will.  “{like hell!  In mandarin}  You can just-”               Will spits in Ian’s face.  Ian is taken aback for a second, but punches Will in the face just as he begins to smile.  Will staggers back, clutching his face as he bumps into the wall.  He steadies his balance and limbers out the room with a bloody nose.  Neither a single word nor glance is spared towards Ian.               Ian laughs out once he’s alone.  I’m probably in trouble, but doubts that Will would reveal that magic exists.  Maybe I can convince everyone that he fell down the stairs?

“Ian Gyges,” Principle Voisin reads from the transcript to the light, brown haired, youth before her.  He doesn’t answer and instead waits for her to finish.  The middle aged woman takes his silence as confirmation and continues reading the document he gave her.  She gives a non-committal 'hmm' and looks to her new, frustrated, student.  “A difficult path has been lain out for you.”               “I just want to hurry up and finish so I can get back to Mofa.”               “Yes, well, you won’t have to worry about any… distractions while here.  Your uncle Devlin was once a proficient Deva.  Your magic will bloom quite well under his guidance.”               Ian’s nod shakes his wispy hair.  “That’s the plan.  Living in this peaceful world is supposedly going to help me overcome my trauma.”               Voisin places the transcript into a bin and provides Ian with her full attention.  “Don’t be so quick to judge this world.  Mofa is embroiled within the fangs of war, but Earth has its own storms.  As such, be careful on how you use your magic.  This planet may belong to the powerless, but that doesn’t mean no one here has power.”                “Understood.”             “Good,” Voisin presses a buzzer on her desk and says, “Madelyn, could you lead Ian to his classroom?”  She releases the button and passes Ian a folder.  “Inside is your schedule, locker number, and combination.  For now, try to relax.  Healing is your top priority.  If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask.  Welcome to Calera Private High School.”               “Thank you,” Ian says.  The door opens and Voisin’s secretary leads him from the room.  She takes Ian from the office into the main entrance.  They proceed up two flights of stairs to a somewhat noisy classroom.  He looks around while she speaks to the homeroom teacher.               Most of the students ignore Ian.  Those that do give Ian any mind do so out of boredom.  Only one, a boy wearing glasses, scrutinizes him.  The intensity behind his eyes sends a chill down his spine.  Ian’s eyes widen as he looks to someone else.  He can’t tell the Deva apart from the powerless.               “Ian,” his homeroom teacher disrupts him from his concerns.  Ian greets “Mr. Smith,” who dismisses him by having him “find a seat next to Miyuki.”                A tanned skin girl with sharp features and black hair kept in a hime cut perks her head at the name.  Her thin eyebrows, large eyes, small pointed nose, and thin lips…  She looks like a bird.  Ian makes the comparison as he heads for the empty desk.  Miyuki, however, doesn’t pay him any mind as she continues reading her book.                The student seated behind him says, “Yo, I’m Jimar.” Ian turns around only to see a collared shirt.  His attention, upon looking up, draws in on the contrast between his classmate’s pearly white teeth and thick black lips.  His hair is what catches Ian’s attention next.  The top part is flat, just like a table.  “Ian Gyges.”                Ian concludes that Jimar must be huge.  His hand engulfs his own as they shake hands.               “So, where are you-”  The bell ending homeroom cuts Jimar short.               As Ian pulls out his schedule, Jimar asks, “So, what’s your first class?”               “Two chemistry lessons, room 112.”                “Huh, my class is in the complete opposite direction, but I know a guy who can help.  Yo, Gale!”               A tanned, dark haired student just about to walk out the door tenses.  Gale sighs and sags his shoulders.  His thick eyebrows and black eyes amplify the irritation that crosses his face as he slips back through the throng of students walking out the door.  A smile does cross his face when a blond girl wearing a blue ribbon passes, but his haughty expression returns the second she’s out of sight.  He reaches them with a, “Yeah?”               Jimar gestures with his hand saying, “Ian, Gale.  Gale, Ian.”  To Gale, he adds, “Ian has Chem next, d'you mind showing him the way?”               “Sure.”  Gale gives Ian a nod and leads him to the door.  Beyond it is a sea of students, but Gale slips into it without sparing Ian a glance.               Ian throws himself into a gap within the sea of students after Gale.  The air is hot and stale.  He bumps or brushes against someone else with almost every step.  He even crashes into the first student who crosses in front of him.  When another student cuts out in front of him, he stops but is rammed into from behind.  He lurches forward while saying, “Qin shou!”  While gritting his teeth, he uses the moment to search for Gale.  His supposed guide is already halfway down the hall, weaving undisturbed through the mass of students.  “Gunkai...”               Once Ian reaches the stairwell, he’s asked, “Do you need to stop at your locker?”                Gale leans against wall next to the stairwell door.  Ian's mind blanks from Gale’s unexpected appearance.  He thought for sure that he had been ditched.   From his gaping mouth, he manages, “No, no... I'm good.”               Gale turns to the stairs.  The abrupt gesture breaks Ian from his trance.  He strides after Gale and catches him at the doorway.  The heavy crowd of students trafficking the stairwell keep the two together.  Ian again grits his teeth halfway down the first flight.  “Why's it so crowded?”               “If you're too slow to get out the door first, wait until the last minute.”               “What?”  Ian frowns, turning to Gale.               Gale glances at Ian.  His eyes narrows and the corner of his mouth twitches.  “To avoid this mess.”               Ian pauses as he watches Gale's expression.  He asks, “So, you and Jimar are friends?”               “No.”               Ian grows silent.  Just as he decides to not talk anymore, Gale says, “I helped him study for his last chem exam.”               “You like chemistry?”               “It’s interesting.”                Gale's forceful tone ends the conversation.  Ian follows Gale to the classroom.  He introduces himself to the teacher and settles into the seat furthest away from Gale.  The teacher provides Ian with a textbook as the remaining students file into the classroom.  He opens to the back of the book to find “The periodic table of elements.”                “I'm Will,” someone says from the seat next to him.  He’s the student with intense stare from homeroom.  His golden, semi-rimmed spectacles do nothing to hide the curiosity brimming from his eyes.  If anything, they shine even brighter now that they’re speaking to one another. Ian finds himself staring at his own reflection on Will's tinted glasses.  He takes Will's messy, reddish hair into consideration and says, “You’re one of those crazy researcher types...”               Will smile strains, “What?”                          “No, it's nothing.  You just remind me of some people from my home.” Ian shakes his head.  “Anyway, I'm Ian.”               “Where you from?”               “China.”               “Seriously?”               “Shi.”               “Then chemistry ought to be easy for you.”               “From what I’ve read, it sounds like alchemy.  It’s nothing more than meng huan pao ying.”               “What?”               Ian frowns as he says, “What’s the translation… a pipe dream, that’s it.  This is nothing more than a pipe dream.”               Will glances around the room for the teacher before saying, “No one get’s chem.  Only weirdos like Gale get this stuff.  I'm more into programming and math.”    Ian is reduced to a blank stare by the end of the double lesson.  Nothing the teacher said made sense.  He flips to the front of the book and reads the first paragraph.  If the powerless can understand this gibberish, then they may have discovered another third power.  The bell prompts him to shut his book and hurry for the door.  He’s had enough of that class. ……               A plastic shopping bag gets placed with a thump in front of Theodore.  Athena’s long red hair flows as she sits down next to him.  The locks look like flames licking her shoulders as they settle into place.  She sets a second bag in front of herself while saying, “Where the heck were you this morning, Theo?  Jeremy was furious that you didn’t stop by to pick up your lunch.  You know how he gets.  Miss a meal and he’ll go full mother hen on you.”                Theodore shifts through the bag to pull out a lunch box filled with rice coupled with baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, and chicken.  Poured over top is a homemade berry sauce.  He chuckles and says, “Mother hen describes him to a T.  The effort he puts into our meals will never cease amazing me.”               “Then quit being so stubborn and eat with us.  There’s a chair reserved just for you, ya know.”               Theodore sighs, “Athena, you very well know I’d trig-”  “Yo, Ian, over here!”  Jimar’s voice booms over the rabble within the cafeteria.  He drowned out everything Theodore said, not that it matters.   Theodore glances towards Emilia.  The moment Jimar’s voice went off, she jumped up like a rocket to investigate.  He says, “There’s a new student.” Athena’s hair flutters behind her as she drops back down into her seat.  “Really?  I wonder if he’ll be in any of my classes.  What’s he like?” Theodore leans back in his seat and looks towards the ceiling.  He goes pfft as he recalls his previous class, “Quote, ‘Shakespeare?  Never heard of him.  Is he someone famous?’ end quote.” “No way!  He really said that?  That’s hilarious!” “I know, right?”  He laughs with Athena and then says, “But, I don’t think he’s here by choice.  He has this look that reads, ‘you don’t know how good you’ve got it.’  He’s hiding quite a bit.  Heck, he might even be like us.” “Hey, hey, prying any further than that is rude.  We should make him feel welcomed instead.  Then, when he’s ready, he’ll open up to us on his own.  Speaking of opening up, what were you doing this morning?  And don’t give me that jogging excuse.  Today was, like, the seventh time you disappeared on your own.” Theodore’s grin melds into a sardonic smile as he says, “You really want to know?” Athena is too caught up with his words to notice the change in mood as she say, “Totally!  Now, spill.”  Theodore looks into Athena’s golden amber eyes.  They burn as she puts on a strong front, but there are hints of worry in them.  He takes a breath and, “You remember that-” “Sophie!  Sophie, emergency!”  A dark haired girl slams the table as she comes to a stop.  “Selene, what’s wrong?  Another memory flash?” “Yes!  Somehow, bumping into Gale was the trigger.  Nothing’s happened yet, but we’ve got to hurry!”  Emilia nods and runs after Selene.  Theodore exhales as he props his arm up on the table and rests his cheek against his palm.  Memory flash, the violent reemergence of a repressed, traumatic, and guilty memory.  He watches Athena and Selene dash into the hallway with a lopsided grin.  How would they act if I let himself break down like that?  A dry chuckle escapes him as he says, “Maybe next time.”  …..               “I'm home,” Ian calls through the doorway, past the fragrance of roasting coffee.  He drops his bag on the living room sofa and proceeds for the kitchen.  “Uncle Devlin?” He questions the middle aged man at the counter.                Ian peers over his uncle's shoulder.  A word document and a map of the area share a laptop screen.  Every few seconds the man stops typing to look at the map, reads over what he wrote, and resumes.  Ian bores of the repetition after a few moments, “I'll admit, the powerless have some interesting toys, but is that book really that great?  The ones back home are much lighter.”               Devlin smiles at his nephew.  “Either way, you'll have to learn how to use one.  That's how this world works.”               Ian considers his uncles grey powdered, brown hair; his boring, rectangular glass; and the wrinkles around his eyes.  “Uncle, shouldn't you be trying to get married instead?  You’re running out of time.”               Devlin chuckles at the remark.  “Ouch, but what about you?  How was your first day?”               Ian shrugs.  “It could have been better.  How do I tell apart our kind from the powerless?”                “You don't.  You’re here under special circumstances, but those of us trying to integrate within this world use that uncertainty as motivation to be more discreet when using magic.  Not everything can, should, or needs to be solved with magic.”  Devlin stops upon seeing his nephew's aghast look.  He lets out a small sigh and adds, “I’m not saying we don’t use magic.  We’ve established our own little pocket communities here and there.  I’ll show them to you one of these days.”               “Pass, I’m not here to play around.  My mission is to achieve wu-xian and return home a hero.”               “Which won’t be happening until you regain the use of fire element.  Your abilities are fine considering your age and background.  Exceptional even.  You’ve got the potential for wu-xing, but in regards to that, your finesse in wood, metal, and earth is pathetic.  Your control over water is barely passing.”  Devlin sips his coffee as he lets Ian mull over his words.  He sets his mug down and says, “So, what classes were you given?”               Ian pulls his schedule from his pocket and reads, “Chemistry, then depending on the day; physical education, chem lab, or study hall, then English, Calculus, an extended period for lunch and world history, Mandarin, study hall again, and a special computer science course.  All my classes are in the main building.”                “The side buildings are special.  But, you've got the usual list.”               “Really?  Everyone else said it was weird how I didn't get to choose my subjects.  Calculus was really strange.  There were only two other tenth years there.  The rest were all twelfth years.”               “Those were just normal humans.  Those classes are specifically selected to ease transition into this world.  You probably noticed the parallels.  The equations in calculus mirror the ones for mid-level casting.  Mandarin-”               “It sounds just like Qin.”               “Do you know why?”               “Should I?”               Devlin sip of his coffee and sets it on the counter without a sound.  “No, I suppose your situation doesn’t call for it.  Still, now that you’re here, I’ll be treating you like any other integrator.  That means keeping up with your grades.”                “Uncle, it’s just history.  I need to work on my magic, not useless stuff like school.  If anything, you should take me out of that place and just train me!”               Devlin stands and leaves the room.  He returns a few moments later carrying a few books.  He passes them to his nephew as he re-seats himself.  “Read them before this month ends.”               Ian sets them on the counter while saying, “Uncle, didn’t you hear a thing I just said?”              “The first book covers history of this country.  The rest go over how the two worlds have affected each other.”  Devlin stops his nephew before he can complain, “Ian, if you don’t agree to these terms, I won’t train you.”               Ian glares at Devlin and drags out his response, “Fine.”               “Then here’s your homework for the month.  “First, read those books I gave you.  Second, take the week to go out and explore the neighborhood.  Third, make friends.  Don’t limit yourself to just Deva or the blessed, but keep an open mind.  Normal humans will surprise you.  Do this, and I’ll even give you $150 by the end of the week.”               “Like I have a choice.”               Devlin sighs and sips more coffee.  “So, how was your first day?”               Ian makes a face, but still says, “I met a black guy.”  As Devlin chocks on his coffee, Ian adds, “He was huge.  I can’t believe he’s only sixteen.”               Devlin, between his coughing, says “Do-don't say that.  You'll get into to a lot of trouble here for it.  This world has a much larger ethnic diversity than Mofa and its people are a lot more sensitive to superficial issues such as skin color.”               “Really?”               Devlin points at the books he gave Ian.  “The War of Supremacy.  A pointless civil war sparked over a stupid desire to determine which was stronger; magic, blessings, or a third power.  It was a complete waste of resources that fractured us and weakened our position on Mofa.  It isn’t just the biggest reason for the rift between Mofa and Earth, but also the reason the human population on Mofa isn’t as diverse as here on Earth.”               Ian picks up his books with a sigh, “Fine, I get it, I’ll start studying.”  He gets his satchel and proceeds up the stairs to his room.  He sets himself up on the floor, pulls out his chemistry textbook, and while saying, “If the powerless can get this,” begins reading from chapter one.   “Why doesn't this make any sense?”  Ian slap his textbook after rereading the first two chapters for the third time.  He drops his forehead and grumbles.  “[Baituo]…  How are they on chapter 5?”               “Ian,” Devlin calls from downstairs.               Ian groans as he clambers up onto his feet.  He leaves his room for the railing overlooking the kitchen and finds his uncle still at the counter.  Now, however, a coffee pot rests on a warmer beside his computer.  “What?” His uncle looks to him, “Would you mind picking somethings up from the store?”               “I’m studying.”               “Exploring the neighborhood is also part of your homework.  Besides, there’s no way you’ll get it all in one go.”               “Fine, whatever.”               “Great, come down so I can give you the list and some mo- Take the stairs.”                Ian frowns as he lowers the leg he was lifting over the rail.  He descends down the kitchen side staircase saying, “What?  I wasn't going to land on anything.”               Devlin shakes his head.  With a sigh, he says, “You can't recklessly use magic like that in this world.”               “We're inside!  Who would see me?”               “That's not the point.  Learn to get by without magic.”               “Uncle, my mission is to strengthen my magic!  Not using it is completely detrimental to my task!”               “Learn to get by without magic.  Again, not every situation can or needs to be solved with it.”  He then explains to Ian how to get to the grocery store, what a grocery store is, and passes him both a grocery list and a brown, leather wallet.               Ian takes the wallet and examines it.  First he looks in and fingers the slots along the flaps before peering at the large pocket on the side.  He pulls out a few twenty dollar bills and asks, “This is money?  It gets stored in here?”               “It's called a wallet.  Normal humans use that to carry their money.”               Ian closes the wallet and searches its outside.  With a, “Hmm,” he places it upon the table and unties the small, dark blue bag hanging from his belt.  “Uncle, can't I just keep using my nangbou?  Besides, I can't tie that to my belt.”               “Idiot, at least make an effort to blend in.  I can't believe you even wore that to school.  Listen, we don't have paper currency in Mofa.  Therefore, we use nangbou for our coins.  Here, said paper money goes in your wallet.  That wallet is then kept in your pocket.  Understand?”               “What about the coins?”               “That's called change here.  Just let them hang in your pocket.”               “That's so weird.”  He says as he pockets the wallet and list.  Jacket in hand, he departs saying, “I'm going.  I'll be back in a bit.”               “You know how to get there, right?”               “Yeah, I got it!”  Ian says as he shuts the door.               He walks a few blocks when someone says, “So, you’re Ian.”                Ian turns around to find another face centimeters from his own.  Large red eyes stare at him with a mischievous glint.  “Gunkai!”  Ian leaps back ready to defend himself with a spell.  However, now able to get a clear look, he lowers his arms while saying, “You’re just some guy…”               The person tugs on a lock of his white hair with a pair of fingers.  He glances towards it while saying, “I don’t really think I qualify as some guy…”  He then gives Ian a sharp look as he realizes something, “No, before that, calling me some guy is pretty rude.  For one, I’m older than you.  Two, I came all this way just to meet you.”               “Who the hell are you?”               He points to his face and gives a childish smile, “You can call me Chris.”               “Well, what do you want?”               “I just wanted to see if you met any of my brothers.  You’d know if you have.  We’re all albinos.  So, have you?  Have you?”               “What makes you think I saw them?”               Chris points downward and to the side.  “Because, you came from way over there to here.  There’s six, well, five actually.  Anyway, there’s a lot of them, so one of them is bound to show up.  I’ll be sticking around for when one does.  Then again, I showed up, so it’s more like if another shows up.  That said, catch ya later.”               Chris walks past Ian and by the time Ian turns around to see where Chris is going, he vanished. …..               “Finally!”  Ian says upon reaching the super market an hour and a half later.  “I would have gotten here so much faster if that stupid powerless didn’t make me lose my way.”  That’s when bright, giant letters over the entrance light up, “What, is that supposed to impress me?”                  Ian stops before the door.  He takes a few hesitant steps forward with his arm held out and jumps as the door slides open.  A mother pushing a cart of groceries and her daughter stare at him as they walk by.  He doesn't understand the language the little girl speaks in, but his face grows hot.  He hurries inside cursing, “hao wu jiazhi powerless” under his breath.               Ian mimics everyone else and takes a cart.  From the grocery list he reads “coffee.”  He enters the first aisle he sees, but doesn't find any.  He gives up and pushes his cart to the assortment of milk across from him.  “Low-fat, organic, whole, skim- what is this?  It's all milk!  Are they really so different they have to classify them?”  Reading “milk” on his grocery list Ian, places a half gallon of each type into the cart and enters a random aisle to search for corn.               Ian finds shelves of bread midway through the aisle.  He confirms whether it's on the list and looks through the various brands.  “Powerless can make bread out of potatoes?”  He reaches the end of the bread display with five types of bread in his cart.  He holds each of them trying to differentiate them between weight, firmness, and price.  He tosses the semi-rye bread back into the cart and says, “My shopper's compass would make choosing so much easier.”  He sighs “Sui ni,” at the various types of bread in his cart and continues into another aisle.                 Ian takes three, brimming, reusable bags and three, brimming, plastic bags from the bagging area and places them into his cart.  As he approaches the exit, he notices the signs hanging over each isle.  His jaw drops at the words Coffee, Coffee Supplies, Cookies, Crackers.  “Ta ma de!”  He continues grumbling as he leaves.               Ian pays little mind to the now night sky and walks in the direction of his home.  He ditches the cart at the edge of the parking lot while hooking three bags underneath each arm.  He glances towards the two blue bags his uncle provided.  They’re, apparently, reusable.  However, “Uncle probably reinforced them with a durability spell.”  He then glances towards the brown, plastic bags, “but I just got these...  No, if they break, that's his fault.”               “Urg,” Ian sets the bags down by the end of the block.  “This is... impossible,” he says while leaning against a street light.  He looks down both ends of both streets.  They’re empty.  He takes the bags out from under the street light and looks around once more.  Assured that no one is around, he casts a strengthening spell upon himself.  He retakes the bags and continues home at a faster pace.  The satisfaction of sneaking a spell gives his gait a slight hop.               Someone shouts out at Ian as he rounds a corner a few blocks later.  Ian gasps as blur spirals around him and tumbles onto the street.  He sets down his bags saying, “I'm so sorry!  Are you hurt?”  Just as he steps off the curve, the other person is already standing up and testing the movement of his own arms.              “I'm fi- Ian?”  Annoyance flashes past Gale’s face as he recognizes him.               Ian says, “What are you doing out here?”               Gale gives Ian a dismissive stare.  “My evening run.  Are you lost?”               “No,”               “You went grocery shopping at night?”               Ian opens his mouth, but unable to think of a response, clenches his teeth with a scoff.  “None of your business.”               “What street?”               Ian frowns at Gale’s question.  While wondering if he’s being mocked, Gale says, “What street are you looking for?” He tells him and then grumbles a reluctant, “Thanks,” upon hearing he needed to turn left a few blocks ago.  He turns to leave but Gale says, “Wait,”               “What?”                Gale looks down at Ian in silence.  Ian, muttering something under his breath, continues to leave when Gale says, “Go straight home... There's been some sort of animal reported around here lately.”  He then runs off, getting to the end of the block before Ian notices and disappearing around a corner.               “Yeah, right, but you'll be fine?”  Ian gathers his groceries and returns home.                “I thought this would happen.”  Devlin says upon seeing the extra bags.                “Sorry uncle, this will have to wait.  I'm going back out!”               “Take a heavier jacket!”  Devlin says as Ian runs out of the kitchen.               Ian throws the door shut behind him and with a speed enhancing spell, retraces his steps to where he met Gale.  Another spell illuminates his classmate's footsteps which take him past an urban forest.                Ian's legs give out as he gets closer.  He breaks his fall by landing on his forearms and, while clutching his chest, looks towards the forest.  He drives the nauseating fear from his mind and forces himself to rise.  “Impossible,” he says taking a step towards the forest.  “You're a hei’an shengwu?”               Ian swallows.  With clenched fists, he casts a body strengthening spell and searches for the area that nauseates him most.  He walks towards a tree and slashes his arm towards its branches.  A whip made of water shoots out from his wrist and cuts into the foliage, slashing through almost the entirety of the tree's side.  Through the crashing and shattering branches, a dog's faint whimpering carries out.                 Ian stands ready, waiting for the hei’an shengwu to attack him from the debris.  Some leaves rustle, but the pile of branches remain still.               Ian takes a step towards the debris.  Nothing happens so he takes another step.  He reaches the pile and nudges a log with his foot.  Tree branches rustle from above.  Ian whips out his arm, spearing a second water whip.  The attack drives into the underside of a silhouette.  A tendril of sorts shoots out from the creature's back towards a nearby branch.  As the creature pulls itself forward, a second tendril stretches towards another branch.  Ian spears and slashes his water whips at the creature as it circles around him.  Whenever one of his attack will hit the creature, it grabs a branch with one of its tendril and pulls itself out of the way.               It lands on a branch and swipes at Ian's oncoming attack.  The creature howls as the young deva’s whip splatters.  The deafening convolution of radio static and a blender forces Ian to stumble back and trip on a branch.  The shadow snarls as it leaps forward, from the tree pounces a black lycanthrope.               Ian, despite falling back, throws out his arms at the oncoming wearg.  A geyser ruptures, capturing the beast in midair and blowing it away.  The young Deva then lurches onto his side where he vomits.  His breathing comes ragged as he rolls onto his back.  He passed out on top of the various broken branches as a small shower from his attack rains down on him. ….. Arthus dashes up the forested mountain side outside of the city.  The moon light and stars provide more than enough illumination for him to see.  More importantly, the two hunters are following him as planned.  He can hear them forcing their way through the foliage.  They think they’re herding him, but in truth, he’s leading them.  He had been keeping an eye on them since they entered the city a few days ago and knows they’ve prepared a trap in the forest for any of his kind.  He waited patiently for them to finish their preparations before taking their bait.  So far, he isn’t impressed.  They’re clearly newbies trying to make a name for themselves. He leaps up onto a branch and sniffs the air.  Their scent isn’t here, but he does smell blood.  Their trap?  He sniffs again.  It smells like, “Theodore…”  They’re using a classmate as bait?  They didn’t look that capable when he was observing them.  A growl escapes him as he leaps forward and follows the scent. He stops at the perimeter of a small clearing.  He hangs near the top of a tree by digging his fingers into the trunk.  Blood drips down Theodore’s arms as he punches, kick, and cries out into the night.  Theodore clutches his head as he drops to his knees and then throws himself against the ground where he uses his own nails to rake the skin from his arms. Arthus sniffs again.  A thick and heavy smell of blood and sweat that needs months to build up lingers around that clearing.  Whatever this is has nothing to do with those hunters.  While deciding to return once he deals with the hunters, Theodore vanishes. Theodore is gone.  Arthus can’t see, hear, or smell him.  His classmate disappeared from the world.  Yet, Arthus feels the need to springs forward with a kick.  A moment later and Theodore reappears underneath his foot.  Theodore regains his balance by back flipping in the air to land on his feet.  He clutches his head with a hand and says, “You’re real...?”  He drops to a knee with a grunt, “Arthus…  Wha- What are you doing here?” “Sorry, I’ll be back as soon as I can.  There’s something I need to take care of first.”  He turns to leave, but Theodore is behind him blocking his path.  He spanned 10 meters in less than a second.  He also vanished earlier.  “You have a blessing?”               Theodore showers Arthus with open hostility as he says, “I won’t let you kill anyone.” Arthus’s expression falls flat.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Cold eyes with no consideration to whether some lives or dies.  I’ve let you be…”  Theodore tries to suppress his, “Mnraghh,” but fails.  With a hand covering his face, he stares down Arthus through the crack between his fingers.  “But you’ve never fooled me.  Now that you’re going to act, I’ll stop you.” “We have more to talk about than I thought, but you’re wr-”  Arthus turns to the side with a block.  There shouldn’t be anything there, yet he feels something get deflected.  He follows his instincts and kicks.  He feels his foot sink into a stomach before it gets repelled.  Theodore reappears mid-back roll onto his feet.  He doesn’t say anything.  He clutches his stomach and prepares to attack again. Arthus says, “This is pointless.  There’s no point to this fight.  You need help.  What’s wro-”  He holds out his arm and from the bubbling ground underneath his palm extends a black spear.  He takes the polearm and jabs the bottom end behind himself and into a hunter’s stomach.  The hunter drops his sword as he staggers backwards.  Arthus spins around and slams the flat end of his spear against the hunter’s skull.  The second hunter crashes into some bushes as he falls from above.  Theodore stands above on a tree branch.  He holds the tree with one hand while clutching his head with the other.  “They attacked you first, fine, that’s self-defense…  Now prove you don’t intend to kill them.” Arthus sighs and pokes their foreheads.  He turns back to Theodore and says, “There, finished.”  He backs away to give Theodore space to take their pulses.  “They’ll wake up tomorrow with no memory to what happened.” “That’s it?” “Killing them would just attract more.  It’s better if they go back and say they found nothing.” “This isn’t the first time?” “Not the first and it won’t be the last.  More importantly, what’s with you?  I’ve never pegged you as being an assassin.  Are you under some sort of curse that makes you beat yourself up?  Or is it something to do with your blessings?”  “Blessing?  Is that what you call it?  They’re psychic abilities, not blessings.  What are you?  Some sort of kid who believes in fairies and magic?” Arthus points his spear at Theodore.  “You’ve seen quite a lot, but you’re pretty ignorant to the truth.”  He then discards his weapon where it melts and sinks into the ground.  “There are two major powers in this world; the first is magic, the second is blessings.  Humans can have one, the other, or neither.” “Are you implying you’re not human?  Grow up.”  Theodore clicks his tongue and turns to leave.  “I have better things to do than talk fantasy.” Arthus lets a joking smile overtake his expression.  He lets his tension dissipate with that conversational topic’s end.  “Like finish your report on Inferno?  You really shouldn’t procrastinate, it’s a bad habit.”               Theodore chuckles, following suit.  “I finished that last week.  I’ve got an exam in geometry coming up Friday.” ….. Chol walks through Mofa’s woods with a straw basket full of roots, leaves, and stems.  A soft wind lifts her semi-long, black, wavy hair.  To her dismay, once the breeze ends they wrap around her cheeks and curl around her gentle eyes.  She clicks her tongue and re-tucks the strands behind her ears.  Her blouse and skirt are simple, but have a cute refinement to them thanks to the village tailor.  At her waist is a small, silver knife.  Per her teacher’s instructions, she stops at every ginseng plant she comes across to harvest a part of its roots.  Although ginseng is her main concern, she plucks other medical plants such as hemlock, dandelions, and thyme.  She sings the words, “My heart is like an open highway,” under her breath while digging up another root.  She reburies half of it and walks away while wiping her hands against her a dirtied handkerchief.    A pair of feet stick out, face down, from underneath some bushes.  There is a gapping hole in the shrubs from where the person there fell in.  A heavy smell of copper drifts up from the broken branches, but there are no insects or animals eating the body.  This body fell there not too long ago. Chol drops down next to the legs, “Can you hear me?  I am going to pull you out.”  She grabs the calves and drags the body out.  The heavy smell of blood overrides any concern about being gentle.  She is still alive, but who knows for how much longer.  Underneath her long sapphire blue hair is a deep gash spanning across shoulder and down to her waist.  Chol grabs a handful of thyme and beings to chew on it.  The only other significant injury is on the girl’s right arm.  The forearm bends about 120 degrees upward.  She must have fallen on it.  Worse, the ulna punctures out through the skin. The gash across the back is first.  That she didn’t bleed to death from it is amazing.  Chol cuts away the person’s clothes with her knife and then spits the thyme she’s chewing on into her hand.  She then rubs it into the person’s wound with the hope that its antibacterial properties will help stave off infection.  Her palms emit a warm, golden glow as she places them against the wound.  The skin grows together and the gash disappears underneath her touch.  By the time she runs her hand across the person’s back, not even a scar remains. Chol wipes her knife clean and uses it to cuts a slit along the person’s forearm.  After realigning it, she takes the ulna within her fingers and eases it underneath the flap.  Her hand glows again as she sets the bones into their proper places.  Upon releasing the forearm, not a trace of the wound remains.  Once the two noticeable wounds are healed, Chol searches for hidden ones by taking the girl’s pulse.  It’s weak, but stable.  All that remains are some cuts and bruises which will heal on their own.  Chol presses a few pressure points to temporarily improving the body’s circulation of energy to hasten her recovery. Taking the pulse made Chol aware of two things.  The first is her age.  She rolls the girl over onto her back and wipes the dirt off her face.  She’s 14 or 15, the same as her.  Opening her mouth reveals sharp teeth and peeling back her eyelids uncovers ice blue eyes with slit like pupils.  The second, and more important fact, she might not be human. Chol doesn’t have to wait long until the girl stirs and sits up.  Her vitality is impressive.  Pressing a few pressure points shouldn’t be that effective.  Maybe it’s because she isn’t fully human?  Regardless, Chol warns her, “Take it easy, you lost a lot of blood.” The girl jumps to her feet with a hiss.  She raises her hands and curls her fingers as though they are claws.  She tries to lunge at Chol, but sways after a single step and teeters over.  Chol catches her before she hits the ground.  “Like I said, take it easy.  An average person would have died by now.” The tension seeps from the girl’s body at Chol’s words.  Her voice is weak and soft, but still clear.  “You’re not them…  Did you help me?  Who are you?” “Chol, a healer apprentice.”  She’s calm because this isn’t the first time she’s encountered a half dead stranger.  Usually, they’re alongside the road, but coming across some in the forest isn’t strange.  They’re almost always running from something, bandits, hei’an shengwu, or monsters, but if they get this far, then there’s nothing to worry about.  “I see… a healer…”  She pushes away from Chol and sits down across from her.  “I am Cera.”  She then reaches into the bush and pulls out a pair of swords, one thin and long, sheathed in red with a ruby embedded within the base.  The blade of the other sword curves and grows thicker as it extends.  That one is sheathed in blue with a sapphire in its base.  Cera tosses the red one to Chol.  “You saved my life.  I’m sorry, but this is all I have to repay you with.” Chol partially draws the sword from its scabbard.  The blade shines underneath the midday sun.  She re-sheaths it and holds it out towards Cera, “No, I didn’t save you for money.  Take it back.” A pained expression crosses Cera face.  “Don’t insult me.  You saved my life.”  She squirms in place and looks away as she says, “Or... do you prefer something else?  We’re both girls, but I’d still rather no-” “Forget it, I’ll take the sword.  Mind telling me what happened?” “I was attacked by bandits.  If Gladiolus didn’t show up, I probably wouldn’t even be here.” “Gladiolus?  The world’s strongest hero?  What’s he doing around here?” Cera shakes her head.  “He must have been passing by.  He blew everyone away with a single swing of his guandao and told me to run.”  “And that’s when you got hurt…  Well, if Gladiolus was involved, then those bandits are as good as dead.”  Chol sighs out and points north.  “You’ll find a spring not far from here.  I could see you ther-” Chol trails off as Cera shakes her head.  “I refuse.  I’ve wasted enough time here as it is.  I’m leaving once I can walk.” Chol thought she’d say as much.  Cera might be courteous because she saved her, but her eyes reflect stubbornness and impatience.  Well, at the very least, she’ll keep the girl company until she’s well enough to stand on her own.  She can’t in good faith abandon her in her condition.   Chol sets her basket on the ingredient room table.  She stocks the herbs she collected and enters the work room where Doctor Feng grinds paste in a mortar.  “I’ve returned, teacher.” Feng points to a second mortar “You’re late.  Did you run into someone who needed help?” Chol kneels next to her master.  The bucket of roots and leaves left to soak overnight in snow water collected two years ago was the last thing they were going to grind that morning.  Then again, with regards to Cera’s injuries, she returned home much faster than she anticipated.  She should have been out for at least a few more hours.  “She wasn’t a Faun, but I don’t think she was human.  She had sapphire blue hair and slit like eyes.  Oh, and she hissed at me.  I don’t think she’d have let me treat her if she were conscious when I found her.”  Feng stops grinding to look at Chol.  The cheerful composure with which she works suggests no falsity in her words.  “You’ve really adapted well.  When I first found you, I was left wondering just what kind of valley you crawled out of, but now here you are using a word like Faun.”  Chol’s eyes shine with excitement as she turns to her master.  She waves her arms on front of herself as she says, “I really can’t wait to meet one.  Do they really all have four ears?  Are there any that live in water?” Feng hardens his stare.  “Quit running your mouth and get to work.  We’re already behind because of your tardiness.” Chol blinks and returns to his task.  “Yes, teacher…” Feng sighs as he returns to his grinding, “An old myth states that Faun were actually once human.  The story goes that humans, in their battle for survival, entered a special forest.  The mystic properties of the forest allowed those people to combine with surrounding animals to gain their strengths and abilities.  The retaining of their human ears is proof that they’re still human.” “Wait… are human and Faun genetically compatible?” Feng sounds out the word, “Genetically,” as he repeats it.  “Another one of your strange words?” “Sorry, it means able to reproduce with one another.” “Yes, it is possible.  The resulting child is always a hybrid of the two.  More importantly, you said that child was stubborn.  Did she force any payment onto you?” “She did.  A fancy, ruby encrusted, sword.” “Show it to me later.” “Yes, teacher.” The rest of the day progresses with lunch, mixing medicine, reading pulses, practicing acupuncture, treating patients, dinner, and martial arts training.  It then ends with Chol fetching bathing water from the river for Feng and herself. Chol, after washing, finds her master writing a letter.  The fireplace combined with multiple mirrors on the ceiling generate a comfortable amount of light for him to do so.  Chol presents her master with the sword she was given.  “This is it, teacher.” Feng appraises the sword, “The empress blade?” and chuckles as he unsheathes it.  “Did she have the king sword as well?” “There was one in a blue sheath…” “You have no idea, do you?  The king sword and empress blade are royal treasures of the former Ming dynasty.”  At Chol’s questioning stare, Feng sighs once more. “Master, sighing shortens your life by three years.  I’ll never succeed all your skills if you don’t stop.”  “I wouldn’t have to sigh so much if you weren’t so ignorant of the world!  You know nothing other than medicine...  When the golden dragon created this world, he entrusted the knowledge of civilization to a certain family.  Afterwards, two of his retainers, the azure dragon and the vermillion bird, gifted the head of that family and his wife with two blessed sword.” Chol hammer his hand with a fist.  “And they’ve been passed down the Ming family line as the next generation succeeds the throne.” “You’re ignorant, but I thank the golden dragon that you’re not stupid.  Yes, that’s the story at its most basic.  There are other myths that state only those of the royal blood line can use those sword or that unworthy wielders will be struck down on the spot.  The empress blade has one such protection in particular.  Any man who wields it will spontaneously combust.”  Feng holds the sword towards Chol and laughs at his disciple’s hesitation at taking it back.  “Don’t take it so seriously.  Those stories have been so exaggerated, they’re probably not even true anymore.  The only thing magical about those swords is that they never dull or rust no matter what you do with them.” Chol takes the sword back, but leans away from it as she looks it over.  She gives it a practice swing with her left hand and tenses at the possibility she might receive divine retribution.  “I don’t feel comfortable having this swor-” “Jian, the empress blade is a jian.  Likewise, the king sword is a dao.” “Well, if anything, she should have given me the king’s sword.”  Chol then gasps and says, “That’s right!  Teacher, Cera completely thought I was a girl.  How much longer ar-” Feng clears his throat. Chol scurries into the kitchen and emerges with a kettle of cooled, oolong, tea.  He pours it into a cup and backs away.  “Forgive me, teacher.  I got caught up in our conversation and forgot.” Feng says, “You’ll continue to dress as a girl until you can no longer pull it off.  A beautiful young assistant will draw in more clients than some boy.”  He then sighs and adds, “You really are a peculiar child…  A legendary weapon is a legendary weapon.  Take it and be happy.  Besides, it’s better for it to be in the hands of a kind and gentle person such as yourself instead of being passed around by bandits and used for murder.  Fate may have even guided this sword into your hand.  Still, as you are now, you’d be a disgrace to wield it.  I’ll be stepping up your training from now on.” “Yes, teacher.  Thank you.” “Now, for your punishment.”  Feng passes Chol out a metallic “D” shaped instrument with seven strings spanning from the rod onto the arc.  “You’re always singing to yourself.  Learn to play this and sing me some of those songs from your country.”  It fits within the Chol’s arm.  The cord of the string he plucks is higher pitched than he expected.  “A harp?” “Learn to play for our journey tomorrow.” “Yes, teacher…”  He’s given an impossible request.  Remembering songs and melodies is one thing, but reproducing them is much harder.  No choice, maybe I manage to reproduce a simple one by tomorrow? “Also, the tailor finished adjust your inner garments to support your pads.  No one will ever suspect a thing once we give you a proper chest.” Chol grumbles and says, “I’m a guy, is my face really that feminine?” Feng laughs.  “Your eyes are softer and gentler than any woman’s I’ve ever met.” Chol flinches at his teachers grin and braces himself for what will come next. “All anyone needs is one look and you’ll have them completely at your mercy.  By the way, you’ll be sing along the road side from time to time to earn some extra money.  Make sure to tie your hair with the pink ribbons.  They’ll compliment the flowers you’ll be decorating yourself with tomorrow.”                 Chol sets down his empty cup of oolong tea.  That same memory stirs every time he drinks a cup.  It was his teacher’s favorite drink and that was the last time he poured a cup for him.  His face has grown more masculine in the two years that have passed.  No one confuses him with a girl anymore, but he has still feels a need to keep his hair short.  He chuckles to himself.  His teacher left him with a trauma that might never heal. He gets up and leaves the tavern.  From the shouts carrying in from outside, the caravan he’s traveling across the continent with is about finished with its preparations.

Apollo Was going to post this last Saturday ... Sorry for the long wait. At the crossroad, the voices mixed up between the whir of motors and the click-clacking of footsteps. I traversed the road.  Left and right, my eyes looked for the florist's small shop. The one I always picked out for my symbolic present. However, I had yet to register its exact location in my tired head.  The middle-aged woman, the florist, I searched for. I spotted her car near the entrance of the park, slowly became my advisor in the language of flowers.  The sight of young couples colored the vast green landscape. It gave the momentary static picture of nature a sense of life.  Here in this big metropolis, the spring seemed eternal despite the touch of cold.  A nearby laugh delighted my ears. I didn't know why Jacob's face flashed in my memory. Why did he rest his right hand on my shoulder and wished me luck?  On the rare occasions that our father took us on a family trip to some nearby park. There was always a foreboding feeling that transcended my happiness.  The same feelings are now hovering above my head. As if warning me, happiness was something someone like me didn't deserve.  At the front of the small shop, I breathed out my insecurities. The event of the dinner party had affected me deeper than I expected.  Indulging my eyes and nose, I stepped in carefully choosing my moves.  The flower variation mesmerized my shrunken soul. Nevertheless, the efforts, my demons refused but to get in with me.  The red roses bouquet made me recall the dead young woman's joyous smile.  Not long ago, August Olvera's face harbored the reflection of normalcy. Unaffected, rather relieved from what it seemed a forced engagement.   I recalled my big brother's remark about the so important operation which the genius August took responsible for. It must have significant importance since he mentioned it. Was it cotton importation? Nuh, It was totally something else… The lovely old lady seized my confusing presence. Patiently, she waited for the rationality to slap me awake.  Under some rare inspiration, I thought maybe I should buy flowers, not just for Anna but for all her family.  Hum… What I am supposed to choose this time?  Evelyn is obsessed with sunflowers. My mother preferred white roses.  What is happening now was exactly a copy of what happened back then? When I came here to buy flowers to court Anna. How fast time flew by, not waiting for anyone's plan. Helpful, the old lady explained the meaning of each flower in her collection. With effective advice, she concluded her essay, asking about the occasion and the person I was going to buy flowers for. "Excuse me, Sir, something wrong?"  If she didn't ask, the light smile tempering with my lips had faded, unnoticed. The woman's complexion took a darker shade, somehow puzzled. Fearful about my well-being.  Genuine, my face turned to confront her. "Actually, I don't have any idea about what I am supposed to buy."  A charming, pleased curve-shaped the lower part of my visage when I finished my words.  Her entire demeanor changed and said back to me, reflecting my smile: “Is it for your special person?” “It is for someone I respect. Right now, he is very sick...also for his family… I want a bouquet to express my concern, my support, and my gratefulness. ” The old woman crossed her arms, supported her chin with her right hand, submerged in the exhaustive operation of thinking and choosing before she said: “This is really a feeling hard to convey in one bouquet…” “I will take whatever you will make.” Suggestive, with the corner of my eyes, I observed her reaction. Trusting the message I sent had hit its target.  Motivated, the old woman proceeded with enthusiasm, selecting flowers here and there, combining the chosen ones into various styles. Preparing a bouquet suitable for the situation. Eased, my secret message was handed to a capable professional. The worries vaporized, and I spent the time inspecting the inside of the shop.  What got my attention was the coordination of weird flowers on the wall which the florist was beautifying her shop with. I enticed her attention and asked: “What is the name of those flowers?” Her head moved to where my index was referring and smiled before she answered me: “Those are not natural flowers, they are made from wool. And I think they are gorgeous, so I tried to decorate my shop with them.” “OH, I see.” Into the pool of embarrassment, I dived in, yet I kept a composed bearing. How come I couldn't differentiate between the real flowers and the artificial ones? However, the word ¨wool¨ remained hanging in my subconscious. The wristwatch ticked midday, the main street colored by diverse vehicles, crawling one after the other, in slow motion to counter the passing time.  With one hand, I sent a wave to the nearest cab, while the other held the big bouquet.  Avoiding the curious eyes, advancing hastily against the passers-by, my uncertain palm clung into the window glass, desperate.  The driver asked before I got in: "Going to propose?"  "Just visiting a sick person?"  The narrow space of the vehicle forced my agility to grow, afraid to spoil my symbolic present.  "Your boss?"  "Oh? Something like that." The chatty nature of every cab driver never ceased to amaze me.  Semi-listening to his life story, I fumbled the fallen petals between my fingers. Caressing them in warm pettiness.  The mundane sceneries flashing beyond the window, arousing my banned trail of reminiscence.  The artificial flowers at the shop were made of wool…  Wasn't the Olvera blessed child supervising some Kind of operation about importing wool, natural wool…  What a lame thing to be responsible for. Is the business of natural wool that profitable…  Why did my father seem so interested in it?  Long ago, I learned of his desire to use the Olvera group overgrowing business as an interface to strengthen his legion… But natural wool?… I wonder what he wanted to accomplish.  My final destination arrived. The driver stopped the car at the entrance of a wealthy residential area.  Carefully, I liberated my body from the narrow box, paying extra attention to my flowers, afraid of the smallest wrong move. Then my sincerity will be crushed along.  At the front of the old villa, I took a deep breath before I reached for the doorbell. A frightening feeling of responsibility overcame my heart whenever I stood in front of this house. The door lock clicked. A woman in her middle forty greeted my concealed nervousness. She bore an undeniable resemblance to my girlfriend. Fatigue mushroomed under her eyes, among the wrinkles of her forehead nested undeniable hunger for a good sleep. Yet I glimpsed the shining fake hope that never left her eyes. I didn’t know, because of her weariness or because of my over sensibility. But I always thought   Anna’s mother's hostility towards me broke world records.    When her gaze stopped at my profile, she moved her dry lips, showing a counterfeit pleasure to receive me. To my amazement, the open arms in front of me created a hugging gesture advanced to cage me in a heated embrace: “I am really grateful that you have come.” The hiss stung my ear. The flowers bouquet was crushed between our frames. Numbness infested the bit of brain I had. Clumsily, I rushed to return her hug. In that instant, furious, I was at myself. How could the selfish drama in my house make me forget the heavy suffering of this little family... Anna's mother informed me of her daughter's suffering in those past days. Sewing was her only solace   In the living room, and she pleaded to me to surprise her, perhaps my presence will ease her sorrowful burden. I walked to the living room, as calm as the moment before the storm. And there I saw Anna, my beloved Anna. Behind a wooden table. The colorful wool balls scattered around, like the planets of the universe. Big, sharp needles implanted in each ball, like the painful spears of fate.  Immersed in her work, my presence, invisible, akin to odorless breeze in late autumn. I halted, motionless, staring at her lethargic lineaments, appraising the change.   I approached her in slow motion, but sadly my surprise failed when she raised her eyelashes in my direction. Her hazel eyes widened, glamour sipped through them. She threw everything from her hands, sprinted towards me, welcoming my unforeseen visit.  In my embrace, I squeezed her tightly, feeling the apparent weight loss as she fitted exactly between my arms. Our conversation started. Her father's treatment and health development grabbed the central focus of all her worries.  The ever glittering drop of tear that never reached the red cheek finally flew off. Defeated her firm resolve to be strong.  My understanding of the situation didn't need a further explanation. The bad news was written in the inexplicable melancholic behavior of the members of this small household.  I faulted myself in stirring the topic for being less perceptive without prior knowledge. Before I visited my family, I had heard that the new treatment was working, I guess, it was a false hope. The doctor informed her mother to get ready for the worst. Speechless, I didn't know what I was supposed to do or say to comfort her. **** Mr. Marchetti, aside from being one of the big partners at the Clangor law group, I didn't know much about him. I never knew him personally. But he was a famous successful lawyer, an instructor, an influential member of the lawyers' syndicate, and a part of the anti-corruption movement. Which, we, students who aim to specialize in criminal law strove to be like him.  It was an immense shock to me when I learned he was Anna's beloved father.  Comparing his image in the workplace and outside of it, proved an even bigger shock. To sum it up, he was a scary monster at work and your average loving dad you could find in every friendly neighborhood. Yes, ask the one who needed to tolerate him at university, at the law firm. Also, I was deadly afraid to meet him as his little girl boyfriend.  Back then, I drowned in the nervousness dark sea, and then into the confused barren desert when witnessing the vast difference in his attitude.  However, I didn't know if he liked me or not. Anna mentioned to me, on several occasions, that I really knew how to please him. She always tells me, if he didn't like me, he would never approve of our relationship.  Women’s intuition, their ability to decipher hidden emotions, I will bet on them.   Though, Mr. Marchetti's opinion of my person, how he viewed me, something very important, to be certain of. Not just as the boyfriend of his little girl. But also, as a student, as a future colleague… For Anna, those matters were clueless.    I mean, I am already troubled about being approved by my father, about being one of the deep-rooted McCarthy's house.  Bringing my father into the frame, he and Mr. Marchetti were different men, comparable to a black and white square in a chessboard. They will never overlap and certainly, this wasn't a good comparison. Nevertheless, and despite our distinct opinions, our conflicting objectives, intents, aims, I do respect Anna’s father. I do respect him for his height, morals, for his diligence, for his parenting view. To a point that it created an urge to be approved by him, to please him in those final days of his.  After dinner, Anna's mother asked me if I would stay for the night. Her novel attitude towards my person scared me into a silent awkwardness.  Articulating an apology, the desperate, truthful begging picture drawn on her face made me reconsider my decision.  She confessed to me before, at the door, my presence had a calming and soothing effect not just on Anna's spirit but also on Liam. The depressing and the heavy atmosphere in this home became lighter during my visits.  How I was supposed to deflect this confession?  “I am really very thankful to you, Kieran.” “Please, if anything happened, give me a call.” In the guest room, I made myself comfortable. In the dark, I stretched on the wide bed. Sinking into the weariness of a long road. My mind had yet to be exhausted. It traveled in a mosaic journey, reflecting on this little family's current hardship.  Comparing it to my own, this was the first time the small Marchetti household confronted death. The death of one of their beloved members.  It dug up the tomb of sad recollections, buried deep in my prison of forbidden tales. Very young, my first encounter with death. A bitter one. My grandfather's last breaths, his last grasps haunted my sobriety.    The sense of loss and helplessness, the detachment from reality, and the pain of not seeing him again, for a second time. This was why I understood this family's sorrow. I deeply do. Still… I shouldn’t be listening to this argument… “I don’t know why you don’t like him, mum? He has been very supportive, affectionate, charming, good-tempered… .”  “This is exactly my problem as if he had no fault. Isn’t he just acting to get something from you, didn’t your father help him enter the firm just because he is your boyfriend?” My heart skipped a bit when I didn’t hear Anna deny this. I deserve my internship, but certainly, I couldn’t get it without a behind scene connection…  “Mum… If you don’t like him, why did you insist for him to stay over.” “Of course to test him, dear, a person can’t keep his act all day. He will make a mistake, sooner or later, then you will see his true face. And by that time, when your father isn’t with us. When the benefits from this relationship dry off, he will leave you.”   “Mum… Enough, I am done, I am not having this conversation while Kieran sleeping above.” Gently, I took out the earbuds, relaxed my head on the pillow, then I slowly closed my eyes. Tonight, I dreamed about my grandfather, about the time when he was training me in horsemanship. Teaching me about the etiquettes of a gentleman. It was long, long ago, like a distant mirage. As if it never happened, yet it seemed like yesterday. I woke up in the middle of the night, my heart torn apart, similar to a little ice cube sunk in boiling water. A horrible thirst cursed my throat, my forehead dressed with small beads of sweat. My face needed a cold water splash.  After fighting my lazy self, I finally decided to get up and have, at least, a glass of water. The kitchen, downstairs, had two doors, one opened inside the house, and the other door opened in the backyard to facilitate roasting in the air.  Staggering left and right, I walked outside the guest room. My right hand fumbling the wall. Carefully, I descended the stairs like a walking corpse. It was darker, calmer when I got to the living room, wondering if I am still alive, I bumped into the table. The wool balls fell, scattered around my feet.  Anna never left her precious things untidied. Series of loud barking came from the backyard. Molly, the family dog, high alerted. I thought she got provoked by the noise I had made. However, while drinking the water, I heard another noise, the sound of footsteps, dim but recognizable. Someone is in the courtyard. Someone unknown, a stranger. Molly's wariness, agitated's state, could never be directed towards a member of the family. The barking became more and more intense, I opened the door to find silent drops satiating the hard dry soil. I explored with my vision the whereabouts of Molly, afraid to advance in the rain. The wet hair of the dog dripped a red liquid under the fainted light. Near the back gate, I spotted a moving shadow, elusive, evasive. They disappeared behind the walls in seconds. Yet Molly's frantic rage didn’t stop. My eyes startled, my ears captured the sound of a falling object. The sudden lightning bolt illuminated the backyard, and I froze at the glimpse of someone's body on the soil.  The rain started pouring down heavily before the monstrous sound of the thunder shook the air. Masking molly furious barks. I run toward her, gripped the chain fasting her neck, attempting to distance her from the unidentified body. Possessed, my efforts in restraining her rage went in vain. The lightning bolt struck a second time, and my heart hopped into a flutter when I recognized the identity of the person who was on the soil. My hands dropped the chain, my body approached the corpse. Half of the face was buried by the mud, the other half was bloody red. I shook it violently, numerous times to get a response.  A long, rigid, and thin rod was stuck into the neck.  Finally, someone arrived at the scene, Molly didn't stop barking and another screaming voice joined her. When I saw the accusation on Anna's mother's face, I didn't understand.  The place became brighter; I saw my hands soaked in red blood while one of them holding a large metallic needle, the same one Anna used for knitting. I looked at Mm Marchetti and I said denying what that look had meant: “No… No, you are wrong…”

Slim was the chance the surveillance system didn’t capture my face for I was careless not expecting Milford Macias's little surprise. How I wished to avoid this… The sun blinded my eyes, I moved closer before I could see the one behind the driver's seat. In my unfulfilled guess, I froze motionless peeking inside. My right hand sustained the weight of my body as I stretched it gripping the car roof. “Get in.” The familiar voice gave what seemed to me an order, causing my muscles to tense in contempt. My eyes pointed invisible arrows of a calm rage, ready to launch. But I stood in a position from where there was nothing to win if I was the one to start a quarrel. That was why I waited in that rundown restaurant for things outside to calm down, for the crowd to disperse, for Emery men to get bored, tired, and lose vigilance. With similar shared thoughts, Travis didn’t repeat his… Order. The door lock clicked open and his head shifted forward to the long road. No room for negotiation. Seeing him now, somehow, he looked different. I barely recognized him, even began wondering if he was the same person I had known. There hovered a shade of formality and coldness on his face I never experienced before. As I dragged my feet to the car door, a battle of choices broke out under my skin, firing my nerves. How am I supposed to treat him? Like the dull friend, he was to me, the unqualified love rival or the betrayer of an uncompleted trust? The moment I pulled the door open, another question popped into my head. Am I really going to sit next to him? In the place he chose? Despite my unfavorable position, it won’t hurt showing him a hint of my rebellious self. I can still show an opinion, even symbolically, to satisfy my arrogance. Drawing in an ecstasy of trivial win, I moved to open the rear door. And I wished I didn’t. The outside blooming sunlight denied me a clear view, however, in no chance, I could mistake that voice for another. “See!... He chose the backseat… I won.” From the inside, Emery Cromwell's voice brushed near my ears. His comment wasn’t addressed to me, nor did he tick like his usual self. He sounded different than I remembered him. In… In a strange way. The door clanged closed, I shoved my body into the seat next to him. For my pride, there were no options to back down now, even if I wished to. Upon settling, a stench paused at the entrance of my nostrils. And from the front seat reached me a late warning, “I will tell you now, he is very different from his normal self when he is wasted.” I could care less if I was talking to Travis or any other person with an uneven personal score. My lips just moved, articulating a question. An important one. “In what way? Did he get violent?” The rearview mirror glassed Travis's upper visage. Our eyes mingled in a silent conversation full of threat and dread, yet the connection dwindled then ceased. The car wobbled causing a sudden loss of balance. I felt a bump under my feet and my body oscillated forward and backward. As if that wasn’t enough, a person's weight fell on my side, making the alcohol stench in my nostrils stronger accompanied by an acidic trail. I shouted, ”are you going to throw up?” Pushing his head further from my body. In those few seconds, I strengthened my mind for any possible outcome. However, this time, my good luck woke up from its undefined slumber coercing Emery to nod, “No”. I breathed relief while adjusting him to a safer position. While I fixed him in his place, he mumbled between his lips unrecognizable words. I turned to Travis demanding if he had any water… Like magic, the handful mouthful he sipped sobered him in an instant. He even started chatting, projecting sidelong glances, sliced into sleepiness and slyness. “ Ah, it’s Kieran…” He breathed out as if he just noticed my presence. The tip of his fingers massaged his temple then added, slowly separating his lips, “how is your girlfriend?” After, he applied light pressure to his eyes scrubbing the touch of pain under his eyebrows. The last drop of my luck seemed consumed by the striking headache befalling Mr. Cromwell. It kept him from pursuing an answer. Hence, I zipped my lips and retreated awkwardly. “I told you… It’s been more than a month since they have broken up.” I cringed a smile at the rearview mirror. Then blurted, "how is Anna?” To divert the conversation theme. Through the same reflective surface, I won his focus over the road. His indifferent stares slipped like water from a fist. Soon, his gaze joined the road up ahead. But, after a surprise. “As unstable as you remember her.” The neutrality put into his tone had me aghast, the clarity of his answer startled me. Nothing felt personal in his voice. Just the ruthless professionalism. It urged me to reason again my thoughts of him trying to provoke me. I stipulated wrong. “Nuh, he is just tricking you into thinking that they had broken up.” Emery joined the conversation. I sensed his half-closed eyes picking at my profile escorted by an incomprehensive smile. " Right?" "Well…" He pushed his body behind the driver’s seat, whispering behind Travis’s ears, "well, let's make it a bet." Something in my head warned me to not go against him or to indulge in this subject at all. I pursed my lips tight avoiding the constant invisible nagging and apparent anticipation from both sides. Despite my reluctant silence, the nagging continued. Rather, it turned visible, physical. Emery's hand held my shoulder, his head leaned closer, whispering in the same manner, "did or didn't you break up with Marchetti’s daughter?" I sought solace from the eyes reflected in the mirror. But Travis held a nonchalant look, implying that the consequences were mine to bear for opening the incorrect door. I sighed, "she dumped me." "No way." The sleepy, unconscious look on his face sharpened. He retreated backward and finally sat like a normal person. "No way… You are a ladies killer." He really appeared in a dilemma. Unable to believe that Hanna Marchetti dumped me. But from where did he get the part that I am a ladies killer? As if he read my mind, he approached the driver’s seat again, blowing into Travis’s ears, yet loud enough for me to hear. "Did you know, Even Annabel had her eyes on him?" "There is also a cute girl chasing after him,” Travis indulged the chat, “Her name?... Her name… Ah Cali Harisson, you know her, second daughter of Harrison, the lawyer at the same firm. But no, he favors the unstable, psychopathic one while he mercilessly uses the latter feelings for his own benefit." I hardly finished digesting the meaning of those words when the sudden deceleration in the car speed ended in my head hitting the back of the front seat next to the driver. This time, Travis overdid it. "Annabel?" He echoed, frightened, his mind fully processing the information, just now. "Yes, Annabel, as in like your little sister." A diabolic smirk transpired against Emery's drunken mien spraying fuel over the ignited fire. Yes, no way this was a mere bet about me being dumped. I will pray that his revenge against Evelyn leaving him will end here. "What?" The Travis I knew made a comeback. "He was the one who first gave her signals. I thought since he already has a girlfriend, he was doing it on purpose to get back to you. You know, the tracked phone, the whole stalking, and sniffing game." Mmm, sniffing? Was he aware? The car stopped and the driver’s upper body whirled towards me, shouting and swearing, "what… You… You maniac, if you get near her I will…" "Don't worry, I warned her as in, he already has a girlfriend." Emery interrupted, pouring some water on the fire he stirred. it made me wonder, did he want us to fight or not fight? But let it be, the milk is already burned. Though, was it why Annabel tried to distance herself from me? “What will you do? Sneak into my room in the dorm and turn it upside down?” My inquiry directed to Travis, he seemed the safest root to demonstrate some of my resistance. The silence stormed inside the car, freezing the passage of time. Since the two of them didn’t volunteer to melt it, I continued, “I wondered for a million times why did you sneak into my room. What will you get? But yesterday I obtained the last piece of this puzzle.” When I was talking, I felt as if somebody else took control over my words, after twisting and tweaking them he spilled them using my mouth. “How did you find out?” Emery was the first one to participate. Whether it was the influence of alcohol or something else, once I graced him my attention, his expression fluctuated between curiosity and praise. “The print of his Shoes, all over my floor.” I closed my eyes reminiscing about the devastating state of my room after I came back alive from the Trills grip. “At first I thought maybe it was an act of retribution, but now I think it was a show of scorn.” I turned my head, confronting Travis a second time, “you should have changed them before you came to the cafeteria the next day. You made it so easy for me to identify you.” "Yeah, but don't worry, I mean you already know that we didn’t find anything of significant importance. And you didn’t lose anything." Emery wanted to pull the whole talking in his direction. Bearing all the blame. He gestured to Travis to turn away. A signal gnawed at my brain. I mulled the earlier question again, does this man fancy or doesn’t fancy a fight? The contradiction in his words and cues bewildered me. What was he wishing for? Oh… During the days I spent testing him, did he find himself obligated to refund the favor? “And I compensated you handsomely.” Was he talking about the free hotel suit, the high-paid job? So they were a compensation? Yet they supported many of the reasons why I didn’t trust him. No one will hand gifts for nothing. A principle mended into my subconscious, the painful way. “Compensation? Don’t make me laugh. Because when you failed, you used my sister to reach me. It wasn’t cool at all.” Emery’s eyes shifted up front, exchanging glances with Travis through the rearview mirror. His lips pursed reluctance for he didn’t uncover the right speech to counter me or I believed. Honestly, this wasn’t like him. I acknowledged his wit. Perhaps the alcohol diluted his thinking yet allowed a cluster of expressions to emerge I never witnessed on his face before. The few minutes of contemplation finally cut, “you think Evelyn can be used?” I could smell the stench of bitterness oozing under his breath. He didn’t look at me when he said that nor at Travis. His lost gaze sunk into the void of another world known only to him. After all, who will recognize the kind of regrets and flaws in someone else but himself? “I don’t know…” I discerned this question was not the kind that required an answer. A question for the sake of a question… Because…., “We are mere humans, everything is possible.” I swallowed back what I didn’t know how to articulate. I didn’t deserve to paraphrase this sort of matter. However, due to the gentleman complex I suffered from. I ached to be the hero I was not, and will never be, still I comforted him. “I think she wanted to give you a second chance with my father after you had screwed up the Olvera dinner party.” Oh boy, and that seemed very out of place, so I had to be mean too for things to be normal again. “Did she know that you have sent your man to search my room and stalk me?” “The Trills’ legal dealings all go through the Klangor firm, they must have a lot of dirt on them. Despite your origin, you succeeded in infiltrating it. I wanted the information you have gathered about them to compensate General McCarthy and polish my image in front of him again.” Although he skipped my inquiry on purpose, this long declaration felt like the most honest thing he ever said during our interaction. Well, in my experience, Emery Cromwell hardly could be classified as a liar. When he told me he didn’t trace my phone he wasn’t lying. The one who did is now accomplishing the duty of being our driver. Yet what are those dreadful sensations akin to being hunted down by a beast? I cracked a joke to lighten the air, “You thought I am going to hide such hard-earned dirt in my room, at the university dorm?” “Then, where?” The smile barely touched my lips to fade away. The sacrifices and risks I sweated there to collect it, he deemed oblivious to them. “I am joking…” Certain he wasn’t. The tone hammered at the speed of thunderlight. The desperation glittered, was my father threatening him or promising him a prize? The carrot and the tick stakes, my father’s well-loved game. What a pity I will pray him good luck in getting the approval he sought, for my father a quick to grow disappointed and rarely gives second chances. My hands slipped to the door lock. I judged this moment the best to retreat before things develop an uglier turn. Compared to the stuffy atmosphere I was detained in, a missed fresh breeze slapped my face. Ease my stress. Yet the time was too early to celebrate my freedom. Emery’s grip tightened on my shoulder, preventing me from getting out. The scene of him crushing the red car flashed in front of my eyes. I believed it arrived… The moment when we get to the physical part. “Where are you going?” I swallowed my saliva. “In the middle of nowhere.” Should I size the opportunity, push him hard and flee for my life? He is wasted, and Travis didn’t represent a threat. He stood nearer to the nerdy spectrum rather than to the athletic one, despite being somehow fit. No… It will be too cowardly. A disgrace to my former self before it will be a disgrace to the McCarthy name. I relaxed my body back. Comfortable at the surface, alert in the heart, and ready if needed. “Where should we drop you?” My eyebrows jerked startled, “to the university’s entrance?” And to my amazement,... The trip sailed without further complications. Hollow-minded there, I sat obediently during most of the drive. Unable to speculate or build theories of the ending. Next to me, Emery laid motionless. Hands crossed before his chest, head inclined backward and eyes closed. I concluded his headache consumed the remaining bits the alcohol didn’t. Likewise, Travis never peeked at the mirror again. The majority of his concentration invested on the road. When the car stopped anew, we had already reached the university. While ready to open the door, I perceived Emery’s unfocused gaze. His head leaned to the side, observing me through half-closed eyelids. He looked so harmless and encouraged me to spill out one of my many unanswered questions. “Did you see the person whom I came with?” Not just Emery, but also Travis. “I mean over the club’s surveillance system.” Both of them must have seen me with Mr. Milford Macias. “Mmm…” “Do you know the man?” “Mmm… Yeah,” His voice dropped so low as in fading to a dream, “ a legal advisor to the Olvera Conglomeration and a close confidant to August Olvera.” I contemplated a little before I decided to add, “No I don’t think he is working for august.” In a similarly low voice. The man is already wasted, he won’t remember anything anyway. Then I walked out, unheeding, what I just said had cleared up Emery’s headache and woke him up. The huge trees in the entrance stretched to cover my trails. When I grew sure of my invisibility to the onlookers in the parked car, the several confident strides I took toward the gate withered, little by little. The comfort shed its silky veils on my tensed limbs releasing the restricting chains of hopelessness. Free from my control, my legs walked the usual path as I was occupied by my next move. Henceforth, where should I go? Where should I return to? Who could be my savior in this state of homelessness, joblessness, and needs? The money with me won’t last a month of expense. Friends? Almost nonexistent, other acquaintances? Mostly not trusted. Only two options left in my narrow drawer of available options, call my family for the rescue,... Albeit I was no longer involved with the firm, one trace of connection and I will be tracked down by the remaining partners. They will be able to inflict harm on me or use me to pressure my father once more. But, Jacob is here. Evelyn is here. And Emery and August, both can be called an ally, although, with unknown agenda to me at least. What power were the Trills left with now? Father and Evelyn blew their attempt to unite with the Olvera. Marchetti ruled as good as dead. Their law firm is sinking into chaos for a new face won’t be easy for him to take control in no time. And I have accumulated a pile of dirt against them to leak and use in court. We basically won… We have avenged the fall of my grandfather. I have avenged the death of my grandfather. The ecstasy of victory overwhelmed my worries while the stream of pinky dreams flowered inside my head. A stupid smirk printed on my lips. Soon, I will receive my law degree and return to the East. Either I will join another firm or maybe I will find work in the department of justice. My legs paused when my mind sobered enough for me to realize I was in front of the library building. Down the line, everything looked rosy and tasted sweet. I could grab its materialization in my hands. My status in the McCarthy house will rise to a higher level, obviously not equal to competing with Alfred or Jacob, however, at last, I will ditch that nasty nickname from my forehead. The day kept progressing greater and greater. The few hours in the library turned fruitful, I decided on the bibliographies I will employ for the rest of my thesis, sped read over half of them, then decided on the big points I will discuss. At midday, the calls of nature finally reached me. My stomach roared hungrily while the sleepless night of yesterday demanded compensation. Stretching my arms for the last rush of energy, I collected my notes, returned the books then strode off to the exit. The earlier problem of shelter and food, I tossed into the dustbin of unwanted worries for now. I will deal with it later when my savings dry up. Who knows maybe Evelyn will hear about my fall off with Emery and send me some pocket money, the way she used to. Besides, I must find a way to give her the information I stole before someone else will try to snatch it away from me or be found out by the enemy. As I inhaled the campus air. In the giggles and chatters of passers-by students, a trace of nostalgia caressed my heart. A knot of regret tightened my chest for I exhausted my time as a student under the filthy swam of schemes and secrets. My eyes roamed between the flocks of moving freshwomen and men. Always alert, always on the edges. How remorseful for a person who can only be a student once in his whole life? I fetched up a well-acquainted silhouette. Clumsy, disorientated, bumping here and there while asking for directions. Yet this formed the life I was born to as well as the price I will pay for bearing the Mccarthy powerful name, whether I accepted it or not as Jacob had told me. I stopped. The smile overpowered my resistance to not smile. And I waited. The distance narrowed and I finally got spotted. Ahh… This day is getting greater and greater. We stood face to face, well I stood taller, so in the figurative meaning of the situation. “You promised me… You promised me you will protect her… You promised to never show her the blood test.” Left and right, I survived the place around us for unwanted ears then I said, “let us change the location.” I invited Mm Marchetti to the same shop where I and Hanna officially broke up. I even chose the same table. Upon seating, the touch of anxiety painted her forehead, betraying the brave face she showed to me. I preferred to be the initiator of this conversation. “It took you so long, I thought you would never contact me until I find the time to pay you a personal visit.” She pursed her lips, looking down at the table decoration, “I did… You were just nowhere to be found. I also visited the dormitory but it was under construction.” I contemplated a little about the past days of my life. Oh… She wasn’t the one to blame for the tardiness… Without admitting I moved to the next topic. “You have betrayed me first.” Deflecting her earlier accusation. The soft tremble in her lower lips surpassed yet her eyes glittered by a newly formed mist. “You don’t understand…” “Understand what?” “It was out of my hands” “Out of your hands” “I couldn’t just refuse…” I drank her pitiful appearance trying to assess the sincerity from the acting. “You can punish me, but not Anna…” Ugh, a wrong move, employing the same name I once used to call her daughter. The conversation ceased when the server brought my order. Uncourteous, I obeyed the call of nature, jumping onto the food, devouring spoon after spoon like a starved monkey pig. Whilst wondering about the last time I enjoyed my food this much. It must be the Olvera dinner party. The gritted meat was also good until it lasted. Mm, Marchetti kept her silence, only settling for mouthfuls of water. One after the other, as a coping mechanism. “What are you going to do now?” “Me?” I questioned under the chewing movements of my teeth. “I mean to us?” I nearly choked… “You, what are you going to do now? You get what you wanted, your cheating husband on his deathbed, the little heir is dead. All the wealth and assets will become yours and your daughter’s, exactly like you had wished.” “I never thought of… Of… Harming anyone before, his… His action forced me to…” “I know, I know, we all have reasons to kill someone but only a few have the guts to do so.” A customer switched on the TV, leaving it on the news channel. The loud sound reverberated across the walls. “No, it’s not what you think, Liam was never my target for revenge.” I gazed at her, annoyed by the voice of the reporters. Under my scrutinized glares, the stress coerced her to explain. “The agreement wasn’t to kill him at all. It was to put him to sleep so the kidnapping process will be easy… But… But…” “But he is dead.” I glanced at the TV screen. Before I concentrated on any headline, the realization struck me. Why she wasn't framing me or accusing me of the murder if she only put the kid to sleep? I eyed her in well-hidden confusion and she averted her eyes. Oh god, I remembered that night as well as I remember the knitting needle in the boy's neck. The painful breathing and the flowing tears or raindrops. “She found out about her father's will…” Despite she had reached the verge of sobbing she continued, “all that stress, all that weariness became anger.” Rationally meditating, Mm. Marchetti never was the bold type. Employing a needle to kill someone deviated far away from her style. Rather she hit me as the preserving one, never the impulsive thriller seeker or the compulsive one. Not because of intelligence or wit, but instead out of fear and cowardice. Moreover, the autopsy report proved the trace of the sleeping medicine in the boy's blood. The silence befell our table for our talk ended sooner than I anticipated. I sighed, searching for a diversion. The water glass on my right, the busy server, the sound of the TV. anything will do. Ah… The TV, Yes, yes the TV. I will watch the news. In a last attempt to gather my scattered, contradicted emotions. I invested all my heart in it. Moving pictures crossed my eyes, an unrecognizable voice buzzed in my ears. They didn’t build a strong distraction. Only when I caught an image of August being surrounded by a swarm of reporters, my muddled brain dispatched a sign of revival. My eyes galloped the headlines, adding meaning to each term glowing on the big screen. Upon absorbing the sense of the caption I jumped out of my seat, approaching the screen. “Cargo ship laden with prohibited substances docked at the Olvera and the new manager declares…” Apollo Thank you so much for reading. This chapter marks the end of the first part. His is the longest chapter I have ever written yet. I will mark the story as finished, for now... Since few important questions got their answers... or not? Wonder? Stay tuned for one or two extra that I am planning to write, of course, if the light of inspiration hit me. It or they will be in other characters' perspectives, hopefully.  

Ian moans as he opens his eyes.  Bones crack as he wills up his aching body up.  He rubs his face and then cracks his neck.  Upon gripping a cushion with his hand, “Wha- where?”  He glances around in the dark to try and make sense of his surroundings.               “Calm down.  You're in the living room.”  Devlin says.               Ian collapses back as he breaths out in relief.  He sits up again and finds his uncle's silhouette at the kitchen entrance.  The coffee mug in his uncle's hand sticks out despite the back light.  “What happened?  Did you bring me back?”               “You came back around eleven last night and crashed on the couch.”  Devlin takes a sip from his mug, but he keeps his attention on his nephew.  “So, what happened?  There shouldn't be anything dangerous here.  How did you exhaust your magic?”               Ian ignores his uncle, trying instead to recall the previous night.  The wearg flew through the trees.  “Tentacles?”  He furrows his eyebrows and hesitates before asking, “Uncle, are there... chimera in this world?  I was told they were all exterminated.”               Devlin stares into his mug as he sips the coffee.  He remains silent even after lowering the drink from his mouth.  “Multiple chimera sightings have been reported, but none of the following investigations yielded positive outcomes.  As a result, chimera are not formally recognized to exist on Earth.  Unofficially, the general belief is that chimera have learned to blend in and remain hidden among normal humans.  Now, are you certain you saw one?  Where is it?  With tha-”               Ian falls back on the sofa at his Devlin's words, sprawling out his limbs with a groan.  “I don't know.  It got away.”             The mug drops from Devlin’s hand, but comes to a stop around his waist and floats into the kitchen with without spilling a drip.  Devlin walks up to Ian.  “Where?  Tell me exactly what happened.”               He listens to Ian's story and says, “You're lucky to be alive.”   He takes out a smart phone and presses a few buttons.  Upon pocketing it, he continues, “Get some breakfast and take a shower.  I wanted to take things slow, but with how things are, we need to connect you.  Next time anything happens, report it and wait for help.”               Ian's bones crack as he stands from the sofa and continue to do so as he stretches.  He walks heavy steps towards the kitchen.  He massages his shoulder while asking, “What time is it, anyway?”               “Five seventeen.  You've finally slept through the entire night.”               “Right, I'm taking a shower.”  Ian climbs the kitchen side stairs and later walks down wearing a fresh shirt and jeans.  Most of his hair is plastered flat upon his head with a few dry tufts scattered around.  He completes his morning preparations and enters the car.               They drive through the neighborhood in silence.  Lapping waves of the beach come into view and Ian recognizes the sign at the end of the road, California 1.  “We're going to the school?”               Devlin turns right onto the highway and replies, “All daily operations relating to magic are dealt there.  Calera Academy's middle and high schools are just covers for this region's administration office.”               “When was I going to be told this?”               “Eventually, I wanted to let you adapt to life here before introducing you to the magical aspects of this world.”      Devlin drives past the beach and pulls into the school ground drive way.  The road leads to a parking deck near the bluffs overlooking the ocean.  Devlin parks the car inside and leads Ian to a door along one of the walls.  He swipes an identification card through the reader to unlock the entrance into a vacant room.  No other openings are inside.  Devlin shuts the door and says to the wall, “Qing dakai.”  The left wall folds in on itself to reveal a well-lit hallway.  He ushers his shocked nephew down the hall to a balcony overlooking the branches of a tree.  A soft warmth is emitted from the tree.  Shining through the gaps within the leaves created by small birds and squirrels hopping along the branches are specks of light.               “A sun tree?”               “Do you propose building a window instead?”  Devlin takes Ian down three flights of stairs to the main lobby.  There, underneath the tree, the light shines brightest.  They cut through the garden and enter the office labeled Communication on the door.               Ian signs some papers and receives a white, palm sized, smart phone coupled with an instruction manual.  “Uncle, do I really need this?” “Yes, not just for communication, but also for our private server, Mofa-Connect.  It grants access to multiple magic related reports and events occurring here on Earth.  You can look up anything you need to know.”  Devlin leads him from the room adding, “Mofa-cells are extremely durable and enchanted to have reception anywhere on the planet.  They’re rechargeable with a water spell, are scratch resistant, water proof, lava proof, can be dropped from skyscrapers, run over, struck by lightning, etc etc.  Put short, you’ll break before it does.”  Devlin then leads his nephew across the lobby to another office labeled Security.  He speaks to the attendant behind the counter who leads them to the department head's office.  A large, bald headed man greets them with a hardened stare.  He speaks with a deep voice, “Ian Gyges, please, have a seat,” and gestures to the chairs across from his desk.  “I am Colonel Leon, head of our region's security department.  Major Devlin has informed me of your encounter with a chimera.”  Leon placing his elbows on his desk as he leans forward and clasps his fingers together.  “Tell me what happened.”                 “How extremely reckless,” Leon says after Ian finishes.  “You can't confirm whether it was chimera or not, only speculate?”               “It was too dark, I couldn't see it properly.”               “And you have no ideas as to where it could be hiding?”               “No, sir.”               “All we can do is investigate and await the results.”  Leon glances to Devlin, “He's your nephew, alright, going off on his own in complete disregard to proper procedure.”               “I found something suspicious and investigated!  That’s my job as a Deva of Mofa.”               “Arrogant child!  You’re nowhere strong enough to call yourself a true Deva.  Calling you a Deva would be a disgrace to the title even if you weren’t broken.  Now, I'll ask you again, do you really have nothing else to tell me about the beast?”               “No.”               “Very well, then,” Leon remains seated and salutes Devlin and Ian, “dismissed.”               Devlin stops at the door.  He looks back to Leon and says, “Colonel, Ian might be facing a setback, but he will definitely surpass us all.”  Devlin walks away and lets the door close behind him as Leon begins to reply.               They return to the car in silence from where Ian retrieves his satchel.  As he closes the door, Devlin says, “Sorry, there's still almost an hour until they open the front doors, but you’re going to have to find a way to keep busy.  I have some assignments to take care of and there's no time to take you home.  I'll probably be back before you, if not, I shouldn't be long.  Also, with how things are, I’ll be beginning your training in the evenings.  Other than that, our deal still holds.”               “What?  Uncle, shouldn't we focus more on the chimera?  What if there are more hei’an shengwu out there?”               “All we can do now is prepare for the next encounter.”               “Which won't happen unless we go look for it!”               Devlin’s expression turns stern, “Ian, you didn’t come across that chimera.  It revealed itself to you.”               “So, you also think Gale-” “Whether your classmate is the chimera or was just bait still needs to be determined.  Until then, do not approach him.  Leave this investigation to us.  Leon was right, you’re lucky to be alive.  Next time something like this happens, report to me first.”  He gets into his car, but rolls down his window.  He looks at Ian and says, “Don’t forget to setup your phone.” “Fine, fine.” Devlin gives his nephew a hard stare.  “Ian, I mean it.  You have time.  Do it before class starts.  Always keep it on hand.” Ian clicks his tongue and says, “Alright, I’ll do it.” Devlin nods while saying, “I'll see you back at home,” and drives away.               Ian kicks a rock as he leaves the parking garage.  The stone bounces off the sidewalk and disappears into the grass.  “What, I’m just supposed to go to class with a monster?” Ian is surprised to find students already gathering at the main entrance.  Zhege zao?  He finds an empty picnic table between the two side buildings and pulls out his smart phone.  The manual teaches him the spell needed to charge it.  Then, by holding down the sole button near bottom of the phone, it lights up.  “Not impressed.” Instructions appear on the screen reading “press to continue”.  Ian presses the button once more and the phone powers off.  “What?” he asks as he turns the phone on once more.  He presses the button again and the phone turns off.  “Ta made niao!”  After repeating the process a few times, he notices a red arrow below the instructions.  The arrow points towards a green bar near the bottom of the screen.  He stares at the bar wondering if that’s what he supposed to press.  “It’s a solid screen.  There’s no way anything would happen.”  Despite his conclusion, he can’t think of anything else to try. Ian looks around to make sure no one is watching him before pressing the bar.  The screen changes into nine dots arranged in a three by three grid.  With the phone saying, “Choose a pass code,” he feels a rising urge to chuck it off one of the cliffs and into the sea. “That would be the same as losing.”  He imagines explaining to his uncle how he gave into frustration and lost his phone.  He drives the thought from his mind and says, “If powerless can do it, so can I.”               The phone repeats, “Choose a pass code.”               Ian stares at the nine dots and says, “What's a pass code?”  He waits a few second, and when he doesn’t receive an answer, “What's a pass code?”  Still not receiving an answer, he shakes the phone and says, “Tell me already, I know you can talk!”               “Is this your pass code?”  The phone asks.               He looks at the screen and finds that a side button has a ring around it.  “Er bai wu…”               “Pass code accepted.”               “What?”               “Welcome to Mofa-Connect.”  The screen changes to one with letters, “Please insert your name.”               Ian takes a guess and presses the letters on the screen.  After a bit of time, he manages to type, “Ian Gyges” and then “Mofa” when asked for a password.                “Synced to Mofa-Connect.  Press to restart.”                Ian presses the button on the screen and the phone restarts.  He stares at it in complete loss as it reboots and displays the nine dots again.  Ian takes a guess and presses the side button from before and the phone takes him to his home screen.  “Like I said, jiandan.”                 Jimar calls to out to Ian as he settles into his desk for homeroom.  “So, what do you think so far?  Life here ain’t so bad?”               Ian forces himself to chuckle.  He recalls the previous night and says, “More exciting that I gave it credit for.”  He them places his hand atop of the white folder on his desk.  The front cover is decorated with an outline of Earth.  Written underneath the picture is “Eco-Trip.”   Almost every desk in the class one.  “What’s this?” “The monthly eco-trip.  Looks like this time is some place called Lake Casitas.” Ian opens the folder and shifts through the papers inside.  Starting from the forefront he finds an itinerary, a map, a necessary supplies list, and contact information to a hotel.  He looks back up to Jimar and says, “What’s an eco-trip?” “Man, how’d you sign up without knowing?  Actually, how did you sign up?  Today’s your second day here.  All tha paper work needed ta be taken care of at da beginning of the month.” “My uncle probably arranged it.” Jimar accepts the explanation with a shrug and says, “The eco-trip’s jus’ that; a weekend trip to some hotel near a natural preserve, park, or any place we can learn ‘bout nature and the environment.  Each grade goes ta someplace different.”               “And it happens every month?  How does the school afford this?”               “Easy, see, in the process of our outdoor education, we double as a cleanup crew.  As a result, we get some sorta government subsidy.  Anyway, wanna join my group?”               “Your group?”               “Yeah, we gotta break into groups of four to six.  If we don’t do it ourselves, they’ll do it for us.  So, you down?”               “What do you mean ‘down’?”               Jimar catches himself from laughing.  He coughs to clear his throat and says, “It means, how about it?  Or, do you accept?”               Ian is 100% confident Jimar is a powerless, butis Jimar also the only person he knows at Calera Private High School.  He suppresses his groan and says, “Yeah, okay, sure.  I’m… down.”               “Cool, anyway, it’s jus’ us two so far, but I’m thinking ‘bout asking Miyuki once she gets here.  If there’s anyone you want ta invite, feel fre- Gale!  The heck happened to you?”               Gale walks into homeroom with a scowl and a growl.  The large Band-Aid on his cheek draws Ian’s attention at first, but a second glance reveals that his uniform is scuffed up and his arms are covered in cuts and scrapes.                Gale gives Jimar a death glare, and after staring for a few moments, says, “Mugged.”               “You were jumped?  Who was it?  How bad d’they hurt you?”               Gale shrugs.  “No idea, she was wearing a mask.”  He ignores the rest of Jimar’s questions, along with the snickers of his classmates, and plops down at his desk where he then begins to read a text book.               Jimar sits back down and says to Ian, “Wow, can’t believe something like that happened.  Miyuki ain’t here yet either.  I hope nothing happened ta her.” …..        A girl with her blond hair tied back with a blue ribbon walks down the aisle across the bookshelf from Gale.  He pauses mid-reach for a third chemistry textbook to straighten his posture.  His head stays locked in place, but he follows her with his eyes.  A smile creeps across his face once the girl is out of sight and he walks with a slight hop back to his table. Arthus waits until Gale begins tutoring Jimar and Ian at the other table before saying, “For all his attitude, he’s turns into a little puppy around Justine.” Theodore says, “Aren’t you the same with Samantha?” “My situation is bit different from his.” Theodore glances towards Arthus.  His expression remains nonchalant, but he exerts a heavy pressure with his dark eyes.  A compelling force laces his tone as he says, “So, what do you want?” Arthus slouches back on his chair with a sigh.  “You don’t let up, do you?  Makes me wonder what kind of person you really are.”  He feels a fleck of danger upon voicing his curiosity.  Theodore’s expression doesn’t change, but the pressure from his eyes sharpens.  “Relax, I won’t pry.” Theodore redirects his attention to his textbook as he says, “Then, what?” “An underclassman of mine was alone in the woods last night bleed all over.  I come in that following morning worried about his injuries only to find that they’re gone.  One of your blessings?” “I told you, it isn’t a blessing.” “Psychic ability, a rose with any other name, whatever.  So, is that it?” Theodore sighs and says, “If my first ability is erase my presence, the second is limit removal.  By removing my limits, I can access my body’s full strength, speed, agility, processing speed, et cetera.  One of those gives me rapid regeneration.” “Only two?” “It isn’t, “only two?”  The norm is only awakening one.  My situation is still being studied.  So who the hell are you?  Memory manipulation, matter manipulation, body strengthening; who sent you?  Are you from Corsica?”  Arthus stops himself mid-breath from asking for clarification.  Both he and Theodore glance towards an approaching girl. Justine walks straight up to them with a glowing smile.  She clenches the eco-trip folder as she says, “Hey, Arthus.  About this month’s eco-trip, I was hoping to ask you about it.  What do you remember about Lak-” Arthus holds up his hands as he says, “Sorry, I didn’t go on that one last year.”  Justine’s expression falls as a dispirited, “Oh,” escapes her.  She forces a smile and walks off while saying, “Maybe you can tell me about the next one, then.” Theodore studies Arthus’s expression as he watches Justine walk away and says, “You’re not interested in her?  Like you said about Gale, she’s totally into you.” “I have nothing against you humans, but biologically speaking, I cannot return any such feels towards your species.” “My species?  Again with that fantasy talk?  Is one of your abilities transformation?  Look, no matter what you change into, you’re still human.” Ian’s voice overshadows what Arthus is about to say. “You’re thanking him with a ticket to your performance?”  Both he and Theodore look towards Ian’s table to find Gale with a clueless expression on his face. Jimar’s voice carries over to them.  “Hey, man, first off, I’d have failed Chem without Gale.  Second, people pay good money to see my shows.” Theodore clicks his tongue and says, “That’s an understatement.” Arthus says, “You tried going to one?” “I looked into it.  Way more than I could afford.  Hard to believe he’s just a sophomore.” …..                Ian recalls Devlin’s words from the other day as the bell rings.  If the “seniors” in Calculus are powerless, then Will and Miyuki must be Deva.  He waits up for Will who sighs as they walk out the door.               Will says, “You seriously needed to ask Gale for help?”               “I have my reasons.  More importantly,” Ian lowers his voice.  He traces a five pointed star with his finger while saying, “What element do you specialize in?”               Will frowns as he turns to Ian in confusion.  “I'm looking into taking up programing...”               “No, not that.”  Ian says.  He glances around to make sure no one is listening.  “Out of the five base elements, I specialize in water.  You?”               Will gives Ian a blank stare.  “You like swimming?”                Ian takes a deep breath and exhales, dropping his face into a palm.  “Bai mu...”  He leans closer to Will and says through clenched teeth, “Magic.  Which is your element?”               Will's eyes widen as he loses himself in thought.  He swallows and whispers, “Tha- that’s what that is?  I always thought it was too weird to be psychic abilities… It’s magic?  Then, you’re… a mage?  A rea-”               “Deva, the proper term is Deva.  Haven't you been taught anything?”               “I-Ian, you've made a mistake.  I'm not a mage- ahem, Deva.”               “You're taking an upper level mathematical class.  Yes, you are.”               “Actually,” Will gives a bashful chuckle, “I'm just good at math.”               Ian examines Will's expression for dishonesty.  “Lantanzi!”  He presses his satchel to himself and forces his way through the crowded hallway.               “He-hey!” Ian bumps into and brushes against various students as he tries to create space between himself and Will.  His efforts let him get ahead, but Will grabs his arm before he can reach the stairs. Will speaks between breaths.  “Ju-just a minute.  You're not- You’re not ditching me that easy.  Is that what that stuff is?  Magi-” Ian rams his elbow into Will’s stomach.  He then yanks his arm free while Will hunches over and slips into the crowded stairwell.  His face stiffens as he debates on how to solve the problem.  Ian gets out of the stairwell when a hand clamps down on his shoulder.  Will says, “It's a secret, okay, I get that.  Tell me more later.”               Ian grits his teeth at his inability to shake Will.  His classmate even goes so far as to sit next to him during lunch.  Jimar looks at the two of them and says, “Sup, Will.”               Will says, “Ian invited me to join your team for the Eco-Trip.”               Ian tenses, but doesn’t call out Will’s lie.  He can’t.  Judging from Will’s expression, the truth about him being a Deva would be exposed the moment he tries.  He’d be a laughing stock if everyone found out how he exposed himself in less than 32 hours after his first day of school.  All he can do is nod and play along.               Jimar says, “Great, any of you see Miyuki?  I wanna ask her to join next.”               Will shakes his head.  “I think she’s out for the day.”               “Damn.”               Ian says, “Just ask her tomorrow.”               Jimar says, “Can’t, team slips are due end of the day.”               “We only get one day to make a team?”               Jimar shrugs.  “Something ‘bout thinking under pressure.” …..               Justine sets down her lunch tray next to Theodore.  With a sigh, she speaks to both him and Athena, “I didn’t get Oresteia.”  She sits down while saying, “What was the point?”               Athena says, “Are you asking us because of my name?”               Justine glances to the side while saying, “Partially…”  She then groans and says, “My English grade isn’t that good.  I need to ace this essay or my training is going to be cut.  You’re the student council VP, lend me a hand.”               A smile plays at Athena’s lips as she says, “Fine, fine, I can’t say no if you’re going to bring th-”  She stands up as a dark haired girl rushes up to their table.  Her expression hardens as she says, “Selena, what happened?”               Impatience laces Selena’s voice as she says, “I’m not sure, but it’s still early.”               Athena turns back to Justine with an apologetic expression, “I’ve got to go, but ask Theo.  He’s way better at this stuff than I am.”               Once Athena’s blazing hair disappears from sight, Justine says, “Is Sophie always like this?”               Theodore says, “You get used to it.”               “Anyway, about Ores-”               “That’s a pointless risk you’re taking.”               “Wha- what are you talking about?”               “Arthus and I aren’t friends.  Trying to get close to me won’t help with him.” Justine blushes a deep red as her voice gets caught in her throat.  “Th- tha- that’s not why I’m here at all!  I- I’m seriously struggling with English!  Unless I pul-” Theodore’s tone cuts through Justine’s stammering.  “That’s the second issue.  For all you know, Athena might not have had a clue as to what that play was about.  It’d have been no different than turning to a sinking ship for help.” Justine shrinks underneath Theodore’s gaze.  She’s the regional iaido champion.  She competes at the state level.  She’s been watched, stared at, and held under scrutiny by hundreds of people, but none of them have ever pressured her this much.  She swallows her follow up sentence.  Playing dumb against him is impossible.  “I was also planning to consult sparknotes…” Theodore’s head pops up as though he’s realizing what he’s doing.  He hides his shock with a chuckles and says, “What a carefree attitude.” Justine takes a deep breath upon being released from his stare.  She glares at Theodore and says, “You, who are you?” “My name is Theodore, people also call me Theo.  As of right now, it looks like I’ll be your English tutor.” Justine blinks as she’s taken aback.  “You’re actually going to help me?  Even knowing what I was trying to do?” Theodore shrugs.  “Athena already passed the job to me and besides, it’s not like you were trying to kill anyone.” Justine frowns at Theodore’s extreme expression.  “Then, when’s a good time?  If you still have space on your-” “I’m not going on this month’s Eco-Trip.  …..               Ian clicks his tongue upon seeing Will get on the same bus as him after school.  Then, as Will sits next to him with eagerness gleaming from his eyes, he says, “Somewhere private.”               “Fine, fine, I know just the place.”  Will makes Ian get disembark a few stops early and takes him to a suburban forest.  “The park and theater are further in, but out here by the road should be pretty quiet.  Now spill, I want to see some magic.”               Ian doesn’t respond.  The forest Will brought him to is the same place he fought Gale the night before.  He breathes in to loosen his nerves and takes in his surroundings.  He doesn’t sense the presence of a hei’an shengwu, but that doesn’t mean the creature can’t hide itself.  Just in case something does happen, he casts a body strengthening spell.               “That’s exactly what I wanted to see!  So, what exactly are those lights?  Do they always come out when you cast magic?”               Will’s words draw Ian’s attention from the forest.  “What lights?”               “You can’t see them either?  They swirled around you and then seeped into your body.  They’re all over the place at school.” Ian gives Will a hard stare.  Will could be lying, but there’s no point for him to do so.  “What kind of lights do you see?” Will looks up as he says, “I’m not really sure how to explain them.  Well, there’s five different colors; red, yellow, grey, black, and green.  If I was to describe what I just now, then there was a whole bunch of yellow circling around.  At some points it was a dribble, at others a spurt, and at one point it was a steady stream.  Then it stopped.”               Ian groans and slaps his forehead.  “Che!  You’re nothing more than a powerless.  What you saw was the flow of magic to my body strengthen spell.”               “I take it that that is rare.”               “People on Mofa-”               “Mofa?”               “My home world.”               “A magic world?”               “Yes, re, stop interrupting!  Like I was saying, people on Mofa would kill you just to have your eyes.  Don’t tell anyone-”               “Or my life will be in danger.  Yeah, I already got that.  Just tell me about magic or I’ll go up to everyone who can make those lines and tell them you told me what they are.”                  “I could kill you right now and no one would ever find out.”               “Please, I sent plenty of texts to people on our way here.  Everyone knows where I am and who I’m with.”               Ian’s face turns red from the humiliation of being blackmailed by a powerless.  “Baijiazi, fine, but I will get you back for this.”               “Yeah, yeah, whatever.  Just get on with it.”               Ian takes a breath and says, “Magic is nothing more than harnessing and manipulating the five base elements, those lines, of the world for a desired result.  More simply stated, magic is a precise manipulation of energy towards a single goal.  Red is fire, yellow is earth, grey is metal, black is water, and green is wood.  Deva, or Devi for woman, harness them through meditative breathing and precise mental calculations.  Different spells are created depending on how they’re combined.”               Will cups his chin and says to himself, “I get it.  Those elements are like puzzle pieces made of energy.  Me being able to see magic gives me an edge; I can see how spells are created.”               “Which is exactly how the Jinse Long reach his position.”               “Who?  No, that doesn’t matter.  What about our school?  Is it a secret magic training ground for Deva and Devi?”               “Something like that.  Is that why you applied?  You saw something going on and wanted to investigate?”                    Will sneers, “That’s right, and now I found someone who’ll tell me everything I want to know.  Now, cast a fireball.”               “Can’t.”               “I don’t care if it’s against the rules.  Just do it.”               “No, I literally can’t.  Most Deva can’t use all five elements.”               Will clicks his tongue.  “Fine, then do something else.  I don’t care if it’s flashy or not, just cast something.”   A sweet fragrance of roasted coffee greets Ian upon opening the door to his house.  He tosses his coat onto the sofa and follows the smell into the kitchen. “Gale came to school today!  You said you were going to take care of him.” Devlin turns around as he sets his coffee mug down next to his computer.  “I said we were going to investigate, and we did.  Gale isn’t a chimera.  I also told you to leave him alone, but not only did you have him tutor you in chem, you went and joined the same Eco-Trip group as him.” “I’m in the same group as him?  No, I’d never agree to sleep in the same room as a monster!” Devlin picks up his mug and sips some coffee before saying, “Then that wasn’t you?  Still, you did have him tutor you.  I’ll praise your determination, but what you did was stupid.  If Gale was a monster, all you’d have accomplished was let him know that you know.  Did you stop and consider how a chimera would react in that situation?” “If Gale tried something, I’d have stopped him.” “Gale isn’t a chimera.  We would have never let him into the school if he was.” Ian recalls Gale’s beat up appearance upon entering homeroom.  “You mean, those injuries were your doing?” Devlin shakes his head as he sighs.  “He’s quite impressive, even by our standards.  He roused himself from a hypnotic trance through his own effort.” Ian chuckles, “Let me guess.  He then got hurt attacking the Deva investigating him.  How stupid.  That’s what he gets for trying to stand against us.”  Devlin sips more coffee and says, “Having trouble at school.” “Not one bit.  My classmates are powerless.  Speaking of which, I’m hanging out with Will after school tomorrow.  I’ll be getting back a bit late, again.” …..               Chol plucks the stings of his harp as he walks near the middle of the caravan.  He thought everyone would make him stop to avoid attracting monsters, but instead was moved from the back to the middle.  That just shows how desperate the organizers are for entertainment. They trek north on a dusty trail through outskirts of the former Ming Dynasty.  Despite the concerns about hei’an shengwu or beasts, everyone has been assured that the dangerous creatures reside deeper within the fallen territory.  Those that used to reside in their current location vanished for some reason. Chol stops playing his harp to reach towards the sky and stretch.  Judging from the two suns, second sleep will be on them in a few hours.  The pack of bird like raptors that attacked them didn’t set them back that much.  A river should be coming into sight within the next hour and a half.  While considering how he’ll eat his share of fresh raptor meat, the caravan slows to a stop.  Talks of, “raiders,” and “bandits,” passes down from the front.  Chol sets his harp down with his bag and sighs as he uses his left hand to draw his sword.  He hates fighting, not because he’s weak, but because he’s a doctor.  Chol makes his way to the front of the caravan to join the defense.  He may prefer healing people, but that doesn’t mean he won’t defend himself.  The approaching sight makes him scoff.  Many share his sentiments.  The information passed down the line was incomplete with the most important term excluded.  “Child slave traffickers...”  A row of children tied together stand behind the bandits.  While some cry, most have dead, vacant expressions.               Someone says, “They must have pillaged some nearby settlement...”               Another says, “Base probably ain’t too far from here.  No way they’ll be letting any of us leave alive.”               A third says, “Works for me.  Bastards like them stole my wife and child.”               Chol launches a giant ball of fire to burn the arrows flying towards them.  The few Deva travelling with the caravan deflect the rest with wind.  The mercenaries use that as their signal to charge.  A loud roar shakes the air as they raise their weapons.  Bandits who try to take a child hostage end up riddled with arrows, set aflame, or frozen stiff to the point of shattering upon falling over.                Chol steps back to let a bandit’s sword pass by before his self.  The bandit isn’t accustomed to fighting left handed swordsmen and thus left the radial nerve in his arm exposed.  One quick and clean jab severs the nerve.  Then, while the bandit yanks his arm back in surprise, he serves the same nerves of his other arm.  Chol finishes by thrusting his jian between the bandit’s ribs and threw the heart.               Chol knocks the bandit’s body over and lets it slide away.  Blood neither clings to his sword nor flows from the bandit’s chest.  Despite everything the bandit has done, Chol can’t bring himself to kill him.  Therefore, while freeing his jian, he transmitted heat from his flames to heal most of the wound.  Either way, once the bandit wakes up in a few hours, assuming nothing has eaten him, he’ll never be able to harm anyone again.  His somewhat, crippled arms and weakened heart guarantee it.               A nearby caravan guard gets cut down.  Chol stabs the rejoicing bandit from behind straight through the heart.  He then lowers his sword to let the bandit slide off it as he falls.                A broadsword slices through Chol’s body as he turns around.  The mirage Chol had been projecting of himself flickers and vanishes.  The bandit jumps in fright, leaving himself open for Chol to get close and stab an acupuncture needle into the bandit’s neck.  He doesn’t attack anything vital, but point stabbed will render the bandit unconscious for a few hours.  Caravan organizers cry out as some bandits get past the defenders and reach the wagons.  Chol can’t do anything about it.  Instead, he deflects a spear and smothers his next assailant with fire.  While the bandit is still shocked at being ignited, Chol cripples him as well.  Very few others have the same success as him.  The bandits are pushing them back.  They might be tired from their raid, but they have more numbers and appropriate equipment.  The weapons of caravan mercenaries are specialized for fighting large or simple minded creatures.  Small, agile, and quick-witted humans have no trouble reading and dodging incoming attacks.               Chol grunts as he kicks another bandit between the legs.  With a quick flick of his wrist, he slits the bandit’s throat with his silver dagger.  He heals the wound as he delivers it, but the shock of dying renders the bandit unconscious, potentially forever.               He grits his teeth and spews fire from his right hand like a flamethrower at three approaching bandits.  He dives between them as they step back, cuts one from behind, and then leaps back where he scurries to someplace safer.               More bandits soon surround Chol.  He keeps them from ganging up on him with his fire and throws off their aim with his mirages, but he’s soon riddled with shallow cuts.  Chol throws down his jian and says, “I’m a healer.”  He raises his arms while saying, “None I fought died.”               The bandits surrounding Chol keep their weapons pointed at him, but don’t move to kill him.  Chol, having their attention on him, gestures to the gash on his forearm.  He covers the wound with his hand, and upon removing it, reveals that it’s healed.  “Do what you want.  Just let me heal the children.”               One bandit points at two others.  “Take him over there and tie him up.”  He then lifts Chol by the collar and says.  “You’ll be fixing us up first.  Anyone you fail to patch up means one kid di-”               An explosion shakes the ground.  Chol dives for his sword as everyone falls over and dashes to safety as everyone else starts to rise.  He didn’t think an opportunity to escape would present itself this soon.  That’s when he notices multiple, circular, shadows shrinking on the ground.               “Rocks!”  He leaps away from the large ones while deflects the smaller ones.  They must be from whatever created that explosion.               A girl’s voice drowns out whatever noise remains.  “Tremble in fear you wicked slave traders!”  Waving a red flag depicting a crane alighting from a lotus is a white tiger girl of about 13 or 14.                The cat ears and tail make Chol wonder, “A faun?”  Her sudden appearance, however, doesn’t make him forget his situation.  “Help?”  While she did declare the slave traders her enemy, that doesn’t mean she’ll spare the caravan.               The tiger girl ignores the bandits charging towards her and instead points a finger forward.  Her white hair flutters behind her and her white, tiger pelt, skirt flutters as she says, “You scum picked the wrong day to crawl out of your holes!  The beautiful, noble, and just Gladiolus will slaughter all of you!”               As Chol remembers hearing that Gladiolus died years ago, all the bandits rushing the tiger girl are either cut in half or have their insides explode out from backs.  The tiger girl ignores the scene developing before her as she continues, “Beg to god for mercy as you’re cut down by the Flying Hare!”                Encouraged by what just happened, Chol readies himself to resume fighting only to find the bandits that were chasing him are dead.  A feeling causes him to glance towards the side and there he sees a girl wielding a bloodied guandao.  She strikes the bottom end of her polearm into a bandit’s chest.  The blow caves the cavity in on itself and forces the internal organs to rupture out the body’s backside.  Without stopping or sparing the corpse a glance, she moves onto the next one. Her fluid movements blend her actions of advancing, twisting her guandao, and killing her target into an unending stream.  He cannot get a clear look.  All his eyes can make out of her are the two antenna like locks of hair sprouting from the middle of her head.  They rise above the rest of her hair and bend back where they freely wave around. “Gladiolus” then stops and glances in his direction.  Her cold, expressionless, blood splattered face makes him shiver and step back.  She steps towards him and with her guandao at her side, breaks into a dash.  “Gladiolus” stops just behind him and points her left hand at a group of bandits trying to escape.  Her voice is soft, a bit empty, but clear, “Deutsche.”  A wave of water torrents out from a ring to wash the bandits away.  “Ellada.”  A lightning bolt flashes towards them from a second ring. Chol watches her slaughter a few more bandits before sheathing his jian.  Despite her brutal methods, she’s only killing them.  He walks to the nearest child, cuts the ropes bindings with his dagger, and turns her head away from the bloodshed.  He heals her broken leg while saying, “Don’t watch.” His sole focus is on examining and healing the children.  He ignores everything regardless if it’s shrieking bandits begging for their lives or people trying to speak with him.  Only once he examines every child does he stop.  He looks around and sees that all the kids he attended to are seated on the wagons.  The caravan head sits with the tiger girl and “Gladiolus.”  All three of them stand as Chol walks approaches.  He says, “They’re malnourished and exhausted, but nothing life threatening.” The caravan head says, “We’ll be taking them to the river with us.”  He then gestures to the two girls and adds, “They’ll be taking them after second sleep.” Chol nods and looks to “Gladiolus.”  Her strawberry blond hair hides her expressionless face.  Now that she isn’t fighting and her face is clean of blood, she looks listless, as though the blood thirsty warrior from before was nothing more than a mirage.  The tiger girl puts herself between him and “Gladiolus.”  She holds up her fists and glares at Chol with her golden, cat slit, eyes.  Spit flies off her fangs as she says, “Quit staring at the great Gladiolus!  If you have something to say, than out with it!  Come on, spit it out!  We don’t have all day!” Now that Chol gets a better look at the tiger girl, he notices that black, zig-zagged, horizontal, stripes run through her hair.  For some reason, even though she has tiger ears on top of her head, she also has human ears on the side of her head.  He’s met various types of Faun, but this trait still confuses him.  She growls and shouts, “Now you’re just going to stare at me?  If you have nothing to say, then we’re leaving!”  While she storms off, Chol says, “She right, there isn’t much time left until noon.  I want to get those kids something to drink and make sure they’re resting before then.” The caravan head nods and walks to tell everyone they’re resuming the journey.  Chol turns to Gladiolus and says, “Thanks for helping us, Gla-” “Pitta,” Chol almost missed her interruption.  Her soft voice is difficult to hear as she continues, “Gladiolus was my late father…  For attending to the children…  You have my gratitude…” Chol waits to see if she’ll continue.  He resumes speaking once he’s certain that she finished.  However, since he isn’t sure on how to respond, he says, “I’m Chol Feng, a doctor.” “A dok-tur?” Chol makes a wry smile at her confusion.  “It’s a type of healer.” The tiger girl returns while saying, “Pitta, let’s get going!  The caravan head wants us to take the vanguard position incase anything happens, again.”  The tiger girl takes Pitta’s hand and leads her to the front of the caravan. Chol picks up his bag and resumes playing his harp.  He plays a gentle and soothing melody in hopes of easing everyone’s tension.    While everyone finds shady area well protected from the two sun for second sleep, Chol makes his way towards Pitta.  She watches the children from atop of a rock.  Her vacant expression is overshadowed by an unyielding determination burning within her amber eyes.  Her gaze isn’t cast on the children drifting off to sleep, but to something else far off into the future.  He recalls the ferocity with which she fought earlier.  The blood stained cloth fluttering at the base of her guandao’s blade is a testament to everything she’s overcome. The tiger girl springs onto her feet as Chol steps underneath the tree they are using.  She points at him and says, “Again?  Quit being such a bother!  You’ve got nothing to say so get lost!  Pitta needs her sleep!” Pitta stands up while placing a hand atop of the tiger girl’s head.  “That’s enough, Biya.” “But, Pitta…” Pitta ignores Biya’s complaint by stepping past her.  She walks up to Chol, but doesn’t say anything.  Chol doubts if Pitta actually sees him.  She looks at his direction, but her eyes are the same as when she watched at the children.  They gaze off into an unattainable future.  He takes a breath upon remembering the children and says, “Why are you taking them?” Pitta tilts her head at the question.  Her two, long, antenna locks of hair shift and reach down to her waist.  Her tone is soft, but certain.  “Why am I… taking the children?”  After a moment, she adds, “To protect them.” Biya says, “That’s right!  Pitta didn’t just take on Gladiolus’s will, she accepted his mantle and mission!  Everything she does is for the sake of the future!” Chol recalls the stories his teacher told him about the previous Gladiolus.  He was the strongest man on Mofa, the general of the former Qin Dynasty, and a symbol of hope and peace after it fell.  Anyone with nowhere to go could turn to him for protection.  “By yourself?” “I am… strong.” Chol remembers how Pitta fought as she demolished the bandits earlier.  The size of her steps and crooked way she walked lets him say, “You left leg is injured.” While Pitta remains impassive, Biya jumps.  Her tail rises straight up and she tenses the claws on her fingers.  “What was that!  I dare you!  Say that again!” Pitta sighs and says, “You noticed…” Chol says, “Let me take your pulse.  I should be able to heal it.” Biya says, “Liar!  Pitta, don’t believe him.  He’s just another pervert spouting whatever he can just to have his way with you!” Pitta stares at Chol for a moment before nodding.  She sits back down on the rock and holds out her arm.  Biya bares her fangs at Chol as he kneels and takes her hand.  While he places the two fingers of his free hand upon Pitta’s forearm, Biya says, “Try anything funny, and I’ll rip out your throat.” Chol tunes her out as he shuts his eyes.  He opens them a few moments later and says, “You damaged the pubofemoral ligament of your hip.” Pitta touches her side as confusion hints upon her face.  Still, although Chol’s words were beyond her understanding, she understood what he said.   “Years ago, back from when father… was training me.” Chol releases Pitta’s arm as he stands up.  He takes a few steps back and says, “Well, it’s technically healed now, but it healed wrong.  I can fix it, but not here.  We need someplace quieter and more stable.” Pitta says, “How long… would it take?” Biya says, “Pitta!  You’re not seriously considering this, are you?” Chol purses his lips and cups his chin.  “I can’t give an exact number, but the treatment itself would take between 16-21 hours.  After that would be at least 2 months bed rest.” Pitta closes her eyes as she lowers her head.  While she’s considering her options, Biya growls at Chol and says, “Why?  What do you gain from this?  Why would you help us?” Chol chuckles and says, “Because I’m a doctor.” Biya says, “You mean a healer?” “No, a doctor.  I took an oath to respect and share medical knowledge, to turn for help when I need it, and to give treatment to everyone who needs it.  My teacher told me a lot about the first Gladiolus’s heroics.  If Pitta-” Biya gasps as Chol speaks Pitta’s name.  He recognizes her displeasure at it and thus presses forward with more force before she can interrupt.  “If Pitta inherited his will, then I’d be a sham if I didn’t help her.  She’s the type of person this world needs.” Pitta gets up and says, “I’ve decided…  Come with us to our home.  You can treat me… there.” Biya says, “What!  Pitta, are you sure?  Really, really sure?  What if it’s a trap?” Pitta clenches her fist.  “I’m strong.” Chol ignores the implication of her words and says, “Fine, then I’ll be joining you after second sleep.” A/N: You know, I wonder if these are too long??  I like going full out when I write these~

  Every meticulous plan possessed an unpredicted pitfall. Hard enough, the decision to contact Jacob, starting a conversation with him, a struggle, had its virtue. It took me days to reason about the discourse opening. And now that I have no choice... My thumb pressed the phone's surface, ending the call. I sighed, the cold air freshened by the boiled blood of my veins. Through the glass wall, my annoyance cooled atop the transparent surface, distorting my reflection into something hideous. At this instant, nothing tempting as much as venting my frustration. My eyes leaped above the vapor stain created by my breath. Escaping. Dispersing the anger. The campus spread wide beneath my sight. Like a teased ant colony, the students swarmed in every direction. Individually or in groups. The mundane routine of the campus daily life, I felt standing on the edges of its existence observing it. Being part of it and yet swimming outside its borders. The same as an outcast. The clock tick-tocks the passage of time. The afternoon classes were starting, though my appetite to participate waned. I shun my head away from the grand view, blocking the unwanted thoughts. This wasn’t the best time for meditating on my life course or regretting it. In few steps away stood someone behind my back, waiting, watching... Arm crossed, back to the wall, August’s face hardly reflected on the glass, rather a half distorted image of quiet and anticipation. His presence was imminent through the silently radiated questions. His gaze worked a hole in my back. Searching for his clarification. Before I turned to face him, I paralyzed each inch of my spread expression, cracked a thankful smile, then stepped down, swaying his phone between my fingers. He looked at my hand while I looked at his visage. Aside from the palpable irritation about the way I treated his phone, I could savor the confusion beneath the polite facade. Load over a load of doubt traced his manners. However, no word made its path to my ears. The tactfulness he was famous for saving me the pain of crafting a lie and remembering it. Not saying I am in a better position than him. Equal to the backseat spot of his, I was also walking in darkness. He caught the phone from my grasp. Along with a few answers about the disturbing relationship I have with my brother. I wonder… What did he think? What had Jacob told him? His refined behavior? The purpose behind this prearranged meeting? And above all of them, Am I going to play assistant for the Olvera boy? Only one thing was certain, for me,… Not only the huge, intentional miscommunication between us, brothers. On the ground level, Olvera and I were chess pieces for Jacob's game. Or so I thought, at that moment, forgetting that August was merely courteous, and everything but naïve. We exchanged pleasantries. I tried to rival his politeness as much as my face muscles' flexibility allowed me. The two of us stood at the fringes of curiosity. Plenty of explanation was needed. Yet no one of us waived to breach the hurdle of being open. I left him unsatisfied, on several levels. Arms crossed on his chest. He couldn’t hold back the questionable stares tinting his gaze. Perhaps this was what gave my artificial smile the texture of authenticity. Nonetheless, I was on the losing side. While he glimpsed at an obnoxious margin of my private life, I got nothing in comparison. I remember in our brief conversation, the hum below his lips, between the repetitive apologies, the scent of malignity oozed slightly. When he mentioned: “This is not the first time you have been charged with first-degree murder…” What did he mean by bringing my past? A threat? I wasn’t surprised regarding his acquaintance with my forgone misfortune. In the end, his family, an ancient resident of my hometown. Digging up dirt under each other's houses, a tradition we inherited from our ancestors. To a point that it became imprinted on our DNA. The cafeteria entrance merged into my sightline. Still, my last steps halted at an interesting inspiration. I looked backward, checking if August followed right behind my trail. Luckily, he didn’t. If so, I had probably accused him of working with Milford Macias and being a part of the ploy that meant to destroy me then my family. Such charges needed concrete evidence, especially when my father was betting on him. Yet, in all those days, I couldn’t wash up that warm meeting in front of the police station the morning of my discharge. The red car nearly knocked me on purpose. I couldn’t uncover an explanation for it but August's involvement with the dangerous man. And… And Jacob too… I gritted my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut, chasing the idea. In this lightless salvage, Madeline's smirking lips twirl and twist. The sound of the red car engine emerged from afar, waking me up. I turned to the exit, wearing a mask of nonchalance. However, the voice reached me from behind: “Is everything ok?” Unsuccessful to crack another smile, I didn’t turn back. My hand danced in the air, saluting and fleeing. Cursing in my heart for he had seen me while thanking him with my tongue for the meal. The next contact with the sunrays was unpleasant, like everything on this day. I used my hand to fend for myself from the excessive light. It wasn’t enough. I moved my head to the other side, how I wished I didn’t. The first thing my gaze fell upon manifested in the profile of the mean lady of earlier. Miss Madeline Fry. Our eyes were hooked in solid connection, created by fate. No wonder I heard the red car engine from a moment ago. Her hair played by the gentle breeze scattered behind her back. She took off the sunglasses, then stared at me. intensely. I had nothing but to smile and wave. “I know it, the two of you are familiar with each other.” The persistent voice that didn’t wish to leave me alone, carried from the rear. “No, we are not.” I denied it, however, it sounded just like a confirmation. Before she reached us, I withdrew as fast as I could. Using the afternoon lectures, I am going to skip as an excuse. A minute later, I heard the engine waking up, yet the red car didn’t overrun my slow marching. It was the only exit from the cafeteria parking lot. What took them so long? I was dying to turn and discern what kept them. Did August say something to Madeline? Or vice versa… In the end, the car never left its place all the time it took me to move away from the building. As if they were waiting for me to get out of sight. My unproductive appointment with August ruined my mood. The already awful day descended into despair, sucking up my whole enthusiasm for the next month. Unless something soul-lifting will occur, I feared my bumper would shatter down. Sooner. At that time, I will transform into someone I don’t know. Nothing but a purposeless stroll might liberate the negative tension. So I walked and walked, aimless, blind. Throughout the hidden paths of the vast campus. Encountering a myriad of faces. Countless laughs, clamors... Most of the individuals and groups didn’t recognize me, nor did I. It was a blessing of its own unique taste. How much I missed the lost time of being nameless. Loomed on the horizon, the law department. I hesitated, my advance paused. As a bunch of familiar figures made their way outside the building, I assumed the lecture had ended. I kept my distance, and my gaze focused on them. Cali’s silhouette possessed my interest. She walked alone between the groups of acquaintances. Head almost down. A half cheerful smile perked her mouth whenever a salute, half-heartedly, was thrown at her. Cali glorified me as a celebrity, Cali that covers everything behind a set of stupid actions and silly smiles. Abashed, frightened, she appeared, earlier, under my angry gaze. I pondered what my expressions looked like at that moment? Akin to a white paper, my mind was blank… My heart was empty. Numb, the emotions seeped from my body. Pity, anxiety, sympathy, anger… They splattered on the soil under my feet. The roots of the mulberry tree supporting my hand absorbed them all. Only guilt remained, for it was not yet liquified. I shook it off right after. Just then, I felt pure. In a fresh garment, I strode, leaving the campus' ground behind. Of course, to the nearest bus station, I usually use. Even while I was waiting to ship myself inside this fish box. I felt weightless. Even a vague shadow that kept crawling after me, I felt stressless. Its specific details, its constant calls, melted within the spring breeze. I also start hallucinating a calling voice amidst the murmurs of the drifting sounds. My head must be playing tricks on me, avenging the consecutive traumas it received today. I thought… Until… A hand tugged at my shoulder… It was a light touch as if it was bestowed by a ghost or any other immaterial creature… Seeking my attention. Hastily, I pulled off my arm, avoiding the contact, albeit the familiar tone that floated with it: “Kieran…” A tone that I knew very well, but I didn’t hear for ages. My heart skipped, a mixture of fear and surprise gushed into my blood. My head pursued the source, automatically. Among the strange visages surrounding me, I identified the caller in a flash. “Anna?” There were much more words I desired to add, but the shock crippled my vocal cords. Only her name I could articulate. “Can we talk?” She said, after all this time of separation... That pale color and that tired expression of her vanished as if they had never existed. The red eyes and the torrential tears that threaded her face were nowhere to be seen. Wasn’t her father, recently, in a comatose state, as Cali mentioned? My eloquence always lets me down in these kinds of situations. What I am supposed to say? Should I ask about her state? Her family? Her father‘s health? Or act like a jerk and ignore her… Because… Because of what happened, because of what she said about me. Because she didn’t give me a chance to defend myself. Didn’t she cut our relationship selfishly on her own? The struggle between my pride, my emotions, my consideration as a gentleman didn’t last long. It fragmented below the light pressure of one word: “Please.” How awkward… This meeting with each other, on this day. It seemed like it had happened years ago. In the far past. And here we gather again to laugh about the trivial mistakes of our youth. I didn’t touch the menu, the food in my belly had yet to be digested. I only asked for a cup of tea. Whereas Anna ordered a cheesecake and of course the orange juice. From the bus station to this teahouse, the silence was our sole way of interaction. We exchanged questions through quick stares, insignificant gestures, everything available except actual words. At this instant, I felt I was the only one who deserved answers. A lot of answers. About the break-up message, about ignoring my calls, about her mean confession to the police… About the rumors tarnishing my reputation spreading on the campus, about everything, including this sudden meeting. I watched her visage, brazenly. Flustered, she was, and I needed her to be. How cute the way she pretended she wasn’t bothered. The bags under her eyes dried, the color of her cheeks more lively. She became a million times more gorgeous than before. What happened? Was Travis a better boyfriend? The mere thoughts of this idea burn me up. Despite the cheesecake and the orange juice being placed in front of her, she didn’t reach any of them. They were just a legitimate justification to bow her head and avoid my gaze. Nevertheless, she failed to hide the tension in her fingers. Surely, she depleted all of her courage in favor of this meeting. Maybe it was what caused my anger, and railing to waver. What do I want more? Thus, I decided to crush this cold anxiety of hers. “Anna, let’s stop this wrong fight and get back together.” .... "This is a great opportunity to solve the misunderstanding." Her hand hit the table, and my heart skipped a bit. “My name is not Anna.” She screamed, attracting a startled audience to our table. “My name is Hanna, Hanna Marchetti.” In a full, fake calm state, I gazed upon her face, my eyes wide, roaming her expressions. Then shifting towards the background, glaring at the curious faces trying to prey on us. There was a silence that needed to be cut through. “The letter ‘H’ in French is silent. That is why I can pronounce your name as Anna instead of Hanna.” It was the same sentence I had written to her in one of our exchanged letters. After that, over and over again, I repeated it. Her head rocked up and down, with two angry eyes, parroting exactly what I had said. Then the silence landed anew. She didn’t dare to look at me again while I began questioning the purpose of this meeting if we were only going to argue. However, my assumption was swept by her sad tone: “I believed you at first.” she attempted a glance at my face but it was a mere quick peek. “I meant the story of the silent letter ‘H’ in French, about the French language and its romanticism, also about other things, a lot of things…” She sighed. "But I am Hanna Marchetti,” she hesitated. “Me and Anna that you always call for… are different individuals.” Lately, the knives on my back, life threw at me, grew in number, while the old ones reached a deeper level. But Wait, this speech didn’t match Anna’s. The reasoning behind it, it especially matched her dear mother. My dear Anna, why… Why do you believe in whatever the liars say about me? And you are one of the closest people in my life. Why all these accusations, the blaming stares, and the cruel words? Only, at this moment, I understood that the verdict of our separation was a fracture that can never be mended. My dear Anna, you didn’t leave me a second choice. I had given you all the excuses, all the justifications, all the reasons I could uncover along my thinking path to explain your harsh conduct towards me. I believed you needed some time to dissolve the painful events occurring in your life. I said it's okay; you were only tired physically, drained mentally because of the grief and sorrow. I said they manipulated you; they drew my person in a picture full of lies and deceit to separate us… What did you want more? What did you want more than this meeting that required all your courage just to curse at me? My dear Anna… You are breaking my heart. “How is your father? I heard he is in a coma.” My dear Anna... I am finally convinced that this is our time for Goodby … She didn’t answer. Her eyes wangled far from me. Escaping from something. Did you expect the bullshit that you said about me, to the police, to your friends, to the whole university, will vanish? “They have already chosen a replacement for him at the firm.” Like a handful of drops of water in an arid desert? “The news isn’t official yet.” I will teach you that in this life there will be consequences to everything you will do or say. While listening, she took the fork, tormenting the strawberry above the cheesecake. Her reluctance to eat proved her understanding. She rapidly picked up the significance of my words. It seemed her mother told her the truth, the other side of the truth. The upside-down truth. “I know you are the one behind what was happening to my father.” The strawberry fell out of the plate, rolled in my direction. “Really?” I said, my heart was focused on the red-colored fruit getting near my cup. The pieces of nausea in my stomach began complaining. I shifted my eyes to Anna, calming down the beast inside of me. From below came her glares. “My mother told me everything.” “Really?” “You poisoned him…” She took out a paper from her purse. The speed it took her to get it out made me think it was prepared beforehand. “I have evidence.” How much I was familiar with this paper. It confirmed the result of a blood and hair analysis for toxins. The result proved that Mr. Marchetti was exposed to a slow poisoning process, explaining the deterioration in his health condition. How much I was familiar with this paper. How not, when I used the same paper to blackmail Mm. Marchetti. I plunged into Anna's sight, filled with anger and hate, and said frankly: “This paper proves that Mr. Marchetti was poisoned, but it didn’t prove that it was me who poisoned him.” “That's why you are a monster…” The scowls kept coming. “But what did Liam do to you so you had to kill him that way,” she paused, the words failing her, for an instant: “what my father did to you so you make him suffer this much? Didn’t he help and support you in every way he could?” At last, I found out the reason behind this meeting, the meeting that drank every drop of Anna's courage. I know her. She could never make peace within herself, and those questions roamed the backyard of her mind. That is why she chose to face me despite the high risk. My dear Anna… That’s why I think you are incredible... On your own, you have decided to face your fears, to face this monster in front of you… To get your truth… You made me change my mind like always you do… I won’t invent some obscure lies or create hard conditions to punish you. For your mistrust. For your wrong accusations. But sometimes the truth can be the worst kind of punishment. “Do you want to know from where your dear mother got her hands on these toxins?” “Liar.” She shouted. Bringing unwanted attention again... Sparks dashed from her eyes, molded from hate and anger. Her breath felt weighty. Though she can never burn the truth with denial. This mute reaction persisted. In return, I placed a sealed envelope between us. it was also prepared beforehand, for another reason. My index pressed the rough paper, moving it subtly in her direction. No explanation was needed. I let her intuition work what was concealed inside. I left the choice to open it for her. My dear Anna, this decision was so hard for me, after you open this secret and you will, because I know you, your life will never be the same. Aren't you the courageous one who confronted me to ascertain the veracity? I assure you this isn’t a punishment, not my punishment anyway… She gasped for air, not once, not twice… her eyes blinking between me and the letter under my finger. Something in them burned hard, something akin to challenge, anger, despise... As much as my satisfaction scale overweighted, as much as my pity for her skyrocketed. The glittering in her eyes morphed into a drop of tear before it deserted the prison of her lashes. She collected her things and stormed out. It goes without saying that she had left me a painful token on my cheek that will last for a few days. The sun, wearing a red dress, touched the horizon. The faces in the shop changed over and over, yet my teacup was still half full. The server cleaned the table empty. “Bad break up?” He asked. My absent-mindedness straightened into a partly disoriented concentration. My face relaxed into a pleasant smile, then I left.

The same road, the same bus stop. In this area, stored experiences aged almost four years. Hardly devoid of fading hopes and conflicts. Here in this exile, hundreds of miles away from home, I crossed many difficult moments that changed my outlook on the world, life, and people. To think about the approaching graduation day, my heart fluttered under the withered leaves of nostalgia. Even if I return someday, it won’t be the same. Today, here I am, despite all the setbacks, the invisible wars raging in the background, and my own demons. I threw them all behind my back for the sake of completing my thesis, the last milestone in this long journey. Yet the world never ceased to sneer at my sacrifices. Who thought I will be standing here for over an hour, waiting for someone I forced myself to work with for reasons that no longer existed? Still, I preferred being stood off than becoming the passersby’s center of attention. “So… Sorry…Sorry… So…Sorry,” The echoes of a voice howling in the air, alerting people and winning their scorn. Everyone was curious to whom those barely pronounced excuses were directed. They came hundreds of meters away, yet spectators managed to spot me as the receiving end. Panting, the wobbly voice kept cutting the sentences. “I slept too long…” Louder and louder, as if waking up dead. “And I missed the tram… then I remembered… I have forgotten the research draft… am I… am I late?” Should I fake oblivion? No chance it will work… I have tried it before… In defeat, I stared at Cali’s red face, gasping for a breath. My lips pursed tight, blocking the explosive chaos of meaningless anger. At least, she could have called and informed me of her unforeseen lateness or, at best, answered her phone. “And my phone charge is out…” “...” At least her voice calmed down. “You could just start without me.” “...” I sighed, cooling the uprising vexation. One of the main reasons why I preserved a calm facade materialized in her frustrating hesitation to directly look at my eyes. She prattled the entire of her petty excuses while her glances fell everywhere except towards me. The whole purpose behind co-authoring the undergraduate thesis stemmed not from my genuine desire for cooperation but in favor of certain needs, some related to Mr. Marchetti, some related to his daughter, and some related to my own reputation on the campus. Well, all of the aforementioned necessities parched among new unsought developments in my life. What's left? A burden who strove to leech from my effort. Too bad I can’t change what was already set on the official paper. Burying the annoyance by taking a deep breath, I walked ahead. At the tip of my tongue, no words I could say to appease her anxiety, and If I did, it would be a flagrant lie. This time, what startled my sensors, she let me lead the way while she followed from behind in blind obedience. More than two steps backward. Moreover, contrary to her loudmouth character, she didn’t speak of other topics to create a distraction from her mistake. In my wonder about explaining this exotic, docile behavior, my mind stalled around our last interactions. I remembered the fear crawling up her face, ripping her defensive shell as well as mirroring my misconduct. I admitted. Back then, the control over my emotions loosened, and regrets over that slip hunted my conscience ever since. However, some people forget quickly while others possess thick skin. And the two of those traits created the pillars of Cali’s character. Then, again, what lurked behind this tamed behavior of her? While approaching the library, the number of stolen stares increased according to the density of the crowd. I occupied the attraction center yet again while the distance separating Cali from me grew. For a moment, another possibility of these peculiar manners of hers broadened my horizon. Perhaps, the circulating rumors; on the loose killer… Spelled out the oddity. Thanks to Hanna Marchetti, my fame broke to another level. Who wished to associate with me anymore? Like a blooming rose in early spring, a certain brilliant red intrigued my mind. I paused, my concern encompassing the vastness of the law department parking lot. Scurtning the roving individuals while searching for a familiar face. From behind, a sudden hit jerked me forward. “Sorry…Sorry…” Today, she apologized a lot. Interesting? As soon as I turned, Cali’s features fluctuated between shyness and anxiety. Her hand waved in front of her face, hiding the contradiction. I confirmed the existence of a problem when she didn’t ask why I stopped so suddenly, like her usual self. I neglected the stationed red car and launched an interrogation. “Have you even started writing the second part of the first chapter? “Of course,” her cheeks puffed up, mad at the suggestion, “I am just stuck in the discussion about the new law of witness protection.” I retreated, albeit unsure of anything, especially of what caused her odd behavior. “Ok then, we will go to the library, revise what we had already written, and prepare the outline for the second chapter before we meet our supervisor.” But, in my heart, this matter became secondary compared to the reason behind the stationed red car in the law department parking lot. “Yeah,” she jolted, swallowing air. The same look that refused to confront me. Her gaze escaped mine, whereas I was too occupied with Olvera and Madeline Fry’s presence to dwell on each insecure hint. The whole period I spent in the library, I waited every moment for the abrupt arrival of Madeline Fry, her contemptuous stares ordering me to accompany her; considering I became the new slave of her boss. The thought ravaged my pride like maggots ravaging a dead carcass. Even the oblivious Cali noticed my garbled focus. Out of fear, out of guilt, she didn’t demand an explanation. As soon as the appointed hour arrived, I jumped from my seat, relieved of two things; Madeline not showing up and half of the graduation thesis. On the way to the supervisor’s office, Cali’s silence spoke aloud of her ongoing character change that grew positively in my view. I awaited her comment to question my repetitive glances over the windows. Instead, she babbled about Hanna Marchetti, since she thought I hoped for a source to satisfy my curiosity about my ex-girlfriend’s current life, which was totally what I wanted, and in no way, I will initiate a conversation in this direction. Whenever a chance presented itself, across the windowpanes I would scan the parking lot angles looking for the red car. Confirming or refuting its presence. To my puzzlement, it was still stationed in the same spot. Which meant I was still at the risk of being called out by Madeline or August or both. Previously, Madeline said she didn’t wish to tarnish August’s reputation by associating with me. Then what miracle had brought her here? What did she want? Or did August want from me? Couldn’t she choose another, less controversial location to meet me? Where was she in the first place? “Welcome.” The secretary’s visage faintly frowned upon recognizing me. What a colossal effort? Those rumors reached even managerial ears, “We have an appointment with professor Lowery?” “Professor Lowery?” “Yes?” I confirmed, solely concerned about the look in his eyes and hating it. “I am sorry, but professor Lowery left us about a weak ago?” “What?... Like it’s not here for the appointment? Or like she had resigned and left?” His voiceless response and marveled expressions clarified a lot, “why didn’t I hear anything? You should have informed us of her departure. She is our supervisor. What we are going to do now?” “We sent a notification to all her students one week before her departure,” he glared at me sending another meaning with cover words, “if you have attended your class regularly you may have heard about it.” he preyed Cali from behind me and added, “your colleague had even signed the form to change supervisor.” “Really…” I spilled the syllable slowly as I turned toward Cali’s flustered face. “Why didn’t I hear of it?” Her voice rose to defend herself. “I tried to tell you back then,…. But… But you were so angry…. about the breakup and everything… .” Her fingers danced in the air, helping to add emphasis to the explanation. “Why you didn’t tell me this morning?” “I was so late,... You were so angry… Then I… I forget. ” The same voice, the same hesitation. The same mediocre mockery. It was what I found most unbearable about her. Everything paled in comparison. What she was getting from this? Aside from my loathsome. A momentary laugh? A flitting feeling of satisfaction? I refused to make a scandal out of this… Misplaced trick? Miserable revenge? I asked the secretary, “Who is our new supervisor?” And he pointed to the just-opened door behind me. Up to this instant, nothing left to provoke me, save the unfolding scene at the office doorstep. I withheld my breath, not because of irritation or anger. My jaw hardened, unable to allow a humble greeting… Out of shock. “Kieran McCarthey, … Finally, I was waiting for you.” Albeit the beaming light surging over the unlashed curtains bathed the interior with innocent warmth, the chill confined my perceptions, freezing them into a trance. Cali braved the inside of the office, leading the way. While I staggered at the doorway, wasted. She slammed our work on the desk and run outside the same as she came. All the way, her eyes never crossed mine, even for a second, forever down and removed. Yet I got drunk on the details of her unsettling face. The machine-like expressions. Guilt, or maybe regret, pulled off within her departure. “Thank you, miss Harisson for coming today.” The voice came hasty and low, carrying a strange pleasure denoting victorious glee. I bet she didn’t hear our new supervisor giving his thanks. And once more, and face to face, I was left alone with Mr. Milford Macias… In all our three meetings, I was never his equal. He always appeared when he held a form of authority above me. Why would this man be obsessed with having some kind of power over someone such as myself? A repressed fear? An inferiority complex?... From me?... No, of course, it has nothing to do with me as a person. It must be from the weight of my name. From the McCarthey name. The silence was awkward… “See!... I can make your friends betray you for mere bonus points,…” He closed the curtain before he focused on my direction. “It shows how fragile those kinds of relationships are.” “...” The silence was far merciful, more bearable. “Aren’t you impressed?” His head shook, subtly. The comfortable chair received the free fall of his weight while the desk in front supported his elbows. The intertwined fingers created a bridge to nest his chin. I could hear the air going in, then out of his lungs as he whispered, “hmm, no?” Unwillingly, my head shook left and right, in slow unimpressed motion, reverberating, “hmm, no.” “Actually, I am joking.” He leaned backward, switching his attitude to a casual one. The atmosphere tuned according. “Don’t get mad at her, she had nothing to do with it. I forced her to.” “I don’t find any difference.” He threw an apprehensive glance. “Alas, you are so cruel,” between dread and comprehension. “I pity her. She didn’t want to understand that you are such a jerk, whereas she was so afraid that you will hate her for pulling this trick on you.” “...” Am I seeing crocodile tears? She had already done worst though, not on purpose. “I mean, she didn’t want to believe that you were exploiting her feelings for you from the beginning, so subtle you excel at dressing your goals. Even this co-authoring thing. You made her believe that you were helping her ace the evaluation, but in truth, you were helping yourself.” A voice in my head told me if I won’t stop him, he will go on and on about broad false assumptions. I needed to shut him up, or else. “Ok, ok, I am a vicious jerk and you are no better than me.” What between Cali and myself was a fair exchange, a contract. I let her take credit for my thesis, and I will… I will what? Those goals don’t exist anymore… Yet here I am fulfilling my part of the bargain till the end. “What do you want?” I sounded cold, indifferent, and slightly disrespectful, but not rude. This marked the first time I offered such a rebellious style in his presence. “Watch your mouth. I can make you fail.” Maybe he reprimanded me, however, no anger nor irritation threaded his voice. It motivated me to press harder. “I will postpone submitting the thesis. I don’t mind repeating the year.” Now, at last, an expression caused me satisfaction, although as quick as a sunray lost in a sea of his calmness. I rushed, “can we get to the point?” His gaze fluttered beyond, then back towards the wooden desk separating us. It dawdled on the mass of papers left by Cali. The tips of his finger seized its surface, then stamped a fingerprint, sliding a trail to the nearest edge. “I gave you a personnel invitation…” He eyed me, more like a glare, “you didn’t attend my welcoming party at the firm.” There was no merit in extracting a verbal answer for a subject he already established its finality. But the very reasons he desired a concrete confirmation magnified my interest. Hence, I kept quiet. “I read your resignation letter.” His gaze jumped periodically among objects on the desk and me. “It took me by surprise… It took me by surprise your willingness to lose all the merit you worked hard to accumulate because you refuse to work with me.” “You threatened me.” I was honest and with honesty clung to an unsought discourtesy. “You hate being controlled,” he used his hand to allude, “I admire that, but I didn’t threaten you. I blackmailed you and I am still blackmailing you.” His hand ended up thumping the same paper pile. A demonstration full of conflicting messages, tiptoeing on my nerves. “Wrong. If you have anything to blackmail me with, you won’t bother pulling strings to present yourself today, here, in this office, as my new supervisor.” He lifted his hands, waving surrender, “all right, all right, we have started on bad footing. Grant me the fortune to correct my mistake.” The smug smile that always succeeded in fuelling the enmity flames of my fire. “Listen, if you think you will get an insider regarding matters concerning the general of the east or the reformers’ party, think again.” What a rookie mistake I just babbled. I knew it from the several blinking of his eyelids, the judgmental glances, and the brief pause. “I think there is some kind of misunderstanding.” “I agree.” The silence walloped anew. My gaze straightened into a less invisible challenge. He lowered his head before he stood. The upper part of his body leaned forward, supported by two arms gluing on the desk surface, “how about I will grant you an opportunity regarding….” “I am not that eager to graduate,” I interrupted with a lie. “Allow me to finish before you decide. How about we get an opportunity to talk privately and sort out our misunderstandings…” “I…” “Shush…” a finger rose into the middle of his lips, “If we don’t arrive at an agreement we will part peacefully…” “I…” “Shush, If you refuse, say goodbye to submitting your thesis this year, or the next year, or until I lose this privilege over you. I will make it my mission to not let you graduate from this law school.” Did he even have this kind of power? Maybe, he is bluffing… Still, I didn’t fancy even the possibility of giving my father or Alfred a call to help me graduate. If so, where was the point in me leaving home, isolating myself from the authority of the McCarthey name? I can’t swallow the humiliation, or withstood the blows to my ego… It will be an immense shame that will last through the whole of my professional career. Therefore, I spent the next two hours waiting for Milford Macias to finish his lecture. The students crowded the lecture hall, a rarity in the late period of the evening, especially for a new professor. The marvel left my mind when I discovered most of them were girls. The farthest possible seat, in the left corner, I favored as a strategic lookout point, then I settled down, bored, counting seconds and minutes. My decision to attend his lecture stemmed from a childish attempt to distract him during the lesson. Asking hard to answer controversial questions topped the list of my preferred methods. However, the magic turned against the magician in the first ten minutes. Despite the lecture being an introduction for the first-year students, I found myself diving into the lesson atmosphere. Even, sometimes, in between my lips, I answered the questions he applied to address the different lecture topics. Honestly, he was an excellent educator, a master at drawing student attention. “How about someone gives us an example of a crime in which the intention of the criminal is punished by law,” although the distance separating us, he demanded while looking in my direction. “The one sitting alone in the back.” He is planning to implicate me somehow. “Can you give us an example?” All eyes turned toward me, and I was an individual who hated to be the center of attention, especially in a peopled and closed space. Considering the circulating rumors, I had hoped my face was still unknown to the first-year students, “a first-degree murder,” in particular, regarding this response. Zero in a million chance, the underlying aim of this question suggested innocence. Anyway, no worry, I placed myself in this situation deliberately, so I won’t feel over conscious when I will kill him later. After the lecture closure, a large number of students gathered in a circle. The majority of them fitted in the column of softer gender. Mr. Milford Macias occupied the circle core. Thanks to his popularity, no one cared about the awkward position he plotted to place me in. Left and right topics rained over his head, most of them veered off the lecture theme. Their goal was not to understand the discipline but to exchange conversations with the new professor. My distant and high position provided me with the exclusive fortune of observing him. I watched as he guarded against the personal inquiries with a lowered head, a fake indifferent attitude toward girls’ subtle and vulgar winks while distracting his hands by collecting the materials. My lips couldn’t help but curve into a wicked smile. I just uncovered a unique weakness of his. Beyond those clumsy techniques in dealing with women, he quickly became defensive against their attacks. When he pulled up his head, our gaze intertwined, I didn’t hide my smile, let him see it, let him know of my illumination about one of his embarrassing shortcomings. Following the scattered crowds, as well as the departure of the majority of the student, I expected to meet him at the department exit. My wait stretched long. The vexation and boredom rubbed my bottom line. Partly out of curiosity, partly to vent steam, I picnicked near the parking lot. It grew almost empty. Except, from a shiny red metal stationed in the same spot. Alone. Without a sign of a previous movement. With all Madeline’s undried passion for work, it sounded impossible for her to not leave the campus at this hour. It was around seven o’clock. In wonder, I approached, auditing the car around its four corners. Doubts undulating in my mind… Only fluctuated at a sudden buzz. The car’s lock was unlatched. Akin to a thousand needle stings, the terror fluttered under my spin. Not ready to meet her just yet, I considered running away. Curse the fact of we humans birthed wingless. Because If I had wings, like terrorized flocks, I would be already flying. However, if I run now, I will cringe, more than I already do, each time I will encounter her. “Get in the car.” from behind, the breeze carried a resolute order. It didn’t sound like the familiar scorn I am used to… At a lightning speed, we got off the campus ground onto the highway. Regardless of how insanely fast Milford Macias was driving, I had passed out. My eyes iced wide open, gone amidst the haze. Solely, one question wallowing in the ups and downs of my breath; wasn’t this August’s car? Operated by Madelin? Then Why was Milford Macias sitting at its wheel?  

Absent-minded, I meditated on the dim light of the lamp centered at my visage. Its continuous glow kidnapped my sight, it sent me to the desert of bad dreams. There, I experienced, again and again, the aftermath of last night's trial. In my imagination conquered by demons, I repeated the scene. Again and again. My grandfather’s ring endured the waiting torment with me. Periodically, it suffered the process of caressing, spiraling then a complete removal. After my unbelievable, quick arrest, three hours had passed. I didn’t hear anything from the heroes of justice. Other than the mandatory routine questions, no one came for the interrogation. My suspicions towered over the clouds of the sky. All this waiting crowned my doubts, my darkest obsessions. They are observing me; I knew it... From where I can’t see them, or hear them. I felt it. They are waiting for the moment of my mental resistance breakdown. The actual attack will begin. The small desk cornered to the left chained my freedom. Rendered me, helpless. The four high walls, the tiny free space, the breath I drew senseless. In a coffin, trapped, I felt. The cracking sound reached my ears, the door, at last, pushed open. My heart jolted. Like a flash of morning light, the announcement ticked the start of the mice and the cheese trap game. It was merely a half month ago, the goodbyes' flattery Anna sent with me at the train station, that day, engraved between the folds of mirage. I refused to give it a deeper meaning. At that time. "Who is Anna Marchetti to you?" The cold room generated a sense of hollowness, reverberating the officer’s voice. The dim light amplified the void, the intimidation. “How do you describe your relationship with her?” As a sinful performer, questions shoved down my growling stomach. "Good," I answered, for like a million times, deflecting the furtive accusation. "She is my girlfriend." My tone versed confident and overbearing. no hesitation trimmed its edges, yet it felt like somebody else had said that. "How do you describe your relationship with your girlfriend?" My eyes met the officer’s gaze, our mutual stares interwoven into a play of dominance. "Good." I repeated again, "very good." I confirmed, not to the officer but to myself. The same determined confidence oozed out of my lips. Except, our dancing glares didn't end, it just switched to the following rhythm… The aggressive one. He threw a neutral glimpse. Its hidden meaning was encrypted well, and hard to decipher. At least for the moment. "Her mother said the opposite." His head lowered, inspecting a paper in his hands. "She said that the two of you were going to break up. You didn't take it well, that's why you committed the hideous crime." Inwardly, I tittered despite my solid self-restraint. Mm. Marchetti's embrace of yesterday felt today, a ferocious fire searing my nape. Cold water pouring on my head. For interpretation, the detective's eyes measured each movement resurfaced on my visage, while I did the same. "Did she also say that she was the one who invited me to stay for the night?" Sarcastic my tone was a putrid contempt sipped from every syllable. "You have gotten red-handed. The weapon used in the crime was in your hand." Shaking the dullness dressed my thoughts, I sighed. Then I welcomed his words, clear of an informal claim. Sure of my guilt. God only knew how many times I repeated the same statement: the barking dog, the noise, my attempt to feel life on the dead body on the soil. “Have you checked the surveillance camera in the backyard?” “Yes, we did." He didn't look into my eyes. "As you have mentioned before.” Something foreboding caressed the deepest parts of my fears. Waking them up. Yet, in anticipation of a conclusion to this bad dream. My heart pumped hard for the result. My eyes widened, gapping the officer’s face. Even though the look on it was unimpressed, placid. Then, here came announcing my dismay. “As you have said, a surveillance system was installed in the backyard, but it was out of service.” The surprise cut the air off my lungs. Inside, my heart collapsed in a series of intensive palpitations. My fears triumphed. I swung my body to the back. My head draped backward, then upward. From the corner of my eyes, I watched the officer’s reaction... Apathetic as ever. Alarmed, I dived into my reflections. Reevaluating my steps, collecting the scattered pieces of this blood-stained puzzle. Last night’s event, as random as it looked, by each minute, by each fragment of information I gathered, slowly stripped off the haphazard mosaic dress. Showing evidence of an ugly conspiracy. And hidden fingers manipulating the backstage. Last night’s event leaked out the corridors of coincidence and tripped into the human invention gallery. The incident must have been thoroughly groomed for my indictment. Yet missing links. My mind couldn’t get hold of them. Very familiar, the shadows I spotted within the murk of the night. Climbing the walls of the backyard, certain of their successful escape. As if their getaway tickets were pending behind the fence. With the possibility of them being mere thieves, what was in there for them to kill, in a horrible manner, a ten-year-old boy suffering a serious mental disability? In the first place, what was a young boy doing in the backyard after midnight? Was he killed, then his body moved, or has he been lured there? The updated surveillance system, specifically handpicked by Mr. Marchetti was out of service. Whereas for all the animosity Mm. Marchetti harbored for me, she insisted on making me stay. If this was not pre-prepared, then what is it? She ought to be an accomplice. However, my imagination failed to estimate the degree of her hatred and the boldness of her actions. No matter how high Mm Marchetti’s objection to my relationship with her daughter, even if he wasn’t her flesh and blood, will she arrange for Liam’s death just to accuse me of murder… Just to break us apart? Without ruling out the possibility of her being implicated, is it possible that she was deceived? Could it be that she is also a mere victim? The officer went out, leaving me paddling aimlessly in the torrent of my endless hesitations. As I sat tied up in this room, constructing then demolishing theories behind my accusation, the investigation process continued. The nameless perpetrators, whoever they are, held the upper hand. Another lead was unlike to be found at the present time. Mm. Marchetti's confession will be the only evidence of this crime. Based on her last glare, she certainly will bury me in the mud. Yet my biggest concern wasn't centered on this trumped-up charge. The truth will resurface sooner or later. My biggest concern was the clean reputation of McCarthy’s name, my father’s judgment, my brothers' scorns, and my mother and Evelyn's worries. What am I going to do for this matter to stay under the threshold? The sunray of my hope in this dark cage owned by Anna. If she confessed the reason behind my staying at her house last night, Mm. Marchetti's accusing words would kiss the rain. My dear Anna, what will be your stand? Beyond the door, a small oppressed movement reached my ears. From overthinking, maybe the lucidity of my senses began to fade. Until I sensed the doorknob sway down, then up. I looked forward into the darkness, wondering about the new surprise the person behind the wall will bring to me. The last drops of rationality, I squeezed them forcibly from the last bits of the intact brain cells I was left with. Ready I must be. With the next episode of this orchestrated psychological provocation, the third round is drawing near. It was mere seconds before the annoying wheeze leaked into my perception. The door was open. Without turning my head, my focused gaze shifted, aiming to steal a few peeps. Was it a new officer, or the same boring one in the second round? However, the unexpected surprise lifted the limits of my internal chaos to the next level. At the entrance, the letters of my full name whiffled one after the other. Kieran... Noah... McCarthy… In a slow, eloquent cadence, he repeated it more than once. Implying his vast grasp over the identity of my person. Alluding reservedly. Rather than the other officers, I understood that this man recognized the roots and the purpose behind this incident on a much deeper level. I watched while he stretched his arm for a friendly handshake as if we knew each other for years. The medical glasses he wore cast a heavy shadow on his eyes. Skillfully hiding the scale of his intentions. It made me reluctant to reciprocate. As for his lips, they straightened in a neutral design. They didn't govern an ounce of incrimination or disdain. Every facial expression, every gesture of his body screamed, loud, of an immense prestige imposed on the atmosphere, the moment he made his entrance. How fearsome those individuals are, masters of dreadful composure, possessors of nerves of steel. The endeavor to distract them is akin to barefoot walking on embers. Despite my caution, vigilance, I draw out my hand. My gaze never left his face. Looking for an opening, a signal, attempting to disclose the riddle of his machinations. For he was above those simple officers I had encountered. And it seemed that he had broad knowledge about who I was. Who is he? What are his objectives? When he sat down, and before he fully adjusted his glasses, he repeated, again, “Kieran… Noah… McCarthy...” I couldn’t fathom the meaning of the tone he spoke with. Was he serious, interrogative, or was it just a padded sarcasm… His fingers touched that cursed lamp, regulating the direction of the light. At last, the shadows that sheltered his mien scattered away. Yet my brain programs failed to put a name on that face. I peeked at the leather briefcase he placed on the table. It was clean to the point of freshness. Not only this, everything about his attire appeared superb. A top-notch suit, tidy and clean sleeves, and a fine necktie that goes with his overall look. A golden wristwatch and remarkably expensive perfume. Did he ditch his wedding ceremony and come specifically to supervise my humiliation? He startled me, not when he repeated my full name for the fourth time, but when he added that distasteful nickname; “Kieran… The black sheep of the McCarthy house…”  

Such a beautiful, refreshing morning to be rejected by a short message. Today, before noon, God blessed me, two sudden epiphanies condemning my already tear-jerker chest. On a higher level... The bus wrenched back and forth, up and down, with my congested spirit. At this hour, like canned sardines, we passengers supported each other so it would crush no unfortunate soul under our insensitive feet. I checked my not-so-bright screen several times to be certain of what was written in the brief message. My so exhausted brain formulated hundreds of explanations, thousands of justifications. Translated an infinity of excuses for the profound reasoning of those tiny little letters. None seemed convincing enough. Others were very dark. For my rational balance, I feared dwelling in their peppery mazes. At each station, few passengers disembarked, more joined the experience. The perfume of sweat jammed into a locked, badly ventilated space suffocated me. My ancient ailment is slowly rising from its grave. Hallucinating after a restless night, there my destination approached the horizon of my sight. The new semester had begun, but instead of earning the recognition I thirsted for, my life escalated into a tempestuous rage of disruption. It must be swallowed before I will lose myself in the storm. Walking the law college corridors. Ominous stares tailed after my back. Sinister whispers hovered close to my ears. The unseen wind blew in my direction, flirting above my chosen path. Whispering rumors printed Olvera’s nasty smirk within my memory. Unaware, lecture by lecture ate the remaining time of the day. I sighed in relief. The bad first day of my return to college reached its finishing line. At the dormitory entrance. The newfound tranquility in its hallways chased out my weariness.Once inside, I felt absorbed by the hollowness of the calm, the terrible kind. My limbs tensed, caution clothed my ongoing steps. As I cut the stillness towards my room, I felt like I was navigating a curfew area. No one crossed paths with me, no one even seemed present. The doors locked, while the inhabitants seemed as if they had announced their departure. The key blocked rounds in the lock, arousing a huge deal of misgiving. When I finally opened the door, the horror of a messy view polluted my eyes. Even my tiny, warm room didn’t escape the tragedy. Such a trauma for a person with a high sense of order and arrangements. Books on floor, table upside down, broken items, spilled liquid, muddy footprints… Frozen in the same spot, I stared for a long time, reminiscing the lost beauty of an arranged home, struggling to ingest the aftermath of an explosion. All its ingredients had finally reached the combustion stage. An angry swing, the door closed tight behind; the echo of the hit faded slowly in silence. I pulled my weight above the tainted bed. Sidestepping the uncleaned parts. Helplessly accepting the reality, steadily sinking into the renunciation vortex. My mind turned blank, soothed within the embrace of slumber. My body fell, lying on its side. I chant a mantra for comfort. I persuaded my wounds. It was just a bad dream. A tired mind will always turn things monstrous, uglier than what they are… Only rest will refill my exhausted sanity… *** *** *** Shrouded in solitude, in the dead of the night, I opened my eyes. While I washed the dizziness of deep sleep, my heart longed that everything of the past two days dulled in the realm of nightmares. “Let’s break up.” Those three simple words, as clear as the crystal river, amassed a great deal of complexity. The sound of flowing water in the bathroom filled the emptiness in my seclusion. I let my face soaked under the falling droplets, through each splash my mind drifted into the sea of yesterday. After the sunrise, I wove my way to the cafeteria, surveying left and right the possibility of an unwanted surprise. Inside the big space, the smell of cheap food saluted my breath. It wasn't packed as it should be, yet it wasn’t vacant. I adjusted myself in an acceptable spot, ingesting the flavorless plate, spoon by spoon, evading the up raising sensation of nausea. On my left, a quick hand posed a dumb phone beside me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I glanced at the shadow who passed ahead, then jumped into the front seat. Not long after, I felt a mass above my head and a clap behind my back, teeth masticating food and words at the same time. “You heard the news, big boy?” “Yes,” I replied, unimpressed: “Thank you for not notifying me about the relocation.” “You are welcome.” She lifted the canteen tray from my head and sat down next to me. Her restless, oily fingers dismissed the grace of napkins and wiped the oil on the dumb phone. My phone. The last caress for my nausea to turn into vomit. I ran to the nearest washroom. When I returned, triumphed lips smirked at my grumpy face. “What?” The man who brought the dumb phone asked, “Your mysophobia returned?” Without looking at him, I returned to my seat: “I don’t have Mysophobia.” Deporting the dish far from my direct sight. Both of my so-called friends stared in disbelief, and Cali's mouth never kept shut when it was supposed to: “Yes, and I am your beloved Anna.” Grumpy, half-opened eyes, I admitted: “We broke… She dumped me.” “Huh…” Cali gasped, almost choking on the chewed food in her mouth. “You killed her little brother.” Travis finally joined the talk show, yet in his statement rose a stain of craftiness, contrary to Cali's naïve sarcasm. “From where did those rumors come from?” I asked, while eying him indirectly. Sickness rose again in my gut, noticing him consuming my leftovers. He kept still while eating, “Aren’t we friends?” There, my futile attempt at convincing him, grooming it with a tone of hopeless request. Unexpectedly, it worked most of the time. He adored being asked for a favor. In more precise terms, he loved being entreated. “Since you are so smart you can guess.” The spoon stuck between his lips and I contemplated for billions of times why I am associating myself with those people. “I don’t want to?” I stated while I shifted my gaze to Cali, snatching the dumb phone from her hands. Rubbing the greasy dirt with a napkin. “Then you know..” I turned my head to see that damn spoon stationed near my nose. I could smell it. My stomach grumbled. My guess, he sought an insight for the details he will share. Through the same napkin, I moved the spoon from my sight above the tray, then I let it fall. “The thieves got into the house. I was the one who discovered his corpse.” “And?” They both said in synchronization. Their mouths watered for more details. “The same routine…” I said, cutting to the chase: “I got drugged into the police station to give my statement.” “The poor kid.” Cali mourned, “What bad luck.” “For me or the boy?” I tested her sincerity. “Both.” She was oblivious… As I became certain that she didn’t know or hear anything. I wished I could say the same about the man before us. “Maybe she dumped you out of shock,” Cali added, while I waited for Travis's intervention. He was far too preoccupied with my leftovers than with the conversation. I know when he feigned disinterested. It meant something distasteful. To encourage that jaw to articulate words, I alluded: “One of the red care harem?” He licked his fingers dry after he used them to wipe the plate. “There are a lot of them on our turf.” “Anna picked up my call.” At last, he spoke. I knew it. There was something in his behavior that screamed bad omens. “She is devastated, in a really awful way.” “That is expected.” It was a tragedy, after all. My sanity flipped upside down and I am accustomed to those nasty blows, I suppose. “No, Kieran.” He snapped, and it shocked both of us. “She really thinks, she is convinced that you are the murderer.” The freezing wind roared in my direction, paralyzed my body, my fears turned right. The conversation I overheard that night echoed in my head. Finally, her mother's constant blabbing played into her brain. Searching for clarification, an illustration, I scanned his face. Letting my emotions drive. Only Cali's earlier suggestion, I found to rephrase: “She must be under the shock.” For more credibility, I attached: "Don't forget her father's illness, now her little brother is dead.” “Murdered.” “Murdered.” I reverberated, as detached as I could from the actual act. The next minute followed our give and take sheathed in contemplation, reminiscing our already spoken words. I craved to break the ice and change the depressing subject. Cali finally finished her meal. She refused to look at us. Checking her reflection on the metallic tray, I glanced at her profile, afraid she would grab my arm with her unwashed hand in an instant of forgetfulness. In front of me, Travis surveyed better than a hawk. I could feel his hateful glares, bullets meant to burst my head. We never liked each other, anyway. He played the victim of unfulfilled love, and I was the gentleman who stole his princess. Why did we tolerate each other all this time? Well, I was a gentleman, and he was of great use. Such an example; whom I would call for quick laptop repair and to get myself a free dumb phone. That personality trait made him unable to refuse a request. While I built him the opportunity to be chivalrous in front of Anna. it was a win-win situation and I enjoyed the display. Sometimes his hate spurs over the threshold of his heart. I bet that the disgusting way he ate my leftovers meant to trigger my nausea… on purpose. Cali was the overload that came with the main package. I needed to bear. Dear me, how my Anna succeeded in being friends with this unrefined, crude alien all those years. “Travis…” I confronted the cannon nozzle. “You don’t know how much you saved me.” I watched as his hostility wither, “I really needed to replace my dead phone.” He is truly a good man in some ways. I hope he will find a pleasant woman soon, for his jealousy will leave me alone. However much on my mind, it surprised me Olvera wasn't the primary source of the rumors. Who wasn't? Travis won't be able to spread the fake details on the campus by himself. The dumb phone firmly secured in my grip while making use of my closing speech, I stood up, leaving. My aim marked accomplished, worth the misery of uncleaned fast-food, in rather uncleansed place that I avoid unless obliged. Before I strayed far enough, Cali's not-so-low confession to Travis reached my ears: “Now, I think I have a chance with him.” I pictured her oily finger on the phone; “Only in your wildest dreams, Cali.” I breathed out. My face took a serious shade. It was a quick recess. Now let’s concentrate more on the most pressing matters. I won’t lie, I professed Anna’s message just for the sake to certificate my… My… My what? Friends, acquaintances, rivals, tormentors? reaction, hence my conscience won’t torture me when I violate this draining, complicated relationship. Today, I decided to skip the lectures for a far more important meeting. The handful of hours of rest helped me adjust to my new reality. I plopped down, mulling over the police interrogation. Pulling each and every bit of conversation from the depth of my mind's storage. Reproducing them. All the sounds and pictures formed an old movie tape from my childhood. My grandfather's ring refracted the sneaking light. I surveyed the road through the shop glass facade in anticipation till the server stood, blocking my view. “Sir, did you decide?” I hastily opened the menu. It just happened that the shop has a variety of coffee, except I am more of a tea person than a coffee person; “Water please.” “Yes, sir.” she kept hovering over my head. “I rather wait for my companion.” “Oh..” When the view cleared again, I witnessed a big black car desperately maneuvering to park in the small spot left between two other cars. I sighed. What up with drivers these days? In dizziness, I relaxed my chin on the back of my hand, observing the show and waiting for the poor end. The driver will certainly hit one of the cars at his side. The car crooked in a dangerous position before the passenger next to the driver’s seat descended. My eyes strained wide. That figure, the classy look, aroused a familiar touch of nostalgia. The man unlocked the driver's door. And for the love of god… In disbelief, my body uplifted forward. The surprise dangled from my breath when Evelyn's graceful frame slipped under her fiancé's careful supervision. I never knew she was very bad with big cars… My eyes followed her while her fiancé corrected her awful parking position. Gosh, If it was my car, I would never have let her behind the steering wheel only after extensive hours of training. I relaxed again into my seat, wondering why she brought the third wheel with her. This was supposed to be our secret meeting, our secret operation. And I am too burned up to officially welcome the man faking a smile. Engrossed in studying Evelyn's merry visage as she savored the ordered colorful desserts, oblivious to my arching pain of two consecutive days, maybe more. I puffed air, marveling if she received my message, or if she had read it completely and understood my current situation. “So, this is your Kieran?” Emery relaxed next to her. Both dwelt in an air of intimacy. “All your brothers are ladies killers.” He winked. So much for my broken heart. I stared away, surveying the other customers. “Enchanté.” He grinned, stretching his hand for a shake. “Hmm.” I received him, executing a manner of politeness. No more and no less. Again when my gaze fell upon Evelyn's face, I noticed something I missed upon a first examination. Something foreboding coated in a false clam. My resolve to be the conversation starter waned. I waited, drinking the cold water, arranging the spoon and the fork in parallel lines. Eyes jumping between the void of other customers to Emery’s content countenance. I judged Evelyn didn’t tell him an ounce of our shared secrets. A thought was proven wrong in the following seconds. “So romantic, the flower bouquet you have ordered for the Marchetti’s house.” He said: “You really impressed me, exploiting the language of the flowers to communicate private messages between the two of you.” He added, and I gasped, glaring at her. Without wasting a glance at my face, she defended the red straw near her jaws: “After your short notice, I couldn’t move this fast by myself.” She didn’t sound or look apologetic. Instead, irritated, bordering the edges of anger. I did not argue, no counterattack. Our table sunk into a bitter mood. Emery's merry expression wasn’t an exception. Thanks to his insinuation, some questions in my head washed off the dusty confusion on my awareness. "Since when did you know you were targeted?" Emery demanded on behalf of Evelyn, however, I evaded the question by asking another one: "Did you manage to get your hands on the Marchetti confession that incriminated me?" This question seemed so uninteresting from Emery's point of view, so irrelevant. Yet in my eyes, there was nothing more important than the answer I am going to get, at least for the moment. Muddled, his widened eyes searched for Evelyn, which in turn studied each expression on my serious face. She said. Her finger danced, navigating the shallow depth of her purse. "Oh, my dear Kieran, what kind of bad techniques earned you all this hate?" She put a memory card on the table, "This is a copy of the interrogation as well as the irrefutable proofs of your innocence." Before my fingers claimed it, Evelyn retrieved the tiny item: "You need to thank Emery for it."Thanks was a word that carried a tricky meaning in our family. The McCarthy never considered the simplistic usage of the word a thanks worthy of acceptance. In our family, thanking someone for something denoted giving something material in return. A nervous smile directed at the happy man next to my sister. "Just happy to be of use." He stated, meaning entirely something else. I read it in his reaction. "If possible, if you think I will be of help with anything, don't be shy, you can ask me." I knew it. I take Evelyn didn't privy him to the fine details, yet she thrilled him to the point that he wanted to be a part of it. My gaze shift to my sister gauging her desire. In every bit of her demeanor, the yearning to involve her man in our bid screamed loud. Evelyn, as sly as ever. When she wished for something, she plays her card to make the target do it for her. Excluding every possibility for an opinion. "I will count on your services." Defeated, how coil I say no to my savior. My eyelashes swung down, protecting the discontent from befouling the mood. "How did you find out that you are targeted?" The same wrong question traveled amidst the reluctant lips then returned to my table. The right question should be; since when I noticed I was tailed? Whatever. Let them dazzle by the genius they believe I possessed. "When I rode the train home, two suspicious persons accompanied me, my first doubt started from there." Priceless the admiration I received. Albeit tinted fake and exaggerated, for I had no idea they targeted me in such a gruesome way. "How is your mysterious girlfriend, I mean, she must be in danger?" In her voice vaporized the flavor of scolding. Eventually, she found the time to show her upset from the fact that I didn't tell her about my girlfriend. There was a reason for that, a very important one. "Well, for the time being," I said, skimming the subject. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me who she is." Her voice wasn't okay at all, "You can tell Emery about her, at least to receive the necessary protection." I took the memory card, tucked it in a secured place, my grandfather's ring. Unexpectedly, this move enlightened her. The wrong way. "Kieran? Who is your girlfriend?" She ordered. My eye fled the direct connection. "Kieran?" the authority in her tone burst, akin to my mother's fury. I bet she overheard some parts of the recorded interrogation. "Kieran? No…" Her head shook left and right in disapproval. "Don't tell me your girlfriend is the daughter of the man we want to destroy.

The black sheep of the McCarthy... After this revelation, my bottled-up feelings streamed out of my face, like an enigmatic sketch blinded by incoherent colors. On its display, it drew every bit of my inside insecurities with a touch of resentment. My attention diverted; I couldn’t look him in the eyes. My head lowered, gathering the shreds of those ugly dispersed expressions, struggling to restrain them, to be in control once more. In all those moments that seemed like elongated years, he didn’t add any other remark. Only satisfied by observing my futile attempts to swallow back my naïve and flawed reaction. His lineament twisted, showed a trace of wicked amusement ensued by my ordeal. I detected his delight, his intermittent stare that carried a meaning I couldn’t translate. His breath, as calm as ever, compared to the emotional eruption I displayed. What bothered me most was the patience he exhibited, making room for my comeback, to get up and hold the reins of my composure. Why would he miss such an opportunity to disarm me? Finally, his eyes bulged towards his left wrist. The golden watch was adjusted, its frame reflected a portion of the light. Then his lips moved: ‘It took you thirty-eight seconds to calm your reaction.’ His cold gaze shifted in my direction, my face straightened in cloudless tranquility above a lava river. “This is bad, this is so bad,” he said in frank mockery. “Your performance had dropped, your mental control sank dramatically those few months.” Or maybe he was serious… Not caring about the small talk, I adopted the same tone: “It doesn’t look like you are one of the police. Are you even allowed to be in here?” “No… No… don’t be aggressive. I hastily left my dear friend's wedding and came here just for you.” The unfastened strap of his glasses oscillated, synchronized with his head's slow motion. “And here you are greeting me with coldness full of discourtesy.“ Assuming a mechanical facade, my endurance strings loosened. They needed to be tightened for me to confront this kind of sardonic individual. A second breath before I rephrased my earlier question, being more sarcastic: “I may know who graced me with his presence?” But as if he didn’t hear me, his friendly discourse resumed, divulging something questionable. “In the next twenty-four hours, you will be released for lack of enough evidence.” Aware of his little game, I didn’t react. The information raining at the tip of his tongue disclosed for one purpose; scanning my wordless response. “You don’t look happy or surprised with the good news.” He looked at his watch and I could see the detail of a crafty smile convert between the folds of his combustible chatter. When he became sure that he wouldn't get what he wanted for free, he shoved his body backward, out of resignation, or to initiate another attack. ” You knew it right.” The smugness in his word waned, “is it why you didn’t ask for a lawyer?” I didn’t react, yet I couldn’t help but let the edge of my lips chuckle. “However, a medical examination and psychological assessment are needed before your release.” His counterattack arrived in a heartbeat. As long as the doctors are on your side, who knows what can be fabricated during a medical and psychological evaluation? Hence, I humbly executed my right to silence. Exploiting my efforts in observing the subtle gestures he made, the frame of his glasses, the shiny golden strap that won the rest of my curiosity and dazzle. Under the light refraction, I am half confident it is a golden chain. Nevertheless, our brief, discreet interaction, a simple concept about this person’s identity, background, his goals. Grew a more defined outline in my mind. Once our furious dance over the main topic dragged on, he tossed his hidden time bomb: “You know they set you up?” After he ripped off the gibberish disguise, both of us kept watching the other with endless alertness. The clock’s hands of his watch ticking like a drum in the sea of our false calm. The seconds sprinted at the speed of light. Again, I witnessed his eyes wandering to his wrist. He was in a race against the time. While I was free from any engagement, and I can keep silent for centuries to come. “There are some prominent figures....that will benefit from your indictment with first-degree murder.” Alas, he gave up so quickly... But this confession threw my heart at the other side of the table. My lips parted in shock, opening the gate to my inner self, allowing the waves of confusion to combine together. This case is bigger than I anticipated. “How the charge got dropped?” I demanded, rather I ordered an answer. My first guess that Anna’s confession to the investigation team was my innocence ticket. However, after receiving this dangerous information, there was no way in hell that her confession will be enough. “Were you aware that this incident was arranged to implicate you?” I closed my mouth. Both of us wanted the other to speak first. His reluctance to hastily question me set loud alarms in my head. Especially while they are monitoring my every reaction on the other side of the walls. I don’t want to make a mistake or say anything that will send me to the abyss. Who knows how they will twist and wrap my words against me. “Don’t worry, I turned off the monitoring system, no one hear or see our conversation.” “Oh…” Startled, was I obvious? No, he is an excellent reader of facial’s changes, high on perception level. Except, demonstrating his talent in this place, at this time was not a good way to win my trust. Instead, he built extra anxiety in the already suffocating air. In front of his eyes, what kind of open book I am? On my watch, he tucked his hand into his pocket, bringing his phone within my sight. “Take it,” he assured after unlocking it: “Check it. I am not recording anything.” Once again, I didn’t respond, settling for a quick squint that jumped between his face and the phone's screen. Resuming my initial quest; decoding, even just a portion of his character and aims. Such firm confidence of authority he conveyed in his manners. Still, I could tell... The subtle threads of discontent. He was kind of disturbed at receiving the unexpected mission of interrogating my person. Without a doubt, he is operating on someone else’s behalf. On what side he is? Though he tipped me indirect details about my state, here he is sending a further signal through the background picture of his phone. It certificated to me that he wasn’t convinced about us not being monitored in a way or another. The background of his phone showed a photo taken at a national closed conference. Its main theme centered on discussing the new law about witness protection. I recognized the event since I was one of the attendants. Mr. Marchetti, one of the major regulators, has sent me an official invitation despite I had yet to formally enter the Firm. His encrypted message dangled amidst the ambiguous actions and the spoken words, easy to decipher. Basically, emphasizing his strong disconnect with the party that prepared the false charge. In normal circumstances, my way of thinking can be shortened like this: As much as you try to dissociate yourself from something or someone as much as you are guilty of committing it or being his close accomplice. It’s my default setting, I can’t help it. Besides, given my unfortunate, present position, the luxury of allocating my faith to a certain suspicious stranger I met a few minutes ago is completely out of question. I felt his eyes scanning me while I scanned the screen of his phone. Next, he said, answering my earlier question, selecting words in immense reservation: “Somebody helped in deflecting the false charge against you.” Expecting my trust to rain on him in cheer after this half-baked, vague response. He peeked at his wrist, checking the golden watch for the twentieth time before he added: “Do you think if I was working with the party that tried to set you up you would be released so easily?” “I am not yet released.” My voice clasped with coldness transcended the docility I showed. In a fraction of a second, my fingers glided the surface of the phone, entrapping it under my control. I smelled his nervous breath nursing my fractured ego. The screen was turned off and the whole system was shut down. I even took off the SIM card. Yet my meticulous preparation required a final move. Swiftly shifting the lamp light towards the surveillance camera, I pushed my upper body forward, approaching, whispering: “If I was aware that they were going to set me up... Do you think I am idiotic to the point of walking into their trap while knowing it?” Confident that he received each word of my complaint, my back relaxed into the seat, my gaze wandered the darkness. Clothed into the obscurity, the relocated lamplight rendered my ability to decipher his face low within the simple interpretation standard. What is in his mind now? What are his thoughts? Questions were hard to answer, even when I watched his varied expressions. "Really… " What a tactful timbre to indicate that he didn't believe me. Such a disappointment, since what I stated was the take on my situation. I narrowed my eyes, waiting in anticipation of his next move. Will he prey for more? Will he lull me and pour extra details? Will he stagger, fall, then retreat? “The input I possess suggested prior knowledge from your part of being targeted.” “Really…” He rested his chin on a platform made of his interlocked fingers, “really,...” a smug smile followed, “Like I do have evidence, confirming that you are the one who proposed to Mr. Marchetti, the installation of a monitoring system in his backyard, specifically… Can I ask why?” “...” His hands disconnected, “I can answer that.” One supported his head while the other caressed his phone’s screen: “It’s so obvious.” “...” “In front of the house, several surveillance cameras are monitoring the main street, while the rear is neglected. If…” “If someone wants to sneak into the house, he will do it through the backyard.” I had no choice but to participate in the explanation. “So…” I straightened my back. “I failed to understand the connection you are implying.” This man is dangerous. The intelligence network he may be connected to must be inclusive, wide and at a high level of competence, to be able to pick up on this small trivial thing from months ago.A second alternative about the source of this information can be the Marchetti ladies during the interrogation. However, I doubt Mr. Marchetti, given his personality, will praise this insignificant suggestion to his family. In both cases, if this gentleman knew such a trivial thing, then the party planned to frame me, also knows it. Thus the mystery of the disabled monitoring system in the backyard is resolved. On the other hand, what else do they know? “In your opinion, who will benefit from this?” He asked, changing the course of the conversation anew. His eyes stole a glimpse at his watch. The counter of the allowable time must have reached the finishing line. I narrowed the air passage of my lungs, enabling my breath to circulate slowly, enticing my brain’s shortcuts to work a quick solution. In the end, I decided to twirl and roll. Dodging the victim card performance, this gentleman assigned to me early in our clash: “Mr. Marchetti is a man of high standing, has a great reputation. Famous for taking on difficult criminal cases, thus many must be hostile towards him, whether it was the envy of his success, or paranoid of his actions, often labeling him as a criminal sympathizer, a law bender, and other names. I am not sure of their identity, number. But they are abundant. This is not the first time his family got assaulted, or his house trespassed. A monitoring system is proved a necessity not a choice.” The look in his eyes turned colder, to the degree of apathy. Thrilled by the transformation, I added: “Besides, you are making it seem like I am the center of this terrible event. Maybe you are wrong, maybe, after all, they only want to get back at Mr. Marchetti, and I was unlucky enough to not just be able to save the kid but also to spend the night in this place.” The radiating frost stung my skin. Such a face wasn’t meant for my aide. Still, if we sought to help one another, we lacked the required faith for a mutual endeavor. As he tried to sway over the meaning of the speech, I did the same. Nevertheless, the tucked bit of the truth in semi-ambiguous sentences shall be our tribute. It was up to us to discover what the other had genuinely hinted at. The show was over. I sighed in relief when the heels of his boots struck the ground outside the interrogation room. My left hand clung to my phone as I greeted goodby; the police headquarters. Passing the agents, one by one, I skimmed their faces, memorized their features, scuffed at their possessions. The daily routine in the station carried on, law hypothetical offenders went in and out in a consistent cycle of applied human morals. I shifted the jacket over my arm to sign the discharge papers, passing a final message, sort of intimidation: “If any news of yesterday's arrest gets out, I will sue the whole station not just for mistreating eyewitnesses but also for disclosing personal information and official misconduct.” My glares penetrated through the fat officer at the front desk. The cool breeze gratified my hunger for freedom, washed the agony of an uncertain fate. Albeit the bad dream had yet to end if the eavesdropping devices I planted around the Marchetti’s house uncovered. Selfish, insensitive, perhaps pretentious, I dialed Anna's number… “Hello… This is Anna. Sorry for not picking up. I am busy right now. Call me back later… Bise.” “...” She should change this voicemail… Walking towards the bus station, I kept dialing Anna's number… A second time… A third time… Frustrated while crossing the road, one red car almost hit me. The driver didn’t bother to stop checking my well-being or even yelling at my neglect. Familiar, I felt. On the campus, there was a red car, its driver hobby harassing pedestrians. Asserting my confusion, my angry gaze pursued it, halting before the police headquarters. August Olvera stepped down, hand waving in my opposite direction. Towards the entrance of the station, I followed the line of his wave. The reflection of a certain golden watch blinded my sight. A golden glasses frame, a golden strap, that man waved back. At that moment, at that precise moment, Jacob's affectionate expression invaded my vision. In my heart, I echoed an epiphany triggered by this situation: Jacob, you... You… jerk, you villain… you… you knew it, you knew that I was going to be framed…At the same time, my phone vibrated. An incoming message was displayed on my notification. Obscured by the natural light of the day, my phone screen was unreadable. I needed to bring it very near to my eyes to decode it. “Let’s break up.”

“The first item we have in our collection today is a porcelain mosaic artwork, 300 hundred years old. It said it belonged to an ancient family from the eastern region. The painting depicts the fateful battle of red water under the leadership of lord Cartha. This piece of work is regarded as a national treasure, lost during the crow decennary, 20 years ago. And here it returns again. The auction starts at 20 million.”   I never was an antique enthusiast, never understood why they cost this much. Why the relentless fight from some wealthy to get them? Hence it puzzled me, this aggressive competition over this piece. Instead, I buy myself something useful, such as a car or a motorcycle.   “45…,50,... we have 50 million, do we have more?”   Despite the accumulating boredom, my curiosity reached an uplifted threshold. the source materialized in a person who constantly raised the bet, for he was determined to obtain this art piece. My gaze shifted, guided by this formed curiosity, traversing the present notable individuals, wandering until it found its target.   He was, by all means, an old man. The winter-white hair and the wrinkled pale skin approved my quick-set opinion. A sense of familiarity struck my perception about his identity, albeit the carnival black mask concealing his upper visage.   “Did you recognize him?”   Emery's interest reflected mine. He laid a question, for it an answer felt unnecessary. At least to him.   At once, he started a fierce battle against this old man, which he won, in the end. But at what cost?   “Our first piece is sold for participant number 13 at 125 million.”   The old man, all anger and hate, eyed us. Subconsciously, against his identifying glares, I turned my head hiding.   “Then you have recognized him?” Emery repeated. his insistence on tackling the subject of this man's identity increased my interest.   Of course, I didn't yet, but my frosty pride refused to admit it.   “I thought all items in the auction belonged to you?” So much, I wished to put a name tag on that old man. So I walked the bumpy road of a hide and seek game. Except, this version in which I played with words to have my answer had brought me a crooked, long gaze.   Unsure if he was sitting with a monkey or a human with decent intelligence, Emery answered while uncertain of the purpose of the question, “Well, we organize those auctions, but certainly we don’t always own every and each piece.”   “Such as this mosaic piece?” Nevertheless, I continued. No backing down now.   “Ah… Yes.” A smile of satisfaction poured into his features. Because he won over this old man? Because he won this art piece?   Interesting...   “Why did you buy it at this unreasonable price?” It was but a bridge question to reach my main objective. Who would have thought that I had pulled deep strings?   “You asking why?” He gave a long hum. His eyelids lowered, denoting an intense process of constructing a reply. “For that cranky old donkey… It’s… It’s a mere… trophy,” the words failing him as he kept stammering in search of the right term, “but for me,... hmm, it’s related,... it’s something related to my identity.”   Oh…   Almost there, he nearly said the man's name... The disappointment made its way to the lower half of my face, in extravagant fashion. Even an oblivious kid will notice it. However, it gained a wrong reason from Mr. Cromwell’s point of view, or so I thought.   He must have felt my dissatisfaction with his answer. Hence, he dived into a lengthy chat about our ancient history and the glory of our ancestors. Neither it held my attention, nor did it interest me.   Whereas my dissatisfaction lay in the fact that he didn’t call the old man by his name. But how neglectful I was… I failed to recognize his quick insight into my little game. And in so not far future, I will regret not paying enough attention to this history lesson of his.   With the succession of the next items and the growth of the competition, my earlier boredom boiled into a fevered heat. There were even pieces that haunted my unwavering fascination. Such as the mechanical wristwatch identical to the one owned by my grandfather in his youthful days. I had my back itching to get my hands on it, if not for my empty pockets and the daily struggle to reach my due date.   All the time, Mr. Cromwell found it hard to keep silent. He needed to explain something whenever a new item showed on the auction stage. It took me by surprise his vast knowledge of antiques and monuments.   From our first official meeting, the already primary bad insight about his personality reigned in my interactions with him. However, a new light fell upon this constructed image of an uncivilized thug, bleached it, bit by bit, towards the guise of a respectable intellectual.   In one moment of daze, I thought maybe this was what Evelyn’s infatuation had built upon.   My new experience at the auction came to an end. And The second chance to unfold the mystery of the identity of the old man drew near.   In less than a minute, half of the seats left only with a fading warmth. Even Mr. Cromwell, who sat next to me, abandoned the hall.   I waited patiently for the unidentified masked man's departure. It became the single reason that kept me glued to my chair. To not provoke unwanted attention, I used the reflective surface of the turned-off laptop to survey my target’s actions.   Several sturdy men, in black suits and sunglasses covering their visages, surrounded him. Each one showed more vigilance than the others. I felt their eyes cutting through my flesh, seeking an explanation for my delayed exit. At this point, I realized two things; the old man’s high prudence, and tailing him right now will cause me nothing but trouble.   Empty-handed, though not discouraged yet, I uncovered the path to the entrance. Playing the role of an attendant, I served the retired guests while reviewing my target from a safe distance. Despite the crowd, he wasn't hard to spot, albeit hard to get near. However, this time, the carnival mask protecting his identity was taken off.   A victorious smile I couldn't help to bury adorned the apex of my delight. Although it didn't last long. The instant I figured out his identity, our gaze intertwined and spurted a sparkle of dread.   Clumsily retreating backward, my feet tripped out of fear that he would recognize me too. My lost balance was restored in a second as well as Annabell's sudden arrival served me the ideal excuse to give him my back.   I didn't hear any of her words, only my fluttered heart begging murmurs echoed in my ears, “Please God, don't let him recognize me... Please, God, don't let him recognize me."   Or maybe he had already recognized my identity… My prayers slashed under those thoughts, bringing a recollection’s flash. Our seats’ location in the auction hall materialized in front of my eyes. I calculated the possibility of being detected by him. “No, no, don't be a pessimist. His seat during the auction was positioned in the back, he won’t be able to see me unless I turned my head. Did I turn my head? Did he spot me?”   Whatever Annabell’s discourse, I interrupted it. My arms entrapped her in a distant embrace. “Anna, tell me if the old man with bodyguards is walking toward us?”   She shifted her head slightly, allowing her eyes a quick view. “Umm…” This interjection was followed by a head jerk. Once I translated it, “No.” my heart rate dropped. Until it was trailed by the next sentence, “But he is looking in our direction?”   A great opportunity for a swift retreat. I held her hand, then I run away.   “Kieran… Wait… Wait… I can't anymore.”   The fitful sound of her exhausted breath was the signal to my stop. We paused in a corridor far away and somewhat deserted. Safe enough, I turned to look back. Her hand was still capped by mine. The redness in her cheeks, whether from the fatigue or from the innocent handholding, seemed somehow wrong.   Awkwardly, I let her fingers slide, joining the others to support her recovery while my eyes strayed away.   Her intermittent word shattered the silence, “what? Who … is that… man?” “An acquaintance of my father.” I answered, “rather a boot licking fellow,” however the last sentence was kept for my inner self. My gaze roamed every spot except the one Anna stood on, while my memory of the Olvera dinner party resurfaced again.   The taste of rotten meat leaked between my teeth. The pointed nose and those narrow eyes, the smell of a crafty fox screamed loud out of that man. How could I forget such a person, especially when I enjoyed his company on my last flight? He must have managed to climb a high position in my father’s pyramid to win himself a seat in Jacob’s helicopter.   What an impressive stroke of luck I got. Certainly, this fox of man won't waste himself another opportunity to lick clean another pair of my father's shoes.   I refused to picture the disappointment in my father’s eyes learning about his son frequenting an illegal auction just after getting framed with first-degree murder. Creating another door for the McCarthey's enemies to exploit. But if this situation was anyone's fault, the perpetrator was none other than the ex Mr. Right of my sister.   This return of the dark thoughts triggered a rewrote in my expression. Upon a quick glance at Anna's face, it alarmed me of my dissipated coolness. Thanks to the mask absorbing a portion of the ugly tone, I feared glossing over the subject would plant unwanted doubts. “Then why were you searching for me?”   After a brief pause revealing a lot of her perception about my person, she responded, “The Boss tasked me with a message.” All sheer and trust contrasted the insecure threads pulling at her heart that caused the previous pause. At that moment, in my heart, I felt she had made a certain choice.   “A message?... What a message?” My voice oozed annoyance on purpose. Carefully, waiting for a reply. A reply that may assess Annabell's earlier choice.   “The boss said he will wait for you in the secondary parking lot. He will take you home.”   Humm, interesting, and quite terrifying…   I didn't need a guide for my journey to the secondary parking lot. The instant I stepped in, a familiar car drove towards me. The driver's face was swallowed by shadows as well as was mine.   In complete silence, while the car approached, a lot of reflections about this day fought for dominance inside my mind. Meeting August Olvera, breaking up with Hanna Marchetti, quarreling with Jacob, and then… Befriending Mr. Cromwell?   In the first place, how did this man know my whereabouts? Why did he bring me here? Did he want me to see the foxy old man, or did he want the latter to have something against me in front of my father? And to my first question ever about Mr. Emery Cromwell, what was his relationship with Evelyn?   The icy breeze playing on my hair slowed my motion. My hand was glued to the car handle. Not opening it, nor releasing it. A moment of hesitation harassed my heart. My overflowing curiosity, my nostalgic carefulness. Both spiraled high, similar to that day when Hanna's mother invited me for the night. A gamble of my fate, it felt. I shall take it and win again.   I relaxed my back on the car seat, leaned on the headrest, closed my eyes, and yielded to the continuous engine vibration. The vehicle gradually accelerated, reaching its full speed after a number of turns. The steady villosity scrubbed out the side thoughts, providing me a complete focus on today's main theme. Who is Emery Cromwell?   Numerous situations my brain had speculated, ups and downs. The worst-case scenario… I anticipated the car stopping each deceleration. The same questions rampaged wild the vicinity of my logic.   This time, neither of us uttered a word. The whole trip rolled as calm as a thrilling ride to the unknown, at least from my standpoint. Then came the ultimatum, …   A stop.   My eyelids slid up, revealing the unfolding scene in front of me. Where were we? Where did he take me? What did he want?   The obscure scenery in front of my eyes didn’t parallel a shady forest, or an isolated, iffy location where killers got rid of the body of their victims.   “We are in 1001 street?”   “Yes?” a little vagueness infused his tone. “Aren’t you staying here?”   Swinging my gaze to the opposite side, my fingers fiddled with the door handle while nodding, “yeah… Thanks”.   “You are welcome.”   Despite the normality, I was unsure of my situation. I expected anything except him really giving me a ride to my residence.   My physique preserved a natural motion while my thoughts grow trapped in senseless stagnation, uncertain of reality. However, before the door flapped shut, I redressed the context, “That all?”   “Anything else?”   My eyes fixed on his profile, discerning the hidden significances of his words to no avail. Hence, I restored to frankness, “How did you know my whereabouts?”   He confronted my suspicions with a melodious reply, “I told you, it was a mere coincidence.” I could perceive the enclosed chuckle behind his fangs.   Resigning from letting him enjoy my anxiety further, I stepped backward, closing the door. Of course, I wasn’t the oblivious type. I will figure it out if someone was tailing me. Jacob, an individual more cautious than me. Whereas there was a low possibility of tracking my dumb phone if so, that really shows great dedication and large resources. Unless…   I opened the door before the car moved. “Could it be your men were trailing the red car?” “Bingo.” A crafty smile reached his eyes.   “Why?” Honestly, it was a stupid question, since it was I who requested that he help in investigating the murder accusation plan.   The smile kept its hold over his expressions without giving an answer while I didn’t press on getting one.   How much I was wrong about this guess, and how much I will regret not delving deeper into this matter in the near future.   Then, the next few days, an obsession called Emery Cromwell and his relationship with my sister and why he was so adamant to befriend me occupied the majority of my daily thinking. So many tricks I considered to unfold this mystery. Such as contacting Jacob and soliciting more details, which were absurd and stupid. The second idea was to contact Evelyn and be forward with my questions, which weren’t my style. The third one, which I was executing these last days, portrayed in approaching Emery himself and extracting scattered elements to build my own picture.   In this endeavor, I procrastinated overworking my thesis, therefore it is trailing behind the schedule. As well as I completely forget about my new mentor at work who is threatening me.   As a matter of fact, this was but a defense mechanism to avoid ruminating on my own personal problems.   **** “Then, how is Evelyn?’ I sat down in front of Emery, pestering him. He sometimes came to this shop to sort out things related to his shady business. All this time, he showed a great tolerance regarding my discourteous, on purpose, conduct. It only challenged me to push into his limits, farther and farther. “I didn’t have much time to contact her,” I added, eagerly waiting for a change in his face.   “Me neither.”   Rather, I ended up the one who displayed signs of discontent and mistrust. Moreover, he detected it for he justified, “Not all couples are lovey-dovey like you and your girlfriend.”   “Really? That not what I saw while when we snacked together at this very shop.”   “Eh, I thought you are so perceptive, was I wrong?” by this annotation he referred to the Olvera red car insight, yet the unspoken message hung midway between an insult and a compliment.   “We are not in contact as much as she wanted you to notice. In truth, we had some arguments lately, and she hasn’t contacted me since then.”   “Humm, really?.” Actually, I got surprised by his honesty but my face showed the opposite. “Really, the only exception was when she called me, barely managing a coherent sentence, requesting my aide to help her little brother.”   Who successfully managed to throw himself at the enemy’s mercy…   I could hear those words within his breath, though he confiscated them. Only, I succeeded in curving my lips upward. He mirrored my mechanical smile in a genuine way before he added, “that’s why I consider you my matchmaker.”   My mechanical smile rusted. Lost the last single touch of its natural quality. Basically, he said that he wasn’t mad at my discourteous behavior because I played cupid in his near-failing relationship.   Ah, this person, perhaps not as intimidating as Mr. Milford Macias, quite the approachable and the friendly, sometimes overly flirtatious but no less dangerous than the latter.   “How about you work at the auction house?”   “Huh, the illegal auction house?”   “What is legal and illegal is merely decided by a bunch of greedy old men who want to keep all benefits under their feet.”   I failed to translate the relevance of what he said this time. As for now, I was no friend of Mr. Emery Cromwell, nor an associate. Neither I know the extent of his shady activities. I merely qualified as a distant acquaintance, forced by circumstance to interact with him. But it felt like he was sharing with me his philosophy about life. A self-justification about his illegal business and why he embraced this road of no return.   How did Evelyn come in contact with such a man? As for now, I had built a general understanding of this crucial point to realize this was not Evelyn’s choice. This was my father’s fingerprint.   “I guess you have some kind of internship in some high prestige law firm, but for a law school student in his final year, you have so much time in your hands.”   He changed the subject, emphasizing his awareness of my changed behavior towards him during the last few days, and told me I won’t grant you further tips. It arrived the dues time to stop pestering him. Indeed, a dangerous individual, for he perceived I had grasped an epiphany.   “I am thinking of giving my resignation to the firm. That’s why I have so much time in my hands.” I side glanced at the left passage, monitoring the oncoming figure, then added without looking him in eyes, “I will consider your offer.” The surprise filling his features ended; priceless. On occasions like this one, it amazed me the degree he expressed his inner emotions, permitting them a flow free of any restraints. Perhaps it was what made him pleasant to talk to. I should employ the tactic more in my future relations. “Aren’t you supposed to work on a graduation thesis? Or something?”   “Ahh..” I stood up, surpassing a laugh, “Okey… Okey…” my hand waving nonchalance, assuring him of my intention to let him be. In fact, it was Annabell’s forthcoming that triggered a surrender to my amusement.   A professional visage honored me with a working glance. Deprived of any friendliness, Annabell placed a laptop and a few files in front of Emery. Except for the superficial pleasantries she shared mostly with her boss, she retreated. I caught the smirks Emery throwing me from the background yet I chose to negate it. My schedule for tomorrow is already cramped. And my thesis won’t write itself.

There was no way I will forget this face. When his shadow passed on the doorstep, insecurities slithered under my skin. Fears readied my response for the worst. Mr. Harrison cramped himself, blocking the upcoming bloodshed; “my, my, it seems that I missed the hint." I disregarded his interference. His hand clapped for attention. Yet the sharp sound forced me to eye him. "I didn't know that you two already knew each other." He ended the sentence with a stupid forced laugh. The spared glance I bestowed on him jerked toward the unknown face that finally got a name; Mr. Macias.   However, Mr. Harrison, as ever, was slow in assessing his own standing in a conversation that shouldn't include him. "It saves me the hassle of introducing... Haha..." He chewed, stammering. "Could you please…" Marchetti's unofficial replacement beckoned… his eyes smiling at the doorway Without a further delay, Mr. Harrison, on the tips of his toes, retreated, leaving his usual touch of fake flattery. At last, he understood his worth in this office.   Placide. My face settled, inspecting the standing man's shoes, the cut end of his trousers. Dustless. Spotless. His clothes were smooth, with no trace of wrinkles. Our gaze collided in mid-air. Heating the surroundings. The inner parts of my mind blanked from turmoil. My logic sunk in a sticky swamp. The roots of the relationship between Mr. Marchetti and this dangerous man, a new quest I had yet time to take on. To what depth those roots reached, so would he be chosen as his replacement? In our first encounter, numerous things I noticed about this man. For hours, I was drained by thoughts about our silent symbolic talk as well as the expressive one the two of us shared in that dark room. His incessant desire for me to believe in his words, the repetitive questions about those who were supposed to frame me, and I was supposed to be aware of them. His concealed desperation to reveal my guess of those behind the scene reached the edge of pleading. Endless times I wondered to myself, how can someone be genuine to the point of entreaty and be able to shake you to the point of terror at the same time. My hands crossed behind my back in military forwardness. The stares I pointed directly, indiscriminately at this person kept him pinned at the same spot. Yet my mind traveled everywhere, escaping the unrelaxed dis-balance, looking for an excuse to avoid this confrontation. Maybe I was thrilled by the surprise, or curious to discover his aims. Either way, his mere presence in here provoked my highest misgivings. Consideration about restarting the conversation climbed up my head, though nothing seemed fit after my stupid, impulsive, blatant attack. Albeit my profound attentiveness, in an unexpected declaration, my ears captured a weird meaning: "I admit it." He said, or I hallucinated what he said. Compelled, my eyes wide, pictured his profile. His hands, before his chest, waved a surrounding insignia. This moment was the epic of my bewilderment in the calm of the last few days. “I admit it.” He repeated, for me to validate, for he read the hesitation written all over my visage. Hell, you are admitting what? "I lost.” “Huh?” I swear, he is doing it on purpose. “I acted on my superiority in that situation, I underestimate you.” Is he talking about that night in the interrogation room? I won’t fall for the psychological harassment, again. I Hope… “You were playing us all along, and I drove right into your trap.” My gaze burned, sending soundless inquiries. What this man is talking about? If anyone was in control of that situation, it was him. Back then, I merely passed his interrogation because of the time limit. “It took me hours to figure it out.” He tested. His dismissed hands joined in one quiet clap, “To figure out that it was a trap.” “What are you talking about?” "Don’t play dumb, I said. I admit my loss. I rarely do." In that laid-back attitude of his, he invited himself further inside the office. Sizing the first chair near the desk. Crossed his legs. Elbow sustained by a pile of files while his chin relaxed in the vicinity of his palm. A posture could be translated as I am the new owner of this place. This man hit right where it irks my nerves. He is well informed about my obsessive compulsions. Maybe that’s why he threatened me, back then, with a psychological assessment. The muscles of my jew spasmed, in forced neutrality, I hit back: "I didn't ask for a lawyer. You hadn't the right to be in the interrogation room that day." "Thanks to your caution, there is no proof of me being in the interrogation room." his head inclined for a better view. The nostalgic taste of an insomniac night washed my mouth. As he observed me through the golden frame of his glasses, his haughtiness dissolved bit by bit in the glamor of a perfect realization. "There is no need to change the subject." He swallowed, appeased. “Or you are not the kind who dwells in his victories.” His body shifted to allow extra relaxation into the caress of the chair; “If it were me, I would be drunk on it for days.” Sidelong glimpses peeped at my frozen countenances. Measuring what it should be, unnoticeable alterations of presumed indifferent features. His neck craned, the both of us gained a full view of each other's disguise. While I was painfully exposed to him, I solely deciphered the disappointment trails bordering the corners of his eyes. Pointless was my futile attempt to hide my provoked nerves in front of this man. Finally, after much pretense, I submitted. He won. I can’t calm down against this kind of person. Yet before any word of protest could pass the edges of my mouth, he said: “You were aware of Mm. Marchetti’s intention when she invited you to stay.” His hands fondled the files. “It’s hard to not notice. She always acts extra-dramatic when she plans something.” Oh my god, she also acted so dramatic at Liam’s funeral. This realization hammered into my head as the memories of her fist on my chest revived. Wasn’t that just an act to fake grief? “This also can explain why you recommended to Mr. Marchetti installing a surveillance system in the backyard,” a sly glare mailed from his eyes to corner me, to accuse me: “To use it as an alibi.” My lips firm shut, teeth grinding, I better not jump to a bad conclusion... Let him finish telling his theory. Full and clear. In all honesty, the task of finding this man's identity was placed atop of my list for the people who must be dealt with sooner. “Because you were familiar with the system, you probably will take you one look to notice that it was shut down, then fain ignorance about it being shut down.” I became more interested in the meaning of his rumble as the smiles of victory began padding his cheeks. “The records you have prepared to counter-attack the testament of the ladies, you have masterfully woven it into the big picture. Despite the short time you have known that you have been set up for something.” What he is talking about, I could hardly repress my puzzlement. Unprepared for what is to come. “I underestimated the extent of your resolve. Who would think that you will go to the point of murdering a kid.” What? Murder? What a wrecked distortion of reality. Him making an appearance, today, in such manners, in such a position, in such a place. Singing implausible theory, believing in it, a proof that his intent, now, or back in the interrogation room wasn’t about achieving justice, finding the real criminals, and setting an innocent soul out of the accusation cage. The ever naïve me thought I had got rid of him, of every smell of the murder accusation, after the official declaration of my innocence. A big miscalculation on my part. Didn’t Travis tell me that Anna was convinced that I was the real culprit? Now, I found out the source of the false idea. Was this man the reason she broke up with me? One of the biggest flaws of this man was his tongue. He spoke far more than necessary.   This little chat confirmed that not just the people who aimed to trap me are active on my trails, but also the police when the real culprits, still outside the bars. "But I have avenged my loss." He stood in one swift movement. The wave of disturbed air slapped my face. Alarmed by the posture change, the second I adjusted my gaze, It fell on a dark plastic bag. "Don't get full of yourself just because you outwitted me, once." I tasted the bitter warning emerging from the steam of his breath. Mixed with arrogant confidence. My red light alarm flickered. As I started guessing what was inside the bag. A swallowed laugh perked from his delighted lips: “You must have guessed out.” My heartbeats, loud, echoed into my eardrums, “What is inside this bag.” His amused smile only widened to reach his eyes. “I ordered a meticulous search when I bought the house.” I get it, for the purpose of cornering me by the gossiping mourners, the one who advised Mm. Marchetti to make a scene at the funeral, at my sight, was him. My legs failed me. I barely was able to maintain my standing. At this instant, there was nothing I can do or say to deflect his absurd theory. I can only deny it, until the last breath. “Guess? What should I guess?” Akin to a magic trick, from behind the black bag, he brought out a sealed envelope: “I thought you would deny it.” My doomed future blackened my vision as I spelled “Fingerprint analysis result.” on the back of the envelope. “Yes,” he smugly added, “You guessed right.” While my gaze alternated between his ecstatic face and the damned envelope. “I took your fingerprint reference from my phone.” On the floor, my eyes were forwarded. If he gave that evidence to the police, how could I liberate myself from the suspicion a second time? I don’t want to imagine my horrible state. My father disappointed glares. I felt them condemning me of my own worthlessness. My grandfather's ghost. I sensed his presence, wrapping me in a sympathetic embrace. Defending me from my father's scorn, and whispering in my ears: “It’s okay Noah, you will find your way.” In that instant, I realized; Why didn't Mr. Macias contact the police with this evidence? Unless he wanted something in return. Blackmailing? “Since I only believe in trust and loyalty for a relationship to work,” he said, as he placed the black bag and the envelope into my custody. “I will trust you with those.” My second bewilderment ever on this day. The stretched hand asking for a shake, in front of me. I couldn’t refuse it, neither could I fully welcome it. “Let us have a good working relationship.” Sincere, I channeled his tone.   *** *** *** “You have not looked well since days.” Emery’s employee, the server, and I clicked so well, we became best friends in no time. “Work…” Absentmindedly, I responded to her. “What?” she punched my shoulder playfully. “I am doing all the work here, you only came in your free time.” “Law school…” My tone, ever distance, detached in a faraway land of worries. She put the auction register then slid a pen above it: “Anyway, don’t forget to approve the list before the weekend.” The leather cover at the edge of my sight, at first, made me wonder why Emery’s auction business used traditional ways. Why won't he install a private server to facilitate the menial tasks for his workers? However, as the days of my work turned into weeks, I opened to appreciate the traditional methods. Even enjoying the process. I picked the heavy register, turning the pages lazily. It took me forever to reach the last page. These slow, unmotivated gestures appeared to irk Annabell. Her finger strode to help in-process and finish it. She pointed: “You can start from here.” The tip of her nail pointed to the date marking. While my gaze noticed her fingers. Her fingernails precisely, their shape, their colors, somehow, triggered my memory of Evelyne. The resemblance was wide. My grandmother, as she caressed Evelyn’s hands, always complimented their elegance. The unmindful, younger version of me didn’t grasp the significance. After I witnessed Emery’s irritation melting at Evelyn’s hands on his shoulder. It creeped me out. Almost all the female staff shared the same vague trait. He must have a thing for hands and fingernails. Slightly delighted, my mood improved a little. The pen trapped between my fingers hovered above the page, pensive. I said after seconds of contemplation: “Can you lend me your laptop?” My eyes peered at her for a response. She was startled by the demand: “Lately mine is a little off.” I elaborated, my tone was neutral yet my face was suggestive. Of course, if she thought I was invading her personal space, free to decline her choice. Another pack of files landed next to me: “By all means,” Nonchalantly giving an answer, after throwing more work for me to do: “I don’t use it that often.” She didn’t look me in the eye when she added this; “You can keep it until you receive yours.” Her voice, strange. A lier I will be if I said it was hard for me to pinpoint the anomaly.   When the clock ticked midnight, I gave up. The work Annabell sent to me was barely finished. Most of it is still piled on the desk. Unable to concentrate, unsettled, my mind swam in an ocean of endless turbulence. Restless, my thumb rubbed the ring head. My gaze drifted around the room, leaped everywhere before focusing on Annabell’s laptop at the side. It’s been almost two weeks since Evelyn handed me a copy of the interrogation records, though I have yet to examine them. A case of procrastination… Nuh... Whom I am kidding? This is a life-or-death matter for me... Why am I avoiding it then, like fleeing from an obvious revelation I didn’t wish to acknowledge or confirm? Something I don’t want to listen to, to hear. I kept making excuses: my phone must be under surveillance of the police, my laptop must be bugged by whoever broke into my room in the dormitory. It’s risky to use the library computers…   They were mere excuses I created to delay the inevitable. To postpone the outcome of a battle between the rationality of life and my heart. That is going on and on. Inside my head. The sound of my broken heart. Afraid to hear it again. Now cornered, chained to a cold wall, I had no choice but to face the reality. My index touched the switch button without clicking it. As soon as my eyes fell on Mr. Macias’s envelope, the screen lit up. I put the headphone on, then I inserted the memory card. the memory card contained a bunch of files mainly recorded audio and videos. and only one folder, marked in red "important, must be checked."  It itched my curiosity so It won the first few clicks. But all the increased urge died after I read some of the titles.  The folder didn't treat my case at all rather it contained several press articles about something else. Not urgent neither important for the time being. For a passing moment, I wondered why Evelyn collected those speculations about the Olvera dinner party and the incident of that day. Why did she put them in this memory card? my contemplation was ephemeral. With the thought that I will return to this folder later, I jumped to the records.   The first one was about Mm. Marchetti spouting nonsense. Her statement was full of loopholes. “Madam, you have told us you saw him killing the kid? How? Wasn’t it pitch black?” Judging by the voice, I believe this officer wasn’t among the ones who interrogated me. “Weren’t you standing at the same level as him, and given your position you were able to only see his back.” he did a great job spotting illogical lacunas. “Can you tell me what you have exactly seen? Not what you supposed.” His voice is very familiar. “The lightning illuminated the garden. I saw him crouching on the boy’s body.” Mm. Marchetti’s tongue stuttering, “You mean, in that instant, you figured out that the boy was dead and the one checking on him is the murderer.” Wait a minute, the way his questions were structured, as if he was revising the pits in Mm. Marchetti already confessed, statement. He did one good job. But didn’t his meticulous interrogation defy the purpose of the whole ploy to implicate me? It means one thing, the people behind the curtains didn’t control all the officers. The conversation jumped to the next question: “You also said your daughter’s relationship with him wasn’t great and they were going to break up. Was it logical for you to invite him to stay for the night?”   The second record was about, as I guessed, Emery’s men. Two men happen to drive through the rear of the house and get a glimpse of individuals climbing up the fence and sprinting toward a vehicle parked nearby. Even they offered a phone camera video confirming their saying. However, they didn’t get to see faces nor be able to register the car number because of the darkness. So this had solidified my statement. On the other hand, maybe they really couldn’t see their faces, but the car number, a blatant bluff. Emery must be on track with this car. Few other records and files were about the psychological assessment of the Marchetti ladies, under the excuse of the traumatic shock. The reports confirmed the ladies were unstable at the moment. It can take their statements with a grain of salt. Evelyn touch. I sensed it under the written lines. This was her work. Didn’t Mr. Macias threaten me by employing the same method? Grateful he didn’t have the power to do so. Then the last record, the one I was putting off, the one I was afraid to hear. “I woke up to Molly barking, my window open in the backyard so I looked over, at the break of lightning I saw him planting something on somebody on the soil.” Her voice crushed under suppressed cries, “I can’t believe it was Liam.” “Are you certain it was your boyfriend?” “Yes,” she sobbed, “There is no way I will mistake him for someone else.” “Then why would he go out of his way and take the child out to the backyard then kill him, isn’t it easier to kill him in his room?” “I don’t know what he thinks? He isn’t normal after all.” I watched tentatively. The officer handed her a napkin, waited, before delving into the next question: “Your mother said that you were going to break up, and he sensed it, he kill your brother for retaliation...” “My mother was right. I should have broken up with him. But with all the bad things going on in my life, I just… I just couldn’t make my mind. I was drugging things up because I was afraid of being alone.” “My question was, why does he retaliate against your little brother and not you directly?” “I don’t know. I told you he is not normal. Who knows what goes inside his mind. At first, I didn’t listen to my mother, but after going out with him, she was right, there is just something wrong with him like he was some kind of monster who is trying to fit in a place that didn’t suit him, using me.” My hand clicked on the switch-off button. There was no point in listing more. The things I feared hearing the most scattered on Anna’s sobbing breath, like a knife piercing through my skin.   Was it how Anna truly saw me? All this time… The image I painted of her in my head despite all the awkwardness… How pathetic of me? So agonizing, so hard. Her confession reverberated inside my head. I needed to distract my thoughts or I will go wild. Thank goddess for the black bag Mr. Macias left me with. It served me an excellent dish for distraction. I tempered with the envelope, opening it, no hesitation. Reading the results didn’t come as shock, my expectations, my fears... A 100% match. Neutral, my state of mind. I sighed… The next step was to count the number of Fm transmitters, wondering if Mr. Macias found them all. Before I could open the bag, I wore gloves out of habit, so I wouldn't contaminate the sample if I went for counter testing. Handling the bag carefully, I took out the first device. Feeling it within my fingers. Its shape, the sophisticated design, I felt my jaw drop… My eyes popped out... How come? Those are high materiel quality transmitters, different from the handmade, low quality I planted in the Marchetti's house. The entire weight of my frustration was thrown backward. Unbalancing the seat. A case of fingerprints forgery? A laugh surged out from the depth of satisfaction. Like a foul, a possessed, I couldn’t surpass it. Oh, he tricked me? Did I got tricked by Mr. Macias? just like that... Then why? Why did he choose to print my fingerprints on a transmitter?

Fate is ever changeable, unpredictable. That day when I collected my things, I never guessed the mess it stored for me. At the end of the first university semester, after the long hours of intensive studying, I longed for my first return home, for my first visit to my family. The slight bickering with my siblings, the warm banter. The face of my parents. And the tender smile of my grandmother. The yearning ate at my heart. The sudden separation ravaged all the reasons that caused my absence. As if those couple of months were a trip to the netherworld. Yet I couldn't accept the defeat. In this period, I never tasted the flavor of comfort or the pleasure of rest, always studying to succeed. My girlfriend Anna, I informed her about my desire to take her with me, to introduce her to my family, but sadly the illness that her father suddenly discovered, played a part in her decision to not travel the long-distance and to stay beside him. Anna Marchetti, the slender young girl with smiley lips, a long brown air, and a face painted with inharmonious freckles. I knew her before my first time coming into this city. Haphazardly, our friendship began years ago. Who could think an old-fashioned letter exchange will foster a long relationship? She has grown up to become one of the most charming women I had the chance to talk to. A nice old Victorian house was her home, near the campus. My frequent visits to her home sustained my unbearable homesickness, charged my soul with determination. It gave me the power to resist the drama of another day. Spending some time away from the university's up and downs life turned a blessing hard to come by. A few months ago, we started to get close. Since my arrival, since seeing her face for the first time. The big city never felt foreign. Then things developed rapidly, and now we are officially going out. I stood in the railway station, checking my luggage, preparing the ticket, the time of my expected tripe approached near. Suddenly, Someone startled me from behind, wrapped arms circled my torso, tightly hugged my back. The sensation was familiar. When I turned back, I guessed right. It was the frail figure of Anna that greeted my eyes. Accompanied by her ten-year-old brother, Liam looked exactly like his older sister, a tiny child version of her. The freckles light and brownish sealed their blood kinship. Intensely observing her face, I could see the redness surrounding her eyes, the trace of tears rendered her visage shyer. The impression that she was crying all night, the only thing my logic worked up. My breath halted at the entrance of my lungs. A sort of pity sipped into my chest, I felt my heart filled up with some kind of tenderness, at the same time, a load of appreciation for her will. I knew her… and I knew how strong she is… I also know how hard the situation was. Not only on her but all her family… From the moment the reality slapped her face, I was there; I stood beside her. Right now, she needed some time alone with her family… and I respect that. In a failed attempted to seem fine, the intensity of her hug tightened, the force of her feeling transpired through the contact. Nevertheless, for her, it wasn't enough unless she poured me with hot bouquets of farewells and kisses. Demanding with a melodic voice, to deliver to my family, the same kind of hot bouquets of greetings and tributes instead of her. The truth was: she never met my family; She didn't know who they were? All for the sake of my personnel selfish reasons. In contrast, my family also oblivious to her existence. Actually, my family was oblivious to a lot of things that concerned me. Only the keeper of my secrets, the bearer of my egocentrism, my elder sister, aware of many things of my private matters. About where I am, About the major, I chose, About Anna. though not about us going out. My elder sister and Anna got the chance to meet, just for one time. Anna accompanied me to receive her at the airport. It was long ago when I was new to the city and did not precisely could find my way around the streets. At that time Anna was my savior, an angel descended to guide my step and help in my installation. A blessing was to have someone like Anna, in one of the biggest cities, in a place that you don't know anything about. Where you have no support... The bell rung, its sound reverberated. The next moment, the train started its long trip. To the far east, I was heading. Searching for my cabin, the shaking toyed with my balance. And here there the door. I chose a seat near the window after carefully placing my luggage. the city sceneries cascaded faster and faster, I closed my eyes for relief, waiting for the sensation of the rhythmic movements of the train to flow within my body. Yet somehow I recalled all the scenes of our goodbye, how emotional it was, despite that my visit to my hometown wasn't going to take long. We were saying farewell like we are never going to see each other again. I opened my eyes, looking at the glass of the window. I could see the reflection of the fainted profile of my two companions when they entered. *** The same way I came to this big city, the same way I am returning to my hometown. After a long absence… I don't know how to describe my yearning. A lot of things had changed, I have changed, as a person… and as a man… My relationship with my father… wasn't the best. It has its ups and downs. We had, and we still probably will have plenty of differences, in ideas, in the style that we see and understand the world, but my stay in a different environment, I came to appreciate even to such a small extent my father's point of view, and I erased a big deal of my false assumptions on the world and on how it should work. The success I had achieved in my study was a prize for my own growth and efforts. I decided to bring this happy news of my hard work with me and inform my family of my achievements personally. Right now, the railway is at its top speed, and in the blink of an eye, I perceived the line that marks the end of the urban area and the beginning of the Grassland with its winter white dress that has started to melt. It was very long since I took the time to appreciate the natural beauty of the earth without the disturbance of the filthy hands of humans. This scene always made me lose contact with my reality. How much I wished that I could show this majestic spectacle to Anna, even in a set of pictures… I was never good at socializing, neither I was a smooth talker, and it seemed that my two companions were very much like me. They hadn't spoken a word since the moment they have entered the cabin. Honestly, I was glad for that because they looked exactly like the type of people that I would pretend that I didn't see in the street. Yet the glances that they exchange between each other from time to time got me nervous. Like they are hiding something… After four hours, I got startled by the train whistle as it announced our arrival at the station. It was the time of sunset and the darkness begin to spread bit by bit. And to my amazement, in my town, there was no trace of snowfall, only the frigid wind that pierced through my thick coat when I left the station. The roads were wet and vacuous, giving me the sensation as if I were in a horror movie. Yes, this is my town and how I remember it. I stood near my luggage waiting for a cab or any carriage to pass, but unfortunately, there was nothing. It was eight PM when I decided to carry my baggage and walk silently in misery. The station wasn't very far from my house, about one hour of walking. Finding my way through empty, silent streets with almost no light was somehow depressing, also the cold wind and my heavy luggage didn't make the trip easy. But the moment I recognized the twigs of the grape tree that hides the entrance to my house all my weariness vanished. Oh, home sweet home… I finally have come back. I promised myself to sleep for 24 hours when I reach my bed… I stormed toward the old wooden door with the big metal knob, leaving my luggage behind and I knocked using all the force that resided in me without rest just like soldiers who are going to break in. I caught a small noise behind the door, so I stopped knocking, then I heard a childlike voice asking: "Who is it?..." I smiled happily, and I thought to myself, "so finally, Fayina is big enough to answer the door,". Trying to not make my voice very high, I told her: "Fayina!... Open the door, this is your big brother." The one who opened the wooden door wasn't Fayina, The one who opened the door was my mother… The look of surprise on her face was priceless. It was mixed with longing and a bit of blame. I found myself unconsciously wrapping my arms around her for a deep, long hug.

I hit hard the vehicle’s bonnet, my eyes burned with rage. Because of the tinted windscreen, I couldn’t see the driver. Still, I recognized the car. The famous red car almost knocked me down for like million times. The alerting whistle triggered. The driver’s anger showed from the continuous repeating sound, satisfying my aggression. Since I didn’t take off my hands, the car started moving, causing my legs to retreat. I felt the speed accelerating, hence I lifted my arms and stepped aside. Arousing my suspicions, the red car decelerated towards Jacob, then halted. The driver shifted its position so the door to the driver's side propped in front of Jacob. Even with the dim light and this sophisticated piece of metal separating us, I could see Jacob opening the door. But before he rode, he said from over the car roof: “Do not take the new assignment to heart, think of it as guarding the life of Evelyn's fiancé.” The next thing I heard was the car engine squeezing the trauma of my new-founded shock. Evelyn's fiancé? The noise grew far away in a blink of an eye, a complete darkness surrounded me anew. The silence shocked out my breath, my mind, and my beliefs. Who is Evelyn's fiancé? Whom he was referring to? The cold returned nibbling at the periphery of my limbs, then a sneeze followed up. I felt strange fatigue emerging within my soul, turning my thoughts into a dance of fog. Wherever I search for a concept, it turned into a mirage. My arms hugged my chest, shielding the last drops of warmth. I still have to walk to the nearest urban area. Maybe there, I will be lucky to catch a cap. The world began to spin over my head with each step. The earth's gravity somehow became strong, pulling down my legs to the point it became so hard to walk. So hard to stand. I approached the nearest wall, leaning on it. At the next moment, I couldn’t keep up the standing position. My back slid gradually over the wall until my body reached the sitting position. It was the periphery of this industrial zone, outside of big transporter vehicles that pass now and then, there were no caps, no bus going by this highway at this late hour. I checked my phone several times. Earlier, it was damaged by water. Each time, a glimmer of hope surged in my heart that it would work. However, even the faint screen won’t turn on. Evelyn's fiancé… who is Evelyn's fiancé? Who is Emery Cromwell? The accumulating moments of lethargy and inertia cause my conscience a moment of drowning, one after another, then emerged again, albeit weaker and chaotic. In the end, the dullness reached its winning point, forcing me to resign and take a superficial nap sectioned by rambling nightmares. How much time passed, I didn’t know… The faded calling voice merged with my dark dreams. In my imagination, it had no face, no name. I felt a hand on my forehead, cold, and wet. The light touch alerted the survival instinct of mine. My head jerked away, avoiding it, yet my eyelids refused to open. They were so heavy. The light touch changed position and transformed into light slaps on my cheek. Finally waking me up. The obscurity still lingering in my vision, refusing to break out. The pain of cracked bones resurfaced into my awareness, leaving me wishing to stay unconscious forever. “Kiran, are you with me? Can you get up?” Despite the strange voice taking a clearer tone, its owner remained anonymous. So much force was needed to lift my body, standing. Ache everywhere. one hand leaning on the wall the other, fending, keeping this stranger at a safe distance. My balance fell apart in the first attempt to take a step. I was certain of my collapse. In letting my body under the mercy of air gave me such a relief. I didn’t need to make more effort to stand nonetheless to walk. The next time I grew aware of my surroundings, I was in a warm place, lying in a comfortable place. The buzz of air seemed far away yet real, as if I were inside something moving at high speed. My clothes were still damp, but not like the cold dripping wet kind of dampness of earlier, but rather the humid, soft one after an intense workout. The fog kept control over my mind. A ray of clarity popped out questioning the unfamiliar circumstance, and in one click everything fall into a logical spot. Where was I? The same voice of earlier reached my ears before I could open my eyes. “You finally woke up?” With a difficulty, my palm covered my face, hiding an alarming expression of anxiety and surprise. Perhaps I had never ridden in this car before, yet I identified it from the inside, the space, the speed. The familiar perfume. From the corner of my eyes, I stole a glimpse at the driver's seat. The silhouette of a large frame filled most of the space. His head inclined to the right, meeting my gaze. Emery Cromwell's visage bordered a heavy aura of authority I never witnessed before. He looked like a different person, quite dignified and extra dangerous. Assuming an act of calmness, I perceived his eagerness hungry for a surprising response or better, a shock. My lips sealed down the many questions roaming at their entrance. My body relaxed back to the seat, focusing upfront, on the road, on the unknown destination I was taken to. From time to time, I noticed his gaze scrutinized my side, subtly as only his eyes moved. The gamble between us right now summed up a game of patience, the first who will speak, the first who will expose his intentions and vulnerabilities. In this wordless battle, I let my mind wonder the deep pit of memories, uncovering it, a layer by a layer in search of rationalization. The first time I acquainted Emery Cromwell was across Evelyn encoded letters. Her earlier writing never singled a name, never gave an explicit description. Just hints of infatuation, dispersed here and there for my brain to make a connection. The first time she disclosed a name was also for my sake, a helping hand for her lonely little brother in an unfamiliar place, pursuing an implausible goal. It was I who affiliated the previous hints under this name, given the awe and respect in her words, carried the same besotted gist. This nameless mane quietly took a shape in my imagination. The perfect hero for the perfect legend. However, the legends named legends because they couldn’t be real. There was always a scrap of deceit clinging to the back of my throat after each tale of his accomplishments. Can such a perfect person exist in such an unperfect world? I saw him for the first time at the cursed Olvera dinner party. Finally, that shiny name and aspiring deeds of courage and generosity took a shape and crowned a face. Back then, my worldview of Evelyn crumbled. I wasn’t her primary priority anymore. Somebody else took my place, somebody I didn’t even know. A sense of loss mushroomed out of childish selfishness that the people who were mine will be always mine, no matter how much time will pass. But because this was the cruel way in the world, I gobbled up my insecurities for the greater good. For Evelyn’s happiness. The second time I met Emery Cromwell was on a much more intimate level. A face-to-face conversation, longer than the ones I had with my friends. He wanted to solidify his position in Evelyn's heart exploiting my unfortunate circumstance, or so I have guessed… After a while, this belief changed to something entirely different, something rather absurd, for an unknown purpose, he wanted to be for me the hero he was to my sister. Such an unfathomable hero complex. Still, if August Olvera is Evelyn's fiancé, then who is Emery Cromwell? The car speed stayed steady, and the sequential passage of light bulbs illuminating the road worked a hypnotic influence on my tired body. Despite the drowsiness fighting its way to my eyes, fervently, my mind kept its liveliness, floating high and low in the murky valleys of thoughts. Half dead, I appeared to the spectator. However, Mr. Cromwell showed a craftiness I didn’t foresee he would be capable of. Instead of acting as I intended for him, a trick to play half dead, so it forced him to start the conversation. He rather caused the car a swift deceleration. The mass of sudden pressure pushed not just my body forward, but also some items. An item that it rather not appeared in my sightline. My eyes opened at a sort of a firearm after the impact, loosely tucked among other trivial objects. Was it intentional? I had already lost faith in his supposed innocence. Instead of following what he intended me to be the first one to start the conversation about the abrupt deceleration. I profited from the collision, pretending to hit my head hard. “Ouch…”   I swear, it wasn’t an act. The pain was real. The side glance landing I won from his direction sealed the pact of my win as it soon followed by the hero complex top of list favorite question, “Are you Ok?” Ah, and don’t forget the irresistible rule of self-proclaimed gentlemen. I knew because I am one of them. He sounded the same as I remembered him. The timbre of his voice carried the merry facade of virtuous motive. After the initiated sentence seeped out of his control, the dialogue poured down, except for the caution shreds under the slyness cover governing the exchange. “Were you enjoying a night bath in the sea in this kind of weather?” “Were you enjoying the night sceneries of the industrial zone?” A yawn forged its way atop my mouth, feigning disinterest in the extensive sidelong glance he soaked me in. The underneath significance entombed within the passive sarcasm of those questions, both of us succeeded in extracting an uncommon translation out of it. He was digging up my motive behind visiting the Olvera industrial zone while I sought his method of knowing my whereabouts. The time, the place, even my state deemed unfavorable for a challenge, I was completely, mercilessly under his grasp. For a greater self-interest and personal wellbeing, my all raging beast of pride and skepticism earned a sleeping pile. Hence, I surrendered. “I went to investigate something?” My voice as detached as dejected as a dry leaf on a dusky autumn day. This frankness earned me a quite display. I never saw him miss control over his facial expressions, the upright, stupidly merry, well-crafted expressions. A ghost of his true person flickered behind the heavy curtains. And to my surprise, I couldn’t judge it. “You think the Olvera had something to do with the murder story?” “Yes. I thought.” “Did you find something?” “No,” I answered while watching his profile. From the upward corner of his lips, my response didn’t hit the mark. In my mind, two sides wrestled with the message of my next words. Should I add a lie, or should I speak a fact? Should I shut up? “No, I think I was searching in the wrong direction all along.” It startled me the moment his head whirled to the side, towards me. Our gaze met, briefly. The ghost of his true character emerged anew before it sank into the stream of a quick alternation of the road shadows and dim lights. The car speed decreased, the trajectory swerved left, then he drove away from the main road. The sudden change of path escalated the doubts symphony, halting my effort to maintain an alertness bearing. My patience withered along with the growing distance, my persistent wait for a clarification condensed with the entangled trees bordering this side road. “How did you find me?” It was a question it long kept grazing the roof of my throat, if something bad was going to happen, at least, I deserved an answer. “Certainly, I was looking for you.” “Yes, I guessed that much. I mean, how exactly did you see me while driving at the speed of light, on the highway, at the night?” No chance I won’t be vigilant If he sent someone to stalk after me. The purpose behind this question extended larger than obtaining a false reply. It tested the scope of his wit. Provided he understood much that no matter the response, I will not believe in it. “I told you, I was looking for you.” Absolutely, there must be some truth in this phrase. Yet it didn’t contain a justification, even an erroneous argument. Either he lacked the eloquent skill, which I doubted was the case, or he found it a waste coming clean to someone insignificant, such as myself. I gave up the conversation warfare in favor of relaxation. The earlier fever relapsed, generating a vague but an imposing lethargy. My head leaned back in the seat, allowing me a narrow field of vision. Doubtless, Emery's profile erred through its boundary. The sceneries before my eyes kept the gloomy touch of darkness, artificial light here as scarce as the stars in a cloudy sky. From time to time, my gaze spied the location of the firearm. Every kind of thought roved my mind earlier mingled amidst the fragmented memories of that day, giving birth to a mild nightmare. The invitation, The Olvera dinner party, the explosion, August's public fiancée's death… The next time I woke up, the car was halting in front of a big residence. The architecture resembled the French neoclassical style, from the dramatic columns and the triangular pediments to the symmetrical concepts of simplicity and flat roofs with a central dome. The generous light sources uncovered a surprising gathering of what appeared at first glance, an aristocratic soiree. Through the blurry glass, my almost shut eyes encompassed a familiar stage. Young men and young women in formal attire welcomed the arriving cars, one by one. Greeting the guests courteously before guiding them to the gateway. Likewise, upon its arrival, Emery’s car received the same treatment. One young man and one young female, one in black and the other in a white suit approached. Emery quickened the process. Before the attendant could reach the car door, he jumped out of his seat. In my case, I took my time observing what could reach my five senses. My first priority summed up in pursuing Emery’s endeavor. The head of the young man bounced up and down as he accepted instructions from him. Afterward, the latter gaze hindered mine in a wary style. The door next to me was opened, the night breeze launched an attack, and the damp clothes above my skin sucked out the newfound warmth. I chased the fatigue and prepared for the exit. The drop in temperature-induced successive sneezes, as well as a general shudder across my whole body. However, my ears operated at full capacity while my eyes betrayed me. "Oh… Kiran? What happened to you?" All concern, this feminine voice sounded familiar. "Let's get you inside before your condition turns worse." A soft touch supported my back and elegant fingers held my arm, walking me inside. Slowly, carefully. I heard the other young man say something, but it all faded into the background of my consciousness. Once inside a warm room, the same voice echoed again, "You can take a bath, I have some work now, I will send someone to deliver new clothes for you and there are painkillers in the cabinet. " "Thank you." I said before she left, "Anna." My head turned to observe her reaction. She seemed unmindful of the nickname, "I mean Annabel, I hope you don't mind. I call you Anna for short." She giggled, her palm covering her lips, "well, this is so new. At first it took you so long to call me by my name, and now you are giving me a short name." "I hope you don't mind." "Of course not, I finally can consider ourselves friends." A beep came from the notifier fastened on her belt. "Sorry, I am really busy now. Russ will kill me if I slack off. I will find you later." The room door glided unhurriedly, shutting down Annabel’s outline as it drifted away. My hand froze on the door handle, refusing to let go, as though I was going to lose something by allowing the door to close. Where was I, and why Emery had brought me here? Two frustrating questions, sunk into a muddled head, resonated beneath rationality. In the end, I waived to reality, fastening the door lock via the offered multiple levels of security. Like a charm, the hot water washed the thick layer of dust, obstructing my thinking process. Clouds of indolent steam melted the heavy chain restricting my limbs. Akin to a white feather floating in an endless void, an overwhelming state of tranquility unrolled inside, then outside my being, scrubbing the frost away in craving touches. In the new set of clothes, I chose to dress in a black suit. Similar to the one worn by the attendants. But this one was accompanied by a black carnival mask. In front of the mirror, I placed the mask above my eyes, observing the resulting image. The reflection looked like me, yet it seemed as if I was watching somebody else. In no time, I identified my way through the hallways and entrances. The underground auditorium concluded my journey. There, between the disguised faces and the ongoing murmurs, I searched for a well-known companion. Albeit my guided focus and my fevered pursuit of the designed goal, multiple fast stares spilled out here and there, surveying the place. From the left, a soft tap on my shoulder interrupted this obsessive-compulsive disorder of mine. Although I had yet to retrieve my full perception, a heartfelt smile overcame the solemn air, hugging my entire presence. “Thank goddess… It’s good seeing you not disoriented in this maze of a building.” Annabel commented, holding a chuckle, half of her face concealed under a white butterfly mask. “I was racing against time to check on you, but it seems that you know your way.” “It’s hard to not memorize the building map when I see it, practically every day,” I said while I received a drink from her hand. “You look very good in this outfit. You should have accepted the job when the boss had offered it. It also pays very well, especially for stony-broke students.” The pips from her notifier restarted anew. She covered the tiny device in her fist and giggled. “Oh! They are not letting me relax this time.” She lifted her eyes, winking, “See you later…” Then slithered a passage amidst the crowd. If I have to compare Hanna Marchetti and Annabel Harmon, they were two characters who inhabited the opposite end of the spectrum. Annabel was awfully cheerful, quite the optimist and social butterfly. She never lacked a subject for a conversation. In contrast, Hanna Marchetti represented the reserved, cold queen, the silent dove carrying a hundred messages. While under the calm surface resided a shy spirit. “I thought that you already have a girlfriend?” I didn’t need a head confrontation to identify the speaker. “She is the one hitting on me.” “Haha,” an unreserved smirk retained an ambiguous essence, pierced through my back. “That’s right. Who could resist Evelyn’s younger twin brother?” At this moment, I turned around, the majority of my frowns confiscated beneath the black mask, whereas my mouth mirrored even an awful smirk. “Thank you, boss. If it weren’t for you, I may have frozen to death.” “Glad to see you recuperating quickly. But I rather preferred your lethargic stance.” The air that started to stagnate harbored the scent of smoke, unbeknownst to our entourage, however, acknowledged by both of us. This nefarious burning smell sowed prior to my grasp of Mr. Emery Cromwell's actual place in Evelyn’s life. Would she mind if anything bad will descend upon this man? An acute voice resonated from a man using a hand-mic while standing in the middle of the main stage. “Dear ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, tonight auction will start soon.” To maintain the aggressive enthusiasm, I sat right next to Mr. Cromwell. Our shoulders almost touched. This blatant provocation on my part met with extreme aloofness from his side. Neither angry nor critical, he watched the unfolding stage bearing a keen interest. There were no significant changes in his countenances. Brazenly, I leaned forward, elbow on knee, head tilted, resting on my hand. I examined his posture. From head to toe. He changed clothes. The double-breasted suit he modeled matched the one he wore at the dinner party and wildly clashed with his usual attire. The way he sat oozed arrogance and imposed some sort of dominance. “What? Displeased because I forced you in here? Afraid you will stain your reputation when showing your covered face in outlawed events?” The merry humor and the mischievous tone stayed unchangeable. All at once, I drenched in the glacial breeze, my onset flame to harass him cooled into ash. The irritating pose I adopted dissolved into a polite etiquette. “I have left no reputation to speak of.”  

Apollo Alert... Alert... Alert... The chapter isn't fully edited, But I didn't want to miss the update. So proceed with caution... Any spotted typos or misspelled words are much appreciated for being reported. There will be an announcement at the end of the chapter. Perhaps only in my imagination, once inside the rundown restaurant, the atmosphere became unbearable, suffocating my chest. Like a boulder, underneath it a crushed ribs. Back at our table, I sat. In the same place, in the same spot. The visionary scenes haven’t changed here. The only thing touched shattered my internal expectations of the encounter with Mr. Milford Macias. The half-eaten plate in front of me turned cold and nauseating. Breathing slowly, I closed my eyes. But my attempt to flee the smell failed. The previous scene was stuck in my short memory, replaying, over and over, similar to an old film tap, unable to dissolve. A few glances over the window I stole, multiple times, to separate illusion and reality, to confirm what I had just witnessed. Each time, it felt as if I had reviewed an over-the-top movie. The profile of a lawless gangster, capable of anything, handling a metal bar with full force contradicted the intellectual individual whom I interacted with several days ago. During his violent spree, Emery Cromwell was a completely different person. Amidst the anarchic mental confusion, a kind of self-blaming thought floated, clinging to the last bit of rationality. Where was the committed mistake? Where did I stumble? Maybe at the point where I arrogantly believe in figuring out a person’s character based on a handful of meetings and haughty conversations. Though I consider myself a good judge of human nature. However, on occasion, the depth of one’s inner self ranged greater than my ability to see and read. Those strange people, able to evade my radar. To what extent we are similar? I wonder? The other face of Mr. Emery Cromewell. The hidden one. It left my mind a blank paper, rage devouring it. Every time I pictured him beside Evelyn, the blood rush into my head. The mere possibility of him lifting his hand on her, burned me to ash. Besides, what about that two-faced Travis? To what degree of perfection, he aced his act for me to underestimate him this much… To be fooled by his act? To let him be near my Anna? What was his genuine relationship with her? Could it be she was another consumer of his play or someone able to influence truly her? After the earlier scene, the play of a man in unrequired love and a rival who swept all his hopes underwent a lot of appraisal rounds in a mere few minutes. The validation I felt in beating him exploded to shreds of illusion. Luminous, but quick to die. Every gesture of his I recalled entered the accusation cage in my eyes. And somehow several questionable matters irked me before began making sense. My forehead rested on my palms, restless. Half blaming, half wondering, I lamented in my heart, full of sourness, “Father… Father… in what risk have you put, Evelyn? You could have thought of another plan.” To be startled by an equivalent troubling existence. “Tired? Is it past your bedtime?” The vacant seat across from me has been occupied once more. I lifted my head, forcing a smile, but I fell way below my ability to act. The stiffened atmosphere grew over-saturated, filled with discomfort. Not that kind of awkwardness or that of boredom. But with something else, something akin to the calm before an explosion. Contrary to my muddled state, Mr. Milford Macias appeared gratified. His eyes glittered in satisfaction. My intuition whispered in my ears such a pleasure stemmed not just from the awesome grilled meat. I sighed, and he noticed it. The curves of his smug smile elongated, and my displeasure amplified. However, as a matter of fact, I didn’t understand my inner conflict regarding my new supervisor. Or opponent?… Or whatever his occupation was. Anyway, his intentional or unintentional trick opened my eyes to an impossible prospect. A one never scratched the peripheral margin of my consideration. As a matter of course, the gratitude must fill up my heart… Nevertheless, his trick also unfolded a scary possibility about Mr. Milford Macias’s source of information. His precise knowledge about the identity of August Olvera’s new fiancee. About me and my circle of acquaintances. And maybe about my family. Hence, today, his action, in my heart, won another layer of distrust mixed with worry. While also, this could be a mere coincidence, or at least a half coincidence, especially if I added Travis into the picture… I sighed again… Mulling my head over the overwhelmed possibilities will vaporize my brain. Better start looking for evidence. That was why, and despite my muddled chest, I volunteered to wipe the dust in our sitting before we part way. “I think you shouldn’t have parked your car in that particular place? Did you relocate it?” Mr. Milford Macias offered himself a cup of water. He delayed his answer till after he called for tea. Then he allowed himself a complete focus on me, with a weird look. His chin pointed high in exclamation, a short word oozed out his lips discernible for me to confirm. “why?... Why should I?” “...” At the tip of his tongue, the mockery dangled apparent, except I managed to swallow the provocation by hanging on the silence rope. The seconds moved slowly, unpalatably… I felt his eyes on me, judging, anticipating as I turned my head towards the window, preying for a valid answer. He certainly didn’t change the car's location. And the reason why stood apparent nearby… Two of the men waited not near neither far, in so not concealed place, watching the passerby. From their clothes, I deduced their identities. Emery must have ordered them to stand for lookout, oh man, but they were so obvious. What do they wish to accomplish? Scare everyone away? “Aha… Thank you…” He said, pulling my interest and stopping the lumpish attitude or I thought so, “but don’t worry,” he glanced at my plate, then to my face. A trace of conjecture painted the corner of his eyes, yet what he prattled after contradicted his look, “it’s not my car.” “Hell, that’s worst.” I jumped to respond without a reflection. Stupid me. Now he knew that I knew that the car wasn’t his. Maybe he already knew before. Still, he wasn’t certain and now I approved his doubts. Stupid me… The triumphed smile of victory made an ample comeback, sucking the blood out of his lips. “Don’t worry, the original owner won’t feel the loss. Besides, I won that car over after giving a small favor.” “A favor? A small one?” I questioned, baiting a further explanation. “Yes, a small favor. Do you want to know what kind of favor makes you able to get a car like this?” “...” I swallowed my breath, somehow deep inside my heart. I didn’t wish to know. But curiosity got the better of me. “Well, as you know, the first time when we met.” The tea finally arrives. He moved the cup near his face inhaling the hot aroma. “I told you that I had come straight from an engagement party.” He said before he took a sip. “No, you didn’t.” I precipitated again, “actually, you said you have come from a wedding party.” What’s wrong with my mouth today? “Well, whatever,” he waved his hand, "in the end, it’s the same thing.” Then nipped a second taste from his tea. “No, it’s…” I studied his reaction before I cut off my explanation. My resolve stationed at no merit in winning this argument, nor did he seem adamant to change his concept of marriage and engagement. A waste of time and words. “Anyway… during the party…” He resumed, taking my resignation as a win. I know it from the tone of his voice. Though up to this point, I was tired, bored with this game. Let’s just find what he stored up his sleeves. “My friend's fiancée received a call that her stupid little brother got himself jailed for a crime. Apparently, he didn’t commit. So my friend didn’t have a choice but to ask me for a favor to get him out.” “...” My gaze turned glacial, fixated on him yet he continued unbothered, “you know he wanted to look all-powerful and reliable in front of his fiancée.” “...” A triumphed smirk washed his face. He fixed me with a challenging stare. I wasn’t certain how he perceived me until he added, “you know the continuation, right? I don’t need to say more?” It marked the moment that changed my silent demeanor. The moment I became aware that he didn’t seize the reaction he was looking for. “And that’s how I got the car, but I wasn’t able to receive it until now.” With the last sentence, I felt his enthusiasm,... Waning, bleaching along the irritating smirk. My turn for a counterattack arrived. I gathered the leftover of my wit in one single blow, “great…”I thickened my voice as much as I could, “so how are we going back downtown? At this late time of night?” Like it was the only thing that mattered in the whole story. Ah…, How much I loved the surprise, betraying his arrogant features. I watched the barley emptied tea cup settle on the table. Its calm surface cracked into ripples reflecting its owner's internal, not showed, unsatisfaction. He wanted me irritated, however; the spell turned on the magician. Insults don’t work on me. “Well,” his tone changed drastically, “I hope you have enough money so you could ask for a cap. I have to warn you, in this place and at this time, a cap downtown is very expensive.” “But…” Could it be this was his aim from the start, “but you should take responsibility? You are the one who invited me and brought me here?” I decided to play along. In all honesty, I played along, hoping to win his pity and make him change his mind. “Sorry boy,” He stood up, “I promised to pay for the meal, not the trip back to your home.” The way he walked away reminded me of my last meeting with Hanna Marchetti when she stormed off. Of course, minus the slap, minus the physical slap. “I will settle the bill.” He threw me a side look. “Good night.” Between harassment and smugness. It left me perplexed. Did I win? Or did he get what he sought? When he disappeared out of my sight, it occurred to me that this person set an irrational goal to bully me for nothing, only for his personal amusement. After midnight, a new calm surrendered the ever-woken area. The noise of the closing gate behind my back lasted for minutes. My sole consolation under the weighing negative thoughts. I sighed, the cool breeze pushed me forward. Here in this unfamiliar, unknown place, I walked soulless. My fist clenching the dump phone. And in one moment of resolve, I threw it as far as I could, as if it was a small stone and I was standing on the edges of a raging sea. Inside my head, every piece of recent memories convoluted into a chaotic mass. Searching for a meaning, a hint, when it all started… The night swallowed every sign of life. At this hour, all the cries and laughers reached my ears earlier, withdrawn. And the colorful lights of fake happiness were expelled as if they never existed. It was the calm that gave the night its infinite divine, the kind which mixed fears with dark ideas. I got tired while thinking of a place to return to, to where I was supposed to go to… The road in front of me looked endless. However, the thought of a destination smudged blur… Where should I return to? Surely not to the dormitory, or to one of my friend's houses, neither to Emery Cromwell hotel. Amidst this indecisiveness, my last meeting with Evelyn flapped in front of my eyes. Pieces of the puzzle dangled from the dungeons of my memories. Allowing me to form new connections. In my head, I recalled her awkwardness, her face lineaments... The light trembles in her fingers. I was certain of something she wasn't able to tell me in words... At that time, in that situation… Mr. Macias said he was at an engagement party the same night I was held captive by the police... His friend was August Olvera. My sister was his supposed fiancée. But, the next day I have met her, Evelyn was accompanied by Emery Cromwell... What does this mean?..., I don't know anything anymore... Whereas I know Evelyn... I knew she wasn't this kind of person… She must be a part of some sort of large scheme… Then a strike of realization hammered into my head. At the time of the planned murder, and the failed scandal of the third McCarthey son being charged with first-degree murder must be meant to sabotage the union between the Olvera and the McCarthey… Wasn’t August already engaged to some other big conglomerate daughter not long ago? I lifted my palm slapping myself for not releasing sooner… The explosion at the dinner party… The death of the girl, August’s ex-fiancée… They must have all been my father's meticulous planning to break down the ongoing alliance between the Olvera and the Trills. The victim's family won’t stay still. They will seek revenge while my father foresaw the Trills counterattack. He had also prepared for it. In addition, here came the answer I spend days attempting to look for. The reason why my father had chosen to take me with him to the Olvera dinner party… It was non-other than to use me as bait. As much as it irritated me, this piece of sudden illumination as much as it enthralled me, the fact that I was still useful. As if I had paid half of my sins, half of what the McCarthey name owns me. In this darkness, I continued my walk without a destination. Evelyn's face redrew again and again in my visualization... Each time, a few more details revived the memory. I saw her suppressing a hundred expressions, unable to divulge while asking me in a wordless act to accept Emery Cromwell in our secret plan… without a further explanation… without asking my opinion. More like she was demanding a favor. The air puffed my lungs stagnated. I needed to take a deep breath to shake off Emery's merry visage next to Evelyn from my memories. He showed an unhealthy delight, chatting happily to the point that the only deduction hovered in my mind, his unawareness about his girlfriend's official engagement to… To what? a business rival? An archenemy? When he smashed the multimillions red car like a beast, he must have learned about this engagement. But the question was when? When did he learn about this official engagement? Just recently or the moment he tracked me and took me to his auction house? Maybe way… Way earlier? The sound of a car engine stuffed my ears. This was really an isolated area. Calm and dark. No car crossed this road since I began walking in this direction. In some way, despite the disturbance, this sound felt comforting. I nearly snapped, thinking that on top of this holy moly crisis I got stuck in, I was walking in the wrong way. In the blink of an eye, the roaring engine reached me. The car lights illuminated the surroundings. I wanted to wave my hand, may, and perhaps I will get a free ride… This greedy idea died at the likelihood of this car being one that belongs to Emery. I retreated further into the darkness, then I resumed my long walk to an unknown home. While witnessing Emery's actual frenzy, I didn’t wish to find myself in the red car's sorry state. Considering if I were in his position, I will certainly believe that this pair of sister and brother teamed up to scam me. Thinking this way made the earlier question popped inside my head. When Emery had found out about the official engagement of Evelyn? Another car passed, several minutes later, passed another one, then another one. This succession encouraged me to wave my hand, asking for a free ride. I mean, from all those passing cars, what will be the probability of one of Emery’s cars will stop for me? I can’t be that unlucky. I stepped near the road to be able to get spotted in this darkness. Over a handful of tries, I haven’t been unlucky. Rather, no one showed a tiny desire to pick me up. Not even showing an ounce of pity for someone walking in the middle of nowhere after midnight. Another few more unsuccessful tries, then I abandoned the idea. The first ray of daylight broke through the shadows of the night, providing me a clearer view. I paused, scanning the surroundings for a close station, a nearby house, anything where I can ask for help or a phone. Yet my last hope shattered. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. I was careless enough to not closely survey the road when the jerk Macias drove me here. The single ray turned into bundles, and the bundles of light advertised the upcoming rising sun. Unexpectedly, a black car stopped several meters ahead of me. With caution, I stood observing it. Every possibility I could shelve as an excuse for its pause roamed my thoughts. In the end, I decided to proceed forward, feigning disinterest. Looking up front while eyeing the roadside, I attempt to picture any passenger entering my vision field. Unfortunately, all the car windows were made from smoked glass and they were closed. I could only spot the profile of my reflection. Nothing happened after I walked passed it, or after I became a few meters ahead of it. My wracked nerves relaxed a bit. Till an alarm sound arrived from behind. It repeated several times, but I decided to ignore it. Behind my back, I felt something approaching me slowly. The sound of the engine roared near my ears, followed by the firm noise of the same alarm. The muscle in my face spasmed, my brows tingled in a knot. Maintaining a charmful front became impossible. I glared to the side without leaning my head. The smoked glass of the driver's window went down slowly. Apollo Part 1 will end with the drop of the next chapter. After that, I will edit and revise the previous chapters because I felt irritated by some typos and misspelled words. Also, some paragraphs need rephrasing. If I don't do that, I will be unable to be able to focus on writing and the pilot... 

Apollo Hello... Yes, it is an EXTRA, but it is canon to the story. I used it to expand the world of the novel and to show some relationship dynamics and conflicts outside of Kieran's point of view. Thank you so much for reading. Last note: the chapter needs some serious editing, excuse me for the errors. A lot of people showed up on the day of the funeral. Some were distant relatives, some were close friends… Hell, even some enemies have attended the ceremony. However, the large crowd of the mourners consisted of common people. Rather appeared to be, according to the press. Despite the identity of the attendants, the deceased was a well-known head figure, a commander of great influence and for several achievements, he possessed huge popularity in civil society. In other words, he grew to become a national symbol. The old lady stood firm while receiving the mourners’ procession on her face, shaped by life’s tough experiences, a frame of wisdom and dignity. Granting her posture another layer of depth and splendor, far more than the traditional picture of an outdated widow grieving the death of her husband. Although the sadness gnawed at her heart, no thick trace of sorrow could redraw the details of her stern countenances. Akin to a divine sculpture of a deity guarding the entrance of a great palace, She rose, leading the ritual initiating to another world. In the composure of queens, the Mccarthy lady devoted her sunken eyes towards the crawling human queue, slowly driving in her direction. Holding the offered hands while thin lips poised, echoing words of thanks and gratitude. Whether the attendees came to present their genuine condolence or sneer at her loss, as well as others' unspeakable motives, her treatment was the same and demonstrated one fashion. A cold equity. Behind, two ladies, no less in confidence and calmness, saluted this stream of humans. One of them sealed a great resemblance to the old lady. As if she was a reflection of a bygone past. Both helped in receiving this sour blend of mourners. Their strong mien amassed an amalgam of meanings, blackness, sadness, and flaring preparedness to fight. And not far away, three girls in their prime of youth, the similarities between them were light, nonetheless noticeable to the Keen observers, regulated the organization and the guidance of the attendees. Regardless of their neutral features, the redness in the rim of their eyes couldn’t be concealed. After more than seventy years of continuous struggle and fight, in the eyes of his family and loved ones, after more than forty years of arrogance and tyranny, in his opponent's and enemies' perspective, at midday, Mccarthy Benjamin Desmond’s body will be transported to its final resting place. Out of respect for his will, he will be buried in the Whitestone cemetery, next to his parent, as well as some of his children and grandchildren who weren’t lucky enough in this world and left early. It wasn’t widespread knowledge that the Whitestone cemetery turned into the last resting place for many generations of the Mccarthy house. This ancient, deep-rooted family, whose origin went far back in history, in which names and titles changed. Social standing varied. Yet the origin remained one, the same pure and clean blood. Under its last surname flourished a few generations dating back older than the new political and economic movement the world is currently witnessing. And now, here rose the moment for this generation leader to hand in the torch of this house to the next one. In the news, it has been rumored the cause of Benjamin Mccarthy’s death, the head of the Mccarthy house for more than forty years, was a sudden cardiac arrest. However, the truth unrevealed to the public was only known by a handful of people; influence monopolists, power grabbers, and sovereignty holders. Of course, for the sake of national security and public opinion, facts that bring panic and chaos to the community must be tempered with, obscured, hidden then changed, and manipulated before being published and disclosed in the media. Maby this restricted truth fueled the reason that urged the potential and expected heir of the Mcarthy to order tight security, around the residence, in the streets, and also at the cemetery, while he contented himself in showing the traditional mysterious, stern face. Not far from where he stood, the rest of the family men scarred near him, exhibiting a mechanical reception, a well-thought-out formality atop fake expressions, and extreme caution. In which, an ordinary individual will be confused, wondering if he was at a funeral or in a charged diplomatic meeting. Every handshake accepted by the potential heir, accompanied by sympathy and condolence recitals. Its resonance reverberated hollow, lacking authenticity in his ears. Just an empty speech, occasionally provocative, exceptionally unearthed with contradictory meanings. Sometimes he coupled the sound with a scrutinizing gaze. Different faces yet equal stiff, woody features. Hand after hand, for seconds, fingers intertwined then slipped apart, separating for the ritual to repeat, again and again. In the end, people hear what they wanted to hear, see what they wanted to see and he was no exception to this rule. General Mccarthy approached his eldest son, hissing into his left ear, “where is Kieran? Everyone noticed his absence.” Silence governed Alfred's response, his eyelids flickered, eyebrows raised. The answer to this question stretched beyond succulent words. Swift action needed to be carried out. No matter where was Kieran, he must force him to show face. Needless to say, he must find him first. This day, an important one for the family’s reputation. it will be long as well as overtaxed. Even so, nothing unplanned allowed to emerge, nothing unexpected shall defile the family prestige and no unfavorable remark qualified to emerge as rumors. Considering most of the other powerful houses, strong clans, who sang the grief melodies of loss to the Mccarthy, were mere fiery hyenas and bloodthirsty wolves. The funeral ceremony molded a fancy umbrella for their hungry claws and a shallow napkin for their eager drools. Under the humanity and compassion masks, they concealed their greed. For their success, there were no better opportunities than monitoring a headless prey, in a state of confusion and dispersal. And this was as it was expected after the sudden death of Benjamin Mccarthy, escorted by the well-known whispers of the bad relationship between the Patriarch of the house and his potential heir. For the sake of assessing circumstances, spotting the defiances then elaborating plans, the attendees perfected their performance. To what level spread the control and authority of the new head? did his strength plenty to withstand an outside threat? Or will there be openings, fragile balance, weaknesses that can be exploited in near future? Everyone, everything had the possibility to be profitable. A child from the family's main root, spiteful relatives from its branches, close allies, frenemies, incompetent operatives, bad security… The list goes on and on… This day deemed a matter of life and death, a matter of continuity and survival. General Mccarthy was well aware of this truth. The victory crown only decorated the head of the worthy. On the afternoon of Benjamin Mccarthy's funeral, from the residence gate to the cemetery entrance, the streets filled with myriad clusters of people. Overcrowding the roads. Those who knew the General predicted half of the mourners to be his trusted men. That afternoon, no one witnessed Kieran Noah Mccarthy's presence, even the closest members of his family. Condolences continued throughout the week, while evidence of grief still hung on the wells and balconies of the residence. The neighborhood crowded with the arriving as well as leaving cars, felt restless. Unable to attend the funeral day, some reached from far regions, most ranked low on the hierarchy scale of power and influence, others with diluted blood, distant small branches in the family old tree. The anxiety nets, the caution axes, waving around the family members' necks, began to recede and the danger to retreat. The huge weight fell on the General shoulders, from the death announcement day until the burial day, started to shrivel, little by little. But some stalking eyes in their constant, diligent surveillance, forever active. Like stray dogs, Hiding among dark alleys, they never slept and always sniffed out the well-swept dirt. Not long before the sunset on the tenth day of the patriarch's death. Against the magnificent powerful display. From the worn forgotten corners, a loud barking resurfaced, explaining and analyzing the justificative reasons regarding the Mccarthy third son's absence. What a disgrace, it was a scandal. No matter how much general McCarthy's power had grown, he was unable to educate his son. “Do I supervise the process of searching for the source then silencing them?” Calmly said Alfred, his arms stretched along his body, according to the military custom. As if he was one of them although he didn’t wear any official uniform to prove his affiliation. “No.” One word rejection, the general command voiced clear, furthermore anticipated by his elder son. Anyway, Alfred's purpose for laying down this suggestion dug deeper than gaining investigation approval, rather it gravitated more towards learning about his father's intention regarding his little brother's behavior. It called sibling curiosity… “We have far more important affairs to deal with,” added Jeremiah, and he wasn’t the type who dwelled on subjects he already had decided on, especially when his answers shortened under the “yes” or “no” label, hardly an explanation or reasoning will follow, “what we will get after silencing big mouths? We will only confirm the doubts of their patrons.” Alfred sighed without sound, it seemed his father did not intend to punish Kieran for the time being, or was there another motive for the delay? “How about Kieran?” So he attempted a direct approach. “Leave him alone.” Jeremiah's eyes flickered above the documents bedding his desk. The pen hugged between his fingers halted its unwavering dance above the papers. He leaned his weight back on the chair. It wasn’t a look of anger nor resentment that besieged his face, just the one out of thoughtfulness and concern from a father to his gullible son. His ignorant son. “He is stubborn, only acts on what his demons dictated in his head. Regular discipline, normal punishment methods will not bring me satisfying results, I will deal with him later.” Ah… He will deal with him later... Soundless Alfred murmured the last sentence under his tongue. The all-encompassing undisclosed implications perched at the back of his mind. “I will deal with him later,” when this sentence left his father's mouth, it did not bode well. Faster than the train of his thoughts rampaging the laying possibilities, a file flapped in his direction, settling in the nearest corner to his visual field. Above its cover fixed a picture of a person getting out of a black car. His attire combined the luxurious elegance of businessmen and the brutality of impulsive outlaws, in a harmonious, subtle blend, only discerned by well-seasoned observers and body language experts. “Have you checked his background?” Demanded Jeremiah, who was still relaxing in the comfort of his chair. Yet the serious mien told a different story. The General lost ruminating about his brief encounter with the man. The quick handshake, the applied pressure, the way the stranger carried himself, then the condolence words slipped out of his breath. Everything about this man sparked the General's irritation and flared the fire of his curiosity. Did he motion that this businessman wasn’t registered in the authorized attendees' lists, at least in his lists? “Emery Cromwell, a nouveau riche, a rising businessman. The core of his wealth revolved around a series of gambling houses, nightclubs, and hotels, yet his true passion lay in antiques, monuments, and historical artifacts. I believe he reached the town about ten hours after the public announcement, but the opportunity to offer his condolence was granted to him only days later.” “Hmm…” The general interrupted him, finally got himself an insight, not deep enough but sufficient to build a theory upon it, “Hmm, antiques, monuments, no wonder he was able to approach your grandfather's circle?” He glanced at Alfred demanding further elaboration, “Is this all you got?” Old Benjamin wasn’t exactly a fan of art or antiques, his favorite hobbies leaned towards action and violence more than beauty and esthetic, such as shooting, hunting, or airports… Yes airports, he obsessed with everything that had to do with flying, light aircraft, airplanes, even hang gliding and parachuting. Except, after he advanced in years and old age weaknesses bit on his health, the pursuit of those delights waned. Excluding the great influence of his wife who tended to appreciate classical music and collect antiques, the change in his avocation in his last years due not only to his wife's taste or withering body but also, to a certain of his grandchildren, participated in the transformation process. “Accurate details about him or his work are scarce, I will need longer than a few hours to do a large-scale profound digging about his background, connections, and transactions. I presume he isn’t a fan of popularity attracting public attention. “Since he trade in monuments and antiques, he must be familiar with a particular variety of our transactions.” “It goes without saying, but I don’t think grandfather just used as a mediator and supported his growth simply to collect antiques.” “Humm…” Jeremiah's head jolted by thoughts, sorting information… scarce details, not fonded of popularity, his old man supported him, antiques, monuments…” Humm…” then why the man rubbed him the wrong way? Jeremiah wasn’t the kind of man that placed others above their worth. However, something about this man gutted his reservation, aroused his doubt, upset him. Something he wasn’t able to put his fingers on or define it. His intuition seldom failed him before, and certainly, he can’t leave unsupervised possible danger. Too bad he was at a sensitive period, establishing his control, deterring big competitors, and sniffing out rooted traitors summed up his urgent objectives. Not enough time left for small arrogant fishes that annoy and fiddle with his suspicions. Aware of his father's top priorities as well as his busy schedule, Alfred shoved the decision threads from under his father's grasp, “Don’t worry too much.” The general gifted him, his famous ambiguous stare, neutral yet inquisitive, perhaps nonchalant or resentful, anyway he resumed, “leave him to me.” …… “Are you certain of your ability to discipline an insidious wild beast?” Following a short silence, the general finally interacted, “or getting rid of him if it ruled a necessity?” Alfred threw him his charismatic smile, stained with loads of confidence, “I am not talking about myself, I am just saying I know who is best suited to this job.” The conversation cut by the light knocks on the door, a formally dressed guard saluted after getting permission, “Sir… the car is ready.” The general stand up, the sunlight swept over his uniform, first highlighting the number of stars adorning his epaulets then reflecting on the medals and badges on his chest before it fell on the desk surface. He picked up his hat, straightened it above a perfectly sleeked backward hair. Calmly pushing towards the door he left Alfred a rather last warning than passing advice, “Be careful, this kind of ambitious individuals who climb through ranks in such a short time, possess plenty of tricky packages if you weren’t able to control and use him, get rid of him.” Minutes after General McCarthy's envoy set off, a gray pickup truck joined by two black cars left the same residence but in the opposite direction. In the direction of Benjamin McCarthy's favorite hunting spot. Miles out of the town, expanded, as far as the eyes could reach, breathtaking plateaus and virgin forests that survived the absurd destructive touches of humans’ hands. How not? When this area has been incorporated under the law protecting and preserving natural domain, thanks to the effort of a well-known association. However, this lawful protection didn’t prevent a handful of powerful figures from stamping their trace on the border of this natural reserve. Nothing counted far from a person’s hold as long as they have the means to grab it so. Some of the existing structures possessed a simple look and traditional rustic feel, delivering to the spectator, a warm impression and a subtle nostalgia for the region's ancient history. The original owners of the land, inherited it, from grandfather to father to son. Whereas other buildings were modern in construction, new in design, and fancy in execution. The ownership of the land measured recent. several buildings stank of tourism investment for those who can pay the accommodation cost. Alfred and his sibling always considered the mill residence, the summer house of the family. In fact, it was more like a farm than a summer house. Horse stables, greenhouses, and bee boxes sprawled around. In addition, a wide field protected by meter long wooden fence spread on left. Likely for practicing horsemanship. Whereas the archery field concealed in the back of the main building. As for the ground behind the name, represented in two very old built towers, nearest to the protected land borders, once the main mills for a prosperous village. Today, they serve as watchtowers. How much this place sparked back his childhood memories... And how dear this farm was to his Grandmother's heart. She never fed up repeating the same stories; the period in which the family was forced to settle here before the restoration of the city, or about her wedding ceremony, to impose with this soft tactic, her firm rejection of all the renovating suggestions while strongly encouraging the restoration means. “You all can do with this farm whatever you want to, but after my death.” One day she said to his grandfather, and father, also to him. When they brought the idea of ​​establishing a hotel or turning the land into a touristic center. She never thought Benjamin will be the first to go… Since his health was in a better state than hers. Whenever Alfred heard his grandmother's stubborn declaration, doubts submerged him, to the point he became certain of the fact that this farm will withstand the overarching tides of time as long as the property contract was inherited by the women of his family. The car stopped in front of an old but large building that combined the grandeur of palaces and the simplicity of cottages. His accompanying bodyguards opened the door… Swimming among the waves of his memories, Alfred was in no hurry to put his shoes on the muddy soil. As soon as his eyes wandered exploring the way to the house gate, he felt great regret for not wearing thick boots. A long sigh escaped his lungs… Lamenting the catastrophic state at the entrance of the house and wondering what caused the roads to deteriorate into this miserable state... Didn't the restoration process, to which his grandfather allocated a large sum of his income, end? Escorted by two guards... Once Alfred reached the big wooden door, all his senses jumped fluttering to a nearby loud racket of a gunshot. One of the two guards rushed towards the source while the other squared up to a protective, alerted posture, as he twiddled the arm from under his jacket… Yet Alfred's first reaction was to chase the gunshot root. The neglected bodyguard had no choice but to catch up in his superior footsteps as fast as he could. The mud defiled not just Alfred's shoes but also his luxurious clothes. Oh my God... Could it be that they didn't target the official residence during the mourning period because their eyes were on the farm? This terrifying thought dominated his being, growing to a panic attack, urging him to run quickly, not caring about the muddy puddles and animal waste in which his feet sunk in… How come he didn’t consider this possibility? His conscience yelled. How could he diminish the threshold of his caution after a few days of calm? How could he not have put tight security on their summer residence when he expected his grandmother to come back right away after the mourning period? Besides, didn’t Evelyn must have accompanied her too? Mabe also his fiancée was here… He would never forgive himself if something happened to them. From afar... Behind the wooden fence, Alfred and his bodyguards spotted two men running to the same destination, the source of the gunshot noise. From their uniforms he deduced their affiliation, they were farm workers. He paused catching his lost breath… Watching with eyes charged per chaos. the scene unfolding in front of him carried unmistakable clarification... When the workers reached the said location, the outlines of a familiar shadow entered Alfred's visual field. his movements drifted graceful, dejected, confident, angry, a lot of contradiction blended into one appearance. The shadow crouched down, adjusting the hunting rifle in his left hand, and feeling the withdrawn life from the corps under him with the other one. Once more, Alfred took a deep breath... and watched the merciful farewell scene of his grandfather's favorite horse... Under the skin of his face, many conflicted feelings feuded… Kieran’s actions always made him bewildered... indignant, upset, relieved, and reluctant to be angry at him much less master the heart to scold him. Did he need to pity him or condemn his irrational, public, unfitting conduct? How many times did he advise him to leave the dirty work in others' hands? And care more about appearances. Even principles honoring, morally uptight, ideals chasing Jacob understand this necessity. Seconds passed quickly, during them, Alfred froze up in his place, surveying the profile of his little brother hovering above the horse corpse. Hooded darkness concealed his expression before his gaze flickered into the distance, to the soil under his feet, then to his own clothes, his miserable expensive clothes. He attempted to shake off the dirt excess before moving on, walking away, back to the house. “Oh my god, Alfred, what happened?” Evelyn exclaimed at the top of the stairs. “You look like you have soaked in swam of horse shit.” she chuckled amused, “you better take shower before grandma sees you.” “Is there enough security in here,” He asked, something unsettling besieging his voice, undefined, at least to Evelyn… “Yes, uncle Fry sent with us some of his men,” she rubbed the base of her nose, tired while eyeing the restless outlines of her brother, “Why what's wrong?” “Nothing.” Alfred mused, way absent-minded, heeding the surroundings, “you should have informed me of your departure, I could arrange a few more guards.” Oh... Evelyn hummed in understanding, he must have met Kieran. No..no, if he had met Kieran, a verbal fight would have already broken in. He must have seen him from afar... She strode downstairs wondering what errant brought her big brother here. He rarely visited this place even less outside his vacation days. At the same time, she thanked god it was Alfred who came not Jacob... The latter will lunch a war against her twin's strange yet very understandable to her, behavior. “Are you angry?” she asked, tearing her gaze away, “at Kieran, I mean?” Avoiding lineal contact. Prior to Alfred's reply, the silence throbbed a gloomy air. Evelyn could swear on her old brother's protest against Kieran… “No.” They exchanged abrupt, sharp stares. The answer was unexpected. Incredible. “No.” Alfred repeated for his sister's disbelief to be erased, tilting his head to the side, his tone was low-pitched, almost soothing, “the coffin was empty anyway.”  

Proceeding to the great hall, the artificial light, the reflection, the glittering crystals like-decoration numbed my vision. A peasant walked into a castle by mistake, I assessed my place. The Olvera deserved their reputation. I always thought my home luxurious. Yet this hall stood at another level.  Trailing behind my parents, I made sure to stay as far as near as the etiquettes permitted the presence of a third wheel. About three meters away, a perfect distance to grasp my embarrassment in an out of habit place.  I watched them, and all the people that approached them. Noting the degree of my ignorance. All those relatively powerful people buttering up to my parents. There must have been a huge development when I was away.  Feigning indifference, carrying the air of shallow interest. I recognized half of the advancers. Those hypocrites, superficial folk. They care about their appearance more than anything else in the world. Yet, my father's objective, still an enigma, a puzzle from a higher dimension. Figuring it out, a task that perished the bits of joy and hate budded from this invitation.  Why did he choose me to accompany him? Why me? Why not Alfred Or Jacob Or any other person who had more merit and experience?  In this kind of situation, my anti-sociable nature proved far crippling than I ought it to be. Like a painting hung on the wall of forgetfulness, my eyes roamed in the big hall.  The varied flavor of individuals greeted each other. Exchanged pleasantries in effortless manners.  Envy clapped my heart. How much I hated my disability to initiate human interactions.  However, it made me a renowned observer of humanity. Watching their interactions, witnessing their exchanges. The hypocrisy washed their faces. The fake smiles… The deceiving eyes, full of lies. I asked myself; what kind of person should I pretend to be to deal with them?  It didn't take long for my parents to get sucked up into this abyss of duplicity. Perfectly matching the rapidly changing colors of all those high-level kinds of people.  I remembered an argument I had with my father long ago; This is life whether you accept it or not. You should learn the art of wearing makeup… The glittering light of my mother's pearl necklace, my father's black tuxedo thinned under my gaze. To be honest, I was too ashamed to follow them like a little kid. So I decided to wander around searching for Evelyn and her fiancée to merge a little bit with this crowd. From afar, there, I spotted her with a man I have never met in person, her fiancée…  Emery Cromwell… An individual whom I only knew threw letters sent by my sister.  Her description turned him into some mythical hero, born from the ash of suffering, and climbed the ladder to prosperity.  What was my first impression of this legendary knight charming?  He had the charm that attracted women into his orbit.  What kind of person he was?  Only through close interactions, I can judge his character.  Next to him, the happiness flared around my sister. Laughing, giggling while holding onto his arm. I stopped right away, my endeavor to approach them. Seeing her acting like this, for some reason it froze my entire body.  She was in my memories always the reliable, serious, caring person, the one I confided all my secrets to, and there she is… Showing me an obscure side of her I never saw before.  Next to this man, she looked more like Fayina, just a little girl. Joking and smiling without care of this world.  Retreating to my destined place as a lonely painting hung on a remote wall, I noticed the press making their entrance. A legion of bodyguards stood between them and the object of their scope. The photographers raced to steal good shots of the main stars of this evening.  Amazed at the big commotion:¨ the famous Olvera family or I should say the famous August Olvera, father, you really like making me work my brain. What is the reason behind this evening?"         The food was being served. Finally, the part I waited for came.  Our round table's position, a strategic one, I could observe most of the invited by a simple look.  Eagerly counting the remaining seconds after I took a place. The sight next to me rendered my mind blank.  Alongside my left, the prestigious member of the Olvera family had sat. Mechanically, my gaze shifted, blowing glares hit at my father's spot.  Was this position a hint?  Fearing exposure, my eyes wandered away in a manner indicating a load of questions that needed to be answered.  The invitation, the proximity with the Olvera... What's the meaning of this? Father, On what strings were you playing… The habits of the McCarthy current head.. . Bad? … Good?… I can't decide anymore. I found it rather sneaky, not far different from the people I despised.  He always calculates all affairs by himself, then he throws me suddenly in the middle of it, using his famous argument: "I am only educating you¨. I wonder if Alfred or Evelyn gets the same kind of education? Seemed, In this educating session, like a forsaken prisoner, I was thrown into a desert, only by finding the road, I will succeed in the test.  Asking him direct questions, wishing for clear answers, a mere waste of time. Was this his payback for wandering alone outside the family influence zone while not contacting him?  My whole attention hammered the table next to me. Where the Olvera family members sat.  Intensely staring, if my eyes emitted laser, they would be burned by now. Thanks to their arrogance, they didn't waste a side glance towards my direction.  The head family, I recognized him just by the cheer of the glorifying aurora he transmitted.  Two of his children presented at the same table. I could taste the blood aroma they shared. The oldest of them was August Olvera, the next apparent heir. While the second one, not as famous as his brother. I had heard that he was the son of his third wife.  I didn't know the other individuals that accompanied the Olvera? Their allies, close friends.. . Two of them appeared familiar in my memory. Grey-beard old men, maybe in their sixty. The radiated foxy smiles matched the oily atmosphere. Powerful the charm they spread out.  Yet I couldn't remember who they were exactly.  The hunger snapped away from the deep reflection I offered to decipher the nature of a powerful personage.  It shifted my focus to something simpler, colorful, and more satisfying.  It felt like ages since my nose greeted the wild aroma of fine food. Stimulating my gut, a silent cry reached my hand to take the first try.  The luxury of varied foods left my fingers in disarray. Which dish should I start with first?   For ages felt my sorrow since I enjoyed eating without restriction. Goodbye, my mother's strict healthy food policy, goodbye to my empty pockets, at least for today.  The life of a university student is very hard, especially if he decided to depend on himself.  I encouraged myself deep in my heart, "Screw everything… The invitation, my father's objective, the Olvera, August Olvera. Even my mother glares from the side. Who cares… The most important thing now is to eat and eat and enjoy every present variety of this fine food."  The plate in front of me was full, my mouth was full. When I reached the glass, I got startled by my father's voice whispering in my ear, advising me to carefully oversee the upcoming events. Little he knew about the decision I have already made. However, out of respect, out of fear, I was obligated to perform the tips of interest.  Unable to withstand the look of resentment that colored my face. I mumbled my apparent irritation between my lips. What luck…  Soon the reason behind this extravagant evening got revealed.  Hot and loud, applauds shook the hall. The light of the cameras blinded my visual perception.  Cheers had yet to stop after the brief introduction of the soon to be the bride of the enigmatic genius, the next head of the Olvera corporation; August Olvera.  A long line formed as quickly as the flying flies, the congratulators surrounded their table.  Marriage in rich families like a marriage in nobilities. A form to establish alliances, to strengthen wealth.  Oh, then the only woman that sat around that table was his fiancée.  If I could describe her, she was a real beauty, a long black hair slid behind her back, blue, sparkling eyes. The alluring red dress she wore accentuates her glamor.  When she stood waving her right hand to all the guests after the revelation. Her other hand was locked into one of the old men that I didn't recognize…  I guessed two things.  That old man was her father.  And she wasn't close to August at all.  Their marriage announcement must have been decided by their parents.  Throwing a side look to the star of this evening. At the rear of his fake smiles and the intense handshaking. I savored his dangling unhappiness.  A quick sigh escaped my chest, I remember this jerk promiscuous conduct in the university. He had a lot of girls posing for his attention. I bet he never understood or educated himself about the meaning of the word commitment… or about the responsibilities of marriage. I wasted a few more glances at the very much happy to be bride… How much I pity her… Then I jumped back to my feast.                          ***                                 *                             *** After the departure of the press, the atmosphere turned calmer. Some important guests left the hall. But August Olvera and the other older man stayed in. While his father, the father of the future bride and the bride herself left.  The incoming torrent of congratulations had yet to dry.  Some meaningless chatting forcefully made its way to my ears.  Except for us, the McCarthy, the remaining other figures weren't considered as powerful as the ones that left. Then it arrived at the moment that caused me to choke.  My father, accompanied by my mother, addressed the direction towards the star of the evening. At first, I didn't give it much thought. It struck me as part of proper etiquette.  Yet, following a deeper reflection and much complex analysis, my brain finally beat my stomach. From the saliva stimulating dishes, I tore my eyes away. The spoon that was half dug into my throat moved out.  Only one question begged my mind for an explanation. Why did father choose this time to offer his congregation? Was he waiting for the path to clear?  Of course not… Rather. He was waiting for the current head of the Olvera departure.  The water glass placed in my right as I emptied it, though my thirst blazed.  Letting myself submitted under the flame of curiosity. The exotic turbulent of the high society that I have forgotten rocked my internal peace. Far from the simplicity of the campus life that became a part of my daily routine, I have entered the abyss, more accurately I have returned to my reality, once I heard my mother's voice calling my name to introduce me to those renowned gentlemen. Slowly, I pushed up my stuffed body. My eyes swallowed each inch that fell in their field. The food stuck at the entrance of my stomach when I witnessed my father sitting beside August Olvera, just like he was one of his close friends.  A cluster of different subjects they talked about. My walk decelerated further to digest, better, the situation.  I watched as my mother joined the conversation line and the big genius answered her inquiries like a student who eagerly wanted his teacher to be proud. However, the aghast me only heard bunches of murmurs that didn't form a coherent meaning. Since I reached the table, I concentrated more on gulping what was in my mouth in fear embarrassing not just my parents. Replying with a gorged mouth in front of this man. An insult I will never erase. Who knows, maybe he will also advertise it at the campus too. "What are you working on now?"  My father asked while his attention concentrates on me, observing me with the corner of his eyes. Standing, I halted. The hidden message translated well in my head.  Inappropriate was my position while I found it more inappropriate to borrow a chair from a nearby table and squeeze my body between all those important people. So I kept still, like a counterfeit bodyguard. My gaze sought August. Eagerly, I waited for August's reply:  "Well, I am majoring in finance and economics. I want to graduate with honor before I officially get a post in my grandfather's company."  Oh, he said, "My grandfather's company."    The old man stood and called for me, offering his place. In a polite rejection,  I waved with my hand, indicating that he didn't need to give me his seat. Simultaneously, I hurried to search around near other tables for a vacant chair.  But the older man insisted, and I found myself embarrassed to affirm my refusal. Only needed one glare from my mother before I shut my mouth, took his place, then passively participate in the conversation.  my father, also, indirectly frowned at me with half face and smiled at August with the other half. Am I spoiling some plan?  What has appeared to be a shallow conversation, has resumed... Mr. great babbling about his varied talents:  "Before, I planned to major in translation and literature. But I changed my mind at the last minute." "Yes, I heard that you mastered English, French, Spanish…" "And Dutch, but I can't say that I really mastered this one."  My head rested on my hand, the drowsiness conquered my eyelashes. The purpose of them calling out for my presence fused.  By now, I hardly listened. My father mastered the art of slapping me awake to the subject. He said: "To be honest, I want to invest in the import and export business. But as you know, our laws don't allow people affiliated with the military to have any activities outside of the army corps."  The blood rushed into my head, making me awake after I dozed off due to the boredom, and a strike of realization of my father's objective in bringing me here hit my mind like a lightning. I corrected my posture by straightening my back and holding my chin in a lower position to not seem very eager. "Of course, dear general, you can count on us."  The old man who returned with a chair responded quickly, attempting to surpass the unpleasant face August has made, or so I thought.   My father responded with a wide smile. Even a blind one can tell that it was fake and just for courtesy.   I stole a few glimpses to see the reaction on my mother's face. She mirrored the same fake smile my old man gave. I observed August perceive if his reaction has changed. I didn't understand why he was looking down at the empty plates. He then extended his arm to hold the glass of water and quaff it in one go.                                                                                    ***    *          *** The whole hall trembled under my feet.  In a split second, I could exactly decipher what happened.  Coming from outside, the sound of gunshots followed the earth-shaking. My father assured my mother's safety while I assured the other two.  Screams and cries contributed to the severity of commotion. The bodyguards intensified their presence and surrounded the periphery of the hall. My father gripped my shoulder and hissed in my ear: "Take your mother away." Then he stormed toward the entrance of the hall alone. I shifted position next to my mother, holding her hand, demanding to stay beside me no matter what. While I searched with my eyes in the middle of the chaos for the whereabouts of my sister and her fiancée. A bodyguard approached us: "Please Madam this way…"  I shielded her, making her stand behind me, and asked him: "What's going on? What caused this explosion? Why had I heard the sound of gun shooting?"

In the realm of haze, I lost my way. In a trance state, my consciousness locked up. The road to home never felt capricious. Accompanied by my mother, we left the dangerous site after the end of the primary investigation. The combustive dinner party ended, leaving my brain suffocated under the ash. The harsh order my father whispered in my ears, still biting the bottom of my perception. As startled as I was, his voice carried the savor of someone whose cooking went against his expectations. In a bad way… In a good way… I couldn't guess. The key was thrown at my hands, while his back faded towards the flickering light of security services. Thankfully, our car escaped the damage. I glared at the surging gray smoke, the debris, then at the panicked guests. The wounded individuals weren't many. The place stormed with the police agents, but the safety of my mother topped the list of my priorities. Especially when the sound of gunshots took long to stop. No one could predict their next target. I drove the car away. Through the front mirror, my mother's face reflected in my eyes. She sat quietly in the back seat. Her head tilted to the window. Calmly, she watched the busy view outside. I expected her to look disturbed, stressed, yet to my amazement, her calmness defeated a priest in his prayer. What a level-headed woman. I never witnessed her lose to the panic. The corner of my lips bent up and before I made my final exit from the site, I demanded: "What about Evelyn?" Actually, it was the same question that left my throat when my father appeared to give me the key. He ignored the query while he insisted that I should take good care of my mother for the time being. I also asked him the reason why he was staying behind, but he didn't answer. He left me dwelling on my confusion. "Don't worry about her? I am certain that she is well protected." There were a lot of questions in the back of my mind, to the point that I have overlooked my mother's confidence about Evelyn's whereabouts or her protection. Akin to dream, the accelerated events of this evening passed. It dumped me into a sticky swamp of topics, I hated to be in the middle of it. Questions stormed my foggy head, gunshots, explosion… Who was the shooter? What was his aim? Are they targeting the Olvera or one of their guests? My heart sank at the last question. I sighed, relieved… No suspicious person approached my parents. All the time, I stayed vigilant. Old grudges, I didn't want to think about them, at this moment. I shook my head to clear it from all this mess. In the mirror, my eyes stole another glance. The reflection of my mother's face didn't change. The breath stuck up my lungs in fear, asking a question I shouldn't acknowledge. Our eyes Indirectly met. Her eyebrows relaxed while advising: "Kieran, focus on the road. That moment, I knew, she knew about what I wanted to find. My concentration all went to the dark road in front. Swallowing back my insecurities. nip by nip. "Kieran…" In that split of seconds, my eyes slightly shifted, watching her reflection. "It's not what you think at all." This tone, I recognized it. The one full of concern to protect my fragile ego by not telling me the truth. Coaxing the car for further speed, my opportunity for better clarification arrived: "Then why had I chosen to accompany you?" The speed was high, yet I diverged my eyes to imprison my mother's reflection. Witnessing the indifference as she looked back, her lips twisted, some words refused to leave her throat. The doubt, the anticipation gnawed at my heart and I accelerated further. "Didn't you say you knew August?" Hell, when? There must be some kind of misunderstanding here. But I just kept silent. "Your father thought; your presence may melt the ice." What? From where came this big misunderstanding? Yes, I knew August, I knew his profile from the far margin, the rumors that wrap his personage. we are not friends, we are not even an acquaintance. "That's all?" I demanded, suppressing the escalating tension. Even the car speed slowed down. "Is there supposed to be something else?" In a superficial curiosity, my mother inquired. My driving became stable, I didn't sneak any glimpse when I answered with "No." A few more turns and we finally arrived at the main house. The first one to greet us was Alfred. He stood in front of the main gate. Hands behind his back, along with few guards. Right away, I guessed that the news reached his ears. Fayina emerged from behind him. Waving her hands in happiness, oblivious to the danger in this world. The smile extended to my lips against my will as I observed her getting reprimanded by Alfred and sent back to the house. Inside the front yard, Alfred, with his index finger, tapped on my window. In response, I let the glass drop, waiting to hear what he had for me to tell. As calm as my mother, his expression held a suppressed satisfaction. "Don't worry about Evelyn, she is okay, she came before you a few moments ago with her fiancée." It bugged me, not what he said, but his terrifying calmness. Maybe he was informed about our well-being. I sighed in relief before I answered him: "Good, but how about my father? Why did he stay there?" Alfred ignored my inquiry and tried to flee to my mother, helping her get out of the car.   Inside, when Evelyn's eyes captured the two of us, she jogged toward us sighing in relief thanking God for our safety. I expected her fiancée to be also here, however; I was wrong. She displayed her worries quite frankly. Talkative she became when stressed. "Kieran?" Pinching my right cheek: "Why didn't you pick up your phone when I called you?" In defense, I took out my junk phone showing her proof. The battery was dead. Implying to direct her anger to my mother's policy, I mean, unjustified hate towards using cell-phones. Instead, she went and hugged her tightly. Asking about her well-being. All concern and fears.   The atmosphere was digestible, supportive after the surprising shock I tasted today. As I had returned to those traumatizing days of my childhood. Yet, after midnight, my worries bubbled under the mercy of my own demons. I didn't know how the night had passed, or how I got to my room. And before I could get wrapped in a deep sleep. Memories of my few past days flashed like a burst of lightning; the goodbye, the train, the invitation, the diner, the gunshots, the explosion… My brain reviewed the events, scene by scene. In a format of a horrifying nightmare. It even mixed more details. Like how I pretended that I didn't see the whispered words. Or the eyes signals flying over my head. Mother? My presence melts the ice for... exactly... what? **** No matter how distant the morning was, it came. The light of the sun burned the resentful inner demons in the hell of forgetfulness. As if they never existed. Yet this morning wasn't like any morning of the fourteen past days. The short break ended. To the dormitory, to my courses, today, I am preparing for my return. Aware of this fact, my body acted as sluggish as a donkey, as heavy as a wheat bag. While I packed my things. Fayina's ever childish voice called my name from the floor to the first floor. "Ki-e-ra-n…. The breakfast is ready." Human beings are truly strange, how can one sentence send me to the clouds. The good smell of freshly baked bread guided me to the kitchen where I saw a lot of boxes for storing dishes. My brother's wife and Evelyn were focused on adding the final touches to the breakfast meal. My mother, the main cook, the supervisor. Her nagging reached my ears. From behind, she ordered: "Don't block the kitchen entrance." Her mood was as bright as the sun. She turned her attention to Fayina scolding and teaching: "When I send you to call for someone, don't yell their name all over the house," She took a set of doilies, stuffing them into Fayina's hands: "Dear, take this to the table and go to your father study then call for him." I nodded in affirmation, murmuring: "So my father has come back. I wonder when?" Another scolding word rained down mother's lips. They were directed at me this time: "Kieran… Don't stand in the way, if you are not going to help." Her extended hand, trying to reach the teapot beyond my back. That teapot flew above my intentionally lowered head. Even so, I won an earful: "Get out of here before you cause an accident." "Sara? Did you prepare the…" "For whom all those lunch boxes are made for?" Forcibly inserting myself, I cut into the conversation. Yes, we are a big house. Yet all this food and those boxes. This was supposed to be a breakfast, not a dinner party. Are we having some guests? Hand on my left shoulder, I let my body dragged: " Traditional dishes made especially to suit your taste. For you to take them." A genuine smile painted her face while she expelled me out of her way, and out from the whole kitchen. The enthusiasm suddenly broke into my body. Exploded happiness in a flare. My head stuck at the entrance expressing immense gratitude. The mouth moved on its own: "Thank you, mum." "Don't thank me, thank your sister and Sara." The door was shut, then reopened: "Ah, I need to check the table in the dining room." Mother's obsession with etiquettes amazed me. Compared to the joy playing in my head, getting banned from the kitchen was nothing. I danced into the living room ecstatic, only Alfred's sublime presence choked my reasoning back. Holding the TV remote control, his high concentration stole my happiness. Alfred's seriousness floats solely in serious situations. Watching the morning news. I read the headlines, recalled what happened yesterday. Then I submerged into reality. What had happened yesterday wasn't a nightmare. Eyes glued to the big screen, the memories rushed from their grave. How could I overlook this matter in the span of hours? An adult I am now. The obligation to start paying attention to the ongoing matters around my life, my family, something I should embrace with a wide chest and an open mind. ***** "The victim was Miranda Trills, a 24 years old promising new designer and the only child of Patrick Trills, the CEO of SOC-PION. the explosion burned her body dead in her room, in the same hotel where her engagement party to August Olvera was held… The witnesses reported that they have heard the sound of an explosion from the west direction. And it happened exactly below Miranda's room. The first investigation implies that the cause of the explosion was a technical malfunction that couldn't detect the massive gaze leak. Few individuals were also heavily injured and dozens more escaped with some scratches…" Unexpectedly, the channel was changed. "No… " I yelled, Alfred, who finally noticed my presence, I spotted him maneuvering the remote control. His motive, straight away, I understood it. Upset, I ran towards him, snatching the tool from his hand. My movement, slick, rapid, and tricky. He only woke up at the voice of the journalist and pictures of last night's explosion when I switched the channel back. Eager to hear the full report about last night's accident, I didn't notice the concealed hand behind me, stealing back the remote control from me and changing the channel again. Angry, displeased about this distasteful gesture, I looked behind to discern the identity of the culprit to manifest my objection. And here came the unexpected. The calm, solemn feature of my father. His extended hand holding the remote control. I swallowed back the mouthful of vexed words I prepared in the past seconds. Sometimes, very aggressive, I became. Especially when someone sat between me and the object of my desire. His criticizing tone, as serene as the waterfall. No anger hid amidst the clear syllables: "If you really seek the truth about what exactly happened yesterday, you shouldn't listen to the lies that have been fabricated by the men behind the media." My peaceful and lazy lineaments had changed to a mishmash of confusion and disapproval… Overlooking what I committed seconds ago, the act that my father has committed against me, the fact I wasn't able to say anything to confront him. Because deep down, I knew that what he had said touched a portion of reality. The way he used to say it even hit hard. Confirmed my still lingering childishness.   I had the chance to see on more than one occasion how the media had played with the facts to give their stories a completely different ambiance. Yet, an individual, as powerless as myself, as limited as a bird in a cage. From where could I winnow the facts.   Alfred's face reflected into my eyes. Irritation, anger was dart he threw at me. I bet my father's presence denied him the delight of satisfying revenge. In a blink of an eye, his attention shifted, peered at the entrance of the living room. There, I cached the shadow of Jacob fading from my line of sight. An intense look momentarily tainted Alfred's visage. At breakfast, no one touched on the subject of last night. It was like the incident didn't concern us or more like what occurred had never happened at all. Savoring the aroma of Coffee, I observed the movement of everybody with suspicious eyes. The feeling of being left in the dark, akin to a needle sting, harmless but irritating. In the end, I decided to eat my breakfast in peace.   This wasn't the first time our house got entangled in those kinds of affairs. Whether murder, kidnapping, mafia conflict, terrorism… To a point, a dinner party's explosion was a mere routine, like a piece of weekend news about some celebrity scandals. Maybe this, a consequence of the McCarthy house line of work. Being far for several months, spending some time away living a seemingly normal life, like most normal people. It somehow made me forget about my identity. Those superficial assumptions, how much I was wrong about them.   **** The next day, the luck smiled wide at my face. I received an offer, rare to come, hard to decline. It made me kiss farewell, the train ticket I booked. On this one occasion, I betrayed the railway in favor of something better, faster, and neater. My road to the new semester was paved between the high clouds of the sky. Jacob, my second eldest brother, offered me the opportunity to accompany him since he was tasked with a mission in the same city as my destination. A mission that involved flying in a private helicopter. Without a second thought, oblivious, I voiced my cheer approval.   The intimidating Jacob, the enigma of the McCarthy, the hardest person to approach, of course, from my point of view. I found Jacob a carbon copy of my grandfather, not just in temperament, but also in appearance. He rarely offers his services without an explicit demand, yet he also rarely refuses when he gets asked for help. My closeness to him was limited to the superficial interaction in the morning at breakfast and the evening gathering of a dinner. In between, a speechless exchange danced amidst the void that separated us. Except in some specific situations, the spectator will uphold the splashed conversation surrounding two awkward individuals, unable to communicate properly, and this was one of those rare occasions. Compared to Evelyn or Alfred. He is, mostly, a man of few words, better saying a man of actions. I assumed the source of the problem laid in his silent, very cold personality, the frightening aurora that he emitted making me afraid to even look into his direction. He sometimes became aggressive in the light of the invisible war of rivalry between him and Alfred. A war that is known to us all except our parents. Deeply touched by his unexpected offer, I was. The look of pity that stashed under his stern lineaments completely passed through my radar. Evelyn told me once, this was Jacob's way to voice his concern, to show his affection. I must have instigated a great deal of pity. *** From above, the sceneries of earth molded a distinct flavor. Next to the window, pleased, I sat, drawing into the sorrowful beauty of existence. The last time I enjoyed a blissful ride, I didn't remember when. However, perfection in this world was hard to attain. Other than me, the pilot, which was Jacob. Two people accompanied us. My wonderful delight sugared a sour flavor of anxiety and awkwardness. My mind tumbled, my thoughts stagnated. Next to me, on my left, I barely felt my shoulder that neighboured August Olvera. It took me a few minutes to discover that I was the only flustered being on this trip. The foxy old-man, the owner of the fake smiles at the dinner party, was also with us. I didn't like him, just by looking at him I felt the pain as if my skin was pierced by a thousand needles. The whole trip surfed on uneasiness, the silent glances were my only companion, no one tried to talk to the other. Apart from a few questions and answers between the pilot and the old man about the distance and high. Relieved at the sight of the marked spot where the helicopter was supposed to land. I breathed out the accumulated discomfort. Atop one of the high-rise buildings owned by the Olvera. This was my stop, I recognized the massive building. The park near it was a popular dating spot. More than one time, I invited Anna there. That was how my mind triggered, and I decided to go and give her a surprise visit. Apollo First time I have written a long chapter... It took me so long... I wonder which best, the first person point of view or the third.

Around the house where I had opened my eyes and walked my first steps, shone a special aurora. Maybe due to the fact of his old origin, to the archeological location of the city, or maybe just because it was my childhood house where I let go of the last bits of my innocence. Either way, confident I am, the mysterious force pulling me here to visit again, to come back, no matter how far I go…filling my soul. Unexpectedly, for the first time in years, the twelve members of the McCarthy family graced the periphery of the dinner table. As much as it felt strange, as much as made me ecstatic. Before, only the death of my grandfather managed to gather us. We were eating in such an intimate, lost atmosphere…Dated back to the days of my youth. For the sorrow of life, only my grandfather was missing. Exchanging the greeting, asking for far placed dishes. Laughing about trivial jokes. The blessings of this dinner gathering will stay with me until the end of my life. I settled in my old place, next to my grandmother and near the seat of the family's head, which now is my father's. He was indulging himself in a long and detailed scolding of my stupid and selfish behavior, of course, from his standpoint. I won't say that he was totally wrong… ¨From now on you must keep in contact with us, at least with one of your brothers or your sister. And you must inform me before you come back as well.¨ The last sentence of my father's exhaustive scolding. And the sole part that mastered the thick walls of my defense. Certainly for the excessive repetition.From the moment his eyes seized me, I swear, he had chewed those words to the point of dullness. My old self will surely make a big faze, but now I understand that this was his way to say indirectly that he was worried about my well-being. How much I missed the extravagant pain of concern after the brutality of the outside world tattooed my fair skin with iron fangs. However, this orchestra has yet to be finished. And the flame handed to my mother to continue the long path: "From now on I won't accept this careless behavior, I comprehend that you are a capable person who knows how to protect himself, yet wolves always survive in a pack." Another set of metaphors, the boredom groaned my nerves, yet I listened, those blame were needed, I deserved them. However, I kept the fact that I was in contact with my sister a secret and I made her promise me to keep it a secret from all of my family. Thank you, dear sister, for respecting my selfish wish. I admit that I made you hold a heavy responsibility.  From over the table, I hooked my gaze with her, spending a subtle signal as thanks, and she smiled back at me in the same concealed manner as a response. After a few spoons in her mouth, she tried to help me to change the subject by asking about my studies: "How is college? Kieran." My father butted in  before I could answer: "I hope you didn't drop out…" I responded with a calm nerve, something new I had developed to confront, not just my father's sarcastic tone: "No, I am a senior now. Actually, I got a few recommendations from my professors. Even more, I was accepted into a firm for an internship." Preying to check the face of each member around the table. A smug smirk colored my lips.  Their reaction topped a priceless gift. A moment I wished for long enough. It was worth the wait, especially my father and older brothers, my sister too. I hadn't told her this happy news. My father's stupefied lineaments, while trying to hold his astonishment, tickled the shallow egoism in my chest. I watched him as he proceeded to continue the conversation in a failed attempt to conceal his joy: "Which firm?" "Clangor law group." "Is it official?" "Yes." "Excellent." Was it a compliment? My jaw dislocated. The blow hit hard. A compliment from my father? A very straightforward one. I must check if the sky had fallen on the earth, or in her place still. There were a lot of moments when I felt it was okay to die now. Most of them were out of embarrassment, rarely those for joy, and this is one of them. "Any girl in your life?" My sister Evelyn asked again, her voice mixed with the glee for my triumph and the irritation over hiding this matter. Yet here she goes again, trying to help me introduce my girlfriend. Was it the superior intuition women are proud of? I shifted my eyes to my mother timidly looked at her, in a low voice I answered: "Yes."                                                ****             ****                **** In the living room, in that kind of warm evening, we gathered after dinner. My mother actively supervised the girls in clearing up the table, organizing the leftover. My grandmother retreated to her room. Next to my father and Alfred, my eldest brother, I squeezed myself on the big sofa. Everyone free at the moment joined in. Like an ancient folk, we recited the trivial life events; how much I missed these assemblies, always loved to listen to other stories and their experience in life and learn from their mistakes. Also, I wanted to learn all about things and changes that happened during my absence, All kinds of topics made their way to this conversation, especially about me, as I was the guest of honor, the surprise of the new year: my study, my girlfriend, my brothers' worries and occupations, my sister's fiance, my grandmother's health and all the rumors And the truths about the famous and rich people that lived around here. Perhaps the most important matter that we have talked about was the Olvera family and their famous son; August Olvera.  Faking disinterested, I commented: "August Olvera! Ah, yes, I know him. We are on the same campus." "Well, he is very famous and multi-talented. I believe he speaks several languages, and he is majoring in ancient history or something like that…."Whenever my father compliments someone in front of me, I feel like he was accusing me of failure. I did not know why…. I tried to disregard this emotion and followed my father's speech, confirming and denying some of the things he said for facts:" That's right, he knows several languages, precisely four. But he is majoring in finance and economics." My father commented without arguing: "That's why he is managing his father's works…" I looked at Alfred's eyes; a persistent habit I nurtured in my childhood, it activates whenever I searched for an answer or a way to respond to my father. Conscious of my pitfall, Alfred took the lead as always: "Yes, I heard that he is managing an operation to import the wool…. Natural wool." Now, the sense of inferiority won me over, swallowed raw, urged me to speak in defense of my honor: "He is older than me…. I assume that he is in his thirty or so…" Then I followed up, attempting to hide my insecurity: "They have a branch in the city where I am studying now." Fleeing, I glanced at the Coffee table to steal a biscuit and shove it into my big mouth to disguise my discomfort. Alfred said, confirming my information and he probably understood this childish behavior of mine:" Yes, they have a branch there, it's relatively new…. And he is a few years older than Kieran." And just like that, I welcomed the routine of the old days. When I feel conscious of every stupid thing, my father said or will attempt to say, always thinking that he was comparing me to someone whom I think was doing better than me as well as when we fought over stupid gossip - which I believe it is - and about who was right and who is wrong. However, I never imagined that this stupid conversation and gossip consuming about one of the richest families in our neighborhood was just an introduction to something deeper and important. Something that will change my life, yet another time. A big error, the one who forgot that my father never indulges himself in trivial rumors was me.                                                                                                      ****           ****          **** Following the nostalgic evening, the days passed in apparent peace as in my definition, albeit an ominous calm thickened underneath…a sort of preparation my brothers' efforts engrossed in making. I could feel the atmosphere, but I couldn't make its core. Hanging on the banner of my ideals; if your big brothers don't want you to know their business, there is a high possibility that it doesn't concern you, it's better for your sanity that you don't know. How naïve I was… Until the date of my return to the campus approached, the surprise my father was hiding from me floated to the surface. They say the calmness always hid an unpredictable storm. An invitation to a dinner in one of the most distinguished and famed hotels. I took the invitation between my hands, caressing it. Turned it back and forth in every direction, smelling the rich perfume on its corners, dissecting the tiniest details to assure myself it wasn't a prank. Then I commented, wondering: "What is this? Where did it come from?" A faint smile rested on my father's answer gave it a taste of amusement: "An invitation to a dinner party." "Yes, I know that… I mean from whom? Why me?" "You can read who is the sender yourself." "No, I know… I mean, why?… why in hell the Olvera sends us an invitation to a dinner party for the engagement of one of her sons?... Why me personally?" In this secluded, suffocating study room, I observed my father. Leisurely, he sat before a large wooden and very expensive desk. His back was facing the window. And his enigmatic eyes were piercing through me. Telling me to search for an answer on my own. I tried to avoid his gaze, shifting my eyes toward the wooden, very expensive shelves that were full of old and new books, medals, trophies. Squeezing my brain for a response: "I see…" Courageously, I received his piercing gaze: "Could it be Evelyn's fiance?"  "No." My father was silent for a minute before he followed: "There are three invitations in total, and I have chosen you to come with me and your mother." Bewildered, I froze in my place, happy, unhappy, proud, intrigued…. A mix of massive emotions that didn't make me sure about my situation. However, all of that disappeared when my father spoke again: "Of course, your sister and her fiance will be there too. Sadly, at a different table."                                                ****     ****     ****    **** It was cold and dark, an average winter day in my hometown. The sound of rain kicked out the stillness of the night. My father opened the car door to my mother after he opened his umbrella, protecting her from getting wet. Two hands embarrassed each other, in a transient moment of care and warmth. Those small gestures of heed nurtured the roots of our family in my grandmother's reflection.  My mother, wearing her cashmere coat and a pearl necklace descended, stood by my father's under the same umbrella.  A scene out of a movie made them ten years younger in my eyes. Observing them together like that sipped absurd thoughts into my mind. Aren't we just like a normal, happy family? A wild smile defeated my tense lips before I gave the keys to the concierge and followed behind them.

I strolled leisurely, appreciating the growing darkness of night. Satisfied… maybe? The expanding silence magnified the solitude I felt. Half of me was regretful, the other half… felt to a certain degree… Liberated. The sunlight deviated into a shade of an orange-yellow, mirroring the new balance created inside me. Step after step, in the direction of the port, I walked towards my next rendezvous point for another battle. Numb, I was from the earlier clash of emotions, the consequence of what I had set myself up against, next, swallowed by overwhelming hunger, perhaps a rare kind of emptiness. Nothing transcended the importance of satiating them. My vision turned vague, the obscure touch of night play with its accuracy, yet that dark green uniform seized my undivided interest. Never will I confuse that shade of green, never. Once I bore it, not long ago, in my glorious days of the past. As the distance between us thinned, my pace sped. Restless. My chest heaved, simultaneously, in nervous excitement and budding discomfort, announcing my return to reality. I clenched my fists, restraining any foolish rush. In the end, my next battle was up against the embodiment of my grandfather's prestige. From afar, he stood motionless, his hands inside his pockets, completely defenseless. He looked at me with familiar indifference, accompanied by some kind of hidden pity, like always. How many times did I visualize my retaliation against him? Confronting him now, why was my mind blank? Why were my arms frozen? Oh God, where were all those insults and blames that I spent days preparing for him? I halted at a safe distance. We exchanged stares in flowing quietness. Lasted for… an eternity. In this world of ours, lacking proper communication, the only noise came from the outside. One of us needed to speak, one of us must weave the first threads for proper communication. Or we will stand like this the whole night. A procession of trucks cut this everlasting ritual. My ego found solace in surveying them. Or maybe it was an excuse to escape his gaze. Then one of Jacob's hands landed on my shoulder, freaking me. “Let's change the location.” The profile of his face was drenched in shadows. I didn’t see how he approached me, and just because of the impact of the shock, I followed him like an obedient dog. Shame on me, I can only be mean to girls? I deserved more than one slap. In our quest for a private place, my observational quirk woke up, shutting down the shame sensation. Finally, relevant questions began popping around in every corner of my head. Why did he choose this place to meet? Why this time of day precisely? His back was in front of me. Not slow, nor fast, he kept the lead. The wrinkles of his uniform changed through the alteration in his movements. On this path, I spotted several cameras covering the passages. In the first few moments, I questioned Jacob's nonchalance. Why did he come here wearing his uniform? Wasn't he afraid of the surveillance system, registering the prints of his face while wearing the military dress? Left, right, we zigzagged across the narrow paths created by huge containers, cargo, heavy lifters… He seemed to have a destination in mind. And yet, my insight tumbled over another doubt. Why was he so familiar with these port passages? As if he knew them as if he was a native dweller of this ever changeable maze. Into a safe sanctuary, our presence got concealed. Once down, the noise of the exterior world drove to a degree of extinction. The wave of polluted sea punished the human-made stairs where we stood, the only sound deserving an appreciation. Beneath my feet, I appraised the blue water. Mesmerized by the repetitive motion of its tiny waves, I squatted down, stretching my hand to touch it. The tips of my fingers became wet, also my mental restrictions. Between each inhale and exhale sneaked out pieces of frustration venting my upside-down turned life, my upside-down turned plans, mixing with failure on my features. Then the wrong words left my mouth without evaluation: “You planned this from the start.” Another wave, high enough to wash my fingers. “Have you planned to frame me since the day you offered me to accompany you in the helicopter?” My back was to him, making the confrontation easier. Still, waiting for the response that didn’t come, the urge to punch him flared inside my heart, stronger than before. I knew any physical conflict with him, right now, right here, will end up in my drowning. However, I made up my mind that being buried within this melancholic water wasn’t such a terrible death. Then, in a click of a second, my flying wrist was trapped under pressure threatening to break it. My quick blow blocked midair before reaching its goal. Jacob stood one step ahead of me, one step above me, “It wasn’t out of the pureness of your heart, you only wanted someone to replace you in babysitting Olvera that’s why you offered to take me with you at the same time you were escorting him. You planned this all cleverly, so every move I made falls into your desired scheme.” "You didn’t answer my calls, because you know that I will go after August, in order to facilitate the process of contacting you. While you told August that I will be the one to reach him first to start my duties." Jacob's expressions, unmoved, akin to static sculpture. Full of prestige and reverie. While the pain possessed my face, twisting parallel to the force, he applied to secure my wrist. Pressing hard in one go, then releasing slowly. Enjoying the procedure, he kept testing the extent of my endurance. I was already aware of my declining fitness. This interaction made Jacob aware of it too, and soon my father will be. On my next visit home, if there ever will be a next one, I will need to be ready for an upcoming lengthy lecture. But in this instant… “You didn’t care how risky the situation you let me in.” “What are you talking about? What kind of risk I got you in. ” He didn’t release my arm until he was certain of my neutralized attack, “I admit, even temporarily, I hated playing guard to the Olvera boy, yet the one who decided this job for you wasn’t me.” His voice was torn by a sort of resentment. It felt weak, nevertheless present. This was our first exchange of coherent sentences and the longest. Even so, If my glare could be translated into a dagger, he would be pierced by thousands of cuts. "I don't understand where all this anger comes from? I bet this would not be your reaction if I was Alfred." He questioned, and he sounded so damn serious. Anger melted into hesitation, I stood aghast, fixing his grave expressions under the low light, digesting what he said. No wonder we didn't talk much. He appeared disappointed as if I had let him down while we weren’t even on the same page… How come Alfred became the center of this dispute? As always, he didn't wait enough for the counter-attack, just turned and climbed up the stairs. The flash of his quick gaze held the shining melancholy of disappointment. Yet he paused after two steps, then turned back, settling for a watch from above, like a judge or priest wanting a confession from a wrongdoer. In those few moments, my legs hardly moved to climb up the stairs with him for he seemed extra intimidating being at a higher level than me, even lifting my head to confront him or thinking straight about what he meant after those ambiguous words of his, they consumed all my courage. Leaving me speechless. In the end, I chose to stand motionless where I was, nearest to the tinted blue water. Arranging the storm of thoughts breaking into my mind. I was afraid he would leave before I would sort anything out in my head, hence I blathered the first sentence that came to my lips. “What does Alfred have to do with this matter? Regardless, Alfred is smarter than forsaking his little brother just to shake off an unpleasant task.” For him, I must have sounded like a croaking crow. Considering the pronounced syllables were delayed as slowly as I could speak them, to gain as much as time I will get for my reflection to sort things out. His weight shifted to one of his legs, his head turned upfront, allowing the shadows of the upcoming night to eat his face. I sensed the thin bridge of communication between us crumpling, gradually. How could it not when the anger and blame were the only things that supported it. “I was framed for a first-degree murder,” I screamed out of fear of his egocentric departure. “Did you know that?” At least, He stopped, our gaze aligned again, but only silence birthed with this connection. “Yes, I know.” The mysterious touch I perceived from his composed tone sent a chill over my body. It was an ominous feeling, like an electric shock, like a lightning strike, concealing a vague feeling of pity directed at me. And with an accumulated control, he echoed. “Of course, I know... Everybody knows.” I can tell that those words were chewed hard and long before he kicked them out as he exhaled. A strange calm spread around the edges, whereas the sound of small waves hitting the stony stairs slimmed. The sun disk was finally swallowed by the night. My heart skipped beats, so insignificant, I felt compared to where Jacob stood. I understood what he implied by "everybody knows." Certainly, Not my friends and colleagues, not the campus, not even the whole city. What he meant by ‘everybody knows.’ was one of my worst fears being incarnated. “Did you know why General McCarthy stayed put while you were causing him disgrace here and there to selfishly feed your own ego?” A long pause trailed behind the last tone, seeking, a justification, an apology… I didn’t know… When he confirmed I had nothing to deflect or defend myself with, he resumed, his tone dressed yet again a letdown timber. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” hand fanned nonchalance, back turning once more, legs climbing up the stairs, “August Olvera's wellbeing is your responsibility now.” Trapped between shame and rage, I bit my lower lip. I hated the fact, him, retreating triumphed, obtaining what he set himself to get while leaving me wallowing in the despair of my naive faith in our brotherhood. “I know it.” I yelled for him to hear me, bloating a mouthful of sarcasm in my tone, “You planned all of this to get me to babysit the Olvera boy in your place.” Yet it was useless, as he continued moving coolly, indifferent to my retaliation. transforming my anger into grenades blowing up without a prior thought. “You always hold yourself high and mighty above odious conduct, forever detesting and dining Alfred methods for you always said he is a calculative jerk. Aren’t you using those same methods? such hypocrisy…” Jacob's elegant retreat came to an abrupt halt. A spectrum of flames danced across his eyes as he fixed me with a side look, it quickly subsided under strong self-restraint. I know what ticked him most, nothing successful like motioning Alfred then comparing them together in one sentence. “Aren’t you the worst kind of hypocrites? Dating the daughter of a traitor?'' To my surprise, He closed the distance that separated us, in a blink of an eye. Smoke floated with his words, generating a surge of gooseflesh beneath my clothes. In front of this tsunami of rage, strings of dread and stress played their symphony on my face. I wished I could run, as fast as I could, as far as I will be able to. But, how? When the ocean one a step behind my back, thus I resigned to take my last breath. My eyelids locked my vision, I anticipated him pushing me to the water, it won’t cost him much effort for I was neutralized by fear. Yet that light tap didn’t reach my body. The next second I opened my eyes to check on him. I was greeted by the silhouette of Jacob bathing in the glassy light of the sky. He looked like the spirit of an old warrior looking down on me with reverence. Discarding my pitiful attempt to provoke him. Even the cold shine of the moon made him seem as if he had risen alone from a fierce battle. I did not dare to stare much longer, I quickly tried to retreat unaware of the nonavailability of space under my feet. Then the unbalance of my weight dragged me into a fall. Similar to the anticipated push that didn’t come, the taste of the polluted salty water didn’t reach my skin. While I was suspended in the air, Jacob's hand holding my arm helped in restoring my balance. “I didn’t expect that you will be so stupid to run yourself straight into their trap. If you had someone to blame, blame your own inability to understand your circumstances.” As I crouched beside him, grateful for his help but never unmindful of his slander. “I didn’t want to lose the small trust I had built using the Marchetti, however, I didn’t expect I would be framed with a first-degree murder. I didn't expect this level of boldness” “Such a level of boldness? From a traitor? Is there anything more bold?” Jacob's tone carried an apparent sarcasm, “No matter how much secrets you divulge to them for their trust, as long as you hold the McCarthey in your name they will use you, but never trust you.” I expected every bit of Jacob's reaction. I thought he would scoff at my naivety, endlessly. I thought he would turn back, climb up the stairs and never look back again, .. Though… “They were probably using you as much as you were thinking that you are tricking them.” He added... Though… I never expected him to push me into the cold water. It tasted like oil, except it was salty, cold, and filthy. The unforeseen impact caused dullness in my perception, also a serious sluggishness in my movements. The duration that took me to recover the control was enough for Jacob to reach the level ground and walk away. My clothes weighed heavier on the dry land, colder under the breeze. Should I be angry, should I be regretful? At that moment, I didn’t feel anything, only a vague numbness, in my mind and on my body. When I reached the level ground, the salty water drew a long mark commemorating my footpath. It got thinner and drier as I pushed on. Maybe I was faster than I imagined. But that green uniform beneath the moonlight looked darker. Both of his hands rested in his pockets, Jacob's steps were slow. Slow as though he was waiting for me to catch up. The warmth in my body was sucked up, every inch of my body began shivering, only out of the stubbornness I kept going. He was still a few steps ahead of me. However, I was close enough to hear him. “If I didn’t send someone to get you out of the interrogation room, what were you going to do?” “I planned my own alibi.” I refused to let him claim credit for my release, thus my voice echoed loud, compared to the miserable state I was in. “Hmm…” his head leaned to the side, allowing the flash of mockery on his face, an ambiguous visibility, “the McCarthy control of this city is very limited, didn’t you expect whoever orchestrated the play will temper with whatever evidence you have planned and forge others that condemn you as long as you were tied in the interrogation room?” Then he straightened forward, rectifying “But I guess Evelyn won’t stand still…” I rolled my eyes, somehow he became extremely talkative today. All critical and preachy. A rare conduct from a stoic individual. On the other hand, the smug face with golden glasses and all know it smiles emerged over a white background within my imagination. Was Mr. Macias a friend or foe? He was too wicked to pass as a friend. “Anyway, you should thank August for pulling some strings to get you out of the interrogation room quickly.” This sentence startled me as if Jacob was aware of what was on my mind. Perhaps he felt guilty hence he is sharing information? Or he wanted me to see how much the Olvera boy is generous and willing to help, so I will gladly become his lapdog? Did he still consider me the gullible five-year-old boy whom he used to bully and scare? Mistaken was Jacob if he thought that I will be grateful. In the end, thanks to August I got myself a far superior wolf to be alert of. Hum… right now, I had nothing to fight with. Nothing to ask more for. I will just gulp up the insult for the sake of the big picture of that day starting to reveal itself. Connecting loose ends, One thread at a time… While we walked, the silence shrouded us along with the darkness of night. The noise of workers and machines reduced, Jacob reverted to his self-reserved mood, thus the only sound reverberated from our steps. I couldn't muster the courage to ask him for further clarification. How much I craved to find out the extent of his insight into me and Evelyn's plan? Since he motioned her name, he must have an inkling of what we had set ourselves up. Whereas, It was easy to deduce from where he got the details about my relationship with Anna. Certainly, August's assistant ran her mouth without reserve. The cold finally reached my brain, freezing my every sense, confined me into a world limited to my own thoughts. I didn’t notice Jacob stopping, thus I crashed into his back. Confused, I suspected something related to the uniform he wore must have caused this abrupt stop. Since we were at the port exit. “What?” in my question sipped a bit of delirium. “I heard Marchetti is in a coma.” His voice expressed some kind of revelation, opening a subject I wished to explore, albeit not in this unfavorable condition, “was it your doing?” His head inclined slightly to the side so he could examine my reaction through the corner of his eye. He didn’t wait for my confirmation or denial, just believed whatever it was threaded by his logic, “What if your girlfriend finds out?” Again he didn’t wait and moved up ahead, preventing me to sense the pity soiling the apathetic image of a solemn soldier. It always marveled me, Jacob's personality and character, was he cruel, was he caring?. Was he selfish, was he generous? It was a mystery that had yet to be solved. He certainly didn’t appreciate showing a lot of emotions, especially positive ones. However, sometimes the mercy in his heart transcended his perfect image of cold indifference. At this instant, as his profile strayed away further and further, eaten by the solitude of shadows. A wave of warmth climbed my skin, its source was a shame hidden deep in my heart, a disgrace directed at myself, at my thoughts and suspicions. How could I doubt him being part of the accusation ploy, while he didn't need to. He could force me to be the next babysitter for the Olvera boy with a mere glare? Jacob’s silhouette paused again, then the entire of his frame turned back. Face to face. Kind of creepy sensation nipped at my heart. Akin to the pride of being acknowledged. The distance between us wasn’t considered long or small. Though because of my sorry state, I was afraid I won’t be able to hear him in this rare instant of us transcending the communication barrier that was assembled over years. The elation encouraged a sudden rush to get closer. My legs strode, one after another, thirsty for whatever he was going to say. “You have become a target now?” My teeth ground, desperately fighting the cold. Yet my arms involuntarily crossed tightly, restraining the bit of the fading heat. I probably sounded like a clown, despite it rung so smug in my imagination. “I suspected that I would become a target since I decided to return home for the holiday.” A long gaze of a complete doubt thrown in a straight direction. I received its weight on my chest. The hit was heavy as well as it broke down the feeble bridge connecting us. Demanding a convincing answer to the following question: If you were aware of being targeted how come you let yourself into an obvious trap? Albeit he avoided to voice it out loud. The irony halted the conversation flow. Wrong move. If it was Alfred or Evelyn, they have already started a subtle interrogation to estimate the accuracy of my words. But Jacob wasn’t Alfred or Evelyn. Our foreign intimacy here ended its boundaries. Clueless to whatsoever happening behind me, the awkwardness consumed the remains of my dignity. Afraid to utter another unfit sentence, I adhere to the closed lips solution. Allowing the silence authority a comeback. The background noise of the engines governed our world, anew. The problem… It got louder and louder as if we were on a highway, or a car was going to hit us. The shadows wrapping Jacob’s silhouette brighten gradually with an approaching faded light. Parallel to the background noise. My heart tightened, I turned around. The blast as I faced the flashlight sealed my vision. Is this a hit and run? Are they going to kill us? How did they learn of the meeting place and time? It was too late to run away, however, my arms automatically shielded my face. Equal to death cry, the impact of air, the blow of the engine paused at a needle width from my body.

In my torturous wait, the teacher’s explanation bleached the edge of my mental absorption. Never was my lectures long, heavy, dull, and uninteresting. The voice of my overthinking demons flew into doodles. Line over a line, mirroring an ongoing stream of anarchy. My gaze strayed a million times, licking the dumb phone's dormant screen. A glimmer of hope, each glance, it grew. The screen will light at any second. Any second... Yet, what I got, a lightning bolt. An acute vibration traveled down my limbs, responding to a sudden pain from a bite on my tongue. I squeezed my eyes tight. Calming the rage. “Ooh-la-la… The big boy is not taking notes.” Seriously, she should stop doing this. "It has become harder to get hold of you these days." Like the wind, her interest shifted. "Are you avoiding us?" I felt it, as her hand stretched toward the dump phone. "Still using this trash?" and my palm sheltered the phone before her fingers had the chance to taste its surface. "Oh…" mind struck as she covered her mouth, acting dramatically, "it's fate." "Cali." The call attracted unwanted attention. Nearby eyes stared, a dramatic show they thirst for. My invisible university life hugged me farewell since that day. Every move I took, each uncivilized gesture of mine, entangled in the gossip complex web. The celebrity of the law department, I became, in the bad sense of the word. My effort to get out of the limelight. Sabotaged by fate, and by Cali. By hand, I drugged her into an isolated spot. Her back to the wall. Both of my arms above her head, trapping her: "What do you want?" Speechless, her eyes gaped at my face, my reflection in them, like a water surface, fragile and disturbed. A trace of fear, surprise, and guilt gushed, subtly. Rarely, I see her flustered. Rarely, my anger mirrored. I was venting to the wrong person at the wrong time, in the wrong place. The one who deserved my curses, the one who didn't return my thirty-six calls. The one who left me drowning in the events of that fateful night. "What do you want?" I retreated. Cali was a storm of nuisance, annoyance, but this is unfair to her. Under the shock, still. Her frightened expression eased a little. I barely heard her voice. "I am sorry." The coldness on my palm cooled into my forehead. My eyelids dropped halfway, avoiding contact. She finally said while withdrawing: "Anna's father is in a coma." The distance widened. "I thought you wanted to know this." In the next seconds, her silhouette was buried in the silence of the corridor’s twist.   I didn't have much time to dwell. A faint vibration rang, disturbing the behavioral reflections of mine. The lit small screen, in a direct line of my view, displayed a name. Sadly, wasn't the person I wished to contact. I clenched my fist, pressing the small phone under an overgrowing force. My resolve thickened. No other choice was left on my path. I must meet him face to face. *** The parking lot of the finance and economic department, or the wealthy department, before midday, always gets full. Here, you will find cars you can only see on TV commercials. Pedestrians such as myself abhor strolling in this area. Especially at this time of day. I stood near my favorite red car, vigilant, like a watchdog. I felt I turned. From the curious passengers quick, questionable glances. Running the overarching feeling of humiliation, I meditated on the rhythmic motion of my watch… counting seconds… The concluding events of my life, lately, consisted of an alternate series of waiting and perks of surprises. Unpleasant ones were the most abundant. For I readied my agility for any form of unexpected situation. Here approaching my target, slowly, steadily walking. He didn't notice me, perhaps preoccupied, as his steps showed a stain of reluctance. He never ceased checking the phone screen. Before he crossed the street, his head turned right, his lips smiled wide. No longer than two minutes, two girls joined him. The three of them outlined a circle while engaged in a chat. For like, for like, I started pulling my hair. No waiting anymore. I pushed for my first move to approach them, to see a third girl joining them. Rather a woman, she was slightly older. As I began to complain about the number of women he was acquainted with, the group finally headed towards the red car, at last. And, at last, he detected my presence. I enjoyed the effect of surprise on his face. Made me feel in control, in power for the upcoming meeting, especially when I was asking for a favor. "August Olvera." Maybe this was my first time talking to Olvera’s genius hire and my father's future target for business cooperation. "Kieran?" Out of the control seat, he pushed me when he said my name. As familiar as old acquaintances. I was afraid it was all written on my face. "Mr. McCarthy?" The woman picked on it rather fast. In a silent glare, my focus bathed her. I didn't appreciate her tone. "You are the new celebrity in the law department, it's so hard to not know you." Salty… Probably, she was a long-distance relative of Mm. Marchetti. "This is Kieran McCarthy…" August playing peacemaker, introducing me to the other girls and mending the circulating, decayed wind. Pointless this prologue was, the suspended giggles at the edge of my vision told me so, like a clown in a cheap theater I felt, yet the second round was coming. "This is Madeline Fry, my assistant." His presenting hand flagged left. "This is Samantha Fry and her friend Lia Riggs." No romantic entanglement, I detected with any of the girls. Merely, the taint of friendliness, friendship leaked through the voice. The ringing of metal gripped my sensors, the car's lights responded to the soft click, the doors lock clack free, obeying. "Don't stand here wasting time, you only have one hour for lunch." Madeline urged and her sister, cousin, whatever already jumped next to the driver’s seat. Humm, she doesn't desire to associate with me, interesting… "I think I will take my lunch here." The door stuck half-open, Madeline's flinching eyes stopped the time. "The campus cafeteria?" "Yes, the private one." August alluded. Oh please, I hoped for an invitation to the city's finest restaurants. Emery is such a gourmet, and he succeeded in infecting me. Her gaze jerked between us, curves of her lips down in disagreement, then she glanced at her wrist: "I will come to get you in one hour." Like thunder, a cloud of dust left us alone. "Isn't this your car?" I asked after we got our eardrums burst from the excessive engine noise. The answer waltzed far from my damaged hearing ability. The overall view from the cafeteria roof… Impressive. Long since I had this misconception about this place being reserved for professors. It shattered today. Even there were servers here… In my painful wait for the ordered meal, Mr. Genius, in front of me, didn't waste an ounce of his time. A never-ending cadence of keyboard typing. A spread block note kissed by the tip of a pen, now and then. Each moment he lifted his eyelashes, I pretended to be surfing the moving tides of humans as they walked in and out of my perspective. Finally, the ring of plates graced our table. The serviette spread open. I watched every particular eating habit of his. From the little details of preparation to the first sample spoon on his tongue. Comparing them to the ones I witnessed at the dinner party. The way he held the silverware, the position of his hands, arms, the tilt of his head… The refinement in his gestures. Such pig manners of mine, in contrast. Especially when I recalled my gluttonous monkey style at the dinner party. Did he notice it? Did he watch me eating like a monkey pig? Our tables were so close… I hope the matter of his unwanted engagement sealed the total of his focus. What bothered me further was the balanced attitude of the spoon, traveling up and down. Steady, nonchalant. Talking to me about his untroubled spirit during my visitation. That hint of surprise I drank on earlier withered. Only left a faint decayed scent, stinging my throat. No word stepped out of his mouth while eating. Perhaps, a display of decency in high society. Fools, they didn't know what they were missing. Chatting around a full table, one of life's top pleasures. With each implication of his eating habit, my boat of reminiscence drift. Probing for links. August Olvera… I remembered him, easy-going between his friends, lifeless at the dinner party, nervous under my father's interest, relieved as he rode the helicopter, and awfully cold during the trip. He called me by name... I missed the part when I became one of his closest acquaintances. To this level of closeness, we never interacted before... Furious, I bottled the itchy feelings. Even my intentionally piercing stares didn’t affect him. His half-lowered eyelids trailed from the set of his order down to mine. Witnessing the outlook change in his eyes as the intensity of the blue increased. My head dropped towards my dish. Nothing was wrong. I just made sure that each sort of food was placed on a defined limit, in a symmetrical approach. On the left, soup drops rested on the edge of the plate, my plate. How come I didn’t notice... A fresh napkin slid enough to wipe them clean and nice. The spoon on my right, the fork on my left, ready for the appetizer.   My meal, the epitome of an arranged pattern. The view from above, matchless, reassuring. Like a critical photographer, I inspected it. Yet from where arose this bitterness? Something… Missing, hard to pinpoint, inaccurate to define… I felt it… In my surroundings... under my skin. In this meeting, why am I the one standing on the edge of a slope? Why was he unruffled? Where was my satisfying, disturbed expression on his visage? As if aware I was coming after him? "Is the food not to your liking?" Mechanically, the bones of my neck cracked, my head motionless when I reached his sightline. As well as my voice deprived vitality: "I am here because of Jacob McCarthy." The last spoon of his meal perched aside. He cleaned the corner of his mouth, his hands. A server brought coffee. After one sip, he said: "I see," a sluggish timbre, all unconcerned. Unsurprised. "For an important matter," the fork fell on the floor, echoing an unpleasant noise. The corner of his eyes jerked slightly. "Sorry," I reverberated, sharp, "it was unintentional." "Sorry," he said, in there, less panic than I wished for. "I didn't mean…” Perfect, my aggressive message reached him. He better says goodby for any false presumption about my character. “Actually..., Jacob told me you will make contact." My endeavor of retrieving the fork ended with acute pain. My head knocked on the table border. Maybe the unbearable ache caused impaired hearing. "Kieran?" he leaped from his seat, hastily, a strange expression traced his face. "Are you ok?" "Jacob, what?" My hand soothed the impact of the hit and the confusion. Oh, aside from the unwanted stares I attracted, can I correct others’ false assumptions about me with a clumsy, humiliating show? And after such a manly move. “Jacob informed me of your incoming.” “Today?” Still confused, but asked anyway for additional affirmation. “Yes..., this morning.” “Hmm,” that jerk, he didn’t pick up my calls, “Did he say something else?” August’s face twisted in return for the question. I didn’t appreciate the hazy look. Better close this subject sooner than him finding out the terrible communication skills of my family members. “Then what I am supposed to do?” I rephrased my inquiry. “We are, ah... Madeli... My assistant was supposed to brief you on your role but…” In his stuttering, a sense of relief rained over my heart, appeasing and ecstatic. At last, something I can start feasting on. Under my teeth, the first sample of the food was crushed. The taste, above terrible. I kept chewing, my eyes throwing animalistic sparks, though, why he allows his assistant such liberty. “Sorry about her… Earlier, she was kinda rude.” The savor of my meal grew tastier, with each crunch, with each bite. He sought to read me but failed: “Good, I appreciate this kind of person.” I jammed another spoon in my mouth, making him wait while I observed. His face weighed on the apologetic scale over the intimidation, thus I doubled the stimulus: “She makes it clear from the start that she didn’t like me.” Truthfully, it saved me the effort to suck up to her. Like I did with Mm. Marchetti. What a bad memory. “No, no…, it’s not like that, not on a personal level. It’s only because of work and reputation.” Everything in my mouth, I swallowed in one go. Felt it caught in my throat. Where were we going with this conversation? “You know the rumors circulating about you, she thinks if I associate myself with you, at the moment, will cause my reputation to sink.” I reached for the water. Associating himself with me? What Jacob had told him? “I will be frank, what I want to say, this is not the first time you have been accused of first-degree murder, then the charge dropped off suddenly.” I drank his appearance along with the cold water. My gaze straightened toward his, through the glass. The ash-pale brows, evermore relaxed, devoid of judgment or accusation. His stand from what he said, from my unfortunate recent and old experience, I couldn’t fathom. Did he really care only about his reputation? One thing for sure, despite the polite attitude, the underneath bones of his smelled sordid. “I am just a luckless individual, always existing in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Soon, I switched for defensive. “I will work hard so your assistant stops fearing associating myself with you. Just dial Jacob’s number on your phone, for me.” **** “Hi... Dear brother.” “Huh, using someone else phone to contact me? Angry... I guess... Is that why you are spiting love words?” “...” My silence lasted a fraction of a second, yet felt longer. From the other side, Jacob didn't add a sound while I feared him hanging up the call: "You are awfully wordy today, is this the guilt speaking?" Before I pour out my heart.  

Apollo Beware of typos and misspelled words, this heat melted my brain. Concealed behind the water glass, I couldn’t help the distort adorning my mouth. Several chuckles traveled through the cracks formed between my lips. Transpired into the air, then left Evelyn and her Mr. Right bewildered by hesitation. “Of course she is.” In the span of seconds, the three of us exchanged hundreds of looks. “How do you think I got my free ticket into the target house?" Painful glares landed from Evelyn. Her knitted brows electrified in a cocktail of absurdity and anger. But her fiancé's reaction ripped through the thin balance, sustaining the situation. My focus gravitated as he lowered his head, pecking at the edge of the coffee cup. Refusing to deliver hints of his opinion. Despite the tangible discord, Evelyn nipped the orange juice, detached. The ton of inquiries behind those pursed lips swam back along with the swallowed liquid. Her eyelashes glided, peeling me off from her sight. The disapproval soaked her mood, yet refused to add or deduct a judgment. Hung under their heavy breath. Any excuse I will chew will just wrench further my image. "You want me to find the actual people behind this accident." My eyes tracked the voice source, swept to the other corner in relief, and escape. Oh, Mr. Right, neatly leaped over the subject… Out of retaliation, all serious, I confronted him, controlling tone imprinted my speech: "Start investigating Mm. Marchetti's circle." If Evelyn wanted him in, then I shall burn him dead. "However, there is something more urgent." I said as I glared at the waitress that passed us for the third time, "If you were able to get your hand on the investigation record, you could certainly accomplish this task." Emery’s expression developed in an awful fashion. He didn’t appreciate the bossy attitude. Nevertheless, it motivated me to persist in the same rhythm. If he thought about impressing his girlfriend by stealing my hard work, he needed to have a second thought. Evelyn smelled the arching smoke circling between us. Her long fingers soothed Mr. Right's shoulder, her red lips curved: "We should go now, dear," Her gaze winked discreet agreement towards me, "you two can discuss those things later." Obviously, she didn’t wish for extra interaction with me, at least for the present time. Emery side glanced at the waitress. He cupped Evelyn’s hand when he stood, whispering some flirty words I refused to hear. Honestly, I wondered who fell under the spell of who? As he rolled away, I seized the chance for a private conversation. It came to me, late, that Evelyn had the exact idea. "Just do me this favor." She pleaded, beating me to the punch. My voice stagnated within my throat. I couldn’t comply and say yes, neither could I express my genuine feeling and say no. Speechless, I scanned her face. Her fabricated cool humor fissured atop cheerless contents. When she became aware of my meticulous attention, she broke the momentum, “Kieran, be careful.” Her eyes looked up to whatever moved behind me. At that instant, the amount of the unsaid matters I grow conscious of flooded my senses. “Do not forget to destroy the memory card.” Murmuring, her last pointer left me drowning. The car skilfully took the road, its silhouette disappeared among the crowd. From behind, a shadow towered over my head. Imposing. The waitress gleefully giggled, “How are you going to pay, sir?” “What? Didn’t the man who sat here already paid the...?” She placed the bill before my eyes, leaving me choking on the number of zero. Rage reached my ears without being visible. All my pockets licked empty. I counted to the last coins I had not close enough…. What a scum trick. I shall reward him double for it. “The owner said, if you couldn’t pay, you must work here till you repay all the debt.” Owner? Keeping my startle in check, this man really had long arms. My brain engines launched, new connections built inside my head. Mr. Right’s business extended to this metropolis. Olvera’s business controlled around half of the legal dealings. Father keeping both parties close by. We are expanding. Precis updates were essential about this matter. "Can I just sign a commitment?" "Of course sir, but it will double the interest for each delayed day." What a shady business. And if I don't pay, I will be sent to jail. No wonder he had a lot of acquaintances in the police. I lifted my head, defeated: "Where is the kitchen?" Thank God I was a cleaning fanatic.   Following behind the waitress, we walked through an interesting architectural design. For a better description, a maze. If she left me, it won’t be simple, finding the way out. At a certain moment, the doubts burned my indifference, ashes tinted my compulsion black. When we took the elevator up, my over skeptic nature won over, almost assured of the trap laying ahead. Only one woman stood next to me. The elevator moved up. Alert, my gaze fixated on her back. Calculating eventual moves I will employ to neutralize the target. Even if she possessed a gun. From this distance, I can handle her easily. Aware she was of my attentive observation and abnormal bearing. The waitress couldn't mask her tension from the persistent focus I showered her with. In my head, I smirked. What an amateur they had used. Yet irritated, they succeeded in diminishing my preparedness. Emery, head lowered, sipping the coffee. The scene dangled in front of my eyes. If he was a traitor, if he tricked Evelyn all along. I will dig up his heart and throw it at stray dogs. The elevator door opened, however, no suspicious move had yet to be made. I stepped into a luxurious corridor. Cleanliness oozed from the floor, the walls. The flowery smell relaxed the intensity in my muscles. Noting from the consecutively numbered doors, we probably entered a hotel. We stopped at the most elegant quarters. What awaited me beyond this door… I ceased feeling less pessimistic. The timing was important. Should I make my move here and now? Should I hold longer for a confirming clue? Retreating a few steps, I leaned into an angle that concealed my presence if someone opened the door. She didn’t object to my adjustment. Luckily, my escort, an incompetent one. Like outside, like inside, the vast sitting room shone in an impeccable luxury. Albeit, no one waited within. My agility pumped harder. The waitress invited me to the couch, placed the folder that she carried all the way on a nice coffee table. Hesitant, my eyes, my ears, my arms began the shutdown mod against my will. "What is this?" Through a narrowed pair of eyes, I asked as I cautiously threw my weight on the comfortable couch.   "The working contract." Restrained confusion, suppressed frustration, only frowns bombarded her strained face. Hell, what a contract? Is he trying to make me his slave for a bunch of dessert dishes eaten by his woman? Upright, my body rose, "I am not signing any contract." "Sir…" "Several nights in jail are much better." My hand already cupped the door's handle. "Sir, at least read before you decide." It took me a fraction of a second to choose. My head swung back. Solemn gaze flickered toward the waitress and the coffee table, photographing them in one detailed picture. Finding more reasons to hate Emery was my choice. Skimming over the lines, the furious tincture defiled my manners, dissipated. The tense colors paled. Bafflement replaced the anger. I scanned the waitress, for like the hundred times: "You are sure that he wanted me to sign this contract?" Lips tight sealed. She nodded, confirming. Way earnest. Still skeptical, I sat down, inwardly, reciting each phrase, probing for discreet setbacks, secret cheats. Following this contract, I will pay my debt in three months. Long, yes. Still, what he offered me turned off my reasoning further. Besides the free lodging which I ought since the dormitory I stayed in is closing for maintenance, he is paying me for practically doing nothing, and taking 10% to cover the debt he imposed on me? Maybe Mr. Cromwell wasn't that bad. Haughty, complacent, the first impression he radiated, but reliability, it was unexpected. Albeit the spiteful served method. The tip of the pen floated above the predestined spot. Approaching... No, no, no, I won't fall for it. This is too good to be true. Too much for helping the little brother of his woman. The thing about desperate individuals, like a certain someone. They weren't stupid, - I suppose…-, just, they smell the oddity in the blowing pleasant breeze, yet they choose to ignore it in favor of their comfort, a period of instant gratification.   This night, I indulged the scars of my soul, the ache of my tired body on a big, comfy bed. Although the new, clean, and arranged home, it failed to soothe the lingering heaviness of the past days of my life. Nightmares accompanied my sleep, each episode stretched on the side. If I turned left, I reminisce over Olvera's dinner party. When I turned right, I tasted the rain of that night at Marchetti's house. On my back, the ceiling spiraled, morphed, as dark as the blindness. It swallowed me deep within an unfavorable stop of the past. "Noah…" The voice of my grandmother from that day, "Why are you not eating?" I could never forget that look. The disapproval claimed her face, lips pursed in displeasure. "This is not the end of the world." She scolded. Granting her an inky image, the mourning clothes hugged her aged figure. At that instant, my grandmother seemed tough, looked resilient, and much, much wiser. I am sorry, grandmother, yes; it wasn't the end of the world; it was my resurrection. *** After the confirmed statement of my innocence, the funeral of Anna's little brother was held, the next three days. Gravely compassionate, I stepped into the burial ceremony, alone. Per usual, head up front, registering the surroundings. Assessing the attendants' grief scale. It felt like a party-themed around black clothes. My poor Liam, your death welcomed cheerfully compared to your life. You were the deleted obstacle that prevailed Mm. Marchetti's quest, subduing her husband's wealth. Unconvinced by my innocence, Mm. Marchetti swarmed by a hysterical storm upon discerning my face among the alleged mourners. The slap landed on my cheek, the continuous hits I sustained. Her acting transcended mediocrity, at least in my eyes. The sole honest tears I stumbled upon that morning came from a face that I found torn between avoiding me and collapsing into my embrace. In the end, Anna refused to give more than those glimpses. The hug of her childhood friend surrounded her. As sympathetic as I was, as pragmatic as I could be. This opportunity, I exploited to retrieve the planted spy bug transmitters from the locations my hands could attain. Sadly, luck ditched my side in those last days. I could only leave the house empty-handed. Therefore, my last trip to Marchetti's house slandered me into massive disappointment. Mm. Marchetti's frenzied act glued most of the unwanted attention to my back. I didn't remember hating a woman as much as I hated her. The days strode forward. The shreds of my mind huddled as the routine swept my life further. Immersed between the lectures of the final term, the distress of preparing my thesis, to the bloody fight of paralegals in the Clangor law group for a permanent position. Furthermore, the new part-time job bestowed by my benefactor, Mr. Cromwell, proven delightful as much as its payment. My free time for overthinking diminished. Free I became from the self-inflicted reproach, the remorse that caged my conscience for days. The overall picture in my head cleaned fresh. My current position. What happened and what I am going to do next? They were all a matter of careful, logical planning. Though, on occasions, the margin thread of memories reminded me of the remark of the unknown mysterious interrogator. His remark, annotating the decline in my resistance as well as adaptability, echoed subtly at the back of my head. Far from formalities and denials. Regardless of the extent of his knowledge concerning my person, he spoke right. Those last years, I became a tattered puppet of my former identity, fractured, in parts, chopped, not just intellectually… I feared my father and brothers' censure if they witnessed my crappy handling of the pressure. My literal breakdown at nights, and my succumbing to the glittering fortune of Mr. Cromwell. For he was, to me, an unknown person with unknown motives. Evelyn’s fiancé?... Humm, Wasn’t I Anna’s ideal boyfriend... Despite Mr. Marchetti's hospitalization, my position as his assistant was unaffected. Now, all his cases have reached the freezing point, the time-devouring assignments squashed to dust. Aside from small errands here and there, my work at the firm sunk inside a peaceful train. The ongoing fight for an official post didn’t interest me. The raining offers, showering my egotism for a new position, merely served an appetizer. My goals strove above them. Actually, I pitied the rivals. Excluding unseen surprises, the upcoming months, the Clangor law group future shrouded behind nameless hands. Amidst those and that, my quest to appease Anna's grief had its own spot. I bet it would be much easier if she picked up her phone. After the hundred tries, I grew convinced that she may truly break up with me. What swept the little doubt and hope for reconciliation, the high and mighty attitude of my very, very dear friend, Travis. In the scarce chances orchestrating our encounters - by half-coincidences - Considering I made it unfailing to distance myself from the duo that called themselves my friends. Travis's nose held tall, while his mouth drew the curves of a victorious smile. He spoke to me from a tower high among the clouds. Altogether, I returned his smiles, I sincerely returned them. Fainting the oblivion world, radiating extra heartbreak, waves worked like a charm that stabbed his glorifying pride. The sympathy he threw at me, I made full use of it. Evelyn’s memory card, ever buried under the center stone of my grandfather’s ring. I had yet to watch the file records. Different kinds of fears generated the stall, combined with a bit of laziness and tight schedules. First, I wasn’t in the right mindset to judge things and form an impartial opinion. Second, I dreaded that my laptop, my restored phone were bugged by…, Mmm, the police? The ones who set me up?. Better be safe than sorry. Let Travis finish reprogramming the laptop before any intimate usage. I forgot to mention my diligent prayers each morning and every night that the investigator won't find the spy bugs I hid in the Marchetti’s house. Or my innocence counter will flatten to zero. Well, it seemed that my prayers were heard. The first time I visited the house to meet Anna, face to face, the signboard mentioned it was for sale. The second time, the house was sold. At last another chance to exploit. It will cost me only another favor I required to ask Emery for; arrange me a place with the company responsible for the operation and find Anna’s new address. Now, the only point left beyond my brilliant arrangement, my destined reunion with my dear Jacob. Not exactly certain on the method to summon him without the interference of Evelyn, in particular, and my family in a broad sense. But I am assured that our communication problem, after the upcoming meeting, will grow worse. “This is your lucky day Mr. McCarthy.” My upper body shook from the hit on my back. My fingers slipped on the keyboard and ruined the report. Nevertheless, the loss of working flow. My head lifted upward, tilted, the smile I forced concealed the culminating displeasure. Mr. Harrison's timing was always bad, his awareness worse. His hand didn't stop at one strike. The second slap shook my left shoulder, wrecking my report further. I pulled the chair then stood, for two reasons; saving the remaining shreds of my ruined composure, showing respect to a senior partner of the firm. Defamation stayed external to my field of expertise. My judgment of Mr. Harrison, I prefer keeping it to myself. However, it's an open secret everyone here knew about. The success of the Clangor law group blasted off of the abilities of this man. How he survived the harsh competition was something I will discover soon. What he said finally reached my nervous circuit. I tossed indifference and heedlessness out and concentrated. What he exactly meant by lucky. This word was ever tricky… "Yes, yes, he is here. Should I take him to the second meeting room or the office?" It took me several seconds to figure out that he was talking on his phone. My heart palpitated. In the past days, all my worries culminated around the spy bugs in Marchetti's house. Till I achieved my plan, with each unforeseen derivation of my schedule, I automatically linked it to the police, calling me for an explanation. My main second plan, feign ignorance and deny everything until my last breath. My ultimate third plan, if they detected any fingerprint or DNA traces and wanted to take a simple comparison… Pray that I was careful enough to not leave sufficient marks. What a degradation. I should have set that house on fire after the funeral. Anxious, I walked behind Mr. Harrison, leaving some distance. My heart stopped when he turned to wait for my approaching. "Not feeling good today, you are awfully slow." Only half of my mouth smiled. When our foot arrayed in a horizontal line, I asked: "Can I ask why I am lucky and where you are taking me?" Side by side, we moved forward. Mr. Harrison's idea for suspense tore me to extreme irritation. Before the locked gate for the secondary meeting room, he paused. One hand on the door, the other signaled to hush me: "This is not official yet, so keep it a secret." The door oscillated inward then outward, barely allowing me enough angle to view who occupied the room. I narrowed my eyes, the access deliberately locked. It kept me out after Mr. Harrison got in. The integral asked for files staged on the desk, parallels: "Those are all the frozen cases of Mr. Marchetti, arranged by the time of the last hearing. "Ready and flawless as always," He approached to whisper in my ear, "Remember that it was me who recommended you." I still didn't understand why we made the trip to the meeting room than to Mr. Marchetti’s office, much to understand this off-topic chatter. Hence, I insinuated: "Are you the one who is going to resume Mr. Marchetti's frozen cases?" The pitiful clients, they are going to say goodbye to their miserable life. Mr. Harrison only excels at divorce cases. Was there more damage that can be done to the firm's reputation? His index crossed his mouth again to hash me: "I told you it's not official yet." His voice was created from threads of whispers. Made of glass, Mr. Marchetti's office had two entrances. My back faced both of them. Nothing but the breeze I felt when one door opened, carrying a nostalgic fragrance. Like a brainless fan, Mr. Harrison hobbled toward the person who joined us: "Mr. Macias, I have arranged all the frozen cases by order of the last hearing." Oh… Nevertheless, Mr. Harrison acting beneath his standing, or shamefully attributing my work to himself. Me, me the forgotten third wheel, halted next to the desk. Detached like a moon in a starless night, Calm like a sea in windless day. My eruption burst into words, like the lava of a dormant volcano. Direct, rigid, and apathetic: "The files contain personal information of our clients. No one has the right to access them without the explicit consent of each respective client." The golden strings of the glasses swayed with curves of a smug smile.

A while before Leyton attacked with his army of tanks and helicopters, he had managed to summon only one tank by using the spell, “Summon Tank.” “Alright! I got my tank!” He said happily at the successful summoning. Then he pointed his finger at a distance away from them and said, “Tank, fire in that direction.” There was a moment of silence as he and the three girls waited for something to happen. However, nothing happened, and he glanced at the girls in confusion before looking back at the tank. “I said fire over there!” He ordered. Once again, they waited patiently for a few seconds to see if something would happen, but nothing happened. This made Leyton sigh and wonder aloud, “What’s wrong with this thing? Is it broken?” “Um,” began his wife, Skye, looking curiously at the tank. “I think it’s missing bullets?” “Oh!” He said, realising the obvious and hitting himself on the side gently at his silliness. “Of course! It needs missiles, a driver, and an engineer to operate! Damn. I feel silly.” “Did you think it’d fire magically with just your command?” Skye asked curiously with a raised eyebrow in amusement. “It was worth a try,” he remarked with a sheepish grin. Then he began to think while muttering, “Still, what to do now? I don’t know how to operate a tank, and I doubt anyone in this world would know either.” There was a moment of silence before he muttered, “Should I summon people that can operate it?” Skye blinked in alarm at his words and said quickly, “Leyley, that’s kidnapping!” “Yeah. You’re right,” he said, nodding in agreement and crossing out such a thought. He glanced at the angels and asked, “Hey, miss angels. Do you have any idea if it’s possible to enchant an object and make it do something for you by a way of commands? Like, program something to do something for you?” “Uh,” the two angels began and looked at one another with puzzled expressions. “I think it’s possible to enchant something to make it do what you want, but…” stated Veva and looked uncertain. “It’s a difficult thing to do and it takes a high-level user to perform it,” said Lexi said apologetically. “Mmm,” he said and nodded in understanding. “Does that make me a high-level user?” “Certainly,” replied Veva with a small smile. “Alright then,” he said and cracked his fingers by turning back to face the tank. “Time to test out my theory then.” “What are you going to do?” Skye asked him curiously. “I’m going to program it,” he told her shortly, focusing only on what he was going to do. Aiming his hand at the tank, he said, “Program:- Command LOAD: Intake energy from the area and turn it into missiles and load them;Command RELOAD: Discard the empty shells and activate command LOAD;Command FIRE: Launch the loaded missile to my specifications, alias command is LAUNCH, optional to give the direction to fire at;Command MOVE: Intake energy from the area and convert it to fuel, optional to give the distance and/or direction to move; Command STOP: Stop performing current action, optional to specify FIRE, MOVE, or ALL;” With each command he set to it, the tank glowed in a blue light before returning to look normal. Once he finished programming it, he smiled contentedly with a smile. “Alright. I think that’s the minimum commands it needs to operate. Is there anything else that I should add to its program, Skye?” “I… don’t know,” she admitted, looking perplexed. “I don’t know anything about tanks to be honest, so do what’s best for you.” “Mmm. Well, I think I could try tweaking or adding more commands to it, but let’s test and see if this programming works or not.” “I’m nervous,” his wife admitted, looking worriedly at the tank. “It’ll be fine,” he said with a smile, then he added, “better get back a little bit.” As she and the angels moved away from them, he pointed his finger in a faraway direction that looked empty and said, “Alright. Tank, load and fire over there.” This time, he heard the tank roar into life and felt the atmosphere around him tingle for some strange reason. Then he watched as the tank raised its turret in an elevation and heard the gears churning inside the machine before, with a boom, a missile was launched from it. Smoke drifted from the tank as the missile soared into the air at high speed, flying in the specified direction. They watched as the missile flew through the air and disappear within a few seconds. Then they heard it hit the ground from the tremor they felt beneath their feet before they saw a rising mushroom cloud in the distance. “Wow! It worked!” Leyton exclaimed, looking happy and excited that his programming worked. “Hey. What’s that?” Lexi said suddenly, pointing towards the cloud of dust soaring towards them. Leyton looked at it for a moment before he widened his eyes in shock at the realisation of what it was. He turned to the girls and told them, “Lexi and Veva. Activate your barrier. Now would be good.” They blinked at him in surprise before aiming both of their hands in front of them and said, “Barrier.” In an instant, a barrier formed around them that was reflected with power. As soon as the wind swept towards them and hit the barrier, a heavy impact occurred. They were surprised by the strong impact the wind had against the barrier, but they were truly shocked when the tank got pushed back several meters before it got flipped upside down. “This is crazy!” Leyton exclaimed, looking shocked. Skye moved forward and clutched his hands nervously while glancing anxiously around them. The angels were amazed by the power of the wind seeing as it moved a heavy tank quite a distance away from them. The wind slowly died down and returned to normal. Sensing this, the angels deactivated their barrier and breathed a sigh. None of them had expected for this to happen, and they all looked towards the rising mushroom clouds in the distance. “Oh wow. Um… I didn’t expect it to be this powerful,” admitted Leyton, blinking in surprise at the rising mushroom cloud in the distance. Suddenly, the two angels rushed to face him with glittering eyes full of excitement and said, “Sir! That was awesome! You could easily destroy the higher order with that kind of power! What was it?” “Uh…” He said hesitantly, looking baffled by the excited angels. “It’s a missile.” “Missile…” They repeated slowly, adding the word into their dictionary and looking amazed. “I think it’s far too powerful, Leyley?” Skye asked him curiously. “Yeah. It’s too powerful,” he said, nodding at her in agreement. “I don’t think a real tank would be able to do this and there’d be too much devastation with this kind of power, not to mention the high chances that the tank might simply explode as it couldn’t handle this much power.” “Better lower the power output then?” “No. I better put a limiter to restrict how much power it intakes to avoid recoil.” “Good idea.” “What?!” The angels exclaimed, looking shocked. “Sir! It’s good as it is!” “No, it’s not, you stupid angels!” Leyton retorted, looking at them as if they were crazy. “Destroying the enemy is one thing, but what’s the point if we destroy ourselves with it?” “We can just cast barrier magic to protect ourselves!” They said together, looking pleadingly at him. He looked at their faces with a disgruntled look on his face before looking sideways at his wife. Skye looked at him and supported him by shaking her head. “Yeah. You do that if you want. I, on the other hand, am going to put restrictions on the power intake,” he told them with a small smile. With that, he began to walk towards the upside-down tank to check on its condition while the angels became disappointed, their shoulders drooping while Skye patted them sympathetically.   ==== + ==== + ==== + ====   Closing the Book   “Those angels are crazy,” the boy said, looking amazed by their craziness. “Why the heck are they happy to use that kind of power in actual battle? They’re nuts!” “Well, when you think about it, their craziness might actually seem reasonable,” the older man said with a soft smile. “Reasonable? How?” “They were hopeful of destroying their enemy without losing too many of their comrades.” “Oh. When you put it that way,” the boy said, looking conflicted. The man looked at him with a smile and said, “But Leyton is right that it’s too much power and the recoil could destroy them as well. There’s no point in doing something like that, is there?” “I agree,” the boy said, nodding in agreement while looking dejected. His less than happy expression made the older man blink in surprise and ask, “What’s wrong? You look suddenly down.” “Uh,” the boy began with a groan, “I thought he summoned people from another world and put them under his mind control, but he did something else instead.” The older man laughed and asked, “Wait? Were you hoping that he did kidnap them like you imagined?” “It was a practical choice to make considering the situation he’s in.” “True, and we did get to see that he contemplated it before Skye convinced him,” the man said with a smile. “Besides, this is a much better way of doing things than being a criminal as your first step in protecting another world.” “I know, but it’s vexing to think I was wrong,” the boy said, looking down at the book. “It’s almost like that the author wanted me to think in a certain way and then disappoint me by doing something else.” “Like I said before; he’s being unexpected and it quite entertaining,” the man said with a grin. “Possibly,” the boy said with a chuckle. “Still, that’s one strange command structure to give a tank, don’t you think?” “It’s the basic and Leyton said so himself,” the man pointed out. “We’ll probably see more commands and a few tweaks since his test worked out a little more than he had anticipated.” “Yeah, but he’s got a gruelling task of summoning fifty tanks and twenty helicopters from what we’ve seen in the previous chapter, and then program them all,” the boy said and smirked. “What’s so funny?” “He’s got to program them all, and that’ll be very tiring for him, I’m sure,” the boy said with a grin. “Oh? Is that what you think he’ll do?” The older man asked shrewdly. His suddenly question made the boy’s smile to fade and look suspiciously at him. “Wait a minute. You know what he’ll do, right? Spill it already!” The boy demanded, looking annoyed. The older man chuckled and replied, “Why me? Let the story reveal it.” Then he winked at him and finished by saying, “Read on!”

“What?” Leyton asked in amazement while Skye looked shocked. “An Embassy of Chaos? I’m guessing they’re the villains here?” “Yes, and they’ve been causing chaos and destruction everywhere they go,” the white angel, Lexi, informed him with a serious voice. “Oh,” said Leyton, pondering for a moment before saying, “I take it they somehow got wind of us coming to this world and so, sent a dragon to destroy us?” “Yes,” agreed both angels simultaneously. There was a moment of pause, which made Skye ask him, “What is it, Leyley? You’re thinking of something to do?” He shook his head and replied, “No. I’m just thinking they went overboard by sending a dragon to destroy us.” His words stunned his wife while shocking the angels, making them exclaim, “That’s what you’re concerned about?!” As he smiled in embarrassment at them, the angels turned to each other with panicked faces and began conversation about what to do. “We need to get out of here,” said Veva. “I know, but it’ll take us probably ten minutes to set up the teleportation magic since we don’t have any of the necessary tools,” said Lexi in a dejected voice. “Dammit! How careless of us to come here without preparing for anything like this!” Veva complained, feeling angry at their foolishness. “Sir,” said Lexi while turning to the couple. “We’ll be leaving by flight.” “Flying?” He asked, looking shocked. “So, we’re flying.” He hesitated a moment longer before asking them, “Could you, um, hug me?” In an instant, all three women there became shocked by his words and exclaimed, “Huh?!” “Leyley, why do you want to hug them when you have me?” Skye asked him in sorrow. He realised the misunderstanding caused by his words and quickly waved his hands at them. “No! I didn’t mean it that way! Honest!” He said, trying to convince them while the angels looked worried. “I just don’t want to dangle or anything from your hands.” “Oh. That,” said Lexi, finally understanding what he meant as the two angels and his wife relaxed. “It’ll be fine, sir. We won’t drop you.” Leyton shook his head vehemently and said, “Please, no. I’d rather run from here than fly by dangling myself with you holding onto my hands. It’s… scary.” The angels turned to each other while Skye looked up at her husband and asked shrewdly, “Leyley… Are you perhaps… thinking of something strange like you normally do…?” She was referring to his bad habit of being a pervert and assumed that he was thinking of something strange when he asked one of the angels to hug him and fly off. “I’m being serious, Skye!” He said, trying to convince her. “I just don’t want to have this… dangling by the thread feeling. Seriously!” “Hmm?” His wife eyed him curiously before the angels turned back to them and said, “Alright, sir. We’ll comply since it would take us too long to run from here, and flying is quicker than activating the teleportation magic.” As they approached each of them, Skye asked them, “Couldn’t you fight that monster if you wanted to? I mean, you are angels, right? Aren’t you supposedly really strong?” “Yes, well, we are to some extent but fighting a dragon of that size is a little bit… out of our league,” stated Veva with a sad smile. Lexi walked towards Leyton and said a little timidly, “Alright, sir. Please be gentle.” He was alarmed by her reaction and said, “D-Don’t say such things that’ll cause misunderstandings. I won’t do anything weird. Besides, I’m already married.” She nodded quietly before he walked forward and slowly placed his arms around her waist. When he accidentally brushed her wings with his hands, she winced and shuddered while making a strange sound of, “Mph!” “Ah! Sorry!” Leyton said quickly, trying to pull his hands away, but she grabbed his hands and forcefully made him hug her. “It’s okay, sir. I’m just… not used to this kind of sensation,” she said weakly with a blush forming on her face. Leyton saw her face and turned to look at Skye who was hugging onto Veva, wondering what she was thinking. Sure enough, his wife looked sadly at him having to hug another woman beside her. “It’s only temporary!” He called to her, and she nodded weakly. “Alright! Let’s go!” Veva announced loudly. With that, the two angels flapped their wings and kicked off the ground to fly into the air. By the sudden force of them taking off, Leyton winced and hugged Lexi tightly. This, in turn, caused her to wince and made her flying become sloppy. “Please… don’t hug so tightly…!” She said with a heavy breathing. “S-Sorry!” He exclaimed, relaxing his grip a little to ease the pressure on her. The two angels flapped their wings every now and then while moving as fast as they possibly could away from the dragon. However, the large monster was fast and got nearer to them fairly quickly. “Watch out!” Veva shouted. As they desperately tried to outfly the dragon, Leyton looked over Lexi’s shoulders and stared at the dragon in shock. It seemed to look back at him and let out a huge roar that caused a violent wind to buffet against all of them. While Lexi steered through it and was aiming to get out of the way, the dragon roared again. The huge sound and the thought of falling caused him to hug her tightly once more. As she flinched, and her body shuddered, the dragon soared towards them, but they were above its head where its mouth could not reach. So, all it could do was raise its head and headbutted them with a tremendous force. The two of them screamed as they fell downwards and crashed heavily against the ground. Veva and Skye, who had evaded the dragon, watched them crash with an alarmed look on their faces. “Lexi!” “Leyton!” They dived down towards where the angel and human had crashed at. The dust cloud slowly cleared to reveal Layton lying on the ground while making soft moaning sounds with the angel crouched on top of him. “Huh?” Lexi asked, sitting upright and looking around in amazement. “We’re alive.” “Yeah, but I don’t think my back is,” he replied weakly. That was when she realised, she was sitting on top of him and instantly became worried for him. “Oh no! Sir Leyton! Are you alright? Did you shield our fall with your back?” “I don’t think I did it willingly,” he replied, smiling wryly up at her. “Also, please get off. You’re sitting in a really wrong spot.” “Eh?” She asked and blinked in surprise, not understanding what he meant. Suddenly, she was shoved aside by Skye, who had charged towards them the moment she landed by saying, “Move aside!” As Lexi fell comically to the side, the wife turned to her husband and asked, “Are you alright, Leyton?” “Do I look alright to you?” He asked her back with a small smile. She could see him in pain and for a moment worried that he had broken his back. However, Leyton blinked in surprise as he did not feel the kind of pain he was expecting from having landed on his back. “Huh?” He asked, and sat upright much to everyone’s surprise. “My back isn’t broken. I’m fine?” “Yes, you are!” Skye exclaimed, and she moved forward to wrap her arms around him and hug him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re not hurt.” “Yeah. I guess so, but… how I did not get hurt?” He muttered curiously. No one answered him, and there was no time because, at that moment, they felt a strange build-up of energy coming from somewhere. They turned and saw that the dragon had opened its mouth wide and was carrying a ball of fire in it before launching it straight at them. “Oh no!” Veva shouted in shock. She faced towards it and extended her hands out while shouting, “Barrier!” In an instant, a blue like sphere surrounded them as a protective shield from all kinds of attacks. Lexi quickly rose to her feet and went to stand at her friend’s side while casting the same magic spell to double the protection layer. Behind them, Leyton and Skye watched in amazement as the two brave angels used their barrier to stand against the ball of fire hat rocketed towards them. They thought that everything would be fine, but they did not expect that the moment the fireball smashed into the barrier, it became a mighty explosion with immense power that it shattered the barriers and sent them all flying off their feet. They crash landed several meters away, sporting minor wounds and injuries. Leyton was the first to rise to his feet and looked around in shock as the smoke from the explosion drifted around. Then he quickly glanced around him trying to find where his wife was before noticing her lying about a meter away. “Skye!” He shouted in shock when he saw her lying face down on the grass and did not move. He rose to his feet and hurried over to her before falling down to his knees before her while asking, “Skye! Are you okay?” When she did not respond, he feared the worst and gently turning her over to find her alive and breathing. She gasped for breath and groaned before looking up at him before smiling weakly at him. “Wow. That was quite the crash landing I just had,” she commented wearily. He smiled weakly and said, “I’m glad you’re alright.” However, his expression became dark when he noticed the cuts and bruises on her from the crash she had. He was sporting similar injuries from his crash landing, but he did not feel the pain and instead, felt an enormous amount of anger build up inside him. As the dragon roared, he slowly turned towards it and showed it a look of pure hatred. It was responsible for causing his wife to have such injuries, and made him want to destroy it. “How dare you…?!” He exclaimed slowly, glaring menacingly as his angry feelings surged to the surface like a volcano and erupted all at once, causing him to roar the words, “HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SKYE!!!!!!!!” His words echoed loud and clear in the open grassy field, but that was not the only thing that occurred. The roaring words transformed into a violent burst of wind that swept away towards the monster at an incredible speed. The dragon reacted in surprise as the violent wind came at it before its body got shredded into pieces. The violent power that Leyton unleashed was so powerful that it instantly killed the monster before it could react. This caused a shower of meat and blood to rain down onto the grassy field as its shredded body pieces fell everywhere. Seeing the result of his scream, Leyton widened her eyes in alarm and expressed what he felt with just one word. “Huh?”   ==== + ==== + ==== + ====   Closing the Book   “Well, like I thought, he did defeat the dragon, but… what an unexpected finish,” the boy said, sounding surprised and amused at the same time when he completed the chapter. “Yeah, well, I think any husband would be super mad at the thing that hurt his wife,” the older man replied with a sheepish smile. “No kidding,” the boy commented, smiling slightly and looking down at the chapter. “Still, the descriptions are a little bit too precise.” “Hmm? In what way?” “His power was so great that it shredded the monster’s body into pieces and caused it to rain meat and blood everywhere,” the boy said and shuddered. “A little bit gory, don’t you think?” “Ah. That one,” the older man said, and smiled. “Well, compared to the extreme gory content written in other novels, I consider this to be mild. At least, he didn’t go into the extra detail of the intestines and—!” “Alright! Alright! I don’t need to hear it!” The boy exclaimed, clapping his hands over his ears in shock. As the older man laughed, and when the boy uncovered his ears, he asked in a curious voice, “So, how did his sense of humour treat you in this chapter?” “It’s… well…” the boy began and looked at him. “To put it bluntly; it’s opinion based. You did tell me to ignore it if I didn’t like it and keep going with the story, but not everyone would enjoy this, you know?” “Of course not. With everyone having different tastes, it’s hard to satisfy everyone,” the older man agreed. “Still, the author had a good time writing about it.” “He sure did, but I’ll just write that off as him being strange in the head. It’s become a standard anyway,” the boy said, and the man laughed. “But I do like the way he ended it on a comical tone.” “Yeah, with Leyton being both surprised and baffled by what just happened. It’s hilarious,” the older man agreed with a grin. “It also shows that the author is doing his overpowered characters differently to how they’re done.” “We’ll see that in the next chapter,” the boy said. Then he looked worried and asked the older man, “Um… Won’t we?” The man beamed and winked at him as he replied, “Yes!”

“Oh! Looks like a mid-level boss came to us!” Leyton said excitedly. “This saves us a lot of trouble of tracking and killing your fatness!” “Ley-Ley! That’s rude!” Skye told Leyton from beside him. “Who cares? They’re our enemy, and he’s clearly not here for a picnic, is he?” Leyton asked her back. “B-But… we don’t need to be so rude about it,” she insisted, to which he sighed and relented. “Fine!” He said and turned to face their enemy. “Look, Mr. Random Face! My wife told me not to be rude to you, so why don’t you just kill yourself and save me the trouble why don’t you?” “Ley-Ley…” muttered Skye weakly beside him at seeing him not stopping his rudeness. Their enemy smirked and said, “You heroes think you can defeat me and get to our leader? Think again! You’ll die trying because you have to go through me first!” There was a moment that followed his words before Leyton chuckled and said, “Insert meme here.” “Huh?” The villain asked in confusion. “Insert… what?” Leyton chuckled and said, “You know. If you were a tall bearded man wearing grey robes and stomped your staff down while shouting ‘you shall not pass’ then I’d probably be scared. Seeing as you are now, you are a knockoff. A joke to a masterpiece.” “What?!” The villain exclaimed, looking both shocked and confused as he did not understand the context of the insults. “What stupidity are you sprouting?!” Leyton ignored him and sighed as he said, “Seems like even after death and reincarnating in another world, memes are a thing. I guess I should watch out for cliché dialogues next.” “Enough of your nonsense! It’s time for you to die!” Their enemy yelled angrily. “Like that, I guess,” said Leyton casually. In an instant, the man began to surge with power, causing the wind to blow wildly around them as well as shockwaves to be sent in all directions. “Please stay back sir and madam!” Lexi said, brandishing her sword alongside Veva wielding a sword as well. “We’ll take care of him!” “Ha! You angels will fight me?! Don’t kid yourself!” The enemy exclaimed hysterically. Leyton sensed something bad was about to happen and said to his wife, “Skye, stand behind me.” “Huh? Ley-Ley?” She asked, but he shook his head to not have her ask questions and simply follow what he said. She did and not a moment later that she moved to hide behind her husband when their enemy made his move. He kicked off the ground and shot forward like a bullet, speeding so fast that he got past both the angels before they knew it and flew past him with his aim directly at Leyton. “What?!” Lexi exclaimed in shock. “No!” Veva exclaimed in horror. There was no time for them to reach him as he was speeding way faster than them and within seconds, he was already on top of Leyton. He raised his sword high in the air and swung it down with full force with the clear intention of cutting the human into two pieces. Leyton smiled and stretched his left arm out while muttering, “Summon and Attach Shield!” In an instant, a shield materialised and attached itself automatically to his arm as instructed by his magic invocation. Then he swung his arm and brought it in front of the sword swing, successfully blocking the attack in the process. The impact of the sword on the shield caused a powerful shock wave and wind to occur as well as the ground to shake violently. Leyton widened his eyes in alarm when he felt the ground give way beneath him, and he felt like he sank a little down as a concave occurred where he stood. “Wow! You’re strong!” Leyton expressed in a surprised voice. “Die, human!” His villain shouted as he tried to push his sword to break through the shield. This made Leyton smile and reply, “You want to hold that thought,” and his villain heard him mumble something. A moment later, he was suddenly hit on the side of his face by something very solid that rattled is mind and sent him flying away. He flew for several meters when he suddenly spun in the air and landed firmly on the ground, with his feet getting dragged before coming to a stop. He spit out blood from his mouth and looked towards his enemy before widening his eyes in shock at what he saw. There stood Leyton with a shield attached to his left arm while wielding a large scythe with his right hand. Then he spun it around before resting it on his shoulder with a bright grin on his face. “What?! That weapon?!” The enemy exclaimed in shock, raising a hand and pointing at the scythe Leyton was wielding. “Hmm? It’s a scythe. Don’t you know?” Leyton asked back with a grinning face. This infuriated his enemy and began to scare him as he exclaimed, “You! Who are you! Are you really a hero?!” His words made Leyton to ponder before replying nonchalantly, “I’m not sure actually… but I know I’ll reap you to hell! Get ready!” With his shout, Leyton kicked off the ground and began running full tilt towards his enemy. He was not fully accustomed to his body, so he did not know how to exactly kick off the ground and fly towards his enemy. As such, he chose to do the normal thing by running towards his enemy as fast as he could, but because he focused his energies on running, his speed increased exponentially. “Bastard!” The enemy exclaimed, reacted with surprise as his enemy quickly reached him. “That’s you!” Leyton replied and swung the scythe at him with full force. Widening his eyes at realising he would not be able to block it, the enemy opted to dodge it by ducking down. As he did, the scythe flew right over where he was standing a moment before and released a wild slicing wave that cut through the air and flew away into the distance where a mountain stood. A moment later, they heard something crumbling and all of them turned to see the mountain suddenly lift slightly into the air as a large gap appeared beneath its midriff. The gap was caused by the powerful slicing wave that Leyton unleashed with his scythe and as the mountain crumbled down, the enemy turned back to look up at this overpowering enemy that towered over him. “Well…! Looks like I’ve yet to fully control my swinging power,” said Leyton with a smile full of confidence. In that instant, both the enemy and the angels present felt an overwhelming difference in power between themselves and the hero wielding a scythe.   ==== + ==== + ==== + ====   Closing the Book   “A scythe?!” The boy exclaimed, widening his eyes in shock once he reached the end of chapter. “Seriously?! A scythe?! A hero wielding a scythe?! What?!” “It’s unexpected, right?” The older man said, who no longer had his beard. “Yes! I just assumed that the first weapon he’d use in that world would be either a sword or a shield. Who would’ve thought he’d use a scythe of all things?!” The boy exclaimed, reeling in shock from what just happened in the chapter. “How could the author do this?! He’s breaking something! I can feel it!” The older man laughed and replied, “How can you say that when you’re 16 chapters in already?” “Well, I mean, from the beginning, the story seemed good but whacked in places,” the boy admitted. “Now, it’s like the author is indulging his own love into the story and not caring about anything else. Just look at how Leyton just casually dropped that meme thing. It’s funny but unexpected!” “It’s the same thing when he did the ‘all your base belong to me’ isn’t it?” “Yes, and that’s so unexpected. It’s like the author is trying to take the readers by surprise at the most unexpected times.” “If he doesn’t do that, the story wouldn’t be interesting,” the older man reasoned. “Really? From the sudden nuclear bombing of a world to reincarnating in another world together with his wife and being so overpowered that he can just right up summon military grade weapons and equipment and go right into battle and now just straight up give the already overpowered main character a scythe so casually! It’s definitely ludicrously interesting!” The older man laughed at the young boy’s words and said, “I’m happy you’re liking it.” The young boy snorted and responded with, “I don’t know if I call this feeling of liking it or being weirded out by the causal stunts the author is doing. Anyway, I’ll give him credit for trying to keep it somewhat realistic instead of winging everything.” “Realistic?” “Yes. Just look at the way the chapter ended. It clearly says Leyton was not accustomed to his new body and would not be able to kick off the ground and fly at his enemy like the others of that world. That’s a good way of showcasing the realism instead of straight up just making Leyton do it without prior knowledge and all, especially it was clear he was a gamer and an office worker in his previous world,” the boy exclaimed in detail much to the surprise of the older man. “I can accept Leyton being able to use magic simply from the explanation the angels gave him as well as using his own imagination since he did say he played some games though I don’t know what games they were. So, thinking that Leyton could drive but cannot fly because of lacking knowledge and experience makes sense and keeps the story interesting,” the boy finished approvingly. “You found that appropriate? That’s amazing,” the older man admitted, looking impressed. “Of course. Just think about it. If a baby suddenly fell into the pool of water and somehow managed to learn swimming on the first try without any sort of help or prior context. Wouldn’t that be baffling? It distorts the story and makes any progression and takes the fun out of it. That’s why I like that the author is keeping some parts of the realism intact while going berserk on the fantasy stuff.” The older man laughed and said, “I’m sure the author would feel both happy and troubled by the assessment of a kid.” “I may be a kid, but I’m not stupid to release these small things!” The boy replied firmly. “I see. In that case, do you think what will happen in the next chapter with your current assessment?” “Huh? Are you joking?” The younger boy asked, looking taken aback. “I’m a kid, and a reader at that. How am I supposed to know what might happen next when I’m not the author of this book, especially with this randomizer style of writing?” Then he narrowed his eyes and said shrewdly, “The only one I know who might know is you, but you refuse!” “Yes, and I’ve decided to refrain from giving anymore hints in the future after my poor beard paid the price,” the older man said, rubbing his cheek where he sported a beard previously. “Seriously. It takes so long to grow to that length, you know?” “Not my problem you had to cut off your beard when it’s your fault for giving me false hope about Skye didn’t get to shine all that much in the last chapter,” the boy fumed heatedly. “Incidentally, will she have better focus done to her and not get side-lined?” To that, the older man flinched at the serious look the boy gave and turned away while saying, “No comment,” before whistling nervously. The younger boy continued to look at him with suspicion before sighing and saying, “Fine. I guess I’ll find out on my own in the next chapter,” and turned the page to begin reading it.

“Skye. Skye. Wake up already,” said Leyton, shaking his wife’s unconscious body. He was sitting on the grass as he had his wife lying on his lap, looking curiously at her. The two angels, Lexy and Veva, watched them quietly while also sitting down on the grass. Behind them was the luxury car that he had summoned earlier, which had caused his wife to faint from shock of seeing such a thing for the first time in her life. “Did that vehicle have such a significance for her to lose consciousness, sir?” Veva asked curiously. “Well, it’s not just anyone can afford to buy,” he replied with a wry smile. “It’s very expensive. Only the very rich people in our world would have one of those.” “I see,” she said, nodding in understanding. “Your world must be very advanced to have such a smooth looking car, sir,” remarked Lexi in amazement. “Advanced could be based on the perspective,” he replied with a wry smile. “Anyway, wake up, Skye. You can’t sleep at a time like this. We got a war to go to.” “We could awaken her with our magic, sir,” suggested Lexi as Skye remained unconscious. “No. I don’t want to wake her up like that. What if something were to happen?” He asked her with a concerned look on his face. “Rather, I’d wake her up myself. I’m the husband after all.” “It won’t do any harm on her,” was what Lexi wanted to say, but when she saw the determined look on his face, she decided to remain silent. So, they remained and watched as he tried waking his wife up by shaking her. When they suggested he use some water to wake her up, but he refused. “Maybe, this is for the best,” he muttered, coming to a decision. He rose to his feet and placed his arms under his wife’s body before raising her into a princess carry. With her in his arms, he moved towards the car and to the passenger side before saying single word. “Open.” In an instant, the passenger door opened wide for him, and he gently laid her inside it and buckled her in. Then he remained there, watching his wife sleeping peacefully with a pleasant smile on his face. She made a cute expression, and he liked it very much. It made him want to stare at forever, but he also knew he had work to do. He leaned back and closed the door gently with his hands, which was when the angels finally spoke to him. “Sir, can this vehicle move in our world?” Lexi asked curiously. “I am worried that because of the low height and its strange looking wheels, maybe it’ll have difficulty moving around in this grass,” commented Veva worriedly. “Yes. We need a road,” he replied, making them look dejected as there was no road anywhere to be seen. But he smiled and said, “It’s fine though. It’s just a simple task of making it able to move around with magic.” With that, he aimed his hand at the Lamborghini and said, “Program:- Command START: Absorb energy from the surroundings, convert it to fuel and start the engine and be on standby for action, alias command is LAUNCH;Command STOP: Cuts the engine and brings the car to a stop if it’s moving; Operation:- Wheels: Find traction on uneven fields, move 10 centimeters up above all kinds of surfaces, ignore all bumps and unevenness of the terrain, scan ahead or behind to account for those, remain undamaged from all effects, from any environment, and from external interferences;Body: Block all water from leaking inside, stay afloat over water, fire, and air, be unaffected by all external factors such as bullets, bombs, explosions, tornadoes and ice while remaining smooth;Exhaust: Convert exhaust smoke into sustainable energy for the environment;” When he was done, he smiled and said, “Right! Now this is one hell of a formidable car!” “I don’t understand, sir,” said Veva while Lexi nodded from beside her. “You certainly put a lot of spells on that vehicle.” “Oh,” he said, turning to look at them with a sheepish grin on his face. “Well, you could say I gave this car a lot of cheats to make it a car like no other.” “I… see…” said the angels together, looking perplexed. He smiled at them and said, “Okay. I should test the car and see if it’s working just to make sure.” Saying so, he jumped into the driver side of the Lamborghini, closed the door, fastened his seat belt and smiled as he enjoyed the luxurious comfort only the rich people could enjoy. He enjoyed it for a few seconds before, with his fingers moving excitedly, he placed his hands on the steering wheel. He placed his left leg on the clutch and said, “Start.” In an instant, the car’s engine came to life, and he immediately pressed on the accelerator pedal. An enormous roaring sound came off from the car and it echoed in the surroundings, causing both the angels to jump back with fright and stare at it in alarm. “It’s a monster just like those things!” Lexi said, thinking about the tanks lined up nearby. “I concur,” said Veva in agreement. While inside the car, Leyton was enjoying himself as he said, “I like this wireless like command structure, but just in case, I should go back to making a master key so that the car operates only with it to avoid the car being stolen. It’s a pretty powerful car after all.” He chuckled lightly as the car slowly moved forward. “Okay. Engine’s started, and the fuel gauge looks full,” he said, glancing around at the settings. “A bit unfamiliar, but should operate like any normal car. I hope anyway.” With a sheepish grin, he moved the gear stick from neutral to the first gear. Then he slowly raised his left foot off the clutch while pressing lightly on the acceleration pedal. In an instant, he felt a movement and the car slowly moved for the first time since being summoned into this new world. It moved slowly across the grass, treating it like a road. He continued to let the car move slowly forward, waiting for something to happen. As everything appeared normal and the car moved smoothly along the grass, he smiled excitedly like a small boy playing with a toy that he really loved. “Okay. Time to test this baby out!” He said, and put his foot down on the pedal. In an instant, the car revved loudly before shooting forward like a rocket. Skype and Leyton fell back into his seat, and he widened his eyes in shock as the car dramatically went from 10 to 100 within seconds before he could comprehend what had happened. Even the angels watched in shock as the car tore away through the grassy field at high speed. “Way too fast!” He shouted, and lifted his leg off the accelerator and gradually stomped down on the brake so that he and his wife would not end up smashing through the car and ending up in an accident. A loud screeching sound came as the brakes on the car got applied, causing it to skid forward for several meters. During this time, he desperately held onto the steering wheel with both of his hands and tried to not lose control of the car as it zoomed forward at high speed. Several seconds later, it finally came to a screeching halt, and he laid back on his seat while sighing deeply as sweat formed on his face. “Holy crap. That was insane!” He exclaimed, sighing deeply due to the sensation of being out of breath. Then he looked at the steering wheel and muttered, “Forget about fighting the enemy. For now, I need to first focus on getting accustomed to driving this thing before I end up in a stupid accident.” Just then, he heard a slight moan from the passenger side, and he turned to see his wife slowly stir. She opened her eyes gradually and became confused by the situation she found herself in. “Huh? Where am I? Am I in the car? Oh my! Did I faint? Did you put me here, Leyley?” She asked, turning to look at her husband in confusion. Then her expression changed to that of bewilderment by seeing him looking tired and asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen while I was asleep?” “Ah… Nothing in particular,” he said and smiled weakly at her. He was not willing to tell her he drove the Lamborghini at an incredible speed because he knew she would scold him for driving so recklessly even though it was not his fault. “Well, maybe being careless does make it my fault?” He thought to himself wryly. So, he slowly made the car turn around and move back to where the angels were waiting for them.   ==== + ==== + ==== + ====   Closing the Book   “Heh,” the boy said and smirked with a smile on his face. “So silly. He should’ve known he’s driving a powerful car.” “Well, you can’t really blame him since it’s his first time driving such a car when he was mostly used to driving average cars that moderate families own,” the older man told him. “Yeah, but I would’ve been careful!” The boy said, trying to act strong and mature. “He wasn’t even wearing a seatbelt!” “Oh really?” The older man asked, and the boy looked nervously at him. “Tell me honestly what you would’ve done with the first bike you got? Would you have put on a helmet?” There was a fraction of a second where the boy hesitated before he said hurriedly, “Yes! I would’ve worn the helmet.” His response man the older man chuckle and say, “You hesitated in your response. That’s more than enough to tell your true answer. Likewise, I doubt you would’ve put on a seat belt as well if you suddenly drove that kind of vehicle for the first time in your life.” “Are you saying I’m immature?!” The boy asked while looking indignant. “I’m just saying that perhaps 70% of people from the place he comes from don’t wear a seat belt on their first time driving unless a supervisor is there to guide them. They just don’t think about it at that time as they are fuelled by excitement,” the man said wisely. “Oh? Does that mean you did something like not wear a seat belt during your first time driving?” “Well…” The older man began, wearing a cheeky smile on his face, “would you blame me for being overly excited about driving my first supercharged car?” The boy shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, I’m sure you learnt your lesson from then. Anyway, I’m glad Leyton is smart to make a physical master key to keep his rightful ownership of the car in case it should ever be stolen. I just hope he makes it with a GPS tracking of the car and that no magic could overwrite the master key over the car.” “I’m sure he’ll get to it eventually,” the older man said with a smile. “Right,” the boy said and nodded in agreement. Then he frowned and asked, “Still, can’t the author speed up his writing? I mean, he’s keeping the chapters pretty short. While I can understand he doesn’t want to burn himself out, he’s getting carried away and straying away from the main story.” This made the man smile and asked, “You just want to see the action, right?” “Of course! That’s what I, as the reader, was promised, and 9 chapters in, and we’re only getting to see Leyton prepare himself, getting a car, and so on with no real action.” “Oh, come on. There wouldn’t be much of a story if you only had action without any drama, romance, and comedy in a story,” the man told him strictly. “It’s like making food; you don’t use just one ingredient, you use various ingredients and only then will the food taste good.” The boy blinked at the older man in surprise and asked, “What’s food and stories have anything to do with each other? You don’t eat books, do you?” The man said, “Pft,” and chuckled before he went on to say, “I know that, but what I’m saying is that just as how food is made using different ingredients, a story is made using many different elements and that’s when you have an enjoyable story to read.” “I know that. I’m just messing with you,” the boy said and winked at him. The older man laughed and said, “Anyway, move onto the next chapter and see what happens.” “Yeah, but I just hope the author doesn’t spend time describing how the hero got control over his driving skills because it’s fillers, and I don’t think readers would appreciate it. I know I wouldn’t,” the boy commented hopefully. “There’s no way to find out if you don’t turn that page and read on,” the older man commented and winked at him with a bright smile on his face.