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As the first ray of sun dawns through the window and illuminates the bedroom and its every corner, the lingering shadow and blackness vanish as if it was never there. As the sun slowly starts to rise to its peak, the rays of sunlight change their position and fall on the face of the fairy. She twitches her face as it was obvious that the sunlight was waking her up from her deep slumber. Opening her eyes, she squinted them as after a long sleep her eyes were not yet adapted to the strong light released by the sun. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand to block the sunlight and let them adapt to the light. Stretching her hand in a big yawn and release the stiffness in her body which was accumulated from the long sleep and she got out of bed so she could get ready and check every room of the place which she decided to call her home. The very first room she decided to check was the exact same room she was in right now and in which she decided to sleep in after a few moments of her arrival. Right in front of the bed was a big closet, it was with a mixture of applewood and rosewood. Applewood had a light tone and texture compared to rose wood which was dark in tone and texture. So most part of cupboard was made of apple wood and rode wood was used to add decoration as well as handles. It was made keeping its preimmunises in mind, so the closet was very luxurious. The dark and light toning of wood color made the closet stand out more in the room. The fairy walked towards the closet and put her both hands on the closet’s each handles and pulled the door towards her, inside the closet on the left-hand side of it on the door there was a very tall oval shaped mirror which was made for looking at the whole body not just face but outfit as well and inside of the closet was dresses of various sizes. Looking at it, it was like the closet was either filled with the clothes of various different people or it was filled with the clothes of same person being of various ages in time. So, there were small dressed and large dresses, some was of small girl somewhat of 7 to 9 years old and some dresses had a very loose areas around the chest, looking at them, it was obvious that this dress was made for grown woman. The closet was filled with dresses from a childs size to till adult grown woman size who seems to be of an age of somewhat 23 to 25. The fairy browsed between those dresses which were hanged inside of closet and looking through each dress her eyes fell on a certain dress. Fairy was confused, her cheeks were bright red and a little hot and there was a moment of little flutter in her heart seeing that dress. She was confused, she didn’t know what were those emotions and what was the reason she was feeling. She was holding that dress in her hand and thinking about the reason why was she feeling those things, she spends quite a time mull-over it, and in the end, she came to the conclusion that the human emotion and heart are out of her understanding there was lot that she didn’t understand and as she has those too so she couldn’t forget about it and those thought stuck in the back of her mind, with that she change her train of thought, she saw a drawer right below the place where the dresses were hanging, similarly, like the out side of the closet the inside of the closet was made of mixture of two wood and the drawer which was inside the closet was as well. The compartment of the drawer was made of rosewood which hold the sliding part of the drawer which was made of apple wood and the handle is made of rose wood. She pulled the drawer and saw there were clothes inside of it as well, but she didn’t know what the clothes were intended for, they covered much less area and some had elastic and some were transparent, she left those clothes inside the drawer quite confused. There was a lot to check in this room but she decided it was enough for today and it was time to check other rooms. The next room on her list was the library which situated on the second floor of the tower. ‡-_-_-_-‡

Once there was certain something, It didn’t have a form, It didn’t have a body, It wasn’t a God, It wasn’t a Devil, It didn’t have a life, but It wasn’t dead nor It wasn’t alive, It just existed, It could think and observed. It observed everything that was going on below. Below it there was a place, people who live there called it Earth and it was those people It observed on a regular basis One day something clicked inside of It, It decided to join them and live within their society. There were feelings that wield inside of It which led to this decision. It felt Envy and Loneliness, living for eternity made It envious of those people of earth but at the same time living alone made It lonely. Something started to change, It’s body started to change it started to take the form of a living thing, It no longer called ‘It’, ‘It’ turned into ‘She'. It took the form of a beautiful lady but it was more like a petite girl, the body was slowly forming and taking a shape inside a transparent bubble. It was more like a child’s body than a woman's body. Nails started to form and then once those were complete there was a golden light that enveloped the body when the light dimmed there were beautiful Golden Blond Hairs on her head, her eyebrows, and her eyelashes were of beautiful Golden color which gleamed brightly. A young child’s naked body was inside a transparent bubble and suddenly a white substance appeared from nowhere and it kept expanding until it covered the whole space inside the bubble and the girl was nowhere to be seen and suddenly the bubble burst to reveal a beautiful young maiden with a petite body, the purest form of a living being, the true essence of purity. The white substance from before had disappeared and turned into a beautiful white one-piece gown dress which accentuated her petite figure more and made her look purer. She slowly opened her eyes, straightener her legs and hands, and look down calmly and slowly towards the place she has decided to visit and spend the rest of her life because now she has a life, now she is not something but instead, she is now an actual living being, she has a life, she is alive and so she went towards her destination. Far away in a remote village, there's a rundown castle whose only remnant was a tower. She decided to use it as the place for her to stay as none ever shows there other than hunters to hunt and the young maiden and married wives to scavenge for wild plants which do not grow on fields as well as Mushrooms and wild berries some were bitter and some were sweet. She arrives at her destination and looks towards the tower. “Now, I shall abide by this place. I shall bestow thee with the name ‘HOME’ the way other humans do.” As she names the tower her home, she entered inside it. As she entered, she saw an empty circular place-like hallway with protruding spherical stairs at the center. She clime up those stairs and found that the tower is a four-story building excluding the ground floor and each floor has its designated uses. As she climbs up the stairs, she reached the first floor, and the room on the first floor was designated as a store room. Without opening the door, she decided to visit the second floor. As she reach the second floor she found out it was designated as the library as she climbs up further, the room exactly above the library on the third floor was the kitchen and on the top-most fourth floor was a bedroom. But she didn't open a single door and look inside the room as she knew each room was filled with dust and cobwebs. After checking all floors, she descends to the ground floor and thinks for a few minutes about what should be done. After quite a brainstorming, she came to a conclusion. As she was born recently, she had exhausted a lot of energy which made her all that sleepily, worn-out and tired so she decides. "Thine shall not worry, as I shall postpone the matter and think about it later meanwhile, I shall scurry to my bed chambers." The girl went up to the tower's top-most floor where lays the bedroom with Queen size bed.  She climbs all those stairs to reach the top of the tower and as she reaches the top, she opened the door to the bed chambers where lay the queen size bed, Little tattered and a little old but that was able to suffice her drowsiness, tiredness, and fatigue and as she lets herself on the bed, she lets her consciousness drift apart to the dream world and she falls asleep…. ‡-_-_-_-‡

Dark, black, nothingness. There are so many ways to describe that hole, but nothing would get me down there. Into that abyss, that dungeon that would forever swear to shut out the darkness within. I knew how many there were, there were 20 and yet I counted them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.... I couldn't see the 14th step, it had already been swallowed by that black, and nothing would get me down there, nothing could make me climb down to turn on the light. I closed the cellar door and ran out of the kitchen. Mother would be home soon and then she would make the yummy pancakes again. I didn't know what it was, but she always got a "secret ingredient" from the cellar. When she came home and opened the cellar door again, I got a quick look downstairs before she sent me off to get that ingredient after she had turned on the light. I counted again: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...17, 18, 19, 20. I was right, there were 20, they were all there. The rest of the evening passed peacefully, my mother fetched a rubbish bag from the cellar and put it by the door, then she told me to go to sleep and I followed her order. I shouldn't have eaten so much. I looked at the clock, it was already after 2:00. I had to go to the bathroom. But when I opened my bedroom door I saw a light, a light coming from the kitchen. Was mother still awake? I walked into the kitchen and saw where the light was coming from, it was coming from the basement, had she left it on? I went over to the door and I didn't know why but out of habit I counted them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.... I shook my head, was I that tired? I counted again: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.... Again I looked around me, then again down into the cellar. The lamp was on, it filled the room in a dim blood-red light. And down to that lamp, which I now wanted oh so much to turn off, ran 13 steps, no more, no less. And so, like a moth, I followed the call of the light, closing the door behind me.

“Incredible,” the doctor gushed as he looked at Victor’s wound. “The bruising has already subsided. I’ve never seen anything like this!” Victor snuck a look at Connor, his cool blue eyes widening at the news. Victor shivered as the doctor placed an ice pack on his chest. “When do you think I’ll be able to leave?” Victor asked. He noticed his dad light up with anticipation. Mr. Au wore the same clothes as the day before; his salt and pepper five-o’clock shadow and the caverns under his eyes made him look several years older. The doctor used a bony pale finger to adjust his glasses, bringing attention to his deep set steel-grey eyes. “Based on the severity of your injuries when you got here yesterday, I expected you to stay for a couple of days. But, based on your rate of recovery, you’ll probably be able to leave tonight.” He glared at the ice pack on Victor’s chest. His gold-rimmed glasses gleaming under the rays of the afternoon sun slanting through the raised blinds. “You’re lucky that it wasn’t a fracture.” Victor let out a sigh of relief. Connor grinned a wide, toothy grin. Victor saw his father’s shoulders drop for what felt like the first time since he woke up in the recovery room. The doctor gave the nurse a nod. “I’ll check back in on you this evening.” He promptly left the room. The nurse followed behind him while staring at her clipboard. The door flung open seconds after the doctor left. A giant floating bouquet met Victor’s gaze. The levitating bundle of flowers moved to the side, revealing Summer’s hazel eyes staring at the ice pack on Victor’s chest. Her hair was in a braided ponytail, and her bottom lip quivered at the sight of her injured friend. Mr. Au grabbed the flowers and took a whiff before placing them on his seat. Summer straightened her loose-fitting neon-green blouse. “I would have gotten here sooner, but there was a huge line at The Flower Garden , and for some reason, they only had one checkout line open.” Summer turned toward Connor and shrieked at the sight of his bandaged forearm. She ran to him and wrapped both of her arms around his torso. Connor patted her back while facing the wall to his left, trying to hide his beat red face. Summer moved to hug Victor, but she quickly reeled back as if suddenly remembering his injury. “How are you all feeling?” “Apparently my wolverine genes kicked in,” Victor mocked. Summer smiled, but confusion was written clear across her face. Connor gave Victor a look. “We’ll be fine, Summer. V will probably be able to leave tonight.” “That's Great! Connor told me on the phone that you guys got mugged?” Mr. Au folded his arms. Connor shifted on his feet. Victor braced himself for the bullshit his best friend was about to spew. Connor cleared his throat. “We stopped at the gas station on our way home from school. Some drugged up guy smoking a cigarette pulled out a knife on us. Victor rushed the guy and disarmed him. They got into a fight and when I tried to break it up, he put his cigarette out on my arm.” Connor glanced over at Victor’s dad, a look of indifference met his eyes. Summer clasped the amethyst stone attached to her golden necklace. It shone through the gaps between her fingers. “Wow, that must have been terrifying.” Mr. Au gently massaged his son’s shoulders. “I’m gonna get some lunch. Thanks for the flowers, Summer.” “Yeah, thanks Summer,” Victor said enthusiastically, trying to make up for his delayed gratitude. Summer blushed. A hint of pink contrasted against her golden-brown skin. “Don’t mention it. I’m just happy to see that everyone is okay.” “You’re such a sweetheart,” Mr. Au said before sauntering out of the room. Summer’s face dropped. With her animosity aimed at Connor, she asked, “What are you guys not telling me?” Victor and Connor averted their eyes. The air grew denser. “If you two are going to lie, at least do me a favor and come up with a better story than that.” Summer rested her hands on her hips. “Not to mention the fact that both of your auras are all over the freaking place.” Victor perked up. “Summer, what color is my aura?” Summer scoffed. “Now is not the time for jokes. Why are you guys hiding things from me? I thought we were friends.” “I’m not joking, Summer. Please, I really want to know.” She removed her hands from her hips and softened her face. “How about this, I’ll tell you if you promise to tell me what really happened, deal?” “Deal.” “Well, you’re injured so there are black swirls muddying your aura at the moment, but normally, it's a beautiful and rich golden color.” “Gold… wait a minute, Victor, your eyes turned gold right before you saved me,” Connor recalled. “My eyes were gold? What the hell, that sounds awesome! Why are you just now telling me this?” "Well, you did manifest super powers seemingly out of nowhere. Your eye color was not a detail I particularly cared much about." “Fair enough. Okay, so mine is gold. What color is Connor’s?” Summer’s eyes jumped from Connor to Victor. “What are you guys talking about?” “Please, Summer, we’ll tell you everything,” Victor promised. Summer kissed her teeth, then turned to face Connor. “Like I said before, you’re injured, so it's muddy right now, but normally, your aura is a bright shade of white. Now, start talking.” Victor smiled warmly, staring at the amethyst stone resting on Summer’s chest. “Connor is an angel.” “ Was,” Connor added. “Connor was an angel, and I’m technically half-angel. And we got injured fighting a demon in a forest clearing.” “Oh my god, that explains it!” Summer shouted. Of course she believes me , Victor thought. “Hold on, which part explains what, exactly?” “Originally, I thought you guys were ancient souls. I remember reading that really old souls have bright and beautiful auras. But now that you mention it, I can see one describing your auras as angelic.” She flashed a bright smile at Victor and Connor, then it waned. “You guys fought a demon?” Connor took on the arduous task of explaining all the previous day’s events to Summer. She sat at the foot of Victor’s bed, listening intently. To Victor’s surprise, she refrained from asking questions, and she responded to every fantastical detail with a smile and a nod. “V, you’re like a superhero!” she exclaimed. “Yeah, and apparently having angel DNA means I heal quickly, too. I wonder what else I can do. Guys, what if I can fly?” “How about you make sure you’re fully healed before you start flinging yourself off of rooftops,” Connor said. Summer giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. Her eyes suddenly went wide. “Wait a minute, so that time in gym class—” “Yep. At the time, I thought it was just some weird adrenaline thing, but apparently my mom left me a pretty awesome gift. But there is one big problem.” “What is it?” Connor asked. “I don’t exactly know how I triggered my powers. It sort of just happened.” “Think back. What did you do before manifesting your powers?” Connor asked. “I didn’t really do anything. All I could hear was my breath, and then everything kind of faded away. I also felt really… content.” Connor tilted his head like a blue-eyed falcon. “Fascinating.” “Meditation!” Summer exclaimed. They gave her a puzzled look. “I used to be overwhelmed by other people’s energies, causing me to get these terrible headaches. But then I tried some mindfulness meditation techniques, and I learned how to focus on my breathing whenever things got hectic.” “Okay, so you're saying this mindfulness stuff will help me master my powers?” “I have no idea. But what you described is how I feel when I’m meditating.” Victor laid his head on his rock-hard pillow. “Maybe meditation—” A high-pitched shriek caused him to lurch his head back up. He glared at Summer, a wide grin was present on her face. “Sorry,” Summer said. “It’s just… I’ve been wanting to get you guys into meditation for years now. But I was afraid V would just make fun of me again.” Victor smiled sadly at the ice pack on his chest. “Listen, I know I dismissed all of that mystical stuff before, and you're right, if you would have asked me to start meditating before yesterday, I would have for sure made fun of you for it. I guess I just wanna say… I’m sorry for being such a dickhead.” Summer pushed out her bottom lip. “Oh god, please don’t cry.” She went in for a warm embrace, her stomach hitting the ice pack on his chest. “Summer, ow!” She leapt backward and apologetically put her hands up. “Sorry! I need some time to prepare, and then we can officially have our first group meditation session!” She clasped her hands together and then started bouncing up and down. The multicolored bracelets wrapped around her wrists jangled, matching the rhythm of her movements. “By we, you mean you and V, right?” Connor asked dryly. Summer stopped bouncing to fix him with a stare. He broke eye contact and looked out the window. “Okay… just let me know when we’re doing this,” he said. Summer promptly returned to her bouncing. Connor looked at Victor with a face as still as stone. “We need to address the demon we encountered. We came out of it alive this time, but if we don’t prepare, the next time we meet one could be deadly.” “What do you know about demons?” Victor asked. “Demons are lower dimensional entities. Some of them can enter this plane by possessing humans who are in low frequency emotional states. Humans who are extremely depressed, for example, are the perfect candidates.” Connor lowered his eyes. “Once a demon possesses a human, the original soul gets replaced by the demon, effectively killing the person.” Summer paused and fiddled with her amethyst. “And you said they’ve always been here?” “Yes, but they usually avoided direct human contact. They mainly came back to take part in the vices only present on this plane. Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever even seen a demon. It’s also the first time I’ve heard of one attacking humans.” “How do we kill them?” Victor asked. “Decapitation is the only way I know how to kill a demon. However, it’s possible to stun one long enough for you to run away if you splash them with some holy water. I always carry a small bottle with me just in case, but of course, I forgot to bring it.” Victor smirked. “You just have holy water on hand? Did you rob a church or something?” Connor pulled out his phone and began typing. A couple of seconds later, he turned it around and moved it toward Victor’s face. “You can literally buy it online, and it's surprisingly inexpensive.” Summer pulled her phone out. “Summer—” “Already ahead of you, I’m buying some as we speak!” Summer exclaimed while typing on her phone. A sudden knock at the door made everyone jump. “Come in!” Victor shouted. Mr. Au walked in and dropped two bags on a chair. Victor saw a collar from one of his t-shirts and a pair of shoes in one bag. A large splotch of grease darkened a portion of the other bag. “You guys hungry?” Mr. Au asked.  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

“Let group meditation session number two officially begin!” Summer exclaimed. Victor gave her a quick glance before resting his eyes on the crystal buddha statue sitting on her dresser. Connor raised an eyebrow, presenting a nervous smile. “How are you guys not excited?” Summer added. “We don’t have to lie to our parents ever again.” “Hold on, why aren’t your parents here?” Victor asked. Connor shrugged. “I don’t know.” “So… did you like, choose your parents? How does this whole coming back to the physical plane thing work?” “No, I didn’t choose my parents. I was given my orders and told that they lived near you.” Victor crossed his arms. “What if they decided to move? What if we moved?” “I honestly don’t know what I would have done.” “Okay, what do you know?” “I know that you’re an asshole.” Connor smiled wryly. “I wish I had all the answers, but like I said before, I’m only here to observe you.” “Why didn’t the big guy come here himself? Oh wait, let me guess, you don’t know?” “Everything is in God’s plan.” “Whatever you say.” Victor turned to Summer. “Hey,” he said in an accusatory tone. “How did you fold so easily? All that arguing about what movie we saw was for nothing.” “I tried,” Summer said—her fingers twiddling with her amethyst pendant. “I really did, but that woman can read me like a book.” She plopped down on the floor pillow. “But that’s all in the past. Let’s focus on the present. Hey, meditation is all about focusing on the present. I brought it back full circle!” Connor laughed, causing her to pause for the sarcastic quip, but it never came. Summer had grown so accustomed to his verbal jabs that their absence perplexed her. “Did she take your water gun? I don’t see it anywhere,” Victor asked. “I hid it in the garden last night, but when I went looking for it this morning, I couldn’t find it.” Victor shook his head. His chain swinging side to side like a pendulum. “Now,” Summer said. “Let’s get down to business. V, when you went angel mode before, your eyes were open both times, right?” Victor sat down. “Yeah.” “When I started meditating, it was with my eyes closed at first, and then eventually I learned how to enter a meditative state with my eyes open. So let’s do it that way. Connor, you should try it, too. If you practice enough, you might see your wings.” Summer caught herself staring at his chest. She quickly averted her gaze. “Connor, where’s your necklace?” She asked. “I overslept, and I was in such a rush that I forgot it. Sorry.” Connor presented a look of genuine embarrassment. Why is he being so nice? Summer thought. She wasn’t complaining. Quite the opposite, actually. She rather liked this new, more endearing Connor. “Accidents happen. It’s okay,” she said. “Now, let’s get back to it.” She clapped her hands, startling Victor. “Focused meditation is when you meditate while focusing on an object, sound, or sensation. I had no idea we were gonna have to go demon slaying so soon, so my original plan of having you guys gradually get to the point of open-eyed meditation was ruined.” Summer suddenly got an idea. She sprung up, ran to her dresser, and opened the bottom drawer. After some digging, she pulled out a blank sheet of printer paper and a pencil box full of colored pencils. Connor got up on his knees to see what she was drawing. “What are you doing?” Summer rigorously added the finishing touches. “You guys are gonna love this.” She turned the paper around and showed them her masterpiece. Victor burst into laughter. “What the hell is that supposed to be?” Summer looked at the paper and then back at Victor. “It’s a demon. Connor, you see it, right?” Connor covered his mouth with his hand, trying to contain his laughter. “Uh… why is there blood coming out of its mouth? You know we’re not fighting vampires, right?” “It’s called artistic license. Don’t stifle my creativity.” Victor recovered from his laughing fit. “I don’t think that’s what artistic license means.” Summer turned around and grabbed some thumb tacks from her drawer. She stuck the piece of paper onto one of her walls, in full view of everyone. “Okay, I want you guys to focus on this demon—” A loud guffaw interrupted her. “Sorry… please continue,” Victor murmured. “As I was saying… focus on the drawing as you meditate. The same rules of clearing your mind and focusing on your breath still apply.” Summer moved to the side and watched as they crossed their legs and began meditating. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two boys while focusing on their auras. After several minutes of stability, Victor’s aura slowly started expanding. She noticed his eyes flash gold before returning to their original brown color. Connor’s aura hadn’t moved an inch since they started. He would look at the drawing for a couple of seconds and then sneak a glance at her before returning his eyes back to the drawing. After ten minutes of this, Summer clasped her hands together. “Okay, you guys, I think we’re done for today. Group meditation session number two has officially ended!” Victor let out a loud sigh. “You’re not gonna keep doing that ‘group meditation session’ thing every time we do this, are you?” “Maybe. Maybe not.” Her mouth twisting into a devilish grin. Victor checked his phone. “Perfect. We ended just in time for me to prepare for my date.” “Your what?” Connor asked. “You remember that girl on the bus that was checking me out?” “You mean the one that you creepily smiled at?” Victor snorted. “I saw her as I was walking to English and I spit some game. It was love at first sight… for her.” Summer rested her hands on her hips. “Do you even know her name?” “Come on, Summer, you know me better than that. I love all of my women. Her name is Catelyn, and she’s a sophomore. Her sun sign is—” “Okay, I get it,” Summer said, her arms dropping to her sides. “What are you guys gonna do?” “Hold on, Summer,” Connor interrupted. “You’re really letting him get away with saying he loves his women? Last time I checked, Bridgette was the only woman you were seeing.” Victor first responded with a flat stare, but a hint of a smile eventually swept across his face. “Hugh Hefner didn’t start off with a mansion full of bunnies.” “Ew,” Connor said. “That was really lame, even for you.” Summer couldn’t help but laugh. Victor had always been quite handsome, but he just recently figured that out for himself. Since this realization, he fancied himself some sort of playboy. “V has a point,” Summer said. “We all have to start somewhere.” “Oh, my apologies,” Connor said, immediately picking up on the sarcasm. “Shoot for the stars, V.” Victor’s smile waned. “Thanks for the support, guys,” he said in a tone indicating that he knew he was being mocked. “Anyway, Summer, we’re going to the coffee shop that just opened near the school.” “Have fun,” Summer said. “Thanks.” Victor turned to face Connor. “Well?” Connor gave him a fist bump. “Good luck, bro.” “Who needs luck when you have game!” Victor exclaimed as rushed out of the room. Connor stood near the door, picking at his nails. He eventually turned around and said, “I don’t think I made much progress.” “You seemed distracted. Is everything alright?” Summer asked. “You were in my peripheral vision the whole time.” Summer apologetically raised both of her hands. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I should have stood farther away.” “I didn’t really mind. It was just a little hard to focus.” Summer turned and walked toward the drawing on the wall. She leaned forward to inspect it, her nose almost touching the piece of paper. “It probably had a lot to do with the drawing. I’m definitely gonna make some changes to it tonight.” Summer turned back around and was met with Connor’s lips pressing against hers. Her eyes turned into hazel and white saucers. Connor grabbed her hips, pulling her toward him. She closed her eyes, then delicately wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The smell of his cologne was subtle, yet intoxicating. Connor slowly pulled back, his deep blue eyes piercing through his lenses. “Um… what was that?” Summer asked—her heart fluttering. “I got tired of looking.” “I noticed you checking me out, but I thought that was just a guy thing. So… you actually like me?” Connor leaned in and kissed her again, tightening his grip on her waist. He pulled back and smirked. Summer still had her arms wrapped around him. “I tried as hard as I could to not develop any attachments, but I misjudged how emotional humans truly are. First, I developed feelings of camaraderie with V, and then I developed those same feelings for you. But one day, I looked at you and felt something… more. Do you want me to let you go?” Summer sheepishly shook her head from side to side. “Good. Because I really don’t want to.” “I’ve thought about trying to see if you liked me, but… I used to think our friendship was more important.” “Used to think? What changed your mind?” “That kiss.” *** Victor stared at his closet, looking for the perfect outfit. He settled on his favorite red graphic t-shirt and his yet to be worn pair of black jeans. He checked his pair of red sneakers for scuffs and then jogged down the stair. His father was sitting on the couch, watching a baseball game. “Damnit, Martinez…” Mr. Au mumbled before checking the time on his phone. “V, didn’t you say your date was at four o’clock?” Victor sat on their large mahogany-colored recliner. He pulled on a lever and his feet shot up. “Yep.” His dad looked at his phone with a furrowed brow. “It’s 3:55.” “Dad, trust me. Showing up on time is the worst thing you can do on a first date. You gotta make em’ wait a little bit, it drives em’ crazy.” “Dating sure has changed since I was a teen.” “A lot has changed since you were a teen.” Victor flashed a sly grin. His dad snorted to himself and then turned his attention back to the baseball game. He lost himself in it, cursing at every bad pitch and fielding mistake. Victor eventually stood up. “Let’s go.” There was a sheen on the giant white coffee cup towering over the shop. The building was red-brick, and despite it being completed only a month ago, it had the worn look of a hole in the wall. Victor walked up to the door and read the Sergio’s Coffee written in bold black letters. He surveyed the inside of the shop, looking for Catelyn’s beautiful auburn hair. He slithered through a crowd of students huddled near the entrance to get a better look, eventually locking eyes with her. She wore a stunning green blouse that matched her emerald eyes. Her jean shorts showing off her athletic legs. “I’m so sorry. My dad’s car was having problems,” Victor lied, smiling a suave smile. Catelyn perked up, seemingly surprised by his apology. “Oh, it’s no problem. Things happen.” “I just need to let you know I go dutch on dates. Will that be a problem?” Catelyn presented her wallet purse. “Not at all.” Victor sat down, still smiling. “I’m not really much of a coffee guy, but I had to check this place out.” “I can’t make it through the day without my morning latte, and it’s near the school so I can walk here after practice.” “Practice? You play a sport?” “Field hockey. I’ve been playing since I was in elementary school.” Victor feigned a look of shock. “Wow, so not only are you gorgeous, you’re an athlete. That’s an elite combination.” Catelyn blushed, dropping her eyes. Victor could have sworn there was a hint of sadness in those eyes, but he brushed it off, sneaking a glance at her chest instead. The waiter appeared before them, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “How are you guys doing? My name is Mark and I’ll be your server today. Do you two need more time?” Victor looked at Catelyn. “You’re the coffee expert. What do you recommend?” Catelyn’s cheeks were still pink. “We’ll both have a medium iced vanilla latte, thank you.” Mark forced a smile. “Perfect.” Victor felt the table shaking. He looked down and saw Catelyn’s leg bouncing up and down. “When is your next game? I don’t know much about field hockey, but I’m down to watch you guys play.” “Oh, we have a game next Saturday.” “I’ll be there.” The table stopped shaking. She smiled, revealing the tiny gap between her two front teeth. “So… do you play any sports? You sure look like you do.” “I’ve never really been into playing organized sports. Training with my dad keeps me in pretty good shape, so that’s enough for me.” “I couldn’t imagine doing anything like that with my parents.” Victor leaned in. “Why not?” “My parents aren’t very friendly.” She chuckled nervously. “Sometimes, I wonder if they even like me.” “That’s weird.” “What is?” “I can’t imagine anyone not liking you.” The waiter showed up—ruining his smooth line—and placed their drinks on the table. Victor moved the cup to his mouth and took a gulp. It took everything in his power to not spit it out. “Wow… this is amazing.” Catelyn used the thick plastic straw to stir her drink. She took a sip. “This is way better than the lattes I make at home.” Victor put his glass down and glared at the light-brown witches’ brew. “I think you might turn me into a coffee guy.” They finished their drinks while periodically stopping in-between sips for small talk. The conversation mainly revolved around Catelyn’s thoughts on a variety of teachers and students. They laughed when Mrs. Walter’s faint mustache came up, and the conversation came to a halt after mentioning their star quarterback’s ACL injury. They paid separately, then walked side by side to the parking lot, where Victor saw his dad’s car pulling up. He gave her a side hug and then started toward the car. “Hold on. I almost forgot something,” Victor said, doubling back to Catelyn. “Wh—” Victor cut her off with a kiss. This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Melek, as always, woke up two minutes before his timer went off. He then immediately went through his nightly checklist. Fully charged earbuds? Check. Music app open on his phone? Check. Hatchet blade sharp and clean? Check. Everything was in its proper place and in tiptop shape. He put on his all black attire, checking his trench coat for ash. Melek used his solid black hair tie to put his flowing golden mane in a ponytail. The all too familiar sounds of police sirens blaring and his neighbor’s suggestive screams hushed as he shoved his earbuds in and swaggered out of his apartment. *** She truly believed that her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Her muted screams and constant squirming were fruitless. The large, horrific smelling hand covering her mouth made her nauseous, and the sound of her heels scraping against the wet pavement were $800 Givenchy nails on a black chalkboard. The wound on her knee caused sporadic pulses of sharp pain to permeate throughout her body. The giant man with his hand over her mouth paused for a moment and looked around, his grip on her body tightening as he stilled for a few seconds before continuing to drag her to god knows where. “Must have been my imagination,” he whispered. “If you came with me quietly, I wouldn’t have had to do this.” Why would I follow you anywhere? She thought. The captured woman had spotted the man’s menacing aura and crimson eyes from afar, but her instincts didn’t tell her to take off her heels before running away, so she instantly fell flat on her face. Her cries for help echoed in the crisp night air for only a moment before he got a hold of her and dragged her to the nearest alleyway. “Don’t worry, you might be the one he’s looking for,” he growled. “Hey!” a voice yelled. The sudden noise startled the red-eyed giant, causing him to loosen his hold. She took advantage of his confusion by breaking free and stumbling away from him, kicking off her heels with each step. “Stupid bitch!” the giant screamed before catching up to her and throwing her against a brick wall. The impact of her back slamming against the rough surface knocked the wind out of her. The pain was unimaginable, and it took several seconds for her vision to return. Once it did, she saw a blonde-haired man standing in front of the giant. The woman squinted to get a better look, but all she could clearly see was blonde hair, striking green eyes, and a bizarre aura that had swirls of black and white dancing around in no discernable pattern. The green-eyed man with the zebra aura lifted a hand up to his ear. He paused and then jumped up and down with his hands flailing like an inflatable tube man. The woman’s mouth hung open. She fought through the pain, examining the movements of this lunatic. Of course , she thought. The entire night had felt like a fever dream, so why not cap it off with a good old-fashioned dance routine? The giant stood frozen. At that moment, the woman knew that they were thinking the same thing. What the hell is going on? The giant suddenly flew toward her, landing on his back. The woman looked up at the blonde-haired man and saw violet eyes glaring at the red-eyed monster. He was rhythmically jumping in place, white earbuds protruding from his ears. The giant rose and stumbled before eventually standing his ground. “W-What the hell are you?” he asked. The blonde-haired man kept hopping around, mouthing something to himself while grinning a wide grin. The giant sprinted to the woman. He lifted her up and threw her at the blonde-haired man. He tried to catch her, but he misjudged the distance, causing her to hit the pavement. Her entire body was in so much pain that she let out a shriek loud enough to mask the sound of the giant running away. She lay there on the ground, her consciousness slipping away. The last thing she saw before letting go were two violet eyes peering down at her. *** Melek paused the music. The joyous rage that consumed him every time he pressed play dwindled away, leaving behind the emptiness he had grown accustomed to. He stood still for a moment, shocked at what had just transpired. The loud clomp of the demon’s feet repeatedly hitting the pavement caused Melek to hesitate for a moment. His desire to run after that detestable creature was strong, but the woman let out a shriek that caused Melek to bolt toward her instead. He stood over her and immediately noticed the bloodied scratches on her knee. He saw her light brown skin underneath the rips in her teal dress, and the bottoms of her feet were wet and blackened. The woman stared at Melek with glossy hazel eyes before losing consciousness. He weighed his options. The nearest hospital was well over ten miles away, and the thought of carrying her on his shoulders for that long of a trek seemed preposterous. He could call an ambulance, but since the uptick in crime, the response times had been ridiculous, especially in that part of the city. Melek eventually realized that he was wasting precious time. This person was hurt and in need of help, so he picked her up and headed toward his nearby apartment. Melek gently placed her on his bed. He found himself suddenly ashamed by the bareness of his apartment. He grabbed the first aid kit located under his kitchen sink and placed it near her motionless body. Melek inspected her, checking for other visible injuries. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and in phenomenal shape. She had toned arms and legs, with the rock hard calves of a runner. The small pool of blood under her knee alarmed him, so he hurriedly cleaned the wound and bandaged the area. The woman let out a dry cough, causing Melek to gaze into her hazel eyes. “W-Were am I?” the woman asked. “Are you feeling nauseous?” “W-What?” “I asked if you’re feeling nauseous.” “No… wait, you’re the dancing guy.” Melek remained stoic despite feeling a tinge of shame pass through him. “Any dizziness?” “No, just a little tired,” she rubbed her shoulder, “and really sore.” “Well, the good news is you don’t seem to have a concussion.” The woman tried to sit up. “Be careful. I haven’t finished checking you for injuries.” “I’m fine. I—” She gawked at her bandaged knee. “What the hell was that thing? And what the hell are you? I’ve never seen someone with an aura like yours.” Melek stood up and walked toward his kitchen, his eyes checking the freezer door. “So, you’re able to see auras.” He forgot to mask his aura before heading out. A rookie mistake. After turning the faucet on and washing the blood from his hands, he reached for a paper towel. “That behemoth was a demon. As for what I am—let’s just say I’m special.” “Of course he was,” she said flatly. “First the crime, now this?” “You’re aware of the increase in crime, yet you went out at night dressed like that ?” “I was working.” “What work could possibly require you to—oh.” “The better question is, what kind of person dresses like Spike and goes around dancing and fighting demons in the middle of the night?” “Dresses like who?” The mystery woman shook her head. “The point I’m trying to make is… well, I guess I don’t really have a point.” She flinched and then grabbed her knee. “I can’t believe I didn’t say this right away. Thank you. That guy was going to kill me. Also, thanks for not copping a feel.” “I can’t believe you just thanked me for not sexually assaulting you.” “In my profession, I tend to see the worst side of men.” “Well, you won’t have to worry about any of that from me. And, you’re welcome.” Melek reached into his cabinet and took out an empty glass. He filled it with tap water and handed it to her before taking a seat on the bed. “What’s your name?” “Ashley. And you?” “Melek.” “That’s a pretty name.” “You think so?” “No, I’ve sort of conditioned myself to say that.” She laughed. It sounded so dry and awkward that it caught him by surprise. Melek couldn’t help but smile. “I like your laugh,” Melek said. “Now you’re the one lying.” “No, I really do. It’s unique.” “Well, thank you. I don’t get to show it off much. I’m kind of out of practice.” “I know the feeling. So, Ashley, do you live nearby?” “I don’t know where I am at the moment, so I have no idea.” “Oh yeah, sorry about that. You’re just a couple of blocks from the alleyway.” “If that’s the case, then no. My boss sends me to different areas of the city. I actually live near Bridge Plaza.” “That’s pretty far away.” Melek glanced at her bandaged knee. “Are you sure you’re okay? I mean, that guy messed you up pretty bad.” “That was nothing. My brothers did way worse to me growing up.” There was a pause. “While horse playing,” she clarified. “Can you stand?” Melek asked. Ashley slowly inched her feet toward the edge of the bed. Once they hit the ground, she stood up while holding onto her knee. She began limping awkwardly toward the kitchen. “Told you I was fine.” “Fine, is the last word I would use to describe you right now.” Melek shot up and grabbed a jacket from his closet. “Here, put this on.” He picked up a pair of flip-flops. “And these. They’ll probably be a little big, but at least they’ll protect your feet.” Melek handed her the jacket. After she took it from his hands, she leaned in for a kiss. His lips were as stiff as boards. Ashley pulled away. “I’m sorry. I just…” Melek placed the flip-flops on the ground. “It’s okay.” “Yeah, forget about it.” She put on the clothes Melek handed her. The noise of her stumbling around in his apartment in oversized flip flops almost made Melek laugh. After she finished testing out her new footwear, she plopped herself on his bed and used his jacket as a blanket. “What were you doing out there?” Melek sat down next to her. “I was going out for a walk.” “Do you always go out for walks in the middle of the night while carrying a hatchet?” “I’m surprised you even know what a hatchet is.” “I noticed the holster in your closet. I grew up in a rural part of upstate New York, so I’ve seen my fair share of tools.” “I guess it’s no use lying to you. The hatchet is for the demons. Decapitation is the only way to kill them.” “So you just go out slaying demons with a hatchet? Sounds like you have a death wish.” Melek furrowed his brow. “You didn’t even flinch after I told you that demons exist.” “I’ve always sort of believed in the supernatural. You could have told me vampires are real and I’d believe it.” “I’m pretty sure I can confidently say that vampires do not exist.” Ashley chuckled under her breath. “What about the dancing?” “Huh?” “You were dancing. Actually, it was more like jumping around.” “It helps me get into the right mood to fight. I’m normally not a violent person.” “What about the music? What gets you in the mood to dance?” Ashley failed to hide her mocking grin. Melek pulled out his phone and showed her the singular track in his music library. “ Blood in the Streets by Ghostface, ” he said. “ This was my brother’s favorite song. He was always going on about how much better nineties rappers are.” “ Was ? What happened to him?” “He died.” “Sorry for your loss.” His brother’s crooked smile appeared in his mind’s eye. Melek became filled with equal parts disgust and rage. “ I’m over it,” he seethed. “Your eyes…” Melek collected himself by focusing on his breath. “Yeah, that happens sometimes.” “I saw them change back in the alleyway, too.” “Remember when I told you I was special?” Melek asked. “Let’s just call that one of my gifts.” “Why the hell are you being so cryptic?” “If I told you the truth, you wouldn’t believe me.” “Melek, you just told me that demons exist. I don’t think anything could trump that.” “Honestly, it’s something I’m not very comfortable talking about. All you need to know is that I’m different.” Ashley scoffed. “Okay, zebra boy.” “What?” “Your aura. It’s black and white like a zebra’s stripes.” Melek pulled out his phone and started searching for the number of a taxi service. “I really hope that nickname doesn’t stick.” “Too late.” Ashley glanced at his phone. “Oh wow, you’re already getting rid of me? Does zebra boy bother you that much?” Melek chuckled. “Even though it’s a stupid nickname, that’s not why I’m calling a taxi. You need to get home and rest. I also recommend that you see a doctor, since you insist on lying about how much pain you’re in.” “I told you, I’m fine.” Melek dialed the number to the nearest taxi stand and put the phone to his ear. “Whatever.” After finally getting a taxi to agree to come to his apartment, he checked his wallet. “Damn it,” he sighed. “What’s the problem?” “I don’t think I have enough money to pay for your fare.” “You’re so sweet.” Ashley lifted her dress, revealing a thin nylon velcro strap attached to her thigh. Melek noticed the faded green dollar bills peaking out from under it. The velcro crackled as she removed the strap and collected the money. “I think I’m going to be okay,” she said before taking a one-hundred-dollar bill and waving it in front of Melek’s hand. “Thank you for everything.” Melek really wanted to grab that bill. “I can’t.” “Zebra, you don’t have to put on this noble act for me.” “I don’t need your money. Thanks for the offer, though.” The groceries he envisioned himself buying started disappearing, one by one. “Let’s wait for the taxi downstairs.” Melek and Ashley made their way to the front of the building. The sound of her flopping as they walked through the lobby tickled him. Ashley gave Melek a peck on the cheek before hopping into the cab. “I’m going to bring your jacket and flip-flops back, I promise,” Ashley said. “I’m gonna hold you to that.” After Melek made it back to his apartment, he almost collapsed from exhaustion. Never has his mattress looked so tantalizing. The small circle of dried blood on his sheets didn’t deter him. He hopped onto his bed and fell asleep. Melek opened his eyes, a white void stretched before him. He sprung up from the ground and looked around in a panic. Hello, Melek, a voice said. The words echoing in his mind. “Fuck,” Melek said. “Why now?” Turn around, the voice bellowed. Melek turned and moved his head upward toward the face of the skyscraper-sized being standing before him. The creature’s flowing golden and white cloak covering its entire body. There were two golden gauntlets in place of its hands and it had a colossal white theater mask as a face—a massive golden handle attached to the mask. Melek tried to hide his awe. Despite meeting with this being several times by now, he still found himself dumbfounded by its size and beauty. “What do you want?” Melek finally asked. I’m sure you are aware of the increase in demonic activity. I desire reaffirmation of your dedication now more than ever. “ I am a man of my word.” I sense less rage in you. “ Anger is an emotion, not a sustainable state. It comes and goes.” This new temperament is… concerning, to say the least. “Well, I—” Remember what they took from you! His voice rattled Melek, causing him to swallow his indignation about being interrupted. Remember why you fight—why you survive. Hone your hatred. Sharpen it like a blade’s edge. KILL. THEM. ALL. Melek awoke to squares of sunlight slanting through his barred windows. He clenched his fists. Flashes of his brother assaulted his mind. He let out a smirk. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

“Let group meditation session number—” “Nope. We are not doing that,” Victor said. Connor adjusted his floor pillow. “Hey, let her finish.” “No, it’s okay,” Summer said. “V obviously woke up on the wrong side of the pillow.” “If I don’t put an end to this now, you’re never going to stop. I know you, Summer,” Victor said. “Did you guys get my joke?” Summer asked. Victor stared at her blankly. “Woke up on the wrong side of the pillow—you’re currently sitting on a pillow—it’s funny!” “Summer, no it’s not,” Connor said. “Just wait until I finish training with your dad. You’re gonna think twice before making fun of me.” She leapt into her fighting stance, giving Victor a sharp look. Victor put his hands in the air. “I’m so terrified.” “Summer, your elbows,” Connor said. “What about them?” “They’re too far away from your body.” “Oh, sorry. Thanks.” “No problem.” “Can we please get this thing started before you guys start making out?” Victor asked. “I’m starting to think you’re more obsessed with our relationship than we are,” Connor said. Summer shifted on her floor pillow. “I’m just joking, man. Y’all are so sensitive now.” Victor sat up straight. “Before we start, I have an announcement to make.” “Is everything okay?” Summer asked, fiddling with her necklace. “More than okay.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Get on with it,” Connor said. “I can now officially read auras.” “What!” Summer exclaimed. Connor’s mouth hung open. “How on earth…” “Yep, I saw a small outline around my hand last night.” Summer gave Victor a firm hug. “Oh my god, that’s amazing!” “Summer, you’re suffocating me.” She pulled away. “Sorry.” “Did Jake give us a timetable for when you might start seeing your aura?” Connor asked. “Nope, but he made it sound like it was gonna take forever,” Victor said. “I stared at my hand all night until I eventually saw a tiny clear outline. It was totally worth only getting a couple of hours of sleep.” “This is so exciting!” Summer exclaimed. A ding from her phone captured her attention. She bustled to her door and held it open. “That was my granny letting me know everything is ready.” “What are you talking about?” Victor asked. “It’s a surprise. You’re gonna love it, I promise!” Victor used his pointer fingers as earplugs. “Please stop yelling.” “Fine, follow me.” Summer whispered. The flowers in Summer’s backyard created a potent sweet odor, striking Victor as he stepped outside. The dark green hue of her moderately well kept lawn contrasted with the brightly colored mystery plants that lined its edges. Smack dab in the middle of the lawn was a large freestanding training dummy. A drawing of a scowling face with bright red eyes was attached to its head. Mrs. Kahale was seated on the patio with a portable fan in her hand. Its plastic blades spinning close to her face, fluttering her sun hat’s brim. Victor burst into laughter. “What is that supposed to be?” Summer’s grandmother lowered her fan. “It’s a very expensive training dummy, so please be careful.” “So, are we just gonna stare at it and meditate?” Victor asked. “V, you’re strong enough to rip a demon’s head off with one punch,” Connor said. “And you created a small crater in Newburg.” Victor grit his teeth. “The janitors aren’t gonna be happy about that one.” “The point I’m trying to make is you have a lot of power, speed, and agility,” Connor said. “But if you can’t properly control it, you could end up hurting yourself again. Next time, it might not just be your hand.” “Did you forget about my super healing?” “No, but if you can prevent unnecessary injuries, wouldn’t you want to?” “Fair enough,” Victor said. “So this dummy is supposed to help me control my powers?” “Hopefully,” Summer said. “Last night I was on the phone with Connor and I brought up your injury. We discussed ways to improve your control and, after some brainstorming, Connor came up with this awesome exercise.” Summer jogged down the patio steps and stood next to the human shaped monstrosity. “You’re going to enter your angel mode and then practice hitting this dummy without moving it.” Victor sauntered toward the practice dummy, staring at the base as he moved. Once he got close enough, he released a flurry of straight punches, each one connecting with its torso. “Wow, this is pretty sturdy.” “For $400 it better be!” Mrs. Kahale exclaimed. Victor leaned forward and squinted at the drawing attached to the dummy’s head. “Summer, this is really good.” “Thank you! I spent a lot of time on that. More time than I would like to admit.” “What am I doing again?” Connor asked. “ We are going back to my room. I mean, how could we possibly focus on meditation with the sound of him punching this thing all day?” Connor grinned. “Well, of course.” Summer gave Connor a playful look, then her eyes met Victor’s. “Granny is in charge of checking on your progress.” Victor watched as Mrs. Kahale lifted a glass covered in water droplets to her lips; her feet resting on a wooden footstool. “I don’t think she shares your enthusiasm.” “Make sure you guys leave the door open!” Mrs. Kahale exclaimed. “She knows she won’t be able to see us from here, right?” Connor whispered. “Hey!” Mrs. Kahale yelled. “What are you two whispering about?” “Granny, it’s nothing,” Summer said. “V, are you—” “Don’t worry about me. I’m gonna master my powers in no time.” Connor nodded at Victor and then bolted through the patio doors. “Don’t run in my house!” Summer’s grandmother yelled. “Sorry granny!” Summer exclaimed. Victor gazed into the dummy’s red eyes. It is a pretty good drawing, he thought. He took several steps back while maintaining eye contact. Chirping birds danced above him as he inhaled deeply, relaxing his body. The sounds of neighborhood kids playing nearby, cars cruising down the street, and sprinklers watering lawns created a symphony of a typical weekend in suburbia. A flash of auburn filled his headspace. Catelyn’s gap-toothed smile bursting with warmth gave him pause. Focus , he thought. After about a minute of focusing on his breath, tranquility wrapped itself around him. He had complete mental clarity, and he felt as light as a balloon. With his focus still on the drawing, he sprinted toward the dummy and lightly tapped its head with his knuckle. It violently flew several feet away, making a loud thud when it hit the grass. An overwhelming sense of heaviness was always the first thing he felt while exiting his angel mode, then came the mental fog and dizziness. The lawn started spinning, and he suddenly found himself staring up at the clear blue sky. With his head laying on the grass, he turned to look at Mrs. Kahale. Her fan fell onto the wooden patio floor as she gave the practice dummy a puzzled look. She turned to Victor and almost jumped out of her seat. “Wow. It’s even more beautiful than she had described.” “Huh?” “Your aura. Summer told me that when you enter that state, your aura expands and becomes an even lighter shade of gold. But she undersold its beauty.” Victor got up from the ground and inspected his clothes. “Man, I just washed these.” “Oh, come on. You didn’t think you would get a little dirty?” “I didn’t even know about any of this training stuff until a couple of minutes ago.” Mrs. Kahale snatched her fan from the ground and turned it back on. While moving it closer to her face, she said, “Well, you need to learn how to adapt. That’s lesson number one. Now, pick that dummy back up and try again.” Victor grunted as he struggled to drag the dummy back to its starting position. Lesson number one, huh, Victor thought while catching his breath. Who the hell does she think she is? He focused his eyes on the drawing and took a deep inhale. *** Connor took a break to get some air. “I’m starting to feel lightheaded,” he said, wiping cherry lip gloss from his lips. “Yeah, me too,” Summer said, trying to catch her breath. “Maybe we should slow down a bit.” “Good idea. How about we actually start meditating?” “I originally planned on us being outside with V and Granny, but I saw an opportunity, so I jumped on it.” Connor let out a chuckle. “Way to think on your feet.” He scanned her room. “You wouldn’t happen to have another drawing of a demon I could focus on?” “I could draw another picture… or we could try something different.” “What do you have in mind?” Summer crossed her legs and outstretched her arms before her. “Sit facing me with your legs crossed and give me your hands.” Connor followed her directions. While facing her, his eyes couldn’t help but focus on her lips. “Like this?” “Perfect. I read about a couples meditation technique the other day and I’ve been dying to try it with you. Just relax and look into my eyes.” Connor had no problem looking into her eyes. It was the relaxing part that kicked his ass. He began noticing the smallest details of her face. The way her eyebrows were perfectly symmetrical despite one eye being a little bigger than the other. She wasn’t wearing makeup, so he could see the slight discoloration on her face, but it didn’t matter to him. She was stunning with or without it. His body told him to pounce, but he had to suppress the urge. Summer started laughing. “Connor.” “Yeah?” “Your aura is freaking out right now.” “How can you expect me to focus? This is torture.” Summer furrowed her brow and tightened her grip on his hands. “I didn’t know looking at me made you feel that way.” “Hold on, I didn’t mean—” She let out a devilish grin. “When did you become so gullible?” “Very funny. Why do I even have to meditate anyway?” “Did you forget about the whole sprouting wings thing?” “You mean the wings I can’t even see?” “That’s because you haven’t been practicing for very long. Keep it up and I’m sure you’ll be able to see them.” “Fine. Hey, how about you draw another awesome demon face and we can meditate together.” “That drawing took me forever. There’s no way I can get it done by today.” “Well, I guess we have to postpone this session.” “Okay,” Summer said. “What do you want to do instead?” Connor leapt forward, going for a kiss. Unfortunately, in his eagerness, he bumped his forehead against hers. After several seconds of laughter and forehead rubbing, Connor slowly leaned in for a kiss. He eventually stood up while still holding onto her hand and guided her toward the bed. A sudden and loud banging noise from downstairs startled them. “What was that?” Connor asked. Summer jumped up and sprinted out the door. Connor groaned and moped his way down the stairs until he saw her standing near the glass patio doors, gawking outside. Connor peered through the doors and immediately started laughing. Victor was on the ground, covered in grass and dirt stains. The dummy was several feet away, sticking out of Summer’s wooden fence—a grouping of flowers crushed underneath the weight of its base. Mrs. Kahale yelped before springing up and running toward her ruined fence and flowers.  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Melek knew he would regret drinking that lady’s wine, but the cherry-red bottle poking out of her grocery bag called to him and his parched throat. How could he possibly resist? His migraine was harrowing. It was as if someone repeatedly stabbed his temple with an icepick. The bang of metal hitting metal, the buzz from the automatic welding machines, and the loud hum from the dozens of industrial fans joined forces to break him; yet he refused to fold. Melek looked up at the enormous digital clock above him and a sigh escaped his lips. Only thirty minutes left. Pick up the driveshaft, place it in the straightener, press the button ad nauseam. It was monotonous work, but if he got into a good enough rhythm, he would sometimes enter a zen-like state. During these fleeting moments, the memories that constantly attacked his psyche quieted down, and the otherwise backbreaking manual labor seemed tolerable. Tony, his supervisor, waddled toward him and leaned against one of the machines. The man was short, middle-aged, and onion shaped. He wore a baseball cap to hide his thinning hair, and his crooked teeth had turned a bright yellow from the decades of smoking. His black wedding band contrasted against his pasty white skin. Melek assumed that—at one time—he was at least moderately in shape, considering the fact that the band was now tight around his ring finger. “Yo, Melek,” Tony said. “A couple of us are going out for drinks after work. You down?” Melek blew away the strands of dishwater-blonde hair obstructing his vision. “I don’t drink.” “That sexy new temp is going out with us. She’s been checking you out nonstop since she got here, and tonight is the perfect opportunity to get to know her a little better.” He cracked a hideous smile, sending shivers down Melek’s spine. “I already have plans. Sorry.” “Your loss. What I wouldn’t do for a piece of that—” The bell signaling a shift change came to Melek’s rescue. After removing his work gloves, he clocked out and bolted out of the factory. Of all the places Melek had lived, New York was easily the most bizarre. The idea of an adult purposefully not owning a car never even crossed his mind until he got here. After a couple of days of constant bumper to bumper traffic and having to cross his fingers before searching for a parking spot, he sold his car and never looked back. Besides, the walk home let him clear his head, or more accurately, it let him try . On his way home, he would occasionally stop at a bodega that sold the best beef patties in New York. The thought of biting into one of those tasty morsels made him quicken his pace. Outside the bodega, he saw two young boys playing with a basketball. It looked like the older boy was helping the younger one learn how to dribble. A feeling of nostalgia lifted Melek’s mood as he reminisced about the games he used to play with his older brother. Then, like clockwork, an even more powerful wave of melancholy replaced the joy associated with those memories. He peered up at the sign that read Bartholomew’s Deli and patted his stomach before taking a step inside. The raging hangover caused by downing copious amounts of cheap wine still plagued him, so he was in desperate need of some comfort food. Once inside, he encountered the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of his favorite spot. The owner, Mr Bartholomew himself, was in the area behind the counter, alternating between cooking something on the grill and checking out a customer. Melek had to squint his eyes to see him through the smudge covered bulletproof barriers lining the counter. He sauntered through the unorganized food aisles until he heard a yelp come from Mr. Bartholomew’s direction. “Is that who I think it is?” Mr. Bartholomew asked. His high-pitched voice and thick Eastern European accent spread like a wave throughout the bodega. Melek responded with a head nod, but then quickly realized that Mr. Bartholomew probably couldn’t see him through the smudged barrier. “Seriously?” Mr. Bartholomew yelled. “All I get is a head nod?” Oh , Melek thought. “Uh, how you been?” “Terrible,” Mr. Bartholomew said. “What the hell is going on in this city? Three murders this week alone, and it’s only Tuesday! Even for New York, this shit is ridiculous.” A large knot formed in the pit of Melek’s stomach. He suddenly recalled the bearded demon’s red eyes gleaming as he was on his knees, unaware of the hatchet about to end his worthless existence. Melek was used to seeing demons. Hell, killing them is what got him up in the morning. But they almost never openly interacted with humans. Something was emboldening them, and it irked Melek to his core not knowing what. Mr. Bartholomew gave the eggs on his grill a flip. “Don’t worry about it, kid. How have you been?” Melek snapped back to the present, forcing a warm smile. “Working. You know, same old shit.” “So, what brings you here today? Wait, lemme guess. You’re craving some of my world famous beef patties?” “Oh, they went from the best in New York to world famous. Seems like you’ve been keeping busy.” Mr. Bartholomew smiled, his veneers beaming in the dimly lit bodega. “A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. I would have filled you in, but you’re no longer a regular.” “I had to slow down. I was gaining weight, and I need to be in great shape for my job.” “You can afford to gain a couple of pounds, Melek. So what if you go from the body of a supermodel to the body of a regular model?” Melek chuckled for the first time in what felt like months. “Mr. Bartholomew,” he said. “Give me two beef patties. I’m fighting this horrible hangover and it’s currently winning.” “Coming right up.” Mr. Bartholomew immediately bustled through the doors that led to his storage room. He returned with six of the triangle shaped pastries in hand. “So, what drink caused you all of this trouble?” “Ever heard of a brand of wine called—” “Wine did this to you? Did you drink it before or after you popped some Midol?” “Are you seriously breaking my balls over the fact that I drank some wine?” “To be fair, I would have made fun of you regardless.” “Why do I come here again?” “Because I have the best beef patties in the Milky Way.” Melek walked up to the counter and peered at the trays of deep fried deliciousness on display. Below the chicken wings was a row of already cooked beef patties. Mr. Bartholomew always made sure that Melek’s food was as fresh as possible, so they must have been left out for a while. “Melek.” His light-hearted tone of voice disappeared. “My daughter couldn’t sleep last night because she was having nightmares. These murders are ruining my love of this city.” “I wish I knew what the hell was going on,” Melek said. He had a working theory, but he would never share that part of his life with Mr. Bartholomew. Melek leaned on the counter and looked toward the kids playing with the basketball outside. “I heard that a crop of police just straight up quit. Can you believe it? I never thought I’d see the day when New York police officers would actually throw in the towel.” Mr. Bartholomew checked on the patties in the deep frier. “How old are you now?” Melek turned his attention away from the two boys and met Mr. Bartholomew’s gaze. “Twenty-two. Why?” “When I was your age, I already had my first son. You ever think about settling down?” “What’s up with these questions? You a psychiatrist now?” “Listen, I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’ve been looking at some real estate in Vermont—” “Please don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about moving.” “I am,” Mr. Bartholomew said. “And I suggest you do the same. You’re a good kid, Mel. You should settle down and start thinking about your future.” “You’re talking like you’ve already moved.” “I love New York, but if I have to choose between the city I love and my family, I’m choosing my people ten times out of ten.” Melek moved away from the counter, allowing a customer to check out. He glanced over at the kids and noticed the older one running toward the basketball, now rolling across the street. Without thinking, he sprinted out of the bodega. A bus appeared in Melek’s peripheral vision, turning the corner and speeding toward the boy. A loud screech scratched at his ears as the bus attempted to slow down. He scooped the boy up and leaped onto the sidewalk. The bus driver opened the window and stuck her head out. “Oh my god! Are you two okay?” Melek looked down at the boy. “We’re fine,” he said. The kid’s eyes were closed, and he was shaking—his fingers indenting the ball. “Hey kid, what’s your name?” Melek asked in a soothing tone. The kid finally opened his eyes and slowly looked up at Melek. “J-Josh.” “You saved my brother!” The younger boy exclaimed. He was now on their side of the street, staring at Melek with a look of astonishment. “You ran by me so fast, I almost didn’t even see you!” “You’re welcome,” Melek said casually, trying to not let his ego swell. “What’s your name?” The younger one glanced at his brother, still tightly clinging to Melek. “Colton.” Melek put Josh down and inspected him for injuries. “Hey Josh, are you hurt?” Josh composed himself. He then started dribbling the ball as his gaze met the sidewalk. “No.” “Ya’ll good?” The bus driver asked. The car rumbled violently while idling. “We’ll be okay,” Melek said. The bus driver rolled her windows up and drove away; her passengers staring at the three of them until the bus turned the corner. Small crowds began forming nearby. Mr. Bartholomew stood in front of his bodega with his hands on his hips, gawking at the three of them. Colton tried to pry the ball from Josh’s hands, but Josh yanked it away, illustrating that they truly didn’t understand the weight of the situation they had just avoided. Melek smiled and put a hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Hey, I just saved your brother, so I’m gonna need something in return.” Colton eyed Melek suspiciously. “What?” “I need you to look out for him, okay? I know he’s probably always talking about how he’s supposed to look after you and stuff, but—” “It’s so annoying!” Colton said. “He thinks he can tell me what to do because he’s bigger than me.” Melek contained his laughter. “My brother was the same way. Let me tell you a little secret. We sometimes have to protect our big brothers too. They may be bigger, but we’re usually smarter.” “Did you hear that Josh? I’m smarter than you!” “No, you’re not!” Josh exclaimed “Are too!” “Are not!” “Guys,” Melek said. “Where are your parents?” “We’re staying with our Mom this weekend and she lets us do whatever we want,” Josh said while pointing to an apartment building a couple of blocks away. “Check in with her,” Melek said. Josh looked at Melek like he had just said the dumbest thing ever. “Why? All she does is watch TV all day. She doesn’t care.” “Colton,” Melek said with a wink. “Remember what I just said?” Colton repeatedly tapped the side of his head with his pointer finger, signaling that he was the brains of this little duo. “Josh, I’m hungry,” he whined. Josh gave Colton a glare, then eventually let out a sigh. “Alright, I’ll make you something to eat.” “I’ll walk with you guys. Just lead the way,” Melek said. They began walking toward the run-down apartment building. Melek asked for the ball from Colton and began spinning it on his finger. The kids started counting how many seconds he could keep it spinning. After almost breaking his recently established record of ten seconds, they finally made it to the front entrance of the apartment. “Alright, this is where we part ways,” Melek said. Josh snatched the ball away and sprinted toward the entrance. Colton ran after his brother, stopping at the top of the steps. He tapped the side of his head with his pointer finger one last time before turning back around and running through the two graffiti-covered doors. By the time Melek made it back to Mr. Bartholomew, the small crowds that formed near the accident had dissipated. The second he stepped inside the bodega, Mr. Bartholomew threw a grease-stained brown paper bag at him. Melek opened it and took a whiff of the four beef patties inside. “A little extra for the hero,” Mr. Bartholomew said with his eyes glued to the food sizzling on his grill. “You’re the best,” Melek said. “I know.” Melek devoured two beef patties on the walk home, saving the other two for later. All that extra food was only going to weigh him down. He opened the door to his studio apartment and immediately ran to his kitchen to put the patties in the freezer, closing the freezer door slowly. If he shut the door too quickly, it wouldn’t close properly. He learned that the hard way after he slammed it shut one night and woke up to melted ice cream and defrosted TV dinners. One could best describe Melek's apartment as cozy. He had two pieces of furniture. His queen sized mattress lay on the floor, and the tiny TV stand Mr. Bartholomew gifted him was in a corner, collecting dust. Sunlight passed through the black bars on his windows, casting square shadows onto his carpet. He oftentimes felt like he came home to a jail cell. He went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face before getting undressed. After giving each article of clothing the sniff test, he concluded that everything but his boxers were clean enough to wear again. Laundry day wasn’t for another three days, so he couldn’t afford to be too picky. He hanged his clothes and then glanced at his earbuds. Once he saw that they had been charged, he grabbed the sheath holster tucked away in his closet and removed the hatchet to inspect the blade—ash particles dotting the steel. After wiping it with a cloth, he put it back in its holster and hopped onto his bed, setting the timer on his phone for three hours.  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

The sky is filled with dark smoke from the sea of flames consuming the houses, trees, even the people. Within the fire a little girl is trembling on the ground her brown hair and blue dress are covered in burn marks. Barely breathing she looks up with teary eyes sees a woman wearing a weaponize armor suit flying above her. Her red eyes and pink hair glare down at the fire, she points a big canon down to the ground right where the little girl is. Preparing to fire, a man with glowing white hair flies between them, they both yell at each other the little girl can’t hear what their talking about. They start to fight each other their clash sends shock waves across the sky during their fight a stray shot heads for the little girl, the man teleports in front of her. The light is so bright that everything goes white. The bright sun shining down on the ocean, the sounds of the water hitting the warm sand a teenage girl brown hair, yellow eyes wearing a small white scarf, dark green jacket, light blue shirt, black pants, and brown boots is standing on the beach staring up at the sky. She reaches up to grab the sun then smiles big. On a cliff over the ocean an academy where students learn to becomes pilots, engineers, many other opportunities given at the academy. In the main hanger by the launch bay a student engineer in blue coveralls he’s black hair and green eyes are covered in dirt. Him and many other engineers are working on armor suits and their weapons, another student wearing a long black jacket, brown shirt, black glasses, dark blue pants, brown shoes, blue eyes, and purple hair walks over to the student laying down on a wooden board underneath a yellow armor suit. He lightly kicks the student’s black boot, he comes out from under the suit. “Huh? Alf your back. When did you return?” “Just this morning, plane landed early.” Alf “Still repairing Ginia’s suit? She sure did a number on it. She needs to be more careful with it.” Alf “No, no Alf I’m just doing some finishing touches on it.” “Always doing an excellent job, Iven. I can always leave my suit with you.” Alf “Thanks Alf.” Iven “By the way have you seen Ginia or Diaz?” Alf “I couldn’t find either one to say hello.” Alf “Diaz was here an hour ago, Ginia hasn’t shown up yet.” Iven “Guess I’ll go find Diaz knowing Ginia she probably overslept or dozed off looking up at the sky.” Alf “She really loves the sky, doesn’t she.” Iven “She rather be up there than down here on the ground.” Alf “See you later, Iven.” Alf “See ya.” Iven The intercom over the hanger turns on. “Alf and Iven report to the headmaster Earl’s office.” “I repeat Alf and Iven report to the headmaster Earl’s office.” They’re both confused, but head for the headmaster’s office, walking inside Diaz is already waiting for them. “Diaz.” Iven “This is where you were.” Alf “Alf welcome back.” Diaz She hugs Alf “Thanks Diaz.” Alf “Headmaster good to see your still growing old.” Alf “Haven’t lost your charming touch, Alf.” Headmaster Earl “Headmaster, is there a reason why you called us here?” Iven “Yes, but where is Ginia? Is she not with you?” Headmaster “Sorry sir, but…” Iven “We honestly don’t know where she is.” Iven, Alf, and Diaz Ginia is running on the sidewalk by the beach sand. “Man, I’m so late. Headmaster is going to have my head!” Ginia “Thankfully Alf hasn’t returned yet.” Ginia Making her way to the academy she spots a boy around her age standing by the ocean with a dazed look, his white shoes by him. He takes a few steps into the water, surprised she runs towards him. “Stop! Don’t do it!” Ginia She tips on the sand and pushes him into the eater. Ginia bows and apologies multiple times to him. “I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!” Ginia He rings out his red shirt then brushes back his blue hair and dust off the sand on his gray pants. “Will you stop saying that. I heard you the first ten times.” “So sorry. So sorry. So sorry. So sorry.” Ginia “More than that why did you push me into the water?” “Oh! Well, you see, I thought that you were…” Ginia “You thought I was.” Ginia looks away, standing back up he helps her up. “How stupid. I was just taking a drip in the water.” “Well, how about a change of clothes?” Ginia “Huh?” “The place I work at has clothes there so you don’t have to wear those wet clothes.” Ginia “That’s alright, I don’t need…” Ginia stares at him with puppy dog eyes, big and wide. “Fine, fine. Just stop staring at me.” “Really? Yeah!” Ginia Walking a few more miles down the beach there’s a big wooden house on the beach the sign says Hutside BeacH, inside are snacks, tourist items, some games, and a rental shop; surf boards, jet skis, and other beach supplies. “Jason! Are you here?” Ginia Jason comes out from the back. “Ginia your early for your shift.” Jason “Jason is the owner of this place. It’s nice sense it’s by water.” Ginia He sees her and the boy who is soaking wet. “I’ll go get some new dry clothes. I hoped you said your sorry for getting this poor kid wet.” Jason Ginia lowers her head. Jason gives the boy the clothes he goes to change. “Seriously what’s the story? What did you do?” Jason “I don’t know where to start.” Ginia He comes out of the changing room in a white button shirt, blue pants, and black shoes. “Looks good on you.” Jason “Yeah, you look great in them.” Ginia His white eyes looks at the clothes that he is wearing. “How much?” Huh?” Jason and Ginia “How much for the clothes?” Don’t worry about it since Ginia ruined your clothes she’ll pay for them.” Jason “Yeah… wait what?” Ginia “Come on Jason, how am I going to pay for them?” Ginia “With your next paycheck.” Jason “What! Please Jason at least give me a discount.” Ginia As Jason and Ginia argue he looks down with a sad look. ‘Is it really okay for me to?’ “I’ll…accept this. Thank you.” “That settles it.” Jason “Eh! Not you too!” Ginia The boy smiles a bit. “Hey, I never did ask for your name. What is your name?” Ginia “It’s Kia.” Kia “Kia, huh. It’s nice to meet you Kia.” Jason “How long have you lived here in this city, Kia?” Ginia “Hmm… I don’t know.” Kia “What do you mean?” Ginia “I don’t remember anything about my past or about myself.” Kia “Really? Wow, I never would have guessed.” Ginia “Is it amnesia?” Jason “Don’t know. Sometimes memories come back, but disappears the next day.” Kia It goes silent, no one speaks a word then a phone rings. Ginia pulls out her phone as she answers. “Hello…” Ginia “Idiot! Where are you? I’ve been calling you for two hours!” Alf “Alf? When did you get back?” Ginia “Get here in ten minutes, got it.” Alf Ginia turns pale, panicking; she runs as fast as she can leaving Jason and Kia alone. “If you're not doing anything, would you mind helping out here at the shop?” Jason “Sure.” Kia Ginia almost makes it to the academy in ten minutes, dashing through the hallways right up to the headmaster’s office. She swings open the door. “Sorry, I’m so late!” Ginia Alf grabs her head and squeezes very hard. “You finally got here, Ginia.” Alf “Yes….” Ginia “Alf your squeezing too hard.” Ginia “Oh, am I.” Alf He squeezes harder. “I’m very sorry, please forgive me.” Ginia She grows even more pale. “Calm down, Alf. We still need to learn more about our mission.” Diaz “Fine.” Alf He lets Ginia go, she falls to the ground. “Don’t think your off the hook Ginia.” Alf “Yes, sir. Thank you Diaz.” Ginia “Now that you feel better Alf, let’s continue with our conversation.” Headmaster Earl “Alright.” Alf Ginia remains on the floor while everyone else continues to talk. “The mission that I am assigning to you is to protect and escort a young noble girl around the city and through her trip here on Earth.” Headmaster Earl “What do you mean on earth? Is she not from Earth?” Iven “She’s from Areth, right.” Diaz “Correct. On her own request she wishes to talk to the leaders to bring this war to an end.” Headmaster Earl “Not the first time someone wanted to stop this war.” Alf “She says she’s the daughter of the Safire family.” Headmaster Earl Ginia gets to her feet wobbling a bit. “Safire family? The ones who are leading Areth?” Iven “Yes, this may be the key to stopping this war or starting a whole new one.” Headmaster Earl “When does she get here?” Diaz “She should be landing at our base in five minutes.” Headmaster Earl A small spaceship that looks like an airplane flying over the ocean. A young girl with long blonde hair and black eyes stares out the window wearing a pretty pink dress and a small jacket, light pink gloves, crystal earrings, red high heel shoes, and a white closed lily in her hair. “My lady, we’ll be landing soon.” “Okay, thank you Lantz.” Her guard is wearing a brown leather jacket, white shirt, black tie, dark brown pants, black shoes, and carrying a small gun on his waist. “When we land we should be greeted by our escorts.” Lantz “I wonder what they’ll be like? What are they wearing?” “Will they accept us since we’re from Areth?” “I don’t know about that Ms. Nadia, but I will do my best to protect you.” Lantz “Thanks Lantz, but I’ve told you not to call me Ms.” Nadia “Sorry, my lady.” Lantz “Just Nadia, is fine.” Lantz “Alright, Nadia.” Lantz The spaceship prepares to land on the base Alf and his team are waiting for them. Landing safely the door opens, lowering down to become stairs Nadia is the first one off followed by Lantz. ‘ Headmaster, why just a small team to protect this girl? Why not a bigger escort or a more experienced one? ’ Alf ‘ Someone will try to stop these negotiations from happening. A small team like yours are more moveable then others and who knows who may have a grudge against Areth. ’ Headmaster Earl ‘ Wanting to make this trip of her’s fail is not an option, understand Alf. ’ Headmaster Earl Nadia and Lantz walk up to them then bows their heads. “ Hello my name is Nadia Safire. This is my guard Lantz, we are in your care.” Nadia “My name is Alf, this is my team we will be protecting you and your guard from now on.” Alf “Thank you.” Nadia “Please right this way.” Alf They walk to the entrance of the base where a car is waiting for them. “Me and Iven still have some work to do, so Ginia and Diaz will be accompanying you.” Alf “Sorry, but I have something to do too.” Diaz “Then Ginia you’ll be guarding her alone til Diaz can join you.” Alf “Yes, sir.” Ginia Nadia, Lantz, and Ginia get in the car then it drives off. “Diaz find out if she was followed.” Alf “Yes, sir.” Diaz “What about that something you had to do?” Iven “I don’t know what you're talking about.” Diaz She chuckles then walks away. “Guess I’ll go finish my touch ups.” Iven “What about you, Alf.” Iven “I want to look something up then I’ll follow behind them.” Alf “You mean spy on them.” Iven “You make it sound so wrong.” Alf Driving through the streets Nadia looks at everything passing by. “Is there a place you want to visit, hmm.” Ginia “You can call me Nadia, Ms. Ginia.” Nadia “Ginia is fine. May I can you Lantz?” Ginia “Yes, Ginia.” Lantz “As for where to go…” Lantz “Ocean! I want to see the ocean!” Nadia “Okay, I know the best spot.” Ginia The car pulls over as they get out of the car the ocean is shining bright with the sun above it. Both Nadia and Lantz are amazed by the view; they can’t take their eyes off it. “What do you think?” Ginia “It’s more beautiful than I ever imagined.” Nadia “Yeah.” Lantz “Why not get a closer look?” Ginia “Really?” Lantz Nadia runs ahead of them. “Wait for me, my lady.” Lantz He runs after he Ginia smiles making her way to them. Nadia takes off her shoes, splashes in the water, Lantz gets down on one knee, cups his hands together, and scopes up some of the water. Nadia splashes Lantz, laughing he tries to splash her back. Ginia sits on the beach watching them play in the ocean happy to see them having a good time. Back at the academy Diaz walks into the control room with lots of people on computers with a big screen in front of them. “Diaz, what can we do for you?” “I want to see if our guest was followed by anyone or happens to have an uninvited visitor aboard her ship.” Diaz “Right away.” They all scan the area around Nadia’s ship as well as the route she took to get here. Diaz’s phone rings. “Hello.” Diaz “Find anything?” Alf “Not yet, I took a look through her ship. Found nothing suspicious, about to see if anyone from Areth followed her.” Diaz “What about you? Anything on Nadia or her guard?” Diaz “She was born and raised on Areth as for her guard he came from Earth then traveled to Areth. Don’t know how he got off Earth without being notice. He’s family has killed during the war twenty years ago says he blamed the army for their deaths.” Alf “Did Nadia come here to make peace or to kill more people?” Diaz “No clue, lets keep an eye on her just in case.” Alf “Right.” Diaz “Also don’t…” Alf “Don’t tell Ginia, right.” Diaz “Right, I’ll inform Iven later.” Alf “Okay, bye.” Diaz She hangs up. Up on the screen shows the Earth and the surrounding areas. The sun starts to set Nadia and Lantz collapse on the beach. “You two finally had your fill?” Ginia “Yes, it was so much fun.” Nadia They hear a growl coming from Lantz’s stomach. “So hungry.” Lantz Nadia and Ginia chuckle, Ginia helps Nadia up. “There's a place near here with really good food. Let’s go there.” Ginia “Okay.” Nadia “Yeah.” Lantz He jumps to his feet. They arrive at the Hutside BeacH is busy for it being so late in the afternoon. “I’ve never seen it this busy before, wonder what happened?” Ginia “Ah! Ginia, been a while.” “Arika, you’re working today?” Ginia She is wearing a white shirt, blue skirt, black shoes, and a black tie. “Jason called and said that you were running late again.” Arika “Excuse me.” “Yes, be right there.” Arika “You work here, Ginia?” Nadia “Sometimes to earn a little more money.” Ginia “Hey Jason! Jason!” Ginia “Stop yelling, your disrupting the customer!” Jason “Sorry.” Ginia ‘Yet he is yelling as well.’ Lantz “If you're sorry, hurry up, change, get out here and help!” Jason “Yes. You two go find a seat. I'll be there soon.” Ginia Ginia runs to the back to change Nadia and Lantz takes a seat by the wooden rail with a view of the sea. “The ocean is pretty even from far away with the sun setting on it.” Nadia “It’s much more beautiful than the one back home.” Lantz “I hope everyone back home can see the same view one day.” Nadia “Yes, one day.” Lantz He looks at the menu “There’s lots to pick from Nadia, have a look.” Lantz She picks up the menu. “Sorry for the wait, can I get you something to drink or to start with?” Kia “Water is fine.” Lantz “I would like…” Nadia Nadia looks up her eyes grow pale. She suddenly stands up out of her chair. “What’s wrong?” Lantz “Are you alright?” Kia Nadia tries to speak, but no words leave her mouth. Ginia finishes changing, she sees Nadia trembling, she goes over to them. “You okay Nadia?” Ginia “Ginia.” Kia “Kia, are you helping out?” Ginia “Yes, Jason, ask me when you left.” Kia “Oh! Sounds like him.” Ginia “Ginia, do you know him?” Nadia “Y-yes, kinda, we met today on the beach.” Ginia “She ruined my clothes so she brought me here to get new ones” Kia “You didn’t have to add that part.” Ginia “Oh really? It’s true, isn’t.” Kia “Well, yeah…but..” Ginia “Excuse me, but are you..” Nadia “Kia, can you take table 4?” Jason “Yes! Arika can you take table 6 for me?” Kia “Yes!” Arika Kia runs off to take care of table 4 Nadia calms down after Kia leaves. “How about some food?” Ginia “Yes, let’s see.” Lantz “I recommend this here. This is also good.” Ginia “Ginia, you're drooling.” Lantz “Sorry, everything looks so good.” Ginia Nadia watches Kia. ‘No doubt. He has to be.’ Nadia The sky turns dark, stars and moon appear in the sky and on the sea. Jason closes up, Nadia and Lantz wait outside. “Thanks for your hard work Kia, Arika.” Jason “Thank you.” Kia and Arika “What about me, Jason?” Ginia “See you tomorrow Arika.” Jason “See you tomorrow.” Arika “Don’t ignore me!” Ginia “Good night Arika.” Kia She walks away. “Do you need a ride, Kia?” Jason “Actually..” Kia “Wait.” Nadia Nadia and Lantz walk up to them, they seem really serious. “I wish to talk to you.” Nadia “Me?” Kia “Then I’ll be going. See you tomorrow Kia.” Jason “Yes, see ya.” Kia “So what did you want to talk about?” Kia “Let’s go somewhere else.” Nadia “Ginia.” Nadia “Huh?” Ginia They're all sitting in Ginia’s apartment at a small table in the living room Ginia makes some tea then serves it to them. “Thank you, Ginia. Sorry for the trouble.” Kia “No, no it was just as a surprised to me as it was to you.” Ginia ‘I wonder why Nadia wanted to talk to Kia? And why it had to be in my apartment?’ Ginia “I apologize for bringing you here all of a sudden.” Nadia “I to apologize.” Lantz “I don’t know why she wants to talk to you.” Lantz “I’m to am curious.” Kia “Me too.” Ginia “Kia, are you from Areth?” Nadia “Huh?” Kia “Huh?” Ginia “What did you say?” Ginia “Are you or not?” Nadia “Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know.” Kia “You don’t know?” Lantz “Kia has amnesia.” Ginia “Really?” Nadia “Yes, except for my name, everything else is a blur.” Kia “Nadia, why do you think Kia is from Areth?” Ginia “I don’t think I just know. I can feel a connection with Kia.” Nadia “A connection?” Kia “Yes, a connection that connects us to our god and to all who are born and raise in Areth?” Nadia “Your god?” Ginia “Lord Karinana the god of machines and lightning. He help create our home Areth. After the chaos that took place out lord went to sleep and was never seen again.” Lantz “Oh! I didn’t know Areth had a god.” Ginia “I thought the people of Areth made their home.” Ginia “Is the reason you came here is for your god?” Ginia “Yes, I want to end this war and bring our god home.” Nadia Kia smiles. “You really like your lord.” Kia “Yeah, I actually got to meet him.” Nadia “Wow! Really?!” Ginia “I got lost when I was little walking through the forest.” Nadia “Oh.” Ginia ‘They have a forest?’ Kia “I found a shrine that was abandoned, I visited everyday. I didn’t realize how late it was so I stayed there until someone came for me.” Nadia “You must’ve been scared.” Ginia “It was, it started to get really cold. I tried to keep warm by huddling up, but I was getting sleepy.” Nadia “As I was passing out I saw someone standing in front of me with glowing white hair. I tried to reach out my hand to them, but my eyes closed.” Nadia “We found her by the door of her family’s house, sleeping soundly.” Lantz “The last thing I felt was a warm touch carrying me back home. I just know it was lord Karinana who saved me.” Nadia Sniff “He sounds like..” Sniff “A great god.” Ginia “Right, that’s why I want to bring him back home like he did for me.” Nadia “I truly hope your wish comes true. I may not remember where I came from or who I am, but I know your god is happy to know you care a lot about him.” Kia “Thanks, Kia for your kind words.” Nadia “No, thank you.” Kia “Huh? Why?” Nadia “I don’t believe I come from Areth or maybe even earth for now I wish to live my life where I am and maybe some day my memories will come back.” Kia “I would like to tell you about my home, is that okay?” Kia “I would love that. And some day I would like to show you Areth.” Nadia “I’ll even give you the grand tour.” Nadia “Sounds amazing, I look forward to it.” Kia “Ginia, Lantz, you will join us, right?” Nadia “Of course!” Ginia “It would be an honor.” Lantz Kia looks up at the clock it’s past 9 pm. “I should be getting home.” Kia Kia stands up. “You can stay if you want.” Ginia “No, it’s fine Jason asked me to come in early tomorrow to help out.” Kia “So you’re getting used to the job already.” Ginia Ginia stands up. “I can at least walk you to the door.” Ginia “Thanks, you have a good night Nadia, Lantz.” Kia “Yes, good night.” Nadia “Night.” Lantz Ginia walks Kia to the door, waves goodbye as he heads for home. “Are you sure you didn’t want to ask anything else?” Lantz Nadia shakes her head. “If he doesn’t remember we shouldn’t push him too much.” Nadia “Memories can be painful when remembering something you shouldn’t, right.” Lantz Ginia walks back into the room. “Why don’t you two stay here tonight? Your hotel is quite far from here.” Ginia “Is that alright?” Nadia “Yeah, it’s more fun with more people.” Ginia “Then we would love to stay.” Nadia “Great, I’ll start making dinner.” Ginia “I’ll help.” Lantz “Really? Thank you.” Ginia Happily watching Lantz and Ginia she thinks about Areth’s god, hoping her hard work will pay off. Walking home Kia quietly stares up at the night sky. ‘Is it true that I’m from Areth?’ Kia Then looks down at the street and the houses passing by. ‘Or do I come from Earth?’ Kia “All I remember is standing by the water asking myself, who am I?” Kia Kia chuckles a bit. “Maybe it’s best I don’t remember. Though I would like to see Areth with Nadia and the others.” Kia “I wonder what Areth is like?” Kia Up in space a giant spaceship as big as a whale heading towards earth, standing by a window up towards the top two men in white military suits, black trimming with two stars on each shoulder; one with brown hair and blue eyes, the other with blonde hair and green eyes Atreus down at earth. “We’re finally here.” Man 2 “Ready the pilots for landing.” Man 1 “Yes, sir.” Man 2 The order is broadcast to the whole ship, the hangers and to all hallways. A soldier knocks on a door, it slides open. “Lieutenant Commander Fania, your suit is ready and waiting for you.” Soldier 1 A woman with pink hair finishes putting on her dark purple suit, she turns around looking at him with her red eyes. “Alright, tell the others to get to the hanger immediately.” Fania “Yes!” Soldier 1 Fania heads for the hanger, all the soldiers are suited up, ready, and waiting. Fania puts on her armored suit. The spaceship begins it’s descent to earth. “Remember our mission is to capture lady Nadia alive! If she refuses take her by force, understand!” Fania “Yes, sir!” All Arethian soldiers  The next day on the beach Jason readies to open shop Kia and Arika meet up on top of the stairs, walking down they see Jason ready to work. Kia notices the sky turning dark; Ginia, Nadia, and Lantz are eating breakfast together Nadia sees the clouds turning dark. Headmaster Earl sitting at his desk sees the weather changing dramatically. “I don’t like this, Chloe contact Diaz and get everyone ready to fight something is coming.” Headmaster Earl “Yes, sir.” Chloe A siren goes off all around the academy, everyone hurries to their stations. Iven gets Ginia’s, Diaz’s, and Alf’s suits ready. Diaz hears the siren going off as she gets a call from Alf. “Alf! What’s going on?” Diaz “Don’t know, just get to the hanger as fast as you can.” Alf “Got it.” Diaz Another sirening goes off in the control room. “What happened?” Diaz “An unidentified spacecraft is trying to enter our atmosphere.” “What?!” Diaz “Diaz? Diaz? What’s going on?” Alf “Looks like we got trouble, something is coming.” Diaz “Order the evacuation of all citizens to the safe zone, now!” Diaz Diaz hangs up, she runs out heading for the hanger. Alf walks out of a room trying to call Ginia. Ginia, Nadia, and Lantz walk into the academy hearing the siren Ginia’s feels her phone ringing. “Hello.” Ginia “Ginia! Where are you?” Alf “We just walk into the academy. Why is the siren going off?” Ginia “There’s an emergency to get to the hanger bay right now!” Alf “Yes.” Ginia Ginia hangs up “What’s going on, Ginia?” Nadia “I don’t know, but you guys should go to Headmaster Earl’s office.” Ginia “Is it that bad?” Nadia “Don’t worry we’ll take care of it. You two just get somewhere safe.” Ginia “Alright, we’ll head there right away.” Lantz Ginia nods then runs off Lantz leads Nadia to the headmaster’s office. The sky starts to roar Jason looks up. “Looks like a nasty storm is coming.” Jason “Hey guys let’s close up til the storm passes.” Jason “Okay.” Kia and Arika Lightning crashes down, the people on the beach scream. “Hey! It’s too dangerous here, get out of here!”Jason They all ran for the streets or their cars, Jason sees some people to scared to move. “Kia, Arika! We need to help these people!” Jason “Right!” Kia and Arika The three of them split off, warning as many people as they could to leave the beach. Ginia gets to the hanger Alf and Diaz finish putting on their armored suit Iven helps Ginia get her’s on. They all walk out onto the platform the storm keeps getting worse then it suddenly stops. Their all on edge, Diaz spots something up in the sky. “Alf, look up!” Diaz They all look up a giant spaceship is breaking the sky apart. The doors to the ship’s hanger opens. “Shields up!” Fania A force field is put up around all the soldiers and Fania, they detach then fly down to earth. Alf sees people coming out of the ship. “Ready the shield and the canons.” Alf A force field lights up around the academy, three large canons are brought up to the platform. Fania sees the canons preparing to fire. “Half of you go to the city! The rest of you are with me!” Fania “Yes, sir!” All Arethian soldiers Alf receives a call from the control room. “The enemy is splitting up and heading to the city.” Control room “Got it.” Alf “Ginia, their heading for the city take some men and protect the citizens til they evacuate everyone.” Alf “Right away.” Ginia “Let’s go!” Ginia “Yes,sir!” Ginia flies off with a few other pilots, Fania tires to shoot at them. “Fire!” Alf The canons open fire it takes down some of them, but their shields are strong, the shield around the ship is even stronger. “Aim for the pilots, we’ll deal with the ship until the evacuate is complete.” Alf Fania quickly flies towards them Alf takes out a laser sword ready to fight Fania. Jason, Kia, and Arika are almost finish getting people off the beach when Arika sees someone coming. “Jason.” Arika Jason looks and sees them too. “Run! Run!” Jason The soldiers start to fire at the citizens. “Arika, get down!” Kia He pushes her down to the ground dodging the lasers, Jason runs back to them. “You guys alright?” Jason “Yead, you okay Arika?” Kia “Yes, thank you.” Arika Kia and Arika get to their feet making it to Jason’s car. Hurrying inside the car Jason hits the gas trying to get away. Kia looks up at the broken sky and the soldiers attacking the city, he grabs his chest. ‘What is this feeling? Why does it hurt so much?’ Kia While the city is under attack Nadia, Lantz, and Headmaster Earl are watching from his office. “This is awful.” Nadia “Why are they here? We never told anyone about us coming here?” Lantz “Is this my fault?” Nadia “My lady.” Lantz “Don’t blame yourself. They would have come if you were here or not?” Headmaster Earl “I have to stop them.” Nadia She tries to run out the door, Lantz stops her. “Please let me go Lantz! I can’t let them kill those people!” Nadia “My lady, please calm down.” Lantz “But Lantz.” Nadia “They might be here to take you back or possibly to kill you.” Headmaster earl “K-Kill me?” Nadia “They wouldn’t dare she is the heir to the Safire family.” Lantz “If they make it look like we’re responsible for her death then they would gladly go to war with us. There’s no way out of this without bloodshed.” Headmaster Earl “Sorry, that’s the fact of this situation.” Headmaster Earl Nadia goes silent, Lantz tries to comfort her. Ginia and the other soldiers fly as fast as they can to the city, more explosions happen all around the city. Ginia gets more angry, tightening her fist. Jason, Arik, and Kia are driving to the city’s edge where the safe zone is, Arika looks to the side mirror, one of those people is right behind them. “Jason their right behind us. One must have followed us.” Arika Jason and Kia looks to see. “Shit.” Jason He tries to go faster, the soldier is going to fire at them. “Jason he’s going to fire!” Kia The soldier fires Jason moves right to left avoiding the bullets. “Jason, watch out!” Arika Jason sees the debris laying in the road, he tries to dodge it. It hits the side of the car swerving side to side it flips on its side. The soldier lands away from the car, Jason slowly crawls out of the car. “Kia, Arika, are you guys okay?” Jason “Yes, but Kia is knock out. I can’t move there’s too much broken glass.” Arika Jason gets over to them he uses his apron to cover the broken glass. Arika moves across the apron Jason pulls out Kia Arika helps him. The soldier points his gun at them. “Hold it! Don’t move!” Arethian soldier 1 Jason gives Kia to Arika; he puts himself in front of them. “What do you want?” Jason “Why are you attacking us?” Jason “Shut up! Answer me!” Arethian soldier 1 “Tell me where Lady Nadia is?” Arethian soldier 1 “I don’t know who that is?” Jason He shoots a bullet pass Jason’s ear. “Jason!” Arika “Shut up, girl!” Arethian soldier 1 Arika holds Kia close with tears in her eyes. “Leave them alone.” Jason “We really don’t know who this Nadia is.” Jason “We never seen or met her.” Jason The soldier tires to fire again, Ginia falls down from the sky screaming she waves her laser sword at him. “Ginia!” Jason “Hey, you guys go protect the citizens! I got this!” Ginia “Yes, sir!” All pilots “Ginia!” Arika “Hurry get out of here!” Ginia When they try to leave the soldier shoots at them; Arika screams. “Hey! Let them go! They have nothing to do with this!” Ginia “Not until I get what I want.” Arethian soldier 1 “And what is that?” Ginia “Where is Lady Nadia?” Arethian soldier 1 “Nadia? What do you want with her?” Ginia “So you know her. Where is she?” Arethian soldier 1 “Sorry, but she is a special guest. I can’t give her up to a stranger like you.” Ginia “Is that so?” Arethian soldier 1 He opens fire Ginia blocks the bullets with her sword to protect Jason and the others. Out of bullets he tries to reload Ginia rushes towards him he pulls out a knife to block her blade, but she cuts it in half. He pulls out a small gun and shoots her in the stomach, Ginia groans then he kicks her. “Ginia!” Jason and Arika Her suit protected her from the bullets she tries to get up, but he points his gun to her head. “Where is Lady Nadia?” Arethian soldier 1 “I’ll never tell you.” Ginia “Fine.” Soldier 1 He pulls out a grenade then looks at Jason, Arika, and Kia. “If you don’t tell me I’ll throw this at them.” Soldier 1 “You crowd.” Ginia “What will it be?” Soldier 1 “Even if I did, you would still kill them, wouldn’t you?” Ginia “I won’t tell you nor will I let you kill them!” Ginia “Have it your way.” Arethian soldier 1 He removes the pin, throws it, and fires his gun. Ginia hits his hand making him miss, she tries to grab the grenade, but he grabs her hair missing the chance to grab it. Jason holds Arika and Kia in his arms, Ginia grabs the soldier’s arm, flips him over her head, and looks as the grenade goes off. “Jaosn! Everyone!” Ginia Filled with shock and despair Ginia can’t believe what happened. “You should have told me, if you did they maybe would have lived.” Arethian soldier 1 Ginia holds a gun to his head. “Then you can apologize in the afterlife.” Ginia The soldier grins, but they hear a small spark coming from the smoke. They both look up as the smoke disperse Jason, Arika, and Kia are okay. “You're alright!” Ginia “Not possible..how could..” Arethian soldier 1 Jason coughs from the smoke, opens his eyes to see that they are alive. “What happened?” Jason “Jason.” Arika “Arika, you okay?” Jason “Yes, I’m fine.” Arika “Goo, how is Kia?” Jason He looks at Kia with a surprised look, Arika looks too, his hair is glowing. “What’s going on?” Jason Arika tries to touch Kia’s hair, but it shocks her. “Ouch!” Arika “What’s wrong?” Jason “His hair is electric.” Arika The soldier pushes Ginia away, he tries to shoot them again, Ginia gets to her feet then cuts him in the back with her blade. He falls to the ground bleeding out; Ginia runs to them. “Jason, Arika!” Ginia “Ginia.” Jason “I’m glad you’re alright. What’s going on with Kia?” Ginia “We don’t know after the smoke lifted he just started glowing.” Arika “For now let’s get you guys to safety first.” Ginia “Okay.” Jason and Arika Ginia helps Arika up as Jason lifts Kia over his shoulder, out of the corner of his eye his face goes pale. “Ginia.” Jason “What is it, Jason?” Ginia He points behind her and Ginia turns around, more Arethian soldiers appear ready to fire on them and the other citizens still in the area. Ginia transforms her right arm into a cannon, she points it at them. Ginia tires to aim, but there’s too many. “It’s no good I can’t get them all. My cannon is too small if only I had a bigger one I could get them all.” Ginia Kia’s hair glows brighter and the electric grows stronger. “What?!” Arika “What the heck?” Jason Ginia looks over at them, the lightning spreads all over the debris, it starts to come together melding into one. “What is that?” Ginia It flies towards Ginia. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” Ginia She closes her eyes after a few seconds she opens them feeling a spark coming from her right arm. Ginia sees a bigger cannon flowing with lightning. “What is this? A new weapon?” Ginia Both Jason and Arika are shocked as Kia’s hair stops glowing. “I have no idea what happened, but I’ll gladly take it.” Ginia She readies to fire. “And send them all flying!” Ginia

Summer almost shed a tear at the pieces of orange plastic in her grandmother’s hands. She went so far as to write ‘search the garden’ on her calendar board, but the events of the last couple of days ruined any sense of normalcy. “Summer, why on earth was this in my garden? I almost broke my foot out there.” Summer closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I hid it there when I came back from the sanatorium.” “Why on earth would you hide… oh yeah, that’s when you thought you could get away with lying to me.” She took the pieces of the water gun from her grandmother and meandered to the kitchen. After throwing them away, she pulled out her phone to check the time. A good morning text from Connor had her grinning from ear to ear. “I know that look,” her grandmother said as she grabbed her car keys from the counter. “I used to dread this day. But your first boyfriend being an angel is probably the ideal scenario. I always envisioned you going for the bad boys at first. Like I did.” Summer perked up, still smiling. “You used to date a bad boy?” “Bad boys,” she clarified, a smirk across her face. “I was in dire need of some excitement. So many of the boys in my school were so… dull.” “No way!” “Honestly, most of them were teddy bears under all that leather and hair gel. But there were a couple that were just as toxic as advertised. Speaking of bad boys, for a while there, I thought you had a crush on Victor.” “V? I mean, he’s handsome, and I think he’s a very sweet guy—on the inside. But he’s a bit of a womanizer. No judgement, of course, it’s just not my thing.” “A womanizer? Him? Wow, I didn’t know he had it in him.” “Granny!” “What? I had a life before I met your grandfather, you know.” “Was grandpa a bad boy?” Summer’s grandmother paused with her hand on the doorknob, gazing upon a photo of her in a flowing Hawaiian print wedding dress. “No,” she said. “He was the sweetest man I’ve ever met.” She jerked her head forward, as if being thrust back into reality. “Now, let’s get you to school.” Summer sat on a bench in the school’s courtyard, eyeing the large crimson doors. After that kiss, Connor constantly ran through her mind. There were short periods of time when she thought about other, more pressing matters. But they paled in comparison to the time spent thinking about that special afternoon. Wait, did granny call him my boyfriend? She suddenly thought . The shock of her grandmother revealing anything about her dating history caused her to skip past the mentioning of that word. Is he my boyfriend? We’ve only kissed a couple of times. “Hey Summer, you alright?” A voice from behind her asked. Summer turned and saw Victor and Connor staring at her. She must have been a little too lost in thought. “What were you thinking about?” Connor asked, leaning in to give her a peck on the lips. “Uh… nothing. How’s your hand, V?” Victor presented his fully healed hand, rotating it like a showroom car turntable. “It’s as beautiful as ever.” “Did you seriously just call your hand beautiful?” Connor asked. “Well, it was technically my first love.” Summer couldn’t hide the disgust on her face. “There are some things that you should keep to yourself.” He kissed his palm. “You’re just jealous. What you and Connor have doesn’t even come close.” Connor took one giant step toward Summer. “Anyway, I found out that my granny had a type,” Summer said. “I’m a little bummed out, though. I always envisioned my grandpa being her first love.” “Why’d you think that?” Victor asked. Summer shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. But it sounds really romantic, doesn’t it? Imagine her seeing my grandpa from across the room. He walks up to her and she immediately notices that he’s a little nervous, but she’s flattered. He then collects himself and—” “Summer, you got a little drool coming from your mouth,” Victor mocked. “You should really take care of that.” Summer rose, glaring at Victor. “I also found out that she thought I had a crush on you.” Connor adjusted his backpack. “I… sort of used to think the same thing.” “Seriously?” Summer asked, resting her hands on her hips. “Well, yeah. Victor always had girls crushing on him. It wasn’t too farfetched to think that you liked him, too.” “Okay, so when did you find out that I didn’t like him?” “It didn’t take long,” Connor said. “Once he manned up enough to actually start going out with the girls that would stare at him all day, I noticed how little you cared.” “So my lack of jealousy clued you in?” “Yep.” “Manned up? Should you really be the one talking? It took you how long to finally make a move on Summer?” Victor asked. “We’re not talking about me.” Victor started toward the school’s entrance. “Yeah, whatever.” For some odd reason, Summer suddenly found Connor’s Pop-Tart ritual sort of cute. His look of concentration and the biting of his bottom lip became charming to her. I’m losing my mind, she thought as she watched him remove the last bit of crust from his Pop-Tart. Victor took a large bite of his eggs. “Hey Summer, who—oh shit. I completely forgot about Connor ruining our little game. Man, I had so many awesome things lined up.” Summer flashed a wry smile at Connor. “Isn’t it funny that saying I had a boyfriend is the thing that made him stop ignoring us?” “Yeah, that is kind of weird,” Victor said, mimicking Summer’s tone. Connor flushed. “Please, go back to saying nonsense, I beg of you.” Summer threw her arms back in laughter, accidentally hitting her bottle of orange juice. Spurts of the orange-flavored sugar water landed on her backpack. “Darn!” Summer exclaimed. The bell for first period rang. Victor shot up out of his seat. “Summer, you good?” Victor asked while frantically tapping his foot. “Yeah, I’m fine. You guys go ahead without me.” Victor sprinted out of the cafeteria. Connor stood up and gathered his food on the table. “You sure you don’t need any help?” “Can you please hand me some paper towels?” She asked. Connor snatched a handful from the food line. Summer started dabbing her backpack. “Thanks.” “I’ll see you soon,” Connor said as he walked out of the cafeteria. “Hey… um, do you need any help?” said an unfamiliar voice. Summer looked up and saw a girl with long auburn hair and emerald green eyes. Her aura was the same beautiful shade of green, but there were large swirls of gray swimming around. “Oh, that’s really sweet, but I pretty much have everything cleaned up.” “What happened?” “Well, I’m a klutz, so I accidentally hit my bottle of orange juice with my arm, and it spilled all over my backpack.” “Wow, that’s horrible.” Summer balled up the used paper towels. “It’s not the worst thing in the world.” She noticed the auburn-haired girl tapping the side of her thigh with her index finger. Summer’s eyes moved up to her silky red hair. “You have such beautiful hair.” “Thank you!” “Have we met before?” “No… um, you’re V’s friend, right?” “Hold on, are you Catelyn?” “He told you about me?” “Yeah, he told me he was taking you to that new coffee shop. How is it, by the way?” “Oh. Did he tell you if he had a good time? Also, the shop was great. Amazing coffee.” “I’m sorry, but I completely forgot to ask him how the date went. It’s been a crazy couple of days.” The grey swirls in Catelyn’s aura started expanding, and she sped the tapping on her thigh. “It’s no problem, really. It’s just… I said hello to him on the bus this morning, and he acted kind of weird.” Summer got up from the ground and sat in her chair. The crumpled up sheets of paper towel were still in her hand. “Weird how?” “I don’t know. He just kind of acted like he didn’t really know me. After we kissed, I thought there was something there but… maybe he doesn’t feel the same way.” “That jerk.” Summer squeezed the paper towels so hard that her nails made a deep indent in her palm. “Oh, it’s fine. I just wanted to ask you if everything is okay with him. He still hasn’t texted me back.” Summer picked up her backpack and threw the used paper towels into the garbage can. “I’m gonna talk to him.” “Please let him know that I’m not mad, just a little confused.” “You’re not mad?” “No, not at all.” “Well I am. It was really nice meeting you, Catelyn.” Summer got up and sprinted toward the gym. Victor and Connor were seated on the bleachers, already dressed in their gym clothes. Connor saw Summer stomping toward them. “Hey, Summer.” “Vict—ouch!” Summer yelled, reeling her hand away from the bleachers. “What happened?” Connor asked. “It shocked me! But that’s not why I’m here. Victor, what is wrong with—ouch!” “Summer, stop touching things,” Victor said, using a hand to cover his smile. She put her hands behind her back. “Victor, what is wrong with you?” “A lot of things, actually. What specifically are you referring to?” “Catelyn. You went out with her, kissed her, didn’t text her back, and then acted like you didn’t know her when you saw her this morning?” “So did you just forget the whole demon slaying thing that happened this weekend, or…” “That was one day, and how hard is it to send one text? More importantly, how hard is it to say hi to someone that you just went out with?” Victor rolled his eyes. “I said what’s up to her.” “You gave her a head nod,” Connor added. “She was really hurt, V. Catelyn likes you a lot, and you treated her that way?” “Trust me, Summer. I know what I’m doing.” “How about you just act like a decent human being instead of playing these mind games?” “Girls love mind games. Besides, you never cared this much about any of the other girls I’ve been with. Why is Catelyn so special?” “That’s because every girl you date hates me.” Victor raised an eyebrow. “Why would you say that?” “It wasn’t obvious? Every time I saw them in the hallways or outside of school, they would give me the stink eye.” “Connor,” Victor said, “do you think my exes hated Summer?” “Keep me out of this.” Summer sat down. “V, do you like her?” her tone softening. “She’s beautiful, has a nice body, sweet, and an athlete. I like her a lot.” “Then why are you acting like you don’t?” “Like I said, I know what I’m doing. Girls like to chase a little bit.” “Connor, are you really just going along with this?” “What?” Connor said, taken aback. “I call him out literally every single time he does stuff like this.” “Did she tell you I promised to go to her field hockey game this Saturday?” Victor asked “No, she didn’t mention that,” Summer said, her anger now completely quelled. “Well, I’m going. And she’s gonna look up and see me cheering for her. Then afterwards, we’ll see where things go…” Victor presented a terrifying grin. “That’s sweet,” Summer said. “Well, it was until that last part. Can you at least text her back before next week?” “Summer, I know what I’m doing.” Connor dropped his head. “Guys, can we please stop fighting? Gym is about to start and you haven’t even gotten changed yet.” Summer looked at her outfit and then bolted toward the locker room. She stopped halfway, turned around, and yelled, “Session number three at my house after school! Don’t forget!”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Connor noticed Victor’s leg bouncing up and down. He hadn’t said a word since they got into the car, and he aimed his gaze at the back of the passenger’s side seat. “V, you good?” Connor asked. Victor turned and looked at Connor, a barely noticeable smile on his face. “They’re going after kids now? I’m turning that thing to ash the second I see it.” “Hold on,” Mr. Au said. “Let’s ask it a few questions first. We still don’t know why they’re going after people.” “Yeah, of course,” Victor said. “I meant after we interrogate it for a bit.” Mr. Au turned and glanced at the water gun in Summer’s hand. “Summer.” “Yeah?” “I like the new gun.” Victor perked up. “When did you get it?” “It came in the mail yesterday, almost right after you left.” “Well, it looks really cool,” Victor said. “Not a fan of the color scheme, though.” “Right?” Connor added. Summer stared daggers at her boyfriend. “You told me you liked it.” “Well, I—” “Summer, I haven’t been to SooHoo park in years,” interrupted Mr. Au. “Is there a shorter way?” Connor’s soul returned to his body. Summer turned around and focused on the road. “Yeah, me and granny found a shortcut a while back. If you take a left at Patterson and then a right at Murray, you can save like ten minutes.” “Thank you.” Mr. Au gave Connor a quick wink through his rearview mirror before turning his attention back to Summer. “Can you tell me what else you saw? Did you get a good look at the demon?” “Or demons,” Victor said. Summer leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. “I didn’t see any demons, but I remember how he felt. His heart was beating really fast, and he was surrounded by darkness. He was sweating a lot and… oh yeah, his backpack was red.” She opened her eyes, wrapping her arm around her water gun. “That’s all.” “What’s a kid doing alone at the park?” Mr. Au asked. Summer started tapping the water tank with her pointer finger. “Maybe he went there with his family but got separated?” “I can see the backpack being full of camping equipment. There’s a campground not too far from the parking lot,” Connor said. “Not a bad theory,” Mr. Au said. Connor turned and noticed Victor still violently shaking his leg. “Hey, V, what do you think?” “About what?” “Were you daydreaming or something? We’re wondering why this kid is all alone.” “Does it matter?” “We have very little information, so we’re trying to put the pieces together.” “I don’t care about any of that. There’s a kid scared for his life. When I see a demon, it’s dust… after we question it first.” “I guess there isn’t really much point in speculating,” Mr. Au said. “We’ll find out soon enough.” The occupants leaned in unison as he took a sharp turn. “Mrs. Kahale told me you’ve been training really hard, V. That’s my boy.” “I wouldn’t have gotten this far without her,” Victor said. “Summer, I had no idea your granny was this cool.” “That’s good to hear because she hasn’t stopped talking about you.” “Seriously?” “Yeah. It’s actually really sweet.” Victor’s leg stopped shaking. “I hit the dummy today and it didn’t move.” “Wait, when?” Summer asked. “I just told you. Today,” Victor retorted with a flat stare. Connor chuckled to himself. “No smarty pants, what I meant was why didn’t you let us know earlier?” “It happened almost right before you came outside.” “Dude, that’s awesome,” Connor said. “It’s no big deal, really. I only did it once,” Victor said. “Don’t downplay your achievements, Victor,” Mr. Au said. “We’re proud of you.” “It was a pretty great feeling. I got so excited, I picked Mrs. Kahale up and spun her around. She wasn’t too happy about that.” “How are you even alive?” Summer asked, wide-eyed. “I remember my dad picking her up after a game-winning touchdown and she gave him the stink eye for the rest of the day.” “I guess I really am just that lovable.” Connor pretended to dry-heave. Mr. Au diverted his eyes from the road to check on him; Summer rolled hers. “So,” Summer said. “Can I get a progress report on your ability to see auras? Connor is starting to see colors.” She gave her boyfriend a warm smile. “Every single one of my hand’s pores is etched into my mind,” Mr. Au said. “Yet I haven’t seen a thing.” “I didn’t know you were even trying,” Summer said. “Why wouldn’t I? What if I meet a demon wearing sunglasses?” He presented a sly grin. Summer laughed. “Okay, that’s fair. How about you, V?” “No colors yet, but it’s getting easier every day.” “That’s great!” Victor inspected Summer’s water gun. “Hey dad, did you bring your axe?” “Yeah, why?” “Summer has her water gun.” Victor slammed his fists together. “And I have these.” He turned and looked at Connor. “Where’s your weapon?” “Damn,” Mr. Au said. “I bought you an ax, but I booked it to my car the second I got a call from Summer.” “It’s okay,” Connor said. “There’s no way I could have hidden an ax from my parents.” “It would have stayed in the car. I was making some modifications to it, so I had to keep it in the garage.” “Wow, thanks I—” “You should get a sword!” Victor exclaimed. Connor laughed. “What? Why a sword?” “I could have sworn I’ve seen pictures of an angel with a sword.” “You might be talking about archangel Michael,” Mr. Au said. “Connor… is he real?” “Hold on dad, I got this one. Let me guess, you don’t know?” “Hilarious,” Connor said, unsmiling. “There are powerful angels in heaven, but I have never personally met one. I also don’t remember seeing any swords.” “It honestly feels like you learn nothing about the universe once you reach heaven,” Victor complained. “I don’t know… I think it’s kind of interesting that you still have a lot to learn after you die,” Mr. Au said. “Heaven is just another plane, free from your physical body,” Connor said. “You don’t magically become all knowing.” “We’re almost there,” Mr. Au said. The car immediately went quiet. Connor peered through the windshield as they drove along a narrow path surrounded by dense forest. A large, almost empty parking lot was at the end of the path. The striping was a faded white, exposing the lot’s worn asphalt. Splotches of yellow and brown dotted the grass, and shoddy looking park benches could be seen in the distance. The gazebo stood out the most. It was in pristine condition. The glossy maroon paint glistening, juxtaposing with the surrounding area. “This place has seen better days,” Mr. Au said as he opened the car door. He snatched his axe from the trunk and then glared at the concrete trail. “Summer, lead the way.” Summer raised her water gun and starting jogging along the trail. “The bridge isn’t too far ahead.” Connor and Victor moved to her side. Their eyes darting around the poorly maintained park. “It’s a beautiful day,” Victor said. “Where is everyone?” “Didn’t you hear?” Summer said. “Mayor Adams cut park funding last year. Almost all the remaining money went to maintaining the park in Shivesly. They’ve pretty much abandoned this place.” “I didn’t know public parks were only for the wealthy,” Mr. Au said. “That gazebo looks like it was just built,” Connor said, pointing. Summer turned to look at the gazebo—the sunlight bouncing off the amethyst dangling around her neck. “I wish I had an answer. Last time I was here, it was in pretty bad shape.” “Guys, stop,” Mr. Au said. “What’s wrong?” Victor asked. Mr. Au pointed toward some trees. Connor looked and noticed two figures peering up at the branches, searching for something. “Demons,” Summer said. “I got 'em’. You guys go ahead,” Victor declared. “That is not happening,” Connor said. “I can take them.” “You’re not going alone.” “That’s enough,” Mr. Au said. “Connor, go with Victor.” “But—” “Victor.” Mr. Au’s gave his son an icy look. “Yes, sir,” Victor said. He stood while facing the direction of the demons. Connor saw his aura rapidly expand and then he… vanished. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream came from the trees. Connor froze in his tracks. At that moment, he questioned if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Under a large tree stood Victor, who was bent over with his hands on his knees. One demon was writhing on the ground while wrapping his arms around his chest, gasping for air. The other demon seemed to have disappeared entirely. Mr. Au shook his head. “Unbelievable…” There was a pause. “Summer, let’s go,” he eventually said. “Y-Yes, sir,” Summer replied, walking along the trail before her. “Hurry up!” Victor yelled. Connor snapped out of his stupor and sprinted toward his friend. Once he reached Victor, he saw a pile of ash sitting atop the grass nearby. The screaming demon was on his back, breathing laboriously. “I Knocked the wind out of him,” Victor said “I was trying to break a rib, but I’m not there yet.” He then stood up straight, presenting a gleaming, toothy grin. “Hey! I have a few questions for you. If you answer correctly, I’ll let you go.” “Who the hell are you?” the demon murmured. “I’m asking the questions. Where is Aayan?” The demon’s eyes widened. “I’ll never tell you. Just kill me now.” “Kill you?” Victor reached into his pocket and pulled out his bottle of holy water. “When I’m done, you’re gonna wish you were back in hell.” A shiver trickled down Connor’s spine. Victor’s gleeful smile warped into a snarl. “Wait! I don’t know anything, I swear. I woke up in this body and was told to bring this kid to Aayan.” “Where were you when you woke up?” Connor asked. “I-I don’t know.” “You can go,” Victor said. “V, what are you doing?” Connor asked. Victor didn’t move an inch. He was staring into the demon’s eyes as his snarl transitioned back into a grin. “Are you deaf? I said you can go.” “V, why—” “Connor, he obviously doesn’t know anything.” The demon leapt up and starting running in the opposite direction. “You’ll never see me again, I promise!” “Hey, watch this,” Victor said. His eyes flashed gold and then he vanished. A loud crack forced Connor to look in the direction of the demon. He was greeted by Victor patting his clothes while sauntering back to where Connor stood—a pile of ash behind him. “Let’s catch up with the other guys,” Victor said. “Dude, what the hell was that?” “He wasn’t going to tell us anything.” “How do you know? We barely asked him any questions.” “He feared Aayan more than he feared me. Even if he knew something, he wouldn’t have said shit. Trust me.” “What is up with you today?” “We’re wasting time. Do you remember where the bridge is?” Connor wanted to keep digging, but he had to admit that Victor was right. Time was not on their side. “Follow me.” He ran toward the bridge while scanning the surrounding area. There were large swaths of dead grass along the pathway, and the benches were brittle and discolored. It looked as if a light breeze could level the entire park. They reached the bridge just as Mr. Au and Summer were walking up a grassy decline. A young boy with blonde hair so light that it could be mistaken for ashen was walking next to them, his arms wrapped around Summer’s torso. The boy noticed Connor running toward them, and his eyes widened. Summer’s blouse wrinkled as the boy’s grip on her tightened. “It’s okay. These are my friends,” Summer said. His hold loosened for a moment, but as soon as he saw Victor, he completely let her go. A warm smile formed on his face as the young boy stood there gawking at him. “Wow… gold,” the young boy said. His eyes were bloodshot. “I bet you’re getting tired of hearing that,” Summer said. The lighthearted tone in her voice removed any tension Connor had felt. “I’m getting used to it.” Victor knelt down in front of the boy. “Hey, kid, are you hurt?” The boy didn’t respond. Victor appeared to have put him under some sort of spell. Summer tapped the boy on his shoulder. “Trevor, this is V. He asked you a question.” “So your name is Trevor,” Victor said. “I’m not gonna lie, that’s a pretty cool name.” “Your aura. How is it gold?” Trevor asked. “How about this. I’ll tell you all about me if you answer all of our questions first. We got a deal?” Victor showed Trevor his fist. Trevor gave Victor a fist bump. “Deal!” “Did you see anyone else on your way here?” Mr. Au asked. “No, this place looks deserted,” Connor said. “Lets get back to the car. We can’t risk encountering anymore of them,” Mr. Au said. Victor turned to face his father. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll take them out.” “This isn’t about you,” Connor said. “The kid is safe, so let’s get him home.” “Yeah… you’re right,” Victor said. “I’m not going home,” Trevor said. Summer gently rubbed his shoulder. “Sweetie, why don’t you want to go home?” “My grandpa hates me. He said I’m possessed.” Connor and Summer shared a glance. Mr. Au threw his axe over his shoulder and started toward the car. “We’ll talk about this when I know we’re safe.” This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Connor tried to pat the dirt from his sweatpants, but to no avail. He stood before his mid-twentieth century bungalow, staring at the steel-blue front door. Connor counted down from five, then jogged up his porch steps. He could hear the faint sound of baseball commentary from the front yard. He was finally home. “Welcome back, honey!” his mother exclaimed. She was a heavy-set woman with dyed bleach-blonde hair. Her crow’s feet flexed as her mouth curled into a smile. “How was the movie?” Connor set his keys on the kitchen counter. “Pretty good. It was way longer than I thought it would be, though.” His father turned from the TV, fixing his cool, dark-brown eyes on his son. Connor felt naked as he scanned him. “Welcome home, son.” “Thanks.” Connor glanced at the game’s score. They’re losing. I have an opening, he thought. “So, what’s the score?” His father sunk into his recliner, shuffling his charcoal-black hair with boney fingers. “3-2. Bottom of the 8th. Sanders hit a two-run homer off Martinez. We had a pathetic bullpen last season, so why we decid—” “Connor, what happened to your pants?” His mother asked suspiciously. Connor feigned a look of indifference as he inspected the dirt on his pants. “Oh, that? I accidentally fell in the parking lot. No big deal.” His father smiled. “And you didn’t run home crying. You toughed it out and risked being made fun of. Damn it, I wish our outfielders had that mentality. Did you know—” Connor’s mom put a hand on his husband’s shoulder. “Honey, please…” “Oh, right. Sorry about that. So, are you hurt?” Connor chuckled nervously. “I’m fine, just a little tired. I’m thinking about heading to bed early.” “Okay, sweetie. I’ll tell your father to turn the TV down.” “Damn it!” his father yelled. Skinny veins popping out of his neck as he snarled at the screen. Connor’s mom sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.” She squinted at Connor’s chest, then asked, “Where did you get that necklace? It’s so pretty.” Connor smiled warmly at his amethyst pendant wrapped in slivers of gold. “Summer gave it to me. It was a gift.” Connor looked up, a mocking grin met his gaze. “Um, V got one too.” “Mhm,” his mother said. “Put your pants in the hamper; I’ll wash them later. Good night, sweetie.” “Good nigh—damn it!” his father yelled, waving a dismissive hand in his direction. “Thanks guys. Night.” They didn’t even ask me what I saw, Connor thought as he scurried up the stairs. He undressed, then neatly folded his clothes before putting them in the hamper. While inspecting his dirt covered shoes, he glanced over at the row of identical sneakers that formed a line next to his closet door. He placed his dirty shoes near the hamper. I’ll clean them tomorrow, he thought while eying the door to his bathroom. Connor stood in front of his bathroom mirror, looking at the clear outline of his aura. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breath for several minutes before opening them to the same transparent outline he saw every night. He slumped his shoulders. What good is having wings if I can’t even see them? Connor removed the bandage on his forearm, revealing the scabbed over cigarette burn mark. Losing himself in the exposed pink of the wound, he recalled the events of the sanatorium. If I just had more information, he thought. Then what, idiot? You’d magically be able to put a stop to it? He wore duplicity like a cherished baseball cap, yet even he didn’t know how much longer he could hide how grave the circumstances truly were. A perpetual sense of foreboding clung to him since they encountered the first demon. Actually, that’s not it—he felt off the moment he saw Victor enter his angel mode for the first time during gym class. It was a stark reminder that Connor didn’t belong—he was nothing more than a tourist tasked with spying on his best friend. There were moments throughout the years when he forgot his purpose for entering this plane. Moments when all that mattered was studying for an important test, or landing his first skate trick. Moments when he would lie awake with Victor and Summer on a three-way call, chatting and laughing into the early morning. Ultimately, what Victor awakening his powers did was remind him of his duty, something he throughout the years slowly began to forget. Connor replaced the bandage and then hopped onto his bed, staring up at his sky-blue ceiling. His walls were the same shade of blue; splotches of white paint of varying shapes and sizes were scattered about. Some mornings, he’d wake up and feel like he had actually slept under the beautiful summer sky. He rolled over and checked his phone. To his delight, he saw a text from Summer. Our second meditation session is tomorrow at 11:30! :) Connor smiled and responded with a thumbs up emoji. He laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. Summer’s face was all he saw. Her beautiful smile covering him in a sheet of comfort. Physical attraction was one thing—and there was plenty of that in spades—but with Summer, it was much more. It had been sixteen years since he entered this plane, yet his time in heaven was still vivid. He recalled the warmth permeating throughout his ethereal body. Summer was the only person to elicit a similar feeling. Calm down. She’s just a friend. These feelings aren’t real, he lied. The pale morning sun slanted through his partially closed blinds, leaving pillars of light on his covers. Connor opened his eyes and let out a groan. His dreams of late have been of him flying above Covington without a care in the world. Then, as if clipping a bird’s wings mid-flight, he would come crashing down, waking up right before hitting the ground. He suffered through the dream several times that night, each time causing him to spring up in a panic, his heart pumping violently. He checked his phone. Shit, I’m gonna be late! He sprinted to the bathroom, causing his comforter to fall to the floor. He brushed his teeth and freshened up as best as he could. After getting dressed, he darted out of his house. Connor stopped a couple of houses away from Summer’s eccentrically colored home and turned on his phone’s front-facing camera. He checked for sleep in his eyes, tussled his hair, and ended with a quick sniff of his armpits before continuing toward her house. The exterior of Summer’s home was a mishmash of bright colors. The incredible variety of vegetation and the goofy stone and plastic knickknacks sprinkled about made it easy to spot from a distance. There was a black sedan parked in Summer’s driveway. Connor inspected it and realized that it was Mr. Au’s car. He plodded up the porch steps, looking at the neon-green colored front door suspiciously. Connor rang the doorbell and Summer appeared, glaring at the ground. She stepped to the side to reveal her grandmother sitting at a table with Victor’s dad across from her. After walking inside, he saw Victor sitting on the couch, his eyes focusing on the stone attached to his necklace. Connor patted his neck, feeling for the pendant. All he felt was his cotton t-shirt. Dang it , he thought. “Good morning, Mrs. Kahale. Good morning, Mr. Au,” Connor said. “It’s 11:47 Connor. You’re late,” Summer’s grandmother said while giving him a flat stare. “Please sit down.” She pointed at a chair. Connor snuck a look at Summer before taking a seat. Anguish and rage twisted her face into a look that made her almost unrecognizable. “Where did you guys go last night?” Mr. Au asked. Connor froze. A cavalcade of potential responses sprinted across his mind, yet he couldn’t grab one. “I guess silence is better than an outright lie.” Mr. Au added while giving Victor a disapproving glare. “Not only did Summer lie to me twice in one day, I find out that you guys were out playing hero and putting yourselves in danger?” Mrs. Kahale said. “She needed our help!” Summer said. “We couldn’t just sit here and do nothing!” Mrs. Kahale slightly flinched at the sudden interjection. She then leaned back in her chair with her arms folded. “Why didn’t you call the police?” “And say what? There’s a demon holding a girl hostage? You can only kill him by chopping his head off and holy water stuns him for a little bit? Besides, we didn’t know if we would even make it in time. Talking to the police would have wasted precious time.” Mrs. Kahale glared at her. “Watch your tone.” Summer turned away, her fingers fiddling with her pendant. Victor sat up abruptly, eying his father with an unfazed stare. “Dad, you told me you would support me no matter what, right?” Mr. Au raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t mean I want you recklessly putting yourself in harm’s way.” Victor’s face was iron. “I found something last night, dad. Something that’s been eluding me ever since mom died.” Victor slightly lifted his head, maintaining eye contact. “Last night I found my purpose.” He shot a glance at Summer, his face softening. “I want to help people—to save them from these creatures that are here to do us harm . I don’t think me getting these powers now is a coincidence. But even if I never learn how to master them, I can’t just stand by as people lose their lives.” A chuckle escaped Mr. Au’s lips. “Is something funny?” Summer’s grandmother asked, her voice oozing perplexity. “I finally know how my parents felt.” He moved to the empty cushion next to his son. “When I first told my parents I wanted to join the military, they didn’t talk to me for weeks. Even after all the pleading, I didn’t budge. I knew I had an opportunity to help people, and that’s all that mattered to me.” He paused for a moment. “V, what can I do to help?” “What?” Mrs. Kahale asked. “Chester, they’re sixteen!” She almost fell out of her chair. “Only two years younger than I was when I enlisted. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I want this. I hate the thought of potentially losing my son. But I really do think he got these powers for a reason, and maybe the same is true for your granddaughter.” He flashed a smile at Summer and then continued, “The number of murders I’ve heard about in the last month alone is sickening. There’s something going on here, and I’m almost certain these demons are the cause.” Summer walked up to her grandmother. “Granny, when I jumped in her body, I felt her despair—her praying for the nightmare to end. It’s something I’ll never forget. I love you more than anything, but I don’t regret my decision.” Summer tried to match Victor’s hard resolve, but Connor noticed a hint of trepidation. “I’ll train her,” Victor’s dad added. “I’m more than willing to take time out of my day to make sure that your granddaughter can properly defend herself.” Connor didn’t have many interactions with him, but he suddenly knew why Victor lit up every time he mentioned his dad. Mrs. Kahale stared at her granddaughter with glossy eyes. “Summer, I…” A tear fell down her cheek. “I can’t lose anyone else. I don’t think my heart could take it.” Summer embraced her. “I have two guardian angels watching my back, granny. I think I’m gonna be okay.” Summer finally smiled her bright, toothy smile. Mrs. Kahale wiped away the tears on her cheek. “I still think we should try to get the police involved. I’ll head over to the station this evening.” Summer nodded. “Thanks, granny.” “So,” Mr. Au said while facing Summer. “When are you free to start your training?” This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

The little boy fixed his eyes on Summer’s bright-orange water gun, annoying Victor to no end. He tried everything in his power to get him to stop his incessant gawking, but sadly, nothing worked. Summer sat facing the window, her foot tapping an anxious tune. Victor found the bus to be surprisingly clean. He recalled the last time he used public transportation. Trash was scattered about, stains of unknown origin covered the seats, and the smell of stale sweat coated his nostrils. At least the smell is the same , Victor thought. “We’re here,” Connor said. They immediately bolted toward the sanatorium. The bus driver cursed in their direction as they barged through the folding metal doors. Victor felt the rhythm of his heartbeat quicken with each step. He couldn’t tell if it was fear or excitement that had him so agitated. Whatever the feeling, it wrapped itself around Victor, strangling him like a noose. You got these powers for a reason , echoed in his mind. He recalled the conversation with his father after his panic attack—his reaffirming words gave Victor solace. The St. Peter’s sanatorium was constructed in 1903. The dirty, off white eyesore perfectly embodied the phrase ‘style over substance’. Its moss covered pillars attempting to evoke a neoclassical aesthetic aged horribly. And the building’s parking lot was riddled with cracks and litter. A melodramatic plea during a city council meeting and a petition somehow accruing over ten thousand signatures had saved it from being demolished. There was a single black van parked near the front of the sanatorium. Rust spotted its exterior, and the front bumper was completely gone. Victor and Connor tried to get a peek inside, but the tint blocked their view. Victor pulled on the driver’s side handle, and to his surprise, the door opened. An indescribable funk assaulted them. “Oh my god, what the hell is that smell?” Victor asked. He peeked at every corner of the interior, trying to find the source. Connor pinched his nose. “I have no idea.” The smell made him leap backward. He coughed and spat on the ground. “Did you find anything?” he asked, eyes watering. Victor suffered through the smell long enough to scan the inside. Food crumbs coated sections of the carpet, and about a dozen black ice air fresheners hung from the rearview mirror. “Besides the smell, nothing looks out of the ordinary,” he replied with tears blurring his vision. Victor slammed the door shut. While dry heaving, he noticed Summer standing near the entrance, waving them toward her. Victor tried to open the sanatorium’s colossal front doors delicately, but its hinges screamed in protest, ruining any plans of subterfuge. The inside was mostly the same disgusting shade of white as its exterior. Two massive roman style support columns stood several feet apart, and a line of thin blue paint wrapped itself around the base of each column. There was a giant round seal in the center of the lobby. A faded-white dove was in the middle, surrounded by a circle painted sky-blue. There she was, lying on the seal. The young woman’s dark brown hair was a tangled mess and her wrists and ankles were tied. Black duct tape covered her mouth and her cheeks puffed when she noticed them approaching her. She started squirming violently—her muffled cries bouncing off the paint chipped walls. Summer sprinted to her. Victor and Connor edged their way forward, darting glances at every corner of the lobby. Connor turned to Victor and shook his bottle of holy water. Victor promptly pulled out his bottle and unscrewed the cap. Summer set her water gun down before grabbing the edge of the duct tape covering the young woman’s mouth. “This is gonna hurt,” she said before ripping it off. The woman started screaming. “He knows you’re here, he’s behind th—” A man appeared from behind one of the columns and dashed toward them. He smacked the bottle out of Connor’s hand and it shattered on the ground. Glass shards peppered the marble floor. The figure started toward Victor. He swiped at the bottle, but Victor moved his arm at the last second. Victor started a punch aimed at the man’s face, but he ducked and then kicked Victor’s hand. The bottle made a loud crash as it hit the ground. We really need to get plastic bottles , Victor thought as he got into his fighting stance. “Summer, focus on getting her out of here! We’ll take care of this guy!” Summer turned her attention back to the young woman and started untying the rope around her wrists. “You’re gonna be okay. My friends will take care of him.” The young woman could only muster a nod. Streaks of sweat and tears silvered her rosy cheeks. Connor recovered and sprinted toward the figure. The man turned around, revealing his blood-red eyes. The demon countered Connor’s punch with a kick aimed at his leg. Connor reeled back while holding his thigh. He bit his lip and let out a low grunt. “Did he send you guys?” The demon howled. Victor ignored his question and lunged at him, aiming a punch at his throat. The demon leapt backward, causing his punch to whiff. He’s faster than the last one , Victor thought. “V, get into angel mode!” Connor yelled. He landed a punch to the demon’s face, staggering him. Summer was still untying the rope. The young woman’s eyes were glued to the fight. “Your friends, they’re so… bright,” the young woman murmured, her body still shaking. Summer starting freeing her ankles. The braided rope previously binding her wrists lied coiled on the grand near them. Victor backed away from the demon. He closed his eyes and formed the hand sign Summer taught him. The demon’s sunken red eyes and the young woman’s terror filled gaze crowded his mind’s eye. “V, you can do this!” Connor yelled, ducking a punch from the demon. “Shut up, I’m trying to focus!” Victor exclaimed. After removing the rope from the woman’s ankles, Summer picked up her water gun and bolted toward the demon. She lifted the gun and steadied her aim. Streams of holy water splashed against the demon’s cheek, causing smoke to billow from his face. He dropped to the floor, writhing in pain. His screams echoing throughout the lobby. Summer ran back to the woman and helped her to her feet. Victor’s eyes shot open when he heard the demon’s screams. Connor stood over the squirming demon. He then turned to face Victor. “The holy water’s effects won’t last long, V. You can do this!” Shit . What is wrong with me? Victor thought — still attempting to enter his angel mode. Summer and the young woman trudged out of the sanatorium. The woman limped to the black van and leaned on the vehicle’s body. “There’s… an ax in the back of the van,” she said. Summer yanked the door open, immediately covering her nose with her sleeve. She grabbed the ax hidden under a large black sheet. The dried blood on its head gave her pause, but she collected herself and closed the car door. “I’ll be right back!” she yelled. Connor stood over the demon’s floundering body, waiting for his moment to attack. The demon’s hoarse screams squashed any chance of Victor focusing. He weighed his options. Summer and the girl were safe, so they could count their losses and make a run for it. But Victor had no timetable for the holy water’s effects, so the demon could easily catch up to them. Besides, where would they even go? His inner monologue was interrupted by Summer dashing toward Connor. She was carrying an ax—maroon-colored blood crusting the head’s edge. Connor grabbed the ax and lifted it over his head. Summer grimaced as Connor repeatedly chopped at the demon’s neck. A pile of ash was all that remained. Victor collapsed to his knees and punched the ground. “Fucking worthless…” he whined, his fist stinging from making contact with the hard floor. Connor dropped the ax. It made a loud clunk as iron hit marble. Connor ran to Victor and put a hand on his shoulder. He helped Victor to his feet, and they walked to the exit. Summer snatched up the water gun she dropped near the seal before catching up with them. The young woman was still leaning against the van. The red marks on her wrists and ankles made Victor perk up. He kneeled beside her and forced a radiant smile. “Hey, I’m V. And these are my friends Summer and Connor. What’s your name?” Her face lit up. “Gold,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen gold before.” Victor turned to face Summer. “Hold on,” Summer said, “you can read auras?” The young woman nodded. Her messy brown hair partially covering her face. “Your aura is Violet.” She turned to Connor, “And yours is white, but,” she squinted while lifting a hand to cover her eyes, “it’s so bright. Who in the world are you guys?” Summer presented a nervous smile. “They’re… special,” she said. “I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” “April,” the woman said with her eyes still fixed on Connor. Summer tenderly put her hand on the woman’s arm. “April, who was that guy in there?” “I don’t know. I was walking home from work when he grabbed me and put me in his van. He tied my hands and wrists and then put duct tape over my mouth.” April looked at her wrists. Tears formed as she inspected the red marks. “You’re gonna be okay. He won’t hurt anyone else,” Connor said. “He… kept saying ‘I want you for myself’ over and over again,” April stammered. “Was he alone?” Victor asked. April used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears. “It was just him, but I heard him say a name.” “Do you remember the name?” Summer asked. “He turned around while driving once and said ‘Aayan can screw himself.’” They all shared a glance. Victor shrugged his shoulders before kneeling back down and peering into the woman’s dark brown eyes. “We’re gonna take care of you.” He turned to face Connor. “Where’s the nearest hospital?” The bus stop bench was wide enough to fit the four of them. Victor sat with his back slouched, vacantly staring at the ground—Summer and Connor periodically sneaking glances at him. The nearest hospital just so happened to be the one Victor recently got released from. His stomach turned at the thought of having to step foot in there again. April took a break from staring at Connor to glance at her brooding savior. “What’s wrong?” April asked. She had used one of Summer’s extra scrunchies to tie her hair into a ponytail. Victor looked at her and sighed a weary sigh. “It’s nothing. How are you feeling?” April smiled. “Grateful.” She looked at her wrists. “His aura was so dark and twisted. His eyes were full of hate and... desire.” Summer gently rubbed April’s back. “How did you guys even find me?” “Summer saw you in a vision. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have even known you needed help,” Connor said. Summer blushed. “And if it wasn’t for these guys, that demon would have killed me.” Victor slumped lower. “Demon?” April asked. “Yeah,” Connor answered. “They’ve been around for a long time, but they rarely harmed humans before. I don’t know what’s causing this change.” He rubbed his nonexistent beard. April stared at him, trying to parse this new information. She eventually turned to Summer and asked, “You had a vision? I’m sorry but… what does that mean exactly?” “To be honest, I’m not exactly sure. I saw the sanatorium, and then I sort of jumped in your body for a couple of seconds. I felt your fear, and the pain in your wrists and ankles.” Summer paused for a moment. “I’m… so sorry you had to go through that.” April’s eyes widened. “You jumped in my body?” Summer nodded, her mouth morphing into a nervous smile. “It doesn’t matter. You guys saved me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you.” “Repay us? We saw someone in danger and helped them. Anyone would have done the same,” Summer said. April grabbed Summer’s hand. “Thank you.” Summer pouted at April’s injuries. “You’re welcome. It’s great meeting someone else that can read auras. The only other person I know is my grandmother.” “Growing up, I didn’t know anyone else like me,” April said. “That must have been difficult,” Connor added. “It was tough at first, but eventually I learned how to deal with it. My parents still think I’m a little crazy, but at least I know who to be friends with and who to stay away from. It’s kind of like a superpower.” April turned back to Victor—his head was still down. “Summer, why are Connor and V’s auras so… different?” “Well, Connor was an angel, and V is half-angel.” April raised an eyebrow. “I really wish I had more to say, but that honestly sums it up.” Summer chuckled. April gave Summer a flat stare. “First demons, now angels… I think I’m starting to feel lightheaded.” Victor slightly lifted his head. “I know the feeling. You’ll get used to it.” Rain drops pattered on the bus’ windows. They all got glares as they scurried to the open seats in the back of the bus. It only took a couple of minutes for the drizzle to turn into an outright downpour. Victor stared daggers at the blue hospital sign about a mile from the building proper. When they finally reached the waiting room, he recoiled in disgust. Connor spoke to the receptionist and within ten minutes, a nurse came to where they were seated. She guided April to the examination room. “Don’t forget about the holy water!” Summer exclaimed. An elderly woman seated nearby turned to give Summer a confused glance. April waved at them as she walked away. Once she was out of their view, Summer glared at Victor—her eyes full of venom. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She seethed. Victor went mute, frantically darting his eyes around the room. “We just saved someone's life, yet all you could do on our way here was pout?” “We? I didn’t do shit.” “So What!” A thunder crack tore through the hospital’s thick walls. He suddenly felt everyone’s eyes on him. “I don’t exactly know why we got these powers, and honestly at this point, I don't care. What I do know is someone needed our help, and we helped them. You’re a superhero, right? Isn’t that what it’s all about?” “I…” Victor dropped his head and stared at Summer’s shoes. Summer rarely got mad, and he couldn’t even recall the last time she screamed at him. On the bus ride to the Sanatorium, he envisioned things going differently—him saving the day with one glorious punch. The thought of him not being able to even get a hit in never crossed his mind. He raised his eyes to meet Summer’s gaze and winced. Her face communicated disappointment, twisting the knife already in his chest. “I’m so sorry,” Victor said. Summer ran to give him a warm embrace. He got whiplash from her sudden change in demeanor. “You just got these powers,” Connor said. “Why would you beat yourself up over not mastering them yet?” “What if you guys got hurt? What if April got hurt? It would have been my fault.” “V, get over yourself,” Summer said, her demeanor changing again. “We all knew the risks, and we went anyway. You aren’t alone in this.” Victor grabbed the amethyst attached to his necklace and studied its sharp ridges. “April must think I’m a huge dickhead.” “Well, I think you're a huge dickhead, and we’re still somehow friends,” Connor said. Victor smiled and then pulled out his phone to check the time. “Shit, how are we gonna explain being out so late to our parents?” Victor asked. “I texted my granny that we were going to the movies,” Summer responded. Victor turned to look at the water gun on the nearby table. “With a water gun?” Summer presented a sly grin. “She was in the kitchen, so she didn’t actually see us walk out.” “Alright, what movie did we see?” Connor asked. “Why does that matter?” Summer asked. “Well, if our parents ask us what we saw, we need to have the same answers.” “Good point,” Victor said. “So… what did we watch?”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Mr. Au stood before her with his arms to his sides; two muscular appendages hanging from a broad torso. He was glaring at Summer with a look that made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Stern and focused. Victor’s backyard was surprisingly large for a home of its size. The grass was neatly cut, and it was a rich forest-green. His furniture set was monochromatic, clean, and free of any wear and tear. It was in stark contrast to her own backyard. What Summer’s backyard lacked in tidiness it made up for in sheer flamboyancy. Flowers of varying shapes, sizes, and shades lined its edges. And her patio furniture set consisted of a table with a tree stump painted green as its base, and faded rainbow-colored beach chairs. Summer turned to Connor sitting on the deck, messing with his phone. Her eyes then moved to Victor, who was looking back at her with a mocking grin stretched across his face. Connor lifted his head. “You got this.” “Yeah, go get em’!” Victor yelled, still smiling. “Summer, look at me,” Mr. Au demanded. She jerked her head forward. Mr. Au then glared at the deck, shaking his head. “Hey guys, go inside until we finish.” “What?” Victor whined. “I really wanted to see this.” “You guys are distracting her. This isn’t a game. Besides, you two are already proficient enough in hand to hand combat. I’ll be going through the basics for a while, so there’s nothing here for the two of you to learn. Now please, go inside.” “Yes, sir,” Victor said with a tinge of defiance in his voice. He ambled his way through the glass sliding doors. Connor gave them a quick nod before following behind him. Summer relaxed her shoulders. The nest of snakes battling in the pit of her stomach eased their relentless attacks. “You ready to get started?” Summer put her arms to her sides and straightened her posture. “Yes, sir.” “The most important thing when it comes to hand to hand combat is your fighting stance.” He put his hands up before continuing. “Hold your hands high to protect your head and face. Keep your fists clenched, but relaxed. Make sure your elbows are high and close to your body, and keep your weight evenly distributed on both of your feet to create a stable base. You want to stay light on your feet, so keep your knees slightly flexed to allow quick movement in any direction. Okay, now you try.” “Yes, sir,” Summer said, raising her hands and mimicking his stance to the best of her ability. Outside of gym, those few years of volleyball in middle school, and the cheerleading debacle her freshman year, she rarely got much exercise. Despite this, she was still in pretty good physical shape. A true testament to the power of fortuitous genetics. Victor had been an uber-athlete since she first met him, and Connor had hidden how adept he was at martial arts for all these years. The thought of her potentially becoming dead weight crept up from time to time since they encountered the demon at the sanatorium. A holy water gun was great and all, but she realized that being able to defend yourself without the need of a weapon was the ultimate contingency. Summer took a deep inhale and looked up at Mr. Au, awaiting his inevitable critique. The snakes in her stomach were rearing for another go. “Make sure your elbows are close to your body.” Mr. Au moved Summer’s elbow and then tapped one of her knees with the back of his hand, causing her to bend them slightly. He backed away, inspecting her stance. “Perfect.” Summer could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on his face. *** Connor was sitting on the couch, peering through the large glass doors. “Oh my god,” Victor announced. “What?” Connor asked, still staring at Summer. Victor crossed his arms and looked Connor up and down. “You finally made a move, didn’t you?” Connor went mute, his face flushing red. “Finally!” Victor exclaimed. “How did you know?” “It’s written all over your face, man. Before, when I caught you staring at her, you had this sad puppy dog thing going on.” Connor furrowed his brow. “But the look in your eyes is completely different now.” “V, what are you talking about? Sad puppy dog?” “Trust me. I’m a master at these things.” “Did you know she was into me?” “Of course I knew. She blushed the first time she saw you.” Connor was taken aback. “She did?” “She did.” Victor sat up. “I’m really happy for you. Summer is awesome.” “Thanks. So… how did your date go?” “She’s already in love.” Connor rolled his eyes, sighing a deep sigh. “Seriously, though, it went great. She’s hot, nice, and really easy to talk to. Also, I learned that coffee sucks.” “Why did you go to a coffee shop in the first place?” Victor shrugged. “She’s always carrying around one of those giant plastic iced coffee cups.” “Wait a minute, you actually took what she likes into account?” Connor used his hand to cup one of his ears. “Are those wedding bells I hear?” “Relax.” Connor laughed, then turned to the backyard. His smile waned as he watched Summer practicing kicks. “Do you think Summer is gonna have another vision?” “I don’t know. Helping April was amazing, but Summer was so shaken up after her vision that I’m not looking forward to her having another one.” Victor rubbed the top of his recently cut head. “We’ve got to find a way to protect people from these demons without relying on her visions. I mean, what if that was a onetime thing? Are we just gonna wander around the city looking for people with red eyes and spiky auras?” “Do you remember the name of the guy April told us about?” Connor asked. Victor gave him a perplexed look. “We asked her if the demon was working with someone and she told us she heard him say a name—it’s on the tip of my tongue.” “Oh yeah. I think his name was… Aaron?” “No, that doesn’t sound right…” Connor closed his eyes, desperately trying to recall the name. “Aayan!” he eventually yelled. “I’m pretty sure April said the demon mentioned someone named Aayan.” “So, you think this Aayan guy is the reason why these demons have been hurting people?” “I don’t know.” Connor glanced out the window. Summer and Mr. Au bowed and then started toward them Mr. Au slid the door open. “You guys better watch out. Eventually we’re gonna start sparring, and she might give you fits,” he said with a hand on her shoulder. He gave Victor and Connor a look. “Why the serious faces? What were you guys talking about?” “Summer, do you remember when April told us that the demon mentioned someone named Aayan?” Connor asked. Summer used her palm to wipe the sweat from her forehead then wiped it on her thigh. “Yeah, she told us the demon said ‘Aayan can screw himself’.” “April also told us that the demon said he wanted her for himself,” Connor said. “I’m guessing this Aayan guy is the one that ordered him to kidnap April.” Victor leaned back in his chair. “I haven’t met many demons, but from what I’ve seen, I can’t imagine one of them taking orders.” Mr. Au left and then returned with a towel in each hand. He threw one at Summer and used the other one to wipe his face and arms. “You guys need to fill me in.” Victor’s dad threw the towel over his shoulder. “Summer, did your grandmother talk to any police officers at the station?” “Yeah… let’s just say it didn’t go very well.” “I’m gonna need details.” Summer sighed. “Well, she spoke to a receptionist and told him she wanted to report the existence of demons. After immediately getting laughed at, she walked out of the station.” Victor snickered. “What did she expect?” “Victor,” Mr. Au said with a glare. “Sorry.” “At least she tried. Make sure you practice your stance and I’ll email you a couple of videos for you to watch. Call it a homework assignment.” He gave her a wink. “Now, let’s get you back home.” Summer waved her hands over the car’s air vents. The sun was especially brutal that day, illuminating the neighborhood and causing everything to look slightly overexposed. “It’s so beautiful outside,” Summer noted as she passed an immaculately kept front lawn. “But this heat…” “Yeah, and it’s supposed to be like this all week,” Mr. Au said. “Hey Summer, let’s talk for a minute.” Summer turned to him. His eyes were still on the road. “Sir?” He chuckled. “You don’t have to call me sir.” “Yes, si—I mean, yes, Mr. Au.” “I want to personally thank you.” “Your welcome, but… what for?” “V had a tough time dealing with his mother’s death. He started acting out and I would constantly get phone calls from his teachers. Then he came home from school one day and told me about this little surfer girl from California with a cool purple necklace.” He presented a warm smile. “Listen, I know V can be a little rough around the edges, but your positive attitude has done wonders for him. Please keep being that light in his life.” Summer felt tears forming. “Thank you for those beautiful words. I promise—” Her vision suddenly became blurry. She collapsed into her seat as the world around her faded away. There was nothing but darkness. A feeling of weightlessness started at her toes and trickled up the rest of her body. Then, as if someone flipped a light switch, a building materialized below her. She quickly understood why she felt weightless. Summer was flying—or rather, floating—above the building. She surveyed the area and immediately recognized it as her old middle school. Summer jumped into the body of a young man. A mixture of sweat and tears burning her eyes. She waved a hand in front of her face and saw nothing but still darkness. Using the same hand, Summer reached around for nothing in particular, hoping that she could get her bearings. She felt slick plastic on her fingertips. She reached again and felt rough bristles. A broom. The faint smell of chemical cleaner combined with the stench of sweat and fear in the air. It was so revolting she almost gagged. Summer woke up to Mr. Au leaning over her, shaking her. “Summer, what happened?” “I… had another vision.” “What did you see?” “Nothing, it was completely dark. I did feel a broom, though. And I smelled chemical cleaner. Wait, before I jumped into the guy’s body, I was floating above Newburg.” “The middle school?” “Yeah.” She rubbed her temple with her fingertips. “We’re going back to get V and Connor.” “Wait!” Summer exclaimed. “Drop me off at my house first. I need to pick some things up.” Mr. Au buckled Summer’s seatbelt and sped toward her house. Once there, Summer darted through her front door. Her grandmother jumped when the blur in the shape of her granddaughter sped up the stairs. “What’s going on?” she asked. Summer ignored her and grabbed four bottles of holy water from her closet. She sped back down the stairs and stopped at the foyer. “Granny, I had another vision. He’s in Newburg and he’s terrified. Mr. Au said he’s gonna drive us there after we pick V and Connor up.” “Wait, what?” Her grandmother rose to her feet. “Please, granny, I don’t know how much time he has. Mr. Au is gonna be with us this time.” “Summer, please… be careful, okay?” “Don’t worry, granny. I have three guardian angels now.” She ran outside and jumped into Mr. Au’s car. Mr. Au parked in his driveway and sprinted through his front door. “Guys,” he said. “Summer had another vision. This time, the person is at Newburg .” “ The middle school?” Connor asked. “Yeah. V, I need you to get my ax from the garage.” Victor sprung out of his chair. “Wait—” “V, get my ax. Now!” “Yes, sir.” “Mr. Au, take this.” She handed him a bottle. “Holy water stuns them for a little while.” She turned to Connor. “Did you bring one?” Connor reached into his pocket and presented a glass bottle. “Good, I’ll give a bottle to V when he comes back.” “Summer, you said you felt a broom and smelled chemical cleaner, right?” Mr. Au asked. “Yeah.” “I’m thinking he’s in the janitor’s closet. Do you guys remember the layout of the middle school?” Victor appeared with a giant ax in hand. It had a cherry red handle, and the silver-colored head was gleaming. Mr. Au grabbed the ax and inspected it. “Once we get there, I’m sure I’ll remember the layout,” Connor said. Mr. Au peered at everyone in the room. His large hands making the ax look significantly less imposing. “Okay guys, let’s go.”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Victor brushed the blades of grass and chunks of soil off his jeans. He tried to catch his breath, but he mistakingly looked at the whistle hanging from Mrs. Kahale’s neck. His shoulders tensed at the sight. “I’m gonna break that whistle one of these days!” he yelled. Mrs. Kahale lowered her sunglasses, revealing her coffee-colored eyes. The whistle attached to her string necklace swung from side to side. “You’ll have to rip it from my cold, dead hands.” Victor’s training went from a moderately strenuous exercise in restraint, to an all-encompassing obsession. That dummy’s face was all he thought about at school. It got so bad that Summer caught him drawing sketches of it in one of his textbooks. That drive rubbed off on Mrs. Kahale—her interest level increasing exponentially as each day passed. So much so that she was spending a Sunday afternoon intently watching a teenager punch a man made of rubber. Victor rested his eyes on the crumpled piece of paper attached to the dummy’s head. He would occasionally imagine it as the face of the demon he encountered at the sanatorium. I choked , he thought as he visualized the demon’s lanky build. That’s never happening again . Victor would recall Summer’s words at the hospital, soothing him if any sense of ineptitude crept up, but the feelings never truly went away. His peripheral vision caught Mrs. Kahale raising the whistle to her lips. Its airy, high-pitched blare heightening his focus as he entered his angel mode. It only took him nine seconds. A new record. The drawing’s red eyes grew larger as he sprinted toward the dummy. The ‘light’ punch he threw caused it to fall over. His eyes were now on the blank space where several pickets used to be. Damn it . “Hold it,” Mrs. Kahale said, staring at the timer on her phone. Victor focused on his breath for what felt like centuries, but eventually, the added physical and spiritual weight piled on, signaling that he was back to normal. A brief moment of sluggishness replaced the exhaustion he used to feel after exiting his angel mode. “Ten seconds,” she said. “Damn it!” he yelled. “You’ve been going at this nonstop. Maybe you need a break.” “I’ve been getting lucky with these one-on-one fights. I can’t keep getting kicked out of angel mode after one punch. No breaks. Let’s go at it again.” Mrs. Kahale placed her hands on her knees. “Okay, how about I take a break then?” Victor noticed the sweat droplets dotting her face and arms. “I’m sorry. Please take as long as you need.” She took a gulp of water from her thermos. “You really go all out, huh?” “My dad prepared me for this.” “I wasn’t in the military, so I’ll never be able to ride you that hard.” “You could have fooled me. You’d whip any cadet into shape.” Victor plopped down on the grass and stared at the base of the dummy. “Thanks,” he added. “For what?” “You paid for this dummy out of your own pocket, and you’ve been here every day helping me. Not to mention the damage I did to your picket fence and flowers.” “You did most of the work, Victor. Besides, we can’t just sit around and let these demons harm innocent people. You might be our best shot at getting this situation under control. Unless you can point me to another nephilim.” “A nef…” “That’s what they called human-angel hybrids in the Old Testament.” “I think we can come up with a better name than that.” “Okay, Victor the demon slayer.” Mrs. Kahale lifted the thermos to her lips. “Summer told you about that?” She slammed the thermos down on the table. “Break time is over!” “Yes, sir!” *** “Can I open my eyes now?” Connor asked while using one of his hands as a blindfold. “Not yet,” Summer said. Connor peaked through an opening between his fingers, seeing only her thigh. “Okay, open!” The large neon-green water tank Connor saw made him raise an eyebrow. Her right hand was wrapped around the light-blue grip and her left hand was cupping the plastic forestock. A wide black strap was draped across her shoulder. Connor’s eyes moved up to her face, and he saw her blindingly white smile. “Tada!” She exclaimed. “What in the world is that thing?” “My granny broke my last water gun, so I purchased a little upgrade. It came in the mail yesterday. What do you think?” Connor desperately wanted to question the practicality of lugging around something so large. He wanted to ask her why she spent money on something so ridiculous. But most importantly, he wanted to know why she went with such a hideous combination of colors. He looked into her eyes and forced a smile. “It’s perfect.” “I love it too! I wish they had some different color choices, though.” “I actually really like the colors,” Connor lied. He stood up and closely inspected the gun. His fingers brushed across the barrel until his hand eventually met with hers. The softness of her lips melted him every time he went in for a kiss; two cherry-flavored feather pillows resting on a silky-smooth surface. She wore the mango perfume that day, his favorite. He pulled back and removed the gun from her torso, gently placing it on the floor before continuing the make-out session. He opened one of his eyes and peered at the nearby bed. Connor tried guiding her toward it, but he was met with resistance. “I know what you’re doing,” she said, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. “What do you mean?” “Connor, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…” “What?” “My granny is right there . It would feel weird. Besides, I want our first time to be special, which means no interruptions.” Her reasoning hit Connor like a spiked bat. Every time he entered her room and closed the door, it felt like they were the only two people on earth. He couldn’t believe that he had to be reminded of her grandmother’s existence. “Of course. I keep forgetting.” “How could you possibly forget?” “It’s just… when we’re together, everything else ceases to exist.” Connor truly did not know why he said that out loud. Summer paused and stared at him. She then let out a cackle, piercing Connor’s soul. “I can’t believe you actually said that.” Summer used a finger to wipe a tear from her eye. “I can’t believe it either,” he mumbled. “I really didn’t mean to laugh at you like that. I used to daydream about my future boyfriend feeding me poetic lines. But now that I’m hearing it in real life…” “I get it.” Summer pouted and gave him a peck on the cheek. “My granny thinks you’re whipped.” “Wha—I don’t even—” “Don’t worry. I confessed to her that I’m the whipped one.” Any embarrassment Connor felt suddenly dissolved. “Wait, did you just call me your boyfriend?” “Am I wrong?” “I don’t know, Summer. Boyfriend is a strong word. We’re more like friends with benefits.” He flashed an impish grin, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came when he saw Summer’s dark face, still as a rock. “Summer, I was joking.” Summer’s stone face crumbled as she started giggling. “Connor, you’re making this too easy.” “And you’re getting way too good at that.” Summer stuck her tongue out. “Hey, wanna see something?” “Sure. But before that, let me just say that you are a terrible instructor. Every time I tell myself I’m going to meditate, you distract me.” “You’re the one that jumps on me the minute we enter my room.” “Let’s not act like I’m the only one that does the jumping. Anyway, you were gonna show me something?” “Oh yeah, check this out.” Summer leapt into a fighting stance. Connor noticed her stable base and almost perfect arm placement. “Mr. Au just taught me this, so the form might be a little off.” She sharply exhaled before launching an almost picture perfect roundhouse kick. Connor was about to rain her with praise, but her leg buckled and she collapsed onto a floor pillow. Connor covered his mouth with his hand. “Are you okay?” he asked. Summer started laughing uncontrollably. Connor fell down next to her and began cackling. After five minutes of nonstop laughter, they found themselves on the ground, staring into each other’s eyes. The sound of their breath and the hum from the air conditioning were the only things Connor could hear. At that moment, he wondered if it was even possible for her to be as whipped as him. “Hey, Connor.” she said, her eyes still peering into his. “Yeah?” “I can see your wings.” “And I see… damn, it’s gone.” “It’s okay, keep practicing.” “The violet was still pretty muted. But muted colors are better than nothing, I suppose.” Summer suddenly closed her eyes, her body going limp. Connor called her name, but he got no response. His heart raced as he started lightly nudging her. Shit. A vision. *** “Need another break, granny?” Victor asked. Mrs. Kahale used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Not this time. And that’s Mrs. Kahale to you, nephilim.” Victor laughed while turning his attention back to the dummy. “You ready?” he asked. She set the handkerchief down on the table and placed the whistle between her lips. Eight seconds after the whistle’s blare, he was back in his angel mode. He leapt at the dummy and tapped it again. It wobbled back and forth before finally standing still. He was overcome with disbelief. “Woohooo!” Mrs. Kahale screamed. Victor was startled by the sudden noise, but he quickly recovered. In his excitement, he sprinted toward the old woman, picking her up and then spinning her around. “Victorrrrr!” she yelled while being lifted off the ground. “Put me down!” Victor abruptly stopped spinning in place and then placed her back down. “Oh my god, Mrs. Kahale, I’m so sorry I jus—” “You did it!” “ We did it! Alright, let’s go again.” “You can punch that stupid thing all day, but I am going back inside and taking a bath.” Victor checked the time on his phone. “Wow, what time did we start again?” “Four hours. We’ve been out here for four freaking hours.” “How about we take a five-minute break and then get back to it?” Mrs. Kahale stared at him with squinted eyes. Victor grinned back at her. “Okay, ten minutes?” The patio doors violently swung open and Summer charged toward them. A large and plastic contraption was in her hand. Victor’s couldn’t stop staring at it. “Summer, wha—” “V, I got another vision. I let your dad know, and he’s on his way right now. Do you need any holy water?” Victor dug into his pocket and presented a small plastic bottle. “No, I—” “Perfect!” “Summer, slow down,” Mrs. Kahale said. “Granny, he’s terrified, and he needs our help.” “What did you see exactly?” “He’s hiding under the bridge at SooHoo park. The boy looked young.” “So it’s a kid this time? Damn,” Victor said. Mrs. Kahale crossed her arms. “Is he alone?” “Looks like it,” Summer said. “What else did you see?” Victor asked. “I could see some sunlight, but he was hiding in the shadows. And he was wearing a backpack.” Connor appeared right behind her. “Is my dad here?” Victor asked. “Not yet.” Connor reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of holy water. “Need me to grab you a bottle?” “I’m good.” Victor placed a hand on Mrs. Kahale’s shoulder. “Wanna come with us? I doubt I could convince you not to come if you wanted to, so I might as well ask.” “Thanks for the invitation, but I’ll pass.” She reached both of her arms out and gave Victor a tight hug. “Please be careful. We’re not done training yet.” “Get ready, because when I get back, we’re gonna go even harder.” Mrs. Kahale waved Summer and Connor over to her. “You thought I’d forget about you guys?”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Victor flinched as Summer began applying warm water to his wound. She then tossed the water bottle aside before dabbing Victor's bloodied hand with a paper towel. Mr. Au grabbed the first aid kit in his car and handed it to Connor, before doubling back toward Jake, who was leaning against the driver-side door. Victor glared at his reflection in the puddle of water and blood on the ground. “Hey, uh… what you did back there was pretty awesome.” “You’re the one who kicked that demon’s ass,” Summer said while eying the first aid kit. “All I did was put a little pep in your step. Do me a favor, though. Next time, how about you only aim for the head.” Victor smirked. Summer showed absolutely no fear in the face of a demon. Was it adrenaline that made it seemingly so easy for her to dash into danger? “Either way, thanks,” Victor said. “What are friends for?” “So, who taught you how to treat a wound?” Summer cracked a nervous smile. “I was always getting hurt as a kid. It got so bad that my granny taught me a little first aid.” Connor picked up the tossed water bottle and then handed her a tube of antibiotic cream. "I'm not surprised. You took every game we played way too seriously." He brushed a loose strand of hair from her shoulder. Victor rolled his eyes. “You guys aren’t gonna turn into that couple, are you?” “Couple? Wait, who told you…” Summer glared at Connor. His cheeks flushed a bright red. Victor snickered to himself. “I was just teasing. I’m happy that you two are together. Just please, don’t get all lovey-dovey around me. I get uncomfortable when strangers do it, so imagine how I’ll feel watching you guys exchange kissy faces all day.” Connor placed his hand on Summer’s shoulder. “No promises.” He took the antibiotic cream from her and pulled out a bandage roll. Victor turned to see his dad talking to Jake. “Guys, he can read auras,” he said. “First April, now Jake. I think I’m picking up on a pattern.” Summer dropped her eyes and promptly started wrapping Victor’s wound. “Your dad interrogated the demon,” Connor said. “Wait, really?” “He said that he was just following orders.” “From Aayan?” Victor asked. He then snuck a glance at Summer, tightly wrapping his hand. She was absorbed by the act. “Yep. Your dad also got a description out of him.” “Alright, now we’re getting somewhere!” “I wouldn’t get too excited,” Connor said. “He’s apparently a tall white guy with long brown hair.” Victor exhaled sharply. “Great, we’re looking for a tall white guy in Wyoming. That really narrows it down.” “That’s not all. We found out that La’el might be the person behind all of this. Actually, person isn’t the right word…” “That’s a pretty name,” Summer said while inspecting Victor’s freshly wrapped hand. “Who’s that?” “La’el is the overseer of hell.” “So he’s the devil?” Victor asked, stiffly moving his arm up and down. “The devil, as described in many religions, is inaccurate,” Connor said. “Even the various depictions of hell are incorrect.” “Are you actually about to provide us with some important information?” Victor asked, feigning a look of shock. Connor poorly hid a smile. “I’ve never been to hell, so of course I can’t really prove that what I’ve been told is true.” Connor placed the remaining bandage roll back in the first aid kit. “Hell isn’t a place where damned souls go to burn for eternity. It’s more like a rehabilitation center.” “So, hell is like a prison?” Summer asked. “Uh… sure. When a mortal soul who has committed horrible acts dies, instead of ascending to a higher plane, they go to hell, where they’re given an opportunity to be sent to heaven.” “This La’el guy must be the warden then,” Victor said. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” Connor said. “I was told that La’el was one of God’s first creations, tasked with helping souls repent for what they did as humans. Ultimately, he decides who stays in hell and who is allowed into heaven.” “If this super old and powerful angel is in charge of keeping them in line, how do they end up possessing humans?” Summer asked. “He must be terrible at his job.” “Angels aren’t omniscient. There are prison breaks on earth, right? The same thing applies to the souls in hell. It’s just that before, demons would only possess humans to revel in as many of earth’s pleasures as possible. Drinking, gambling, drugs, etc.” Connor met Summer’s gaze. “It’s possible that La’el is purposefully sending demons to this plane in order to harm the spiritually sensitive… people like yourself.” “Over my dead body,” Victor declared. “ Our dead bodies,” Connor retorted. “We’re not gonna let anything happen to you. Besides, it might just be a coincidence. We still don’t know what’s really going on.” Summer forced a smile. “Those demons are gonna be in for a rude awakening when I find my water gun.” She grabbed her amethyst pendant and her smile waned. “Thanks, guys. Seriously.” Victor placed his uninjured hand on her shoulder. “I thought angels were supposed to be all loving and peaceful. Why would this La’el guy be sending demons to this plane?” “That’s the million dollar question,” Connor said. Mr. Au walked up to them and examined Victor’s hand. “Wow, good work.” “Thank you,” Summer said. Her eyes moved to Jake standing near the car, staring at the pink horizon creeping up behind the school building. “What did he tell you?” “Jake’s the new orchestra teacher. He was going inside to grab some papers he left behind when he noticed a man and a woman running toward him. He panicked when he saw their auras, so he hid.” “Anything else?” Connor asked. “That’s all I could get out of him.” Victor started toward Jake. He leaned on his dad’s car, making sure to obscure his injured hand. “Do you live nearby?” he asked. Jake stood still, gawking at him. “Um… you okay?” Victor added. “Yeah, it’s just… gold. I’ve never seen someone with a golden aura before.” He glanced at his necklace. “Can you read auras as well?” “No, the necklace was a gift from my friend, Summer.” He pointed to her as she and everyone else headed their way. “She’s the mystic of the group.” “Wow, you are all blessed with such beautiful auras, but yours and Connor’s are especially radiant.” “Yeah, we’re a bit… different,” Victor said. “You know, anyone can learn how to read auras. It’s difficult, but with enough practice, it can be done.” “Really?” Summer asked, wide-eyed. “Yes. I can teach you how, if you’re interested.” “Of course! Thank you!” Summer exclaimed. “You’re welcome. You can even teach yourself how to change the color of your aura, but it’s a pretty advanced skill. Even I haven’t been able to do it yet.” His eyes met Victor’s. “Oh yeah, you asked me if I live nearby. My apartment is about thirty minutes from here.” He turned to look at Mr. Au. “If you wouldn’t mind…” “It would be my pleasure.” Victor watched with familiarity as they drove past the school’s practice field. He remembered the grunts and screams that came from the football players doing drills as he got driven home after class. The enormous pine tree he would look up at every morning was just as ominous as he had remembered, and the flagpole was still slightly bent from the time Stephen Elder’s dad drove up to the school drunk. Jake was in the front seat, staring out the window. “I’ve gotten bad vibes from people before,” he said. “But what I felt back there was something different. I always wanted to believe in the existence of supernatural beings, but knowing that demons are real…” “You’ll get used to it,” Victor said flatly. “Why were they after me?” “I wish we knew for sure,” Connor said. “But we think someone is ordering these demons to hunt down the spiritually sensitive.” “Any clues as to why?” “Nope,” Victor responded. “We’re still iffy on most of the details.” Jake exhaled sharply, then glanced at Summer, her hand resting on Connor’s knee. “I guess I really do need to buy a bunch of holy water.” “I’ll text you the link to a great wholesaler,” Summer said. “But this should hold you until you can get more.” She pulled out a bottle from the seatback pocket and handed it to him. Jake shook the bottle and watched the liquid settle. “I oddly miss when the rise in murders was my only source of paranoia.” He sighed a deep sigh. “Now, let me fulfill my promise. The best way to learn how to view auras is to look at yourself in the mirror, except you don’t actually look at yourself, you look past yourself.” “Huh?” Victor asked. Jake smiled. “Stand in front of a mirror and relax your eyes. Instead of looking at anything specific, you use your peripheral vision to look at your aura. For an example, have you ever spaced out while looking at someone? You aren’t actually looking at that person. You’re thinking about something and your eyes just so happen to be on the person you’re facing. It’s very similar to that. Look at yourself, but focus on your peripheral vision instead. It’s going to take a lot of practice, but eventually you will see an outline around your body. If you keep it up, you might even see colors.” “How did you find out about this?” Summer asked “I’ve always been interested in new-age philosophies and practices. There are a bunch of groups online that help people like us thrive in a world that dismisses our gifts. I can send you some links, if you want.” “Please, do!” Jake turned to peer out the window. For several minutes, all anyone heard was the hum of the car’s engine. The setting sun presented a picturesque horizon while also giving everyone a break from the smoldering afternoon heat. “I don’t know how best to ask this,” Jake said, breaking the silence. “So I’m just gonna come out and say it.” Jake turned around. “Connor, V, are you guys human?” “I am,” Connor answered. “I used to be an angel, though. And V is half-angel.” “From his mother’s side, I’m assuming?” He presented a nervous smile to Mr. Au. “No offense.” Mr. Au chuckled. “None taken.” The wooden frames and multicolored bricks that comprised the many unfinished buildings in Jake’s apartment complex caught Victor’s eye. A haze of dirt and the potent smell of freshly laid cement caused everyone to recoil, prompting Mr. Au to close the windows. Eventually, they reached a three story building painted dark-blue. It was one of the few finished buildings in the complex. Jake cracked the car door open. “I don’t really know what to say. Thank you just doesn’t feel like enough.” “It’s more than enough,” Mr. Au said. “Please, keep in touch. We need as many allies as possible.” “Hopefully we meet again under better circumstances,” Jake said before walking through the front door of his apartment building. Mr. Au let out a loud yawn and then drove out of the complex. Despite living in Covington his entire life, there were vast swaths of the city that Victor had never seen before. Looking at all the unfamiliar buildings on their way home filled him with a surge of anxiety. But after reaching a recognizable stretch of road, he sank a little deeper into his seat. “Hey Summer,” Victor said. “How often should I do that mirror thing?” She grabbed Connor’s hand and lifted it up to her face. His eyes widened. “I actually just came up with another exercise that doesn’t require a mirror. Lift your hand up and stare at it, but move your focus to the outline of your hand with your peripheral vision.” Victor lifted his uninjured hand and stared at it blankly. His hands used to be so rough and covered with cuts and bruises. The faded lines of his old wounds were the only reminder of his old self. “We’re not gonna add this to the group sessions, are we?” he asked. “I don’t think I can stop myself from laughing if it’s just me and Connor staring at our hands for thirty minutes.” “No, you can do it in your free time.” Summer lowered Connor’s hand while still clasping it. “Connor, eventually you’ll be able to read colors. I’m so excited!” “What color is my aura?” Mr. Au asked. One hand was on the steering wheel and he wrapped his other arm around the passenger’s side headrest. Summer leaned forward. “Mostly red.” “What does that mean?” Mr. Au asked. “Red is usually associated with strength and passion.” “What about gold?” Victor asked. Summer shrugged. “You’re the only person I’ve ever seen with a golden aura.” “It’s gotta have some elite, super special meaning,” Victor said. “What do some of the other colors mean?” Summer leaned back in her seat and peered up at the closed sunroof. “White is associated with spiritual balance.” Victor gave Connor a quick glance. “Balanced? Oh, please…” “Shhh,” Connor said with a wry smile on his face. “Let her finish.” Summer let out a snort. “Someone with a mostly blue aura is usually creative and sensitive. Green is associated with compassion, yellow is optimism and friendliness, orange is ambition and courage, brown is greed and self-involvement, grey is depression and sadness, and violet is usually for the spiritually advanced. Jake’s aura was violet, by the way.” “You said there were swirls of black in our auras when we were in the hospital,” Victor said. “The only people I’ve seen with completely black auras are demons. But usually black shows up when someone is injured or under a lot of duress.” “I’m gonna have to write all of this down,” Victor said. “Being spiritually sensitive is more than just crystals and seeing people’s auras,” Summer said. “As you continue to meditate and train, you will start to notice the subtleties of human communication. Eventually learning what it means to really connect with someone.” Victor stared at his hand for a while, trying to parse her meaning. His gaze suddenly rose. “Connor, why did you hide the fact that you could see auras?” “You never seemed like the type to believe me. You constantly mocking Summer was confirmation. I didn’t want to say anything that might push you away.” “Yeah, I made fun of her, but she was still my friend. You could have said something.” “As time went on, I grew fond of laughing at the two of you bicker.” Summer squeezed Connor’s hand. “So… you just sat there and let him tease me for years because you thought it was funny?” Connor grimaced and then swiftly pulled his hand away. A loud guffaw came from the driver’s seat. The sunset’s purple and orange hue hypnotized Victor. He sank even deeper in his seat as the sporadic number of recognizable buildings turned into several miles of familiar locales. They dropped Summer off first. Victor saw all the tension in her grandmother’s body release the moment she noticed their car. “Text me when you get home,” Summer said as she backed away from the car. “That’s way too long of a wait,” Connor said. Victor desperately wanted to say something snarky at that moment, but he controlled himself. “Don’t forget to practice seeing your auras!” she exclaimed. “You too, Mr. Au!” The drive to Connor’s home was a quiet one. Exhaustion hitting everyone at once. Even Mr. Au couldn’t stop himself from rubbing his eyes. “Text me when you get home!” Victor exclaimed as Connor was standing on his porch steps. “Very funny,” Connor said. “Thanks for… well, everything, Mr. Au.” “Don’t mention it.” “Connor, we were pretty awesome back there, weren’t we?” Victor asked. “Absolutely. Heal up, bro.” “Will do.” Victor promised himself that he would take a shower the second he got home, but he made the mistake of sitting down first. The couch felt like it was made of the finest upholstery, and the distance to the stairs lengthened with each breath. His dad interrupted his fusion with the couch by walking up to him with a first aid kit in hand. The almost blindingly sharp pain got duller and duller with each passing moment after they left the school. By the time Victor got home, he almost completely forgot about his injured hand. “Lemme see,” his father demanded. Victor lifted his arm and let his father unwrap the bandages. Mr. Au’s eyes widened. His hand appeared to be almost completely healed. Victor clenched and then unclenched his fist. “Good as new.”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Connor’s old middle school came into view, drenching him in nostalgia. Memories of stressing over assignments and praying for the abolishment of pop quizzes filled him with a bizarre sense of longing. It was a simpler time; A time when Connor truly felt like a normal teenager, free from the burdens that currently plague him. The building had an exterior composed of brown brick—immaculately maintained shrubs and bushes garnishing its otherwise plain looking facade. Mr. Au hopped out of the car and snatched his ax from the trunk. “Connor, lead the way,” he said as he made his way toward the building’s entrance. Connor grabbed his bottle of holy water, cueing Victor and Summer to do the same. He then hurried toward one of the four enormous front doors and pressed against its metal push bar. Years of use faded its silver color, leaving it murky and smudged. Unfortunately, the door didn’t move, prompting him to try the other three. But they were just as uncooperative as the first. “It’s locked,” Connor said. “Yeah, we can see that,” Victor snorted. “Watch out,” Mr. Au said while waving Connor away. He took several steps back and then launched into a front kick, busting the door wide open. He stomped through the entryway, gripping his ax with two hands. Summer and Connor both turned to give Victor a glance. He smiled, unmoved by this sudden feat of superhuman strength. “Hopefully, all that noise grabbed the demon’s attention,” Mr. Au said. Connor prowled ahead. “And why would we want that, exactly?” “If this guy is in the janitor’s closet, I assume he’s in there to hide, and I’m pretty sure I just made enough noise to distract the demon’s search for a bit.” He stopped. “Decapitation is the only way to kill one, right?” Victor paused, staring at the bright red handle of his father’s ax. “Yes, sir.” “Got it. Connor, take point.” “Sir,” Connor said with a nod. As Connor stalked through the halls of his old middle school, he was astounded by how small everything looked. The lockers he used to peer up at now came up to his shoulders, and the hallways he remembered getting lost in when he first got there as a pimple-faced sixth grader were now significantly more narrow. The pale sunlight beaming through the windows partially illuminated their path—each of their shadows licking at the walls. The school’s layout became more familiar with each step. By the time they reached the end of the first hallway, Connor recalled the location of the janitor’s closet, right across the hall from his seventh-grade science classroom. They eventually turned a corner, and Connor pointed at the entrance to the closet. “Wait,” Mr. Au said with a hand up. “I’ll lead the way from here. Remove the caps from your bottles and be prepared for anything. It’s quiet now, but who knows what we’ll find once we get inside.” “Why is it so quiet?” Summer asked, wiping the sweat from her eyes. “I don’t get it either,” Connor said. “It’s possible that the demon is upstairs looking for him, but we would have heard something by now, right?” “Guys, we’re wasting time,” Victor said. Mr. Au started toward the door. “You’re right. Let’s go.” He slowly turned the dull-brass doorknob and walked into a seemingly empty room. The pungent smell of all-purpose cleaner and dirty mop bucket water made Connor recoil. A large grey cabinet stood beside a stainless steel slop sink. Connor reached his hand out to open it, but Mr. Au stopped him. He put a finger to his lips, signaling everyone to be quiet. Connor leaned forward and heard quick and shallow breaths coming from inside the cabinet. “Please, don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you,” Mr. Au said. The sound of arduous breathing was his response. Mr. Au paused for a moment. “I’m going to open the cabinet now, okay?” he eventually said. He then pulled on its handle, revealing a young man curled up into a ball. The man lifted his head, presenting his sunken brown eyes. Sweat clumped the dirty-blonde hair that streamed across his forehead. His gaze shifted from person to person until finally landing on Victor—a look of wonder quickly replacing one of abject horror. Victor smiled. “Are you hurt?” “N—No, I saw them coming toward me and I hid.” “Who did you see?” Summer asked. “Hold on,” Mr. Au interrupted. “There were multiple people after you?” “Yeah, I saw two of them. Their auras were so...” He lowered his head into his hands. Connor and Victor shot a look at Summer. “Hey, what’s your name?” Mr. Au asked. The young man raised his head. “J—Jake.” “I’m Chester,” Mr. Au said in a calming tone. “Listen, Jake, I know you’ve been through a lot, but we have to get out of here. We can talk more once I know we’re safe, okay?” Mr. Au reached his hand out. “Let’s get you out of there.” A loud thud from a nearby door slamming shut made everyone but Mr. Au jump. Jake’s flinching made the broom next to him fall. A couple of heartbeats later, the door to the janitor’s closet swung open. A svelte man with black hair and a filled out beard stood before them, his blood-red eyes darting across the room. “What the f—” escaped his lips before he suddenly collapsed, squirming on the floor. His screams echoed throughout the halls and smoke peaked through the gaps between his fingers now covering his face. Mr. Au stood over him with the emptied bottle of holy water in his hand. I didn’t even see him move, Connor thought. “Get Jake out of here and book it to my car!” Mr. Au yelled, trying to pierce through the demon’s blood-curdling screams. He threw his car keys at Victor. “Dad, there’s no way we’re leaving you here!” “V, I’ll be fine!” He flashed a reassuring smile. “Connor will stay here and help me deal with this guy. Now go!” Summer turned to Jake and helped him up. “Can you run?” Summer asked. “What the hell is going on?” Jake asked, his eyes glued to the demon writhing on the ground. “Just follow us!” Victor exclaimed as he darted out of the room. Summer grabbed Jake’s hand and tailed Victor, letting out a shriek as they hopped over the demon. Mr. Au stomped on the demon’s chest, holding him in place. His loud cries eventually turned into groans of anguish as he lied there, using a hand to cover his smoldering face. “Connor, throw me your bottle,” Mr. Au demanded. Connor screwed his bottle of holy water and flung it at Mr. Au. He caught it, unscrewed the bottle, then held it over the demon. “Good, now hold his legs.” Connor stumbled toward the demon and used his full bodyweight to hold his legs in place. “Hey, can you hear me?” Mr. Au asked. The demon moved his hand. A bright red burn mark stretched across half of his face. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked. “Who is Aayan?” “What?” Mr. Au tipped the bottle over and a drop landed on the demon’s neck. He shrieked as he covered the affected area. Connor’s eyes moved from the demon to Mr. Au—whose mouth curled into a wisp of a smile. “I’m not gonna ask you again,” Mr. Au said. “I don’t know who he is. He’s just some guy we were told to take orders from.” Mr. Au’s grip on his ax tightened. “Who told you to take orders from him?” “La’el.” Connor’s heart sank. “La’el?” The demon presented a grin, oozing with malice. “The one and only.” What does he have to do with this? Connor thought. “Connor, snap out of it,” Mr. Au said. He turned back to the demon. “Who is La’el?” “He’s the overseer of hell,” the demon answered, his eyes locked on the partially tipped bottle of holy water being held above him. “So he’s the devil?” The demon chuckled, his yellow teeth peeking through his cracked lips. “The devil isn’t real. There is only La’el.” Mr. Au gave the bottle a light shake. “What does Aayan look like?” “He’s a tall white guy with long brown hair. He wore an all white suit when I first met him. That’s all I know, man. I promise.” Mr. Au put the cap back on the bottle. “So, you’re gonna let me go?” the demon asked, smiling nervously. “I won’t hurt anyone, I swear.” A flash of red moved downward as Mr. Au sliced through the demon’s neck with one swing. Connor quickly jumped backward, avoiding the human shaped pile of ash. Mr. Au helped Connor to his feet. “Let’s catch up with—” a loud bang came from the direction of the school’s entrance. They shared a glance, then sprinted out of the room. *** Victor lessened his pace, allowing for Jake and Summer to catch up. “We’re almost there,” Victor said. He sprinted past the spot in the hallway where he got his first kiss, and he glanced at the display case full of awards he used to look at every morning on his way to class. So many memories flooded his mind all at once. It was almost overwhelming. Victor turned the corner and saw a thin young woman standing near the exit doors, facing them. He stopped and peered into her red eyes. Summer—seemingly undeterred by the demon’s presence—darted past him and splashed her with the entire bottle of holy water. A loud wail came from the demon as she collapsed—smoke rising from her squirming body. “V, you got this!” Summer exclaimed. “We’ll be outside waiting. Jake, let’s go!” I got this , Victor immediately thought, not allowing himself to dwell on what he had just witnessed. He took a deep breath. The now familiar wave of bliss showered over him. A tingling feeling permeated throughout his body as he received a sudden burst of energy. He then leapt several feet into the air, soaring toward the demon until he was right above her. He curled his hand into a fist and dropped to the ground, landing a punch to her temple. A small crater formed beneath the pile of ash that used to be her body. Victor looked at his hand. The bliss he felt waned as blood began dripping from his knuckles. A sharp pain started at his hand and then made its way up his entire arm. It took everything in his power to not let out a scream. The sound of footsteps coming from behind caused him to turn around. His dad and Connor stood at the end of the hallway for a moment before eventually sprinting toward him. “What was that noise?” Connor asked. Victor turned his body, revealing his injury. He grimaced when his father held his hand up to inspect it. Mr. Au glared at the pile of ash resting atop the small crater, then turned back to his son’s injured hand. “It doesn’t look good” “Dad, did you forget about my super healing?” Victor forced a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m already feeling better,” he lied, turning to face the exit. “Summer and Jake are waiting for us outside.” Connor and his dad helped him to his feet, and they trudged ahead. Victor snuck another glance at the crater. Small cracks fanned out from the indent caused by his fist, exposing the dirt underneath. “What happened?” Summer asked when she first saw them. “I heard a bang and then—” She gasped after noticing Victor’s hand. “V, are you okay?” “I’m gonna be fine. I just need to rest it for a bit and it’ll be as good as new.” Victor locked eyes with Jake, who was standing near the car. While maintaining eye contact, he walked up to him. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine, thanks to you guys.” He winced at Victor’s bloodied hand. “What happened?” “Oh, this? Just a scratch.”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

“You’re pretty tall for a nine-year-old,” Summer said. The open car window caused Trevor’s flowing blonde hair to ruffle in the wind—his eyes laser-focused on Victor. “My grandpa said my dad was really tall,” Trevor said. He was stuck to Summer like glue. His hand—which was the same size as Summer’s despite being seven years her junior—was resting atop of hers. “Trevor, look at me,” Summer said. “You remember the promise you made to V, right?” “Of course I do. I just made it a couple of minutes ago.” Victor chuckled. “I like this kid.” “First question,” Summer said. “What were you doing at the park alone?” Connor peeked into Trevor’s backpack. “And why did you bring a dead Nintendo DS, three bottles of water, and a box of honey buns?” “The DS was for when I got bored,” Trevor said. “But I ended up playing it all day and I forgot my charger, so it didn’t last very long. The water and food was for when I got hungry.” “Okay, but why were you there by yourself?” Summer asked. “My grandpa said I’m possessed and that he’s gonna send me to a catholic school, so I ran away.” “Well… are you possessed?” Victor asked. Summer’s face dropped. “V…” Victor flashed a wry smile. “After all that we’ve been through, is that really a crazy thing to ask?” “I’m not possessed!” Trevor said. “Do you know why your dad would think you are?” Summer asked, her face softening. Trevor lightly squeezed Summer’s hand. “Last week he was helping me with my homework, then out of nowhere, I started dreaming. I woke up to my grandpa shaking me. I told him what I saw in my dream and he started praying and talking about the devil and stuff.” “Sounds like he had a vision,” Connor said. Summer didn’t want to overreact, so she forced a smile. “What was this dream about?” “I was flying for a little bit and then I stopped and looked at this building. Then I was in the body of this girl. She was all tied up and really scared.” He paused. “That’s all I remember.” Summer tenderly rubbed his back. “It’s okay Trevor, you’re not possessed.” She gave Connor and Victor a glance, and they responded with a nod. “I’ve had these dreams too.” “Really?” “Yep, and Connor was right. They’re called visions, and that’s actually how we found you.” “You were in my body?” “Well… sort of.” Trevor shivered. “Weird…” “Hey Trevor,” Mr. Au said. “How did your grandpa react to you being able to see auras?” “He doesn’t believe in it.” “What do you mean?” Victor asked. “When I first started living with him, he would yell at me every time I started talking about that sort of stuff, so I stopped.” “That’s horrible,” Summer said. “What you have is a gift.” Trevor perked up. “My mom used to tell me that.” “So your mother also had this gift?” Connor asked. “No, but she always told me she wished she did. She used to take me to the park and ask me to call out people’s auras as they walked by.” “Where’s your mom now?” Summer asked. “She’s in heaven.” Summer used her thumb to gently rub the top of Trevor’s hand. “And your father?” “I don’t have one,” he said, a trace of anger in his voice. The car fell silent for a moment—his words hanging in the air. Mr. Au barreled through the palpable discomfort. “Do you know why those people were chasing you?” “No. I was messing around with my DS in the gazebo, and then I saw three guys with black auras running at me. They were really slow.” “Wait,” Mr. Au said. “Did you say you saw three guys?” “Yeah.” Mr. Au alternated glanced between Victor, Connor, and Summer. V apparently made quick work of the two demons they saw on their way to Trevor. Maybe this mystery third demon wised up and fled? “You’re a pretty fast runner, huh?” Victor said, obviously trying to shift the tone to something less dire. “I’m the fastest kid in my class. Every time we play kickball, I get picked first.” Connor exhaled sharply. “We still have no idea why they’re coming after people.” “At least we saved the kid,” Victor said. “My name is Trevor.” Victor mockingly put both of his hands up. “You’re right. Sorry, Trevor.” “You’re a very brave young man,” Mr. Au said. He pulled into a gas station and stopped near a pump. “I’m going to get some gas. Trevor, do you know your home address?” “Yeah.” “What is it?” “I’m not telling you.” “I know things aren’t great at home, but your grandpa is your legal guardian. He’s probably been worried sick.” Trevor furrowed his brow. “He doesn’t care about me.” “I bet you’re pretty hungry,” Summer said. He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah…” Smudges of dirt covered Trevor’s clothes, and his shoes were caked in mud. The red splotches on his face suggested to Summer that he was mildly sunburned, and the dried lines of sweat and tears left his cheeks discolored. “Mr Au,” Summer said. “How about we head over to my place so he can clean up a bit and get something to eat?” She then dramatically raised both of her eyebrows. Mr. Au paused for a moment. “You’re right,” he eventually said while shooting Summer a reaffirming look. “I’ll be right back.” Summer spent countless hours babysitting throughout the years. Sometimes the indirect approach worked best. “See, it’s no problem,” she said, smiling. “I’m not going back home,” Trevor said. “I mean it.” “I believe you. But even a kid as brave as you has to eat, right?” Trevor eyed her suspiciously. “Do you have French fries?” “We do! I’ll make you some when we get home.” “O-Okay.” “Do you still want to know more about me?” Victor asked. Trevor hesitated, but he eventually turned away from Summer. “Yeah,” he said. “Why are you and Connor so different?” “What if I told you that angels are real?” “I already know they’re real.” “Well, Connor here used to be an angel, and so was my mom.” “My grandpa told me about fallen angels. Are you guys evil?” “I can’t speak for Connor here, but I know I’m not evil,” Victor said, refusing to meet Connor’s glare. “Don’t worry,” Summer said. “No one here is evil.” Mr. Au returned with furrowed brows, annoyed at the current price of gas. Summer could hear his muffled curses from her seat. “You’re gonna love Summer’s house,” he said as he put his key in the ignition. Summer spaced out, watching buildings buzz by as they drove down several main roads. She eventually snapped out of it, realizing that no one had spoken in quite a while. She turned to Trevor and saw the heaviness in his eyes, but it wasn’t just him. Everyone’s body language suggested fatigue. Mr. Au pulled into Summer’s driveway. “Welcome to my house,” Summer said. “Wow,” Trevor said, wide-eyed. “So many colors.” Mrs. Kahale opened the front door in a bright yellow sundress and flip-flops. “Welcome back.” She paused for half a second, then aimed an ingratiating smile directly at Trevor. “And who is this handsome young man?” “I’m Trevor.” She glanced at the red backpack in Connor’s hands. “Well Trevor, I’m happy to see that you’re safe. I bet you’re starving.” “Summer told me you have French fries.” “Of course. But first, I need you to wash up a bit, okay?” Mrs. Kahale gave everyone a wink before leading Trevor through the front door. “Did you tell her about Trevor while I was getting gas?” Mr. Au asked. “I actually forgot to call her,” Summer said, smiling. “She’s just psychic like that.” Despite exhaustion trying to set in, seeing her house through Trevor’s eyes was a shot of expresso. Every flamboyantly colored flower pot and oddly placed knick knack fascinated him. His eyes were hummingbirds zipping around a flower full of nectar. She jokingly thought that he might pass out from sensory overload. Mr. Au, Victor, and Connor seated themselves in the living room. Summer heard them conversing as she dug into her freezer, removing all the frozen fruits, vegetables, and imitation meat to get to the bag of organic French fries in the back. Summer remembered the first time her grandmother brought them from the store and—at the time—she found the idea of organic French fries to be comically pretentious. Summer despised the smell of cooking oil, so she placed a cinnamon apple scented candle on the kitchen counter. As she was placing a pot full of oil on the stove, a loud bang came from upstairs, almost making her tip the pot over. Heavy footsteps immediately raced up the stairs. She took a second to recover from being startled before running toward the noise’s source. The bathroom door was wide open. Summer saw her grandmother holding Trevor’s head up. The water spraying from the shower head was pattering on Trevor’s motionless body. Mr. Au swiftly turned the water off and handed her grandmother a towel. “I rushed in here after I heard a bang and I found him laying down in the tub,” Summer’s grandmother said while poorly trying to maintain a measured demeanor. “He’s still breathing but,” she inspected the back of his head, “I think he hit his head on the tiles.” “Is he having a vision?” Mr. Au asked while facing Summer. Summer was still trying to process everything. “I-I don’t know.” “Trevor has visions?” Her grandmother asked. “We were going to tell you after he got cleaned up,” Summer said. “It’s okay, we just—” Trevor moved his arm to touch the back of his head. “Hey,” Mrs. Kahale said, “what happened?” Trevor didn’t respond. Summer knelt down by the bathtub. “Trevor, can you hear me?” Trevor slowly raised his head—his eyes locked on her amethyst stone. “Yeah.” “Did you have a vision?” “I saw the church me and my grandpa go to every Sunday. I was a girl with black hair and she was hiding under one of those chair things.” “A pew?” Connor said. “Yeah, she was hiding under a pew and…” Summer’s grandmother lightly touched the back of his head. Trevor grimaced the moment her fingers made contact. “Trevor,” Summer said, “what church do you go to?” “St. James.” “That’s off 47th Street,” Mr. Au said, already halfway out the door. “Go,” Mrs. Kahale said, “I’ll take care of everything here.” The car was imbued with a manic energy. All the fatigue they previously felt had completely dissipated. Even the way Mr. Au drove was representative of the tone. The turns were sharp, and his inconsistent speeds forced Summer to hold on to the grab handle. Summer could count the number of churches she knew by name on one hand, or more accurately, two fingers. They pulled up to a dark grey building that was about the width of one of those mom and pop shops she would see when she visited her family in the south. The length—on the other hand—was preposterous. Three giant spires of different sizes protruded out of the top of the building like mohawks. She noticed the small crosses that rested atop two of the spires. The crossless spire had its wooden frame exposed, and it was a lighter grey than the rest of the building. There were construction vehicles parked next to the marquee sign that read: Closed for construction. The sermon will instead be held at 1897 Davidson Ave. Mr. Au burst through the church doors and the sound of a female’s voice hit Summer’s ears. She couldn’t discern what was being said, but the cadence was repetitive. They got closer to the nave, and the words became more recognizable until she heard: “ I didn’t mean it,” over and over again. Once they reached the nave, it was revealed to them that the source of the muttering was a woman with auburn hair. She stood with her back turned to them—her head aimed at the black-haired woman laying motionless before her. Dark red blood stained the corner of the pew next to them. Victor took a few steps forward and the auburn-haired woman turned around to reveal her crimson red eyes. The face that looked back at them sent a surge of anxiety throughout Summer’s entire body, leaving her rigid. Her eyes were the only part of her that dared to move, and they immediately focused on Victor’s face. Victor slumped his shoulders before whispering a single word. “Catelyn?” The orange-haired demon formerly known as Catelyn rushed toward Summer, pushing her into a statue of the Holy Mary. Summer felt an intense pain in her chest for only a few seconds before losing consciousness.  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

The smell of various Caribbean spices approached Victor’s nostrils all at once. He was in the living room with his dad, building a Lego set together as they waited for the food to be ready. Victor reached his hand into the pile, digging for the perfect Lego. He giggled as his father surprised him with an embrace. They turned to the kitchen where Victor’s mother was cooking. Smoke billowing from the various pots and pans scattered atop the stove. Her ebony skin glistening with perspiration. She noticed them and flashed her signature smile, causing Victor to melt in his father’s arms. *** Victor woke up—his mother’s smile appearing clear as day in his mind’s eye. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand, checked the time, then let out an exaggerated sigh. His father’s words suddenly came to him. Routine is everything. He immediately dropped to the floor and completed two sets of fifty push-ups with ease. He then lay down on his back and performed the same one hundred crunches he did every morning. Victor’s long black dreadlocks casually fell onto his muscular, light-brown shoulders as he removed his sleeping cap. He usually went through his morning routine without thinking, but his soon to be delivered test scores ran through his mind, leaving little space for anything else. Victor glanced at a previously taken English test. The sixty-two percent written in bright-red marker stabbing him in his chest. There were few things in this world that Victor hated more than studying, but the weight of this particular test compelled him to go on a rigorous studying schedule. The words of his school counselor constantly rang in his ears. Your future is at stake. He brushed his teeth, showered, then stared at his closet and visualized the potential outfits he could wear. He ended up choosing a white long-sleeved t-shirt, khaki chinos and the white sneakers he had cleaned the night before. Before putting his sneakers on, he always checked for scuff marks. He cautiously sauntered down the stairs, making sure to not hit any of the framed medals and ribbons hanging on the walls. He was about to greet his father when a news story grabbed his attention. “...near Douglas elementary. Information about how she died has been labeled as confidential by the CMPD, but we expect the truth to come out eventually...” Victor glanced at his father sitting on the couch, intently watching the TV. “They found another one?” Victor asked. His dad turned to Victor and smiled—a tinge of despair in his eyes. “Morning, V. I heard you’re getting your ACT scores today,” Victor’s dad said, trying to change the subject. His son’s shoulders immediately slumped. “I saw how much work you put into studying for this test and I’m proud of you. Even if you don’t get the score that you want, it won’t be the end of the world.” Victor’s shoulders slightly rose, but the residue of concern was still present. “Did you make your bed?” he asked. The question startled Victor. Of course he made his bed, he always made his bed. “Do me a favor and check again.” Victor reluctantly headed back up the stairs and found his bed unmade and his comforter on the floor. “How did you know?” Victor asked. “When you’re feeling down, you always forget to make your bed,” his dad said with a smile. Victor masked his embarrassment by swiftly remedying the mistake. Mr. Au threw an arm around his son, gripping him tightly. Even though his dad was in amazing shape, Victor still found himself startled by his strength. The specks of white peppering his father’s hair were the only noticeable indicators of his age. Without that, he could easily pass for someone twenty years his junior. Victor’s dad was a Vietnamese man in his early forties. He had his typical buzz cut and goatee combo. His slightly faded, tight fitting green t-shirt did little to conceal his muscular frame. Victor couldn’t remember the last time he felt his father’s embrace. They had transitioned to the handshake stage of their relationship and he was comfortable with that, but he appreciated the extra affection. His father pulled back while keeping a hand on Victor’s shoulder. “Make sure you head straight home after school for training, okay? Love you.” “Love you too.” The second Victor stepped outside, another memory hit him. Shoulders back, chest out, and keep your head up, V. Open yourself up to what the world has to offer. His father’s words always seemed to come to him at the perfect moment. He adjusted his posture, lifted his head, and then started toward the bus stop. As his foot hit the crack riddled sidewalk, he saw his neighbor Connor exit his house and head toward his side of the street. Connor wore a crisp white dress shirt, blue jeans, and navy blue slip on sneakers. Despite wearing the same shoes every day, they were always clean and somehow free of creases. Connor was about three inches taller than Victor, and he especially noticed the height difference that day. He was slight of frame and he always stood with perfect posture. His milky white skin was clear of all blemishes and his dark-rimmed glasses matched his jet black hair. “What’s up?” Connor said with his eyes half-closed. Victor responded with a head nod, and they walked up to their neighbor’s menacing oak tree. The branches protruding out every which way like the tentacles of an octopus. There was one particular branch that hovered over the sidewalk. Every morning, Victor and Connor would jump and try to grab it. Neither of them ever came close to touching the branch, but they would spend the rest of the trip to the bus stop arguing about who came closest. As Victor scuttled toward an empty seat in the back of the bus, he caught the eye of a girl he had never noticed before. He gave her a cool smile, making sure to not appear too interested. She responded with a toothy grin before lowering her head and blushing. Her auburn hair fell swiftly. “What happened to Bridgette?” Connor asked. Victor heard the bite in his voice. “She wanted something that I couldn’t give her,” Victor said while matching Connor’s tone. “And what’s that?” “Monogamy.” Connor cringed and huffed at the same time. “I’m sure that sounded way cooler in your head. Also, monogamy is a big word for you. Maybe you’ll end up getting a good score after all.” Victor puffed his chest out. “I know I got a good score.” Their school was a gothic style building with red brick separating the windows that looked blue at certain angles. The cast stone accents added to the building’s almost otherworldly appearance. It was the second high school ever built in Covington, Wyoming, and it was the only school that refused to alter the look of its exterior to match a more modern aesthetic. The eastern side of the building where the buses dropped students off had a concrete path that led to an archway, exposing a large courtyard with stone tables and benches scattered about. Towards the rear of the courtyard, there was a pathway perpendicular to its entrance. The concrete pathway led to two colossal red doors. Victor and Connor stepped off the bus and headed toward the school’s courtyard. Victor looked at the giant stone block with Carlisle High School written on it and groaned. Before he could delve too deep into the thought of dropping out, his dad’s disappointed face flashed in his mind’s eye. He aggressively adjusted his backpack and looked to the courtyard. A brightly colored figure standing near a stone bench looked back at the two teenage boys. A girl wearing a yellow and white tie-dyed t-shirt, white capri pants, and round sunglasses flashed her almost blindingly white teeth. “Hey guys!” she yelled. The amethyst stone attached to the girl’s necklace almost shone as bright as her teeth. She stood at a whopping five-feet-four, and her bronze colored skin seemed to glow under the sunlight. Her green highlights had almost completely faded, leaving behind her natural dark-brown colored hair. She paused for a moment, then her smile slowly waned. “Your aura isn’t in good shape, V.” She looked him all over. “There’s gray everywhere.” “It’s been a while since you’ve mentioned my aura, Summer. I was starting to think that amethyst was just for show,” Victor mocked. “You can’t joke your way out of this one. Tell me what’s going on.” “Bridgette broke up with him,” Connor said. “And he thinks acting like he doesn’t care makes him look cool.” He shot Victor a glare before dramatically rolling his eyes. “You are way off,” Victor said. “Summer, how long was V’s longest relationship again?” Connor asked. “He’s just not the monogamous type,” Summer said, ignoring Connor’s question. “And that’s fine.” She grabbed the amethyst stone attached to her necklace. “V, you were saying something?” “Uh… it was nothing, and stop reading my chakras or whatever you’re doing. It’s creepy.” Victor abruptly headed toward the cafeteria. Summer and Connor tailed him, having a conversation of their own. The school’s interior went through renovations during summer break. Replacing the discolored, cracked floors with high-quality vinyl. Victor became so accustomed to seeing the same stains of unknown origin on the ceilings, that he oftentimes caught himself staring at the new tiles in awe. Victor’s stomach turned as he glared at the styrofoam bowl filled with dry scrambled eggs covered in crusty cheese. He usually tried to get some protein into him every morning, but his appetite was nowhere to be found. A basket full of red apples caught his eye. After grabbing one, a gasp came from behind him. He turned and saw Summer covering her mouth with her hand, gripped by shock. “Are you actually about to eat something healthy?” she asked while turning to face Connor. “You were right. Bridgette did a number on him.” “Told you,” Connor said while grabbing a pack of blueberry Pop-Tarts. “There is no way you guys are still on this,” Victor said, exasperated. “I liked Bridgette quite a bit,” Connor said. “And man, the things we used to say about you behind your back...” He looked up as if he was reminiscing. By the time he looked back down, Victor had already made his way toward an empty table. Once seated, Connor began his daily ritual. He would always remove the Pop-Tarts from their packaging and place the pastries on a paper towel. He would then carefully remove the crusts from the Pop-Tarts and place them on another paper towel. Once he separated the crust from each Pop-Tart, he ate the crust, then finished the Pop-Tarts afterwards. He did this every morning, and the flavor was always blueberry. A couple of years ago, Victor and Summer noticed that when Connor was performing this ritual, he would bite his bottom lip and become absorbed by the act. Every once in a while, they would take turns trying to say the most outlandish things possible to see if Connor would notice. “So my pet cheetah bit my boyfriend’s ear off last night,” Summer said. She took a bite of her apple, juice trickling down the side of her mouth. Connor put the Pop-Tart down. “You guys realize that I can hear you, right?” Victor and Summer stared daggers at each other. Pieces of apple inside Summer’s mouth became exposed as her lips slowly parted. In all the years that Victor and Summer knew Connor, he had never stopped to address them before finishing his daily ritual. “Yeah, I’m not deaf,” Connor said. “It’s just that until now, I chose to focus on preparing my breakfast instead of reacting to the drivel that came out of either of your mouths.” “And what made you change your mind this time, my oh so humble king?” Victor snorted. Connor presented an impish grin, and then met Summer’s gaze. “Bit my boyfriend’s ear off? I’ve heard a lot of silly things over the years, but you saying that you have a boyfriend was just too preposterous for me to ignore.” Victor let out a belly laugh that pierced through the loud cafeteria noise. Summer lowered her head, trying to hide her smile. “So,” Summer said after everyone settled down. “How do you guys think you did on the ACT?” “I think I nailed it,” Victor said with a puffed out chest. Summer presented a mocking smile, the same smile a woman gives an overconfident man boasting about their accomplishments on a first date. Summer gave Connor a look. “Let me guess, you think you got a perfect score?” Connor put one finger up and quickly finished chewing. “I’m thinking I got a thirty-five, possibly a thirty-four.” “Oh, so you think you almost got a perfect score. How bashful of you,” Victor said with his nose up in the air. “What about you, Summer? How do you think you did?” “Honestly, I don’t think I did that great. But you know what, even if I don’t get a good score this time, I can always take it again. A test doesn’t define me. One test doesn’t define anyone.” Victor immediately felt the warmth of her words, but he refused to let it show on his face. “Would you look at that? Your aura is clearing up!” Summer exclaimed before flashing her perfect teeth. Victor didn’t respond. He directed his attention toward the untouched apple on the table. He held it by the stem, spinning it on the table like a top. The first period bell rang. Victor got a sudden burst of energy and he rushed to the cafeteria’s exit, leaving his uneaten apple on the table. The screech from Mr. Ryan’s whistle quieted the murmurs of the students. They quickly got into a horizontal line in front of the gym teacher. Every kid was forced to wear baggy red athletic shorts combined with t-shirts so stiff, the fabric could easily be confused for wool. Victor caught Connor sneaking a glance at Summer. Connor sensed Victor looking at him, so he awkwardly directed his eyes forward, feigning a look of indifference. Victor chose to not react. He normally would have thrown a verbal jab under his breath, but he wasn’t in the mood. “Today’s game is dodgeball!” Mr. Ryan exclaimed. A wave of excitement washed over Victor. The teacher jogged to the supply closet and rolled out a ball rack full of different colored dodgeballs. He languidly pushed the rack toward one side of the gymnasium, as if the act of yelling and jogging exerted all of his energy. Every morning, Victor watched as his gym teacher agonized over every action he took no matter how minute. And every morning he asked himself how someone so out of shape even got the job. The students separated into two groups of eleven. One group of kids grabbed a ball and went to their respective half of the gym. A thick line of white tape separating each half. The teacher grabbed a chair from the supply closet and sat near the door. The whistle around his neck rattled as he pulled out his phone from one of his pockets. Victor saw Connor on the opposite side of the tape and gave him a devilish grin. Connor rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. Despite physically looking like he was in shape, Victor truly believed that Connor was the least athletic human being on the planet. Even as children, Victor destroyed him in every game that required even a modicum of physical activity. Connor had been taking taekwondo classes since they were kids, yet all of those years of training did nothing for his athleticism and stamina. Connor despised gym class, and he knew Victor couldn’t resist getting him out as soon as possible, so he always picked the opposing team. Victor turned to his right and saw Summer already holding a dodgeball with a face full of determination, as if ready to head into battle. She encompassed the hippie archetype to a tee, yet when it came to dodgeball, she held nothing back. The blare of the whistle initiated the start of the game, and without hesitation, Victor flung a ball at Connor’s arm. Connor raised his hand and meandered his way to the section of the gym dedicated to the students that were out. Victor easily caught a ball thrown at him and then threw it back at the perpetrator. His hyper-focus was briefly interrupted by him noticing Summer raise her hand, but he quickly snapped back into focus and caught another ball thrown at him. After several minutes of balls being flung back and forth, it eventually came down to two people: Victor and another student named Collin. Prior to last week, Victor had won every game of dodgeball. Collin had ended his winning streak, and it pissed Victor off to no end. When asked to compare his athleticism to anyone else's, Victor expected to win. Victor focused on the pale green ball in Collin’s hand. Almost everything surrounding it vanished. I’m going to win , echoed in his mind repeatedly until the words lost all meaning. Then suddenly, his breath was the only thing he could hear. He found himself consumed by a gradual feeling of euphoria. Collin threw the ball. To Victor, it appeared to be moving in slow motion. Then, almost instinctively, he moved his body to the side and grabbed the ball with his right hand. In one smooth motion, he gracefully planted his left foot onto the ground and threw it at Collin’s right leg with pinpoint accuracy. The sound of the whistle blaring knocked him out of this momentary feeling of complete bliss. He looked over to where the other students were, ready to soak up all the adulation. He felt deflated when he saw half of the students on their phones. The other half appeared to be enveloped in their own conversations. He panned his field of vision to where Summer and Connor were standing. Summer’s mouth was agape. Her eyes widened, further revealing their hazel-brown color. Connor met Victor’s gaze and a chill ran down his spine. Victor received a look of equal parts terror and befuddlement. Summer ran to Victor. “You were glowing,” she said with her hands clasped in front of her. Connor made his way toward him with the same disturbing look on his face. It seemed like Connor was trying as hard as he could to not make eye contact with Victor. The bell signaling a period change brayed. The rest of the students stood up and headed toward the locker room like a pack of lemmings. Victor started toward the locker room as well, leaving Summer and Connor behind. He could feel their eyes following him as he walked away. This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Summer tried dozens of poses at various locations around her room. She wanted to make sure that when they saw her, she gave off the vibe of a spiritual healer. What that actually meant wasn’t clear to her, but she had a feeling that she’d just know it when she saw it. Eventually, Summer plopped down on a floor pillow, gazing upon her newly decorated room; feeling both antsy and exhausted. Posters of pop stars she used to obsess over and hunky actors she promised to marry coated her green-colored walls. Clumped together stickers formed a border on the edges of her mirror. A thin layer of dust covered her dresser, different colored wax from the myriad of candles dotted the walnut. She grimaced at the pile of clothes stacked against a corner. I really need to clean this — A knock at the door interrupted her thought. She leapt up—her stomach twisting with excitement. The first thing that alarmed her was Victor’s choice of attire. “I told you to wear something comfortable. You don’t own any sweatpants or athletic shorts?” “I do.” Victor swaggered his way to her collection of crystals scattered atop her nightstand. “But I find jeans to be more comfortable.” Summer sighed and turned to Connor. She was used to seeing him in semi-formal wear, so his v-neck t-shirt and sweatpants threw her for a loop. Summer leered at his body before averting her gaze back to Victor, who was messing with her favorite topaz crystal. The last time she saw Connor in anything slim-fitting, his limbs were sticks and he had the chest of a baby robin. Seeing his defined arms and slightly filled out frame made her blush. Connor dramatically cleared his throat. “Alright guys, before we get into this, we need a recap on what V’s abilities are. We know you feel euphoric when you enter… wait, do you have a name for the mode you enter when you trigger your powers?” Victor put the crystal down. “Yeah, I call it ‘angel mode.’” “Wow, how creative,” Connor mocked. “So, when you enter this ‘angel mode’ you gain super speed, super strength, and increased reflexes.” “Don’t forget about the glowy eyes,” Summer added. “Yeah, that too. V, can you think of anything else?” Victor looked up in contemplation. “Nope.” “If you trigger your angel mode, don’t make any sudden movements. You might accidentally level Summer’s house.” Victor picked up the smoky topaz crystal and held it up to get a better look. “You worry too much. Everything will be fine.” “Famous last words,” Connor said. “Wait. Before you guys sit down, I have a surprise,” Summer said. She got up and scurried toward the plain white paper bag with thin handles made of twine resting atop her dresser. After digging inside, she pulled out a large black jewelry box made of smooth marble, white flecks sprinkling its exterior. Summer presented the box to her friends, soaking up the looks of both shock and interest on their faces. She opened it, revealing two beautiful purple stones shimmering in the room’s dim lighting. “I bought it last week. What do you think?” Victor and Connor awed at the amethyst stones. They reached into the box and each grabbed a necklace. “Wow, Summer… these are beautiful,” Connor gushed. Victor fiddled with the stone on his new necklace. “Yeah, I don’t even know what to say.” “How about thank you!” Summer bustled to her closet. She opened the two large, sticker covered doors and pointed to the stacks of holy water. “These demons are gonna have nightmares about us.” Victor and Connor shared a glance of amusement. “I’m still waiting for mine to come in the mail,” Victor said. Connor reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass bottle with a faded black cross on the front. “I have another bottle at my house. After we finish this session, you can borrow this until yours comes in the mail.” Victor nodded. “Thanks.” The three pillows in the middle of the room formed a triangle. Summer sat on the pillow furthest from the door. “Connor, you sit on the pillow to my left, and V, you sit on the other one. Cross your legs and then face me.” “Yes, Ma’am,” Victor said, giving her a half-assed salute before sitting down. Connor placed his glasses on her dresser. Summer peered into his striking blue eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you with your glasses off,” Summer said. “You look good.” Connor smiled nervously. Victor rolled his eyes, a groan escaping his lips. “Okay, so the most important thing about mindfulness meditation is learning how to focus on your breath so that it’s the only thing on your mind. It seems like V has managed to accidentally do this on his own, but based on how quickly he gets out of his angel mode, he doesn’t know how to maintain this focus. Meditation is like any other exercise—you only get better with practice.” Victor and Connor were laser focused on her, listening intently. Summer smiled and then continued. “There are many hand gestures one can use while meditating, but today we’ll be using dhyana .” Victor snickered to himself. “I’m sorry, can you say that again?” “No,” Summer responded. “Place your right hand on top of your left hand with your palms facing up and your thumbs lightly touching.” She demonstrated the gesture. After correctly copying her, she nodded at them approvingly. “The next step is the easiest or hardest part—depending on the person. Close your eyes and then focus on your breath. Let whatever thoughts and images that arise come and go without acknowledging them. Whenever you feel like a thought is pulling you toward it, just gently and calmly return your focus to your breath. Ok, you guys ready to try it?” “Let’s do this,” Victor said. They all closed their eyes and sat there in silence. Summer periodically opening an eye to check on them. She suddenly clapped her hands, causing the both of them to almost jump up out of their pillows. “What the hell was that for?” Victor asked, trying to catch his breath. “You guys were falling asleep, weren’t you?” Victor and Connor didn’t respond. “Don’t worry. Like I said before, it takes practice. If you were truly in a meditative state, the sound of my clapping wouldn’t have caused you guys to jump up so violently.” Her mouth curled into a smile. “Now, let’s try it again.” Several minutes passed before Summer opened an eye. Victor’s face was relaxed, and his radiant golden aura was expanding steadily. Her eyes moved to look at Connor. “Wings!” she yelled. “What?” Connor asked. Summer tried to collect herself, but she couldn’t believe what she had seen. “You had wings!” “What kind of wings?” Victor mocked. “This isn’t funny. I swear I saw wings. They… looked like angel wings.” Victor and Connor shared a confused glance. “Connor, have you ever meditated before?” “Nope, this is my first time.” “I need to make sure. Let’s try it again.” Connor closed his eyes. This time, Summer stared at him while focusing on his aura. After a couple of minutes, a set of white angel wings began forming, sprouting from his aura. They were the same bright shade of white. “Connor, this is incredible,” she said. Connor opened his eyes. “It’s kind of hard to appreciate something I can’t see,” he pouted. “It’s easier to meditate with your eyes closed, but it’s not a requirement.” Connor looked at her, confused. “I can meditate pretty much anywhere, but it took a lot of practice. Eventually, you’ll be able to meditate while standing, walking, running, and with your eyes opened or closed.” “Wow, that’s pretty—” Summer suddenly felt flushed and lightheaded. The room started spinning and everything went mute. She closed her eyes, trying to stay calm, but she found herself consumed by darkness. A numbing pain was pulsing in her forehead as a dilapidated building materialized before her, replacing the pitch blackness with a jarring, yet familiar view. Her heart skipped a beat as she sped toward the building, eventually landing in the body of a young woman. The smell of mold filled her nose, and she was drenched in sweat. She looked around and saw a man, tall and thin, pacing back and forth several feet in front of her. There was a sharp pain in her ankles and wrists. She looked down and glared at the thick braided rope that bound her. The pacing man stopped and then turned to face her. His crimson eyes gleaming under the sunlight slanting through the windows. A stab of terror piercing her chest was the last thing she felt before being transplanted back into her own body. Victor and Connor were standing above her, desperately trying to get her to wake up. Summer shot up. “We have to help her!” “What are you talking about?” Victor asked. “You randomly fell backward and collapsed. What the hell happened?” “I don’t know, but we have to help her.” Victor and Connor glared at her, perplexed. Summer used a hand to cover her eyes. She still felt the young woman’s fear—it clung to her like wet clothes. Connor placed a hand on her shoulder. “Just calm down and tell us what happened.” “I’m not really sure, but I saw a building.” Summer paused. She could have sworn she had seen it before. “What did it look like?” Victor asked. “Um… oh yeah! St. Peter’s sanatorium, that’s where she was.” Connor raised an eyebrow. “I thought that building got torn down. And wait, that’s where who was?” “I got transported into the body of a girl.” Victor and Connor sat up, their eyes almost narrowing in unison. “She was tied up, and there was a man walking in front of her. His eyes were… red.” Victor’s face twisted into a snarl, his uneasiness was palpable. “Who was the man?” Connor asked. “I don’t know! You guys just have to believe me. We need to help her before it’s too late.” “Oh great. We went from angels to demons to visions. I wonder what mystical bullshit is gonna end up being real next,” Victor moaned. “We gotta check it out,” Connor demanded. “Summer, you have to stay here.” “No way!” “Wait,” Victor said. “Why are we checking anything out? Maybe it was all a hallucination.” “It might be nothing—as you suspect. But I have heard of instances where out-of-body experiences have turned out to be real.” He turned to Summer, softening his face in the process. “If this is a demon, we can’t risk you getting hurt. Summer please, you have to stay.” “No!” Summer exclaimed. “I can’t just sit here and let an innocent person get hurt. You didn’t feel what I felt. Connor, I have to help her!” She glanced at the neatly stacked bottles of holy water. “Besides, I have an idea.” Summer bolted toward her closet. She reached past the bottles and pulled out her orange water gun. Victor burst into laughter. “No way…” Connor sighed. Victor wiped a tear from his eye. “Connor, you know damn well we weren’t gonna change her mind anyway. Besides, if I’m remembering correctly, she was a pretty good shot with that thing.” “We were kids. This isn’t a game.” Summer frantically removed the cap from the water gun and started pouring bottles of holy water into the reservoir. “Connor, I’m going,” Summer declared. Connor shook his head, accepting defeat. “Focus on getting the girl to safety. V and I will worry about the demon. Got it?” Summer ignored him, instead choosing to focus on her pouring. “Do you understand the plan, Summer?” Connor asked, his tone more forceful. She stopped pouring. “Got it.” “Wait a minute, how are we even gonna get there? I doubt our parents are gonna drive us to an abandoned building to go demon hunting,” Victor asked. “We’ll take the bus,” Connor replied. “There’s a stop about a half a mile from the sanatorium.” Summer put the cap back on her water gun. She darted toward her door. “Come on guys, let’s go!” “Wait,” Victor said while pointing to her closet. “Let me borrow a bottle.”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

“You know how kids are,” the old lady said to the cashier. She grabbed the little girl's hand and guided her toward the store’s exit. “Summer, how many times do I have to tell you to keep what you see to yourself?” she asked while scanning the grocery store parking lot. “Her aura was gross!” Summer exclaimed. The old lady placed the groceries in the backseat of her four-door truck. Summer felt a tug at her arm as she tried to get inside. “Granny, let go!” she yelled, trying to free herself from the old lady’s grasp. “You have to understand that most people don’t want their auras read, especially if you have something negative to say. It's rude.” Summer ceased her struggling and gave her grandmother a hesitant nod. Once free, she got into the car and sulked as they started their drive home. Summer pressed her face against the window, trying to soak up all the new scenery. She had moved to Covington from Santa Cruz a week ago, and the differences were almost night and day. The sea’s gentle breeze she was so accustomed to was nowhere to be found. She had to settle for Wyoming’s harsh, bone-chilling winds. Even the air smelled different. It lacked the salty, sulphurous odor she had grown to tolerate. But the most bizarre difference was how this strange new city seemed to have amplified her gift. In California, the colors she saw in people’s auras could best be described as muted—diluted approximations of their more vibrant counterparts. That changed the moment she stepped foot in Covington. She found herself feeling overwhelmed by the richness of everyone’s aura. It was as if someone pressed their thumb on a remote control’s volume up button. Her grandmother noticed this as well, but she failed to provide Summer with an explanation. After several minutes of driving, her grandmother peeked through the rearview mirror and saw Summer’s head almost outside of the car. “Hey!” she yelled. Summer jerked her head back and immediately resumed her sulking. Her grandmother closed Summer’s window. “Are you excited about your first day of school?” “No,” Summer retorted with her arms crossed, staring at a lady walking her ugly dog. “The first day at a new school is always hard. But I promise, once you make a couple of new friends, everything will get better.” “I don’t want new friends!” Her grandmother gazed at her somberly before initiating a turn into their driveway. Once parked, she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a little black box. “I was going to give this to you tomorrow morning, but what better time than the present?” Summer’s eyes widened as she glanced at the small box in her grandmother’s hand. “What is it?” she inquired. Her grandmother opened the box to reveal a beautiful purple stone wrapped in gold wiring attached to a golden necklace. “This is an amethyst stone,” her grandmother declared. “It’s a healing stone. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by other people’s energies, I put one of these in my pocket.” “Does it make you feel better?” “Every time.” Summer’s face lit up as she reached for the little black box. The amethyst looked even more beautiful up close—so stunning that it put her in a trance. She eventually snapped out of it and put the necklace on. The purple-colored stone glittered under the sunlight beaming through the windows. “Thanks, granny!” Summer exclaimed. The stone peaked through her fingers as she clasped it in her hand. Her grandmother smiled warmly. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.” Summer desperately pleaded with her grandmother, but it got her nowhere. “That necklace has to come off before you go to bed,” she demanded. Summer dejectedly put her pajamas on and stared at the stone pressing against her chest. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Summer scurried to her nightstand and gently placed it into the drawer. She was in bed, ready to fall asleep when she suddenly remembered. Her eyes darted to the framed photo on her dresser. I almost forgot , she thought as she ran to the dresser. The recently painted piece of furniture was a sheeny yellow. The photo was of her posing with her parents on a beach. Summer picked it up and gave it a kiss before whispering it goodnight. She lied on her bed, trying to fall asleep, but the thought of having to start at a new school gave her a surge of anxiety. Summer tossed and turned for several minutes before finally drifting into a dreamless sleep. “You’re gonna have a great time!” her grandmother exclaimed as Summer made her way toward the school’s front door. A teacher guided her to the cafeteria. Once inside, she was bombarded by a sea of students. The various colors and their respective shades overwhelmed her, so she put her head down and walked through the food service line. She grabbed a shiny red apple before scanning the cafeteria for an empty table. Once seated, she took an enthusiastic bite of her apple. It was a bit mealy for her taste, but she chomped on it regardless. Summer was enjoying her meal until a heavyset boy with bright orange hair blocked her line of sight. Freckles covered his pasty face, and one of his two front teeth was missing. “Nice necklace,” the boy said. Summer looked up and grimaced as she noticed the dark swirls present in his aura. “Th—thank you.” “Can I borrow it?” Summer timidly shook her head. The boy frowned and reached for the necklace. She leapt backward, causing her apple to fall to the floor. “Hey!” someone behind the boy shouted. Summer looked toward the voice’s source and saw a boy with light-brown skin and long, curly hair. Her eyes widened as they rested upon the boy’s golden aura. Summer had seen auras of varying colors, but never gold. There was a dark-haired boy standing next to him. He was tall and built like a twig. Large framed glasses covered his gorgeous blue eyes, and his aura was a gleaming shade of white. Her mother’s aura was also white, but it wasn’t nearly as glaring. Summer couldn’t help but gawk at the both of them. “Hey, V,” the red-haired boy said meekly. He dropped his eyes and scampered away. “Was he bothering you?” the boy wearing glasses asked. Summer looked into his piercing blue eyes and blushed. She turned away. “Yeah, he was trying to steal my necklace.” The boy studied the necklace and then asked, “Amethyst?” “Yeah, how did you know?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Lucky guess.” Something was off about the boy. He had the mannerisms and speech patterns of an old man. “He’s an asshole!” The curly-haired boy yelled while looking in the bully’s direction. He then turned to face Summer and in a kind tone asked, “you good?” Summer froze. She rarely heard kids her age curse at her old school. The boy smiled at her necklace. “I’m not gonna lie, that is a pretty cool necklace.” She covered it with her hand while eyeing him suspiciously. “Thank you…” “Don’t worry, I’m not a thief.” He ran his fingers through his tangled hair. “What’s your name?” She slowly lowered her hand. “Summer. What about you?” The curly-haired boy flashed a giant grin and then puffed out his chest. “I’m Victor, but most people call me V. And this is my boy, Connor.” Connor gave her a quiet nod. “So, what grade are you in?” “Second.” “Us too, but I haven’t seen you here before. Are you new?” “Yeah, I just moved here from California.” “Cool! So you’ve been to a beach before?” Victor looked at her with admiration. “Yeah, I’ve been a couple of times.” Victor rushed to sit next to her. Connor followed his lead. “Have you ever gone surfing?” Victor asked. *** “Oh my god. You look so cute!” Summer exclaimed. “I don’t know, I think I prefer the patchy dreadlock look you had in the hospital,” Connor mocked. Victor flashed his middle finger at him. He then rubbed the top of his head and sighed. “I can’t remember a time before I had long hair, but since I’m a demon slayer now, it’s definitely not a good idea.” Victor shrugged. “At least my dad didn’t mess up my hairline.” “Well…” Connor said. Victor stared daggers at him. Connor poorly hid his impish grin. Victor turned to face Summer, venom still in his eyes. “Is your room ready yet?” “Not yet. But I promise, after school everything will be perfect. I’ll text you guys when I’m done!” Summer exclaimed. “Please stop yelling,” Victor pleaded. “Never!” Summer couldn’t focus in any of her classes due to her regularly peeking at her phone to check the tracking of a package she had ordered. Once she finally got home, she raced to her room. Summer moved her dresser to a corner and then placed three pillows on the floor. She scattered the room with a variety of incense and then dimmed the lights to create the perfect mood. A sudden knock at the front door interrupted her. “Your package is here!” her grandmother yelled. “Thanks, granny!” The package was humongous. Her grandmother glared at her as she struggled to carry it up the steps. “What in the world is that?” her grandmother asked with a perplexed look on her face. “One of my favorite online stores had a fire sale, and I bought a bunch of clothes and accessories.” Summer quickly started her ascent, leaving no room for rebuttal. She trudged up the stairs with her box in hand, making it to about the halfway mark before dropping it on the ground and then pushing it the rest of the way. The box made a loud clunk after each step. Once she was in the safety of her room, she ripped the tape off and opened the box. It was filled with dozens of bottles of holy water. Thank god for one day delivery , she thought before placing each bottle in her closet, one by one. As she was stacking, an orange-colored object caught her eye. It was the water gun she played with as a kid. An idea suddenly came to her, but before she could further explore it, she heard a knock at her door. Her grandmother barged in before Summer could even reach for the handle. “You’re going to have to come up with a better lie than that,” her grandmother said. She peaked her head into the room—her eyes scanning every inch before eventually resting on summer, fixing her with a stare. Summer exhaled sharply. All it took was a look from her grandmother for every revelation to spill out of her like a box of wine with a broken spout. “Oh my god, that explains it!” her grandmother yelled after hearing a recap of the previous day’s events. “I know right?” She glanced at the pillows scattered about Summer’s floor. “Do you think we’ve ever encountered any of these demons?” “It’s very possible. That’s why I bought a bunch of holy water just in case.” Summer pointed to her closet, full of stacked bottles. “It cost me almost all of my allowance, but hearing V and Connor’s description of the demon they fought made me not want to take any chances.” “You know, I always liked that Connor boy. Him being an angel doesn’t surprise me at all. But Victor being part angel is throwing me for a loop.” “Connor was an angel granny.” “Right. Sorry.” “I really need to get my room ready. Can we talk later?” “Wait. So say Victor does master these abilities… then what?” “What do you mean?” “Is he gonna just go out and try to kill every demon he can find?” Her question stumped Summer. She was so wrapped up in finally getting her friends into meditation that she didn’t think about what they were going to do if Victor actually mastered his powers. “I guess… I don’t know.” “Please be safe, sweetie. I’ll let you get back to it, but don’t get too wrapped up in all of this.” She gave Summer a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. Summer stood near her door and looked at her finished room. Perfect . She then immediately texted Victor and Connor, her thumbs moving at the speed of sound.  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Victor covered his mouth, successfully holding in a burp. He gave a prideful look to the mountain of chicken bones on his tray. His diet of the last two days was composed of yogurt cups, applesauce, and donuts. So the more substantive meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes smothered in brown gravy was much appreciated. The thawed out ice pack was next to his bed, leaving a small puddle on the cream colored plastic dresser top. Connor was staring at his phone, picking at his teeth with a toothpick. Steam came off the green beans at the end of Summer’s fork. She gave them a quick blow before going in for a bite. Mr. Au was seated, gazing upon a framed painting of a boat on the wall opposite to him. He appeared to be lost in thought. A knock at the door captured everyone’s attention. The doctor walked in and greeted Victor with a smile. “How are you feeling?” he asked while twirling a pen in his hand. “I’m feeling a lot better,” Victor said. The swelling had completely gone down, and the area no longer had a purplish hue. “I think I’m ready to head home now.” “I agree.” He turned to Mr. Au. “If you would come with me, please.” Victor stretched while releasing a booming yawn, causing the birds perched near the window to flutter away. By the time he finished rubbing his eyes, the room was completely empty. He peered warmly at the bouquet Summer had left behind. There was a single red rose amongst the bundle, like a giant crimson needle in a multicolored haystack. The red-eyed stranger’s menacing snarl flashed before him. A knot formed in his stomach. Then, as if his subconscious willed it, he recalled scurrying down the stairs to the sight of his mother and father wishing him a merry Christmas. A large gift wrapped in red wrapping paper sat under the Christmas tree. He could feel his anxiety melting away. His father cracked the door open and peeked inside. “V, get dressed. We’re going home.” Victor checked himself out in the bathroom mirror. Black stubble coated his chin, and he had the shadow of a mustache. He got dressed, then started toward the elevator. Summer and Connor were sitting in the front lobby. Victor tried to read their lips, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Summer noticed Victor walking toward them. She presented her blindingly white teeth. Connor stopped what he was saying mid-sentence to give Victor a head nod. “The minute I get home, I’m gonna prep my room for our meditation session!” Summer exclaimed. She sprang out of her chair and embraced Victor. Connor got up and awkwardly waited for them to finish hugging before giving Victor a fist bump. “Since I’m a superhero now, shouldn’t I have a badass superhero name? Something like: Victor the demon slayer .” Connor exhaled sharply. “That’s more of a descriptor than a badass superhero name. You were pretty much bedridden for a couple of days and that’s the best you could come up with?” “I’m sure I’ll think of something better when I get home, asshole.” Mr. Au appeared behind them and wrapped one of his arms around Victor. “You ready to go, V?” “I’m more than ready.” They bustled toward the exit. “I’ll hit you guys up later,” Victor declared. As he made his way toward his dad’s car, he turned around and looked at the hospital. He felt an overwhelming sense of jubilation as the building’s size decreased with every step. Once he reached the car, he took a long inhale of fresh air before getting inside. The car ride was awkward, to say the least. His father didn’t look at him once, and the only sound he heard was the wind from the open passenger side window howling in his ear. His house was finally in sight, but to Victor’s surprise, everything looked so… small. His once elongated driveway looked regular. The recently rebuilt porch that housed a giant table and chair set fit for a patio suddenly looked pedestrian. Even his front lawn looked miniscule. A waft of familiarity hit Victor the moment he stepped foot in his home. He glanced at the military paraphernalia and family photos on the wall and felt at peace. He reminded himself that he was only gone for a couple of days, but that did very little to lessen this bizarre feeling of nostalgia. Victor bolted toward the stairs, but his dad calling him into the living room stopped him in his tracks. “Sit. down,” his father asserted. Victor’s legs moved by themselves. He couldn’t remember the last time his father spoke to him that way. “You are going to tell me what really happened.” “What do you mean?” Victor asked. He knew he messed up the moment those words left his lips. His father did not like being lied to. Mr. Au gave Victor a stern, unfazed stare. Victor immediately averted his gaze. He felt so foolish. It was as if he were a little boy again, awaiting his punishment for getting into one of his many school fights. He despised the fact that his dad’s anger still had this affect on him, but he had to accept it. “Dad… I know Connor lied to you, but please don’t be mad at him.” “I’m not mad at him. I’m mad at you for going along with his lie. I thought I told you time and time again to tell me the truth, no matter what.” His face softened and he grabbed Victor’s shoulder. “Now, tell me what really happened. Are you getting into fights again?” “No dad I promise, it’s just… you wouldn’t believe me.” “Try me.” Victor fidgeted in his seat. He desperately wanted to tell his dad the truth, but he didn’t know where to begin. He felt his dad’s grip on his shoulder tighten. Victor looked up and saw that there wasn’t an ounce of anger in his father’s eyes. “Mom… was an angel.” Hearing the words out loud made him feel a sudden flush of embarrassment. After a century-long pause, his dad said, “She was indeed an amazing woman, but… what does that have to do with anything?” “No, dad she was literally an angel. And I’m half an angel, and I have superpowers when I focus on my breath. Connor… is an angel, uh I mean, was an angel and…” He covered his face with his hands. The ridiculousness of everything was setting in. “Just calm down and tell me everything.” Victor carefully explained all the events that had happened up to that point. His dad didn’t say a word, but he listened attentively, never once breaking eye contact. After he finished, he looked up at his dad meekly, not knowing what his response would be. “So you beat that guy with one punch, huh?” A devilish grin stretched across his face. “Listen, I honestly don’t know what to say to all of that, but I do know one thing. I believe you.” His words moved Victor, almost to the point of tears. He had always loved his father, but at that moment, he knew he was blessed. “This is a lot to take in all at once, V. I need to sleep on it, but before that…” Mr. Au scurried toward the dining room table and picked up an envelope. Victor saw his name and Covington high school written on the front. He grabbed it from his father’s hands and opened it roughly, leaving it almost unrecognizable. Victor scanned the paper inside, searching for his composite score. Victor howled out a laugh that was so sudden and loud that his father jumped. “I really hope that’s a good laugh. Hurry up and tell me how you did.” “I got a thirty!” he yelled while still laughing like a maniac. “I ended up getting a score four points higher than my goal!” “That's great! But… why is that funny exactly?” Victor’s laugh ebbed into a smile. “The last couple of days have been insane. So the fact that I stressed out so much over a test that I ended up acing is making me lose it.” His dad glared at him puzzlingly for a moment, and then smiled. “Yeah, I guess that is kind of funny.” The moonlight illuminated part of Victor’s slightly opened closet door. He peered at the laundry hamper suspiciously. The dirt covered clothes he wore when he fought the demon were in plain sight. Victor preferred sleeping in complete darkness, but that night he felt compelled to experiment with open curtains. He laid his head on his soft cotton pillow and stared up at his dust covered ceiling fan. Finally, a pillow not made of concrete. He then turned his body to the side, focusing on the pale-blue walls peaking through his various posters. He turned his body again, and again, and again until he finally settled on a position. Victor closed his eyes and begged for sleep’s comforting embrace. Victor saw Connor’s look of anguish, the cigarette on the ground, the stranger’s odd movements, and his crimson-red eyes. Every seemingly innocuous detail played back in his head on a loop. An image of his mother’s smile appeared, causing him to rise. Suddenly, every inhale became an arduous task, and every exhale was shallow. There was no rhythm to his breathing, and he could feel his heart beating rapidly. He put a hand to his chest and he could feel the palpitations. Every breath seemed pointless; he was getting almost no air. In a panic, he rolled over and fell off his bed, causing a loud thud . He began sweating profusely. Am I having a heart attack? he thought while squirming around on the floor. His vision became blurry as tears began to form. A loud bang came from the direction of his door. Mr. Au appeared. He turned the lights on and ran to his son. “Dad… I… can’t… breathe,” Victor stammered. Mr. Au gave him a quick glance before springing into action. He picked Victor up and placed him on the bed. “Son, look at me. Everything is going to be alright. You’re having a panic attack. Just focus on me and we’ll get through this.” Victor looked at his dad’s calm face and grabbed his arm. The tears that he desperately tried to hold in began flowing. His dad grabbed a part of his shirt and wiped Victor’s face before continuing. “Listen, I need you to slowly and gently take a deep breath through your nose, and then exhale through your mouth. Can you do that for me, big guy?” His dad demonstrated the breathing technique to Victor before having them do it together. Victor closed his eyes. The panic and terror he felt was gradually being replaced with a sense of serenity. He opened his eyes and his father leapt backward. “Your eyes…” Victor’s feeling of tranquility dissipated. It was as if someone handed him a gift and then snatched it away. “You scared me there for a second, but I knew you would pull through.” “Dad, I didn’t know what was going on, I—” “It’s okay, you’ve had a crazy week.” His dad got up and sat on the bed. “I used to have panic attacks all the time during basic training.” “No way.” His father nodded. “The first time I found out where I was gonna be deployed, I threw up in one of my combat boots.” He lowered his head and smiled. “But the thing that always kept me going through all the fear and panic was knowing that I was protecting the ones I loved. V, I can’t imagine a world full of demons. And you telling me that Connor and your mother were angels is something that I can’t wrap my head around. I honestly shudder at the thought of you putting yourself in danger, but I think you were given these powers for a reason. How you use them is up to you, but know this, I’ll support you no matter what.” He sat with Victor in silence for a while before standing up and heading to the door. Victor called out to him while rubbing the bald spot where a bundle of dreadlocks used to be. “I think I’ll be getting that haircut soon.”  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

Victor snuck a look at Connor. The light from the PowerPoint presentation revealing his blank face staring at the screen. Victor tried to focus, but the laws of sines and cosines were not holding his interest. Since gym class, Connor and Summer had been acting strangely toward him. Summer couldn’t stop smiling in his presence. It brought Victor some discomfort, but ultimately, it was harmless. Connor, on the other hand, had an entire change in demeanor. His sarcastic and playful personality seemed to have completely disappeared. When Victor tried to start a conversation, he got short and frank answers. Seeing him act so distant hurt Victor to no end. The test results still weighed heavily on his mind, and even though his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit it, he was in desperate need of his old friend.  The last bell of the day rang, and the school came to life as the students began flooding the hallways. “See you guys tomorrow!” Summer exclaimed as she got into her grandmother’s pickup truck. Victor saw her permanent smile behind the tinted passenger side window. Victor and Connor walked along the concrete path that wrapped around the school. Connor was still refusing to speak, and his gaze was glued to the ground. “I think I’m gonna walk home today,” Victor blurted, ending the unbearable silence. Connor’s eyes widened as he looked in Victor’s direction for what felt like the first time since that morning. “Why?” “I have a lot of energy today for some reason. I just need to walk some of it off before I get home.” Victor was staring at the row of buses to the right of them. They wrapped around the corner like a yellow snake. “Lemme walk with you then.” For what? So we can stare at the ground together? Victor thought . Connor had been ignoring him all day, and Victor hadn’t felt an ounce of comfort in his presence. “Nah, I’ll meet up with you later. Go ahead and take the bus home.” Connor squinted. “Ok bro, I’ll see you later.” He then promptly walked toward a bus parked on the opposite side of the street. Connor jogged up the bus’ steps and chose a seat that had a clear view of the sidewalk. He anxiously pulled out his phone and feigned interest in his unlocked screen, periodically raising his head to peek at his friend still walking away from the line of buses. Victor peered in Connor’s direction. Connor turned back to his phone and repeatedly tapped on its black screen. After a couple of seconds, he raised his head and used his eyes to follow Victor until he was almost out of his field of view. He then frantically picked up his backpack and ran to the front of the bus. “I forgot that I have something to do after school today!” he yelled while hurrying down the steps. The bus driver looked in his general direction and sounded a grunt of affirmation before returning to the game on her phone. About a mile from the school, there was a main road. Metal railings stretched along both sides of the road for miles and miles. There was a dirt path that ran along one side of the road and on the opposite side there was a steep, grassy decline. Victor ran down the decline and entered a narrow path that took him to a large exposed area surrounded by trees of varying shapes and sizes. Victor scanned the area, his gaze focusing on the base of each tree. Eventually, he saw a large, gray rock leaning against a tree that looked different from the others. It was a shade lighter than the surrounding trees and the puke-green moss blended with the bark’s peanut-brown color. He could hear the water from the nearby creek rustling as he loped toward the tree. He lifted the rock to reveal a small bottle of clear liquid. His shoulders loosened. The bottle was hot to the touch and the label read Rocky Hill Quality House 100 proof vodka . It shocked Victor to see that the bottle was still there. His liquor always eventually came up missing, no matter how brilliant the hiding spot. Victor opened the bottle and took a swig of the hot, clear liquid. He held back a cough and swallowed. His eyes began watering and his chest felt like he was lying on a bed of burning coals. He balled one of his hands into a first and repeatedly punched his chest while letting out a flurry of coughs. The thought of running over to the creek and using the murky water as a chaser crossed his mind, but the raging fire in his chest eventually subsided. He could feel his troubles melting away. He suddenly heard footsteps heading in his direction. Victor froze and turned to the partially shaded figure standing near the entrance of the alcove. He dropped the bottle in a panic and sprang up, trying to hide it with his body. “Sharing is caring,” the figure said. It was the voice of a man. The prominent lisp he spoke with betrayed his otherwise menacing aura. The man stepped closer to the sunlight, revealing his light-blue dress shirt and wrinkled khaki pants, his face still partially hidden. He presented a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. The stranger meticulously took a cigarette out of the packaging and cradled it between his lips. Victor leaned forward and squinted, desperately trying to get a better look at him. The man pulled out a lighter and with a flick, he illuminated part of his face. Victor felt a stab of anxiety as he peered into the stranger’s blood-red eyes. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?” The man asked before taking a long drag on his cigarette. Victor furrowed his brow and looked him up and down. “I asked you a question,” he added. The combination of fear and confusion left him mute. He stared into the sea of red in the stranger’s eyes. Victor tilted his head upward to signal that he was not afraid, but his vocal chords refused to work. His hands turned into fists, and his heart violently pounded in his chest. “Hey, lush, I’m not going to fucking repe—” “V! Run!” exclaimed a familiar voice from the clearing’s entrance. Connor appeared from the pathway with his shoes caked in dirt. “V, get out of—ahhh!” Connor collapsed and began writhing in pain. Wisps of smoke rose from the crushed cigarette that the stranger had pressed against his forearm. The stranger stood over Connor’s body with his back turned to Victor. The man’s bizarre movements left him dumbfounded. “Don’t fucking interrupt!” The stranger bellowed. The sight of his friend in pain formed a knot in Victor’s stomach, and the thought of potentially losing him turned his fear into rage. Without thinking, he bolted toward the stranger and aimed a punch at his temple, but he whiffed, and his forward momentum almost made him fall over. The stranger turned around, and they locked eyes. Victor caught the hint of a smile on the stranger’s face before smoothly weaving to the side, avoiding the man’s blow. The stranger, with an impish grin still plastered on his face, performed a front kick, hitting Victor in his chest. Victor flew backwards, landing on his back. He narrowly avoided getting stomped on by rolling to his side. Victor leapt up and got into a fighting stance. Keep your base wide , he thought. Even amid combat, his father’s words still reached him. His mouth twisted into a smile. It had been a long time since he felt the rush of a good fight. He dashed toward the stranger and missed a punch to the man’s kidneys. The stranger landed another powerful kick to Victor’s chest, knocking the wind out of him. Victor fell to his knees. The crimson-eyed stranger yanked out a bundle of Victor’s dreadlocks. He reflexively grabbed the top of his head, a sharp pain radiating from his scalp. The stranger casually tossed his dreadlocks to the side, as if he were throwing freshly pulled carrots into a basket. Victor let out a blood-curdling scream. He writhed on the ground while holding onto his newly created bald spot. His scalp was hot to the touch. Suddenly, the stranger fell to the ground and held the back of his head. Victor looked up and saw Connor standing over him in a fighting stance of his own. There was a fierceness in his eyes. Connor? he thought, shock-stricken. The stranger quickly recovered and started a two hit combo. Connor easily dodged both punches before landing a graceful tornado roundhouse kick to the stranger’s cheek. The kick stunned him for a moment, but he shook it off and charged at Connor’s legs. Connor side flipped over him and he fell face first into the grass. Victor watched in awe as Connor frantically patted his pockets. After failing to find what he was looking for, he kissed his teeth in frustration. Victor was trying to process everything, but the sharp pain in his chest and the dull sting at the top of his head did very little to help. Connor looked in his direction for a brief moment, but that was all the stranger needed to catch him off guard. He put most of his weight into a shove that sent Connor flying several feet away. He then ambled toward Connor, as if ready to finish his prey. Victor tried to get up, but the pain was too great. A feeling of helplessness crept up, but his blinding fury put that to rest. He settled for staring daggers at the back of the stranger’s head. He imagined his head flicking away from his neck like a topper being thumbed off of a pencil. His eyes continued to follow the stranger until he found himself gripped by a familiar feeling. The world around him faded away, and the only sound he heard was his breath. Serenity wrapped itself over him like a warm blanket. There was a tingling feeling in his hands. He rose and felt light as a feather. The pain in his chest didn’t just diminish, it completely disappeared. His dark-brown eyes turned a bright, yellowish-gold and in less than a second, he found himself directly behind the stranger. Before he could turn around, Victor inhaled deeply and landed a punch to the side of the stranger’s head, flinging it into a tree. His body turned to dust, and the remains messily fell to the ground. Victor peered at Connor with his gleaming eyes of gold, and he smiled a warm smile. “Are you o—” Victor suddenly felt woozy. He tried to balance himself, but his body betrayed him. Connor quickly got up and caught Victor’s collapsing body before it hit the ground. He looked around hysterically before eventually noticing a bottle on the ground. He gently placed Victor down and walked to the bottle. Not this again , Connor thought before chucking it as far as he could. He heard a splash in the distance.  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

There were exactly ten items in Bella’s shopping cart, yet the lady in front of her was in the express lane with well over that amount. The cashier scanned at a snail’s pace, and the bright fluorescent lights were migraine inducing. Generic pop music blared through the grocery store’s tinny speakers, compounding her discomfort. She checked the time on her phone and sighed, prompting the lady in front of her to turn around—her wrinkled face twisting into a disarming smile. Bella forced a smile back while managing to not react to the old lady’s porcelain white veneers. Bella had practiced feigning contentment for most of her adult life. If she could survive her supervisor’s insistence on repeating the same three jokes ad nauseam, she could make it through this. After passive aggressively inching her cart forward for what felt like an eternity, the lady with the toilet seat veneers finally finished checking out. Once all of Bella’s items were on the conveyor belt, she looked longingly at the bottle of wine sandwiched between two bags of rice. It had been a long week, and she was due for a glass of wine and a good book. The cool night air sliced at her face the moment she stepped outside. Her auburn hair danced as a gust of wind swept across the parking lot. Dammit , she thought. I knew I should have brought a jacket. Having to walk home at night sent a stab of anxiety through her, but she quickly collected herself and looked up at the crescent moon radiating like a lamp in the dark, star-filled sky. Her bottle of red Moscato and copy of A Lover’s Quarrel awaited her, so she grabbed her bags and started walking. There was an alleyway she had to cross to get to her apartment. During the day, it was nothing more than an innocuous stretch of pavement. But without the cleansing properties of sunlight, she felt as if she was staring into the abyss. A shiver permeated throughout her body, raising the little hairs on her arms and legs. Bella took a deep breath, counted down from three, and then plunged into the darkness. At about the halfway mark, the smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her nose, causing her to wince. Suddenly, she noticed a figure leaning against a brick wall. Bella hastened her pace while trying to keep her eyes pointed straight ahead, but the person moved to block her path. The stranger’s crimson-red eyes pierced through the clouds of smoke like oncoming headlights on a midnight country road, leaving her naked under his gaze. “What are you cooking for us?” the man asked—his voice a bone-rattling baritone. There were flecks of gray in his beard, and his face was as still as the brick wall he leaned on. Bella ignored the question and tried to dart past him, but he anticipated her maneuver. “Hey, I’m talking to you,” he bellowed. She jumped at his sudden increase in volume, causing her to drop her bags. “Please, leave me alone,” Bella said as she slowly reached for her groceries. She stared into his eyes and froze—terror gripping her like a vise. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” a voice from behind the man yelled. Bella frantically inspected the darkness before her, searching for the source. A person eventually crept forward into the moonlight. It was a man. His dishwater blonde hair was in a messy ponytail, and his green eyes were two luminous emeralds on a fleshy backdrop. He was easily the most beautiful person Bella had ever seen. If she wasn’t so consumed by fear, she might have even blushed. He was dressed in all black—his long-sleeved t-shirt snug enough to accentuate a muscular build. There was something protruding from the side of his hip, but Bella couldn’t decipher this mystery appendage. “Mind your own fucking business,” the red-eyed man said. The beautiful man sauntered forward, his movements as graceful as a lynx. “That’s not how you treat an old friend,” the beautiful man said with a mocking grin. He methodically lifted a finger toward his ear. Bella squinted and made out what appeared to be white earbuds. The man with emerald eyes then started bobbing his head to a beat no one else could hear, completely dissipating his aura of elegance. He then started… dancing—if one could call violently jumping up and down while pumping your fists dancing. Am I dreaming? Bella thought. The dancing man looked to be possessed by the music. His eyes were closed, and his faint grin morphed into an all-encompassing beam. He opened his eyes again and Bella gasped. The twin emeralds had somehow turned into two violet-colored amethysts. The man with now violet eyes bolted toward them. “Move!” he demanded. Bella started her escape, but after a couple of steps, she stumbled and crashed into a dumpster. She leaned against it, grabbing at her lower back. She immediately tried to get up, but the pain struck her like a bolt of lightning, so she plopped back down. The beautiful man let out a howl as he landed a punch to the red-eyed man’s cheek, causing his cigarette to fly out of his mouth, illuminating a small section of the pavement several feet away. Bella flinched at the sound of his fist making contact. As the creature with red eyes was recovering from the strike, Bella noticed the beautiful man mouthing something. Is he… singing? The red-eyed man sprung up, snarling. But the beautiful man just kept mouthing lyrics, settling into a rhythmic bounce. The red-eyed man lunged forward and put his full weight into a punch that hit… nothing. He then tried again, and again, and again, whiffing on each swing. The beautiful man responded with a booming kick to the side of the red-eyed man’s knee, causing him to collapse. He then reached into his mystery appendage and pulled out a hatchet. Bella focused her eyes and saw the outline of a sheath holster, putting her curiosity at ease. The silver of the hatchet’s blade shone in the moonlight as the beautiful man initiated a swing aimed at the fallen man’s neck. Bella reflexively closed her eyes before the hatchet made contact. When she opened them, a pile of ash was in the red-eyed man’s place. The beautiful man with eyes of violet put the hatchet back in its holster and pressed a finger against one of his earbuds. He swaggered his way to the groceries she had dropped and pulled out Bella’s bottle of wine. The man—with her treasured wine in hand—casually walked away while not once looking in her direction.  This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

The mixture of freshly ground pepper, garlic, paprika, and a myriad of other spices graced Victor’s taste buds. He had begged his mother to make his favorite dish for weeks, so he savored every bite. “More Mofongo, my love?” his mother asked while reaching for a pitcher of water. Victor’s dad scooped up a spoonful of crushed plantain and then delicately dipped it in the surrounding chicken broth. He gave his wife a nod before sticking his fork into the fried pork, sizzling on an enormous silver platter. Victor inspected the finished Batmobile Lego set behind him and welled up with pride. “What do you think we’re having for dessert?” his mother asked. He slurped up a spoonful of the chicken broth. His eyes moved upward as he contemplated. “Dulce de Coco?” “Ding, ding, ding!” his mother exclaimed. She stroked his long curly hair and flashed her signature smile. *** Victor woke up to the sight of eggshell-white ceiling tiles. He lay there in silence, staring at them. There was a dull pain in his chest, and his throat was excruciatingly dry. His eyelids felt heavy, so he closed them, praying for a dreamless sleep. The stranger’s crimson-red eyes materialized from the darkness. He abruptly sat up, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek. Victor turned to see Connor sleeping in a chair with one of his dad’s jackets draped over him. “How are you feeling?” his dad asked. “Thirsty,” Victor whispered. The hoarseness of his voice gave him goosebumps. The hospital gown’s fabric felt rough on his skin, and there was a crick in his neck and shoulders. His dad sprung up and bustled toward the bathroom, returning seconds later with a cup of water. “Don’t drink it too fast,” his father said. But Victor’s thirst was too great to care. He guzzled it down so quickly that he almost choked. After catching his breath, he let out a thunderous belch. The water was warmer than he would have liked, but it soothed his dry throat and gave him a jolt of energy. “Excuse me,” Victor said. He almost sounded like himself again. Suddenly, he felt eyes on him. Victor turned to see Connor wide awake with a wisp of a smile across his face. “The doctor said you have a bruised rib and a couple of nicks here and there,” his father said. “We won’t know when you’ll be able to come home until you get reevaluated.” His eyes moved to the top of Victor’s head. “Maybe you’ll cut your hair now?” Victor ran his fingers through his dreadlocks, feeling for the bald spot. He forced a chuckle. “I’ll think about it.” Connor got up and hung the jacket on the back of his chair. Victor saw a bandage wrapped around his forearm. He recalled the cigarette butt lying on the grass next to Connor’s body. “Can I talk to Connor alone for a minute?” Victor asked. His dad alternated glances between Connor and his son. “Call me if you need anything. We’ll talk about these muggers that attacked you later.” “Thanks for the Jacket, Mr. Au,” Connor said. “You’re welcome.” Mr. Au put on his jacket and walked out of the room. “How’s your arm?” Victor asked. “It’ll heal. Uh, listen—” “Who are you?” Connor straightened his posture. “I would say you may want to sit down for this, but…” Victor’s face didn’t move. Connor cleared his throat. “I’m an angel. Or rather, I was an angel.” “Huh?” “God sent me here to monitor your growth.” Victor stared right through him. He waited for the punchline, but it never came. Connor smiled nervously, showing his two front teeth. “I came from heaven to monitor the development of the first human-angel hybrid.” “You really expect me to believe that my best friend is an angel?” “I was an angel. I’m one-hundred percent human now.” Victor felt light-headed. He used his pointer finger and thumb to gently rub the top of his forehead. He then peered into Connor’s sapphire-blue eyes. They were as still as a backwater. “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?” Connor responded with a nod. Victor leaned back and rested his head on the unyielding recovery room pillow. Human-angel hybrid… “So, my mother was an angel.” “I never specified which parent—” “I know it was her.” She had a glow. A special something that separated her from everyone else. Victor closed his eyes. Memories of his mother flooded his mind. He latched on to the time they sat on the roof, watching the stars. He could almost hear her melodious voice naming the constellations. Victor opened his eyes and stared at the bandages wrapped around Connor’s forearm. “So, you were just keeping tabs on me this whole time? Were we ever actually...” The word refused to come out. “Friends?” Connor sat down, his black bangs cascading across his ivory forehead. He scratched at the stubble on his chin. “I apologize for the deception, but it had to be done. I doubt you—or anyone, for that matter—would have befriended someone that claimed to be an angel on their first meeting.” He leaned in, and with a voice oozing sincerity said, “I tried as hard as I could to not give in to my emotions, but as time passed, I developed a genuine bond with you. I can say with complete certainty that I view you as a true friend.” Victor turned his head, hiding a faint smile. “I’ve even grown to tolerate your lack of emotional maturity,” he added facetiously. “Hey, watch it. I’m still mad at you.” “Sorry.” Victor tried to soak it all in. This talk of angels exhausted him, and the top of his head itched. He heard the hospital staff’s footsteps as they scurried in and out of the nearby rooms. The rising sun cast an orange glow on his bed. “What was up with all that flipping and shit?” He paused. The stranger’s red eyes and jittery movements played like a movie in his mind. “And what the hell was that thing back there?” “Well, since my mission is to monitor you, it seemed necessary that I learn how to defend myself and you from any potential dangers. As for the demon that attacked us—” “Demon? You’re telling me demons are real, too?” “Demons have always existed. But they were rarely, if ever, violent. I saw him following you, and his strange aura alarmed me. His red eyes confirmed my suspicions.” “Auras are real?” What the hell am I talking about? Nothing should surprise me at this point. Connor smiled. “All living beings emit an aura.” Victor suddenly thought of Summer’s gleaming amethyst stone wrapped in thin gold wiring. “What color was it?” “There are some humans that can see the colors present in a person’s aura. I—on the other hand—can only see its shape.” “What did it look like?” “Prickly and malformed. A human’s aura is in the shape of a smooth outline around the body. I knew something was strange the moment I saw his.” Victor looked at his hand. He clenched it to form a fist. “I punched his head clean off. What the hell was that about?” “I don’t know how or why you exhibited those abilities. It’s probably related to your angelic ancestry.” “So I have, like, superpowers?” Connor leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.” “I wonder what else I can do.” Images of men in tight spandex defeating shadowy figures danced around in his head. “So… what now?” “Now we wait for you to finish healing.” “I bet you have a bunch of stuff to report back to… wait, who sent you here?” “God sent me here. And I won’t be reporting anything until I die.” Victor raised an eyebrow. Connor’s eyes moved to the window near the bed. “Once my spirit returns to the higher plane, I’ll relay all that I have learned to the angel that assigned me this mission.” He looked back at Victor. “I have never actually met God.” “What? I thought when you die, he welcomes you into heaven or some shit.” Connor shook his head. Victor didn’t know how to feel about that. He never put much thought into life after death outside of a fleeting thought here or there. “What’s heaven like?” Connor looked upward, a radiant smile stretching across his face. “It’s indescribable.” “That’s not an answer.” “I literally can’t describe it. It’s something beyond human comprehension.” “Okay, last question. Actually, you know what, screw that. I’m probably never going to stop asking questions, but I’m getting tired, so they’ll have to wait.” Connor started stretching. He lifted his long arms above his head. “How did my mom come back to earth?” Victor asked. “I don’t know. No one does.” “How did you find out about me, then?” “I thought you said that was your last question?” “Shut up,” Victor jabbed, mockingly. “I don’t know how they found out about you. I was only told to monitor your growth.” Connor wrapped his arms around his stomach. His face was suddenly full of anguish. “What’s wrong?” “I’m starving.” Victor roared. He laughed so hard that his chest ached afterward. “I doubt you’ll find any Pop-Tarts here.” Victor opened his eyes and saw a man dancing on the TV. He wore a bright yellow suit. Animated dollar signs swirled around him. When did I fall asleep? He turned to see Connor slumped in his chair, snoring. Chocolate icing coating the corners of his mouth. His ears perked up at the sound of a breaking news story. He turned his attention back to the TV and saw his father. He was picking at a donut, white powdered sugar covering his finger tips. “ The body was found near the Salem meat processing plant. The victim was twenty-two-year-old Robert Shaw. We have no details on the cause of death, but we speculate that foul play was involved… ” His dad shook his head. “So young.” This Novel Contains Mature Content Show This Chapter? Yes

*knock knock* A gentle knock resounding on the door to my bedroom woke me up, I don't remember even locking it, guess I was tired than I realized. Opening the door revealed a beautiful woman I did not know looking at me, when I open the door she bowed down before delivering her message. "Lady Athena, has sent me to you, I brought your meal, please accompany me to the workspace, I left it there" (It looks like Athena thinks I might be hungry, I really haven't eaten for a very long time...) I followed the woman to the workspace to find a whole table filled with very delicious food, there was even a jug of a drink there, the volume of food was obviously more than what I can eat only. I guess I should complain to her, won't like to waste the food they give me for free. "I don't really think I can eat all these, it is just too much" "We have no choice but to bring it for you, lady Athena said you have not eaten for 10 millennium, even though you Gods don't get hungry, you still enjoy the taste of food you eat" She said with another bow, I really can't dispute her words since all these while I have not been eaten anything but I still survived, without even getting hungry to boot. "It might be late but can you tell me your name, I am Genji" "My Lord, my name is Lisa, I am of the Human Race but I serve the gods in the divine realm" "wow, so there are humans in the divine realm too, there is a lot I need to know then" "Indeed, i have been assigned to you by the sun goddess, I am your personal maidservant, I will be your guardian till you are able to find your feet, i will manage your to do list and help your remember your activities, I am really looking forward to work with you" She said with a smile and a little bow, she gave of vibes of an elder sister monitoring her younger brother, and she was also beautiful. "Guess we can talk about that later, I should eat first" bringing my mind back to the topic ____________ Apparently i discovered too late that I basically have no upper limit on what I can eat as I finished eating the whole food, kind of surprised though, the only thing I enjoyed was the taste, I did not feel satisfied but I had to put a stop to it. If someone else copy this kind of eating habit, the person is sure to add up to fifty kilograms in a week to their weight. Lisa told me a lot of things too, she gave me a mini map she drew, it was simple but contain the basic information of the place I am. The temple I was given is part of the upper section of the Divine realm, the Olympians live there too, After the upper realm is the realm also known as middle belt, the beings that love there include Giants Gods, and Arc-angels, the lower layer where Lisa lives is home to the other races and angels that lives the Divine realm, humans who found favour with their gods often come here after death or after a series of trial. Lisa herself died in her planet before her soul was woken up her by the sun goddess, she have been in the Divine realm since, living a life of eternity here.. The other races created by the gods were more populated than others and they live in the lower belt making it mostly busy than the other layers. "that is mainly everything you need to know, I would really suggest we visit the library in the middle layer together now,there are things you will understand faster when you get the necessary books" "Yes, but first I want to clerify something, you were able to enter the door to this temple when I was asleep, I don't want such an occurrence with someone else, how do I lock the doors." "I was only able to enter the door because I was under the order of Lady Athena, the upper realm is a place of extremely powerful gods, no one want to risk getting divine punishment from a god with a bad personality, if you did not send for someone, hardly will they ever come here" That new. "But from my knowledge, the Divine realm is a place where you can't get injured or die, how do you get punished then?" I asked  "Divine punishment of a god can work in the Divine realm, though you don't die, neither do you get injured, but you can still experience pain from a God's actions" She open the door as she gave a reply, she also used some powers to switch her clothes to a burtler-like cloth, leading the way from the door, we came to the particion of the realm, some tough looking angels were guarding the gates, when we got there, Lisa explained something to them and they let us pass. Upon asking her, she told them the purpose of our going out and that was all. We enter the middle belt section, the streets were more compacted but the overall clean state and purity was still present. We came across some other people Lisa indicated are also gods, but something about me is different from them, they gave of an air of fear when our eyes meet and most of them end up averting their gaze, but some pretty much ignore me. A quick look at my hands confirmed my body was in my normal human form, I wonder while they were cautious of me though. I asked Lisa to confirm what is happening but to receive an answer that shocked me. "I have forgotten Lord Genji has not gotten a grasp of your full powers, some gods don't posses infinite divinity and life like you do, though the lifespan of a god is eternal, gods like them could be killed" "So gods can be killed too, I didn't realize" the knowledge circle did not tell me that!. "As we are moving on let me share a story of a war we hope not to ever experience again, this dates back to when I was still living in the mortal realm..." The Olympians and another race of Gods Known as the Titans fought for supremacy of the Divine realm, their war lasted for a few number of years but a lot was destroyed at the end, Titans Gods that posses infinite divinity and life were sealed as punishment, while Titan Giants that did not posses infinite divinity and life were killed off. After the war the titans were sealed in Tartarus, a place where they could not escape from and the Olympians took control of the Divine realm. "That pretty much the main idea, the gods afraid of you are the few Titan Giants that still live in the Divine realm, meeting a god that could not be killed like you may have brought back memories of the war, the gods that ignore your presence are the fools that have no fear" "Don't the normal Olympians gods that are like me come to this place often? how did they manage?" I asked the next thing on my mind. "The Olympians hardly come down to the middle or lower belt, if you they lack anything they usually send messenges through angels working under them, my Lord enough about boring history we are now here, this is the section library of the Middle belt" While chatting along the way we reach a place she described as library, it was an out of place structure, it was a pretty tall building with the statue of the God king Zeus I met earlier today. We enter through the door and Lisa led me some stairs before entering and picking a book of the shelves. "Gods have very good memories, a single glance of a page is enough, this book was recommended by Lady Athena, it contains information on the basic steps to using your powers" Opening the book confirmed her words, I was just turning the pages but he memories of every single words written down was being implanted to my memory, it contains how to activate normal skills like Appraisal. Simple chanting the word or wishing for the skill to work was simple enough to make it work. I tried appraising the book to find this. Name: Skill book volume 1 Item quality: Legend Item description: A book containing basic knowledge of how to activate simple spells, if anyone other than a god read this book, the individual will go mad. Or what!! This book is dangerous! what the hell, just reading the book can make you mad, I should be careful here, I will try to appraisal the next thing I read before opening it. "Lisa do you know this book is dangerous, it can make someone less than a god go mad don't try to read it" i warned Lisa smiled before replying... "I can't read it before, it is written in a language only gods understand, books that have this rainbow coloured cover makes anybody less than a god mad, so don't worry about me " Lisa open a little rift in space and stuff some book into them, she told me I have the right to take these books from the library, they will be replaced later. She said something like Lady Athena's order. I just left everything to her. I moved around the library to see some more books when we are done, she gave a piece of paper containing the name of the books she took to a librarian. "My Lord, we are done for today, permission to teleport us back to the temple" "wait, I want to try teleport, the book I read says I can activate my magic if I will it, I want to try" I should at least do something God-like for once. I held the soft hands of Lisa and said the word *teleport* in my mind, and I instantly vanished and found myself in front of the temple where I imagined. My first trial at teleport was successful. "well done, you are a fast learner, I am sure it won't take long before you graduate from the academy" She opened the door while I entered, before dropping the books on a table, while I sat down to read.I slept off after some few books though. I don't really think the Divine realm has a night time, they use hours to determine day and night. _______________ I was taken to a building in the upper section that kind of look like a school, I met Athena there waiting for me, she had a transparent ball that looks like the knowledge circle tool. She asked me to try to send my mana into the ball which I did, before it began to absorb it automatically, after some minutes it stopped absorbing. "wait here, I will try to use test your unique type of Mana to find out your origin if they are more like you around" Athena said as she looked closely at the ballin her hand before leaving. I was taken to a room with some few chairs, Lisa stood beside me refusing to sit down when I invited her, she claimed she was on duty or sort, I just left her to own devices. After some time, Athena came back wearing a gloomy expression. "we tried to find out your origin from your Mana but sadly to say.... you don't have an origin" she said something I don't believe. "Origin... I don't understand, please explain more" "It means in more simple terms you are a form of pure divinty with 'will'... the name Genji you gave us was found to have a meaning in a planet named Earth, we don't understand anything apart from that, though your body structure looks like us, you are different from us" she said troubled "But what you are saying means I am normal right?" I asked "Yes, you are normal in everything except we don't know your parents or your source, but you are a being of pure divinty, Olympians have an history of being born from the creator God while you don't have any parents" (this is deep, but if she says I am normal, I should be. No need to thing about stuff like that)(Genji) After that I was taken to do some physical test, and I was taken to some class, where other nervous people like me sat down, I began my life in the academy of gods to learn about the world. _____________ About six months since I resumed the school, my knowledge had increased to a reasonable degree. The classes were pretty simple, I learnt general knowledge of world creation, rules restraining gods in the mortal realm, how to create skills, create soul and how to manipulate Magic and Reality. I also attended special classes on Time magic, space magic and Creation Magic. I learnt the many useful power of Creation Magic, I could pretty create anything as long as I have the correct imagination, my infinite divinity made it a simple tool, as I can use it to create anything I wish. I also practiced physical activities like learning fighting skills and defense magic. Apart from the basic Element proficiency, gods could use every kind of magic available, gods that have infinite divinity could continue shooting magic spells without worrying about running out of Mana. Though the strength value determines your attack power, my status had pretty much changed now it looked like this now; Name: Genji Race : God Class: God of Time and Space Age: 10,026 years Life Points: Infinity Divinty: Infinity Strength: 5,070,000 Stamina: 9,000,000 Magic: 40,000,000 Dexterity: 2,000,000 Luck: Infinity UNIQUE SKILLS Appraisal Space Control Time Control Magic Control Gravity Control Creation Magic Truth Sight SKILLS Language Translation Spear fighting Lv 5 Sword fighting Lv 3 Elemental Magic Lv10 Followers: 0 I had a bunch of new skills and my class has changed to 'Gof of Time and space', appraising then will show God of Time and Space: The God worthy to control the time of the world, Space manipulation is but a toy to him, Those that reach this level does not exist. Am sure the Class explanation looks pretty badass right?, I learnt that Class depends on the best Element proficiency, or the job a God does, A god like Athena is a God king representative, that is the job given to the her. When I got the class title, I asked questions around to find out if there is a god that controls the class explanation given to me, but I found out that the creator God that created the Gods, made things that way, so all of us are under the law created, as no matter how strong you are, you can't change the explanation of your class or job. I also check the explanation for the skills I have: Truth Sight: Ability to see the truth and see through all kind of illusions, Those that posses this power cannot be decieved. Elemental Magic: Ability to use all types of magic, To those who have this skill, they have the unique opportunity to create their ownunique Magic. The rest of the skills I have are self explanatory, after I passed the test to determine my knowledge. I was successful given the right to address myself as a God and the freedom to have followers in the mortal Realm.Marking the beginning of my Adventures. -----------------------------------------------------------Next update will be in December, the real story starts then.

The next day. The three girls were together looking at the quest board in the hunters guild when the new friend of Genji came towards them. It was the party of Lucas, the 'dragon fangs', it was the other A-rank party in the ivory dungeon. Genji and Lucas once had a day of history together. Aspen was just preparing to take on a quest when Lucas came forward towards the same quest board. Since both parties were A-ranked. Lucas began the conversation "I can't see Genji around, is he out on a private quest " he said.The rest of his party was waiting for him in the bar area of the guild. "He did, he left yesterday, but he won't get back for some time though, the task he went for was not urgent" Aspen replied as she decided not to take on any quest. The quests available were for just dungeon exploration. "Aspen, we should just go out and level up like planned, picking up quests will slow us down." "I understand your point and I also agree with it, I just also want us to earn money too, but if you suggest that, let us go out then" Aspen clerify. "We should be good for the whole month, we do have some platinum coins earned from our last mission" syrana said. "We will meet again Lucas, we won't be taking quests for now""Bye~""Later then~" "Wait, can your party team up with mine, I know you are strong but your party leader is not around, even though we don't know each other for long. As a friend I should try to help his party, you said something about leveling up, my party will be happy to join you too" Lucas stopped them, his expression was serious. "Aspen, the decision is to you, what should we do" Rasha asked looking up to Aspen."but it will be good if we go with them" "I agree with rasha, if we all get more stronger the better it will become" "Ok we are in, nice to have you with us"  Aspen said as she extended an handshake to lucas. "Give me a minute to talk things out with my party then." After exchanging an handshake he hurried back to his party members to discuss with them. After a brief period of persuasion his whole party agreed with his plan. They left the guild building together as they head to the teleportation circle to get out of the ivory dungeon. Lucas introduced his party members to the white wings, but majority of his party members attitude was somehow cold to them, the reason because the white wings were originally just an upcoming party, but in just few days they had become A-rank like them. But Rasha and syrana bowed their heads to them so as to show respect to them as junior A-ranks. The expression of the Dragon fangs members changed when they saw the look of the environment outside the dungeon, they're still in the place where Genji cleared the clouds so the environment was back to normal. "The more I see this, the more I realize i hate living in Dungeons" Lucas said with a wry smile. Even though he was walking, he looked up to the clear sky at the location of the sun. The sun was just getting up in the sky but enough sun rays was already present. "Dungeons were not made to be inhabited by normal living beings, I am sure the gods that created them hoped that they will only serve as a source of training for the mortals to get stronger and develop their potentials" Aspen sounded like a scholar all of a sudden." I hope in this generation, we will stop living in Dungeons." "It will be difficult but we only have a chance to progress if we leaving the dungeons, so Aspen do you have a plan or a place where we can get enough experience points to level up " Lucas asked the obvious question, his party members we all talking with rasha and syrana at the back, since Aspen was leading the way with Lucas directly at her back. "Yes, According to Genji's idea, we humans level up faster if we defeat the main enemies of our race, especially the demons" Aspen said." The good news is we won't need to find them, they will find us as soon as we leave this good environment, the demons in this continent are mainly Undeads and zombies the sun is keeping them at bay from us while we are still here" "So that is why this place is free from them, I knew light magic was especially effective against undead, but I never knew sunlight was enough to do the job." Lucas sounded impressed. "Haa, what do you mean, light magic is derived from sun magic, but unlike sun magic, humans can't control the sun, that why we can only borrow it power by using light magic" Aspen was surprised by his ignorance. "Listening to you make me to think you are a very good scholar" he said. "Hey what are you two saying since!, Lucas don't even think about trying to get her to like you, I have not gotten pregnant yet!" A magician in his party butt-into their conversation. She had been introduced as a wife of lucas, Her expression showed that she was concerned about Lucas, but also jealous. It is not exactly her fault but even from a girl's perspective Aspen looks very beautiful. "Don't worry about that, my heart belongs to Genji alone for ever, it can't be changed" Aspen said to dispell her worries. "Hmm not bad Aspen, but are you trying to get ahead of all of us again, I thought we agreed on sharing Genji together" Rasha whined. "Not fair~, we should follow the promise we made" syrana said. "Haa, sorry for saying that, don't be angry with me" Aspen said. "I suppose that would be fine then" the magician said. The four of them did not even notice that the look on Lucas face was now dreadful, the magician girl had drawn him closer to her and she was getting sticky-sticky with him. The rest of his party just ignored them, as they continued walking. Just a few meters left before they left the place exposed to the sun rays. "Hmm, we are about to get out of the safe zone, let get ready for battle!" Lucas said to change the mood. His party members unsheathed their weapons while the magic casters took up their staffs in a proper position for battle. "Everyone please wait here" Aspen said as she stood in front of everyone, she opened her storage Dimension as she took out the weapon of Rasha and syrana."I am mage but I won't leave this place where sun rays exist, the buff spell I want to cast to support you, must be done by fufiling some special conditions"  "Lucas I was telling you about sun magic a while ago before we were interrupted" she began "I can't cast sun magic since it is more than what humans can do, but I can beg the gods to give us the ability to use sun magic in exchange of something else" "Sun magic...? That new, never heard of it..., What do we need to exchange before the gods help us, but if you can beg the gods does that make you one of those legendary humans known as 'oracles' humans should not have that power anymore" the magician girl said. "It complicated but think of it as, just like Genji was a hero chosen by the gods, I am also chosen by the gods to help lessen the distance between them and the mortals, back to what is on ground. I can cast it but I won't be able to leave this place where sunlight is" Aspen said. "Is that all, as long as it work we should be fine, we all have artifacts that can return us back to the ivory dungeon if we died in my party. " Lucas said, "does your party have anything like that?" "We won't be need that, you can't die here, the other thing is that, to compensate for the spell, any monster you kill will turn to light particles and it won't have any magic stone dropped, so in this mission, you only earn levels and get stronger you won't earn anything aside from that" Aspen said "if you just want me to cast ordinary buff spell go ahead and tell me, I won't refuse your words" "Is there any side effects to this spell" Lucas asked. "No, I swear on the name of the Goddess of Earth, this spell does not have any side effects" she said"do you know how to use truth contract? If what I say is wrong, I will get instant divine punishment from the gods" "I do, let establish that to prove what you said." Lucas said as he signaled for the magician girl to move forward towards Aspen.  The truth contract is a form of magic that is used to ascertain the information you get from people, the two people will send Mana out of their body and swear in the name of the light goddess, if one of them says a lie, instant death will be given as punishment. Since a magician had more control over their Mana, Lucas recommended the main magician of his party to swear the truth contract. After performing the contract and nothing happened, everyone believed in what Aspen said. Now was the time for her to cast the spell. She signaled for everyone to move a step back from her, they were all surrounding her in a full circle formation. She took out a magic stone from her storage and bow her head as she prayed. "God Genji, I pray that you grant us this miracle" she prayed "in exchange of sun magic and it powers, we offer sunlight and all magic stones we earn to you today, attract our enemies to us so that we might slay them and praise your name." As if responding to her words the Mana in the environment began to swirl around everyone except Aspen. "Grant us the ability to defeat our enemies with your powers!,*Sun Magic: Radiance of light*!" Aspen said as she casted the spell, the mana in the environment began to get brighter as everyone was forced to close their eyes. "Woah, what is this, feeling of power, even my skin is giving off some kind of light now!" "Is this a buff spell!, I am sure this kind of spell does not count as buff spell!" "I feel like I can fight for days now."  Everyone was finding the new phenomenon strange but Aspen only smiled as she began to explain "everyone must now go and fight to defeat undead monsters only, instead of running away from you, they will run towards you, but the downside of this is that I must stay under constant sunlight for it to continue working, please make sure you level up as high as possible. The buff spell will stop working once the sun is down, in your current state you won't get hungry neither will you need water, the only thing is that you just defeat undead monsters to fufil our own side of the bagain with the god" She said. "There is a lot of questions I wish to ask but this won't be the time for that" Lucas began to inspire confidence in the rest of them "Aspen has given us the best that she can do, we must not let her buff spell end up wasting, and Aspen if we are unable to get magic stone is there a punishment from the gods for that?" "Naturally there would be punishment for not fufiling our own side of the contract, but the god I called to is a god that understand that we need to level up, that is why he will also attract the undead monsters to you, so don't worry about not fufiling the contract, you just have to continue killing them to level up, and each if your strike will always hit the mark!!" she said. Lucas breath in relief to her immediate answer, it may sound wrong when you hear you won't get hungry neither will you need water, but you will just be fighting undead monsters. But leveling up is the only way to ensure you can survive in this harsh world where the demons run rampant around. _________After Lucas and the rest of the party left to strat defeating monsters. Aspen took out a chair from her storage as she sat down still under sunlight. The truth was that being in the sun was not really need to be able to use sun magic. But since Aspen has limited her divinity to reach only the level of Mana of normal people, she had to use the spell in accordance to how mortals mist use it. "Lord Genji immediately responded to my prayers, if he had not done that, I would have had to pray to the sun goddess, and that would have taken more time since she is always busy..., I guess I should practice sun magic more, I have not been practicing sun magic since I began a full goddess..." Aspen murmured to herself. She also took out some fruits as she began to eat while sitting down. Since she was connected to everyone, she could instigate a wide range attack spell anywhere as long as someone was there. She immediately began to do that, her actions encouraged everyone to move further away to defeat the undead. the normal monsters in the environment will run away while only the undead monsters will rush towards them. It is as if running into what is going to kill you. And in this way, Aspen spent a whole day just whiling away time while killing thousands of undead monsters.

After getting to the entrance of the Ivory dungeon, I asked the wind spirits to lead me to a source of water. Ever since I came to the mortal realm I have not taken a bath that satisfied me, the baths I have taken in the house I live-in was good but it was not enough to please me. Now that I think about it, I have not seen any other race apart from humans since I descend.i tried asking Rasha but they did not have any idea, the best person to ask would Aspen, majority of her believers are demi-humans,but humans are know to consider themselves superior, or probably to survive more, each race decided to accommodate only individuals of it own species. As I walked, I use the few water spirits in the air to cause light shower for the green vegetations. Since I have taken Aspen from her duty,I should try to cover up. I soon reach a small water fall, where the water emptied itself into a small stream, but that was enough, there was enough water spirits there. I used earth spirits to dig out a four cornered pit, I harden the soil inside it and i asked the water spirits to create water in the pit. I would have preferred to soak in the flowing stream but I wanted a very hot bath instead of a cold one. I control the water spirits to heat up the temperature, before taking of my clothes, I used creation magic on a magic stone as I created a white towel to wrap around my body. Steam of heat could be seen on top of the pool, in terns of length the pool was would be 4 by 5 meters. "I wish to meet some beast kin today" I said aloud. If it were normal people they would pray to their God for a vision but for me, I had no one to pray too. Being a God is somehow troublesome, you live for eternity and don't have a lifespan, if you are even killed, your soul would remain and with enough time your body will recreate it self. The souls of normal people can be destroyed but the soul of a god has the will of life of the creator being, it can never be destroyed. Only a handful of Gods actually value the life of others. (Danger is coming~) (Be prepared~) The water spirits cut me shot from my thoughts. I looked towards the place they indicated too to see a small bear, it looked thirsty and only wanted to drink. "Thank you water spirits" I said to them, a bear of this level hardly stand a chance against me, a kick from me was sure to deprive it of it life. So since it has not seen me due to the hot steam, I should allow it to enjoy it life. Killing everything I set my eyes on mindlessly will make me a maniac. The bear soon left on it journey. I decided to communicate telepathic to Aspen. "Aspen tell Rasha and the rest I won't be coming back soon, I have to do some exploring to find the other races too" "My Lord, I will pass your message across to them, how long will your exploration take? " "Can't say yet, but once I find the demi-humans, or the elves, I will reunite them and get them ready for the war against Blaiz, the vampire king, you should know the location of the elves? " "Yes, i gave them an oracle to live on the mountains of 'Slica' I gave the land my blessings so it produced fruits and all what they need for sustainance, to top it all, the mountains they live on is closer to the sun, they are safe from the vampire king" she sounded pretty good her with work, normally I would have complained but since she did not have human followers, there was no way she could help them than controlling the dungeons to house them. "Can you send them an oracle, tell them of my coming, this way they will be prepared for me" "I can but I will have to wait till midnight, so I can teleport to the planet core I will be able to use divinity there without breaking the Divine realm rules" "Thanks a lot, I will take my time in searching for the beast kin, or do you have an idea of where to find them"I asked her since she was the God of nature of this planet. "The beast kin lives in clans, and they have the mind of working together, so they live in the southern part of the central continent." The gods that created the beast kins hardly care about them, so beast-kins were not usually religious. "Thanks for that info, I really owe you a lot, how can I repay you?" I asked. "My lord, you can repay me by letting me sleep in your bed when you have defeated the vampire king, heh heh heh" she said before cutting of the telepathy. "Th-that will be diffi....." I was cut short by action. Well if it is that small, I should allow it, though am not sure on what Rasha and the others will do, even though me meeting the girls has not been up to a week, I don't understand why they were making attempts on me. It should have been the other way around, but maybe since I am not experienced in anything relationship I don't know how to relate with females, the only other female I have gotten close to would be Lisa, but she just work dutifully as my attendant, though I could say I have some little feelings for her. If I continue this way won't I be labeled as a womanizer like the God king Zeus?, I understand rasha and syrana falling in love with me because I saved them from the gates of death, but I don't really understand Aspen. But one thing I remember reading from books in the Divine Realm is that due to how different the planes of existence between a god and a mortal is, the love that a god have for a mortal is more of just family love, Gods could only love other Gods like them. Perhaps that is what is happening to Aspen... "Well this should be enough, I still need to kill about 5000 monsters so as to level up my spirit magic skill" I said to dispell all other thoughts. It was then I remembered the compass I was given by the guild master, he claimed no one could use it but he believed I could use it. I brought it out from my storage Dimension, Analysis it shows: Item name: Magic compass Item Quality: S+ Item description: A compass that can determine the location of anywhere you wish to go. It description was short but informative, and it quality was S+ making it the top quality magic tool in the mortal realm. I could create something like this with creation magic, but I have to use a good quality magic stone. The magic stone that I use for the base material will determine it quality. To activate the compass, I have to think of somewhere and I have to send magic to the tool. Maybe the guild master did not have anyone that could analyse it or their appraisal tool was lower than the rank of the quality. If he knew how important this device is, he might think twice before giving to me. Well no crying over spilt Milk. I thought of beast men as I released my Mana to the compass, the once dead tool began to shine and the thin rod indicator began to point toward the south, it also project an hologram for me to follow the best route, I could have check for the creator of the magic tool but my analyse was not strong enough to see more, the sealing artifacts have reduced the power of my skills. I got out of the bath and put on my clothes, I reactivated the compass as I used a wind spell called *Float* to fly in the direction indicated. The center continent was the largest of the continent of this world, it is also the continent with the most dungeons, before the invasion if the demon king, it would have been the most prosperous continent in this world. It soil was perfect for all kind of crops and it was very fertile. As I flew in the sky, I came across some prove of the fallen civilization where large building broken down could be seen.i could use time spirits to reverse the time of the buildings back to just when it was created, but I did not want to do it now, I will give a huge hint to the vampire king if I did that so I left them and just passed over them. But whenever I saw a skeleton, I used wind magic to crush them to pieces, Even though I should be moving at the speed of sound, I could not get to the beast kin settlement in one day, night fall arrived fast as everywhere became dark. So as to rest, I floated down and made my way through the deserted forests, I used a magic stone to build a small tent as I prepare my futon to sleep. I brought out the remaining piece I had in my storage Dimension, I also gathered branches from the dried up trees, I set up a little camp fire, as I began to roast the meat. Some unfortunate Undeads came towards me, and they were squashed, as I was about to sleep, I used darks spirits to set up a mist of death that will kill all those that have hostility towards me. (Aspen said she will give an oracle to her believers this night, I hope she doesn't forget...) I thought as I slept off. I woke up the next morning to began my day, even though sunlight did not reach the surface, there was enough illumination to know the difference between night and day. A lot of dead skeletons were around having walked into my trap of death. Even though undead creatures use dark magic more, they can't survive dark magic done by others stronger than themselves. I was hungry and I had no food. I used the compass to detect the closest water source to me, as I walked there hoping to find an animal to kill on the way, I met with a rabbit but I was unable to kill it because it was pregnant. I gave it my divine protection so as to increase it chance of survival in this harsh world. I got to the small River and hoped to get some animals to fish out. I used water magic to bring out the fish I wanted to eat. I setup a little fire where I roasted it. I resumed on my journey towards the beast kin settlement. Since the place was still far, I used float again to move fast in the air. whenever I tried blowing of the dark clouds, it comes back together again. If I really wanted to blow it off, I have to destroy the magic circle maintaining it. After about 2 hours of flying in the air, the compass indicated I was in range, but the main thing I saw was huge wall of Earth that spread out in a straight line. I looked at the compass again and it indicated I had gotten to the beast kin settlement. The dark clouds over their settlement was lighter than the rest, probably their mages are trying to blow it off, so they can grow their crops. For the humans living in the dungeons, they had no problem with food as some dungeon have forest type floors where people plant their crops. And crops planted in the dungeon grow up faster and better, due to the high magic essence. Back to the beast kin settlement, I landed down and used the compass to find out where the gate was, and I discovered it only had a gate, I walked my way towards the gate. "You there what are you looking for?!" "Alert the others!" "Sound the horns, we have an intruder?!" The way they sounded made me to remember the first time I got to the Divine realm, where they angels where confused and immediately contacted Athena. I raised up my hand to show I was not hostile, and they opened a small gate before 20 men with silver swords surrounded me. Their choice of weapon was okay, silver was the right weapon to kill a vampire and it was strong enough to counter any undead. "I am Genji and I only seek solace in your dwelling, I did not come here to hurt you and I can prove, I am a normal human not a vampire" I proclaim. The one who looked like a mage cast Light magic on me twice, seeing that nothing happen to me, he signaled to a man as he return back into the gates. Looking around , if I were to arrange the men according to their race, they were, 5 rabbitmen, 10 warwolves, and the rest were men had small sheep horns. "What is your reason for coming here?" One tall warwolf man said, he was muscular and he was someone you can refer to as a wrestler. Now that i think about it , I don't have a concrete reason for coming, so what should I say?

"uhaa.... i need followers" i said after dropping a book i was reading, the book did not reach the ground before disappearing to where I sent it. If anyone entered the room where I am, they were sure to say 'unsighty!!',  I was in a pool that exist in the temple I lived in the Divine Realm. One of the 5 door that exist in the living space of my temple leads to a big pool, there was a section where you could take a bath or clean your body before you enter the pool, but i skipped all those tedious steps with just a *snap* of my fingers.  Creation Magic made my life simple, the clothes i wore simply disappeared and neatly arranged themselves in a box near the pool, with a big jump, i leapt into the pool. Another*snap* teleported a book from my personal collection to my hands as i began a relaxing bath with book in hand. The bath had 2 water sources, the hot and cold, When I first discovered the pool i wanted to know where the water was coming from but now I realize that their are things that are best left to themselves. I had opened both sources of water so that warm water will fill the bath prior his entry, i can now relaxed in the water with a book in hand. The book i was reading was on magic, majorly on the knowledge that magic can be calm or wild depending on the user.  That knowledge has made me to unconsciously swear an oath to always use spells that i have not perfected only in battles. Not like I have any though. A telepathic message came to him from Lisa who was waiting in the workspace outside. [Lord Genji do not forget the meeting of today, you still have an hour to prepare for it] she said [... I remember, I just don't want to go, the last meeting I went to was too long, and the other gods were showing off, with donations from their followers, what do I gain from going to such a meeting] [This time will be different, Lady Athena will be present, they won't behave irrational like before] Lisa said trying to convince me. [Ok, give me a minute, and please prepare my clothes] [Good, leave it to me] said Lisa as she ended the telepathy. A lots of months has passed since i graduated from the Academy and i had been certified as a proper God, i had to  pass the rigorous exams that proved I  was now knowledgeable and can be worshiped as a God in the lower realms. But i have never for once choose oracles and hero that will spread my name in the lower realm, followers were important to gods,as followers boost the strength and powers of the gods they worshiped. Well not that I will die if I don't have followers. The main reason I abandon the ideas is because there have been no planet were i could have choosed to establish myself safely. My high control over time has given me the power to check possibilities of the future, using this power I was sure to never take a wrong action, I used my ability to check into any planet that I wish to establish myself.  I use the future Sight to determine the possibile futures only to find it bad, due to the many powerful skills i would  create, my chosen hero would be too over powered that it will result in hero's of the other Gods fighting them. And in the rules of the Divine realm, fight between gods should not extend to their followers, and i valued the life of others, especially humans if a fight between my hero and the heros of the other Gods occurr, damage will surely be done in that world. And as punishment, i could have a seal on my powers for a certain number of years for the mistakes of his hero. -back to the present- I left the bathroom with white towels wrapped around my waist now that I think about it, I don't think I am growing physically that much unlike when i was a human. I entered my dressing room to choose clothes i would wear to the meeting of today. Every month, the top ranking Gods hold a meeting where everyone is ranked according to followers, i has been the last place since my first meeting attendance. Even those i graduated with at the same time, now have followers in many planets. Though the rest of them were mainly low ranked gods. If not that Lisa was still working for free, I won't have an attendant to help me. Gods reward their worker angels with money donated to them through followers, the angels in turn will also help the God to manage the followers. I had non, both followers or Angels, and as a result of that I  was the lowest rank God, but Lisa chose to stay with me. After choosing the dressing I would wear, i left the temple with Lisa in tow, I could have teleported but it was forbidden, as i had to act humbly due to position. Reaching the Auditorium building, i was allowed to enter with Lisa as soon as i was spotted, the Angels that were at the doors only served to block other angels from entering the place, they would not even look at the gods in the face. Entering the main structure led to a place where soft music was being played by a band, food in large volume was on the table for all to eat. [Lisa make sure to eat well here, enjoy yourself don't worry about me, I will also do the same] [Of course my Lord] she replied with a smile. The two of us head out to a corner so as not to draw attention from others. I took a cup for lisa and myself from a passing waitress, I drank it in a go while Lisa was taking her drink in a gentle manner. Soon enough, the band changed songs to indicate the arrival of a high rank God, i looked towards the entrance to find Athena with an angel in tow. As soon as she took a step into the Hall, everyone else lowered their heads to signify her authority. She used an hand to signify them to raise our heads, her arrival signify the time to begin the real meeting, snapping her hands opened a door to a different dimension where the meeting will take place, I entered leaving Lisa alone. The meeting place look more of a section of a circle, where Athena stood at the center, while the rest of the gods sat down on chairs surrounding her, the meeting has started. ____________ After the main discussions have taken place, the rankings were shown according to followers, i was not surprised I was the last. The meeting ended after some few seconds where Athena opened the door to the outside dimension and the gods began to leave one after the other. I had to return as the last person before Athena. I expected that he will be allowed to return but  a voice near me made me to be surprised. "Genji you sure have not been busy after all this while?" a voice he could not mistake said to him. "No choice but to do so, Lady Athena, I am running away due to some circumstances that why I have lazying around" i replied. "rejoice, I have just the right job for you, after the party outside, come to my temple I have a proposal for you" Athena replied before leaving through the door. I head out to the party to discuss the details with Lisa, asking for her opinions. "it is common Knowledge in the Divine realm that, Lady Athena is a very busy Goddess, she is managing a lot of planets at the same time and she also keeps the Universes safe from Dimensional beings that seek to destroy it, if she has a job for you, it probably because she want you to take over a planet from her."Lisa said in conclusion. Upon hearing Lisa Answer, i tried using his future sight powers to ask my future self about what Athena wanted to talk about but a tap to my shoulders stopped me, Athena smiling at him. "Don't go using Future sight, i may not be good in using Time magic like you, but I can feel the magic you want to activate, No spoilers, wait for time to pass" she said as she disappeared. A shiver raced down my spine, ever since i had been using Future sight, nobody had ever find out,how did she found out. Lisa dragged my hand signifying they leave the party, the other gods did not even notice the mood change as they were still partying. Outside the hall, as we manover our way to visit Athena temple. I tried to ask Lisa if you reported anything about me to Athena. But to my surprise, she had not done anything, I confirmed she was saying the truth through my Truth Sight skill, and it was confirmed as true. (Lisa is saying the truth, then how did she knows I can use future Sight, when I graduated from the academy i have not learnt how to do that, even the gods that control destiny Magic can only peek a few hours in the future, I can do as much as I want but it drains my stamina....) [My Lord we are here, I noticed you are thinking deeply about something, you even did not notice that angels greetings you, please change gears now] A telepathic message brought me back to reality. Indeed we were in the temple of Athena, one of the biggest temple managed by the goddess. The doors open to reveal a lot of angels moving rapidly up and down the floor of the working space, Lisa and i ignored them and walked to a teleportation circle to get to the office of Athena. After teleporting to a passage, the door opened and i alone entered leaving Lisa outside. "Good day, Lady Athena, I am here on your orders" i said as he sat down in front of the desk. "Good day to you too, your countenance looked troubled, sorry about that, I wanted to make sure you get the information without looking into the future" she replied with a weary smile. "I really wish you can tell me how you discovered i can do that, or can you use Future sight too?, but no other god should be able to do so, even the destiny goddesses could not, they can only see a few hours that all....." I  rambled his questions in curiousity  "Okay i will tell you, to say the truth I can use Future sight second only to you, I discovered that magic when I was fighting some dimension beast, it was also using it to predict my movement, but at the end I won as always, but I decided not to spread the knowledge because it was draining too much stamina and if a god control over time is weak, it can cause damage to alternate timelines, I left you to your devices because you have strong control over time, now back to the reason I called you here for, I have a job for you, are you interested in it" Athena said with a sidelong glance from the chair where she sat. "Ok I understand, I don't think I can refuse a job from the God king, go on with it" "A planet has been conquered by the devils, the demons they put in charge have gotten out of hand but they are not bearing responsibility for it, I want you to go and claim it back for us" she said with a serious face. (I know this face, she rarely show seriousness up to this level except it is exceeding important...) "what happened to the planet itself, if the devils abandoned it, can't you mobilize the fighting force and just make the demons on the planet extinct... Am pretty sure, that will be a safe option right?" I asked stating the best action to take. "The last time I did something like that, the devils claimed I violated the pact between us and I had to destroy and reincarnated everyone on that planet, I don't want to choose such a barbaric option again, that why I came to you..." ....Apparently, the hero choosen by Athena tried to negotiate a deal with the demon king but he was surprisingly betrayed, at the end the demon kind mobilized his army to go over the world to kill the humans and the other races. After using some powers to block sunlight from reaching the ground the planet is becoming dead and living has become difficult. Humans and the other races now live in underground cities where they use magic to grow crops and eat, but if any hero is born the demon king uses his power to detect them and ravage the cities where they are born. This development made people to actually believe that any hero born is worth killing immediately, so as to protect themselves. So the gods cannot create hero skills to the people. The demon king has continued his streak of violence over 2000 years but he has not been checked, the devils are using the pretence of abandoning the world so as to force the hands of the Olympians to make their move, if the Olympians make a wrong move, it can result into a war of gods again which will cause unprecedented destruction.if a war starts now, the ones that will suffer will be the residents of the mortal realm. ".... So in order to prevent such from happening, I coincidentally discovered you don't have a world you manage, and you are lacking followers, you can go down and work like a hero, when you liberate the residents of that world, you can become a god there, this way you can be unrivaled in that world" Athena concluded with a smile. (With everything I have heard her there is no better chance like this, people have lost faith in the gods but if a hero who saves them becomes a god, they will surely worship him without problems but something is wrong somewhere...) "Lady Athena why did you chose me, you have plenty of other younger brothers and sisters that will surely answer you immediately without thinking why me?" I asked her "Of course I know you will ask that question, the main reason is because you are a god without Origin. You may not know mainly because you hardly leave the Divine realm, your divinity is different from the rest of us, it like a unique signature, if I send one of my blood related brethren, the Devil Gods will notice immediately, and the war will start because as you know too, ' The first law in the Divine realm rules and regulations is that NO GOD MUST DESCEND TO THE MORTAL REALM ' if an Olympian breaks this rule, the other gods can also do as they please which will be bad, but I can send you down in a way no once will notice because you are not popular, you hardly leave your temple so the devils don't even know of your existence, your lifestyle is perfect for a spy" Athena said as she laughed darkly before coughing and regaining her usual mood. "Good, I now understand, I will take the mission, is there a time limit?"  "No time limit, you can take your time, i am sure it will take you enough time because, you won't be able to use divinity in the planet" Athena said as she nod her head to confirm her words. (wait!! how will i do anything if I can't use divinity!, i won't be able to cause miracle then...!) "Indeed you won't be able to use miracles, if you use divinty at the very beginning when you get to the planet, the devils will notice, so you have to take things slow and steady if you want to win."Athena said "then how will i save people then, I can't use magic, there is a limit to what physical strength can do" "the only method available is for you to disguise as a spirit user, if you give divinity to the spirit and ask them to help you use magic, they will surely help you..." She claimed. Normally Spirits were beings created by the Creator God and they live their eternal life balancing the flow of Mana in the lower worlds, spirit are not usually contracted to gods so I won't be unable to have a contracted spirit, i will always have to ask the nearby Spirits for help if i wish to use magic. "it will be hard, but if you can take the job, you will profit at the end"Athena concluded. "I will take the job, give me 2 hours to get ready, Lady Athena I wish you can release Lisa to me, I want to officially recognize her as my servant so I can give her powers, she will be able to take care of my temple in the Divine realm." I pleaded with almost teary eyes, if someone was to see me they would call my actions sly. "Ok I permit you, it looks like she has taken a liken to you though, you sure do work fast, but from what I see, you are still a virgin, I wonder what is stopping you from touching her" Athena said with a look of unbelief "no! why do you know that!, can't really loose my guard when am near you!, you keep discovering my secrets on after the other...!" Athena sure is a God that knows a lot of things. _____________ Outside the office, i teleported back to my temple with Lisa, before explaining the outcome of the meeting with Athena. "So my Lord have finally gotten the permission to redeem me to yourself, am glad, but also sad you have to leave the Divine realm for a while now" Lisa said "Don't worry I won't be that long, once I get followers, we can go on vacation somewhere else you choose" I said I really don't anything to prepare for concerning my mission, as the weapons I have can not be used in the mortal realm, they were too overpowered. Leaving Lisa in the temple, I teleported back to the office of Athena so as to begin the journey to the planet. "there is something I want to tell you..."Athena said as she teleported us to the place where the angels in Administration of that world is. "the planet you are going to has been renamed Engla in the Divine tongue it means...." She stated ".... the ' lost world'" i completed her statement, Upon arriving there, the angels bowed down before continuing their work. *snap* Athena produced two Hand bracelet Artifact that have some sort of transparent crystals in them. "wear these, the left one is to make your body human, it will make you susceptible to cold and other human weaknesses while the right artifact will convert your divinity to Mana making it harmless to people around you, this way the spirits of the planet can help you when you ask them too, you are allowed to remove the Artifacts if the demon king does something that will destroy the planet itself." She said as she fixed it on my two hands. Before fixing it my Status look like this; Name: Genji Olympian Race : God Class: God of Time and Space Age: 10,027 years Life Points: Infinity Divinty: Infinity Strength: 5,900,000 Stamina: 9,070,000 Magic: 40,700,006 Dexterity: 2,080,000 Luck: Infinity UNIQUE SKILLS Appraisal Space Control Time Control Magic Control Gravity Control Creation Magic Truth Sight SKILLS Language Translation Spear fighting Lv 5 Sword fighting Lv 3 Elemental Magic Lv10 Followers: 0 But after fixing the artifact, my status looks like this; Name: Genji Level: 80 Race : Human Class: Spirit User LP : 1,250/1,250 MP: 4,000/4,000 (Divinty) Strength: 2,750 Stamina: 3,000 Dexterity: 3,200 Luck: 960 Skill points: 0 UNIQUE SKILLS Appraisal Creation Magic SKILLS Language Translation Spear fighting Lv 5 Sword fighting Lv 3 Spirit Magic Lv 1 A lot of things have disappeared, and new things have appeared. The Artifact has not really limited my infinite life and divinity, it only displays a fake result so i can pass off as a human. Some unique skills has disappeared and they will only appear back if I fulfils some conditions, but some won't appear when I am in the sealed form. but surprisingly creation magic remain but it had a lot of limitations on it. "Genji if you have any questions, and you want answers, sleep so that you can come to this realm with your soul, when you are done you can go back to your body"Athena said with a smile before continuing,,,"Genji the only place I can send you to on the planet without the devils knowing is the strongest dungeon, it is call the Abyss, Mana there is thick that ordinary people will die from exposure, you can walk your way to the surface there" "No problem, I am ready" i answered without a moment of hesitation. "Now *Teleport*" Athena said as i was covered in white light as i disappeared while closing his eyes.

We had two method that we could use, to return to the surface world, we could use the teleportation circle or we could walk down. "My Lord I can use teleportation to move us outside" Aspen said. "Ok do it, my pride as a god of Time and space does not make me use the abilities of time Spirits to teleport" I said as we were wrapped up in a white dazzling light, we appeared just outside the cave entrance on the sands of the white beach. "I understand how you feel, I will also find it difficult to use earth spirits" Aspen said as she began to concentrate to change her skin complexion, her original skin complexion was dark, but she changed it to the white to match my own, this way she can match the story as a relative. "You get it well"I said as she got it right, she smiled in response. "I don't really understand the relationship between the two of you, but you are sticking too much" Rasha complained. "We will just give her the grace of today, we were here first, she can't just kick us out of the line"syrana said in a tone of total assurance. "Who is kicking who out of the line, I was not even competing with you, it is my natural position" Aspen said as she laughed. While they were saying words that I don't really understand, I understand the fact Aspen can use her own mana to cast spells, as was demonstrated by her use of teleportation, that was a real relief, she would be able to protect Rasha and syrana. But first I need to settle their quarrel. "Party members are not to fight with each other in this party" I said to bring back balance. "Sorry for that~" "My Lord I apologise~" "My bad~" The three said their replies as they turn their backs on each other, at least this is good for now. I casted a wind spell that enclosed us in a ball of air while I move the ball back to the ivory dungeon. We should try to register Aspen to our party. I looked at her again to see her really beautiful features, her eyes and hair color was now like mine. We look more like partners. Realising I was staring at her, she blushed and faced the other direction. But I was kicked in the leg by Rasha and syrana. "what are you doing giving her that kind of look?..." "Rasha I can't believe we are losing on our first day..." The two began their arguments again, I concentrated on moving the wind spell in the right direction. As soon as we reached the ivory dungeon, we went straight to the top floor to report about the quest. I still have the heart of the vampire I killed in my storage Dimension. If the vampire had been killed by normal means, it would have been possible to revive, but he was killed by my spear second form, even if it was inserted into a pool if blood, it can never revive, only the power of a god can revive him. As soon as we enter the guild, I was greeted with clicking of tongues but I just pretty ignored them and made my way to the guild master office, he had given me permission to head straight to his office if I need anything. My party members decided to stay around and start the process of registering Aspen as a hunter. "I am back, it was just as you guys predicted, I killed a vampire" I said to the guild master as I produced the heart of the vampire. The guild master just glanced at it before asking me to keep it back. "You have complete the quest and you have been officially recognized as a hero, if the guild has any specific task for you we will get to you, I realize if we try to swarm you with quest, it will delay your mission of fighting against the demon Lord, or don't you agree?" he asked me a stupid question. "Off course, I would choose to fight the demon Lord than just going about conquering dungeons, humanity need my help and I should do everything I can do to support it continual existence" i said to him. After thinking for some minutes, he rose up and took up a small compass from a shelf in his office. "Here is the magic compass, I once found but no one could ever use it, you might be able to use it and it will help your work, this is the only support, I can give you, please whatever you do save humanity" the guild master said as he lowered his head to me. "Thanks for believing in me, I would never disappoint all of you" I said as I left his office after an handshake. I kept the compass in my storage Dimension. I returned to the main part of the guild building, to find every where noisy. It looks like the same thing happened again, the guild card could not display the skills of Aspen. Well that is not surprising she is a god. The reason it can even display at first is that we are currently showing it what it want to see, if we touch the card without tampering with our status, everything including name will display 'unknown'. So the receptionists decided that she was someone on the same tier as me, but what really caused the issue is when Aspen said she was going the party of the white wings. When Mary asked her about her relationship with me, Aspen said we were soul bounded partners, and that was the source of noise in the guild. They must have misunderstood her words. I can faintly feel headache coming, syrana and Rasha must have tried make her deny it, so it resulted in their little cat fight. (I won't show my face in the guild for a while. I am embarrassed by the actions of my party members.) "I will go and sell our earnings for today, you three can look for a new house to buy on this floor" I said to them as I head out to the warehouse with a guild worker. After dumping all the rewards from our latest dungeon and waiting for the guild to pay me money, another party entered the warehouse, it was another party known as the 'dragon fangs', another A-rank party. Their leader was a man around the age of 35, he had a large greatsword on his back, his party contained 7 members. They had a tank, a warrior, a Priest, 3 magicians and a magic swordsman. Their party formation was complete. Thinking about my own party formation made me realize how bad it is, we had a magic spearman, 2 mages and a warrior. The only difference is that our Aspen and I are too strong that the remaining members can just sit back and watch us fighting. The leader came near me as his party members began to get their dungeon soils evaluated. "You are the new hero everyone is talking about, even the atmosphere around feels safe, I am Lucas and I am a magic swordsman, also a leader of an A-rank party like you" he introduced himself. "I am Genji, I am a magic spearman, and we really have a lot in common" I said as I laughed, since he has not shown an act of hostility towards me, I decided to be nice as fellow hunters. "I heard you took on a quest to kill a vampire, but you also killed a lot of Wyverns and other strong monsters today" "Indeed, I was given the quest by the guild as a promotion exam to hero rank, I had to clear a dungeon to reach the vampire I was asked to kill" I replied, we were sitted beside each other and the conversation was progressing well. Lucas was a man with a really gentle personality, and talking to him felt really nice. I realised that even in the Divine realm, I don't really talk to people of the male gender, I was always surrounded by females. And this was the opportunity to get a male friend. As our discussion progressed, the guild worker brought my earnings, the entire loot j brought was to be sold for 20 platinum coins. The guild only have 5 Platinum and I would be paid on a later date. I accepted their deal. "Can I buy you a drink, I would love if we can become friends as man to man" Lucas said as he extended an hand to me, I immediately respond with the right action. "Are you free now, let drink now, i have a lot of things on my mind" I said as we proceed to leave the warehouse, their party as been paid too. On the way as we continued talking, my party members met us and said they had found the right house. Trusting in their decision, I gave them the 5 Platinum coins I have just been given. It was enough for the cost of the house and the expenses of moving into it, they proceed to go back to the lower floor to get their things and tell the children that we are moving. I also told them of my decision to share a drink with Lucas and they did not complain. Lucas and I moved towards a bar where we could have a drink, the rest of his party introduced themselves even though it was late. Lucas had been a good customer to the bar he brought me to, the women in the party left and only the 5 of us remained. After buying the ale, I tried tasting it but it was bitter that I decided to abandon the idea of drinking alcohol, luckily the woman had wine also,even though it was a fruit blend wine, i bought a cup for myself while also proclaiming that I will pay for everyone else expenses in the bar. I gave the woman a platinum coin and she almost jump on me, apparently to normal people, they hardly see platinum. We left the general bar and moved to a closed section where we could have privacy to ourselves. Lucas asked me about how I got this strong. "The question is a very difficult one to answer, but I can mostly say I was born strong" I replied. "You were born strong, that explains it, I have read about how majority of heros born were recognized from birth...." he said We continued our little get together till all his party members drinking got drunk. We decided to put a stop to it, the only reason Lucas was okay was because he was drink the fruit wine I bought. I also learnt a bit about Lucas past, he also has two wives, one of the magician if his party was his second wife while his first wife was a seamstress. He also had just given birth to his first child recently. After about 3 hours, and his party members were asleep, we decided to quit the drinking party. I also volunteered to carry his party members. But I also over did it by carrying 3 grown up men, I put them on my shoulder and lift them up without breaking a sweat, though it resulted in Lucas almost fainting. As we left the bar, the owner thanked me for my generosity. We then went to drop each of the men at their house, they were leaving well enough that they all had houses on the first floor of the ivory dungeon. I said good bye to Lucas as I dropped off the last man, I also promised to visit his house later when I have the chance. "Now how can I find Rasha and the rest? I should ask the wind sprits in the environment" I asked the spirits to lead me to their location and they led me there, the house they choose was looking big. (It should have plenty of rooms too, this way the children will be able to have an individual room) I thought. I arrived at the door and knocked it before I heard the voice of Aspen coming to open the door for me. "Welcome back my Lord" she said. "You can act normal like the others, there is no need to address me as Lord, Genji is fine" "I refuse, the only reason the people calling you by name are doing that is because they don't know of your greatness, but for someone like me I can't do that" she said. Well that true, she had the greatest knowledge of me out of the three. Since she refused to change her way if speaking to me, there is no need to force her to do so. Living beings should be allowed to live their life freely. I sat down on the new chairs that was in the sitting room, looking around the room made me realize it was done too fast. "Aspen did you interfere, the whole house has been arranged right?" If she had help with the arranging, it would have been faster. "I freezed the time inside of the house while I arranged everything, it was fast and easy" so she says, what she has just done casually was going to result into some angels doing overtime. But I should not complain today,I should appreciate her effort in helping us arrange faster. "Please take me to my room, I wish to sleep early today, I have eaten something when I was drinking with Lucas" I said. "Well your room is basically empty, I guess all your belongings are in my storage Dimension" she claimed before leading me to an empty room, I immediately pull out my futon from the storage and I jumped on it. She closed the door as I laid down. I closed my eyes to sleep. ___________________ The next day, I told my party members that we should have a weak off, so that they can show Aspen around. Even though Aspen watches over the planet, she only watch mainly over her Elf believers, so there is a lot she does not know about humans, they decided to do some shopping. I also decided to go out and practice my skills, ever since I descend to this planet, I should have had enough skill points from killing monsters to upgrade my skill level. My status as a human look like this now; Name: Genji Level: 80 Race : Human Class: Spirit User LP : 1,250/1,250 MP: 4,000/4,000  Strength: 2,750 Stamina: 3,000 Dexterity: 3,200 Luck: 960 Skill points: 15,754 UNIQUE SKILLS Appraisal Creation Magic SKILLS Language Translation Spear fighting Lv 5 Sword fighting Lv 3 Spirit Magic Lv 2 As expected, my level do not rise, neither did I have increase in strength or mana.the only thing increasing is skill points. Even though I have a lot of skill points, it can't increase the level of my skill to the maximum. I might have not said this before but skills under unique skill category, only grow up as you grow up, it has no physical level rankings. To level up one skill in the normal skill category, I need 20,000 skill points, I would have love to level up spirit magic but I don't have enough. It went up by 1 level by me using spirit magic often. I should go out and kill monsters to earn enough points.

The men drew nearer with their weapons ready to cut me down. I don't really have a concrete reason for coming here.  I can't just say I came here to save you from the cluthes of the demon king. So what to do now?... or wait I could do that. "Sun Goddess that dwells in the heavens, grant me permission to cause miracles for one minute" I prayed. Before hearing a sweet voice in my mind. "granted, your time is running now"Immediately the Artifacts restraining my powers disappeared from my hands, though only me could see them. My body reverted to my Astral form and the whole beast-kins in the area fall down on their knees. *Snap* I used miracle magic to blow away the dark clouds and I also used creation magic to create a special artifact. I used light magic to purity any undead in the environment. "Time up" I heard the voice saying again. My artifacts returned and my body was in my normal human form. The fallen beastmen were still on their faces lying on the ground. I waited patiently for some minutes till they were able to stand up. "What they hell are you!" "What was that pressure, are you really human!" The man that looked like the leader screamed in panic. "I am a hero" I said, trying to make myself some god to them immediately will be bad. "But if you are the hero? Does that mean you are going to save the world?!" "I am going to save the world but first let go inside and sit down while we talk" I said. "Sorry for that, please come in" he said as he led the way into the gate. After entering the place, I could see a lot of buildings built close to each other all around, he led me to some place where he said I will meet the beast King. I met some beast children on the streets, but they all looked at me in awe of fear, probably because they have never seen a human before. I made sure to wave my hand at them and the less scared ones waved their hands back. We reached the center of the settlement after about 10 minutes walking, no one out of the group that cake to get me at the gate said anything, probably they still remembered the pressure of before. Thank goodness I was able to quickly suppress it, they would have died if exposed to my full power. "We are here, please wait while I tell the king of your arrival" the leader said as he entered, I waited for him to return back.He soon came back and he gestured for me to enter the building.  "Welcome Hero of our time" A voice told me, the person speaking was a Warwolf. He looked old with age and his fur was very white. But the way the fire in his eyes burned, I could say that he was also a wise man. Around his throne was some other men who i suppose would be his advisors or mainly the head of the other tribes because they were all of different tribe. "Thanks for having me, I am Genji, a hero sent by the gods to free this world" I told him. "I heard our men have been disrespectful to you, please don't mind them, they lack the wisdom to see through" another man said. "My name is Garou, and I am the beast King that rules over all beastmen in this world, if the hero had come here, that means you have something to tell us? " He asked. I like the way, he really is talking, I completely agree that with this kind of a man on the throne, no wonder the beastmen had been able to survive living above ground. "I bring good news from the gods, centuries may have passed since the Advent of the demon king, but the I was chosen as the hero to save this world. And a while ago outside, I prayed to the Gods to clear up the dark clouds that have been stopping your race from moving forward" I began. "We were informed, was that a miracle performed by the gods" the beast King asked. "Yes, and that was just the beginning, the gods would have love to come down and destroy the demons, but for the safety of the inhabitants of this world, if they come down, this entire world may be destroyed" I said. I told him majorly about how the gods were concerned about their state. "You have given us a lot of information, in your war against the demon king are you going to need our soldiers?" He asked. "I do not, I am enough to go and conquer the demon king, but I need your help in a way" "In what way?" He asked. "I need you to clear every doubt in your mind against me losing to the demon king, the only way victory can be guaranteed is if you beastmen believe in me and put your trust in me""Put our trust in you?, explain more?""When I was sent to this world the only way I was told I can win is if the inhabitants of this world believe in me." I told them."How do we believe in you, do we just think about it or what should we do" "It is very easy, once you just believe in me, if your faith is real, I will be able to grant you my divine protection" I stated. "That should not be hard to do, you say divine protection, what does that mean?"  I see this people have no knowledge of divine protection, me coming to the beastmen settlement was right on mark. "If you earn my divine protection, one deficiency of your race will be gone, you all know you have mana but you lack the ability to channel it to use magic, the only way you could use it is just to strengthen your body, but anyone that has my divine protection will get the ability to use magic and more." I claimed. My statement made everyone inside the throne room uneasy, beast men where known to be deficient, they were often looked down by other races like eleves and Humans, even though beastmen are stronger than humans in physical strength, humans can use magic which made them overall stronger. "We are ready to receive your divine protection" the king said after some few whispers with his men. "The first person I need to to give will be a virgin girl, she will be a pillar that will be worth of spreading my name, do you have a daughter that fits the bill" I asked, even though the words of my mouth sounded kind of?, I did not have any shame in saying what I suppose to say. "I do have, my last daughter is of marriage age, and she should be a virgin, what else" "We will have a ritual, we can do it right away if the girl can be called out, I just need to pray so that the Gods can grant me their permission" I said, explaining what they need. well it not like everything I told them is true ________________A certain daughter of the beastking POV.It was just like any other day when, my nanny rushed inside my room, I was just thinking on getting dressed up for the morning. Even though I was at the age of 18 ripe for marriage, I did not have a sutior due to how strict my dad was.All my elder siblings have already married and we're living their life well, but I guess my dad was just as he had been since I was born.  During the period when I was born, the beastmen fought with the undead that came to capture us. We only survived because of our collective strength.  My mom had almost died but she was able to survive with some herbs, that almost death experience made me parent love me more out of us all. They will always pamper me because they taught it was the same day that we archived victory of the undead that I was born. I was often called a star.My name was even called Rita, in beastmen language it means a star. "Your attention is needed Rita, there is something very important going on outside with your dad and the other chiefs of the tribes" my nanny said "Is there any other war, because I felt a wave of air a while ago, did they undead come again!" I asked in panic. "Calm yourself, get dressed you have a visitor" she claimed. I hurriedly grab my dress and wore it. She also helped me in combing my soft hair. It took my complete 5 minute's to get dressed.She led the way to the throne room where I met with a strange being.  He had no features of a beastkin, I suspect he is what the elders often call the humans, they were living in Dungeons and they were okay, safe from the cluthes of the demon king. "Welcome Rita" he said.I was shocked, he even knew of my name, I looked at the face of my dad to see him surprised as well, does this mean they did not tell him my name, how does he knows that. "Who are you Mr?" I asked, sounding very bold, I could almost hear my own heart beating, to say it in words, I was afraid. "You need not to fear, you are the perfect oracle for me to choose. Come here" he signaled to come in front of him.I looked at my father's face to see if he had any concern but a nod from him gave me the go-ahead.I got to the front of him and he asked me to kneel. After touching my head with his soft hands he began to speak some words I do not understand. But with every word he said, I felt something new entering me, it was a joyful feeling as if my while body was being remodeled, some kind of knowledge was also being inserted into my brain. But instead of it to be painful it was the opposite. "Open your eyes, how do you feel?" He asked with kindness in his voice. "I feel the best, I will obey your words Lord Genji". ______________________A girl was brought by someone who looked like a nanny. I appraised her to check her stats and her name."Welcome Rita" I said as I smiled to her. Her age was 18, and she was a virgin. she fit the bill for the perfect oracle."You need not to fear, you are the perfect oracle for me to choose, come here" I signaled for her to come closer to me, when she did I asked her to also kneel down.I placed my hand on her head. I closed my eyes as I remodel her soul, I increased her physical strength, mana and every of her stats. I used divine Language as a medium to create 5 more extra lifes for her, I gave her some information on how to use her Oracle skill and how to use her new skills. I also got every information about her. I also fiddled with fate to cause her stream of luck to rise. She got the ability to never be affected by Abnormal status Effects.The number of skills I have her was much.When I was done" open your eyes, how do you feel?" I asked her."I feel the best, I will obey your words Lord Genji"This means it worked perfectly, as expected of me.

Syrana's PoV The next day, the three of us left the last floor of the ivory dungeon and went to the highest floor. We were able to reach the floor due to the use of a teleportation circle, apparently the passage that could be walked through had been blocked so as to prevent easy infiltration if the dungeon was ever attacked. The buildings in the topmost floor were more beautiful and was constructed well, I led the team to a standard building where a huge label was inscribed on it front door. Entering inside revealed, a population of people around 50 in numbers was inside, each doing something or the other, some were wearing armours and having weapons beside them, while others had other dressing that signified their job, the only people that looked out of place was resha and i. Genji looked more out of place because the clothes he was wearing was something a rich man would wear not something a newbie hunter should be able to afford.  (Well he doesn't remember everything...) With his golden hair and eyes, he was unbelievable handsome, a large percent of the women present averted their gaze blushing sheeply. Seeing their reaction made me to wonder how they feel if Rasha and I told them we slept together under the same roof with him. We made their way to meet with a receptionist at the counter. "W-what do you come here for w-white wings, I-I thought you always had today as day off from hunting activities" the receptionist spoke while trying to maintain her composure, even though she was my friend, she was clearly losing her composure by being near Genji. "we came today to register our newest party member" I said as I stomp my feet on the ground to draw her attention. "Oh my, please forgive me lack of composure mister, to join the hunters guild is easy, place your hand on this crystal it will generate your status and also determine your rank" she said to Genji as she brought out a machine, it had a crystal shining white where Genji placed his hand on, a quick sensation of his Mana being sucked would occur and that was all. The machine made sound of something printing and after 5 seconds later a metallic card was produced on a slab under it. The receptionist picked it up and handed it over to Genji. "You will automatically be ranked F, but as you complete quests you will rank up, Welcome to the Hunters guild. I don't understand why your skills are all garbled though but it should be fine" she said in surprise. Well looking over the card, I found out Genji was level 80 but the surprising thing is that all is skill cannot be read, I can't understand the symbols that was there. She also explained that after defeating the monsters their guild card will count the number of monsters they defeat, they will use the numbers of monsters they defeat to raise their rankings. "can I sell some materials that I have gotten from dungeons here" he asked to dispell the awkward atmosphere. I can't believe he was not even worried about his skills. "sure, but go towards the sale zone, the people there will rate and buy your items from you" My friend pointed to a section particioned in the guild building, he went there to sell the spoils he found in his dimension storage. "Well Mary, this is the first time have seen you behaving like this?" I asked my friend while trying to prove that I am angry at her. Coincidentally Mary is the name of the receptionist. "I can't really believe you brought a man so handsome, I wonder if he will allow me to touch his hand" my friend said as her face turn red. No one would deny that she was day dreaming in public. "I know what you feel, I went to check his face in the night when he was sleeping and it was unbelievable cute" said Rasha.  "Rasha! I can't believe you went outside of the room when I was sleeping, well Genji is a gentle man from what I have seen, but men can still be men, what if he had woken up and he tried to touch you somewhere wierd?" I could also feel my face turning red from imagining such a situation. "What! You slept in the same house, where did you meet him, tell me all about it" Mary said as she immediately drew closer, her eyes were shining like a predator that discovered a prey. "To cut it short, he saved our life but he does not have any memories, but we decided to repay his favour by housing him, when we told him about the hunters guild, he volunteered to join the association with our party- the white wings" I said "And that is all, we are together now...." rasha completed. Genji's POV The three of us went to the hunters guild to register. After registering I opted to sell the materials I have. Due to the lack of people who wanted to sell their items because of the time of the day. I was able to sell the materials instantly, I sold all materials that i found in the Abyss except the portions and the few equipment that i wanted to give resha and syrana. To describe the values of the coins. 10 Copper coin= 1 large Copper coin 10 Large Copper coin= 1 silver coin 10 Silver Coin= 1 large Silver coin 10 Large Silver Coin= 1 Gold coin 100 Gold coin= 1 large Gold coin 1000 Large Gold coin= 1 Platinum Coin This is the general currency that was being spent all over the world. Apparently people around the other continents lived on the surface but only those of the center continent lived in dungeons, people from the other continents sometimes bring food and other items to sell on the center continent. But the other heavenly Kings that rule the other continents mark the other races and each individual was given a specific number, this made traveling from the center continent to the other continents difficult. Even though people from the center continent were not marked, it was due to the fact that they were seen as 'livestocks' to the vampire Blaiz. He left them to grow so that they can be eaten when it is time. Back to present. I was paid with 3 Large Gold coins making 300 Good coins, i put the coins in a bag before keeping it in my dimension storage. I walked back to the receptionist. The girls were done with talking and they immediately made move to leave as soon as I arrived. We left the guild and went back to the teleportation circle, we paid 5 copper coins so as to be allowed to use it, then we returned to the lower floor.  We left the floor through the gate as we returned to the outside world. The sky was still dark and just enough illumination was enough to see the environment. I looked around to see the Spirits present, air, Earth, fire, dark , time and some few light Spirits. After confirming my fighting force, i let Rasha led the way as they wanted to visit a dungeon too dangerous for people to live in, different from the abyss this dungeon was a dungeon where golems could be found, but the golems were very strong, if one is able to get one silver golem from the dangeon, you can make money that will last you 3 months without doing anything. One the way I try to engaged Rasha and syrana in a conversation. "what do you guys know about Gods" i asked. "well we do know they exist but we have never seen of them, the hero that was betrayed by the demon king was a representative of a god, and that was a lot of years ago, no body has heard anything from them since then." Rasha replied before syrana continue. "Gods should be beings that provide assistance to we ordinary mortals but it looks like we have been abandoned, well that is all to it..." Syrana After seeing their casual response, i decided not to bother them for now, "well I have a plan, this dungeon we are going today as you said is dangerous and you are onlyable to survive on the first floor, you should change equipment, if we make enough money, we can change the way we live" I said as I took out a Mythril sword and staff for the two girls. Their mouth widen with shock as they were surprised. "where did you get these weapons?!" "a look at it has made me realize it is quality metal!" The two of them asked questions in a yell. I signaled for them to calm down before explaining that i found them in my storage Dimension with no knowledge of how they got there.  But since I am already using a spear, i wanted to give it to them as rasha could use a sword well while syrana was a mage, she would be able to use the staff. The two girls readily accepted the gifts and tried testing them, founding it perfect for their use. I also gave two rings for them, I gave the MP recovery ring to syrana while giving the HP recovery ring to rasha, but for some reasons they made me insert the rings in their ring finger after blushing. I wonder what is going on. After Analysing their status and confirming that they have equipped the weapons and rings, I took out my spear as we reach the entrance of the dungeon. "Rasha and I are Frontline fighters, Syrana provide support from the backline, you have the MP recovery ring, you will recover Mana at a very fast rate, Rasha as a Mythril sword with HP recovery ring, her health points will recover faster too, with this formation we should be able to Capture this dungeon soon" i said as they nodded their heads in approval. ________________________ The first floor was filled with Clay golems, as soon as they entered the floor, a wave of golems assaulted them, but I dispatched the whole group with a throw off my spear. The golems soon dropped down as i began to harvest their magic stones. Rasha and Syrana was surprised but soon recover as they joined me in harvesting. After we were done we moved onto the next floor through some steps, going deeper into the earth. We met some boss type of Clay golem ridding a horse, the golem was holding a spear and it had iron armour for it horse. I was about to throw my spear again but Rasha stopped me. "we won't grow stronger that way, let us fight it to gain experience, too" "That true, I will back you up, Rasha from the back, you have a better sword now, you should be able to defeat this golem boss without getting injured" syrana added. "okay, you guys should fight too, if you can't handle it or I see you are in a bad state I will step in is that fine" i stated. "that fine~" "I agree~" The two said as I stepped back to give them space. ________________________ Rasha held up her sword as syrana casted some buff spells on her. As soon as she stepped into about 50 meters to the golem, it dark eyes in it helmet began to shin red. She ran up to it as the golem ran up to meet her, upon collision she parried the golem spear as she slashed a diagonal strike on body, her sword sank in without resistance as the golem was cut into two. She stood there surprised from the reality. The golem horse collapsed also on the stop as the momentum of it ridder being cut made it to die. "Wow...! What the heck is this weapon! I can't believe I cut a Clay golem knight into two, this is surprising" she said as she harvested it magic stone, it was fairly bigger than the ones they met on the first floor. Analysing her stats made i realise she level up 3 levels in one go. Before her starts looks like: Name: Rasha Level: 32 ---> 35 Race : Human Class: Warrior LP : 600/600 ----> 900/900 MP: 450/450 ----> 550/550 Strength: 750 ----> 800 Stamina: 600 ----->650 Dexterity: 950 -----> 970 Luck: 113 Skill points: 0 SKILLS Sword fighting Lv 2 Trap detention Lv 1 Cooking Lv 3 I nodded in satisfaction to the rest he saw. After leaving the 2nd floor, we arrived in an open floor where there was a lot of silver golems with swords in hands, a silver knight stood at the end of the floor at the points where steps where. A quick look at the situation was enough to decide that I should join them to fight on this floor, i moved with Rasha as syrana tried casting buff spells on them, the spell activated for Rasha but it did not activated for me. Syrana was about to panic but i told her to calm down, I am going to be okay without any buff spell. After getting into minimum range, the golems attacked them but the two of us cut them down with ease, occasionally syrana will use a long range spell to take some golems down. After reaching the silver knight, i easily cut him down, sword and all with a slash with my spear. After confirming that all the golems have been destroyed, i was about to harvest the stone when syrana stopped me. "Genji this are silver golems every part of it body is useful, can you save some of it in your storage Dimension" rasha asked me. "I can store all of this there, I did not even realize that, thanks for that idea" I began to keep them in my dimension storage. "I can't believe this is reality, we are on the 3rd floor of this dungeon, when we always find it difficult to survive on the first floor" syrana said as she hopped up. After taking out my Hunter guild card from my pocket i found the total number of kills that has been recorded as; Number of Clay golems killed=[34] Number of silver golems killed= [45] Number of silver knight killed =[1] The guild card was accurate, deciding that we have done enough. Even when we had just began exploring for an hour, we made our way back to the entrance of the dungeon when we were greeted by the farmilar zombie dragon of yesterday. Resha and syrana became unable to move as they were frozen due to the mere pressure that was coming from it body, it was looking directly at the entrance of the cave as if waiting for us. It eyes were especially located on me. Seeing as my party members were frozen, I dragged their hands and came out of the cave. *Wind Spirits: Thick Air ball* I casted a spell to protect the girls that was still frozen. While pointing my spear at the dragon that was waiting patiently for me. A showdown was about to begin....

After being teleported by Athena to the world below, the first thing i saw when I opened my eyes was a big white ball. A quick Analysis revealed it to be the dungeon core of the Abyss. But i ignored it and open a door to reveal the boss room outside. (I have been teleported to where the core is, I can see that Mana concentration is really thick here, I should explore the abyss while gathering materials...) On taking a step into the boss room, a huge Magic circle was activated and an 8 headed beast creature was born. the creature was known by the name 'hydra'. The creature roared to intimidate me I analysed the Hydra for a quick review. Name: ----------                   Level: 890 Race : Poison Hydra Class: Dungeon Boss LP : 100,000/100,000 MP: 50,000/50,000 Weaknesses: Magic rune in heart. It had a bunch of high regeneration skills and it was strong. "so this is my opponent, I guess this artifact is doing it work well, on a normal day, my body radiates too much strength that normal beast will faints from being exposed to my gaze, I should take this confrontation as a tutorial to know my fighting power in this world...."   The crystal on my right hand Artifact was shining rainbow, confirming the action of converting divinity to mana, the atmosphere around him soon turn zappy as Mana was being released to my surroundings. Even with all the Mana i have released out, i can't activate a spell on myown, the same artifact that converts divinity to Mana stops me from casting a spell on my own.  But i could still cover my body with the Mana to provide additional security. Not that I need it. Straining my eyes so as to see the Spirits around, as they were attracted to the Mana in my surroundings. I was able to confirm fire, wind , Earth , dark and time spirits. Not surprised by the development, as concentration of spirits depends on the nature of the environment. I tried conversing with them so as to get them to help me in casting spells. "spirits of this world, lend me your help in defeating my foes" (Okay~) (Come here there is Mana here~) (Use our strength~) (Okay~) A quick reply from them gave me the go-ahead. I casted the first spell. "*Fire spirits:Fire javelin*". Magic circles appeared in mid air around the Hydra and fire javelins began attacking it. Hydras are known to be beasts with high regenerative powers, the only way to defeat them is to attack them with more than they can regenerative from. And that was the same thing I did. The Hydra disappeared with a painful roar, leaving a huge Magic stone behind, i walked up to it. "*Storage Dimension* oh it worked, thank goodness, I can use that"  I tried to use a space-time magic function that freeze time and space for stored items, upon confirming it useable state, i touched the stone to put it there. A mental list of it appeared in my memory. Checking the room around, I saw a treasure chest. I walked up to it and check inside it to find a golden brown spear with a note inside the chest. (this is wierd)  Upon reading the note: {Genji you have defeated your first monster, when you were going down I forgot to tell you something, your level can't increase like normal humans the only thing you gain from defeating monsters will be skill points, and oh I found out you did not take a weapon, I changed the reward to a special spear made by me, don't bother to return it. by Athena} Well she was watching me. Picking up the spear I  found out it was just the right weight, it was custom made for me, by Athena. "I should say thanks when we meet next, well it time to walk to the surface" i said as i resumed walking down a passage. I could have use a teleportation circle to leave the dungeon but I wanted to gather Materials for the people i will meet, i choose to go out in the difficult way. ________________ Syrana and resha were running out of breath, as they ran from the hob-goblins on the 3rd floor of the Abyss, they won't have risked their life to come here if not that they were left with no choice. Ever since the Demon king began his rule over the world, other races apart from monsters and Strong Animals began to live underground, the center continent they lived on was ruled by the 'heavenly King blaiz' he was a progenitor vampire that ruled with overwhelming power, due to his hatred for the sun, thick clouds that allowed no sunlight to breach through covered the sky. Vampires and Undeads moved around both day and night, resulting in forcing the other races to live underground. Syrana and resha were friends and they always work together to hunt in the dungeons to earn magic stones/runes. They survived on that to buy food and power up their magic items. their party arrangements was okay as syrana was a mage while resha was a warrior. But today has proved bad for them, they had been hunting for more than 5 years in other dungeons and have graduated from being called rookies to a full fled Hunter, but the Abyss has proved to them that they need more training. Hob-goblins in other dungeons were weak to magic but surprisingly the ones in the abyss had high magic resistance. "resha we need to run faster, we can't lose them" "syrana can't you use a spell to buy us time" "I can't, I am out of Mana and i have used the last portion too, I guess this is where it ends" "don't loose hope, you must make it, even if I have to buy time with my life..." The two continued sobbing while running for their dear lives, the rules of each floor in the abyss is simple, 'until all enemies are defeated the doors forward or backward won't open' they both have lost hope as they were soon cornered by the hob-goblins, Syrana began to prepare to cast her last spell while, resha drew her iron sword. The Hob-goblins began to laugh as they brandish their rusted iron weapons. But their laughter was cut short by the sound of a spear pining one of them to the wall beside syrana. The other goblins noticed the presence of the new arrival while *windblades* skillfully decimated them. The spear that killed the hob-goblin left the wall and return back to it owner's hand like a lost child going home. The two girls look at their savior only for them to hear a question they might never wish to hear "can anyone of you cook, I am hungry" The two of them lost the strength in the legs as the collapsed on the spot leaving their savior surprised. ______________ After I left the boss room, I began defeating the monsters that the dungeon spawn, making sure to collect their drop items, i found it funny at first and see it as a way to pass off free time till i got to the 70th floor, when i became hungry. I had forgotten that i was now human in body power and human body needed food to survive, in the many treasure chests i found, i had seen a lot of Mana and health portions but they could not cure my present condition. I needed food and i needed it bad, luckily after defeating a minotaur boss, the boss dropped a huge chunk of meat which i kept in my dimension storage. I tore part of it and roast it with spirit magic as I continued challenging the dungeon. A throw of my spear was enough to defeat any monster, and luckily the spear had a return function that made it automatically return, the problem was that i has gotten used to eating very good food in the Divine realm that eating meat without any seasoning almost made me sick. I began to clear the dungeon with speed, so as to leave it fast, on my way around the 3rd floor, i found 2 girls in a death battle with small fries like hob-goblins, a quick review of their status showed that they had cooking skills at 'level 3', making them good cooks. I hurriedly saved them only for them to collapse immediately after my question. Resha and Syrana POV. "my name is resha and this is my friend syrana, we owe our lives to you, thanks for saving us" resha said to their savior "words can't thank you enough for what you did for us, without you we would be dead" syrana said after her friend. The two of them thanked their savior as they all moved out of the dungeon, their savior killed all the monsters they met on the way while eating the bread they gave him. After they collapsed, he gave them a high ranking portion that restored their stamina, and they were able to move immediately, when they tried to pay him back for the portion, he told them to pay him back with food only. After giving him the bread, he escorted them out of the dungeon. As the left the cave that signified the entrance of the abyss they tried asking him other questions. "where do you come from? You easily defeated those monsters" "mister can I touch your muscles.. and wait what is your name." resha and syrana asked him, though syrana question of more difficult to answer. "My name is Genji but apart from that I don't remember where I come from." I replied while looking at them. ""hee~ you don't?!"" they chorused together. "I don't remember what happened to me, I just knew I found myself at the entrance of this cave, I decided to enter the cave but I got attacked by monsters, I retaliated by killing them..." I replied, even though I sounded stupid they believed me. Well that wierd. "do you have anywhere you can live in"resha asked me "we can take you back to our colony but you must prove you can be useful, though I don't think that will be hard, you are very strong...." syrana mumbled. But suddenly as i was about to talk back the two girls covered my mouth, as they pushed mr down in silence. A shadow passed over them from the air, the smell of air it emitted gave proved it was a zombie dragon. The two girls had seen it late but luckily it had not seen them, after it left they breath high in relief. "wow do those kind of things move around always" i asked in surprise "they do, we were pretty lucky today" resha replied "I feel like I use up a lot of my luck today" syrana said "let hurry up and reach the entrance to our colony we can talk there without worrying about anything." resha said as she dragged me up from the floor. I could feel my face turningred though, two girls had fallen down on me suddenly, even my heart was beating fast, I think this power restraining Artifacts gave my heart the ability to experience more emotions. I nodded in response to their words. We began to walk fast, we hurriedly walked down a cave, it entrance look more like a dungeon, at the entrance, the two of them in front pushed some rocks on the wall and the rock open as they quickly dragged me inside with them. On reaching inside, I discovered people pointing weapons at us as they brought a tool to investigate their race as normal. "it fine, both of them are still normal, and the person they brought with them is a human too" a voice said. "that true, this man here is with us, we would not be here without his help" resha said as she sigh "I am tired, I need to rest we discovered another zombie dragon today, we escaped by luck" syrana said as we walked towards where the buildings were.i just looked on without joining the conversation as i quickly analysed everything around him. The place we were currently in looked like a cave but the walls look too solid, analysis revealed it to be the wall of a dungeon, the people that came to investigate their race, had relaxed faces different from their former looks. Syrana took my by hand as she pulled me towards a small house, it was built with wood and strengthen with Magic, small lamps hung on the walls provided illumination. Some children ran up to meet resha and syrana and they picked them up in a tight embrace. "sister rasha we were very worried, you were going to the Abyss today" one said "thank goodness you are safe, there won't be a future for us if anything happen to you" another said, the remaining children began saying different things. "though, things would have been dangerous of not for Genji here, he saved us" resha said as she introduced Genji to the children. """"wow mister, thanks for saving our sisters"""" they chorused. i found their actions funny that i unconsciously smiled at them, I began to pat their heads while giving them a reply. "don't thank me, as a fellow humans we should help each other when we are in troubles right?" I asked the children. """"yes"""" "so me helping them is just like that" I  concluded with a smile. At my words the children smiled, but a realisation soon dawn on me that i have not asked the names of the children. "so my name is Genji, just Genji would be fine can you tell me your names?" "uhm-hm my name is Adon" "My name is Tez" "My name is Belen" "My name is Jesi " """"Nice to meet you mister Genji"""" "okay that all for now, Genji must be hungry, and Resha and I want to talk with him," syrana said as she used her hand to signify that i should enter the house. She led me into a sitting room with some chairs, resha was already sitted on one, and the two of us followed suit, the children read the mood and left the house through the door chatting happily with each other. "so welcome to our house, it small but don't mind it, we can't afford more than this" syrana said as she began the conversation. "no I don't mind, as long as I can get where u can sleep comfortably"  "so what did can you remember last?"Resha asked. "I can remember my name, my age, my skills and how I fight, but I can't remember anything apart from where I suddenly found myself in front of the cave you called Abyss"  "hmmm, there is no problem, you said you remember your skills, I remember that whenever you killed a monster when you touch the dropped items they disappear and when we left the abyss, you spear disappeared also, is that a skill?" resha asked as she cutely tilted her head. "indeed that is a skill, whenever I touch the drop items, I keep them in my storage Dimension,and that how I also made my spear disappear"  "that is useful, it is just like our magic bag, but that is more useful" syrana said looking very impressed. "and I also have some other skills, but I guess I can show you more than explaining, I remember now syrana you said something about how I must prove useful if I want to join your colony, so how do I do that"  "that was just a fluke, but you should join the hunters Association, so you will be permitted to hunt in dungeons..." syrana replied. "we can go there tomorrow, I just want to eat then sleep" resha said as she stood up, she went out through another door in the room. "can I give you something as payment for imposing here? *take this*" i gave them some of the meat from the boss minotaur i got from the dungeon from his storage Dimension. The two of them were shocked that they were unable to say anything, though resha was looking into the room through an half open door. "thanks this is more than enough, when last have we eaten something good as this" "if you were to sell this you will get enough money to pay off a month" "is it that valuable, I don't think I can sell it, the meat is sweet, we should eat this, I still have more in my storage"  I was soon alone, i tried to arrange everything in my storage and group them. The list rearranged it self, everything in his storage was; -50 high Mana portions -20 low Mana portions -27 health portions -15 stamina portions. - Mythril sword *2 - Magic staff*1 - Robe of concealment - LP recovery ring - MP recovery ring. There was also some drop items like goblins fangs etc. there was a lot of items in the storage box. (I guess, I should not reveal my identity to resha and syrana yet, i need to organize my plans, though I know the main story of what is happening in this world, I don't know anything from a personal view, I don't even know the name of the demon king, I need to take my time, but first thing I notice is that nobody has complained about the bracelets on my hand, I guess it is invisible to them, well that good, I don't know how to explain it...) So the first thing I need to do is get information. The children playing outside came back as they were attracted by the smell of food, their mouth began to water as resha set the table. I was given a huge portion of the food, the meal being served was rice with a lot of meats, i began eating immediately i was served,  Resha smiled to my childish acts as would a mother to a son The children also began eating after saying a chorus. After the meal, the children went back to continue their play while syrana went to sleep. Resha used spent the time with me as she brought me up to speed on the recent happenings of the world. I learned that the continent i was now on, was the center continent it was ruled by one of the heavenly king 'the vampire Blaiz' he apparently made the thick clouds that covered the whole continent so as to prevent sunlight from breaching through. Due to that action the surface has being inhabited by vampires and Undeads, the grass and forest died out and people where forced to live in dungeons. Even Rasha and syrana was born in this dungeon, their parents died when they were attacked by vampires that raided the dungeon, ever since then they had been working together to make ends meet. the place we were currently living was called the ivory dungeon as it was an Earth attributed dungeon, the dungeon had 4 floors, but people lived on the 3 floors. Rich hunters live in the higher floors but struggling ones like resha and syrana lived in the lowest floor, the dungeon would have been over populated if not for the constant expansion of the dungeon walls. The main reason they live here is because they were able to destroy every monster spawner on the floor and when they tried offer gifts to the dungeon core so that it won't repair the monster spawners it surprisingly accepted it, ever since then it had just been expanding the floors so that the population can keep up with it. The remaining floor that no one lived on was known as training part where people train to get monster slaying experience. "why hasn't anybody tried to kill the the vampires on the surface?" I asked "I heard the take from my parents, when people tried to form an alliance to kill the heavenly king Blaiz, about 2000 people marched on, but only about 300 people returned with wounds and missing body parts, ever since then no one had try to resist, everyone just accepted that living in dungeons should be the priority" she said with a bitter voice. And since dungeons accept sacrifices from it inhabitants, it always expand so that they can survive too, people began living in dungeons so as to preserve their life. "I wish to register at the hunters Association, how will I do that?" I asked after some minutes of thinking. "we will take you there tomorrow when we go and sell our earnings of today" resha said as she excuse herself to call the children back inside. After they returned, the children packed the chairs in the sitting room to a corner as they laid some clothes to sleep on, though i stopped them. "I told you resha right that I have some skills, I can create futon for you guys to sleep on" I said as I produced two small magic stones. I then activated Creation magic and imagined a soft white futon. The magic stones began to glow and it changed form to a futon and expanded accordingly. I smiled at his success and looked at the children. "wow, I can't believe it" "what was that? Mister Genji it was so cool" The children was happy as they voiced their appreciation for him, i smiled as he was showered in their praise. resha had sparky eyes as she touch the futon before claiming it was the best she had ever since in her life. (well it was made with creation magic, it is the best quality ever, but creation magic power has been reduced, most likely due to the bracelets, I can create thing just from imagining them, but now I need a material to use for the base, well this is till good..) the children immediately asked me to create more for them which i did. I placed his own bed down beside them. "resha get yourself together, you have been standing like that for minutes now, are you not going inside to sleep" t told her "I am, I just wish you can create a futon for me too, I am sure I can enjoy my sleep if I sleep on something soft like this" she replied looking down. "well that fine, *here* you can have it " I immediately created another futon which she hugged into her chest as she ran into the inner room, a quick glance at the children bed revealed that they have slept. I closed his eyes to sleep.

Genji's POV Before we entered the dungeon, I had made sure the equipment of my party members was complete, I should be able to detect all traps but since I am more of a human now, I might have an oversight and it can be dangerous. As we entered the dungeon, I stopped our movements as i looked around to check the spirits present in the environment, there was wind, dark and time spirits. "This place is dark, it looks like something is blocking all form of light" Rasha said. "You may be unable to detect it but there is a dark magic spell that absorb all light in this place, I would disturb it now" i said as i used a wind spell *Wind Spirits: Flowing stream of wind*. The spell sent a huge wave of wind into the narrow cave from the entrance resulting into the physical vibration of the cave. The dungeon lights that were on the walls began to light up as the spell fade. "What did you do Genji? that was supposed to be wind magic, it should be a bad match for dark Magic" syrana asked. Well she was a mage so I could understand her inquisitiveness whenever I use a spell. "the spell casted was being maintained by a magic circle, it was drawn through the use of powdered magic stone, I merely used the friction of the wind to blow away the spell, making it useless, and we can proceed with our exploration, don't lose your guard" I warned. The two nod their heads to my words, I led the party while they followed me with about a gap of 3 steps apart. The first floor we entered was unlike any other dungeon, their were remnants of the spell casted but it was already harmless, a armed skeleton was waiting at the set of stairs leading to the next floor. The floor could be said to be around 100meters in length and breath. And dead goblins could be seen littered around on the floor, it was obvious that it was their magic stone that was collected to maintain the light draining spell. Apart from the armed skeleton, there was a variety of traps one could activate by stepping on them. If I decide to fight that skeleton when the girls are nearby, I won't be able to harness my power well. "Rasha and syrana wait here, I will go and kill that undead, there are a lot of traps here too, syrana cast barrier magic on the two of you" I immediately walked up in front, at a distance of 10 meters to the skeleton, it dead eyes glowed deep red like the color of blood. I pointed my spear at it as I made my move, i intentionally stepped on the trap so that they could work on me, making it look like i was in a dangerous situation. The skeleton walked up to me as a tiny bomb exploded around me, for the normal person it would have been a sure kill but I instantly cut it down, it dropped it magic stone. "The trap was dangerous though, the Skeleton has been given an order to not move away from it position, anyone that wish to defeat it would surely be caught in the bomb trap, leaving them exposed to the blade of the skeleton" i said as I hand signed my party members to proceed. We went down the stairs and entered the the 2nd floor. The length of the floor was 200 meters in size, but unlike the first floor,the monsters of the 2nd floor was the normal set orcs, but they were fully armed. Sensing our presence, they immediately faced our direction. Looking at their eyes made me realize there were being controlled by someone, the light of life in their eyes was gone. "syrana and rasha leave every fight in this dungeon to me, just set up the barrier" I made up my mind as i get ready for battle. The orges attacked us in unison with weapons , but i disappeared from sight while killing each of them, it was a direct cut to the neck for each orc. Since the floor had no traps it was easy, the boss orc at the back found himself on the floor, after i immediately killed all his men, I cut of his two legs with a slash. I found out that the weapon he was using was enchanted and it was the source of the thing controlling the remaining orcs. He made sounds that I understand due to my ability to understand every language in existence, it was not begging for it life to be soared but it was telling us to run. "That was fast Genji, should we harvest their magic stone?" "You can, I will watch out for any more Intruders while you harvest" I replied to rasha, syrana was working with her to collect the magic stone, instead of using their main weapons, they used a short knife to dig into the heart of the monsters as they harvest their Stones. The report the guild master gave me on the number of floors of this dungeon was that it contains 10 floors, but the special attribute of this dungeon is that it spawn a different boss each time, it is conquered. What made the guild to raise it ranking to S-rank was due to the level 300 hell hounds in 5th floor, that was where the brutality of the dungeon began from. Blood Wolves would be seen on the 6th floor, snake monsters on the 7th floor, lamias on the 8th floor, Wyverns on the 9th floor,while the 10th floor boss monster was not fixed. The 1st to the 4th floor of the dungeon contain goblins, orcs, gouls and trolls. "Genji am sure you have noticed it but isn't this dungeon misbehaving from your view?" Rasha asked "Dungeons should have treasure chests and drop items but this dungeon is just filled with monsters" syrana confirmed Rasha suspicion. "From what the guild master told us, S-rank parties came back injured, that means something very strong is here, the last party they sent here said there were killed by a vampire but the whole party escaped due to a death evasion artifact that automatically revives you at a safe place" i told them S-rank parties are people that are normally called 'monsters' and each person in the group would be a master in their department.... "Well let not think deeply about it, no matter what happens, have complete faith in me, I will protect you from all dangers" I reassured them as we went deeper into the dungeon. The next floor was filled with man eating monsters known as gouls and wraiths. "Spring to life my spear" I pushed the spear to it second form as I began to exterminate them, the girls picked up the magic stones they dropped. I killed all the monsters around and quickly reverted my spear to it normal form, the pressure coming off from my body was strong enough to break the heart of low level humans and the girls were still pretty weak. Gouls and wraiths were weightless monsters and could only be defeated through magical attacks. But the spear second form could cut through magic, making it the right weapon against the monsters. To sum it all clearing the dungeon was like a walk in the park as we proceed without any difficulty. Soon we reached the 8th floor after defeating the big poisonous snakes in the 7th floor. The 8th floor looked more of a little grassland, there were green grasses with lamias sunbathing. "I wish we could pass without fighting any monsters in this floor, I don't wish to fight lamias" I said sorrowfully as I remember an bad history. "What happened?" Rasha asked "My family has an history with Lamias, though not this present set of lamia in this dungeon" I said. Seeing that the lamias have not noticed us, I used *Wind spirits* to blow them out of our way, as we walked deeper to the 9th floor. "There should be Wyverns on this floor, for each one I defeat I will keep it in my storage Dimension, every materials from it body can be used" I said as the Wyverns noticed us, they began to draw nearer. I killed each wyvern with a slash, Wyverns were unintelligent monsters, they were very weak if compared to dragons and they could not use strong spells. I kept each one into my space storage immediately after killing. Since we were going to enter the boss floor, I confirmed our fighting power, the girls were still maintaining the barriers so they were safe. There was a large door that opened immediately we got near the door. But out of panic I immediately asked the wind Spirits to blow the air away. The whole 10th floor was flooded with a special kind of Mana called 'miasma'. "That was close, maisma is dangerous to the people of the mortal realm, I would be okay even if I breath it in but am not sure if your barrier can fully block it" I said to my party members. "There is a monster that is not affiliated with the dungeon in the boss floor, normal monsters can't use miasma too, even the poison Hydra I defeated in the boss room of the abyss was using Mana, it is probably the vampire they found" "Please fight without worry about us, even if the Wyverns respawn, we are still strong, ever since we entered this dungeon, you have been clearing everything, we should be able to handle this much" "We won't disappoint you by dieing now, we have to save the world together" My two party members said as they fixed up their expression. "I trust you" I said as I smiled wry to them. After moving away from them, I pushed my spear to it second form, as I entered the maisma filled floor. The gates closed behind me, a normal human would be unable to see but my vision was unaffected by the black fog. Casting my own spell,.I asked the wind spirits to blow the maisma again. I saw a man sitting on a throne in an out of place manner, he looked like he had noticed me, but was waiting for me to move closer. "Well done getting here, I am the vampire Vale, I occupy the lowest seat among the subordinates of the heavenly king Blaiz, well-done challenger for making it here, but I will rip your life from y.... ah what the hell are you?!!!" "bold words for a weakling that can't even look me in the eyes when he is still talking... heh heh heh" I laughed in a cooky manner as, the vampire could not finish his self introductory speech, he tried to look at my eyes but was affected by the difference in our strength level, He hurriedly destroyed his eyes with his sharp claws, as he stood up from his throne. Vampires could use their enhanced hearing ability to detect prey and monitor their environment. As a reward for killing humans each time they got to this dungeon I made up my mind to give him a slow and painful death. Instead of cutting him with the spear, I let him attack me, but his attacks could not connect because of the thick Mana shield around my body, even though my powers were being restrained, there should be no one capable of scratching my skin in the mortal realm. "1,2,3,4,5 and cut" I said as I cut of one of his hands from it shoulder joint, he expected that his hand would grown back as vampires possess very high regeneration powers, but a cut from my spear second form can never regrow unless a god heals you with a miracle spell. After cutting of his limbs, he was sobbing while trying to move away, I inserted my spear in his stomach region and twisted it to give him the last bout of pain, before inserting my hand and forcefully pulling out his heart. As expected it had a little philosopher stone, making his claim as a subordinate of the heavenly king Blaiz correct. He had been strengthen by the vampire king. Immediately his body began to disintegrate as I kept his heart in the storage Dimension, the door of the boss room open to celebrate my victory. "I did not expect it to be this true, that means the vampire king is drawing closer to our colony, we need to act fast now...!" syrana said as I finish telling them what happened between my foe and i. "There is someone I wish to meet in the core room, let go there, I need to confirm something" I told them as we moved to the core at the back of the throne that the vampire placed here. The core was a glowing red ball suspended in space, syrana asked if I wanted to destroy it but I declined. *Time spirits: Frozen world* I used time magic to stop the flow of time, though if I use time magic in fights i can win easily but I refrain from doing it because, the angels in charge of adminstration of this planet get extra work if a place in the planet get frozen in time. If I was there with them I could solve it within a second but they would have to correct the timeline of the whole planet to balance the flow of time. They won't be able to question my actions but I just don't like giving them extra work. "Show yourself the Mother earth of this planet" I said in divine language as I touch the core. As of responding to my words, a rift in space appeared as a dark skinned tall beautiful woman came out from the rift, immediately she set her eyes on me, she kneeled down and bow her head in respect. She had black hair and her clothes were made from quality materials, in her hair you could see strands of green. "Well-done for heeding to my summon" I said. "I do not dare to disrespect a call from a God, I am pleased that you find me worthy enough to grant me the grace to meet you" she said. I analysed her stats to confirm my suspicion, her race was Earth God, and her class was Mother of Earth and Nature. She was a low race of Gods that hardly dwell in the Divine realm, her race usually would live in the core of the planet where they are being worshiped. She was in charge of making sure the planet core was stable and life continue on the planet, their race was created by the Olympian goddess of Earth and fertility Goddess 'Demeter'. She was a very high rank God in the Divine realm, she belong to the parent generation of the Olympians that were alive in the first God war. Back on topic: this present Earth goddess has seen through my fake stats page and she came when I called her. "Aspen i have a question?" I called her from the name I see on her stats page "I-i will answer you from everything i k-know" she said shaking, she could not meet my eyes and I could hear her voice filled with fear. "Is something wrong Aspen, why are you shaking?" "I-i am s-sorry for displaying such a s-s-shameful act in front of you, please don't punish me" she said as she burst into tears. It not everyday you see a god crying, I moved closer to her and touch her shoulder trying to calm her down, feeling my intention, she calmed down and she stopped crying. "Why are you that afraid of me, has someone done something bad to you before" "Yes, I can never forget that memory forever, it was just when I was still a new born god, I was put in charge of a planet but the children on the surface killed themselves till the Sun goddess got concerned, due to the fact that I was a child born from the power of Lady Demeter, she sent lady Despoina to check what I was doing, lady Despoina found fault with my actions as a guardian and I was punished by being sealed in a time prison for 10,000 years" she said, after listening to her tale. "Haaa" I sighed " ever since then you have been afraid of high ranking gods and when you saw me calling you, you thought I came here to punish you for your actions" She nodded before bowing her head again, she was still in the kneeling position, even though she was older than me in terms of age, our divinity made me a superior being to her. "I am sorry for stealing your chance at performing a miracle, I didn't really mean to do that I just wanted the best for the planet" she desperately beg me. "I am not really angry at you, infact I like what you did"i stated "Really?" She asked looking up to me. "Yes, I was surprised to see your actions, but since when did you notice my descent on the planet" I asked her. "Immediately you came to the planet, I felt divinity, the tool containing them is doing a good job but it was not made to decieve the eyes of gods, it was made to decieve the eyes of the children on the surface, I had been following your actions since then, when you were about to get to the lowest floor of the abyss, I gave strength to the monsters that attacked the two girls you are now with, I was the one that align your part with theirs, i wanted to make sure you were being treated fairly good in the mortal realm, when you used a spell to kill the undeads of the demon king minions, I immediately used that opportunity to restore vitality to the area..." She gave detailed explanation on all her actions. I could put nod in response, she has been doing a lot in the background. "But what really made a god such as yourself to come down to the lower realm?" She asked a question I really don't want to answer, but out of courtesy, I answered her. "In terms of age, I am a child and I don't have any followers in the mortal realm, luckily the sun goddess decide that I can come to this lower world and liberate the people from the demon king, I will be able to get followers and I will be get worshiped as a God" I said as my emotions swell up in me. "So you are the God that is in charge of this planet now, not the sun goddess?" She asked "Yes, I am, I have been given permission to do as I see fit in this world" I replied. "I will submit everything to you, from today I will be your follower, please grant me your divine protection" she pleaded. It took me a minute to process what she just said, (Someone is begging for me to allow them to be my believer, this has never happened before...!) I remember the lesson I learnt while I was still in the Divine realm, "Aspen from today do you swear to worship and adore me, if you do my divine protection will be with you and I will support you with all my existence?" I asked. My lines look more of a marriage oath than a believer pact between a god and a follower. "I do swear" she said looking straight into my eyes, for Gods bestowing divine protection to each other require a more verbal agreement, but for a god and a human it just takes the human to believe in the God and they will automatically get the Divine protection. Immediately she said that, her black hair and eyes changed to Gold, it signified her being under me. Even her countenance changed, her skin look more glossy just after a few seconds of the pact. this action really signify how high gods take contract and pact seriously, if a god and a believer have a contract, if the believer fulfils his pact,the God involved must also fufil his pact. Checking her stats showed a increase in her unique skills, she now had: Time control, space control {Follower of the God of space and Time} present. Her physical strength and divinity also increased by a lot. She had about 20,000 believers which also would reflect in my stats, her believers also will get my divine protection. I felt very Happy for the encounter with her. "I should be able to follow you on the surface, my Lord since I have your divine protection, my divinity won't work when I am with you on the surface, I can pass off like a normal human as you do" she proposed. I allowed myself to think for a minute, even if she did follow me, she also can't cause miracles like me but she can borrow the power of spirits, with the two of us we have more fighting power than the demon king will ever anticipate. Her idea is killing two birds with a stone. Using my hand to draw her up from her kneeling position"Welcome to the party Aspen" I told her. Undoing the time spirits spell, made the floor of time to resume again. Rasha and syrana was surprised at the presence of Aspen that they believe suddenly appeared. To them when I said something, the next thing that happened was that Aspen suddenly appeared. To humans, they could not detect frozen time. "Well we are done with the quest, let head back now" I proposed.

As we waited for Nightfall in the beastmen Kingdom. Every combatant was fully ready for the war, every hour I used a wind spell to project myself into the sky to check their march on us. After reaching the area where the beastmen land border ends, they waited for the night time as the Artifact that made sure the dark clouds could not come back was active during the day. But there is darkness during the night.Even though we were about to fight a war, the oracles I choosed used this avenue to still spread my name, after telling the beastking that no beastman would fight as me fighting alone was all they needed .  Even though the beastmen were already learning magic, it will still not be enough as i have confirmed 3 vampires generals, Amateur soldiers would only slow me down, but I just commanded them to pray to me to guarantee my victory.  After the sun has gone down for the day, the first wave of skeleton soldiers began to march forward.I command the wind Spirits to use a thick wind barrier to protect the beastmen kingdom. I stood on the plains I cleared open for the war, with spear in hand, I began to fight the skeletons. ∆ A certain Vampire POV∆ My name is Zaden, my brothers' name is Jeff while my sister is named Yelina. We were once humans but we became Vampires about 900 years ago, together we are known as the Destroyers Farmilar.  We are direct subordinate of the vampire king Blaiz.About 2 weeks ago, the lowest subordinate Vale was given a job to occupy an S-rank dungeon, the goal was to get an S-rank hunter to become a vampire.  Even though humans are weak, some of them can break their limits and be a threat. When Vale left the castle, we had a tool that monitored his movement and safety. A lot of hunters came to the dungeon he took over but they were all weaklings as they couldn't even get to the boss room where he was. So thinking all is well, we left him to his devices but after a week the tool claimed he is dead, when we tried to use magic to summon his soul so that we can resurrect his body with blood. His soul could not be summoned. When we sent the information to king Blaiz, he went to the Great demon lord to check if a new hero had been born. The great demon king found non, so we decided to check the dungeon to see for ourselves. Reaching the boss floor, we found out that there was too much Mana in the environment, we tried to use Time magic to check the past but we were unable to do a simple time rewind, that means something is blocking us. After our continuous trial we were able to see the figure of the one that killed Vale, after getting an image of the killer, we used magic to detect his whereabouts so as to scout him to be a subordinate of King Blaiz.We found out that he was now in the beastmen kingdom, we the 'destroyer Familiar ' was given the order to eliminate the beastmen completely in this war. We mobilized our direct army of skeletons as we began our march, but we had to stop because the dark clouds king Blaiz used to cover the sky of the whole continent had been blown off at some place, and sunlight was reaching the surface.  We met someone that had the figure of the one that killed Vale, I secretly used Analyse to check his status. He was pretty strong for a human, and his class was a Spirit user. Making him the very enemy of us Undead. It is common Knowledge that Spirit Magic is very effective against undead, I tried to initiate a conversation first but my two siblings beat me to the punch. Seeing he does not stand a chance against the three of us, he left back to the beastmen kingdom. We also determined to wipe out the beastmen tonight as when darkness rules the night. The Hero we had found was too afraid to fight us, his actions also seems foolish as we found out that he was waiting for us patiently in the plains of the beastmen kingdom, even though it was nighttime. I waited for some minutes to see if he was going to try to negotiate his life in exchange for the beastmen but instead he took out a beautiful spear and prepare for battle.(Even though you are foolish, if king Blaiz determines that you are worthy of being his subordinate, I will make sure I take that spear from you, you are not worthy of wielding such a beautiful weapon...) I thought as I gave an order to my direct unit. "Let the war to conquer the beastmen begin!!!" I shouted. The wave of skeletons under my command began to go forward. The human hero was still waiting for us with a relaxed face. He said some inaudible words and his whole aura changed, his former aura was gentle but the aura he assumed now was fierce.  The spear in his hand changed from a state I can describe as dormant to a more beautiful weapon.(That means this weapon was given to him by the holy gods, if we get that weapon from him this war will be won easily as it should be...) I thought but a suddenly change in his action brought me back to reality. He raised the weapon to the sky before huge amount of Mana began to gather in the surroundings, a number of huge flame tornadoes appeared after a second, I watched as he began to decimate my precious army, the tornado began to move crushing everything in their part. I can only describe this as a complete massacre.It was as if the flames were alive they only burnt the soldiers that moved forward, leaving the troops of the other generals safe from harm. After burning all my soldiers to the last one. The flame tornado died down, As a red scorched field was the only thing that proved that a war has been fought. That is if you can call it a war. "I can hardly believe it, this hero that the holy gods created this time around is strong, he is strong enough to be a threat, no wonder Vale lost to him...!" I said as I looked at my siblings. "Hahaha, this is fun, all your soldiers were killed, I really want to eat this man, his meat will surely be delicious" "Look I think he is waiting for us, we need to finish this fight before sunrise, not that we will lose though hehehehe " My two brethren only found it funny, but I could see sweat overflowing from their heads, ever since we became Vampires, we have never met an opponent that proved strong enough like this human hero. "I will send a message to our King Blaiz, we can use this battle as a means to know the trump card of the Hero" I said as I summoned my shadow farmilar. I wrote a text on a piece of paper and gave it to him. I commanded him to make sure it was delivered to King Blaiz. "I agree, I guess it my time to attack" Jeff said. He took out the cursed sword he had been given by king Blaiz. "Sending our army to this hero will only make him stronger, the more undead he kills the stronger he is going to become, I will go and fight him and claim victory for us the 'Destroyer Familiar '" Jeff said. This is the first time I have seen Jeff been serious, he also took out some tailsman that prevent instant death attacks.He took a great leap as he leapt with a step to meet the human hero. Normally this kind of action is not something a human should be able to see as Jeff had accelerated his body with time magic. You have to be above level 400 to be able to see him.  The stats I got from the hero is level 80, since the peak of human growth is level 100. He can never see Jeff coming towards him. But I was proved wrong as Jeff cursed sword was met with a parry from the hero's spear. I knew Jeff will be disorganized by this action but I also know him to be someone who thinks fast. Jeff immediately began to go on the offensive against the hero, the hero with a calm face continue to dodge the sword of Jeff."*Sword skill: Dimension slash!!*" I heard Jeff said as he used one of his sword skills, it was a slash that could almost cut through anything. But what was funny is that the hero evaded it with a smile on his face. The more I see this fight the more I see that Jeff really has no chance of winning.(It is as if he has earned the divine protection of the holy gods, just like we earned the divine protection of the great demon king...) "Yelina help Jeff out, the hero should not be able to fight the two of you at once!" I shouted to my sister as i could not see any hope of Jeff wining alone. "...?! Okay brother!" My sister said, her tone was tense, it is as if she had felt that the hero jeff was fighting was clearly abnormal. My sister also took out her two short swords as she used a skill to disappear, she mostly fight enemies that can't even see her. As she moved closer to the hero to join Jeff, I saw something that I could never believe.(Jeff was blown away!!!!!... but that can never be possible, a human can never blow away a vampire at the level of jeff even with the divine protection of the holy gods...!) Yelina stoped in place as she saw that Jeff was blown away. The hero looked exactly into her direction. Now that I look at his face well, I discovered that he eyes were closed.(Don't tell me he has been fighting Jeff with his eyes closed!) Seeing that made a shiver race up my spine,Yelina could not even move anymore as she was dumbfounded at the hero actions. (Why is Jeff not standing up so soon, just how much force did he use to punch Jeff!!!)The hero decided that he will kill Jeff first. He walked up to Jeff with his spear, Jeff tried standing up but a kick in the face sent him back to the ground.  The hero inserted his spear into Jeff's chest as he cut it through.(Stupid, I guess no matter how strong a human is, it will still be a human, a vampire can never die like that, Jeff just need blood and his whole body will regenerate back...) But the hero cut me short, he dipped his hand into Jeff chest and took out his heart. I could hear screams from Jeff's mouth, the hero's action made me to shiver in fear. He crushed Jeff heart with his hands, Jeff's body began to disappear into light particles.(...?! Jeff can never be resurrected again, this hero knows how to kill vampires) a shiver raced down my spine again. Unconsciously I took a step backwards.The army that Jeff leads roared in anger, as they began to march forward to get revenge for their leader. "Stop!! Don't go you will be kil...!!!" I hurriedly give an order to stop them but the hero proved me wrong as another set of Flame tornadoes appeared again, this time the tornadoes began to live forward to kill every undead. Before I noticed I was on my ground, my legs were too weak to carry my weight again.(Who is this man!!!) I screamed in my heart. I saw him killing Yelina with a strike of his spear as he crushed her heart too.It was at this moment I realize something. "... You were pretending earlier today, you made us walked into your trap!!!" I screamed in rage. "Let say you are right, I still enjoyed fighting your siblings, that was the best fight I have ever had in my life"A cheerful voice said at my side.  I hurriedly roll on the ground to move away from the voice. "Don't come near me!!, I will tell you everything please don't kill me" I screamed as I began to beg for my life. "If I were a normal person, I would have tried to spare you, but I can see the numbers of people you have killed with my Analyse and a superior of mine once told me that I should abstain from getting spoilers" he said as I saw my vision wavering. I could feel my heart in his soft hands. With a little use of force my heart was crushed. As I lost consciousness forever.

Even the atmosphere of Rita changed, it was evident of everyone present in the throne room. "Beast King Garou, it is done, I have given your daughter the power of an oracle, to get my divine protection, meet with her and let her pray to me. She has also gotten the ability to use magic, as an oracle she can use all types of Magic, but her specialty will be time and space magic, just like me" I said. "With everything we have seen now, are you truly a hero or a God?" The beastking asked, a smiled showed on his face. Guess you can't trick old people they always know a way out. "You can call me which one you want" I smiled back at him, his eyes soon dawn in realisation, he stood up from his throne before bowing down to me. "I can't believe the gods will send one of their own to us to help us, and the only thing we to pay back is just to believe in you. Sorry for my foolishness for not noticing since" he said. Everyone was taken aback by the beast King Garou bowing down to someone like me, but when they heard his words, they also followed suite. I should have say something like embarrassing but this feels very good, my plans is working too well, This is good. With them accepting I am a god, will earn more believers faster this way. "Don't worry, I don't mind it, I am hiding my divinty for now while I am in this world, but you can all raise your heads" I said. "Thank you for your kind heart" he said "we can be rest assured that we are finally saved from the demon king, is there anything we can still do to help your work faster" "Do the other chiefs of the tribes also have someone else from their tribe that fit the bill to receive the oracle skill, I would love to give more people the Oracle skill" I said to them. It was as if the words I said was the flint that ignited the dead flames of their hearts,the other chiefs hurriedly talk with either of their men and the men in turn rushed out. While they were gone. "*Here* Rita take this Artifact, plant it at the center of this settlement, the Artifact is going to make sure the dark clouds I cleared up never return, it will clear up all clouds on all your lands" I said to Rita as I handed over the Artifact I created a while ago when I was able to use miracle magic for a minute. "My Lord, on behalf of the beastmen, we will treasure this gift you have given to us" she said as she bowed down. Soon enough the men returned with other girls that they think should be able to receive the Oracle skill. The truth is anyone can receive the oracle skill, whether virgin or not, male or female, but it is not recommended you give it to non virgins due to promiscuity, an oracle must also always have faith in their God, they will also be a pillar of their God religion, in order words they are the representative of their Gods in the world. Though if the Oracle prays to their God to give them a befitting partner, the God will answer them. Oracles are very important to Gods, so they often have high priority. "These girls should be able to receive it too"I said to them, the tense atmosphere that was present in the environment disappeared instantly, the girls who were brought into the throne room, who were nervous before also relaxed. I guess they were afraid of me rejecting them. I also performed the ritual for each of them, and they received the skill. Oh I have almost forgotten to tell them. "For those of the oracles that have my divine protection" I said to all the girls at once "whenever anyone gets my divine protection, I automatically give that person the ability to see their attributes in their status, of you say the word 'status' you will see something float up in you, others can only see it if you allow them to see it, you will be able to know your skills faster that way". It was just a bonus thing I added to my believers configuration, it is kinda painful when I see people having good skills but not developing them because they don't know it exist, even though the hunters guild have one card that can show your skills, it does not show everything, it is more based on what you kill per day, that is bad. The girls confirmed it by saying status and it displayed their attributes, the configuration will show up in the best way someone understand. So the way someone sees their status may be different from the way others see the same Status. Your intelligence stats will determine the way you see it. "To grant divine protection to others is simple, just pray for them in my name, it will be granted automatically or you can get it if you have a level of faith in me" I explained "the skill points is what you can use to level up your skills, the more you use the skills will also make it grow, you can earn skill points from defeating monsters" The girls skills were the same except the level of their control and base stats, for example Rita's stats looked like this; Name: Rita Genji ivy Level: 80 Race : Warwolf Class: Oracle of the God of Time and Space LP : 10,000/10,000 MP: 15,000/15,000 Strength: 4,657 Stamina: 3,000 Dexterity: 2,000 Luck: 2,000 Skill points: 5 Divine protection of God Genji UNIQUE SKILLS Storage 2x Experience 5/5 Lives left SKILLS Oracle Lv1 Cooking Lv1 Dancing Lv4 Elemental magic Lv1 Her HP and MP was more than Rasha and syrana even if combined, all oracle earn the double experience skill that help them to earn double experience for each kill. The Oracle skill has the ability to connect with a god of you pray, at level 5 the skill will allow me to descend into the body of the oracle. Above level 5 will help me to use magic if I descend into her body. The skills of the remaining girls were all the same thing in terms of HP and MP, but they had different skills apart from the oracle skill and Elemental magic. They all bow down to me as they left, I guess they want to stats helping get more followers, good work girls I will reward you all when I get to the divine realm. Now that I think about it Lisa will be the only person that will be helping manage the affairs of my believers, I guess if I go back to the divine realm, I will go with Aspen too, I will be able to work with her. Back to reality, I need to teach this people how to use magic, that means I will take my time here. Well this should be fun. ______________ The next day, after the Artifact has been installed, a festival was held in the beastmen kingdom, it was held in my honor. But it was done in a way that not everyone will understand that I am a God. It was just used to celebrate a hero. The oracles that I choosed from the tribes, each began their magic training, though it was simple for them, due to the effects of my divine protection. They were able to feel the flow of Mana in their body very fast, by the end of the day, they could use spells low rank spells like Fireball. On a side note,I did not explain the ranks of magic in the mortal realm: there is Low-rank, mid-rank, King-rank, and then the peak of mortals the saint-rank, only Gods can use the God-rank. While I am on this planet the rank of magic I can use is saint-rank, God-rank only works with beings that have divinity. When the oracles practiced magic in front of the people, the beastmen were surprised, but when they explained that believing on me will grant them a lot of benefits. At the end ⅔ of the people were able to use magic to King-rank, ⅓ of the remaining could use saint rank spells, but majority of them were the oracles. I spent the days after that, writing on the books I created with creation magic, I wrote even the basic explanation of each spells. I gave each copy to the oracles to spread the teaching. It was fun seeing everyone busy, the followers i was having kept increasing by every hour, but unfortunately I can't bring up my status that contains the number of my believers. If I want to do so, I have to go the administration dimension. _____________ After spending two weeks in the beastmen kingdom. I went out of the beastmen kingdom to catch some fresh air. I floated in the sky to see the ground. The environment around the beastmen kingdom was benefiting from the artifact I created so their was sunlight around, there was a huge number of light Spirits playing around. I asked them for information about any undead in the environment, but they claimed there was none.  I guess the undead can feel that there is sunlight here, they must be avoiding this place, at least this will help the beastmen to develop further. I proceed to move further away from the beastmen kingdom, after moving about 20 kilometers away from the reach of the sunlight. I smell the feeling of the dead. It was an arid smell of rotten corpse, not one but many. I used the compass to locate them as I went down from the sky to exterminate them. I met with 3 vampires, but the thing about them was that they were fully armed as if going to battle, they also was a lot of similar armed skeletons at a slightly far distance from them, it looks like the vampires was the head of the army. When they saw me in the air. One of them brought out a little big cube like tool, when the cube was pointed at me, it began to vibrate, were they waiting for me. "It looks like he was also the one responsible for the sunlight. And he came to us here, Lucky~" "I can hardly believe Vale lost to a human this weak~" "Don't lose your concentration, it looks like he has some kind of trump card" The three vampires look like there were waiting for the night time to come, so that they can lead the undead skeletons to invade the beastmen kingdom But when they saw me, they confirmed I was the one that killed the vampire at the coastline dungeon. The also confirmed I was the one responsible for the sunlight that was present in the beastmen kingdom. "Hello, the way you guys are looking at me indicate you have some business with me~, but this is the first time I have met you, it will be bad if I don't introduce myself, I am the hero Genji." I stated in a light tone, it was obvious I was just trying to provoke them. "You dare! You call yourself a hero!, well that must be our fault for not noticing you till you grew up to this stage" one said. "Well, not one has appeared in the last 700 years that why we thought the holy gods have given up, but they sneakily let a hero be born!" the second one said. "But you will die here, you having been using flying magic since a while ago, for a hero, you have high amount of Mana, but it is not infinite, you will soon run out of Mana before you think of defeating us, I knew Vale was pretty weak, he was just all bark but no bite" The three talked in session as if they were relatives, guess I should use analyse to check their names  Oh I see.... The three are family, 2 brothers and their little sister. But for the average colony without an S-rank hunter just one of the three will be strong enough to kill every human in it. I can fight them now but there won't be point in it, I can use this confrontation as a stepping stone to earn more faith from my believers in the beastmen kingdom. I will run for now, they will take it as an act of fear and will walk into my trap. Instead of replying to them i used my wind spell to project myself faster backwards as I pretend to escape. "Hahaha, run human before our might!..." "We will offer you head to king Blaiz...!" "Such a weakling, we will proceed at nightfall, the beastmen story will end tonight...!" I heard them saying from a distance. Looks like they fell for it.

A low growl was coming out from the mouth of the dragon but, i was unfazed, i was not even affected by the pressure. Analyse revealed the stats of the dragon, it HP was flat Zero while it MP was less than the poison Hydra i fought in the Abyss, to cap it all it was a Level 300 weakling. Unknown to everyone else, the spear I have being using was in a dormat state, but even it dormant state was strong enough to kill normal kind of monsters, but for this Zombie dragon with Zero HP. I had to push the spear into it 2nd form. "Spring to life my spear" The Mana being released into the environment from my body began to get absorbed by the spear as it golden brown color changed to full gold, the metal blade at it end changed into a crystal blade. Mana condensed onto my whole body as some sort of armor, the pressure radiating from my entire body was enough to make the dragon flinch in surprise. As i took a step forward, the dragon took a step back. Any onlooker would not have believed their eyes, if they had been lucky to witness this scene. I simply disappeared from the front of the dragon to appear on top of it, bringing down a slash diagonally onto it spine, caused the dragon to roar painfully. It tried to flap it wings but a quick swing from me was enough to cut it wings down, I threw my weapon at the Magic crystal from the space I had cut open on the back of the dragon. On reaching the stone, the stone chattered into pieces as the dragon corpse sank to the ground in death. I jumped off it back and landed back beside the girls in the Air ball. They were both looking at me in awe and fear, Realising my present form is dangerous to them, i disparsed the Mana on my body as my spear return back to it dormant form. Even after returning to normal and releasing the Air ball, the girls refused to talk to with me, they were looking at me  with eyes of 'what the hell just happened!' "And we are done, too bad I destroyed it Magic stone, I could have used it to create something strong" i said to dispell the mood. "*Deep breath* well Genji thanks for surviving but can you explain what you really are because I did not see you moving at all, I just saw you disappear and reappear only to find the dragon dead" resha said as she took a step back. "you must have moved very fast my eyes can't follow, we need the truth, what are you really, I have been thinking about it since yesterday, you were able to create beds from Magic stone and you had very strong weapons that only S- rank hunters can hope to buy, don't hid anything from us please!" syrana said as the two of them moved closer to each other. Taking a deep breath, i moved closer to them before casting a spell to prevent others from hearing. *Wind Spirits: Wind ball, Dark spirits: illusion, Fire spirits: Fire ball* each spell was to prevent others from coming into this location, I took out 3 Magic stones and made 3 chairs with creation magic. After setting it down, I began to tell them the truth. "To explain everything to you, is that I am a God" "... A God! The superior beings that live in the upper worlds watching over us...!" "No way! you mean to tell us you are a superior lifeform...!" The two of them interpreted what i said in their own way, but i continued... ".... Remember I told you I don't have memories of what happened when I first met you, it was because I don't know how you will behave if you knew the truth about me, I came to this world to save the people from the demon king...." I told them of how the gods were concerned about their state and how they have being trying to help them but things have not been progressing well, due to heros being killed, the gods had no choice than to either chose destruction of the world or send one of their own to save the people. ".... And that is all of it, I choose to come to this world to kill the demon king" i concluded with a smile. "....that explains it, no wonder you have no fear of anything, and you looked perfect in all ways, you are right" Rasha said as she continue to look at her toes. "And you have the ability to create new things from old stuff..." Syrana said in realisation. "that ability to create new things from old items is not my real power, I can create new things from nothing and I can create anything" I correct their option. "but if you are all powerful like you say, you could have gone straight to defeat the demon king, isn't that right syrana?" Rasha asked. "That true, what is stopping you from marching on to the demon king and killing him straight forward?" syrana asked too "Well to put it simple is that I am in my sealed State, some kind of restraint is put on my powers here that why I can't do as I please throughout, if I was in my full state, a single spell from me can kill the whole demons on this planet and that will be all, but if I do that it will result in a big war between Gods and it will result in the destruction of a lot of worlds, that why I have to defeat the demon Lord in a lowly manner" ""I see~"" was all they could reply to me, am sure they don't understand, but let leave it at that. "The main thing is now, I have told you about my goal, I am not going to force you to join me in my Adventures, it will be dangerous but it should be fine, I can protect all of you but the two of you with me will help make my work easier, I can trust you to also take care of yourself, what is your choice, don't worry we have all the time in the world for you to answer"  I said as i cancelled the spells protecting Intruders from coming in. I was about to move forward when two hands grabbed me down. "we are in, this is a chance to save people from living like livestock, let be together till you are done" Rasha said "We will go with you, we will make sure to free the normal races from the cluthes of the demon king" syrana said as they both grasped my soft hand. Two beautiful girls were looking straight into my eyes, my face was getting very hot and on the verge of exploding but i managed to drop a normal line. "Thanks guys, I will make sure you never regret following me" I said as they let go of my hand, the three of us faced opposite sides as we tried to get over our embarrassment. The smell of the corpse of the dragon had attracted some few undead skeletons holding rusty weapons. "I should defeat these undead, so that they won't attack our colony"  I wanted to cast a spell, But a fire spell landed in the midst of the skeletons and they were burnt to crisp, i looked at syrana to find her smiling. "we are a party, we cover up for each other's Negligence" she said. We made our way back to the colony while encountering undead skeletons. "What is wrong today, when we were going we did not meet any undead but they are every where now, something that is attracting them is nearby" syrana said as she casted a spell to blow away another set of Skeletons. "I think that should be my fault" The two looked at me in surprise. "I pushed my spear to it second form, that means a large amount of Mana was released, the undead are attracted to the holy Elements present in my Mana, they must be trying to eliminate me" I confessed. "You have have holy Elements in your mana?" "yes, as a God I can master and use all kind of magic, which means I have both dark and light magic, the undead can sense the holy counterpart, they find it a threat to them, they want to eliminate me by all means, well this is better because I don't have to search for them they will search for me" we reached the entrance of their colony, before I  stopped and faced back. "There is Light spirits in this place, I can use them to eliminate the undead in this area * Light spirits: Wave of Life*" as soon as i casted the spell, thick Mana shoot out with a *Vroom* and the whole environment was filled with blinding light. The light extended down in all angles and as they came in contact with the undead, they disintegrate completely without living ashes. When the wave of life reach the dead trees, they sprang back to life and green grass began to grow. I looked up to the sky before concluding a God somewhere had done something now. The spell I used was a normal spell not a miracle spell. (Wave of Life spell, is not supposed to breath life into the trees or make the vegetations grow, it just a spell used to exterminate undead and allow them to go to the underworld, Something is fishy somewhere but I can't sense it due to this Artifacts, there is a limit to what a normal human sense can grasp...) "wow, I can't believe grasses are growing again, even the trees are recovering, as expected of Genji" syrana said while her eyes sparkled, syrana was a mage so this new spell was enough to light up her curious spirit. While Rasha only looked on in awe. I cough to bring them back to reality, and we soon entered the colony so as to sell their earnings of today. ____________________ Syrana POV After getting to the 3 floor of the ivory dungeon where the hunters guild building was, Genji opened the door to find out a mini spectacle. Unknown to us, the women present when he came to register in the morning have all informed their friends and they gathered themselves waiting for him to turn up.  The guild receptionist was one of them, she had asked me if we were coming to sell our dungeon earnings and she had specifically given us the quest of going to the Golem dungeon. she also changed the time limit of the quest so that we will work hard to beat the time limit. The women were all gathered to see the handsome man that had come with the white wings.(party of Rasha and syrana) The men had apparently gotten news of their plan and they waited in rage waiting for the white wings to come back As soon as we entered, the guild noise became silent and we felt the states of almost everyone around on us.  Rasha did not notice the atmosphere immediately as she were still talking with genji but they soon noticed the atmosphere when they did not hear any sound apart from their voice. As the party made it way to the receptionist counter, they began to hear hush whispering from people all over, while a lot of men were clicking their tongues at Genji. After reaching their turn, they were to submit their guild card where the daily record will be written down and the card will be reseted back to zero. After receiving Genji's Guild card, the receptionist screamed and fainted back to the chair that was behind her. The while guild result into panic as even the guild master immediately came out from his office. After taking Genji's card from the receptionist, he also screamed before covering his mouth and faced Genji. "Please come into my office now, and one of you should wake Mary up!" he said as he hurried back to his office.  The White wings party followed after him. "Welcome to my office, permit me to ask you some very urgent questions, how the hell did you kill a Zombie dragon on your own?! And can you explain what this card is displaying, the card cannot make mistakes so what happened?!" He asked as he began sweating. Realisation soon dawn on me, the Guild card was an artifact that counted the total number of defeated monsters, the Zombie dragon would be recorded too and the number of skeletons that Genji had use the wave of life to defeat... To prove the point his guild record now looked like this; Number of Clay golems killed=[34] Number of silver golems killed= [45] Number of silver knight killed =[1] Number of Zombie dragon killed= [1] Number of Undead solder skeletons killed= [3,234] Number of lesser class vampire killed= [145] Number of monster Zombie killed= [5,789] no wonder the guild receptionist fainted.... No matter how you look at it, this is not possible for a normal human.

"what happened to me?! Is this the after life?!" I shouted as I abruptly open my eyes to find myself in space. I mean literal space, I could see stars and some mass of rocks I could not really identify, racking my brain made me remember what just happened to me. I had been so physiologically stressed that I end up walking right into the path of an incoming bus. Don't get me wrong, it not like I wanted to die early, I was just to tired from life problems that I couldn't imagine me living my life without my job. My parents died 7 years ago and I had been on my own. No girlfriend, no wife, no real purpose in life. I was just living. My boss had finally pushed the button of death for me when he gave me the sack letter. Remember my body being crushed by the bus send shivers down my spine. Some how I was relieved to be dead, I count death as freedom from the whole pain I had been enduring while alive. I tried moving my body to find it stiff, after some few trials I got the feeling of somewhat tiredness. (I guess this is what is called eternal rest). I just released my body to the sleep ∆∆∆ "Mmm" I said stretching my arms and legs, I could move them easily now, from my memories I had confirmed that I am dead and I should be in the afterlife probably waiting to be reincarnated like I read from some light novels in my spare time. But after waiting for some time I can appropraite to be minutes, I suppose since there was not a clock here, I tried moving around from my initial position which I found easy but just with a little resistance which I readily overcame. I could move by just imagining where to move-to and speed of movement. I was also wondering while I was able to move freely in this situation but thinking to hard about it will surely give me head aches. If this is indeed the afterlife why I had not meet another dead soul like me?. But later abandoned the idea since nobody really knows how after life works, it not like someone has died and come back before.. I found it strange at first since there was not a physical foothold for me to put my legs. I stopped experimenting on the movement as I await what i expect to be some sort of god to appear to me, probably to give me a chance at another life since I died to early in my last life, i was just 27 years old. I tried to remember my name which I discovered was "Genji" I also tried to remember my surname and meaning of my name but my brain gave me nothing. I guess surnames don't exist in the after life. I resumed the moving straight forward, fortunately I did not get hungry I was pretty okay, I also did not feel lonely since I was a loner back while I was alive. But the way this thing is, it feels like I am not really in the afterlife.. Well let not think about it much. Till I got a glimpse of a bright rainbow light coming from a rift in space. It was circular in structure and gave some sort of pressure. I was surprised I was affected by pressure despite probably being a ghost. Looking at it simple made me get a feeling of dangerous and I made sure to avoid it. I continue moving forward coming across some broken rocks which I assume should've meteorite, I am guessing meteorite exist in the afte life, I tried touching it but surprisingly brittle, a single touch from me crush it througly. I can't really understand if this is an afterlife or what??! Ghost are not supposed to be able to touch anything else right? I pretty much avoided the rocks till I reach a visible end of the "space". The environment pretty much changed and it was so obvious that I could literally feel the difference, I have been coming from a place where many obstacles and object exist but the new area I was was free from any object, I could see everything in a straight line, just stars and some glowing lights. Basking in joy for discovering a new place. I tried moving forward but I notice some sort of coloured chains were holding me in place. Looking around to see some fast moving individuals with bright wings and holding spears in their hands. In less than a second I was surrounded by 3 individuals. "Do not try to resist, if you do you will only increase the charges against you..." "Idiot, don't try to provoke it ? I have never seen this before.." " Contact the sun goddess now, this being is not something we should try to fight, since it is not interested in fighting us, we might be able to talk with it..." (wow talk about rude, even if I am a ghost(probably) I am still in my last worn work clothes, I am a male, address me as a "he", but wait who are this people they don't look like humans to me, and from what I see they have wings and an halo on their head, let me try to talk with them, probably they can explain what is happening) (Genji) "Hmm, can you hear me?" I said "Weelll it talked, this prove it is intelligent" "What should we say to it, hey you say something" "I have contacted the sun goddess, she will be here soon, we need to talk with it and buy time if anything" The three individuals were whispering but I could clearly hear what they were saying. They look more of what I could call angels than normal people. "Who are you?"I stated again more confused. "we could say the same to you? we are Arc-Angels guarding this section of the divine Realm, the place of the Olympian Gods" "You are not part of any identified being we know of" "the sun goddess will soon be here, please do well to wait peacefully" From what I understand from the conversation, these people are Arc Angels serving gods in the divine Realm. What are gods? And divine Realm is that this place? I don't really understand anything that is happening here, I am supposed to be dead and currently should be in the afterlife. (... From what these angels said, i don't know where I currently am, but I can say I am not in the after life, I wonder what will happen to me now...) I think? "Haha she is here" The voice of the angel made me remember that I was still in a questionable situation, bring me back to reality. "What do we have here? is this the emergency situation you reported? very well I will take it from here go back to your work post" A beautiful woman wearing armor and holding a spear like weapon was standing near me before I noticed, I also noticed that the angels? I was talking with has disappeared. "Hmm should I introduce myself first or..." I said not feeling hostility from the new comer. "where are my manners? I am Athena, the first daughter of the God king Zeus, leader of the Olympians," says the woman as she introduced herself. "Well, I am Genji, I don't really know what I am but nice to meet you"  Looking closely at the woman made me realize she was a very beautiful woman, if I want to describe her, one in a million world class beauty will not work here. She had a gentle face but I could also feel some sort serious personality from her. "I have confirmed that you are not lying, you don't really know what is happening, I guess we can let you go for free now, but we need to talk, talking here is a bad idea, let me take you to my temple" she said. Immediate she said those words I experience a mild sensation of floating and before I realized we were in a different place. To describe it in words is simply elegant. We were in a private room like place, the walls were golden in color, the ceiling was high and painted white. I could see a pair of Sofa with a table in between them. Though the design table and chairs are things have never seen before in my life, I could see it was clearly made of some superior material. "You look like you are used to space teleportation to me, you are not surprised" she asked "What is space teleportation?"that word sounds like what you read from light novels and manga, probably when the MC get transported to another world. I could reason that the method she used to change our locations most likely be "space teleportation" but I could not really understand it, but I guess it was magic. Being in space for a long time has made me feel some sort of resistance to the teleportation she talked about. "You really don't understand anything, I can hardly believe you are not lying, if I am not using my skill to confirm it myself, so let start from the top, what is the first thing you remember?" She began as she sipped some coffee? or what from a cup, I did not notice when the cup appeared. "I remember finding myself in space and that all, I started moving and I found myself here with the Angels stopping me..." I told her the truth since she said something about confirmed through a skill whether I was lying or not. "So to make you understand faster, let me help your body to adapt to the rules of the divine Realm!" she declared *snap* After a snap from her tender looking fingers, a small rainbow coloured ball appeared in her other hand and she stretched her hand giving it to me. Indicating I take it from her. I stretched out a hand and received it from her but immediately I touched the ball, series of information flowed into my brain, I was frozen for almost 10 second. "I see" was all I could say  The ball she has given me was called the "knowledge circle" it contains all knowledge of the universe, but the surprising factor is that it only gives you the information you need, meaning the whole information that was imprinted in my memory was just everything I need to know for now. I now understand that I was in a place where The rulers of the Multiverse lives, and luckily for me I had been confused enough to just follow the instructions she gave me without even arguing. As this goddess had the authority to deliver judgement on anybody who attacked her. I also got some information on how things work in the divine Realm like how angels work as messenger of the gods. "Have you finally taken it in, i am waiting here" she said interrupting me. "Indeed, I understand what I need to know" I returned the "Knowledge circle" to her and she made it disappear with another snap. "So from what I have seen here, you are a god, Welcome to the Divine Realm God Genji!" she proclaim Uhh what?!! me a God, I think you are joking.

∆Aspen POV∆We just returned from shopping in a nearby shop in the ivory dungeon.The shop we went to was not really large, it just contain some clothing materials for females, there was also a selection for males but since lord Genji was not with us we skipped those, the equipment Rasha and syrana had were given to them by him, and it was all top quality items. I received telepathy from Lord Genji that he will take some time off to visit the beastmen.  As a subordinate God, it was part of my work list to lessen the work of my superior, but I was not ordered to do that. But I know what was required from me. After passing the message across to the two girls, they voiced their concerns for him. But I told them not to worry about him. "I am his representative, if you need anything let me know " I said to them. "Nah, after today we should take up quests in the guild or what do you think rasha " syrana asked as she began to eat a fruit she bought when we went out. "Hmm-mm" was Rasha reply. Even though we just moved to this new house. The four children at home we already done exploring indoors, they went out saying they want to make new friends. Childrens are just little bundle of joy if you have them. As a Goddess that have lived for over 50,000 years, I have seen a lot of things happen to mortals, something I find it interesting and sometimes I find it the other way round. Seeing those children running around gives me joy. It made me remember some memories; I left the divine realm after completing my goddess rank exam, I chose to establish myself on a planet but a mess-up from me made me got punished for a lot of years. Ever since then, I have been avoiding the divine realm. The high ranked gods find it easy, they possess tremendous power, so that easily destroying planets is simple to them. But thanks to the divine realm rules, their power is always curbed, but even still they still vent out stress sometimes by giving out unreasonable trials. Since only the trio of us were inside the house, I want to take my time to draft a plan that will guide us till lord Genji will come back.  But I noticed that the two girls were communicating with their eyes, it was as if the wanted to ask me some questions.After some deliberations, Rasha braved herself to ask. "So Aspen, we did not have enough time to talk before but we do now, who are you really?" Rasha asked. "To answer your question will lead me to tell you a story of a very long time ago..." Long ago before Planet Engla was created, I became the goddess of nature of the world. The humans served the light goddess while the other races served me as their God. It was an era of progress where I could come down to the mortals and stay with them for days without any problems. The mortals developed one thing after the other under my divine guidance, since majority of the long loved mortals were my believers who earned my divine protection. Until suddenly, I got a message from the light goddess that the holy gods would fight another race of Gods known as the devils. In terms of power the two race of Gods were evenly matched. So a physical fight between them will result in a more destructive result just like the old war of 'Titanomachy'.  After an emergency meeting where all the gods attended, the two race of gods decided to fight a proxy war using the mortals, the devil gods began to create demons and monsters. The rule stated was each side of the gods will only provide weapons and skills to their people, directly interfering is out of the question. After the meeting, the gods created the divine realm regulations that prevent physical descent in the mortal realm, I was pained that I would no longer be able to enjoy physical meeting with my followers, but I had to abandon my sweet dreams when the first world I establish myself got dragged into the war. Using the authority of the devil Gods, the demons and monsters began to invade my world. The humans were already prepared as the light goddess has created a hero, she also gave her Oracle a revelation of what is to come. I made the mistake of not creating a hero early, at that time the only way for the gods to give a powerful skill to a mortal is to synchronize it with their soul whenever a child was conceived. The war had already began and the humans were doing their best to push the demons back. My believers also began to contribute their part to the war. After the major war had been fought and won, the humans that led the charge against the demons considered themselves superior than the other races, war broke out amongst them.  The humans began to attack and enslave the other races. The other races fought back and it led to a huge number of people dying. To settle the fight I ignored the rules of the divine realm as I descend to stop the fight from going out of hands, but damage had already been done. The light goddess that put me in charge of guiding the world soon heard the news, as a result of my actions I was punished. I was made the goddess of Engla when after it was created. To prevent the same thing to ever happen again. I modified the race of the elves, the high elves,and the dark elves to gain the ability to communicate with spirits. I also put them in duty of guarding the world tree. To prevent planet Engla being noticed from being noticed by the devils, I banned magic that can led to summoning the demons. But unfortunately a necromancer erred in a spell and that resulted in the summoning of the first demon. The devil gods soon used that advantage to summon other demons to this world. But this time, I had a hero already matured for battle. He teamed up with other strong people I directed towards him, they were on course for victory. I discovered that a human hero had also been born, it was a hero created by the light goddess. I found this development to be good news as she had the power to create stronger hero skills than me. After the hero party began the assault in the demons, the rest of the hero died in the war with the great demon lord, only the hero of the humans remained. After fighting the demon lord and beating him to a state where he could soon die, the hero thought he could try to unite demons and humans. But the great demon lord betrayed and killed him when his guard was down. The great demon lord led the war to conquer the now weakened races, i tried all my best as I was able to help my believers by creating an environment for them to live in.  The other races had to struggle more and fend for themselves. "...it now sums up to why Lord Genji is here" I concluded. "Wow, you are a real goddess in flesh, I thought only genji was cool but you are also cool in your own right" "Should we kneel down to worship you?" "No it is fine, I am more of a human now, don't worry about all that." The two girls don't have a full understanding of what I said but they got the main idea. "The main plan now is to make the two of you strong." I said with all seriousness I could muster up. "Are we not strong enough~, my level is high enough to make me an A-rank hunter though" Rasha whined. "Don't say that Rasha, we are very weak, Genji killed a vampire and a dragon on his own and he also can use spells on a very strong scale, we should reach that level too!" Syrana said. Though she was right, the only problem is that she was comparing herself with the wrong person. "It is true that you are still weak and you can get stronger, but please don't compare yourself with Lord Genji, you can't reach that level of power" I told them. "Since Genji is not coming back soon, the only thing to encourage him when he comes back is to be very strong." Syrana said. "I will go along with the plan." Rasha said. "I am happy to hear your words, this Aspen will make your dream a reality, let rest today, tomorrow we will take up quests and level up!!" The three of us began to anticipate for the morrow.

Genji's POV The guild master was sweating, he could not even sit down on his chair. (What should I say now....) I was thinking on what to say "Guild master, we won't be able to tell you in details because it is our secret weapon, but Genji did kill those monsters" Rasha said to the guild master. thanks rasha you saved me there "well, it has been done, I have no choice but to contact the Guild masters of the other colonies, there is a rule that demands we call an emergency meeting when we discover an abnormality like that" the guild master said as he took out an artifact from his drawer, after pressing some buttons, he nodded in confirmation. "well, White wings please wait in the guild for now, I have to go meet the others, we will inform you of the results of the meeting, Genji's Guild card will be with me for now" he said before disappearing, it was obvious that he had teleported. We left the guild master office in silence. Returning to the major section of the building, we went straight to the sale section where, we could trade our dungeon earnings for money. The whole guild was silent as everyone watch our movements, Rasha and syrana was feeling uncomfortable with the stares from everyone around, but i was unfazed. Well I don't have fear, hardly can something make me afraid. The guild worker at the exchange point, led us to a separate building that looked more of a warehouse, when i told him we had a lot of spoils and we want to sell everything off. "w-wow....! That is a lot, I have never seen so much golems as this for sale...!" the guild worker lost a bit of his composure but he began to evaluate the items. A silver Golem was sold for 20 Gold coins, The silver knight was sold for 40 Gold coins, Everything they sold was equal to 940 Gold coins, i determined not to sell the Magic stones gotten from the clay golems as they could be used for creating new items with creation magic. We had already decided on how to spilt the money when we get back, we returned to the guild to meet the guild master waiting for us, another receptionist ushered us into his office. The guild master looked more calm, he had a scroll on his table that bear the seal of the hunters guild. After they sat down on the chairs provided. I was made to sit down in between the the two girls "After the impromptu meeting the guild has decided to raise the rank of Genji from F to the Hero Rank: that is a special rank" he began. He gave the scroll to me. He told them of how the killing record of my Guild card had apparently proved i was a super strong human because only a super human could kill thousands of undead in a single day. They would have promoted me to S- rank, but the monsters i defeated where the enemies of humanity, which led to the guild promoting him to the Special Hero Rank. The party rank was also raised from C-rank to A-rank. "Your guild card has been reissued to this one" the guild master said as he handed a Silver metal card to me. "The guild has a special quest for your party, there is a place we need you to investigate, it is a dungeon near the coastline, there is record of plenty vampires being sited there, originally only S-rank parties are allowed there, but they all returned injured, we suspect that there is a high rank vampire there, we need you to eliminate the vampire, you can take this as promotion exam for your hero rank. You can go there tomorrow" the guild master said as he sighed as if a troublesome burden has been placed on him. After thanking the guild master we left his office, we met Miranda outside where she apologized to me for her attitude earlier. I only smiled at her as i told her not to worry, only for her face to turn red. I also tried to touch her hand to prove that i was not angry at her, but it resulted into her almost fainting, but i soon heard shouting from the females in the guild as they began to move towards me, their eyes were scary. who claimed I don't have fear again, I think that was me; I am definitely an idiot. But luckily Rasha and syrana grabbed me between their hands as they fled the guild building. We ran to the teleportation circle as we made our way to the lowest floor of the dungeon where we live. _______________________________ ".....And that is what happened today, we are now an A-rank party and we have enough money to buy a new house on the higher floors" Rasha said as she told the 4 kids that we left at home. She did not include the part that i was a God because the children knowing that information could put them in a dangerous situation. The three of us decided to keep that secret amongst themselves till it was right for the populace to know. I told them i wanted to rest as i laid down my futon and closed my eyes. I wanted to visit the Administration realm. Wishing that my soul to depart from mh body did the trick. ________________________ I soon found himself in the Administration realm where the angels bowed to me as soon as they saw me. This attitude is something that still calm me down. The truth is that i found the previous action of the planet to be suspicious that was why I came here to this realm so as to take a better look at it. The angels on duty confirmed that they saw my spell and they noticed the abnormality too, but they could not really pinpoint the culprit. After a series of through checking, i concluded that it was the planet itself that took advantage of the spell i casted. The planet has been ravaged by the demons and the ecosystem has been destroyed in a lot of places. When the planet felt the wave of life that i used, it took the advantage of restoring itself. "I guess, I should visit the Abyss Again, I should be able to contact the planet itself from the dungeon core of the abyss, that place has the highest concentration of Mana on the planet, or any dungeon core should do the job"  i concluded my research. "Lord Genji sure is a fast worker, it has just been a few days that he got to the planet and he has already become a hero, he also has two beautiful women with him...." The arc angel writing my conclusion down said as she managed to stop herself from laughing. "Common, I didn't actually plan that, I guess things just fall into place like that, when I am down there I can't control fate, so I just have to let things work as they please" I complained. "Well, lady Athena said we should keep an eye on you, she told us to contact her if you try to have fun with the residents of the mortal realm, you can't go making Demi-Gods as you please" the angel said with a big smile. "ugh... Why the hell did she make that rule? I can't even have fun" the rules of the sun goddess is strict, I protest by trying to stamp my feet, it only made me look cute from the angels perspective and they burst out laughing. "well, you gods do love causing chaos if you are allowed to do as you please always, there will be problem in the lower planets every time, well it not my place to tell you that" "I hope the God king has not made a child again....?" I asked. "Well lady Athena made him stay in the Divine realm, as a punishment for a while, well he can leave anytime he want, it looks like he is trying to prove he has changed...." The angel said as my body began to turn white signifying my return to my body, I guess my time is up. "Well-done guys, good luck with your work, see you later" i said as i disappeared. "Indeed, Lord Genji" the angels bowed. ______________ After Genji left. The angels held meeting to discuss about him. "God Genji is a God that is easy to talk with, if he wants to employ angels I won't mind working under him" one said. "If it was some other God, we would have to bow throughout as we spoke" another said. "He has a gentle personality, even when we meet in the Divine realm he always acts humble" "it not everyday you see a gentle god, majority of the gods are proud beings" another said. "Well let work hard so that we can assist him with his work, we can recommend ourself that way" The arc angel said to them as they each went to their work table to continue their task. _____________________________ "Wow this is a beautiful sight, compare to what we saw yesterday" Rasha voiced her opinion in good mood as the three of us left the entrance of the ivory dungeon. The once dead environment was filled with light from sunlight as the vegetations looked green with vitality, the trees around were green and fruitful. "So this is the way the outside world supposed to be" syrana said too. Only I was feeling awkward, the rate at which the environment had changed for one day, was too fast, it confirmed my suspicion that the planet was doing something in the background. The once dark clouds have been cleared and sunlight infiltrated the whole place. (That means the dark clouds is actually a spell made with dark Magic, Light magic is a natural enemy, when I used Life wave, it cleared up the clouds too).  I thought before taking a look at the map we had gotten from the guild master. When i tried to enter the guild building this morning, Rasha and syrana had to stay beside me to reinforce the security from the swarm of women. The news that i was now a special hero rank hunter had spread like widefire amongst the hunter Guild. The women were trying to work their way into what they call my harem, not that I have any right? And the men were jealous of me, Leading to the Massive increase in my admirers and haters. I used a spell to lift the three of us into the atmosphere, i was able to pinpoint the location of the where we were going to from above, after I controlled the spell to move with speed towards the direction. We soon left the region where my light wave spell ranged reached. Inside the windball, there was no increase in pressure or lack of air to breath and the three of us engage in a conversation to to while away time, after 20 minutes we reached the coastline. The dungeon was pretty visible as a little cave with an opening stood out in the sands of the white beach. Landing down, i gave the girls their equipment while also giving them Health and Mana portions too. "We are probably going to fight with a high class vampire, and we are about to enter a dungeon, I won't be able to use light Spirits there, but I can still win without breaking a sweat, but you guys may need to fight the vampires too, in order to gain experience to level up...." I said as we got to the entrance, I also removed my spear from the Dimensional storage. The two girls wore the light armor that I made for them with creation magic, it was color white signifying the party name. I was also in a white colored armor, the party preparation was complete, it was time to start my first mission as a hero.

After the complete massacre of the vampire army. I returned to the beastmen kingdom with fast pace.  The while kingdom began a festival to celebrate their safety.My oracles were part of the main star of the festival. They all went in to get dressed for the festival.Since I used wind magic to collect the magic stones of the undead I killed. I planned to use the whole stones to create some artifacts.(I also have gotten a lot of skill points now, I should level up spirit magic...) Even though it was nighttime, the women began to cook meat that was kept safe in the Magic bag that was produced. Since all my oracles could use excellent space magic after some few days, I gave them an order to try to enchant the bags so that it can become magic bags, where you can store a lot of things without increase in size or weight of the bag. Though the oracles had the storage skill, but I still wanted to make sure the learnt the necessary skill. After practicing 'enchant magic', they were able to create the magic bag. Beastmen generally were dexterous, the beastmen that got my divine protection also had began to learn magic, if they continue with this trend in less than 5 years they should be able to produce excellent mages, that will be the peak of mortals (Saint-rank). The festival continued far into the night till it was my time to deliver a speech.I rose up on little stage I created with earth spirits.(Wow, everyone is anxiously waiting for my words, must not let them down...)After giving an hearty speech for 5 minutes I concluded the speech with..."this is just the beginning, the beastmen will rise and grow up until we exceed our very own limits." After my speech, the oracles did a special kind of dance for the audience, I was also given a cup to raise a toast to freedom.  The party lasted till the following morning, I left before the end though. I was given a special room in the kings palace.(...I should visit them in the administration dimension today, I wish to check if they have successfully correct the normal flow of time.) I thought as I slept off, wishing my soul to visit the Administration dimension. ____________ The Angels were in a little party mode when I got there, it looks like they joined the party we were having in the beastmen kingdom. "So any problems?" I asked the obvious question that made me come here. "No, we were able to correct the flow of time, we were also able to locate the source of the black clouds of the center continent..." The arc angel said. "I see, then no need for me to worry then, have you started the processing of the skills" I asked, the angels in the administration dimension were responsible for the skills every body on the planets had, apart from oracles that the gods in questions will chose separately. "We have began, the beastmen have potential, but it has been locked for a very long time, though you are teaching them magic which is fine, in some few years time if they will be able to build up an empire, the results will be good." "Guess, I am on the correct route, I can't see the future when I am down there, but you angels here should be able to see the future more than me" "Yes, the best route to follow is that you watch over the beastmen for the years that they will use to build up their kingdom." The angel claimed. "But that will take time, I should kill the vampire king before then, a lot of people will die the more I wait." "It can't be helped, during your battle, one of the three vampires you killed, sent a message to their king, though we can't say where he went to due to the divine protection of the Devil Gods, but he left this world on to grow stronger..." It looks like the vampire king, left on a journey to get stronger, the battle between me and a vampire had gotten across to him, he had judged that he was too weak to fight me and win, but that was not the most important thing here. "But magic to leave a planet is not something just everybody can pull off, you either use the authority of a god or you use teleportation, but teleportation can only take you to where you have been before..." "Well the only thing we noticed was that after the messenger bird got to him, he immediately went into his vault and began to cast the spell to leave this world." "Does that means he is not coming back?" I asked "We can't say for sure, he has the divine protection of a Devil God, we can't see his future, Lord Genji will be able to see his future but with your correct self, you can't." "But there is a probability that the spell he used was a summon spell." One angel chirped into our conversation. "A summoning spell would mean, he had a tool that will help him to align the summoners will to his own, but you claimed he is not on the planet anymore right?"The Actions of the vampire king Blaiz is suspicious, if you can have a spell that can summon you in the first place, you shouldn't be afraid of battle. The only thing that remains is...? "What if the summoner is the great demon lord?" I asked the question in my mind. "That should not happen, A great demon lord should be just a demon who is unparalleled in the demonic race, according to the rules of the divine realm. A great demon lord should be on the level of a hero of the holy gods." The arc angel stated, it is true that a great demon lord should not exceed what the hero can kill. "But all the vampires i have fought were once humans that became underlings of the vampire king. Yet there were very strong, the devil gods are violating the rules we all created!!"  "Looking at it from your perspective is truly revealing, converted vampires that are not pure blood should have limited strength... Something is wrong somewhere?" The arc angel said. "Let's not worry about them for now, I have a problem, would you be able to contact Aspen with telepathy?" I asked. "You are talking about the god that you made your believer, we can't send telepathy to her when she is on the surface, but when she goes back to the core of the planet we can talk then." She said with a smile, I was happy the angels here did not claim i work fast in getting women again.  "You sure do work fast huh lord Genji"( or not!!!). What the hell made them remember that, it not like angels can read the minds if gods, it is the opposite, but I can't read minds with this Artifact that is restraining my powers. "I don't understand what you mean, it is normal that the earth god of the planet will submit to me, a high ranked god, there is nothing wrong in our relationship!!" I said as I tried to avert my gaze. "So can you explain why you did not refuse her invitation when she asked to sleep in your bed when you defeat king Blaiz." The arc Angel said with a teasing smile on her face. Something about these angels is wrong, it is as if they derive joy in just making fun of me. "That was just a business move, I had to agree with her requests, I owe her a lot of things, she is making my work easier." "We know, we know~~, well lady Athena said we should keep an eye on your relationships, if you make a child with Goddess Aspen, we won't complain about that, but please don't make a child with mortals." "I know, in the first place, it not like I am s*xually deprived or something, I don't even have the urge to do anything like that with humans!!.... Wait what are you even making me to say now!!" I screamed as I realized my folly, this angels have made me to say something I should not say out. "Hahahaha, don't worry we understand your ordeal." She said admit laughter, now that I look around, all the angels that were present were also laughing.(This people laughing at my own expense...!)  "Hahaha, well that was that, let get back to business, according to your claim, you proposed that the vampire king was summoned by the great demon lord, that would mean the great demon lord is not a normal demon and since the vampire king is not in this world anymore will mean, they left together, we should have check the records of the past 2000 years to know what it look likes, but we don't have a record of it."Thankfully the arc angel changed the flow of the conversation and I picked on that. "So I am fighting enemies we don't know anything about?" "Let go along with that Lord Genji, though if we get some new information we will relay it to Aspen if possible." "I will be waiting then, the best thing for me to do now is to help the beatsmen grow, but I need to visit vampire king Blaiz castle, I will destroy the magic tool that is creating the black clouds." I proposed my nest step. "You also need to do something about the humans, if they keep staying in dungeons, their growth rate will diminish as well, if the beastmen grow too powerful, in the distant future humans will suffer." "I will do something about that when I destroy the artifact in the vampire king castle, if there is enough sunlight I can clear away every undead in the continent, then humans will have to leave the Dungeons." "Some humans like the Hunters Guild association will be pained by that, but it is for the greater good of their world" the angel said as she agree with my plan. "That all for now, Good bye" I said as I willed myself to disappear the Angels all bow as I leave. ___________ I woke up immediately to see sunlight streaming into the window near where I placed my bed. The atmosphere in the beastmen kingdom was still festive.I can't blame them, they just survived a war against a very large number of enemies without any casualties.(I should visit the ivory dungeon today, I will go and destroy the tool creating the clouds...) I thought as I stood up to get ready for my next journey.

The two parties repeated, the level up for 3 consecutive days before deciding to earn more money by accepting quests from the guild. Skills in this world was based on their levels, having your skill at level 1-3 makes you a learner, level 4-5 makes you a beginner, 6 makes you a professional, 7-8 makes you an expert, while 9-10 makes your skills divine. The whole group sure had level up well, that their status looks like this now; Name: Rasha Level: 100Race : HumanClass: Sword Saint.LP : 8,900/8,900 MP: 6,000/6,000 Strength: 2,050Stamina: 1,800Dexterity: 3,000Luck: 240Skill points: 78SKILLSSword fighting Lv 10Trap detention Lv 6Physical strengthen Lv 10Barrier Magic Lv 8Cooking Lv 8 Rasha had successful reached the peak of humanity, even though she defeats more monsters now, her level won't change the only thing that will change is her stats, they would keep increasing howbeit in a very small manner. Fighting a lot of strong opponents had given her a lot of skill points and she used it to level up her skills, and she also got new skills added to her overall skills.Her class had changed from Normal 'Warrior' to 'Sword Saint', the change occured when her Sword fighting skill reached Lv 10, apparently she had become a sword wielder that have reach the limit of her species. Unlike Rasha that had lower 'MP' than 'HP', syrana the mage stats was now; Name: Syrana Level: 100Race : HumanClass: SageLP : 5,900/5,900 MP: 15,000/15,000 Strength: 900Stamina: 1,400Dexterity: 4,590Luck: 150Skill points: 76SKILLSFire Magic Lv 8Earth Magic Lv 5Water Magic Lv 5Wind magic Lv 5Barrier Magic Lv 6Light magic Lv 3Cooking Lv 3. Her class changed from Magician to Sage, A 'Sage' class is the Advance class of magician, the class enables you to learn a lot of magic. So it was an hefty boost in the party strength. Since Aspen was a Goddess and the status that was being displayed was fake, and she could not get stronger by defeating low level monsters.Her fake status displayed: Name: Aspen Level: 80Race : HumanClass: Oracle LP : 10,000/10,000MP: 30,500/30,500 Strength: 2,000Stamina: 1,400Dexterity: 7,000Luck: 570Skill points: 1,500UNIQUE SKILLSEarth Control Storage SKILLSOracle Lv 10Fire Magic Lv 10Earth Magic Lv 10Water Magic Lv 10Wind magic Lv 10Light magic Lv 10Space Magic Lv 10Time magic Lv 10Dark Magic Lv 10Cooking Lv 1 Apart from the fact that the 'oracle' class was more advanced than the sage skill, since it gave the user the ability to learn all types of magic. It also provides a special skill known as 'oracle' since it allows a god to descend into your body, it also grant you a privilege that allows you to be able to hear and meet gods in your dreams. Though her cooking skill was low, it was obviously not her fault, in her God state, she did not need to eat or drink. Lucas party members also reached Level 100, they hardly could believe their guild card when they saw the values on it. In this world, humans rarely reach the peak of their race, and they were still weaker than the other races. The feeling made them take a quest to raise their party ranking to S-rank. And luckily the quest was easy for them, they were able to raise their guild rankings to S-rank. ==After the days of leveling up. Aspen sent Syrana and Rasha on party quests to earn money, while she led the four children around the ivory dungeon. She had a mission to fufil. Since she had the ability to use Magic to heal others, she began to work as a healer in the dungeon. People who had healing magic was rare,and it was very low, as they could only heal scratches and cannot even heal diseases and help regrow a lost body part.  For the children: After seeing her using healing magic to help others, they begged her to teach them. Since one of the easy way to learn magic is to practice the spell while watching a live demonstration, the children opted to follow her around while acting as her disciples. She choose to use the lowest floor of the ivory dungeon where they first lived before buying an house in the upper floor, the lowest floor was poor people area of the ivory dungeon. She gathered the sick together while healing them. It was a delightful experience for people who had never experience healing magic, since the healing magic she used was an advance type of healing magic: *Recovery Magic*, even aged people had their health restored back in full. Seeing her figure using magic to restore body parts of people and also healing diseases, the people began to call her a Saint. She also used *Time magic: turn back time* to forcefully restore broken down artifact and buildings back to their best state, it took her just a full day before she was declared as a saint.  "Time magic truly is scary, if I am not careful with it, I can even begin to reverse the body of old people back to when they were young..., Well my control of time has gotten stronger than before since I became a subordinate of Lord Genji...." She muttered to herself low enough for no one to hear. Rasha and syrana brought raw materials of food from their dungeon explorations, she then use magic to convert raw materials like flour into very soft bread, which she feed everyone. Since people in the slums don't usually get to eat very good food, it was the declaration of a feast. She even went ahead to cast *Time magic: Loop of time* on the food produced, this allowed people to get the food infinitely. The whole population of the lowest floor was gathered to her in partaking of the feast, she used the opportunity to tell them about how she was an oracle of the gods sent to free the people from the demon king control. She told them that: The hero choosen by the gods was already on his journey while she the saint was responsible to also provide assistance for him by taking time to heal people, and providing for their basic needs like food and water.The whole slums hurriedly began to believe in her speech since they have experienced what she said. Any doubts in their mind was removed when they discover that they could now view their individual attributes, before people in this world did not have the ability to view their individual stats and attributes, it was only possible if you register with the Hunter guild, they have an ancient Artifact that can help you to estimate your attributes from your flow of mana. But now they can see each of their skills, strength and weaknesses. They also found out they have gotten the divine protection of a God. "For the people that had strong skills, i want to promise that I will help you develop the hidden potentials in you so that you can live your life in Absolute joy. She said at the end of her speech.After celebrating the new found Good luck with the people on the lowest floor, even though some people from the remaining floors had come up to join them, she left the third floor with the members of the white wings. The next day.Aspen went back so that she can lead the people out of the dungeon. But she met something else entirely. "Saint Aspen is here!""Come together to witness the miracles of the Gods...!""The Gods have not forgotten us...!, They have sent help onto us!""Bring out everybody....!" The situation was hectic, the leaders of the slums who ruled over the slums were the ones advocating for her, the people began to come out of their respective houses. They had a good smile on their face, it was like the smile of a lost child that suddenly found it mother. "Haaa, I did not expect this, but this is not bad too..." She said."Aspen will you be okay? this people actions is making me scared." Rasha murmured."Rasha that is wrong, you are now very strong, even if all these men team up against you, you are stronger than them, don't forget our being here today is to protect her from the throngs of the crowd" syrana chastised softly.".... It is not like they can do anything to hurt a single hair from her head, since she is a goddess, we are just here to serve as bodyguard." Rasha claimed "though I also want to see her make food that you can keep taking infinity though, it was delicious!"."Yeah yeah, I also want to see that again." "Good grief, let us begin..." Aspen said as she raised up her hand to signify decorum. The whole floor descend into silence."I have come today to declare onto you, I have been told to led you outside this dungeon so that you can live your life well, please open the closed door!" She shouted out. At first there was a few murmurings but the person in charge of the door that connected the dungeon outside, removed the artifact maintaining the closed door. Since the door was made to resembled the cave entrance with earth magic, it crumbled into sand before revealing the restored environment. "Wow!... What is this!""Are we in another world....!""Hey make way for me...!, I will be the first one to go outside just like Saint Aspen said.""This is unbelievable...!"Shouts of joy everywhere. They were surprised to see that vitality has returned to the once deserted lands, everywhere was filled with green grass and their was no smell of zombies in the air. To top it all, there was a blazing sun clearly in the sky. People gushed out from the small cave entrance of the ivory dungeon, some immediately began to weep tears of joy. Some could not talk due to how beautiful the environment was. The people who had not believe what she said about the environment being better were touching the green grass underneath their shoes.  "As you can see this is a miracle of the hero sent by the Gods, he has taken it upon himself to get nature back into what it originally used to be..." Aspen said as she used earth magic to create a platform for herself "...this is just the beginning, once the demon king Blaiz has been defeated, we can finally take back our continent from the demons. But there is one thing for us to do, we must stand up now and begin to take back our continent by starting to live outside dungeons, and as from today I will start to live on the real ground not inside the Dungeons, will you join me ♡!" She conclude with a wink. She was also using *Sun Magic: Radiance of light* to illuminate her body with light, her voice was able to reach everywhere with the help of magic. Using the situation, she lifted the ban on her divinity for an instant and that was enough to make everybody to agree with her words. "Wow, look at how the saint is shining!!""Praise the Gods for their grace!""I will no longer live in the dungeon, I will start living outside like the saint!""Living outside is the best!!!""Hail saint Aspen!!"Seeing their reaction. Aspen nodded to her self in confirmation. People rushed back inside the dungeon to begin to get items necessary for building new houses outside.  ==2 weeks later.There was people who specialized in building houses living in the ivory dungeon, following the advice of saint Aspen, they were able to use magic to build very strong houses so that people can begin to leave inside. "Saint Aspen please pray for this new house""That is the most important thing to do""Hurry up and make way for saint Aspen"Aspen had lead the charge for people to start living outside the ivory dungeon, the slums population was about 3,000 humans. There was only about 300 people who could build houses. But she was able to cover up by personally creating golems that cut down trees and also use magic to dry the trees. The people witnessing it was shouting something related to saint miracle!.  But it was simply using Time magic to accelerate the time of the raw materials to the perfect time. Some iron golems also dug up the earth, the blacksmith used the iron golems to create nails and other utensils for the builders. Whenever they create something new, Aspen will be called to pray on it, her prayer automatically made the utensil created to become top notch. Incase of if they finish building an house, her prayer will make the building perfect. That action still made her name as a saint resound well in the people's heart. The hunters guild was concerned about the safety of the people, so they asked strong hunters to act as people defeating the wild animals and monsters, but saint Aspen used a spell on the whole continent, the spell made all the animals and monsters to avoid the humans. The hunters guild also quickly took action to build a new building for themselves in the surface world. After saint Aspen prayed to the building, it was wrapped in a mysterious white light and it transformed into a building made from quality brick materials, it even had standard roofing materials. Even though it has been constructed with ordinary logs of wood. Aspen had used divinity to restructure the building. Since she was getting worshiped by people all around, she could use their faith in her to access her divinity so as to grant their wishes. "This is a miracle of the Gods, the Gods have decided to reward the hunters guild with this building, and they have also granted them a new name. Starting from Today, they will be known as the 'Adventurer Guild!'" she proclaimed. "Y-yes! We accept that name!" The guild master was still shocked from what he had just seen, he has even accepted the name without consulting the upper management. Well they did accept the new name. == -Authors Comment: Happy New year to my dear readers, thank you for taking time to read my book. I am sorry for all the typography errors you may see, this is my first time writing a story, so I am a poor amateur. This new year I am hoping to get a laptop soon, I will be able to write stories better then. Wish me luck. Once again Happy New year

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" " silence ruled the place. I could not reply to her happy declaration because I did not know what to say, I kinda know I am basically not human anymore, probably a ghost or spirit, but a god, count me out. When she noticed my confused stare, she cleared her throat and said it again. "Welcome to the Divine Realm God Genji" she repeated (... I don't believe it, she is probably messing up with me or something, guess I should just reply with thanks)(Genji) "Don't say that, I am not messing up with you, am for real here though..." she mumbled. "Now you are talking as if you are reading my mind, not funny!"  "Of course, I can read your mind, and don't reply with an half hearted thanks since you don't really believe me" she confirmed her words by repeating what I was thinking in my mind. So basically I don't have any privacy!! Wrong, first you say I am a god and now you are reading my mind, guess I should ask her to explain more "Ok I really wish you can tell me more about the God stuff, just curious though" "Okay let start from the ability of your body to adapt to all environment..." She produced a mirror from thin air and placed it directly in front of me, I expected to see myself, but I only saw a transparent humanoid figure of myself shining colorfully. "The current state you are in is called your 'Astral form' this is a form gods basically assume if they descend to the mortal realm, it is a state of pure divinty ..."(Athena) "wait wait! For real how do look like that now, when I got here I was still pretty normal, even when I was moving around and I checked my own body it was not like this, I can remember seeing myself in some clothes? But now I look like this?!" I screamed in fear of losing my body. In a hurry I quickly stood up to and move around and yes, the figure in the mirror moved at the same time with me, confirming her words. "*shut up* I will give you the freedom to talk again. when I am done explaining, yes when you were still in ordinary space, you were not in the Divine Realm, so your body took on your normal human form so as to help you understand the environment better. But when you enter the Divine Realm and you checked your form with this divine mirror, your body respond automatically to the changes..." She went on to explain that since I was not in full control of my body, my body was doing the best to help me, she also said my race signified that I am a god, after a full 5 minutes lecture I get the whole point. "Thanks for letting me talk now, so I get it, how do I confirm the race stuff you said, I am still not used to any of this" I really need to clerify, I am more of someone that believe in seeing for myself. "Good. things are progressing, this is the Divine realm, your Status will be displayed in the best way you understand, say the word Status in your mind, it will show you results" she explained. "Okay Status" Suddenly a transparent blue game like panel was floating in front of me, it look more game-like, like sort of control panel you see when playing RPGs. A quick glance at it was enough to make me open my mouth without being able to close it. Name: Genji Race : God Class: Age: 10,026 years Life Points: Infinity Divinty: Infinity Strength: 2,000,000 Stamina: 5,000,000 Magic: 10,000,000 Dexterity: 20,000 Luck: Infinity UNIQUE SKILLS Appraisal Space Control Time Control Magic Control Gravity Control Creation Magic SKILLS Language Translation Followers: 0 Apart from the part where my Race said God, everything else in the status should be cheats, especially the values measured in infinity.my class was empty though I wonder why? "You may do Well to seat down now, dear guest" Her words made me remember I am currently standing, she beckoned me back to the chair. After sitting, she continue to explain more of the stats to me, the life Points signified I have Infinite life, the divinity signified my Magical power... Talking about skills, I learnt that Creation Magic in my unique skills, is really very unique to even gods, only a very few handful of gods posses it. ".... and that is all, any other thing you need to know will be taught to you once you begin school" she said happily. "School! Come on, am sure i am pretty old for anything school, my age says I am 10,026 years old, I am sure someone like me going to school will be a Big No" I replied in absolute common sense to me. "What are you talking about, you going to school is mandatory as you only have little knowledge, you can't even use your magic, how can you claim you are god?"she said something unbelievable true. (Now that she mentions it, since my race says I am a god , it really will be bad if I can't do anything God-like, guess I have to put up with the rules. But first thing I want to do know is know about her stats I would love to compare mine with someone else own, but I don't know how to see the stats of others...)(Genji) "Sorry to interrupt your thoughts but if you really want to see my stats just ask, there is no rule that doesn't allow me to show others" she easily answered my question. Immediately after saying that, a piece of paper appeared and she gave it to me, looking at the digits made me feel small, Name: Athena Olympian Race : God Class: God king Representative Age: Secret🌟 Life Points: Infinity Divinty: Infinity Strength: 200,000,000 Stamina: 200,000,000 Magic: 100,000,000 Dexterity: 250, 000,000 Luck: 200 UNIQUE SKILLS Appraisal Sun Magic Life Magic Language Translation SKILLS Divine Judgement Followers: 2,045,654 The true definition of a cheat, her strength and Stamina were in hundreds of Millions, everything was high valued except her luck, her stats made me realize I am a bottom feeder (I don't really understand why her luck will be mere 200 when every of her other values exceed common sense...)(Genji) "Will you shut it! It not my fault!, my dad keeps making children all around and I have to look after everyone!, how do you expect my luck value to rise...!" She wailed. She did raise her voice to me, I guess I should not dig deep there, her dad must be a lover of women if she complains he keep making children around, can't really blame her. "... And now I am going to work you to the bone!, follow me I have to introduce you around and explain things to my father!" "Sorry it was my fault for asking, come to think about it, I did not even physically asked you? You read my mind so you can't blame me..." I don't think I am to be blamed for thinking about something. "*Shut up* just follow me, I am done talking!" Since she used something to make me unable to talk, I had no choice but to nod my head and follow her through a door that appeared on the wall. Entering the door led to a wide passage, she was walking fast and I had to run a little to catch up with her. " " " " Probably because am not sure I can talk or she did not say anything to me, silence continued as only echos of our footsteps resounded. At the end of the passage, a large door was waiting for us, 2 angels acting as door guards bowed their heads before opening the door. The door opened to reveal a large throne like room, A large throne sat straight in the right position and an handsome looking man sat down on it. Walking closer made me realize he was wearing a flashy cloth that I could not identify, pretty sure it is not cotton. He looked more of a wrestler with his big muscles in the right proportion, after getting close to about 50 meters to him he raised up his head meeting my eyes. I found myself kneeling down from just meeting his eyes, even the pressure he exerted wanted to make me choke, but luckily my body changed back to my Astral form and I was able to stand up. I looked at the goddess to my side and found her in a surprised state. "You are stronger than you look, young man, I am Zeus Olympian, you have met one of my daughters, I am the God king of the world, introduce yourself" he introduced himself, his voice sound more young than what I expected. "... hem *cough* I am Genji, I am also a G-god, I-I have been in the care of your D-daughter" Just being exposed to his piercing gaze made me to stammer, and I was shaking but I was still able to say the necessary information. "No need to shake, my daughter has given you her seal, she explained some things to you didn't she?" "I-indeed, she has told me a lot" "The Divine Realm is a place of Gods, you are welcome here, from what she told me, you don't have any deep knowledge of your powers?" "Yes" "She will instruct you on what next to do, as long as you follow the rules, everything will be okay" he sounded more of a grandpa giving advice to a young son. "Thanks for your gracious word" "Now let's go, see you later father" the woman that brought me here said. *Snap* we disappeared from the room. ---------------- Back in the passage we were before my body reverted to my normal human form, I breathe a sigh in relief, my body was pretty doing everything by itself, I was not in control of it. We left the passage through another door for me to see the open sky, it was deep blue without a source of light but surprising, there was enough brightness that made me wonder where the sun was. We entered some other building where She introduced me to some gods around, before taking me to a structure that contains clothing materials. "Welcome Lady Athena and our guest" said a sweet female voice A beautiful lady came to greet us as soon as we the doors opened to us, I was hoping to see some angel wings but I did not anything. (Probably she is not an angel, or can angels hide their wings too...)(Genji) I was lost in thoughts before I was brought back to reality by the voice of Athena. "Most gods choose the clothes based on their element proficiency, a god of water mainly wears Blue colors, but for you the first two Elements in your unique Skill is Space and Time Magic" said Athena, I think we are back on the God related issues. "I guess he should choose the gold or purple color, but gold to be more precise, as purple is mainly worn by the devils" said the angel? "Nicely said, gold is it, choose anyone you like from here" Athena urged me. I was taken to a spot where there was a large variety of male clothing materials. At the end I chose a purple T-shirt and trouser, and a pure gold Priest like robe to wear on top, i check myself in a mirror beside me to be sure it fitted my style but it did not. "Don't worry it will all sum up" the angel told me with a smile as she opened another door for me. I entered the door to find myself in a dressing room, taking off my former clothes made them to automatically disintegrate into light particles. Before I wore the clothes, it was physically bigger than my size but it adjusted itself to fit my style, guess something I did not understand is at work here, no wonder she said it will add up she meant this. I came out to show the two women waiting for me, Athena nodded her head to show satisfaction and the other woman smiled at me, I could feel my face getting hot. Guess when a beautiful girl smiles at you up close makes your heart to beat fast, but before I could say anything to her I heard a silent sound. *snap* We disappeared from the building, I can't believe Athena cut of my first attempt to have a crush in my life, i didn't really feel anything off about the teleportation now, we were now in a place where some big Church like structures was. Some angels were flying around carrying documents and other things, they kind of look very cute. "We move on, I should get you the basic free temple in the residential street" she said. She was back to her poker face. We continue walking past the temples, though I can hardly call it walking when I am running so as to keep up with her speed. "Can I ask a question?" I began "Go ahead" "From the clothing store that I got these clothes, I did not see you pay any money or don't you guys use something for your trading activities" guess they must be some background deals I don't know "Oh that was only me, I have access to anything in the Divine Realm, if it was you, you have to pay for it, but as you are a god that doesn't have followers or money I have to establish you to help you get on your feet" she proclaim in a manner of a rich kid that have access it her father's Credit card. "Thanks for helping me, I don't really know what to say" I said "No need to thank me, I must do what just need to be done, I am going to get you a temple where you will live for now, when you have more money you can upgrade your building" I nod my head to signify my answer, she was walking pretty slow now as we got to a section where I could see smaller buildings, we stopped in front one of them as we moved closer to the door. "This should be okay, this is your working space, your living space should be behind that door" She said and pointed to a door in the far back of the building, the whole place was empty, what is surprising is that it was very clean as I could see my image on the polished floor. "Okay thanks" "I am leaving you for now, some angels will bring the necessary items you need for you, I will come back to take you to the school tomorrow, you should relax for the rest of the day" She disappeared immediately after, and I was alone in the working space. In terms of size, the workspace should be around 50 meters in length and breath with brightly painted walls with some windows allowing light to pour in. This free time made me to think back on what has happened to me today, I have been moving in space where I thought should be the after life, only to discover I am still alive but as a god in the Divine realm. To stay the truth I could not completely believe all that has happened but a part of me can confirm that it is true. I should have died from that bus accident, as a memory of me dying was still fresh in my mind. Something in my mind was telling i have been reincarnated as a god from death, it was a probably from the "knowledge circle", I learnt humans often die in a world only to find themselves reincarnated in another body in a different world, I don't know it could happen to me too. Calling you my status to confirm it again proved me right. (No wonder everything i was touching in space ended up breaking into pieces, my strength say I am 2million here, guess when I go to that school tomorrow, I should learn how to constrict my strength, I don't want to end up breaking things....)(Genji) After some few minutes, some angels brought one furnitures and started setting it up, I moved out through the door back to see the street, before leaving they tried to ask me to direct them, but i declined, they should know more about this than me who is new to it. They left when their work was done. I inspect to find it neatly arranged, a golden coloured rug was spread over the floor and some tables and chairs were arranged, leaving the workspace I enter the door to check my living space. I found my self in passage with doors around, they were about 4 doors and a door directly opposite me, making 5 doors in total. Checking the place reveal a bedroom with a king sized bed, another door led outside the temple. I also check the other doors to find just the necessary facility. I returned back to the room. (Guess I should sleep, Athena did say I should relax..) I close my eyes as I fell asleep.

"Ryuuta go school, you are going to be late." "Yes mom...at least let me finish my food." I grabbed my bag and ran as fast as I can, even though I am weak. Having a smile on the face for no reason like a normal 17 years old student living his youth to fullest. "ahh I made in time" Heading towards class 2-B I stopped my grin I had before. My shoulders starts to feel cold every time I enter this class. I entered the class as I always do and I bumped a girl. I noticed her mechanical pencil fell down from her hand so I tried to help her out. "Um...Um..y-your me-qchnical pencil fell down." (Damn it! why I am stuttering and from all of that I even bit my tongue) "Oh Rei you came today I was waiting for you." (Ah I see so you are ignoring me too like the whole class but at least take your stuff back bitch.) Yes I really feel feel cold every time I enter this class. I am not being bullied but actually I don't exist in this class, Everyone here ignores me and pretend like I am not here. The teacher who just now entered the class is the same, She don't care what's happening in this class even though she knows enough. You all ignore me as much as you want, but at least look into my eyes directly for once. "Ryuuta Yanagi Kun" "Ryuuta Yanagi kun" "RYUUTA YANAGI" "P-PRESENT" (Huh? did I just hear my name? Somebody called me in this class after 2 years? Wha-) I looked at the teacher's desk then I looked a bit up to be surprised. (A new homeroom teacher? We didn't got any notice about it? more than that she didn't even introduced herself? straight to attendance-call?) "Wh-Who are you?" (Aaah! why did I say that out of nowhere? I hate human interaction the most! I just cringed myself.) As expected a complete silence. Nobody in the class laughed at My clumsiness. They all are in their own normie world. The sensei pouted. (she is kind of cute.) "Yanagi-Kun its the first time I am teaching...I am completely new to it, I might not be like your previous teacher. You might have problem with me first but I think we should all get to know each other well so we can understand each other. If there is problem with my way of teaching or problem with me having here in this class please don't hesitate to tell me." She Smiled but the smile is not even noticeable I would say that was rather a small smile with her marshmallow like lips. "Y-yes mam" (She still didn't introduced herself its embarrassing even though I am getting ignored.) That was the first time after two years someone from the class talked to me. It feels so pleasant I even hope someone from our class starts talking to me after today. I was lost in thoughts about how I should converse with the new teacher whose name is not even known. I started day dreaming creepy enough to grin on those thoughts. But I never knew daydreams also end badly. Badly enough to break your soul, mind, relationships, someone precious, friends, love, and lastly even your body. [AAAAH...]{shick...Splutter...Splutter}(what is that sound?) I turned around me to see the girl who bumped me today, Kisara-san cut her neck with thermocol cutter. It all felt like dream, Yes the daydream which is continuing. [S-Sensei!! H-help us!!][M-My body moving on its own] The guy runs and jumps through the window. (W-what the fuck is happening? I-its not my daydream...Its real..That's blood..That guy jumped...he killed himself..Its the third floor...) [Khyaaaa...WHY ARE YOU CHOCKING ME GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY-] (Why they are killing themselves? are they out of their mind? Its scaring me) I was scared looking the people who ignored me all these time making fuss, It was hellish experience I never knew blood smell was so rusty and looking at the situation I was feeling to throw up and getting tensed by time. [My Head It Hurts! It hurts so bad! H-help!] {baam} (Its hell...They all became mad for no reason) All I could hear was screams. (I can't stay here...why are they all killing themselves I don't understand...I can't understand anything!) "AAAA- I DON"T WANT TO STAY HERE! TELL ME.. ANYONE TELL ME WHY ARE YOU KILLING YOURSELF" (I don't understand why you all are ignoring me yet.) My legs were shaking body was not moving and I felt like I am low on breath. My body felt numb I just wanted to run away, just open the door of the classroom to get outside. [H-HELP ME YANAGI-KUN...MY HEAD FEELS LIGHT PLEASE HELP ME] I looked at my left hearing that. (My name, you called me my name.) "Your..head..." [DON"T JUST STAND THERE AND HELP ME ASSHOLE] I slowly stepped near him. He was lying down with blood masked face that i couldn't even recognize him. Honestly I don't even know his name because of a lot of ignorance I stopped caring about most of the people in our class. But given the situation I couldn't help, I just don't want what's going on. "Y-your h-head..w-hat is wro-" As soon as I got near him he grabbed my leg with his bloody hands it was so wet felt slimy and squashy. [I CAN"T GET UP, CAN YOU SHUT UP AND GET ME OUTSIDE... MY BODY FEELING LIGHT..HUH WHATS THIS COMING OUT OF MY HEAD...BRAIN? MY BRAIINNNNNNAWAHGAHAAAAA] (H-he died...he was holding his small part of melting brain to his hand maybe he bashed his head with something sturdy and he touched me that slimy felt on my leg) {BLARGHHHH...SPLURT} I vomited hard...honestly all these was making me crazy too. "A-ah so he bashed his head himself with his guitar...you were a cool guy who played e-electric guitar huh? I am sure you had at least two or three girlfriends...too bad you died that was useless, your guitar is of no use anymore.." Before I knew I got insane too. I started saying harsh things I never said before. "Serves you right! I-I don't even know you, maybe I forgot you..y-you ignored me..." "...NO-YOU ALL IGNORED ME" I took the guitar. It had blood and some brain raw gush. It didn't bothered me like it did before when he touched my leg. I looked around and they all were dead. Some fought, Some stabbed, became killer in their lost lives. All remained the cold bloody classroom and me. "Only I am left huh? Why no one killed me? Why did I not go insane to kill myself like you all?" "Did god ignored me too? Look at me god if you exist" "Mom, Dad I never had haterate  towards you, but its not like I care not to live. All i wanted is to live happily, I didn't actually felt that bad when I got ignored I was used to it." I hold the guitar up targeting towards my head. "I-I don't know why I want to kill myself suddenly snap out of myself dammit!" I babbled to myself. (I can't actually choose to live or die even if the situation is making me crazy.) "Yana..hm..what was your name again? Yanagi, yes Yanagi, nice how you are still alive and hesitating to kill yourself?" The distant voice sounded familiar. The daydream I was experiencing earlier the morning, The beautiful day dream having conversation with the new home room teacher. How could i even forget her. She was standing in corner this whole time and I didn't notice. Her grin felt exactly the way I do when I pretend to be enjoying life. Grin filled with sorrow, anger, and mixed feelings which can be seen clearly as daylight through that grin. {tap, tap, tap, tap, tap} she comes towards me. I fell down standing on knees still not able to understand what was going on. And she was still having the grin, She moved her arms towards me like an angel would do to embrace you in a peaceful moment. I was numb, She grabbed my neck slowly chocking me until I die, It didn't fell painful, It didn't felt sad. All I was could do was stare at a note book opened wide with scratchy writings ` I AM SORRY YANAGI-KUN` and try to get who would write that to me. (` Sorry ?` I was lucky enough to even notice it from that far covered it with blood...) I finally felt like I got noticed but I didn't felt happy. I thought I was desperate for seeking attention but maybe I wasn't. "I wish I could have known who thought me as a friend at the end." I Ryuuta Yanagi died that day. "So student number 22 Yanagi-kun to new world... ehhhh at least say present to your teacher..well whatever wake up fast i don't want you get passed out for days." [clap, clap, clap] That peaceful death of mine was just lead me to the start of real hell of despair and chaos after that. We the students from the class never knew what was going to start with us. "hehe, class start~"

The early morning sun beat down on the capital city. The cawing of crows echoed through the empty alleyways as I made my way to the central marketplace; taking in my surroundings, all the while. Although I often watched the capital from my window, it never occurred to me its streets would be this… labyrinthine. I only tried to take a shortcut through the alleys earlier, but now I found myself nearly drowning in an ocean of endless crossroads. Have I been here before already…? … That house is awfully familiar. It didn’t help that everything looked the same – the same gray stone walls towering above me, the same wooden doors with chipping paint, the same window frames with curtains that had long lost their colour. Only sometimes would there be a lonely flower pot in one of the windows. … Whether those were the same flower pots from earlier, however, and I was just walking in circles, was another question. "…" I couldn’t shake off the feeling something was amiss. “Hello~?” Nobody responded. Even though it was still early in the morning, I imagined some people would already be awake and going about their morning routines. If nothing else, then someone at least should have yelled back at me to shut up. But I had yet to meet a single soul. …  Where’s everyone…? I looked into a random house through a window to see if anyone was there. It was pitch black inside. I checked the next house too, but same story… By the time I checked the fifth house, even the crows started laughing at me. A change of strategy was needed. Thus, taking a deep breath, I knocked on a door. “Hello?” “…” “Is anyone inside?” “…” “Excuse me…” I said, as I slightly pushed the door open – “WHOA!” – but then I quickly backstepped. Through the opening, a black mist started seeping out. Countless alarm bells rang in my head, and so, without hesitation, I grabbed on to the doorknob and shut the door so hard, I almost fell back. “…??” The darkness that had leaked out instantly dissipated. … Never again. I continued my search, and, soon, found myself once again at a crossroad, that split into two paths. At first glance none looked any different from the other. Left or right… left… or right… left… or …  right… As I pondered where to go, a floating ball of light appeared on the left path. I stepped back instantly the moment I noticed it; raising my guard in the process. "…?" Silently, I scrutinized it. The ball didn’t appear hostile. In fact, its presence slowly made me feel more at ease. It approached me, hopped a few times, and then started floating down the left road. I only stood; watching it go. However, it shortly stopped and hopped again, as if trying to grab my attention. “Oh. Suppose I should… follow you?” Despite my concerns, everything seemed to go well, as we soon reached another crossroad. The ball hopped a few times, and then turned right. This behaviour repeated at the next crossroad, where the ball turned left. Then right. Then right again. Then left… And so on. After around twenty minutes, we reached a long straight road. The houses that had formed the walls of this labyrinth ended, and instead of them, grass was now covering the roadside. However, so did a thick fog that prevented me from seeing anything else beyond it. Behind us, the road got covered in this impassable fog too. “Where are we now?” The ball of light swayed like a pendulum in response, then disappeared. “…?! Wait!” But there was no response. “ Sigh … Now what?” I looked forward; the road continued straight ahead. Behind me and to my sides, all visible paths were blocked by the fog. “… Forward I go, I guess…” The gray world was desolate and endless. There was no motion within it; time itself seemed to be frozen… However, it was then that… “… e… p ” “Wha–” … A faint whisper broke the deathly silence. “… ak… ” “…?” Unfortunately, the voices were too quiet for me to make out what they were saying. I tried looking for their source, but couldn’t find anyone. Following shortly, a wind started to rise around me; blowing from the direction I was heading in. I was left utterly confused. And to add to that… … Far in the distance, a massive pillar of light shot down from the heavens, piercing the fog and scattering it on impact with the ground. Even the whispers were momentarily silenced from this phenomena. However, they quickly continued – even more desperately – their attempts to convey their message to me. … What do I do…? I took a step forward. In response, the wind picked up noticeably, while the pillar shone a little brighter. Another step. Same response. “…” Continuing was a bad idea; I knew. But what else could I do? Go back? Where? Into the labyrinth? For all I knew, this pillar could have been my escape… or my end… Frankly, I knew nothing. Whatever was going on was beyond me. But as I got within ten meters of the pillar, the wind suddenly became so strong that I lost my footing and started getting carried backwards. In tandem, the whispers became even more frantic; practically bombarding my ears. And if only it had ended there… From the pillar, a large hand of light stretched out and grabbed onto my right leg, starting to pull me towards itself. “O-Ou… It hurts! Stop…!” Nobody listened to my pleas. "Stop!" I became the rope in a tug-of-war between the wind and the hand. "Let. Me. GO!" If one seemed to be winning, the other would just put even more force into pulling me. "…" The whispers persisted. The wind was freezing cold. The hand of light burned my leg. Five short seconds felt like a minute. And it continued for much longer than that… At least, until… “… wak… p” “… W… ke up!” “… “ Wake. UP!” *** I was sweating profusely when I awoke in my bed.

I stood, holding my forehead from the headache that hit me. The entity… was not kidding. I really hoped it did. I really hoped it was nothing but a nightmare… No, to be fair, it was a nightmare! Just not in the sense I expected it to be… The trembling men all looked relieved at their success, some finally giving in to exhaustion and collapsing on the floor. Those who managed to stand quickly helped their fallen comrades up, while quietly reprimanding them for their unsightly act. “Welcome, Great Hero!” The oldest among them stepped forward and greeted me with open arms. From his clothing he looked like a bishop. I smiled. It was a little amusing how he ignored his subordinates’ blunder so nonchalantly. Perhaps he expected all this to happen? I got the feeling as if he had done this before. Maybe I’ll ask later… “My apologies,” he said, ”is it perhaps that you do not understand our language? If you have not received our Lord’s blessing yet, then first we must proceed to the cathedral and–” “Ah-ahem… Please, forgive my rudeness. I was taken by… surprise from these events, and needed some time to… sort my thoughts.” “That is very understandable. Should you feel confused about anything, please ask right away!” How nice of you… “Then, may I ask why was I, a nobody from the land of nowhere, summoned?” "Our great nation is at war, and certain unexpected events made this ritual necessary. I myself am not aware of all the details, but His Majesty will explain everything you need to know, so do not worry. “My name is Frederick Fide. I am bishop from the Holy Church of the Great Star Nova. What is your name, hero?” “… Amadel Fallero.” “Interesting name… Sir Amadel, then please follow me.” As we walked through the great halls, I couldn’t help but stop every now and then to appreciate their terrific design. It reminded me of baroque architecture. Frederick watched my reactions with pride, but still urged me not to make the king wait for too long. We reached rows of windows, and below us I saw the city, packed to the brim with stone houses and surrounded by a mighty wall. From where I stood, all the citizens looked like tiny ants, diligently carrying out their everyday duties. Outside the city numerous farms were built, and beyond the horizon a seemingly endless grassland stretched out. And this country is at war… It was a pity. Truly, it was. To imagine this picturesque sight be reduced to rubble. “Impressive view, is it not?” Frederick asked. “Indeed.” – I nodded – ”I could watch this all day…” “Ahaha… Unfortunately we do not have that much time.” – he stopped next to me – ”But, are these sights uncommon in your world?” “Yes. In fact, you’d hardly ever see a castle town like this. The city I grew up in was significantly larger. “And by no means was it a good place to live in. Overpopulation, endless noise, pollution; one couldn’t breathe without suffocating from all the smoke in the air…” “That… sounds unpleasant. I am very sorry to hear that.” “Don’t mind me, I’m also exaggerating…” – I sighed – ”It can’t be helped. Let’s continue.”  “We are almost there,” Frederick said, but then he stopped. I looked at him confused. “However, before we meet His Majesty I would like to ask you something.” “Yes?” “Sir Amadel. Please, believe me when I say that I do not blame you for how you feel. Still, I ask you to keep your emotions in check before His Highness. Do not make a bad first impression on him.” At first I was taken aback, but I quickly understood what he meant. “I see… Thank you.” Ultimately, whether I liked my current predicament or not, I had to go with the flow, lest I found myself under the guillotine – is presumably what he tried to hint at. We reached the pair of massive doors. When the guards standing by noticed us, they hurriedly grabbed the doorknobs. The massive doors creaked wide open before us. Inside, everyone from our group but Frederick and I hurried to the sides and kneeled down facing the throne. The gazes of countless knights and nobles examined me as we walked. They would murmur some things among themselves, then continue staring. It hasn’t even been an hour yet since I arrived into this world, but I lost count of all the things that frustrated me or made me feel uncomfortable. Slowly, we reached the staircase that led up to the throne, and kneeled down too before it with our heads lowered. “You are now standing before His Majesty, King Casimir of Terraperitas!” At that announcment, everyone in the room fell silent. “You may speak.” “Your Majesty,” said Frederick, ”I have brought the hero.” “Yes. I see that. Well done. “Tell me your name, hero.” “Amadel Fallero.” “Hmm, I see… You may raise your head.” – he carefully looked me over – ”Physically, you don’t appear strong. But, of course, appearances can be deceiving. Do you have any talents?” Talents? Talents… What should I tell? “Your Majesty, I am ashamed to admit, but there is nothing remarkable about me. I do not know if the knowledge I possess could serve me in this… foreign world.” I wanted to keep it vague, but it was not a total lie either. If he asked whether I had knowledge in warfare or using weapons, I couldn’t have said yes. But I could recite the law of cosines. Very useful, indeed. The king frowned. “Is that so? Still, as an envoy of our Great Lord, you are bound to posses superior strength nonetheless. Should you lack physical prowess, high affinity for magic can make up for it.” “…?” Me? And magic…? I realized there must exist some form of magic from the summoning ritual, however I myself did not feel anything. Thinking about the flow of mana, magical currents, or other razzle-dazzle resulted in nothing. Saying that out loud could possibly have amounted to a death wish, so I kept quiet. “With proper training, your powers will surely blossom. Until the time comes for our country to clash with our neighbour, you shall be undertaking training from our elites. “Do you have any questions?” Do I get any say in joining or not? “Yes, Your Majesty. May I hear in greater details about this war?” “That is what I want to talk about next.” The king explained their long history and how their conflict arose with their neighbouring country. On a superficial level, his words more or less matched what the entity told me before, but in the grand scheme of things certain aspects of the story left me uneasy. From what he said, the other country was the aggressor. The war reached a stalemate and has been in it for decades, until suspicions of the enemy colluding with malevolent outside forces arose. They needed a protector, should these suspicions be proven true. That was where I came in, as the protector chosen by “the Benevolent Lord”. Then he continued rambling for another fifteen minutes. “… And that is all.” Do I really get no sa– screw it… “If I may: Just… hypothetically. Do I have the right to refuse? Partaking in this war, I mean. I don’t feel too… enthusiastic abo–” “You jest, surely? With your immense power, you could stand tall as the protector of many, yet you would choose to abandon them?” I blinked a few times, but then I shook my head a little and said in an apologetic tone, “Please, forgive my presumptuousness.” “This is not the time for jokes. “Now, a servant shall lead you to your room. Tomorrow you will start your training. “You are all dismissed!” It appeared I could not escape easily. Good grief…

“Sir hero–” “Amadel.” “But… “…!” My attendant flinched a little at my stern look. Noticing that, I said in a calmer voice so as to not frighten her further, “Amadel Fallero. That’s my name. Please, call me by it.” Everyone had to constantly remind me of being the ‘hero’, apparently. Nobody but Frederick called me by my name. It made me feel like an object. “… Understood, Sir… Fallero. I came to inform you; dinner is ready.” “Thank you. I’d like to eat it here, if possible.” “Yes. I’ll let the chefs know.” “Thank you.” A few hours had passed since the meeting with King Casimir; it was late evening. The city has become quiet, it’s liveliness from before nowhere to be heard nor seen. Many small streets were practically empty, save for the occasional patrol. The central marketplace still had people sparsely moving about, however, as the stalls were closing one after another, they too left shortly. Ahhh… Illuminated by nothing but weak street lights and torches, the image of the castle town at night was a comforting sight. Just standing at the window and breathing in the chilly evening air too should have helped me clear my mind; even for a moment. And still… “… you would choose to abandon them?” Seriously… What are you; trying to guilt-trip me? A n idiot… … but so am I. I couldn’t help but feel a stomach cramp forming. My attempt to calm myself ended poorly. *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* “Yes?” “Sir Fallero, I brought your dinner!” “Come in.” My attendant entered, pushing a food trolley inside. “…?!” The dishes lined up on it were relatively simple: a vegetable soup, mashed potatoes with cooked pork, and for dessert a slice of apple pie. However, the moment I smelled their aroma, the cramps in my stomach disappeared altogether. “We hope you’ll enjoy it.” I took a bite of the meat… and it tasted just as good – if not better – as it looked. The seasoning was spot on, and the meat was so tender it literally melted in my mouth. *Grrr~* Even my stomach gave the green light. Thus it wasn’t long before I devoured everything, leaving not a single crumb behind. “Please, give my regards to the chef.” Perhaps because the sudden change of attitude, my attendant was surprised for a moment, however she assured me with a smile that she’d pass my regards, and then left with the empty plates. Ahh… That was great! I decided to turn in early for the night. Whatever problems there were to deal with, they could wait until tomorrow, surely. *** “Captain, preparations are ready. We should be able to depart soon,” a squire said. His eyes gleamed with confidence and anticipation for the upcomming battle. Though young, probably only in his early twenties, he still stood firmly by my side. “… Are you not afraid?” I asked. “No, sir!” “… I see.” The certainty with which he answered left no more room for questions; he was ready to die on this battlefield. … It was saddening. But I too had a role to fulfill, so I faced the army behind me and raised my sword to the sky – “Everyone! This is it! The decisive battle! Today, we will end this war!” “““YEAAAAH!!!””” Loud battle cries errupted all over, as the army of thousands began their march. We continued our advance through the never-ending grasslands, soon reaching the borders, where the two armies would clash. … … ? I ordered a stop. … This is weird… There were no enemies in sight. In fact, there was no sign that anyone had been there. What now… Should I order an investigation? Or a retre–? “…!” I turned back to announce our next move, however nobody was there. I was alone… Slowly, all sounds faded into nothing, and a deathly silence enveloped me; only my heartbeat echoing in the vast emptiness. As I looked around, I felt my hand becoming lighter. The sword I held in it has turned to rust; an ominous breeze carrying it’s particles away. “…?!” Panic took over me. Alone, and having nothing to defend myself with, I ran. I ran, without knowing nor caring where to. I ran, hoping I could at least escape… I ran… until I reached the end of the road: the edge of a cliff. Though I managed to stop before falling off, the sight below gave me nausea. Deep in the abyss, I saw a bloody ocean; it’s waves furiously crashing into the cliff’s walls. It was a horrifying view, and yet, before I knew it, something unconsciously drew me closer. Realizing that, I tried to step backwards, but– *tap* *Tap* *TAP* *TAP-TAP* *TA-TA-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-TAP* “Whose theeEEEEEEEE–” Before I could look, something ran up to me and pushed me down. The ocean swallowed me like a beast. *** “NO!” I jolted awake, gasping for air and looking frantically around. It was the familiar sight of my room in the palace that greeted me. That… … was just a nightmare. Sigh… I shuddered. Whatever that thing in my dream was, I still felt it’s touch where it pushed me into the ocean of blood. I sat for a few more minutes, trying to process what I saw, and once the uneasiness subsided I went back to sleep. The rest of the night passed without further incidents. Morning came. After breakfast, a captain led me to the weapon storage. “Let’s start with picking your weapon. Feel free to look around as much as you want.” The room was not small by any means, and the selection of weapons was equally large: swords, axes, maces, spears, bows; then their many types such as longswords, pikes, double-edged axes, longbows, and so on. It wasn’t a dream come true; as I never inteded to use a weapon before, I wasn’t excited in the slightest to learn now. But, I had to admit that all the daydreaming would have been for naught if I couldn’t protect myself. And I couldn’t. So for now I was, unfortunately, at the king’s mercy. “Do I get to pick only one?” “Depends. How proficient are you with these weapons?” “Never used any.” “I advise you to pick only one, then. Get used to it, master it. Only after that should you think of learning a second one. “But, I won’t stop you.” I continued with asking about whatever weapon caught my interest, and weighted the information with my preferences until I was left with two potential choices: the spear and the bow, respectively for their versatility and range. But I should choose only one … Mmmm… then, I’ll pick… no. How about… Eeny meeny miny… moe? “The bow? Are you certain?” “Yes, I am.” He nodded, then motioned for me to follow him into the training grounds. There, dozens of soldiers were already amidst their training. Many were sparring with each other, while some were resting and watching them. Others were shooting at moving targets, and from far away I could hear explosions. I… felt like an ant stepping onto the land of giants. “Sir… why am I not training with the rookies?” I asked eventually the captain. “The king can’t have the hero be treated like a common soldier. Does this bother you?” “No… well. Yes, a little? I feel like I don’t belong here, among the veterans.” “They won’t eat you, don’t worry.” Won’t they…? A couple of soldiers have already stopped whatever they were doing and looked at me.  “Hey, is that the hero?” “Is he? I can’t see…” “From yesterday? … Yes, I see him!” “You three, what’s wrong?” “The hero is here!” “Who?” “From yesterday!” “Ah, yes… I forgot.” “Let’s watch him!” “Yeah, I’m curious too.” “Let’s go!” Ughh… I’d be truly grateful if you were not to bear witness of my failures. Thank you very much… not. They followed us, unfortunately. I was not mentally prepared for the public shaming I was about to receive. “Do you know how to wield a bow?” the captain asked. “I have a vague idea.” “Vague…?” – he stopped, then pointed at a dummy – “There is the target. Try to hit it.” It wasn’t far away; five meters at most. Even amateurs could at least graze it – is what I believed, but… the arrow majestically fell to the ground before it even reached. “…” “““…””” “… Right, you're starting from the basics.” Good grief…

“Magic – a word full of mystery and mystique. “The power to bend reality or create unnatural phenomena is a concept some would be rightfully interested of. To break free of one’s shackles and let their imagination run free – might be how you, as someone who came from a world with no magic, see it; am I right, Sir Fallero?” “You are close, but not quite.” Depending on how literally I took his words, they could mean anything from harmless play to nonchalant destruction. And the latter was a little too excessive for me, at least. I could imagine some more… interesting… people going on a magical rampage just for fun. I told the man this and he smiled. That was all the answer I needed. “Is there a limit to what magic can do? Or what one can handle?” “Both, although more the latter. I will try to explain the theory behind it in tandem with your practical training…” So. What led to this meeting? *** A few days passed since my summoning. Ever since the king said I should have ‘great affinity for magic’, taking lessons about it was inevitable. Especially after my… little… blunder. I doubt they had much hope left for me. Fortunately, magic piqued my interest a lot more than mastering a physical weapon, so at least that wouldn’t have felt as tedious as the latter. And why? Why not? Wouldn’t fire magic be useful in the everyday life? One could use it to cook, to heat their room, as a light source, or even as a burglar repellant! And that is but one elemental magic. Secretly, in the days prior, I tried to cast even the simplest spells – such as blowing out a candle with a breeze, or lighting it with a small flame – but to no avail… “Sir, we arrived,” the escorting soldier said. “…!” – I snapped out of my reverie – ”… Oh.” “Is something wrong?” “Are we… at the right place?” Charred tree trunks were scattered across the scorched and barren land. On another side, spikes were protruding from the earth, and small lakes and puddles were surrounding them. Even now, as we stood, the ground weakly trembled beneath us. “Yes, we are.” The training grounds we arrived to looked more like the aftermath of a war. “Hello~? Is anyone here?” I shouted. … “HELLO~?” I shouted again. “Who is it?” – sounded, finally, from afar – ”If you have no business here, leave!” “Amadel Fallero!” “… One moment!” Shortly after that, a middle-aged man, wearing a plain brown robe and wielding a massive staff with a deep purple gemstone, appeared from behind the earthen spikes and approached us slowly. As soon as he arrived, we shook hands. “It is nice to make your acquaintance. My name is Dylan Illastra; royal sorcerer and tutor.” “It is nice to meet you too, Sir Dylan; if I may.” “No problem. But you came early.” “I was looking forward to this so much so that I just couldn’t wait longer. My apologies if I’m disturbing.” “Ha… Is that so? Then, for now, you can watch my other pupils’ training, as they have not yet finished. However, please abide by the schedule next time.” “Yes…” The soldier returned to the castle, and we started walking towards the spikes. “And. What are you doing?” I asked Dylan after a while of walking. He stopped and pointed forwards – ”You see those spikes, yes? Our goal now is to make them sharper and tougher. As is, they could hardly pierce a lavaconda’s rock-hard scales… Sigh …   That is mediocre at best, considering what we are facing in the near future.” – he scratched his head nervously – “… Actually… we don’t even know much about what we’re REALLY up against. Rumors are only rumors. And that’s frustrating…” “I see… On the other hand, how strong are lavacondas?” “They are predators that live in this country’s volcanic region. They seldom show themselves above-ground, and usually live deep down in the rivers of magma. Should they appear on the surface, however…” – he shuddered – ”The land will get turned inside out in their wake.” … … That sounds a little dangerous. I asked Dylan more about why they would show themselves above-ground, when their habitats and hunting grounds were all deep underground. “Because they can’t find any prey. Or because a fight with a strong monster brought them both to the surface… Or sometimes because some morons, with no sense of danger or value for their lives, think they could get rare materials or some stupid trophy if they hunted them. “They die, of course… Usually. But, if those idiots somehow manage to escape, the beast begins a frantic search for them.” “I-I see… Then?” “Those fools can run, but can’t hide forever; it WILL find them. The people who can combat them may be few and far between. And, in all cases, the damage to the surface can be severe. Although it only extends over relatively small areas, at least.” “Formidable…” “Indeed. But anyways, let’s continue; we can talk more later.” Soon we arrived to where his pupils were training, and found them standing in a circle around an earthen spike. Dylan shushed me, and asked quietly that I observe them. They appeared to be muttering something while keeping their staves, similarly with deep purple gemstones, firmly implanted into the ground. The spike reacted and emerged further… until its tip cracked, and the whole thing collapsed. “Again!” Dylan said. ”This time, try not to apply too much force at once. And make sure to spread it evenly, lest you crack it again!” “““Yes, sir!””” He then turned to me – “That’s how it is…” Once they finished for the day, Dylan led me to a ‘private tutor room’ somewhere underground in the castle. The room was outfitted with many research tools and furnitures, as well as racks for holding staves, and bookshelves lined with thick and dusty encyclopedias. “Here nobody should disturb us…” *** And that brings us back to the present. Before starting, Dylan brought a white gemstone from a storage room. He then took a short staff from the rack, and affixed the stone to it. Finally, he muttered something, and the wood at the tip – like roots – twisted, holding onto the gem firmly. “Please, take it.” he said. … ? The moment I touched it, I felt a sense of ease wash over me; as if a weight had been lifted from my heart. Surprisingly, the staff was a lot lighter too than its materials would suggest. I swung it around a little, and – as expected – the gem didn’t even budge. “Thank you!” “Take care of it.” “I will, I will… It does appear to be unique, after all.” – I pointed at the stone. “It is precious, indeed. An old acquaintance of mine gifted that to me before I came here.” “… Wouldn’t that make it important? A memento of them?” He looked conflicted – “Well… yes… And I’m ashamed to admit; it has been only collecting dust.” – but then he put his hand on it – “And yet to this day it retained it’s power.” “Power… I did feel something when I touched it…” I said as I twirled the staff left and right… “It’s the power to ward off curses.” … but then I stopped. “Is that so…” Then could what I felt before…? It needn’t be said. Though, it was still only a conjecture. “Now, that you have your staff, we can start.” Dylan took a leaf out of a drawer, then placed it on a chair in the middle of the room. He took a few steps back, then spoke in a calm voice – “Earth, Thunder, Water, Fire, and Air; the five primordial elements, and the building blocks of this world. “With the power of the elements, all living beings are capable of magic. And yet, no living being can tap into these powers on their own.” Huh. So that’s why I failed… “However…” – he raised his staff – “ I beseech thee, great spirits of the wind! Grant me thy power to blow away this leaf! ” The purple gemstone on his staff shone and turned white, only for a moment, as a small vortex erupted from it; violently blowing the leaf away. The chair, meanwhile, remained completely still. “… should an elemental spirit answer you, you can borrow their power, shape it with your thoughts, then materialize it through a vessel.” Vessel. Our staves, huh…? “What if I didn’t provide one?” “Then your body would be used as a medium. Were you unable to control these powers, they would start ravaging it; potentially leading to your death. Even if you were able to control them, they would still cause permanent damage to your body.” “O-Oh…” Maybe it isn’t so bad that I failed… Let’s not mess around with unknown forces in the future… “Might I add; the same thing would happen if your vessel broke mid-cast. Be careful not to draw or release more elemental power than it can endure.” That too. However, there was one more thing that slightly bothered me… “And… is the chant necessary?” “… Were you to envelop someone in fire, would your thoughts alone be enough to convey your true intent? To burn your enemy to ashes? Or to shield your friend from harm? Words themselves have power too.” “It just doesn’t feel very practical.” ”I don’t believe it was ever intended to be.” That only raised more questions, however I felt we would have spent the entire day talking if I were to pursue this matter further, so… “Still, must I speak in poems? … Honestly, it’s embarassing.” … I brought up the ultimate reason of my dissatisfaction. “Oh? So that.” – he smiled – ”No, no. I just thought it would sound cool, and so I did. But no, you don’t have to.” It was reassuring to hear that. Not that I would’ve disliked coming up with funny poems, but saying them out loud before other people? Impossible. Heh… Ironic, isn’t it? “Anyways, try it yourself now,” Dylan said as he put the leaf back on the chair. I had been paying close attention to what he said, so as to not miss any important details. Certain that I would not fail, I stepped forward and pointed my staff towards the leaf. Slowly and clearly, I said, “ Spirits of the wind. I ask for your power to blow this leaf away. ” “…” “…” “…” “Nothing…?” “ Don’t worry. It’s alright. Try again, Sir Fallero.” “ Spirits of the wind! I ask for your power to blow this leaf away! ” “… “… is that… so? okay…” Following the whispers, an inexplicable power started gathering into my staff. I could not lose focus, even for a moment, as it threatened to go out of control. N ext, s hape it. H mm… Dylan told me to shape it with my thoughts. I imagined air currents converging at the gemstone on my staff, then blasting the leaf away with great force. Hope it works… GO! *BAM* … “… I hit the leaf.” “You did. Unfortunately, you weren’t supposed to blow the chair away too.” “Yes… My apologies.” “You did pretty well for your first try, nonetheless.” At least it wasn’t a complete failure, and that was all that mattered to me. I had more hope for the future now. We continued for another hour. The lessons ended with no incidents.

“ Please, esteemed Hero! Please, help us…!” “ Please, have it in you to save us…” W hy are you begging me … ? … “ Only you can save this world from destruction…” “ A Dark Lord has awoken, and only you can stop it…” … “Familiar words, are they not?” “…?” “It is a story you have surely heard.” “…?!” The unknown speaker’s words prompted me to answer, but my voice refused to come out. I tried again and again, but to no avail. I opened my eyes, to see the image of uncountable galaxies passing me by with immense speed. Every so often, a beam of light ‘crashed’ into a galaxy, and the pleading voices turned to rejoice before falling silent. A chill ran down my spine. All I could do now was close my eyes and wait for this weird dream to end. “ Save us, Great Hero!” “ We alone are not enough to face this threat…” Yet no matter how much I waited, the dream… the nightmare did not end… … “ You are our last hope …!” “ Hero from another world! We are in great peril, and only with your power can we survive !” “ H elp us end this war!” … After the final – and loud like no other – voice, everything fell silent. Slowly, the feeling of racing through space disappeared too. I opened my eyes again, only to see… nothing; a vast void expanding around me. Only within my peripheral vision could I see millions of stars and galaxies, but again they appeared distorted. Streaks of light and stardust swirled and twisted, slowly vanishing inside the void. “Welcome!” Out of nowhere, before me a humanoid entity appeared. It’s dark silhouette glowed blue in the black emptiness. It stood still with it’s hands behind it’s back, occasionally flickering in-and-out of reality. His voice was hollow; devoid of emotions. “H-Hello? Oh! My voice! Please–” “– ‘Explain what’s this all about’… yes. “I know you are full of questions, but… there is only so much time I can stall the summoning for.” “… The what?” “You must have heard on your way here… the pleas from worlds innumerable. At the brink of despair, as a… last resort, they entrust their fate to a… ‘hero’ … from another world.” “Wait, does it mean that I–?” “Yes. Wizards… from a world akin to yours have used an… ancient summoning ritual to call forth a ‘hero’ . A ‘hero’… that can help them end their war.” “That…” “Now, normally, if all had gone according to procedures, we… would not have met. It cost me a great deal of power, and… I had to exploit a few loop holes to get here. Even now… I am standing on a minefield. “But it was all to meet you… and to ask a favor.” “…?” “Please, end the war. By all means. ” “Pardon me…?” “This world… belonged to a very good friend of mine. It was his magnum opus…! He is long gone now, but I wish to preserve his… legacy. That is why–” “Wait, wait, WAIT!! Can’t YOU do something about it?!” “… Directly? I am… forbidden by our laws. Indirectly? … Through you… or another summoned ‘hero’ . But I can not tell if another… opportunity would arise.” … No, no, no. Spare me. SPARE ME from this! “My apologies, once agai– Oh, it seems our time is almost up.” As the entity said that, my vision became blurry and I started to feel delirious. “Before you go… allow me to impart a little gift. You… will need it… on your quest.” “…” I was frustrated. Like, my choice in all these matters was null. Everything the entity said was INSANITY! End a war?! That in itself is not something one should ask so easily, let alone from a SINGLE PERSON! … But, then again, I was pinning the blame on the wrong person. “I bid you farewell.” When I woke up, twenty or so robed figures, wielding staves, stood trembling around a colossal magic circle with me in the center. Good grief…

I am an empty hole inside of an empty hole. “I just don’t know anymore, Charlie.” I know at least he’ll answer in this deep pit called reality. I know he’s looking down at my lime-colored head right now as I lie the useless thing in my arms, smelling the years-old school desk beneath me. “You’re depressed.” “I’m dying.” I correct. “She was- all I cared about, Wire.” I’m hardly crying per say- instead, I simply sound like I’m crying whenever I speak. “You’ve realized there’s nothing for it. That you’re just unhappy and there’s nothing you can do about it.” I snort and laugh and almost sob as some snot falls out of my nose. Maybe I am crying. “Yes, Wire! Yes…” I admit. Wire always understands. “You are no different from me, Molly.” I like to think we’re the only ones in the room right now. As he talks to me, nothing else matters. He’s done both our work already. The teacher’s busy with some other group. And no one wants to talk with us. One could almost be convinced that in this moment we have free will. “You've reached the end of where your life can go right now. In a way, this is the top.” He continues. “The only thing you can do is learn to live in it.” “But I hate living…” I tell him. “You think I don’t?” I hear him tap his pencil on the desk. “That is the normal state of being for all those who live life to its fullest.” “I on’ get it…” I sniffle. Okay, yeah. I’m definitely crying now. “But… thank you.” “Why are you thanking me? You are a mess… listen Molly. Why do you think I do all your assignments?” “ceBause- because I’m so cute?” I whine. “Because I have absolutely nothing fucking better to do. I haven’t intellectually exerted myself since the sixth grade. Every single day I spend here is utterly meaningless. I honestly fear that what we call “life” may in fact actually be hell.” “You’re tellinh’ me…” “I use the time you help me waste to fill the hole in my heart. And because of that, though it is a regretful experience, I can go on living.” “Why… why though…? Why do… any of that…” “Because as hard as it is for me to believe, everything I’ve ever heard tells me it would be… unintelligent to die so soon. And I’m not just talking about the people who swear it to “gets better-“ I mean all the figures from our history and everyone like us who ever existed. We’re special, Molly. Because we’re weak in a way no one else is. Our brains move at such speed that just living for us is a struggle with god himself. But because of that, I believe we are exactly the type of people who can amount to amazing things in life. So…” I can literally hear the click of the frames as he adjusts his glasses. “You need to find something to occupy yourself. Be it a vice, or a charity- do whatever it takes to distract yourself from the beast inside your mind.” The walk to third block is the same. A repetition of a repetition. A photograph of a photograph. If I could forget one thing, it would be this school. Or maybe… Elopas would be better to forget. I can’t say. I still love her. I still want her. I don’t want to believe it isn’t possible to meet her. There are… too many other stupid things I regret anyway. I think I’d forget one of those before Elopas or even this hellish dungeon of a learning environment, as much of a stain as it is on my mind. “New seating chart today, find your spots.” The teacher recites as me and some guys whose names I never bothered to learn walk into her Language Arts class. Past Math, I don’t really know anyone in any of my classes, and nothing ever happens in them. I float to my new seat, quite accustomed at this point to the terrible upside-down diagrams these teachers put up on their fucking Prometheus boards or whatever to show you where they put your new cell in case you were getting too chatty in the last one. Couldn’t be me. It sit in my triad of desks, all alone. I look up at the board and there are names here alongside mine, but no people to match. Some guy, some girl. The other tables have filled up by now, and most of them are four-seaters. Guess I’d be with the leftovers, if they’d even bothered to come. Would’ve been a riot if I skipped today and not a single person was in this group. Except not really. What’s so funny about that…? I’m so bored, even that sounds like something interesting… I don’t usually hear other people when they’re not talking to me, but for some reason, my broken brain picks up a girl’s voice as she enters the room. “Woo! Made it!” Somebody’s fucking excited… Christ, what are your mornings like, lady? You cream your pants every time the mailman shows up? Without warning, this very same girl slides into the seat right across from me, coming face-to-face with my likely irresistible, but all-the-same mentally rotting self. I can almost see it in her eyes how grossed out she is by me. Ha. “Are you okay?” Fucking Christ, this again? Do I really look that messed up? “Uh, yeah? What’s your problem?” Holy shit, I’m not usually this rude to people. Maybe she’ll stop talking to me if I act like a dick, at least. But for some reason, she laughs as I antagonize her. “God, you’re at the end of your rope, aren’t you? The end of the year getting to you that bad?” No way… she acts like a total normo. Could this woman be one of my people? “Yeah… prolly.” I decide to be at least semi-honest. “I don’t really know what to do about it.” “It’s hard, I know. Soon this’ll all be over. It’s sad… I’m gonna miss it.” Nevermind. Fuck her. “What- why? Are you- are you serious?” I only realize I’m speaking out loud once that sentence is already over. Whatever. I decide to push forward. “I hate this place, don’t you want out?” “Oh, you do?” She looks genuinely sad for some reason. “No, not really… I have… a lot of memories here, that I cherish. Don’t get me wrong though! I’m still making more.” She’s total scum, but the fact I haven’t scared her off yet interests me enough to continue the interaction. “The only memories I have from this year are getting hammered in fourth period and some guy I know offing himself.” “Then it’s no wonder you hate it here. Think I’d blame you for that?” Wait… This doesn’t make sense. Okay, so let me get this straight- I disagree with her, our aesthetics, they- they don’t fit- her a total suck-up to life, me an angsty cyber-rebel or media witch or whatever I am- and she- and she’s understanding me? This is… stupid. Are all of them like this? They can’t be. She… she’s special. She has to be special. “Yeah, I think someone like you would.” I continue. “We’re like opposite sides of a coin.” “We’re just people. What’s your name?” “Molly Hitchcock.” “What is this, a roll call? I don’t need your last.” She’s sticking her hand out to me. Like, for a handshake. Nobody ever dies that. My eyes climb up her hand and through her arm. All of a sudden, I’m finally taking in what her face looks like. Her hair is dark and complex. Unlike mine, the color is natural, and the shape has been professionally curated. Her clothes are expensive. Fashionable. Like she cares about how people see her every single day of her life. She wears makeup, and her pink lips shine ever under the pathetic lighting of the classroom. Her eyes almost look like the abyss of space inside white fluffy clouds, and- and she’s pretty. She’s really pretty. Why do I suddenly feel like crying again? “I’m Harmony. Nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you…” My hand is already shaking hers. “So, you’re gay, yeah?” “Huh?” “You’re totally gay. Just look at you.” “I like… guys.” “No you don’t.” “Yeah… I don’t. I don’t know why I just said that…” “It’s okay. I know not everyone can be cool about stuff like that.” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah, I like girls too. Girls like… you, Molly.” “R-really… that’s pretty cool.” “Haha, what?” “Nothing.” “You got a girlfriend?” “Never… never had one.” “I figured.” I blink at her. It’s like she wants me to say something. I don’t know what’s happening at all right now. I’m not in school, I’m floating through air. White clouds and grey sky with no earth beneath them. Just her looking at me, waiting for me to be honest with her. “Are you… um. Flirting with me?” “Yes, Molly. I am.” “B-based.” “Haha, what? Did you just say “based” out loud?” “I… I guess I just did, didn’t I… haha… that’s embarrassing.” “Let’s skip our next classes together, Molly. I want to learn more about you.” Am I dreaming? In the quiet hallway, the beautiful girl named Harmony rests her back against the wall like a flower starting to wilt. “What kind of music do you like, Molly?” Two different spikes of adrenaline rush through my heart. On one hand, I want to spew all my knowledge on niche internet artists right this instant. On the other hand, that sounds like just about the most embarrassing thing in the world. So naturally, I decide to lie. “I like, um… Radiohead.” “Oh, really?” A ripped Tails doll pops into my head. “Er- no! No… I… don’t. I don’t listen to Radiohead. Sorry.” “What do you listen to, then?” “Oh… where to start… um… Golden Boy… er- Shoebill… Dj Technorch… oh! Er- Creepy Nuts.” “Interesting. I’ve never heard of any of those in my life.” “What do- um. What do you like to listen to, Harmony?” “Masayoshi Takanaka.” Thank god, at least she’s a weeb. Not sure who that is though. “Is that all?” “No. But that’s my answer I save in case anybody asks what artists I like.” She’s smart. “You’re smart.” “Really…? Haha. I figured that’s something everybody did.” “No. I’m just stupid.” “Woah, where’d that come from? Here I pinned you for the confident type, not a self-deprecator.” “I am- er, confident.” “You don’t really sound like it right now.” I just laugh awkwardly. It’s been awhile since I’ve talked to another girl for this long without cutting off part of her body or something else to bring down the mood. “I can be pretty confident.” “That so? Gimme an example.” “Uh… this one time I got drunk in class.” “You mentioned that, yeah.” “Well- I didn’t exactly get too drunk per say- but I did drink.” “Well that’s something. Hey, I did it once.” “For real?” “Mm. It’s surprisingly easy to avoid getting caught. But I haven’t done it since then. I’m here to make memories, not get wasted.” “True.” I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. I’m a mess. “So anyway- I think you’re ridiculously cute, Molly. Maybe you don’t see it that way, maybe you do- but either way, to me you’ve got something special. To be honest, I just wanna kiss you right now.” I THINK THIS BROKEN BRAIN OF MINE IS ABOUT TO FUCKING BREAK A SECOND TIME “Wow. You uh- you serious?” “Dead serious. What do you think of me?” “You’re hot.” “Is that an automatic response to any woman you meet?” “Maybe… but you’re… um. You’re different.” “Am I the only person who’s shown you this much attention?” “Probably, yeah.” “We should go out.” “R-really?” “We should.” “Okay.” “You wanna be my girlfriend Molly?” Is this how this works? “Yes.” “Then it’s settled.” She grabs my red sweaty hand. “How old are you?” “Eighteen.” “Cool, me too. I hate stupid kids.” She kisses me. ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Nothing has changed. No progress. No Elopas. Just school. Just motherfucking school over and over again and nothing else. Even though I know it’ll be over eventually, I can’t help but complain to myself constantly about this utter bullshit waste of time. Every day when I walk out of those doors I’m reminded that though this bell may be temporary, you’ll remember it forever. And that lost time will never come back. Unable to fully fall asleep after last night, I get up a little early and put my phone on the charger. Closing Gormage’s messages to me, I find the sudden compulsion to stretch. My body aches and my forehead burns from VISTA usage. But as I check the time, I decide I’d rather not waste it on more work. Surprisingly, Elaine’s still asleep. Her door’s closed, at least. I don’t think I’ve ever been up this early in my whole life. Huey should be up by now, but downstairs, I’m all alone, and outside the window his car’s nowhere to be found. Guess he… left already? Makes sense I suppose. I go to sit in the den. There’s nothing in here for me. I spend all my time in my room, so I’ve left no trace of my existence in this space. Nothing I own is here. Nothing I like is here. The aesthetic is old and dry, born from and kept alive by my mother. My eyes drift again to the cabinet near the left of the room. No… no, I can’t do that. But maybe… I mean…? School is happening today. That’s a fact. And it’s gonna suck, I know that too. So I can’t make things any better… but… I could certainly take steps to numb the pain. I open up the alcohol cabinet. I’ve never drank before. As I twist open the lid to my water bottle to fill it with my parent’s vodka I’m mostly just thinking about how at least one thing I’ve never experienced before will happen today. I mean, fuck, that’s really all I ever asked for. Just excitement is all. Just a break from the noise. If Elopas can’t free me just yet, I’ll at least try and make the most of my time. I take only a small amount at first. Water it down some with the sink to fill the bottle, then a little more. Then more water to balance that out. And I top it off with some more water just to be sure. Soon enough, the thermos is full of (mostly) booze. Planned on this being a one-time thing, but given I’ve got an easy out what with my dad packing his bags and all, I stash the rest in my closet for later. Who’s gonna know? I can just say he took it. From now on, I’m living life to the fullest. That is to say, doing everything in my power to feel even the slightest hint of enjoyment or general emotion to begin with. The drive to school is silent. To Elaine, at least. My earbuds are ripe with the wail of KFC Murder Chicks. As the same exact clothes I wore yesterday cling to my sweaty flesh I pray to god Elaine won’t smell the booze. How would she…? I try to block out my anxiety. I’m already bringing alcohol to school. Not gonna drink it in the car or anything but I’m not gonna be scared to do what I want with it. Who really cares what happens to me anyway? I’m more scared of the idea of getting caught in the act than any possible “punishment” they could lay down on me. Besides, I’ve got an out. My dad left. I’m going through a divorce in the family. A perfect sob story. In homeroom I start drinking. I don’t tell Dylan. He's not chill enough- would probably freak out and get me exposed. Not to mention he doesn’t even seem to smell it anyway. Sure doesn’t bring it up. Nevertheless, as I nervously take my first nasty sips of the putrid syrup, he strikes up some time-killing conversation with me. As a fellow prisoner, it’s only polite to respond and get this day over with quicker. “Molly…” he starts. “What do you think about me getting a haircut?” “Why now? You’ve had the same hair for seventeen years.” “Yeah, that’s… the thing. I mean, that’s fucking lame. And… it’s boring. I want something new.” “Like what, pigtails?” “Fuck off… I mean like… I dunno… a buzzcut…?” He sighs like he just got told he had two seconds to live. “I don’t wanna shave my head though…” he sticks his hands in the pockets of his baggy red hoodie. “Get dreads or something.” “You’re no help…” First block hits and I don’t feel much different. Of course, quick sips aren’t gonna cut it. From here on out, I decide to start gulping a nice bit of it every so often. Unlike Dill, Wire actually notices I’m committing a crime. “Molly. Don’t tell me you’re drinking?” “S’for my Kishibe cosplay… practicing. Y’know. Kishibe. From-“ “Chainsaw Man. I know. Everyone knows. They all watched it.” “I read the manga.” “I know that too. Asshole.” “I’m soooo drunk…” I slur, a little loud. Pretty sure Ms. Junes hears but she doesn’t expect a thing. I’m the good kid. “No. You aren’t.” “Just let me believe…” “You’re not acting any differently than normal. I don’t think you’re even close to drunk just yet.” “You’re different. So pissed off… normally you’d play along.” I concede, wishing the juice would actually take effect some time this century. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t notice.” “Dylan too. Everyone’s on edge. This school year’s gonna drive us crazy.” “You’re just depressed about Elopas.” “Yeah… but school doesn’t make it any better.” “All of life is boring. You just have to find the fun in everything. You want to know what I did in first block?” “What did you do?” I ask, somewhat pointlessly. Usually he’d go right into his topic. Whether he believes it or not, the guy is suffering. We’re all slowly degrading inside this tile-floor Silent Hill map. “Do you know how long it would take to open every single locker in this entire school?” “No…” “Guess.” “Uhhhh…. six hours?” “They’re all locked. You don’t know the codes.” “Oh… uh, two days?” “No.” He smirks, adjusting his glasses, unintentionally revealing his hollowed, soulless eyes to me. “Seventy-four years.” “Wow…” I feign interest. “Would you like to know how I came up with that figure?” “Not really…” I break my own time-wasting conversation rule on account of clause one: if the conversation is even more boring than just sitting and doing nothing, you may as well not have it. Second block language arts is more of the same. Why the fuck am I so sober? I eagerly await lunch. But between this and third block, it’s generations before I even get there. We don’t sit near anyone. Every day we just take our lunches to the quiet hallway, and nobody says shit. It’s even okay to be loud around this time, but none of us have the energy on days like these anyway. I don’t think anyone likes our group because they can’t understand what the idea behind it is. On rare occasions I’ve heard kids wonder aloud why the three of us spend our time together. They just don’t get it. Must all be numb to whatever soul-crushing illness haunts us. Our aesthetic isn’t pain, though. We aren’t goth, and we aren’t bad kids. Just a lesbian, a no-personality fuckup who’d probably be an incel if he were into girls, and a nerd. Like the only person you would still call a “nerd” in 2023. We aren’t hurting. We’re bored. We’re so fucking bored. I hate us. I open my lunchbox and toss out everything but the desert, including whatever weird note mom wrote me today. We sit and talk about how much we hate our teachers. I drink. We each talk about shows only the speaker watches in gruesome detail. I drink. We all talk about how much we’d rather be anywhere else. I drink. We all talk about how we’d escape the school if there was a fire, or more likely a shooter. I drink. We talk about who could survive in a fight between the three of us, of against a tiger. I drink. I talk about Elopas. I drink. Still don’t feel even a little bit different. The knowledge that I am only halfway through the day, and literally need to go through almost that same amount of wasted time I did in the first half of today again, weighs on me like a nutsack full of lead. I’m not suicidal, but during these classes I think about how cathartic it might be to blow my head off once every five seconds in between increasingly small sips of booze as my tank runs low. In between blocks four and five, I spot Debby in the hallway. She comes to me, unprompted, efficiently shuffling along with her crutch. Starts talking to me out of nowhere. It’s almost nice. “Hi, Molly.” She says, looking down at my head. If I were any taller, she’d probably smell the funk on my breath. “What’s up?” “Nothing.” I answer truthfully. I think long and hard about literally anything relevant to talk about. “How’s Gormage?” “Haven't talked to him today. Sorry about yesterday. I hope your wish comes true like you did for me!” “What?” “Your wish, I hope it comes true. Elopas.” “No, I mean… what? What wish did I ever grant you?” “My leg. You cut it off, remember?” “Oh… that. How long ago was that… what, like, two months?” “More like two weeks.” “Oh…” We stare at each other and then I walk to my next class. Fifth block I can’t pace myself quite well enough. Less than a third of the way through and I’ve run complete dry. Not a drop of vodka left to satiate me. Not like it was doing anything anyway. I kinda wish someone would catch me at this point. At least that would be interesting. Not even the fear of being caught keeps me awake at this point in the day. I try to pass the time with daydreaming like always, but since I usually daydream about Elopas, all it does is make me feel more down than I already do. I haven’t given up- she’s still obviously out there, because of the giggle and everything- but considering I currently have no clear way of making progress, things are looking grim at the moment. I try to think of something else. Here’s a thought. I just drank a full thermos of some sort of vodka. I don’t know fuck about what kind of vodka it is or really alcohol in general- but I just took in more than a few shots, right? So like… does that mean I have a wicked high tolerance? Could be good news. Then maybe I can really try and get drunk once I get home. Yeah, that would be fun. Something to look forward to. Unless… waaaait…. I feel it coming on… yes, yes… I’m drunk… definitely drunk… Sixth block. Nope. Just tired. Still feel the exact fucking same. There is no escape. Just delusion. I can delude myself as much as I want. That’s not such a bad idea. Could try to pass the time that way. Unless I’m doing it already. On second thought, I do not wanna be delusional. That would make my whole Elopas experiment a huge joke. Gotta stay sane for the day when Elopas is real and I’m the girl who brought her into the world. Yeah. I’ll stay sane for that. Boom. All of a sudden I’m headed home. I take the bus. Except I don’t feel even a little happy that school is over. I’ll be back tomorrow. And I’ve got like an hour long bus ride before I can even drink myself into a stupor in the privacy of my room. The only thing that’s happening on the ride home is what’s going on inside my headphones. Which is to say, the soundtrack to Cruelty Squad on loop. And even that feels boring when you’ve listened to it as much as I have. I get home. Elaine is there, but too pissed to welcome me. Whatever. I go upstairs. I set my bags down, but take out my thermos. Sneaking back down into the kitchen, I wash it to hell and back. Huh. I don’t think I’ve hardly ever washed dishes before. But I don’t want the smell of this thing alerting anyone. Afterwards, as I lie in bed like usual, I breathe a sigh of relief, and nothing else. Nobody caught me today. But my plan didn’t have any results either. Nothing lost. Nothing found. No gain, just pain. And now, even in the comfort of my own home, the boredom’s sneaking up to me again. If I go to bed at a reasonable time, that means I will not be conscious for a vast majority of the hours I have away from school. In a few moments, I’ll be right back at that classroom. And even if I skip, I’ll have to go the next day, or I’ll be stuck going to school forever. I don’t want to pass the time, and I don’t want to do nothing either. I look at my headset. Bad memories of Elopas failure. I look at my TV. Bad memories of better times spent watching media I hadn’t seen yet then. I look at my phone. Bad memories of writing Sonic essays. Everything is subtly, faintly bad. Annoying. A thorn in the side of my brain. Life is not just hell, there is no life. There is no hell. There is no reason why I feel the way I do. There isn’t even a conclusion to that thought. What-the-fuck-ever. I hate this. I hate it. Fuck. I grab the bottle. Beginning to swallow the undiluted vodka, I sit back on my bed and try not to think too hard. Been doing that all day. I wanna feel, not think. It’s so cool having a tolerance as high as mine. I should become an alcoholic.  Hmm… that’s right. No thoughts. Just urges. Compulsions. What do I feel like doing? I ask my heart the answer, ignoring my brain as it attempts to go off on some tangent about which Bubblegum Octopus song most accurately depicts my aesthetic. Do I feel like… laughing? No. Nothing funny happening right now. Don’t even wanna smile. How about… frown? I’m fairly pissed, that’s for sure. After all this failure, I do find myself wanting to stomp around. But… that’s just the thing I don’t wanna think about right now. That’s what I’m running from, ain’t it? So what am I feeling? Yeah… my tolerance must be super fucking high. I’m… what, halfway through this bottle? How much was in there to start? You know, I can’t remember… I take another swig. I’m not… happy, I’m not mad. So I’m sad then, is that it? Not sad about Elopas. But hey… I kinda feel something tugging at me down there, just a little. Is this about my dad leaving? I haven't had time to think about that. 𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬? 𝙄𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚. I don’t wanna think about my dad anyway. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚. I don’t really know the guy. Er, I didn’t. 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮. 𝙄 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮. I never cared about my dad. 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧. I never really cared that much about anyone. 𝙄𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙥 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙮, 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙨. When was the last time I had a good day? I don’t wanna- 𝙎𝙝𝙚 I don’t wanna remember this- 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨. Too late 𝙄 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. I cry into my bed, afraid Elaine will hear me.  I miss dad. I miss Harley. After she left, I hated her for a while. Quit liking all the things she liked. But in my mind, she just kept coming back. She was so pretty. I had to block her out. Block everything out. I didn’t want to remember this. I don't ever want to remember anything. God, that happened so long ago. I hate memories. I hate Harley. I hate dad. I hate… I stare into the colorless liquid. I don’t know how much is left. I can only just barely make out the bending reflection hidden within the pool of clear sludge. I drink again. Again. Again. But I just keep crying. I never really knew Huey. I never really knew Harley. I wanted to run, not feel. I don’t want to have known them. I was joking. Stop this. I don’t want to feel. Please, stop it. My hands are red as they grip into the bed, my face dripping with tears and snot. What’s going on? Is this real? Of course it is, what am I saying? Get it together… “Don’t cry, Molly.” She tells me. I look up. Drinking the last of what’s left, I swear I see her. I can’t tell you what she looks like, but trust me, Elopas is there. Elopas is right in front of me, and she’s just as pretty as you imagine. “Elopas…” I pretend to say, afraid Elaine will hear me. “I love you.” She tells me, and I cry more. “It’s gonna be alright.” She tells me, and I cry harder. Soon enough I stop crying, and I Blackout. In the morning my head hurts. I’m sick for real this time. I pick up the bottle on the floor. Should have known. My tolerance wasn’t high at all. I just watered down my school vodka so much that it came out weak. And… oh. So… nothing’s changed, then. Elopas… still isn’t real. I was just drunk. But she did giggle. And for me, that’s enough. She could be real. Even though last night was a delusion… that giggle was real. So even if I keep failing… one day I’ll figure it all out. I know I will. Huey leaving is fine. I understand. And fourth grade was eons ago. God, why do I care? I don’t know why I dug that stuff up. I know for a fact I’ll never see that girl again. And plenty of people go through their parents splitting. I’m just overthinking, more than usual. Guess drinking can do that to you? I’m just happy to experience something new.  Elopas’ in her heaven. All’s boring with the world. And everything will be alright. The only thing I have to worry about is convincing Elaine to let me stay home. ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

A memory of VR is a like a memory of a dream. To put it blatantly, I was… obsessed, since I first put on those goggles. Even when I was all alone in that world, before I convinced Dylan and Wire to take the plunge with me and put holes in their heads too, it was still unlike anything I’d ever experienced. All at once, the rules built up over this long and boring adolescence of mine had all been broken. Reality was not so pure a thing. The aesthetic atmosphere grounding us to this world, different though we are, turned out to be little more than a suggestion. And in this dimension where my own imagination was king, anything was possible. I have so many memories there, and in shape they are no lesser than memories spent looking at the real world. But their appearance is so much more fantastical that my mind struggles to place them anywhere else than wherever it stores my dreams. It can’t properly reconstruct something so unruly in texture, so all the time I’ve spent there feels unreal. I can’t place how long each session has been or what it was really like for my body as I waved my controllers around. All I know’s how it looked, felt, and sounded. All I know’s how fun it was. School is hell for people like me. Sure, we might be able to sit still for the eternity they require you to each day, but our brains sure as fuck can’t. I know I’ve gone through all these thoughts before. But as I sit in the back of math class, alone as Wire’s forced to work with some other group, I really have nothing better to do. I just want this day to be over. Soon as it is, I can catch up on my real life. My meeting with Gormage is today, and all my friends are coming too. He said it’d be fine so long as I know that if they leak anything, I’ll still be the one responsible. I’m not really sure what he’s so worried about in the first place. I mean… possession of illegal chips is a lower social severity than, like, pirating anime. Hell, PSICO’s biocomputer experiments in New York are technically illegal by the same mandates. But everyone knows about those, and Mr. Tollbridge of FRiDAY doesn’t seem to give a shit. I’d like to say the class is over before I knew it, but I only now step out what feels like centuries later. I stare down the repeating hallways of titanic teenagers once again, my memories tripping over themselves as every time I’ve seen this exact image before itches at my dying mind. I had seen every inch of this building within my first year here, and now, as a soon-to-be graduating senior at Lakewater High School, its layout has become a wound carved into my memory. In this building, I almost feel at peace. I’m sure there would be no better school for me. And I still absolutely fucking despise it. A familiar figure approaches me in the hall. “So uh, Molly.” Dylan checks in, tilting his neck down at me. “You said what time tonight?” “One. And don’t you forget it.” “One? Sheesh…” “Come on, it’s the best I could get. He’s up 24/7- the guy’s schedule is still fucked like you won’t believe.” “Alright…” “Not gonna argue?” “What’s the point… it’s set in stone anyway.” “Good boy. And hey… would you, um… skip class with me?” “Skip class? For what?” “No reason. The day’s just- getting to me is all.” “Can’t you… do it alone?” “No…” We ignore the people trying to walk around us as we freeze in the middle of the hallway, Dylan’s shy face thinking through the risk. “Just one class?” “Just one. We can be back for lunch.” “Where do you wanna go?” “I didn’t think that far ahead…” “Well, um.” He adjusts his hair, eyeing the wall. “We could… try the quiet hall, right?” “I guess…” Dylan frowns at our lack of decisiveness. We end up back there again. The most boring place in school, a hallway without classes or teachers or children. But it’s not the same boring as the rest of the school, so it’s got something going for it. It’s a wasted, useless space. Locked doors hide empty rooms just across from unlocked, equally empty lockers. This school never needed to be as big as it is, but when you make something that long ago you’re only setting yourself up for failure. Nobody can predict the future, obviously. Dylan knows I’m nervous. The spot’s isolated, but there’s no reason someone else couldn’t just walk in here if they felt like it. We could get caught at any moment. Would we? I don’t personally think so. But I’m shaking nonetheless. “Too bad there’s nowhere to sit.” I mutter to part the silence. “Mm.” He responds, just trying to find someplace to look. “Dill, are you scared?” “Maybe… I mean- I’d rather not get in trouble. But who am I to say how I feel? It can be hard to tell sometimes.” “You have a slow mind. Be grateful for that.” I can tell something’s making Dylan feel a little sad right now. Conflicted, even. Yet it’s not how I just insulted him. “Molly… why are we doing this?” “Skipping? We’re fuckin’ bored.” “It’s the final quarter of our high school career.” “…” I look at Dylan like he’s just said whatever backwards political take one most disagrees with. “Uh-huh. What’s it matter?” “Well shouldn’t we be… I dunno, living our lives to the fullest?” “Don’t see how we aren’t. What more is there to do? Honestly, I say skipping is at least more interesting than whatever they have for us.” “Yeah… I just… I don’t know.” “Life don’t matter until after high school, anyway…” I half-say, just filling space in the conversation. “What do you plan to do after school?” “Shit, Dill…” I kick the air. “You sure know how to bore a girl out. You know what I’m doing anyway.” “No…?” He squints, confused. “What I’m doing right now. You know, summoning Elopas.” “…” Dylan settles on looking at the hard tile ground. “Ain’t that just… a bit?” I look at him in such a way that he in turn will be forced to look at me. “Dylan.” I say. “I know you’ve had your doubts, but this is my dream.” “Mm…” “I heard her one day.” “Yeah?” “I don’t remember when, but it was around last time we played.” “That would be Monday or Tuesday.” “She giggled, Dill. Right behind me.” “In the real world… or, like, in the headset?” “Headset… I know cause I ripped the thing off looking for her and didn’t see shit.” “Sounds kinda like… I dunno, maybe she wasn’t there to begin with. That giggle… could’ve been anything. I mean…” “No, she was there!” My hands go over my mouth to shut myself up. Too loud. I don’t wanna get caught. Don’t wanna get caught. “Sorry… she… she was there. I heard her. Fuckin’ swear.” “I hear you… it’s just… don’t you know that PSICO computer isn’t even real? I thought you were just playing into something, but, like… you do know that’s been all but proven as a hoax for at least a year, right?” “…Wrong.” Dylan doesn’t get me, but I keep talking, because I can tell he’s listening. He wants to understand, even if he has trouble believing in much of anything. “It’s real, dude. It’s real, alright.” “And your proof…?” “…S’too cool not to be.” “It’s too cool to be.” I finally got him to look at me, but now I’m the one facing off with the floor. “Dylan… can’t you just let a girl live in peace?” “I’m really trying. Just saying what’s on my mind is all.” He rubs his neck. “I am… sorry, though. S’what I think. That’s all.” “No. No, it’s fine. Don’t worry, your opinion doesn’t weigh too heavily in my mind.” I snort. “But one thing I’ve noticed… you do act weird now.” “Hm?” “Yeah, you. You act weird.” “What do you mean by that?” “You’ve always been a little strange, but this whole year… you’ve been such a cloudy little boy. You hear me? Whenever I try to read you, if it’s not embarrassment I sense, it’s flat-out nothing.” “And since when on Earth can you read people?” “I’ve always been capable. In my mind, at least. I feel I have good interpretations of most people I meet, surely enough for them to benefit me. And you’re by far the strangest person I know.” “That’s a lot coming from you.” “I’ll bet. Now tell me Dill. What is your desire?” “And… by that you mean…?” “Well you don’t have an Elopas. So what do you have?” “I’ve got you, I guess… Wire… my car.” “…Yeah. And you have all those things. What I mean is- what’s something you don’t have?” Dylan thinks for a moment. “I’ve got just about everything, I feel like.” “Oh yeah?” I find myself fascinated by this boy. “I know I’ll… go to college, soon’s I graduate. But uh… why would I need something more than that? After college, I’ll work. You know. Ain’t that everybody’s plan?” “So if I could grant you any wish, all you’d ask for is… what, to graduate? To get a job?” “Hm…” Dylan thinks for longer this time, but not by much. “Maybe I’d ask for a girlfriend. N-not you, of course. And not a boyfriend either. So don’t-“ “Who?” “What?” “Who would you want to be your girlfriend?” He blinks at me. “Hm?” “Well, who?” “How’m I… supposed to answer that? I don’t know. It’d just be nice to have a girlfriend, I guess.” “You really are helpless…” We stood in that silence-stained hallway for the whole class period. “See you tonight.” “See ya tonight.” After another day spent in room-temperature hell, I’m back in the lab. VISTA resting on the bed, ready for my face to wear it, ready for whatever this meeting’s gonna be like. There’s no parents home tonight to get me in bed at a reasonable hour, they’re off doing something they haven’t told me much about. Date, maybe? They haven’t done that in years. Though it’s a very minor convenience to have, I have thank Elopas for my impeccable luck on this fated night. This goes well, and I’ll be headed straight for her soon. Just wait for me, Elopas… “A new map, I see…” Charlie “Wire” Johnson is punctual as usual when it comes to joining the instance. We’ve entered a different VRchat server than usual, but still a privately-owned, heavily modded one- that being Gormage’s himself. He calls it “CHEMPLANT” and it’s used almost entirely for secret deals and meetings like these. And the map he’s asked us to be in by this time is exactly the kind of aesthetic I adore from false, virtual reality- that being, quasi-realistic nature. Next to a waterfall in a woodland clearing straight out of a Zelda game, me and the giant faceless monster man Wire inhabits stand around waiting for the other two. I love places like this. I wish any of them existed in real life, but anytime I’ve gone to see the sights, something always ruins it. Hiking with my family is lame. Going out in public places is a drag. If only the whole world was like this, just me and my buddies in an underdeveloped continent. Now that’s what I’d want- and of course, it’s just another fantasy. There might not be a single “real” thing in this world that I can enjoy. Chuckling at this, I turn up the music my earbuds. There isn’t anything a little Acetantina can’t make even better. Abruptly, a tall brick of a man walk-animations out of the woods, sliding up to us. I don’t recognize the model, but it’s got Dylan’s tag. “Dill? That you? You forgot your makeup.” “Eh, I'm tired of those models. Everybody uses them, anyway.” “Whaaaatever. I’ll be keeping mine, though. Where the fuck’s the ‘mage? It’s thirty-past one.” “Perhaps he lied.” Wire suggests. “No, not this guy.” I state. “He asked me to write a Sonic character analysis, he’d better show.” “I’ll believe you.” Wire says, looking down on my smaller character from above. We wait for many minutes like this before we finally hear something. “In Sword Art Online…” A voice rises out of the trees. “In Sword Art Online, everybody meets each other for the first time in a virtual world. After that, most don’t see each other again… well… that’s my headcanon, at least… I only watched the first few episodes.” A cartoon green cyborg shark humanoid with a big head and hotdog limbs steps out, the name “GORMAGE” pasted above its head. The OC walks towards us, arriving from the opposite side of the trees, announcing his presence with a select few more words: “Hello, everyone. It’s me… Gormage. In the virtual flesh.” Wire can’t suppress his uppity chuckle. “He treats VR almost as strangely as you do, Molly.” “Whatever!” I shout. “If we all just act like it’s normal, the cool factor goes away instantly!” “Exact- exactly!” Gormage follows up. “You gotta... remember that this isn’t normal, ya… ya know.” “Nice to meet you.” Says Dylan. “It’s uh, great to meet you all, yeah.” Gormage responds. “And I’m here to talk as long as you want to, I’ve got a MACRO, but it’s- uh, hooked up to a power cable.” His deep, scattered voice explains. “A MACRO? No shit?” I blurt out. “You’re rich.” “Well it’s uh- yeah. I mean, it is really strong. But it… they made it turn off, if you spend too long on it. That’s what the power cable’s for.” “Oh. So hey, still kinda like a VISTA.” I remark. “‘Course, ours just run out of power ‘cause the battery sucks.” “At least they’re portable.” Dill adds. “You’re the only one here who gets any use out of that feature.” “It’s nice to see you, though… uh… and… names? You’re… Elopostle, yeah? On RedeadHillZone… but uh, your name here’s Acidgirl. What do I use?” “Just call me Molly. I have no interest in secrecy outside of aesthetic appeal.” “Alright. And them too? “Dylan and Wire. I’d trust them with my life… or at least a homework assignment. Though that’s just Wire’s job. Dylan’s a leech.” “Hey!” “Dylan’s cool.” “Alrighta, yeah…” Gormage lets out a breathy chuckle. “They seem fine. But just know… if anyone DOES squeal ‘bout this, we could all be in some shit… so keep your lips zipped, yeah alright?” “Alright.” I say for them. “Don’t exactly get your level of caution given we’re basically talkin’ hacked Nintendo Switches here, but I’ll play by your rules. Anything else I should know about?” “No. Not really. Those Nintendo Ninjas though, they’re real… you know. They gotta be. I heard stories.” “The guys that kill ya for burning Wii games? I’d sure like to believe it. That said, you make it sound like what you’re afraid of’s a whole lot scarier. Suspected me of bein’ a fed? Just how bad could these chips be?” “Come on, I’ll show ya. Live demonstration, no cap. Right this way.” The anthropomorphic elasmobranch walks back into his neck of the woods as me and the boys are forced to follow. Wire’s laughing a tad and Dylan’s more confused as I am. “Why are we- moving locations? Isn’t it all the same?” He asks me. “The atmosphere’ll be different, I guess.” “Come on, uh- humor me, will ya? I’m a real bored son of a bitch, you know.” Gormage pipes up. We arrive at the mouth of a small cave. Wire crouches down to look in through the stone hole. “Just through here.” Inside, it’s what you’d expect. No special features, just a nice place to talk in. I kinda dig that. I guess me and this guy see more eye-to-eye than I thought. “Molly, I’m gonna be showing you, uh, most of what I’ve got. Then we can talk about getting it to you.” “And you won’t ask why I need it?” “Why… I mean, we all use chips like these for the same reason, don’t we?” His model poses strangely. I can tell he’s dropped his controllers to use his real hands for something. I figure he’s probably putting the chips in. He sniffles. “…Ah. Sorry. Just had to get ready. So listen, I’ve got uh, twelve, thirteen different kinds of chips loaded into this headset at all times. And I’ve got dupes of ‘em, plenty. So I’ll show you them all, then you can, uh… you can let me know what you think. ‘Course, you mighta… might know some, given your air of expertise. Like uh… well, no use showing off my Maxfeel unless you want me to.” The controllers go back into their proper spots, his OC’s hands reattaching to the correct length of his sausage arms. “And I’m sure you know all about Overchargers, Simfeels, Blockers, and Copyware, yeah?” “Got most of those loaded right now. Wire over here got me a real nice port set up.” “Great. But uh… you know about, like… what they’ve been doing in the mod community nowadays? Like… the uh, Y’know, the underground one.” “Only a little.” “Seen the Breakchip?” “The what?” I can’t see Dylan’s face or anything right now, but I can tell he’s the slightest bit scared. Guess he expects Miss Molly to know everything when it comes to VR. “Okay… check this fuckshit out. Molly, take a swing at me.” “Take a whuh?” “Punch me. Let’s go, hard as you can. My avatar, I mean.” “Oh. Uh, alright.” “AGH!” As soon as my polygonal fists phases through his mascot head, his character recoils back in pain. Over the mic, the guy screams and wails like I just really hit him. It doesn’t hit me right away just what the fuck is wrong with him. “Ah… ahaha… ahaHA! CHECK THAT SHIT OUT!” He cackles, shaking off the “pain.” “What exactly just… wait… wait, don’t bullshit me… did you-“ “It hurt! It really fuckin’ hurt, holy shit! Only done that with another person a few times… that’s crazy!” “A Breakchip…” Wire is sufficiently interested. “It… stimulates, like… the fuckin’, pain receptors in your mind or whatever… and really hurts you! If you crank it up enough… they say this shit can even put you down for good!” He laughs. “That’s wild. But I don’t think it’ll do too much for me. You got anything else?” “You have no idea.” He shows off a buffet of cutting-edge consumer-made tech. He’s got something for everything. A chip to make you forget your headset is even on you, one to keep you feeling energized at all times during headset use, and even one to scan and make accurate models of your own body for use ingame.  But most importantly… a malfunctioning experimental design- a “magatsu chip.” While it doesn’t exactly “work” in the marketable sense, as he describes it- it’s supposed to run through every single “setting” on a headset device interface instantly. Based on code-breaking devices, it tries every possible configuration of inputs in a system in order to leave no stones unturned in an experiment. In other words, it’s exactly what I want- a torch to light up the dark unknown of wherever Elopas, my idea, may reside. “So how’s that? I got plenty of everything.” “Gormage.” I speak. “I’ve got something I need done, and I think a chip you’ve got can help. But… I don’t know if I can do it… without your direct help.” Dylan pulls me aside. “Are you crazy? Molly, this guy, doesn’t he seem…” “Can it. And we’re not in real life you know, he can still hear you.” “Ah, it’s… it’s okay.” He says, his avatar still scoping out Dill anyway. “What’re you, uh, going for here? I mean, if it’s interesting enough.” “You bet your ass it is. Listen… I’ve got this dream… I’m using the PSICO servers to generate an entity.” “An entity? Like, like they speculated about in the articles?” “No, my own thing. Yes, a physical manifestation of a virtual character, but not just that- living fiction incarnate. Interested enough?” “Crazy kid… I’ll bite. So which chip was it you were looking at using with me?” “The code output chip, of course.” “You really… want that piece of garbage? I’ll be honest, it’s uh… it’s not gonna do anything for you. And alone, it’s not gonna…” “It won’t be alone.” “Huh?” “When I had a Maxfeel, I heard my entity giggle. You may not believe it, but I experienced that moment in more detail, more reality than I have anything else before. I have to recreate those conditions… and if you can get that magatsu chip running better, I’ll be all set.” “Yeah… uh-huh. But you… can’t expect me to go that far for you. I mean… lady, I like having something to do, but…” Maybe I can read people after all. I may have just been bluffing to Dylan earlier today, but… I think I get this guy, in a way I wouldn’t be able to get a normal person. He’s not just bored…  He’s lonely.  You can see that even through his virtual body. He’s just as desperate as I am for the things that’ll bring him happiness… and I just so happen to know what those things are. “I can pay you, but not much. I can, however, be your friend. After all… I’d love to talk more Sonic with you.” Wire tilts his head. Guy knows I don’t have the slightest bit of knowledge or interest on the subject other than my nagging Tails brainworm. “You… yeah? I mean… shit, alright… just as long as I can take my time with it… I’ll sell you that Maxfeel right away though. How’s $600?” Dylan starts to say something, but I stop him. “That won’t do. Most I can get you is $200. I’m just a high-schooler. How’d our friend afford one anyway?” “Gave it to her. Not to… toss shade, but… unlike you, she needed it. Dunno why she handed it over to you if you were just gonna blow it up.” “She doesn’t need it anymore anyway, Mr. Mage. You see, I cut that girl’s leg off for her.” “Nothing you say makes a lick of sense… you really are interesting. $300. But only if you keep me updated every step of the way. And not a penny less than that either.” “Fair. See you online.” “See you.” With that, Gormage leaves us alone in his custom map. My brothers in arms both look at me. I guess they’re realizing it. “Molly…” Dill starts. “Are you, like.. actually crazy? I mean… to go this far to do whatever it is you’re trying to do, even knowing it’s not… not possible…” “But Gormage was right.” Wire pontificates. “It is interesting, you know. One could say this is the opposite of a secret. Even if you knew it, you wouldn’t believe it. Our Molly… correct or not, genuinely believes she can summon this “Elopas.” “Damn straight.” I grin, thankful they can’t see my blush as my ego grows beyond what it’s been capable of up till now. “I’m a witch. I’m a scientist. Hell, I might be god… once Elopas is mine, that settles it. Anything… anything can be done. Just as the aesthetic of the outside world can be broken by this one… so too can it’s very rules and principles. Do you two understand now? Do you two get why I am the way I am?” “Perhaps you really are crazy.” Wire admits. “Just don’t let that get to your head.” “Are you kidding? My head’s too damn full already.” ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Summoning Elopas is now a full-time job. I mean, I still have school, but even they’re I’m making plans, and when I’m not stuck in that useless time sink, my days consist of just a few things: -Message Gormage -Get updates on the chips I’ve ordered -Talk about Sonic the Hedgehog -Discuss plans -Go into the PSICO servers and experiment It’s not so bad, really. Even though nothing ever happens each day, it always feels like it has a chance to. Maybe it’s like, a gambler’s fallacy thing, but it’s keeping me going, so I’ll take it. Gormage is pretty cool to, so I don’t mind hanging out with him, even if it means pretending to like a game I’ve never played. That’s another thing. Ain’t go no time at all to chew through media or the like other than music. That’s fine too though. Music was always my favorite. It’s just that, used to, on days like these, even if I was gonna spend a few hours witchcrafting, I’d at least get to watch a movie beforehand or something. We hadn’t planned to do much of anything before I got both chips set up and shipped to my house, but me and Gormage were both so bored that we went ahead and started doing experiments without them. He’s really into my dream now, in a way nobody else ever has been. I can tell he believes me, at least as much as he believes I like playing Sonic games. I wake up with a sore face from VISTA usage. Today’s the day the new Maxfeel gets here. The magatsu’s not ready just yet, but that’s not a big deal. Gormage wanted to try and experiment with the Maxfeel chip right away just like I did. He even promised that if I could get the same thing to happen again that did that one day when it blew up, he’d give me a new one for free. I start getting ready for another day of the sitting-in-silence Olympics before suddenly I get a text message that isn’t from any of my boys. Today 5:08 (Deb) hi The image of my phone screen rests on my eyes for a moment. Who was this again? Of course, it could only be Debby. I suppose she still wants to talk to me. Hasn’t been at school or anything in a week, so I haven’t been thinking about her much at all, especially with my current preoccupations. Today 5:12 (Me) Hi Today 5:14 (Deb) are you coming to school today? Today 5:14 (Me) Unfortunately Today 5:15 (Deb) ill be there Today 5:16 (Me) Ok Today 5:18 (Deb) will you come see me? Today 5:18 (Me) Sure Today 5:19 (Me) Anything to distract from the grind Today 5:21 (Deb) lets meet in the junior wing bathroom after hr “Molly? Are you getting ready in there?” Elaine’s voice interrupts from outside my always-closed door. Today 5:21 (Me) K “Getting ready!” I shout, pulling myself together. One more thing to look forward to today, I don’t mind that at all. I step out down to the first floor of my house once I’m all set to go. There I find Elaine standing by the door. My mom is always dressed the complete opposite of me. I’m not sure how to describe it. Straight, perhaps? I wouldn’t call it overly normal or anything. Just unassuming. I don’t pay much attention to the particulars of her outfit because it’s honestly boring to me. She opens the door for me and soon enough we’re in the car. I’ve got both earbuds in blasting some meganeko, but she tries to start talking to me. “Your father and I are getting a divorce.” Nascens is really fucking cool, but Technokenisis is the meganeko release I listen to the most. I’m not sure which one I’d call my favorite. I think the girl on the album art of Technokenisis is cuter, so that boosts it up a few points. Maybe I should get a physical release if there is one. Dunno what I’d play it on though, I don’t own any music because I listen to pretty much everything digitally unlike my collection of physical movies and games and stuff. “Did you hear me? Take those damn things out of your ears.” I remove an earbud so I don’t miss anything. She sounds a little too passionate about something she so clearly feels negative about. Doesn’t make much sense to put effort into being sad, in my book. “Your father and I are getting a-“ “I heard.” “Then why didn’t you say something?” “I didn’t… uh. Well, I didn’t want to overreact.” “You don’t care?” She shakes. “What? I mean… who am I staying with? Is Huey moving out?” “Yes! He’s- yes, he says the house is mine. You can… just stay here, like normal.” “So… none of his cooking anymore though, I guess.” Elaine starts crying. “Alright.” I say, putting my earbud back in. Oh, I didn’t notice a new song started. When I get to school I sit down and talk to Dylan about anime and stuff for a while before homeroom ends and I can head off to the bathrooms. The walk feels short, probably since I don’t have too much on my mind today. That’s a first. I turn the corner to the girl’s room and step in to see her. Debby Vincent, on the same crutch as always, the stump of her missing leg securely bandaged. She wasn’t smiling before, but as soon as I walk in, she does. “Hey.” I say. “Are you doing well?” “Yeah.” She replies. “I think I am. Thank you, Molly.” She spreads her left arm, inviting me into her shoulder. With nothing better to do, I approach the taller girl’s armpit and hug her back, my face half-pressed against her. “You were right Molly. It really hurt.” “Mm.” “My parents were really mad.” “Mm.” “They told me they would put the leg back on me, but I’d already fed it to the animals.” “S’crazy.” “Not really. I get it now, Molly. What you said.” “Yeah?” “Life is real.” I hear someone shit in the stall next to us, and I laugh. School doesn’t last as long as it used to. During class I’m always planning our new experiments, feeling out ways to find Elopas. Then I can try each and every one of them when I get home. Getting home today is especially delightful as well. Walking out of the bus, down my street, and to my house, I see the package on my doorstep. No return address, just where it’s going and the name “Acidgirl” instead of my real one. I unlock the door and head into my empty home, both parents at work. I hope Huey doesn’t have too much trouble finding another house, that probably sucks. I guess I’ll be home alone more often from now on. My eyes wander to the alcohol, but I restrain myself. I must be at least a little mentally present for my experimentation. In my room, I giggle with glee at the sight of my new Maxfeel. There’s plenty to try out today, and if I’m lucky… I’ll even get to hear her again. I'll get to hear Elopas’ own beautiful laugh. The thought makes me fall to my bed face-first and kick my feet in the air. I open up my phone to RedeadHillZone. Elopostle (3:10) Yo yo yo Gormage (3:10) Hows my witch apprentice doin Elopostle (3:10) Arent you MY apprentice? Gormage (3:11) Im not a witch Elopostle (3:11) I got the maxi Gormage (3:11) Fuck yeag we gotta test it later Elopostle (3:11) For sure Elopostle (3:11) Hows the maggot Gormage (3:11) Magatsu’s almost ready lol 94 percent Elopostle (3:11) No joke? Gormage (3:12) I got it to do some stuff this morning its really comin along Elopostle (3:12) Excellent very excellent my dear gormage Gormage (3:12) Theres something ive been womdering though Elopostle (3:12) Yeah what Gormage (3:12) Do you agree with the opinion that the werehog levels in unleashed are bad What, that’s all? Easy mode today, huh. I’ve done my research here, and I can infer exactly what option he’ll have on a matter like this. Elopostle (3:12) No? Gormage (3:12) Oh that’s neat cause I was replaying them today and theyre actually really good Elopostle (3:12) Yeah yeah exactly like act 13 especially goes so hard Gormage (3:14) I played them all today, aint there only twelve? Shit Elopostle (3:15) No I mean like in the DLC Gormage (3:15) Ohhhh Gormage (3:15) I never played that Me neither. But someone on GameFAQs sure did. Elopostle (3:15) Theres some other sonic stuff I wanted to ask about but first I was wondering if you were still up to test the maxfeel today Elopostle (3:18) You know and like see if we can recreate that giggle Gormage (3:21) Yeah yeah of course Gormage (3:21) Oh and hey our friend told me what you did for her Gormage (3:22) I guess you know her as Debby Gormage (3:22) She confirmed it Gormage (3:22) I sent her a VISTA as a gift, proud of her Elopostle (3:23) Thats nice Gormage (3:23) Figured she could be here for the final test when you get the magatsu Elopostle (3:23) Yeah sure We decide to go in and run out experiments. I insert the Maxfeel just like before, reminding myself of everything that happened on my first outing with this thing. What are the chances that it’d somehow magically work on my first try? If I can replicate the conditions closely enough, this might be in the bag. Then I’ll… well shit, I’ll have done it. So long as I don’t take the damn headset off like an idiot, I might just turn around and see her, right next to me. What a thought. I load into the temple again. Gormage is here, but only as an observer, as not to interfere. I can’t see him, but he can see what’s happening and communicate through the mic. “This is it.” He says. “Might just be. Let’s find out.” For the sake of consistency, I lose my clothes. I don’t tell him, of course. Lights off. TV on, volume down. Headphones in. Voodoom playing. Headset plugged up and plugged in. This time, I’m doing this for real. The temple itself is quiet outside my music. I stand by the circle and press the switch above the chip slot. Immediate activation. It’s just as weird as before. My anime-styled head feels too big for my shoulders, and I feel kind of like I did after puberty hit. Now to see if I can really do this… who am I kidding? I can absolutely do this. I just have to believe. Believe in the insanity. I do my rituals again. Reciting code. Calling out for her in my heart. Wishing her into reality. … “Molly?” Gormage asks. “Huh?” “Why’re you just standing there?” “What do you mean?” “Well… nothing’s… nothing’s happening, is it?” “Wait. Wait wait wait. Just- gimme a minute.” I do it all over again. Reciting code. Calling out for her in my heart. Wishing her into reality. Picturing what little I remember of her. This is how it works, dammit! I already did this and it fucking worked! Magic is real! Elopas is real! It’s all fucking real! And with that, we go for it again. Nope. Nothing. “It’s… I’m not… I’m not getting anything, Gormage.” “Oh. Well, you wanna run some other tests?” We spend the rest of our time trying out things I thought up in class. None of it leads to anything. I wanna curse my whole day away. Just another shitty Tuesday, like always. But no. I cannot let myself believe that. I must proceed. Once we finish and I take the VISTA off, I look around my room. I notice that, just like my temple, nothing in this room has changed. God, this place is filthy. Of course the virtual reality can’t always change. Neither can this world. But that doesn’t mean change is impossible. Scooping up my collection of Satoshi Kon films, I finally start organizing my endless collection of media. Even if it’s pointless, a little change takes nothing to accomplish. Just a tiny bit of drive. A tiny bit of irrationality in a rational setting. I am that irrationality. And I’ll change the world, whether it fuckin’ likes it or not! The day I find the magatsu on my doormat is the next day I consciously participate in. Up until just now, as I look down on this cardboard box holding it inside, I have floated through life like a ghost. I didn’t talk. I didn’t think. All I did was prepare myself for this moment. And now I’m here. I am not giving up, Elopas. I’m coming for ya. Elopostle (3:00) HEY Gormage (3:00) U get it? Elopostle (3:00) Yes let’s go Gormage (3:00) Give me a minute Elopostle (3:00) Wdym??? Elopostle (3:01) What is it you need to do so bad?? Elopostle (3:01) Fuck Elopostle (3:02) HEY Elopostle (3:02) You just sit inside all day don’t yiu??? So what is it you gotta do so bad??? Gormage (3:03) Fuck off Elopostle (3:10) Sheesh Gormage (3:23) Okay okay sorry much better now Elopostle (3:23) Im sorry too Gormage (3:25) Just dont tellanyone I did that Elopostle (3:25) ? Gormage (3:25) Theyd be suspicious if I did a thing like that Gormage (3:25) Leaving the convo I mean Gormage (3:25) Abruptly like that Gormage (3:25) I just know it yknow  Elopostle (3:26) Ok listen I dont know what your talking about but if we can just get to testing who cares Gormage (3:26) Great yes my thought to the exact Elopostle (3:26) Vr now meet you there I drop my phone to the ground and strap on my VISTA tight. The magatsu fits snuggly into one of my input slots. Soon’s I put it in, I get a pop-up menu explaining how to activate and control its effects. I read only enough to get a grasp, just like those damn Sonic articles I’m forced to go through every day. Then I head straight to the temple. “It okay if she joins?” Gormage the spectator’s voice rings out to me. “What, Debby? Oh yeah… you did say we’d do that. Sure. Just… lemme try it solo first, okay? You can go and message her. If all goes well, she’ll be the second person on Earth to chat with a living work of art.” “So go for it then, kid.” I sit and cross my legs. No use clearing this permanent-marker mind of mine, so I just scribble all over it as much as I can with her image. The time is now. After performing my rituals, I recite a prayer. I call upon thee, o power of the aesthetic. You, the essence of all longing in this world. The power to abstract perception- that being, the power to change reality- Allow me to grasp it, for just this one moment. I must create an idol to my obsession. I must live to see something more than just another boring human. I don’t want humans. And I’m tired of art, too. Got so much media stuck between my teeth, I can hardly swallow more. Through all those memes and themes, one thing remains true… None of it was real. But life is undoubtedly real. So please, make yourself real- so that I, too, can experience such a delight. Shock. The shock Of silence. The feeling Of nobody arriving On the date of your second birthday The sensation Of a mother Living through a miscarriage Only to wake up and realize Her husband left her the night before. I whimper. “A-are you uh- okay?” I hear Gormage ask someone. “Y-Yeah...” I answer. “Just- didn’t work, is all.” “Hey…” his staggered voice comforts me. “Well that’s… that’s, that’s alright. We still have to try it with Debby there, remember?” “Why.” “Huh?” “Why? What was so different this time? If the magatsu chip runs through every internal possibility in the machine, and I did all my rituals the same… why did… nothing happen? Nothing at all? Not even… one more giggle from her? Not so much as a laugh?” Just then, another avatar appears. The purple fox in front of me is missing a leg, and “stands” on a digital crutch attached to its arm. “Molly? Is that you?” It asks. “Oh, Deb.” I freeze, the Bateman-esque ramblings in my head absent as despair reaches me. “Nice to… see you here.” She says. “Gormage, he told me about what you were doing. It made more sense in his words.” “Oh yeah…?” I mutter. “It’s really simple, actually. Just manifesting is all it is. I could help with that, you know.” “That so…” “Yeah. Listen, I’ll chant just like you do. And… and Gormage, too. Get in here. We’ll all team up to summon Elopas.” I snicker. “Okay… but… if, I uh… mean when this works… I get to be the one to talk to her.” Can’t see her face, but I like to imagine Deb is smiling. “Okay. Yeah. Let’s do it, Molly.” Gormage joins the two of us and we all gather to perform the ritual. The magatsu’s fans whirring above my ear, we put our hearts and souls into the idea of Elopas. We all think very very hard and we all do everything in our power to create my Elopas. Our prayers are sent as far as they can go, carried through our mics and inputs as we hope. And nothing fucking happens. The next day I’m at school. It really does go faster now. But I’m often bothered by the pointless comments of others as I try to think through the brick wall I find myself up against. “Molly… are you- are you… alright?” Dylan wouldn’t usually do this. He’s not an especially kind person, after all, just an inoffensive one. Thought I could rely on him not to bother me. Guess I don’t even get that much. “I’m fine.” I defaultly answer, feigning the capability to read the questions printed on the worksheet below me. I can’t think about much of anything right now. I suppose I’m trying to figure out what to do about Elopas, but even that is an exercise in futility. It’s pointless. I decide to unload my frustrations onto the boy. “We can’t do it.” I tell him. “Elopas is nowhere to be found.” “I hate seeing you like this, Molly. It’s pathetic.” “Huh?” “Totally sad. I don’t get it.” I blink. “What?” “Do you need my help?” “I don’t… see what it would do.” “Me neither.” He sighs. “…You can.” I utter. He finally looks at me as I speak. “You can anyway.” “Okay.” He folds his head over his resting arm. “Truth is, I have nothing better to do.” “Mm.” “See, normally… I hang out with you because… well, you’re interesting. I just… siphon off your energy, and try to make it through the day. But with you like this… fuck, just reminds me how boring this all is.” “You can say that again.” That afternoon, I once again message the always-online Gormage. Elopostle (3:31) Hey Only, he doesn’t send even a single character back. I sit and stare at the screen in TV-static anger for what must be hours before he replies Gormage (4:10) Sorry Elopostle (4:11) Tf was that Gormage (4:12) Getting ready Elopostle (4:12) ?? Gormage (4:13) Things i gotta do Elopostle (4:13) Like what Gormage (4:15) Why are you asking me so many questions bitch Elopostle (4:15) Hey Elopostle (4:16) Asshole Gormage (4:20) Sorry Gormage (4:20) Im ready now Elopostle (4:21) Good I got 2 friends joinin us The Ones from when we met Gormage (4:21) Okay Elopostle (4:21) Im thinking with their help we can do this Gormage (4:21) See u there We all load into the server and group up in the center of the temple. The five of us would look like any other group of VRchat players from the outside. Course, here there’s nobody else to see us, and our intentions go far outside the bounds of online socializing. We’re here to change the world. “Let’s uh... Let’s get this going, then.” The robot shark furry says, coughing. “Everybody grab hands.” The amputee furry adds. We all spread our controllers and link across our five households. “This is kind of funny.” The giant Wire comments. “I don’t feel like convincing myself this is as stupid as it probably looks.” Dylan responds. “I’m not saying it’s stupid.” Replies Wire. “I’m in the same boat as you. Let’s make a night out of this, shall we? I don’t think a single person here… has anything even a little better to do.“ I didn’t choose to experience that night. In hindsight, I probably should have. As I lie in bed, my memories make it look fun. Wire had a lot to talk about with Gormage. Dylan and Debby even hit it off, just a little. And we worked through more experiments and ideas than ever before. But the truth stands that I’m alone right now. All those friends couldn’t do a damn thing when it came to getting me my real friend. Elopas is still nothing more than a fleeting memory of a dream. I roll over in my bed. There’s no other girl here. Just little old me, and the cell phone I was too lazy to put on the charger. Across my unkempt sheets, I’m sprawled like a dead bug, too tired to move but too uncomfortable to shut my eyes. I think this world may have just been created as a hell for dreamers like me. When the one thing you want’s almost impossible, life really does start to feel a tad meaningless. I don’t especially want to die, but I’ve always felt like it would be a relief if I did. The screen of my phone glows awake, burning my eyes and dying the room in blue. I pick the thing up, the RedeadHillZone notification visible. In my desperation, I unlock it. Gormage (3:44) Im sorry for today Yeah, what a nice guy. A total asshole who wakes you up before you even get a chance to fall asleep. I really shouldn’t reply, but without Elopas, my loneliness knows no bounds. Elopostle (3:45) No t a problem Gormage (3:45) Wanna go again tomorrow Elopostle (3:49) I dont think so Gormage (3:50) What? Elopostle (3:51) What else is there to do Elopostle (3:52) Im not like completely giving up dont get me wrong Elopostle (3:54) Bit like youve done all you can for me Elopostle (3:56) Imgonna rethink things and move on Guess this is goodbye Gormage (4:01) Oh A raindrop falls inside my heart. I don’t know what that feeling was, but I hated it. I forget the sensation almost instantly. It felt like stepping on a bug. I don’t understand it. Gormage (4:16) Is there anything you wanna talk about ? I know he means Sonic, but I’m not in the mood. For once, I decide to be honest with him. Elopostle (4:17) Death maybe Gormage (4:17) Death? Elopostle (4:17) Like mortality Gormage (4:17) Sure like what u mean exactly Elopostle (4:18) I was thinking itd be okay to die I guess Gormage (4:18) Yeah? Elopostle (4:18) Sorry thats fucked up Gormage (4:18) Not really Gormage (4:18) Everyone thinks that Elopostle (4:19) I dont think so Elopostle (4:19) Ive heard plenty disagree Gormage (4:20) Probably lying Elopostle (4:20) Maybe Gormage (4:21) You shouldnt die Elopostle (4:22) Trying to save me? Im not suicidal Gormage (4:22) No I just mean you shouldn’t Gormage (4:22) Youre interesting Gormage (4:22) Not fake interesting Gormage (4:22) Like real Gormage (4:22) Real interesting Elopostle (4:23) I’m flattered Gormage (4:23) Like you have a dream and all Gormage (4:23) People like you should live, ok Elopostle (4:24) Good idea I gues Gormage (4:24) Yea? Elopostle (4:25) Still gonna haveto drown my sorrows or something tomorrow Gormage (4:26) You do that then Gormage (4:27) Good luck on everything Molly Gormage (4:28) Im just gonna do some thinkin Gormage (4:28) Felt so weird lately Gormage (4:29) Guess its nothing new Gormage (4:29) Oh are you asleep Gormage (4:30) Sorry again Gormage (4:30) Goodnight ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Elaine wasn’t having it. As I sit in this palace of deja vu early in the morning, my head still aches and my vision is waning. My teacher is lecturing about some event, but it’s silent to me. Dylan’s probably saying something next to me, but I can’t hear him either. My brain has other ideas. “Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream…” the fading face of my preschool teacher sings, her voice cracking as other shadows pop in. I’d snagged my earbuds out of my locker. I tried playing Coakira over the noise, but it only made it worse. I tried actually paying attention to the teacher, but that’s a lost cause, too. All the sounds in the world are fading out, helpless under the pounding weight of my infinitely expanding memories, set to the tune of the “Song of Unhealing” from fucking Ben Drowned, which has, inexplicably, arrived out of my brain canals to be stuck on the center of my thoughts as they invade me in this moment. “You’re gross.” “I’m sorry. Here’s your toy.” “I'm gonna tell everybody.” “…Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.” I am caught in the nightmare of Hideaki Anno. Ensnared in a minefield of things I’d rather forget, things I’ve done as well as things that have happened to me. I actually have a very good memory, after all. It’s just that I do all I can to forget things that don’t matter. I guess I really ought not to do that. I mean, like it or not, those past events are what made the girl I am today. That said, they’ll always be with me whether I try to forget them or not, so I really shouldn’t be so worried. “Molly.” Dylan finally gets through to me. I don’t know what he could possibly have to say this late into the year. I turn to him, ready to listen to him talk about whatever dream he had last night or something. “Do you have an opinion on any of this?” “No.” I answer automatically, like I’ve been listening. I’m sure I’d say the same if I was. “That’s what I thought… but like, I dunno. I might go.” “Oh, yeah?” “Well… it’s coming up so fast. To be honest… I thought I’d never go to Prom. But like… I might as well, right? If I’m really being honest with myself… I wanna go.” So that’s what the teacher was talking about. I’m worried Dill might be losing it at this point. I try snapping him back to reality. “With who?” “Yeah… fair point. But uh, maybe I could find someone there. I hear stuff like that happens a lot.” “Who told you that?” “YouTuber…” “Do whatever you want to do.” I say, knowing I’m deliberately discouraging him by doing so. Homeroom lets out. Walking down these hallways never gets new. I feel like an old train on older train tracks, but I don’t carry any passengers or anything. Just a million pounds of coal I can never drop off. My backpack makes my shoulders hurt because I almost never put it in my locker. All year they’ve told me to put it away because it’s dangerous to have a kid walking around with something they could hide a gun in. But since I’m not a boy, they never do anything about it. Statistically, I wouldn’t commit a shooting. I dunno why I carry around my backpack anyway. I think I just like to see if they’ll ever stop me. Today I try not to think about what the subject of my first class is. I try not to think about anyone in there. I try not to think about myself either, but that’s a total joke of an idea. Two seconds past the bell and remembering how I used to have political opinions I now strongly oppose and how Huey always told me I loved playing baseball as a little kid but I can never remember picking up a bat. I feel my phone buzz inside my backpack after setting it on my lap to cradle like a baby. Fuck it, I’ve never taken it out in class before. I’ll do it right now. And if… if I get in trouble, at least that’ll be something interesting… maybe. I take it out. I’ve got two messages from Debby. Lucky me. I unlock my phone to read them. Today 7:11 (Deb) gormage killed himswlf Today 7:11 (Deb) *himself I put my phone back in my bag, suddenly deathly afraid that someone will catch me and I’ll get in trouble. And now, out of nowhere, my memories are getting worse. Why does it hurt so much to remember the first time I pet a cat? Why does my stomach churn when I think of that day Dylan got me a dress for my birthday? And why’s all I remember about second grade how I told that one kid named Josh one day that my dad owned an oil rig? Why am I thinking so much? Why is the clock moving so fast? Why am I in the hallway all of a sudden? Dylan? Is that Dylan, standing in front of me? “Molly? Uh… why are you crying?” I blink at him. Then I grab his hand and take him to the quiet hallway. Only then do I realize I am crying. “Molly? Molly, what is it?” Why is he so damn sensitive…? “I, I…” I sob. Why am I so fucking incompetent? “Molly, it’s okay. Just tell me what’s wrong.” He even puts his fucking hand on my shoulder. “He died…” I start, that not being what I wanted to get across, my sentence cut off by the fire welling up in my brain. No! That’s not what I mean! What- What the fuck is wrong with me? Why is Dylan here? Why am I here? Why are any of us here? I suck up my snot, and then, and only then, can I let it out: “He died… thinking I liked Sonic...” The worst thing ever happens as soon as I get home. “Molly.” Her voice calls out just as I’m headed to my room to unpack. “Come here. I want to talk.” More terrifying words have never been spoken. But as we sit across from each other at the dining room table, she only talks about herself. She talks about how she loved Huey or whatever but how he hurt her feelings and wasn’t a good father. She talks about something something fell in love with him wanted to start a family whatever bla bla bla. I can’t hear. I can’t hear her. If she asks me a question, I’m screwed. Wait a minute. I’m just in class again. This bitch is giving me an extra block, and I’m at home. Fuck that noise. I want out, now. She’s still crying, saying, “And it’s not that Huey was… was a bad man, but he-“ “Can I head upstairs for the night?” “W-what’s that, baby?” She asks. She didn’t hear me either. “Can I go to bed? You’re boring the hell out of me.” In my room, I’m listening to a playlist I made. It’s mostly Shoebill, which I got into recently, but there’s also a good amount of Xinlisupreme in there, which I’m getting back into after being a huge fan a few years ago. Oh, and there’s also a few songs from Five Star Hotel, but only because I really liked the song Parallel Deserts and I’m trying to find if they’ve done anything else on that level. Then I get a text from my mom. Today 7:26 (Elaine) I want to apologize I stare blankly at my phone screen and wait for her to continue over the sound of my noise. Today 7:26 (Elaine) Just for something I did a few weeks ago that I felt bad about. She suddenly managed to get even less relevant. How lovely. Today 7:26 (Elaine) It’s a funny something though. Kind of a nice memory, before things all went wrong. I know this is a scary time. Do you want to know what it is I did? Today 7:27 (Me) Yeah Curiosity… might be all I have left. Today 7:27 (Elaine) Huey was telling me I should try pranking you Today 7:27 (Elaine) I always felt so far away from you and that idiot thought it would be a good idea to lighten the mood between you and I that way. So I tried really hard to scare you, cause I know you like weird scary stuff like that crazy music and those shows. I was like a little girl Today 7:28 (Elaine) I would put you spiders under your bed. I tried putting spooky notes in your lunch and pretending they were written by someone else, but you never noticed Today 7:28 (Elaine) Sometimes on the way to school I would take a different route and go by graveyards but you never noticed Today 7:29 (Elaine) In hindsight I guess none of that is really that scary to begin with, Im no good at pranks Today 7:30 (Elaine) But then I took it too far one day and snuck a little remote recorder into your room behind your bookshelf Today 7:30 (Elaine) I had recorded a creepy laugh on it that I got off you tube Today 7:31 (Elaine) Like a ghost girl giggle sound effect Today 7:32 (Elaine) But not even that got you Today 7:33 (Elaine) I know it is lame but thats something I tried doing to get closer to you Today 7:34 (Elaine) I’m sorry. And goodnight, baby. Wait… No No No No, no, no, no no no no no I peek behind my bookshelf, leering down at the small white box. I pick it up, red in my eyes. I press the small white button. I hear her again. “Elopas” giggling. I immediately fall to my knees. My head hits the shelf on the way down. That makes it better. That makes it hurt better. I press it again. *Giggle* It’s so obvious. That’s not a real person. That’s not a living story. It’s so obviously recorded from a YouTube video. I press it again. I cry. I press it again. And again So fucking contrived  And again This is stupid And again And again I wish Gormage would have taken me with him. This is bullshit. As I lie in bed, nothing has changed. Nothing ever had. I convinced myself things would work out. But no wonder I couldn’t summon Elopas. She was never real to begin with. That should be such a forgone conclusion but it’s still painful for me to admit. Of course my dream isn’t real. Of course my love isn’t real. Of course Elopas isn’t real. What kind of maniac would believe something like that? As I’m trying and failing to sleep in this hell, Deb messages me one last time. My eyes hurt, my head hurts, and my brain hurts, but I can’t help but look at it. I pray and hope it’s something even worse than this, just so I can take my mind off it. Today 12:12 (Deb) im so sorry we couldnt talk in person. gormage told me everything before it happened. Today 12:13 (Deb) but do you want to know? if you dont want to knoe i wont tell you. I pick up my phone and angrily finger in the letters to my message. Today 12:14 (Me) Fuckn tell me Today 12:20 (Deb) okay well heres what he said… i dunno if you knew this but gormage was an addict. he told in me his note all about how he had to try so hard just to feel anything. he was on some drug or another every second of the day. and vr was just an extension of that. he said he wanted to be seen as something above human, like like a character in a game or something. Today 12:22 (Deb) he said he was just hoping he would OD one day but it never ever worked so he was going to kill himself with that break chip he showed us one day Today 12:22 (Deb) it worked i guess. im so sorry i have to be the one to tell you this. I want to ask why he did it, but I know better. I already know why someone like him does it. Today 12:23 (Deb) he told me to tell you one thing thoigh Today 12:23 (Deb) he told me to tell you to live so you can summon elopas and reach your dream. I throw the phone off the bed. None of this feels real…. I wonder what a “biocomputer” even is… ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

I am most definitely skipping school today. I did tell myself I would if I couldn’t summon Elopas last night, after all. And as close as I got, pretty sure whatever that was doesn’t count. I mean, the whole point of summoning Elopas would be so that I could talk to her, and right now I’m just sitting alone on my bed! Elopas isn’t here. Even if everything I experienced last night was real, I’ve still failed because I didn’t reach my goal. …But I didn’t “fail.” I really did summon her. I know I did. What other explanation is there? By all means, I should go to school. My conditions were met. But I just don’t really fucking feel like it. I didn’t get what I wanted out of yesterday. Just like I thought, it was a shitty, boring Tuesday, and unless I do something about it, today’ll be a shitty, boring Wednesday. So this is my excuse, to myself- even if I reached the biggest milestone thus far of my experimentation yesterday- I have decided that I failed. And I’m going to spend the next few hours convincing myself of that. Those few hours soon pass, along with the weekday morning that’s usually reserved for preparing for school, after my few moment's rest in between days of this sickening life. Huey knocks on my door. I know it’s him cause Elaine talks first and only knocks once she realizes my music’s too damn loud. He just skips straight to the knockin’. He’s polite, in that way. “Hey, Molly? Hope you’re okay. Take it easy, alright?” “Huey?” Elaine calls him from downstairs. “You aren’t getting out of this, come on.” My parents think I’m sick. I’m pretty close. I can stir up a feeling of borderline nausea on the spot if it gets me out of going to class. Won’t affect my tests today, though. I don’t get VR sick. Not ever. It’s in my blood as a member of the virtual newtype elite. Course, even if it did… after last night’s failure, I’m willing to push myself to death to see myself succeed. Even though I didn’t summon her, I now have proof to myself that Elopas can be reached. This character- whether I created her or have simply been given her by some higher power as a vision in my dream- she now exists. I just have to bring her out, at any cost. So today’s the day. I wait for my parents to head off to their jobs first. A Ho99o9 album is enough to kill the time. Huey goes first without so much as a kiss on the cheek, then Elaine follows an hour or so later. Sometimes I forget where either of ‘em work. It seems to change too fast for me to pay attention and they never really talk about it anyway. We hardly talk at all. They must lead boring lives. Once they’re gone, I slide the VISTA back on. Okay, time to get started. The day is a complete and utter failure. I try everything. Runes, chants, hacks, every chip I had… she ain’t biting. Really, I wonder if any of my previous attempts, all of which very much resembled these, did anything at all. I mean… if I’m being honest here, I’m just fumbling in the dark, calling upon a vague power to fulfil a specific wish- that power being little more than that of “the aesthetic.” I have long since forgotten if I believe in any of this techno-witchcraft shit or not. The point is, I like it so much I can’t give it up. Even if… that chip Debby gave me was the deciding factor in it all. I mean… that stuff worked, didn’t it? I chanted, I prayed… and with the help of the Maxfeel, something happened! So I must be on the right track! But the Maxfeel’s fucking broke, and I don’t have any way to get me a new one. I text Wire. Today 8:13 (Me) Get me the girls number from yesterday Today 8:13 (Wire) Check this list here Today 8:14 (Me) Thanks creep Today 8:14 (Wire) You’re very welcome. Today 8:19 (Me) wait Which one is it Today 8:23 (Wire) It’s alphabetized by last name. Today 8:23 (Me) Tgere’s Today 8:23 (Me) Theres no fucking names Today 8:23 (Wire) Writing the names was boring, sorry. Today 8:23 (Me) The rest wasn’t? Today 8:23 (Wire) No it was fun actually. Why do you think I did it? Today 8:24 (Me) Okay k so which one is the girl Today 8:26 (Wire) Debby Vincent? Today 8:26 (Me) Yeah her Today 8:30 (Wire) Okay I went and looked it should be row 22, column 2. Today 8:31 (Me) Thank you thank you we need to work on your organization skills I couldnt have read this without you Today 8:31 (Wire) I can read it just fine I lie back in bed. With a bit of anxiety starting to bud on my fingertips, I dial the number. Not used to calling girls, so it doesn’t come as easy as I’d like it to. Not like I even have much interest in this one, desperate as I may be. While I’m waiting for her to pick up, I wonder if she’s anything like me. After all, whenever I get a call from a number I don’t recognize, I just block it immediately. But after a prolonged period of waiting and redialing, her voice finally comes out on the line. “H-hello?” “Hi?” I say. “This is Molly.” “S-Shouldn’t you be in class?” “Where you picking up from?” “I-I asked to take a bathroom break… nobody’s called me like this before…” “Great yeah okay. I need info. Where the hell did you get that Maxfeel?” “I… told you yesterday, it was Gormage.” “Goremage?” “My friend Gormage.” “Ohhh yeah okay. So where exactly can I find this guy?” “Wait, so… yesterday, you said you’d cut off my leg… D-do you… when do you want to come and do that?” Shit, I did say that, didn’t I? I was so focused on Elopas I can hardly remember much else. “Let’s do it later today at your place. I’d… ask you to cut class, but then we’d get found out.” “Y-yeah.” She stutters, choking up something. “S-sorry, it’s just- I can’t believe any of this is really happening.” “You’re telling me. Look, just text me your address later, I’ll get Dylan to drive me.” “Dylan?” “My friend. He held you up in the hallway yesterday. So tell me, where exactly does Goremage roam around?” “It’s a- very small message board. It’s called RedeadHillZone. Kinda a hybrid gaming-bodymod-gore site.” “Bitchin’. And if I look that up I’ll find it?” “Y-yes. But there’s one thing you should, um, know.” “Spit.” “Gormage, he- he won’t want to talk to you, probably.” “What can I do?” “We only became friends because we both had Sonic profile pics, he’s a big fan.” “The rat, not the restaurant, right? Just to be clear.” “He’s a hedgehog.” “Got it. Uhhh so is that everything then?” “Yes, that’s right. You’ll be here later correct?” “I’ll give you a heads up. Actually, just let me know when. Getting your parents out of the house would be a good idea.” “Okay. Y-yes ma’am. I’ll make sure.” “See ya.” I’ve hardly even hung up by the time I’ve opened my phone browser and am typing in the website name. It's a simple feed of red and white borders with black text. There’s no gore right away when you come in. It’s a section or something. Not that it’d be anything new for me, but I appreciate that. I look for some kind of search feature and eventually find one at the bottom of the page instead of the top. My fingers scatter across the touch screen after I select it. goremage_ No results. I backspace that. goremaige_ No results. This could take a while. By the time I find his page, “Gormage” as it’s spelled, I’ve lost a bit of my drive. Looking at the profile picture of a robotic Sonic the Hedgehog, I feel nothing but disgust that I must go to some weirdo on the internet for my goods instead of getting them from my respectable dealer Charlie “Wire” Johnson like usual. It ill-befits a professional such as myself. Nevertheless, I quickly create an account linked to an image of Tails the fox, the one character I know anything about from a series of games I have seldom, if ever, played. Gormage’s direct messages are open. Elopostle (9:52) Hey Gormage (9:52) U bot? Immediate response, huh. Not bad. Not bad at all. Elopostle (9:53) Friend of a friend Gormage (9:53) The one who has my chip? Elopostle (9:53) More like had shit blew up next to my ear Gormage (9:55) Hahaha Gormage (9:56) Haha Gormage (9:57) U want nother? Elopostle (9:57) Whatchu got Gormage (9:59) Wait Gormage (9:59) Wait wait. Gormage (10:00) Pleasantries first Elopostle (10:01) Pleasantries? Gormage (10:01) Etiquit? Elopostle (10:01) Psycho mantis? Gormage (10:02) Sonic Elopostle (10:02) Im sorry the quality of this conversation is rapidly degrading please explain Gormage (10:03) Whats ur fav sonic Gormage (10:06) Game He thinks I’m not responding, but really, I’m scouting the web and putting analysis videos at 2x speed trying to figure out the best opinion to have in this situation. It can’t be anything too old. But it can’t be anything after the year 2005 either, even I know that’s way too controversial. But whatever I say has to come across as real, and I need to be able to talk about it. With only a few minutes research to guide me, I place my bet for the best Sonic opinion. The Wikipedia article for the game open on a second tab, I hastily reply. Elopostle (10:15) Sorry that’s hard but sonic adventure 2 forsure Gormage (10:18) Oh “Oh?” What the fuck do you mean, “oh?” Gormage (10:20) Im sorry just more of an 06 guy myself I am Molly’s inflamed sense of rejection. Gormage (10:21) Is cool tho is cool Elopostle (10:26) Fine whatever just lemme know whatcha got now willya Gormage (10:25) Yeah alright gimme a sec Gormage (10:28) Holup Gormage (10:29) U fed? Elopostle (10:32) Would a narc have a profile picture of fucking miles tails prowler Gormage (10:32) Maybe Elopostle (10:33) How can I prove it tell me Gormage (10:33) Ummm Gormage (10:40) I got it Gormage (10:40) Write me an essay on why you like tails Gormage (10:41) Then even if you are a cop ill get the pleasure of knowing I got a cop to do that This fucking guy. I first met tails in preschool. We had a toy of the guy, think it was from McDonald’s. It was old and smelled like yellow. I liked it so much because on the first day I saw it and claimed it as my toy. I wouldn’t play with any other toys, just so long as I could play with Tails, and no one else. I met Dylan that year. The snot-nosed kid in the back of the class was always looking at my tails doll. I thought he liked me. Should have known better. He walked up to me one day and asked if he could play with it. “No.” “Why?” “It’s mine.” “Why is it yours?” “It’s mine.” “Can we both have it?” “No.” The teacher eventually made me give it to him. As he walked the poor fox around, I stared into Dylan like a laser beam. I stared and stared until I ruined his fun. He got scared of me, even though I never did anything. Then one day, he gave it back. “I’m sorry. Here’s your toy.” He said, handling it to me all teary-eyed. “That’s right.” I uttered. That day I vowed to never lose my Tails again. I tried bringing him home in my backpack, but when I arrived in my room, I opened the sack to find nothing there but my books and lunchbox. I never learned where that Tails went. But from that point on, if I ever overheard anything about the character, it stuck in my mind, just a little. And as I heard those things, each and every time, I’d recite this full story in my head, wondering over and over again just why Tails had to betray me like that. I don’t tell him any of this, of course. Elopostle (11:26) I think Tails is a great personality when it comes to ensemble casts. His shy nature contrasts the other members beautifully. He’s often scared, but does whats rifht in the end. I really relate to that. If you took a character like tails and put him in a different story, he’d fare just as well as a force of good in whatever world he found himself in. Tails is the kind of person we need in this world nowadays. Someone not afraid to try things out. Experiment. The right balance of pride and self-awareness. That’s the only way we’ll fix this damn world. Gormage (11:30) Okay great haha Gormage (11:31) Now listen to me Gormage (11:32) You got a headset, yeah? Elopostle (11:32) Modded vista Gormage (11:32) Meet me in VR tomorrow. I’ll give you a time and coordinates later. We talk there Elopostle (11:33) Wait what Gormage (11:34) What? Elopostle (11:34) I thought you would tell me here Gormage (11:34) Sensitive info. I got stuff a whole lot better than a fuckjn maxfeel lol Elopostle (11:36) You had better be right. I close the browser. I hate days like this. “Days” in between days. Filler for life. If everyone could just be a little more punctual, maybe we could actually achieve something. …Says the one who couldn’t be fucked to so much as show up to school today. Using a Ging Nang Boyz album, I wait out the rest of the time until my imprisoned partners-in-crime are freed. Then, I message Dylan to pick me up soon, and tell Debby I’ll be on my way, as soon as she’s ready. If today can’t be interesting in the sense of me getting shit done, I guess it’ll just have to be interesting in terms of raw shock appeal, like a slasher movie. I'm gonna slice this girl’s leg off so good she’ll want me to go ahead and get the other one off her, too. “You know… you really oughta get your license.” Dylan’s car used to be his grandma’s. She’s dead now, but he didn’t inherit it or anything. She gave it to him long before passing, in fact, when he got his driver’s license immediately after coming of age. I dunno why he did that. S’not like he has anywhere to go. But it helps him drive me around, so I’m not complaining. It’s a little hot in the car, but he’s still got the same maroon hoodie on he wears everyday. “I hope she sent the right address…” He sits and stirs. “I'm sure it’s fine, Dill. I can text her again if not.” “I just, uh… I don’t even see how you plan to do this.” “I’ll look it up when I get there.” “Isn’t it, like, illegal to cut off someone’s leg?” “I’ve got her permission. Who else is gonna do this, a fucking doctor? Here?” “Yeah, alright. Whatever…” As he sighs, Dylan realizes he’s driving way below the speed limit, and starts burning rubber right before a car rams into his ass. I laugh a little. “Hey, remember that time… preschool.” I spitball. “Preschool.” “Yeah, preschool. Do you remember that Tails toy we used to fight over?” “No, no. …Wait, I think I do. The little one?” “Yeah, yeah. Do you know what happened to that thing?” “I thought you threw it away.” “Oh, right. I told you that back then, didn’t I?” “You… sure did. …Were you- lying to me?” “Yeah, I brought it home.” “I’ve believed that lie for like twelve years.” “What does it matter? I was just wondering if you knew where it wound up. I lost it on my way home.” “Karma.” “You know I don’t believe in stuff like that.” “You believe in witchcraft and tulpas.” “S’different.” We sit for a moment. The lone right earbud I’ve got on entertains me through the silence, distributing Panchicko into my eardrum as I gaze out at the steadily emptying Kansas road. “That’s when, uh… you and I met, right?” He speaks up. “That’s how I remember it.” “I thought you were a boy back then.” “I thought you were, too.” “Ha- ha.” We pull up to an empty farm in the middle of nowhere. Dylan looks at the wheel. Then he looks at the GPS. Then he looks at me. “So are you sure-“ “Yes, yes, I’m sure! Let me out, I’ll go check and see if she’s there.” “Don’t get killed.” “I don’t see that happening.” I jump out the shotgun door, the fall distance from the ground to the vehicle being a little much for my tiny legs as I wobble on the nostalgic, dying grass. I wave goodbye to Dylan, fully confident I’ll find my patron under the cold grey sky. I knock on the aging wooden door. When it opens, I see a very different Debby than the one I met at school. No crutch. No scared, shy little face. The girl isn’t there. For a second I think it must be a sister of hers. “Hi Molly.” She is speaking out of a broken intercom in an abandoned mall. As if she’s on her deathbed realizing nothing she did ever mattered. Something about it scares me. You should know better than to act like that, or you might just wind up dead for real. “Debby?” I can’t help but ask. “Are you… are you alone?” “My parents are gone.” She states. “Off to the store.” “O-okay…” I turn to the car in the distance. “WE’RE GOOD! COME GET ME IN- Debby, how long do we have?” “Store’s miles away. Two hours at least.” “-TWO HOURS! THANK YOU DYLAN!” “You’re welcome!” Soon Dylan’s gone and we haven’t so much as walked inside. We stand in the doorway like I’m a Jehovah’s Witness, but neither of us seem like we belong there in the first place. The comatose girl in front of me lacking further words, I’m forced to let myself in, pushing past her. “So! Nice place you got here!” I shoot, putting my hands behind my head as I enter the ever-so-slightly dilapidated farmhouse. It looks normal enough, just old. Nothing in here was made after 1987 except me and I guess Debby. It’s the kind of place you’d normally expect to see further down south. “How do you want to do this?” She asks me, cutting straight to business in a colorless tone. “Well, uh… I’m gonna look it up. You go grab some painkillers, I imagine we’ll be needing those. Oh! And uh, something to bite onto.” Debby zombie-walks off as I make my search. Let’s see… um, “how to safely remove a leg?” seems like a fine enough place to start… no. This stuff is all about Lego minifigures or shaving. “how to remove a limb?” Nope, that’s all trees. Well, fuck. You know this really shows a fault in medical science when it comes to the public’s knowledge. Might have to wing it at this rate, but I keep looking anyway… “removing unwanted body parts…” “how to amputate…” After a short while Debby comes back in with a dozen bottles of pills and a thick leather wallet. She still looks like death. “Let’s go out back. No one will mind the blood if they think it’s from one of the animals or something.” I grab the biggest knife I can find. Out in the tall olive grass behind the barn, Debby and I march through the foliage as we soon find ourselves far away from any point of interest. I check my notes one last time, before we sit down on the ancient dirt. “Debby, you got a belt?” “Mm.” “Good, hand it to me.” Without question she removes the tough, thin little thing and puts it in my hands, holding up her loose hand-me-down pants as they flap about in the air. For some reason I’m not quite in the mood to admire her, sad as it is. All I can look at is her determinedly nervous face as I speak. “In ‘03… this guy got stuck on this fuckin’ mountain somewhere. Had to cut his own arm off to free himself, like the guy from Berserk. All he had was a tourniquet and this itty bitty little knife. Now I’m hoping this belt can be our tourniquet, and stop most of the blood flow or whatever. But just in case, we’re gonna have some backup.” I take off my shirt. Hate to waste it, but I got others. “Now give me your pants, they’re staying off anyway for the surgery. If we need more to stop the bleeding, I’ll use my shorts.” “Okay…” She nervously removes her bottoms, adjusting her underwear in the process. “Debby, you know this is gonna hurt like a bitch, right?” “I know.” “And do you have a story ready?” “Story?” “For your parents.” “I… don’t feel like thinking about that part just yet.” I sigh. “Whatever. Just whatever you do, don’t blame me. Alright?” I tighten the belt around her thigh. “Right here?” “Little higher.” I move it up a notch. “Little higher.” I move it higher. “That’s perfect.” “Okie. Start taking your pills, ma’am. Don’t overdo it, but don’t dare underdo it either. I’m sure future you will regret that.” Debby carefully selects a number of painkillers to numb herself. We wait a few minutes. “Feel ‘em kicking in?” “Not really.” “Just tell me when you’re ready.” We wait for long enough that I start to worry about time. And more importantly, I get bored. I figure I may as well start up a conversation. “I talked to Gormage.” “Oh yeah? What’d he say?” “He trusts me. Wants to meet up in VR though.” “Oh… that’s so cool. Wish I had a headset.” “Y-you don’t have one?” I burst. “I mean.. it makes sense, but… what was the point of having the chip then?” “Gormage said he’d get a VISTA shipped to me too, as a birthday present.” “Oh, I see…” “I’m so scared.” “Yeah?” “I’m so, so, scared, Molly.” “If you wanna back out, we can always back out.” “That’s not it. I don’t wanna back out. Anything but that.” “So what’s the problem, then? You’ve got strength, Deb! You can do this, easy!” “No- no... It’s the- reality of the situation.” “What’s that?” “This isn’t… this doesn’t feel very real to you right now, does it…? You cutting off my leg… it’s quite an unreasonable turn of events.” “Maybe so. Ain’t that better than a boring day?” “You don’t get it. This… everything… don’t you just- constantly feel as if you’re doing something wrong? Like, like you’re going off-script?” “I don’t really follow.” “Molly, I… I used to be normal, Molly… my parents, they… they would show me how to live… they introduced me to a boy I liked. They got me a part-time job a month ago, and not tending to the farm or anything… a real, normal job, at a McDonald’s… they set it all up for me…” I look at the Debby I’m talking to. This third Debby is what I immediately understand to be the real one. Because she’s intense. Honest. She’s more afraid than the one at school by a mile, and deader than the one from earlier by a longshot. “And you know what I did? I threw all of those things away! I quit my job, and broke up with that guy! Why? Because neither of them could understand that I’m a crazy fucking creep who wants to saw its own leg off! Now I’ve left everything that made life real… bowed down to this stupid, fucking desire… can’t put it into words… yet I’ve succumbed to it. It’s all I can think about. And that’s why today, life isn’t real.” “Life is real.” I break in. “Then I’m not alive.” She says. “Prove it.” I prod. “Let’s get this leg the fuck off you, right now. Come on, let’s see it happen. And you can tell me if that feels real to you.” She looks at me with the frustration of a never-resurrected Jesus Christ. “Let’s do it.” She bites down on the wallet, digging her hands into the dirt. “If I try to stop you, keep going. If I scream, keep going. If my parents show up, keep going. Whatever you do- do not fucking stop until that leg is gone.” “Understood.” I pin her feet with my body, raising the blade to her thigh. “Scream all you want to. I can tell you’re pissed. Hell, it’s rubbing off on me. And we’re in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. So go ahead, girl… let that rancid shit out for me.” Swallowing my hesitation, I force myself to plunge the knife into her soon-to-be-discarded flesh. She yelps like a dog. I can tell by the sound that it’s far worse than she’d imagined. As promised, however, I do not stop as I dig down further into the increasingly wet red meat. “FUUU UUUU UUUUUUCK!” It’s bleeding. It’s bleeding. I can tell we aren’t managing to stop all the blood. I throw our clothes over it, but it’s staining through so fast that my off hand already feels the warmth as her legs kick up under me, bruising my stomach. I press the blade down harder. “aAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAIHHHHHHHHHHH!!” I cut around the diameter, trying to thin it around like a tree. She scratches at my face, forcing my head away. “DO YOU WANT ME TO STOP?!” I shout. “TAKE IT OUT ON THE GROUND!” Instead of the ground, Debby starts scratching at her own face. I don’t know how she expects to explain that to her parents in addition to the leg. Maybe a wolf got her or something. But that should be the last thing on my mind right now. In this moment I’m just trying not to let this girl die. It’s a given she’ll suffer, but I absolutely cannot let her bleed out. If that happens, it’s all on me. My life would basically be over, right? I mean, I’m about to kill this girl. I can’t let that happen. I can’t let it happen. I force my hands over the wound, just the texture of the clothes in between the two as I put as much pressure on the incision as I can manage. “FUCK! IT HURTS! FUCK, FUCK! PLEASE HELP- PLEASE MAKE IT STOP-“ “JUST A LITTLE MORE!” I lie louder than I’ve ever had to before. I cut faster, more messily, scrapping bits of skin off before chopping through the wide tender of the thigh. My hand is entirely red, the rest of my body quickly becoming so. I hold her chest down with my hand, shoving the knife further into her growing wound as she cries. “Mommy- mommy-“ Like a saw, I push the knife one way before ripping it back the other. Each time I do, something new flies out. I don’t know the parts of the human leg. I’m begging to understand I know very little about anything. I’ve never seen a sight like this. I can’t believe I’m even capable of such a thing. I’m just that special, I suppose. “Oh itS COLD— IT’S SO FUCKING COLD- so hot- AHHUHHUH…. please- ahhuh…” I push down harder. Is that… bone? “AAAAAAAAAAHHHHG!!!!” “NOT MUCH LONGER!” I lose my surgeon’s touch entirely, hacking away at the remaining flesh as I stab up, and down, and up, and down. I can feel- I can feel it coming lose- I can feel the pieces disorganizing- I press down hard on the bone. I punch and stab and beat on it. “GET- THE FUCK- OFF!” “AIEEEEEEEEEEEEHuhuhuh- AH- AHHHHH!!!!” Snap. … Debby is looking at her own leg. We both nearly pass out. … “Debby.” … “Debby, you’re gonna be fine.” … “You might want… to call a hospital, actually.” … “Dylan will be here any minute now.” … “I don’t know how I stopped the bleeding.” … “Do you want anything?” … “I got your crutch from inside.” … “I’m gonna call someone to get you.” … “I’m leaving, Deb.” … “I don’t know… should I say…. Sorry, or… you’re welcome? I guess… both…” … “My ride’s here. I’ll… see ya.” “Did you do it?” Dylan asks, right next to me in the car before I know it. “Y-yeah. Why do you think… I look like this?” “Sorry.” … “D-Don’t look at me.” “I’m not.” The ride home felt so short. Dylan lends me his jacket to cover up with as I rush indoors to the shower. As the water pours over me, I feel a deep regret. But it’s not the same I felt when I just barely missed Elopas… this one, it feels so dark and filthy. Such a complex pulsing in my heart. I would’ve never felt this if I’d just gone to school… but it… I think this feels like what I was supposed to do today. Like it was fate or something. I hope Debby can be happy now. Because the way I saw her there… she was close to beyond saving.  I hope I did a good thing. I hope I get to meet Gormage tomorrow. I hope tomorrow… is a day. A real day.. not like this one. Save me, Elopas. ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

God, I love the look. Just imagine someone walking in on me right now. My phone’s in the corner, screen on full brightness so I can still find it if I look down, as it’s sending a signal straight to the buds in my ears. These cheap little things blare music louder than a damn Rob Zombie concert straight into my brain ( Hellbilly Deluxe level at least) and they won’t fall out no more cause I taped ‘em in there this time. In the meanwhile, my TV’s on too. The room would be pitch-black, but then my VISTA wouldn’t be able to see where I was, and I couldn’t play. But the white bulbs over my head would look like a doctor’s office, so’s why I got the TV looped on the seizure-lookin’ scene like sixty minutes into End of Eva. It’s like havin’ strobes or those strips of LED lights on your walls, ‘cept it don’t make me look like a fuckin’ twitch streamer. Then there’s my headpiece. You can’t just own one of these quite yet- it’s either a conversation starter used by weird people with too much disposable income or you’re a real hobbyist like me. Can’t believe my mom let me get the drills for it. Trepanation ain’t cheap, but when your F-student daughter makes all A’s for a semester, you gotta do something to reward her. I wouldn’t normally want any sticks going into me, but I must admit, the feeling of two metal rods penetrating my forehead is pretty nice. As the screens cover my eyes, the many thin vibrating links delving further into my head let my nigh-exposed brain know everything they can’t, like the feel of Dylan’s body as I punch his avatar, or the faint smell of smoke coming from the virtual gun in my other hand. Yeah, I’m all set here. I’d look super cool. Not to mention I don’t got clothes on. Not an exhibitionist, just tryna bring the Elfen Lied or Ghost in the Shell image of a crazy naked bitch with wires coming out her ass into a reality. Course, a VISTA wouldn’t normally have wires, but I got a few add-ons so mine stands out. Mainly the high-density cable I hooked up to the PC in my ceiling so I can get a higher resolution. The performance boost’s incredible, and the rig hardly even limits my movement. It’s great! Inside the VR headset, I’m looking at the temple again. This is where we always play. Where we always go. Not ‘cause it’s the best map in the game or anything, but ‘cause it’s my project. And if it works, I gotta be here to see it. “Molly!” The girl in front of me says, his voice artificially echoing across the virtual surface as his mic picks it up and sprays it to me. I can hardly hear him with the Trial of the Golden Witch that’s pumping through my eardrums right now, but I’m used to this sort of thing. I’ll manage. “Any signs of uh, progress…?” “No, not really.” I relay. “Did another ritual last night though and I think I shut the servers down for a second.” “Bullcrap. As if Lilith or whatever had anything to do with shutting down a VRchat server.” The bleeding anime girl in front of me says, recovering painlessly from our last duel. “Invoking Hecate now, actually. And again, you gotta remember we ain’t exactly playing VRchat at this point.” “Even if it's modded, it’s still the same game, though, right? Not like we actually did much.” “That’s what you think.” I suppress a cackle. “But soon enough, you’ll see… this PSICO shit works, I’m tellin’ ya. Soon enough, Elopas will be real as you and me. Maybe more.” It’s been two months since Dylan and I joined a niche community of people experimenting with running a VRchat server on a PSICO biocomputer located somewhere in New York. Those things are so powerful, some deviants like me across the net think they might be able to use code to influence the physical world. Dylan isn’t one of those deviants, but as his childhood friend, I’ve taken the liberty of wrapping him up in my conspiracy. It would just be a basic tech geek thing, but I’ve thrown my witchcraft into the mix to make the situation that much more insane. Will it get me any closer to accomplishing my goal? Fuck if I know, but there’s no use in not trying. I swear to god I will become a real-life Akemi Nakajima one way or another. “I still don’t understand what exactly you’re even trying to do.” He shrugs. Ohhh Dylan. Poor, sweet, innocent Dylan. Even after all these many years by my side, he is still but a child. I figure I’ll indulge him in explaining it once more, if only so he will later be able to grasp the full breadth of my accomplishment when I achieve it. “I am creating the ultimate art. A piece of fiction that exists in our corporeal world, a person who is also a story.” “And you’re doing this… through a video game.” He doubts. Very well then, Dylan. Just you wait. Your skepticism only serves to drive me. “Anyway, I should probably get off.” The now healed but contorted body of an anime girl speaks as he lies his controllers down on the ground, elongating her arms unnaturally as the rig curls up into a strange flesh orb. “We still got school tomorrow.” “Ha!” I tease. “Sleep if you must. I will remain in this reality. She will be brought to fruition, I swear it.” “Yeah, okay. Whatever. Goodnight, Molly.” He glitches out, his avatar ceasing to exist. I half-despise him for taking me out of my fantasy. The hard truth is that even though right now I’m a total newtype cyberjunkie, I’m still a high school senior living in the disappointing future year of 2023. I can make it work, telling myself I fall into the trope of being a normal student by day and a total badass by night, but really, I’m just a student full-time who happens to have strange aesthetic sensibilities and is a little too into VR games. Of course, that dream of being Iwakura Lain doesn’t have to end just yet. I turn my earbuds off, but don’t remove them yet, as I still want the sound reduction. I approach the magic circle at the center of the map, surrounded by prefabs of every occult object I could find on Sketchfab or convince Wire to model for me, and sit cross-legged in front of the ritual space. I meditate for an hour. Then, I begin to manifest her. As a kid, I always wished I could live inside my favorite anime or something. I thought it was so boring how in the real world, you couldn’t do so much as have a Pokémon battle. Not a real one, at least. I thought long and hard about what it would be like to live in a world where you could. Why did it seem so amazing to me? If Ash Ketchum saw our world, what would he think about it? Would he feel the same as I do? Nobody here cares about anything as much as the people in his world care about Pokémon. We really have no equivalent to that. The only things certain in life are death, taxes, and wishing you were anywhere or anyone else than you are right now. Elopas is what would make this life worth living. She’s what would make it special, for me, at least. She’s my life’s work and everything I hold dear. I can hardly remember much of my life up until the point four months ago when I started trying to summon her. So little happened. So little mattered. I understood nothing, and cared to even less. I wasn’t really alive yet. That wasn’t my life. This… this is my life. This is what I’m working towards. She will be beautiful, and she will be everything. She will be god, satan, and my bride. She will be an idea turned into a body, a painting turned into a brain. The ultimate art, Elopas.   It came to me in a dream. She was there, in a field that looked like the Windows background. I can hardly remember what she looked like now, but I’ll never forget her name. She didn’t say it herself. Rather, I looked at her, and understood. Elopas was the name of my dream. And somewhere out there, in some dimension, or even created by my own will… she has to exist. I know she does. It’s time. Tonight, I can feel it. Calling upon the goddess Hecate in my heart, I open the source code in front of me. I take in as much of it as possible, the information density enrapturing me as my mind stretches to comprehend and remember it all. Like Father Pucci recounting prime numbers, I recite it… all the laws of the fake world I inhabit, laid out in human language… what a powerful feeling. “Molly…” But before I can get too far in, I hear her calling out to me. She has already found me, and I have finally realized we were both looking for each other all along. Of course. When a string is pulled, whatever’s on the other side has to feel it eventually, even if it is countless miles or another reality away. Why would I want her so much if she did not in turn feel the same way of me? Of this world? That’s it- she wishes to be summoned. Our dreams are two sides of a folded paper, only now being straightened, reformed into the complete whole it always truly was. This is my destination. This is my destiny. “Molly… goooo tooo bedddd….”  I curse my own obsessed stupidity. That is not the divine call of Elopas, but rather the mocking tone of my mother Elaine, goofier than usual for some reason. In shame, I decide to admit defeat for now and rest up to try again tomorrow. “Sorry.” I lie. “‘Night.” I remove the plugs from the holes in my forehead, taking the VISTA off my face. It would be chrome silver, but there’s so many stickers on it now that it doesn’t particularly register as any one color. The giant metal skull prongs are thankfully all clean this time. My surgery’s more than healed, so not even a bit of blood on my tech today. They say you’re supposed to insert covers into the holes when you’re not playing, but I want people to be able to tell what I’m into from a glance, so I never bothered buying them. Pulled from my sacred temple, I can now see the familiar room outside me. It looks like a bomb went off in here, but in the direct center of the room so that everything got pushed to the sides and stuck there. The space in the center of the room is for VR and VR only, so it’s spotlessly neat- not a thing to run into and the carpet there is significantly more worn than the rest of the cramped bedroom, which is a mess of wires, books, games, consoles, and Blu-Ray cases. I dive into bed. Never slept in the nude before, so I’m excited to get at least one new experience for the day. At midnight, I lay down my head, and by four, my thoughts have calmed down enough to where I can manage to fall asleep. One hour later, I’m up again. “Time for school, bitch.” my brain prods me. I check my calendar to see when I last faked sick. Shit. It’s really only been eight days? Hardly have any excused absences left. Might have to consider actually skipping for once… but that can wait. I’ll tough it out, for today. I’m a tough girl. I can take it. I’m the best there is. My hand’s on the wardrobe. What’s it gonna be today? Working with a clean slate here. Underwear- green. I love green. Color of my soul, green. It’s the color of circuit boards. The color of tennis courts. More tennis balls if we’re talking about this shade. Christ, I don’t even like tennis. What am I thinking about? It’s 5:30. I stop caring so much. Player One color it is, then. I draw for my default outfit, a pair of black tights to go under my bulky cargo shorts that I for one think pair quite well with my lime tank and black arm socks. You gotta admit it’s a look. I wish cybergoth was still a thing, though I’d sooner die than be born in an earlier generation. I always make the mistake of brushing my teeth after I dress. S’why I try to match what I wear with what I scrub- the green mint toothpaste is hardly visible on my top. I don’t do makeup (can’t risk any getting on the VISTA) but I look in the mirror before I go. My hair’s dyed that exact same eye-bleedingly acidic shade of green, and as I smile, I see my face curl up into this look of mischievous joy it always does whenever I’m well and truly ready for something. Yep, still me. God, I love this bitch. I slip on my crocs as I step out the door (guess what color they are) and follow Elaine to the car. “No, I don’t drive. Yes, I call my parents by their first  names. No, it’s not out of spite. Yes, I do know you’re watching me.”  I think to a fake audience in my head. I would be my own favorite character if I was in anything. Kinda wish I was in something. I mean, my thoughts could easily fill a book- no, a game script. If I could only code everything I thought automatically, I’d have a full series made every afternoon. Sure, it might not be any good, but I can think of a few people who might at least play it out of morbid curiosity. My choice of music for the car ride is Clown Core and my choice of view is directly behind the car, watching things as we pass them. I try not to think too hard about how close we are to getting there. If this was a different route than usual, I wouldn’t know. Even then, it’s over in a second. After all, if I’m moving, my endless thoughts always seem to pass the time faster. But as soon as I’m sitting down, they drag it out to turn the hours into days. Not peaceful Sundays, but more like Mondays in a courtroom. A really loud courtroom. Full of pretentious lesbians with green hair who all look, and sound, exactly like me. “Molly Hitchcock.” The classroom is laid out straight like in an anime. I wish I had a window seat. Then again, I guess that would be too “normal” for someone so protagonist-y. I’m too weird for that. I’d be like, the antihero of antiheros. The punk of punks. But if that were the case, wouldn’t it be more punk to have the window seat anyway despite my archetype? Fat lot of good it does thinking about it. Nope, today I’m dead in the middle of the room, sitting by Dylan, the big, annoying boy in a maroon hoodie twice my height trying to pull on my shoulder, except not actually touching me ‘cause he’s too shy to poke a girl even though he inhabited the digital body of one not six hours ago. What an asshole. If you want my attention, yell at me or some shit. I ain’t your mom. “Molly Hitchcock.” I bolt up as my full name suddenly appears from Mr. Palpe’s mouth. The fuck? I didn’t deserve this! It’s the start of the day! Ah, Jesus this sucks. This sucks ass. This just- “I-I-I’m here..! S-s…..sorry.” “I tried to tell you he was calling on you, but you didn’t…” Dylan starts. I don’t care. I was not distracted. I was just… being a rebel. Yeah, a rebel. I’m a tough bitch. A real hardass. Gotta put the teacher in his place sometimes, ya know… “Next time, how’s about you listen to your friend there? Seems like he was trying to help you out.” The whole class laughs. UGH. Day RUINED. I better summon Elopas tonight or I’m for SURE skipping school tomorrow. That’s a Wednesday. Best day to skip. Then the two chunks of your week aren’t any longer than your weekend, really. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. After homeroom’s over, I think I’ll- My thoughts are interrupted again. Everybody’s getting up. Okay, time to go, hup hup. We all grab our bags as we kinda stand by our desks getting “straightened out” or whatever and then move ahead to the door waiting to be let go. “That was really fun last night.” Dylan tells me, openly drawing the gazes of many of our nearby classmates as he reflexively adjusts his dark bangs. “T-the game. We played. I mean.” “Yeah. Mhm.” I respond as jaggedly as possible, staring daggers at the wall. Sometimes I wonder if I’m bullying Dylan, but I think I’ve known him long enough to where that ship has sailed. This is just our dynamic at this point. “You… got your next class with Wire?” He asks shyly, as if it’s an affront to speak to me two times in a row. “He said… he uh, had some “intel” for you…” “Yeah, I’ll catch up with him there. You need me to give him any love poems or anything?” “I-I told you I’m not gay!” “Yeah sure, and I’m not a fashion disaster. See ya at lunch, Dill.” Exiting the class without another word, I’m stuck behind the massive wave of people who got out the door first. This wall of flesh clogging the hallway is pretty suffocating for someone coming in around 5’2”, but I kinda like it. Feels sorta like I’m on a different plane of existence than everyone else… which I guess I might as well be. Math class is different story from the home room layout. Ms. Junes is windowphobic and the desks aren’t lined up anyway, just kinda laid all about the place, some pushed together to make groups. One such group is at the very back and consists of two seats- one empty, one filled by the first student to get to class- this lanky, (though not particularly tall) glasses-adjusting, nerd-lookin’ nerd of a nerd. But like, in a cool way. This is one nerd-ass motherfucker. He’ll grow up to look like a twink Gendo Ikari, more likely than not. This’s Wire. My guy. My man. “So how’s it goes?” I slide into the seat next to him, looking down to see the same black pants and white polo as always, the only color on him hidden in the cyan frames of his glasses just below his partially-shaved, no-upkeep-needed “hairdo.” “Not any one way in particular. I do have the intel you’ve been informed of, though.” He lets me know in a tone that would be pretty soft were it not for his flat-out tropey smart-guy radio chatter inflection.  “So what is it?“ I ask immediately. “Stuff for Elopas?” “Precisely.” He answers plosively. “Somebody in this very school is correctly in possession of an indispensable tool for your project.” “You don’t mean a…” “Yes. The target has a Maxfeel, just like you’ve been searching for.” “No fucking way.” I’d have gasped if me and Wire weren’t both such fast talkers. “What’s a high-schooler doing with an illegal chip?” “You say that, but nobody’d bat an eye if they knew about you having   them.” “Well, a normal high-schooler. Didn’t think anyone else was as crazy as me.” “Don’t call yourself “crazy,” it’s embarrassing.” “Sorry. So, what’s this kid’s name? You… want anything in return for all the intel, by the way?” “No, I don’t care.” I knew he’d respond like that, I just feel bad not asking. Guess I should be over that guilt by now after he did all my schoolwork for a whole semester to get me that VISTA, just for the hell of it. “Her name is Debby Vincent.” “What’s she look like?” “Oh, yes... I almost forgot that you don’t know much of anyone here. She is most easily identified by her purple clothing and the crutch she always uses. I am not aware of what injury or disability she has sustained. If you would like her detailed physical information, her hair and skin are black, her eyes are brown, and…” “That’s fine, thanks. I think I can spot her. What grade?” “Junior. You may need to do some class-hopping. I’m sure you still have the document, it won’t be hard to find her.” “Shit… ah, alright.” “You really hate breaking the rules, don’t you?” “It’s just… embarrassing, is all. Getting caught.” “So don’t. You could easily pass as a freshman. Just go blend in. Despite your appearance, hardly anyone knows who you are here.” “True.” I say. “Okay then. Thanks again Wire. I’m out.” “Good luck.” He wishes me as I stand, swallowing hard. Time to get that Maxfeel. The VISTA headset, developed by multimedia supercompany FRiDAY, is a modular system capable of many things its creators may have not necessarily intended. Custom-made chips and software mods are everywhere, some technically legal, many not. It’s pretty clear the CEO, Martin Tollbridge, hates the things, but that’s really only ‘cause people like me use ‘em to bypass his mandatory integration between the headset and his social media platform FRiDAYLaND. It’s an open secret it tracks you, and though I don’t have much to lose from that, it would go against my personal values (my aesthetic) to let a megacorp use me for my information. Anyway, that’s to say Martin probably doesn’t even specifically know what a Maxfeel is and probably wouldn’t care any more if he did. Only reason they’re illegal’s ‘cause the legislation hates fun. All it does is amplify the biorhythmic capabilities of the headset’s skull prongs to such a degree that not only can you feel outside objects in the virtual world, but your own virtual body as well. So if your avatar’s got a tail or something, you can really feel it attached to you, like it’s really there- your body becomes whatever you want it to be, tricking your senses perfectly. As such, its only real demographic is trans people (instant body dysphoria relief) and VR addicts like me who are way too deep into the hobby. Wonder which this “Vincent” kid fits into. I ask the teacher for the bathroom. The less you do it, the more it works. As someone who never invites attention from even my instructors, I’m allowed immediately. I speed-walk out of the room and open my phone. Wire got me set up last week with a spreadsheet of everyone’s schedule. It was originally so I could track down a kid who supposedly stole one of Dylan’s bags, but it turned out he’d just lost it. Here’s hoping this mission actually comes up with some results. After much anxiety-inducing scrolling, I find the info I need- Debby should be in class 1108 right now, Ms. Jackson’s first-period Economics. I hop down the stairs to get there, making my way down as fast as I can without tripping or catching someone’s attention. The whole reason I want this chip so damn bad is because it might just be the closest I’ll get to summoning Elopas in the event a digital-to-real world incarnation just isn’t physically possible. Even if that’s the case, my hypothesis is that this chip would let me potentially have Elopas, even if she were just a digital conscience, influence and take over a human body, like possession. Maybe it’s far-fetched, and I dunno who the sacrifice would be, but it at least sounds more reliable than my main method. If you really want something, after all, you gotta be ready to try everything to get it. And I want Elopas more than anything. I find the class at the back of a hall, just beside a corner. After double-checking the number on the door, I slip in. They’re talking. Nobody notices at first. Not even the student in the back holding onto a crutch as they stare out the window longingly. Well, would you look at that. There’s the real protagonist. I cackle to myself. Found you. I walk up to the seat, putting my hand on it. I don’t intend to take the thing by force… just charisma. “Hey there. Sheesh, look at you. Can I ask how you feel about girls? Specifically the standing-right-in-front-of-you variety? Cause I’m quite fond of the sitting-right-in-front of me variety of whatever you might be.” “Uh…” my kouhai starts to blush. Gotcha. Wait, no. Their mouth downturns. It’s just embarrassment. Shit. I shot my shot, now time to state my business…. “Listen. You got the Maxfeel chip on you?” Their eyes spark. Uh oh. The junior clutches onto the crutch and pushes me away, hobbling straight across the room and out the door. They’re proficient with the thing, heading far out of sight in moments. I dash to catch up. “Hey!” I order, gaining on them quick. I don't care how much taller you are than me, being restricted to one functioning leg is a major disadvantage. I get right up to their back, stretching out my hand to pull on the cut of their purple polo shirt- “Dammit!” The voice ahead of me bursts. Clattering metal falls below me. The crutch descends to the ground. The target flees on both legs, far outpacing me. What the shit? I get Wire on the phone. “CHARLIE! We’ve got an unexpected conundrum here! The bitch- the bastard’s got two of ‘em!” “Two of what? Don’t forget I’m in class right now, Molly.” He whispers, lacking any of my urgency. “LEGS! Working legs, Wire! They ain’t hurt or disabled or nothing!” “I see. Why don’t I call Dylan for you? He’s the muscle of the group. I don’t see how my brains are supposed to solve the issue of your speed on such short notice.” “What are you, my receptionist? F-Fine! Just get him here, stat!” In the meantime, I try to keep up with my underclassman so I can keep an eye on their position until Dylan arrives. All the while, I look to the classes to the left and right of me. Some of the doors are open. The longer I chase this person, the more likely I’ll get spotted. And I do not want that. “Hey! You! Vincent! Slow down! Lemme talk to ya!” “I don’t know you! I don’t know you!” “I said stop! We gotta talk!” “This chip… it’s mine! I won’t let you have it!” They turn a corner faster than the guy from Initial D. Shit, what was his name? I watched that back in 7th grade… why can’t I remember? It was like, a K… no, a T… wait, fuck, I can’t get distracted now! Where the hell’s Dylan, for crying out loud?! I turn the same corner. Two way hallway, and they're nowhere in sight. Damn… looks like I actually lost the little bastard. I could go looking one way… but if they took the other, I’m screwed. Either way I won’t have time to get back to Ms. Junes, and I’ll get punished. Maybe it’ll just be an embarrassment… or maybe Elaine will take my VISTA away. Bottom line, mission failed. Better get back to class… Just then, Dylan’s tall frame walks out of the right hallway, carrying the kid’s crutch and leading them back to me as he nervously holds their shoulder. “Dylan!” “I-I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…” the target whines. Geez. I hate to see ‘em cry like that. Even if it is a little funny after them outpacing me for so long. “It’s gonna be okay.” Dylan assures them. “Molly’s just… strange, alright? She won’t hurt you. A-And neither will I. Obviously.” “I’m scared… just… why do you want it so bad? Why do you want my Maxfeel?” “You sure you wanna know?” I question. “It’s pretty complicated. Of course, I was about to ask you the same thing. What’s your reason? You an addict like me? Or…” “It’s… a secret! It’s… nothing you’d get. It’s… I need it, okay… I need it…” “Listen… if you wanna be a guy, I really don’t care. You’re not doing a great job hiding it anyway.” “I-I’m not trans! It’s… it’s worse… oh god… so much worse…” “Well shit, now you’ve gone and got me interested. You really are bad at this.” “I’m sorry!” She screeches. “It’s just- I don’t know how to explain! I don’t- I don’t want to explain!” “Can’t be weirder than my reason.” “It… can’t?” She asks, tears in her eyes. “Listen. I hate the whole damn world, cause it’s boring. All I like’s fake shit… nothing but fiction, heaps and heaps of it. One day I’ll have seen it all. So what I wanna do… is work all the meaning of a fiction work into a person. A perfect person- somebody who holds within herself every experience imaginable, and is capable of imparting that meaning on to others. That’s what… a living story would be. And that’s my one true desire… Elopas.” She laughs. “That… makes no sense. I don’t even get what you mean by that.” “I told you it sounded crazy, did I not? Now you wanna spill? I could always help you myself, you know. I’ll admit I’m a bit above the average high schooler in terms of problem-solving.” “Well… it’s just…” She cradles… no… strangles her left leg. “I want it off.” “You what?” “My leg. I want it gone.” “Why’s that?” “I don’t… want it.” She starts cry-laughing. “Oh… geez… you must t-think I’m crazy, huh…? I’ve never… told anyone… but my therapist! Ha… ha… she knows everything… and nobody else does! Until now… eheheh… I hate the thing… every night… I curl up into a ball.. and hold my thigh like this until the leg loses circulation. I want that chip… so I can feel the body of an avatar without this leg.” She forces out a laugh. “It’s crazy. I’m… crazy. If I’m not crazy… nothing is. Life… life is crazy.” “You aren’t crazy, dumbass.” “Huh?” She seems mildly offended. “Don’t say you're crazy… it’s embarrassing. Anyone saying that can’t possibly have lost it completely.” “But… I wanna… I want to be disabled!” “That’s the simplest damn thing I ever heard. Tell ya what… I’ll make you a deal. You want that leg off, I’ll cut it off for ya, in exchange for the chip. Then both our dreams… can become reality, and not just in a virtual world. Deal?” “You’d… do that?” “Yeah I would. I just said I would. You need me to say it again?” “No… uh, no! That’s… that’s incredible… I can finally… breathe… I can finally be me.” “So can I have it?” “S-sure. Not like… I even have the headset for it yet anyway.” She puts the small thing in my hand. It’s a nice shade of green… I smile. “Where the hell did you get something like this?” “It was… a gift. From a friend of mine.” “May I have their name?” “They don’t… live here.” “Still.” “They… go by Gormage. Online.” “I see… thanks for that. We’ll talk again, Debby… when I get that limb off you.” “Thank you… so much.” She stands back up on her crutch. As I walk back to class, Dylan follows for a bit. “You really gonna do that for her?” “Yes, I am. Can’t believe you’d doubt me.” “Wow… you really are something, Molly.” “You too, Dill. You too.” The remainder of Math class is spent with Wire. He already did my work for me before I sat back down, so I don’t have to sweat anything else before the bell. Him and I have a conversation of sorts. “Do you think secrets make somebody more interesting… or less interesting?” I ask. “Hm… less. Anybody can say they have a secret. It’s not a real personality trait unless you can see it.” “I dunno… I kinda love secrets.” “‘Cause they’re fun?” “Yeah. ‘Cause they’re fun. You get me, Wire.” “I know.” The rest of the day is boring as balls. Heading home’s the only good part of it. On the bus, I’m listening to Kobaryo. Shit, I think. Wish I’d had this on during the chase… maybe I’d have caught up to her even without Dylan’s help. By the time I step up to my front porch and walk back into my front door, Elaine is there impatiently tapping her foot as she waits for my dad to get home and cook dinner. “How was school?” She asks, a hint of frustration bleeding through in her tone, I guess from work or something. “Normal.” I answer, before heading up to my room. Should have just enough time to test out this bitch before Huey gets to cookin’. Lights off. TV on, volume down. Headphones in. Voodoom playing. Headset plugged up and plugged in. Time to do some serious Cathedral of Shadows shit. The temple itself is quiet outside my music. I stand by the circle and put my chip in. Fuck that’s weird. I feel so warm. My model is now me. I’m so tall it feels gross, and my hands are too big. Wouldn’t be surprised if this is more or less how Debby feels. Makes me wonder why even the furthest reaches of the hobby would do this for fun. That said… test complete. Now to see… if maybe, just maybe, I can channel her for a bit. I have her in my mind… maybe, if only for a second, I could let her have my body. Then we’d see where we could go from there. It’s a very abruptly formed plan, but… I’m gonna try everything else sooner or later, so why not start with the most obvious thing? I do my rituals again. Reciting code. Calling out for her in my heart. Wishing her into reality. Just throwing shit at a wall, really. Maybe this is childish, but I’ve convinced myself so deeply in it being possible that there’s no going back now. Elopas is my everything. I start to feel a cherry blossom in my soul. What is this… deep, red feeling? A searing heat… in my chest… no… in my head… Next to my head. Ow! The chip is smoking. Totally burnt up. I eject it. “What the…?” It’s ruined. The circuitry destroyed, and for nothing. How? That doesn’t make sense… I mean, it’s just a microchip I inserted into the port I got Wire to install! What even did this? Fuck…  I curse my whole day away. All I did was for nothing. This really was just another shitty Tuesday. Before I take the headset off, I look around the temple. This place is so familiar now. And that’s just what I hate about it. Not one thing has changed. Even though the rules of this world are different from my own, I haven’t been able to make even the tiniest thing happen here. It’s no different from our own reality. Someone giggles behind me. I rip the headset off so hard that I nearly open my surgery back up. No one there. Not in the real world. I desperately cry, shoving the headset back on. No! Did I- did I miss her?! Nothing there. Still all alone. But does this mean… was that her? Could my dream be… real after all? ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Molly had never dreamed of flying before. Certainly, it was possible she was dreaming now. Molly was doing her best not to think about that. All of life had already been a dream to begin with. Elopas seizes her small hands in midair, gliding under her just so that she can look into her gleaming eyes as they soar past white clouds in the coming sky. “So Molly? Now are you convinced this is real?” “I… don’t have any idea…” the amazed child smiles absently with the first happiness she’s felt in a very long time. “That’s my girl!” The goddess blossoms with joy. Spinning back around, gripping tightly to the young witch’s hand, she increases in speed. Soon they’re flying so fast that the ground below them becomes a hazy mush. But Molly feels no fear, not even the force of air assaulting her senses. Those feelings of hers have already been discarded for the time being. As they come suddenly to a stop, hovering supremely above the Kansas ground like Dragon Ball villains, the girl’s savior treats her to a view of the world map of her life. From here, even her tired eyes can see her home, her old school, and even the very residences of all the people she’d ever known. “Welcome to the final day of reality, August 32nd.” Elopas decrees, looking down on the life Molly had more-or-less believed in before. “Here, you’ll be able to see the conclusions to all narratives you once followed… the truth about what happened to the characters you got bored of.” “Wait… what?” Molly despairs. “You mean, like, my friends? I don’t- I don’t wanna see that!” “Oh, but you should! Trust me. I won’t like it anymore than you will. But if you don’t see this now, you’ll never get another chance as long as you consciously exist. And if you promise to follow me through all of this… I’ll give you a big hug in exchange!” Molly tries looking down at her feet to escape, but it’s hard to ignore the dense land below her. “Y-you’d… better not be lying.” “Okay then! Come along with me now, princess!” Like a bird, they then swoop down into the lake of information Elopas had presented. First, they come to a college campus, completely unknown to Molly and filled with strangers. The students walk up and down the building’s outer stairways, entering and exiting it as they come from and enter into their classes. “I’ve never been here.” Molly queried. “Why are you taking me here?” “This is where he ended up. Look at him.” It’s all she could do not to look at the man who was suddenly standing out plainly to her in the crowd. Wire carries his books as he did himself, with equal parts grace and confidence. Going into class with an uplifted look on his face, Molly wonders what he’s thinking about telling her at school today. Of course, she remembers, Wire doesn’t  have her at this school. “What is he going to do…?” She wonders aloud. “Learn, I assume. And I’m sure he’ll continue to succeed more and more in life, from this point out. People like him really do tend to, in the end.” “What about me…?” “You aren’t like him. After all, he’s still stuck in the fake world. Only you get to see the real one today.” Elopas smiles. “…Where to next?” The girl asks, and the angel promptly flies her all the way over to a certain old farm- Debby’s place. The grey dirt surrounding the place is as boring as she remembered. Pushing down the feelings of nostalgia welling up inside her, Molly spits at the ground. “I don’t care about this place.” “You don’t care about any of these places. That’s why I’m taking you to them.” “To see how I’ll react?” “I already know how you’ll react. That’s what I want to show you.” Taking her words at face value, Molly begrudgingly casts her gaze back down to the pitiful shack below. Sure enough, Debby eventually steps out of the door to tend to some animals or something. Despite everything, she’s still smiling. “Someone’s happy.” “You did a lot of good things for her, Molly.” Elopas assured her. “And bad stuff.” “Both those feelings make you wanna puke, don’t they?” “They do.” Debby litters the chicken coop with feed before walking on to the next task. “Look at her.” Elopas beams. “She really is enjoying this part of her false existence.” “Does she not have a job or anything either?” “Nope. No plans whatsoever.” “So she’s like me… what a bitch.” “No, still, she’s not like you either.” “Because she wasn’t chosen by a flying anime goddess?” “Because she didn’t do the things you did to yourself. She’ll never get to explore the depths of isolation you put yourself through. Honestly, it doesn’t actually seem to matter what any humans do in this life. So long as they have other humans around them, things work themselves out.” “So, what… did I get the “bad ending,” then?” “Not from where I’m standing! Er- floating. I think… this is what would have always happened to you, Molly.” “That’s reassuring…” Molly buzzed. “You’re trying to sound sarcastic… but you really mean that, deep down, don’t you~?” Elopas grinned at her master. “This place… is boring as shit. Next.” “On we go!” Within moments Molly and Elopas find themselves at a small house in a typical neighborhood. “No. No.” Molly protests. “Fuck off.”  “Aw, come on! It’s only for a second! Now, why don’t we peek inside and see how your high school sweetheart’s doing~” “I never dated her! I never even knew anyone named Harmony Bridges!” “Ope! Honey, it’s not quite time for that yet… soon though, soon. For now, let’s remind Molly of her ugly feelings, shall we? A gallon of castor oil helps the sugar go down~!” The two land on her roof like Santa Claus, making not the slightest sound in the process. Led by Elopas, Molly is forced to hang her head down and leer directly into the girl’s bedroom window. “She’s… oh.” “What? Aww… Molly, did you really think she’d never manage to get over you?” “No, I just didn’t expect you to make me-“ “What’s the harm? She won’t ever know about any of this. I wanted to show you everything this world has to offer, alright? This kills at least a few birds with one stone.” “I don’t really find much pleasure in watching this…” “I can give you your hug early if that helps.” “I’ll pass.” “You really are annoyed that you’re not the one inside there, aren’t you…” “I’m not! I wouldn’t want that in a million years!” “No, certainly not. But you do feel like you at least deserve it.” “I- I…” Molly looked at the taunting bird as she smirked at her. “You think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?” “N-no… I fucking hate this bitch…” “Self-hatred and narcissism are closely related traits. You hold yourself to a high standard because you want to love yourself, but when those standards aren’t met, you fall back into resentment.” Molly bites her tongue. “Okay then~! Next character…” Leaving the two be, Molly and Elopas once again rise into the stratosphere only to dip again right next to the home of Molly’s oldest friend. “You probably told your mother at some point that you forgot about this one, but I’m sure that can’t be the case. Even if you don’t care, at least just take the time to see how things are going. It’s the least you can do for your narrative.” “What… what am I looking at? Dylan…?” Molly sits next to the window, staring voyeuristically into yet another bedroom. “She started transitioning quite a while ago at this point. Time flies, huh? I’m sure it feels like just yesterday you were picking on her in homeroom. But those days are never coming back, and for this one, it’s probably for the best- even if neither of you ever got to have the pasts you probably wanted.” Elopas muses. “Having said that… she’s the only one still trapped in reality. So unlike her, you do have a chance. But again- everything in time.” The devil teases. “So how does this one make you feel exactly, Molly?” “I can’t describe it… it’s like… shouldn’t this have… come up?” “Well, you can’t blame her. She really did try to tell you.” “She… did?” “Everyone was calling you nonstop during the start of break. You had every opportunity to respond. But you chose the path of yourself. Nothing comes out of nowhere, Molly. The world- the fake one, at least- isn’t limited to your perception. Speaking of…” Up and away they go again as they now find themselves outside some sort of department store. “We’re going inside this one. I hope you’re not too anxious. Don’t worry, it’s not like anyone here will notice us.” The automatic doors make a sound Molly hasn’t heard in a long time as they shifted open for the phantom customers. Molly sees him right away just as they’re inside. “Your mother never visited him either. I’m surprised he’s made it this long in the fake world. I guess the apple can fall pretty far from the tree if it’s already growing off a cliff.” Hugo rings up groceries with a plastered smile, making good time with his dexterous hands. Despite Elopas’ words, Molly begins picking at her nails in fear her father might see her. “Out of all these people… he’s the only one who’s thinking of you right now.” “But I hardly even know him…” “Yes, but here’s a thought: maybe you could have. If you had only said more things around him, and gotten him to open up to you in turn… how much different would your life have been? How much better could it have been? Maybe… that’s what made it feel so fake in the first place. Rather… that’s the one thing that made you realize it was fake, more than anything else.” Elopas watches intently as Molly begins to silently cry. She smiles wider the more she does. “Alright.” Elopas exhales out her nostrils at a job well done. “I think that about does it. Now come with me, little lost girl.” Taking her hand again, Molly follows her back into the sky. The brat still crying, the speed at which they flew makes it hurt. Soon, her face is red, and she’s started gnashing her teeth furiously, grinding them together as her eyes swell with an acidic malice. “Next, we’re taking you somewhere easy. But first…” Elopas zips away, returning in a flash with the girl’s stickered VISTA headset in her hands. “You’ll need this tool one final time.” Elopas leads the maddened child to a huge, empty place- an abandoned football field, the story of which Molly will probably never know. The sky has gone grey now, but it’s still bright out. Perfect conditions. “The ground won’t be too comfortable, but this is more space than you could ever get in that claustrophobia chamber of yours. Here, I’ll make the boundary!” Elopas takes a controller and puts the headset on herself, unable to resist laughing at such an ironic achievement. With her great wings, she circles the arena, marking its limits with the remote. She then hands the toy back to Molly, ready for its use. “What…” Molly boils. “What are you doing…? Why would I need that thing right now?” “You get to play a game! Here… blow off some steam like you always do.” Elopas simpers as she places the heavy mask over the livid creature’s eyes, inserting the product’s metal rods into her forehead one final time. She is greeted not to the homescreen, but a new sight- a place identical to the football field itself. The feeling is strange to say the least, looking at a fake version of something that was already fake to begin with. “I made some new software for you. Come on, try it out.” As soon as Molly looks around, they begin to appear before her. “You bastards…” All the people she’d just seen were popping up from the rafters, clad in what looked less like clothes they would wear and more like character designs. “All those who ever wronged you. Let loose, Acidgirl.” “DIE!” Molly cries, punctuated by a crack of thunder. Just in the game or in reality, she doesn’t know or care. Within a few moments, it’s pouring with rain either way. Wire is the first to leap down to the battlefield. In the reflection in Charlie’s dripping visor, Molly sees her own haunted and violent expression. Now there’s a relief. God, she loves the look. “MotherFUCKER-!” She swings at him with the controller, bashing his smooth head aside. The swot returns the favor, raising his hand against her to slam a backpack full of lead against her chest. It is in this exact moment that Molly remembers about the very effective and very much active Breakchip still placed in her headset. “UgH…!” Before she has time to punish, a second combatant leaps down to assist her old friend. The maroon-hooded brawler towers over her small stature, ready to get some payback at the bully she envied. “TAKE THIS!” Molly throws a punch at her abandoned lapdog, striking her shoulder. It’s not much use as the two both take advantage of their numbers to tackle her. “Get off… get OFF!” Molly spits uselessly as she rolls over, grabbing Wire’s backpack to crush him underneath the combined weight of the two of them plus the heavy weapon. She watches as he slowly runs out of air and soon explodes into bloody polygons. “One down…. Now get the FUCK OFF ME LIKE I TOLD YOU!” Molly slides out from the wet ground, kicking her old punching bag in the face. “YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO CHANGE! YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO CHANGE UNLESS I SEE IT HAPPEN!” The girl has no dialogue to respond with as she dashes up to finish Molly off using the last of her strength. Her attempt fails instantly when she is suddenly met with the raw force of her two controllers as she swings them from their safety straps directly into her face. “I’M THE EYES OF THIS WORLD… NOTHING’S ALLOWED TO CHANGE UNLESS I SEE IT!” With a final kick to the face, she too explodes into red, the victory short-lived a crutch slams into the back of Molly’s head, knocking her back on the cold grass to see her next adversary- a one-legged girl with an uppity look in her eyes. “You…” Molly jumps to her feet to attack Debby, the nimble lass dodging every swing of her AA-battery powered VR controllers. Sticking the tip of the crutch right against her teeth, the crack sound produced is almost as bad as the pain of the impact. Molly refuses to back down even then, wrapping the weapon in her flogs as she pulls it to the ground and knees the ungrateful asshole in the throat, dispatching her in moments. But before the polygons from her corpse can even dissipate, four additional combatants appear out of thin air to surround her on all sides. “What-?! There should only be two left!” Harmony, Hugo, Elaine, and a cybernetic shark furry all stand prepared with their weapons of choice- the ex a guitar, the father a frying pan, the mother a ghostly apparition controlled by chains, and Gormage almost the same weapons as her- two large, heavy MACRO controllers, Molly cackles coarsely. “You dumb FUCKS… I’m mad at you four most of all. This time I’m gonna erase you from my life FOREVER, so I never have to see your ugly faces AGAIN.” Molly felt an indescribable power come over her as she spun all around with her disconnected plastic nunchucks, battering them relentlessly with the remotes. She gives Harmony a swing to the guest, Hugo one to the jaw, and Elaine one to the skull. They don't even get a chance to attack as their digital lives are brought to bloody ends. Gormage puts up far more of a fight, the two crossing remotes over and over again as they come to standstill, their powers even. “I’m NOTHING LIKE YOU! I’m BETTER THAN YOU!” The child lets loose all her fury on the zombie, throwing her controllers so hard against the creature’s dorsal fin that it snaps in half. As the parts of the remotes litter the ground however, she’s left defenseless as he goes in to bite her. The attempt fails pathetically when she dives under his legs to trip him over- an attack followed up directly with a kick to the back of the neck. “THAT’s IT?! GOOD FUCK, PEOPLE! I’m UNSTOPPABLE!” Just then, a final warrior walks from the visiting team’s entrance, shrouded in black. “Who the hell are you?!” “Your greatest adversary… we meet again, Molly.” She says, sounding much older than before. “You…” Childhood crush Harley Burtrue removes her dark cloak to show off her adult form, along with her massive scythe. “It was my mission to stop you from becoming the monster you are today. I made you fall in love with me, and then just when you opened your schoolgirl heart- I crushed it. So hard I thought you’d never recover. But it seems… I’ve only made you worse. So now I have to put you down.” “Our friendship… was never real?!” “Every action I took was merely for the sake of my goal. I feel nothing towards you, Molly. Never did. Never will.” “You…” the lime-haired devil seethes, almost bursting aflame. “YOU TRAITOR!” Rushing at her arch-nemesis, Molly is forced to dodge multiple laser beams and a few magical plasma slashes from the advanced weapon before she finally arrives right in front of the bitch’s face. As pretty as she is, Molly feels nothing but burning hatred for the monster as she collides her forehead into hers. “That’s not enough!” Harley taunts, recovering seconds after falling back as she sticks the blade into the ground and spins on her scythe, kicking Molly back through the air, all the way to the other side of the court as she smashes into the wall. Burtue phases into a chasing heap of shadow, blazing to her like a bolt of lightning as she quickly arrives right beside the girl to slice her in half while she’s down. But as the few memories of eating lunch together on field day and talking a few times on the playground flash before Molly’s dying eyes, she catches the blade. “Impossible- it can’t be!” Getting off on the sheer horror in her lifelong foe and betrayer’s eyes, Molly smiles. With all her strength she lifts the blade upward, twisting her grip and launching it aside. Before Harley can drop to her knees and beg, she uppercuts her chin. “Die.” The final aggressor splatters into a fine mist of graphics, leaving the digital native standing alone in a field of her violent results. Alone, that is, until the headset raises off her- her vision encapsulates by the smiling, motherly face of a beautiful young woman. “You did it!” Elopas praises, the rain no longer pouring down in the world she’s in. She removes the device from the girl’s head and sets it down to forget about forever. “All those pesky perceptions of yours? You just killed every last one of them. Congratulations!” “Perceptions…?” “You were still feeling strong emotions to things that weren’t actually real. Now you’re over all that. How do you feel?” Molly breathes in the scent of wet grass in the air. “Like a kid again…” Elopas couldn’t be grinning more now. Nobody’s ever looked at Molly with such kind eyes before. Not that she remembers. As far as her mind can think back… has… anyone looked at her before? She couldn’t quite say for sure, but decided that probably didn’t matter in the slightest. “Great.” The harpy giggled. “It’s wet here. Let’s go somewhere nicer.” Into the air they went again, propelled by Elopas’ wings- but this time, they fly far, far outside the bounds of Molly’s tiny Kansas home, going further and further away from anything the girl had ever seen before. “Where- where are we headed?” Molly asked just like she was in the backseat on a car trip. “To one of those places you always dream about. The nice ones that are really green and have no people? They do exist, if you look hard enough. That’s where I’m gonna hug you.” Molly smiles, because absolutely everything is about to be alright. It takes some time for them to land. Molly used it to think, and wonders if that’s why Elopas didn’t just find a spot instantly like she could’ve. She thinks in a way she’s never thought before. Her imagination is running at high speed, but not constantly. This time, it’s a steady and relaxing pace. Because she can’t think of anything that will happen in the future. She can’t think of any deadlines or schedules. She can’t think of any dreams or ambitions. She can’t think of any fears. She can’t think of anyone but her, and her friend Elopas. “What state is this?” Atop the mountain, the girl and her partner overlook a limitless green forest sprawling miles. It’s just far enough below them that you can see just about every tree without being able to make out anything else. Here, it’s bright, and the blue sky feels welcoming for once. The log Molly sits on is surprisingly comfortable. Molly wants to just sit here forever. She wonders if she will. “Are you happy?” Molly nods, wiping a tear aside. Elopas knew exactly what she wanted. The two of them look at the horizon for minutes on end before either of them speaks again. “Can I have that hug now?” The free girl asks her heroine. “Sure.” The story approaches her, holding her tightly. It’s the best feeling. When they break, it only feels better as Molly gets to look at her pretty face again. “So how does it feel, Molly? To finally meet a living story.” Elopas asks, parting with the embrace. “It’s… it’s…”  Molly finds it very difficult in this moment to talk past the euphoric tears.  “What… even is that? I’m not sure I even really know what that is.” Elopas giggles. “It means I’ve seen everything. I know the themes. I embody them. And I understand characters so deftly that I can predict what’s gonna happen to them, and infer what already has with just about 100 percent accuracy. I don’t change, and I don’t worry- I just get it already. That’s something none of you can do.” “Cool…” Molly utters frankly, filling in the blanks with her own beliefs. “Wouldn’t you like to feel like that, Molly? To have already solved everything, perpetually?” “Would it be… anything like I feel right now?” “It’d be exactly like you feel now. Nothing but this exact moment. Because don’t you think… around here is where the story would end?” “It wouldn’t be… alive then, would it?” “Yeah…” Elopas admits casually, checking out the sun. “I guess it’d be more like a… story that was once a life, rather than a life that was once a story. But hey… that’s just something to think about.” “Is… it?” Molly questions the being’s intent. Elopas turns to her, still smiling. “You know me too well already.” Elopas and Molly are both looking at each other like they just finished reading the same book. The smug understanding in their eyes connects them like lovers, basing them in a mutual bliss as Molly finally understands why she is here at this moment. There exists only one thing she is not able to justify under these conditions. One little, imperceptible thing. One tiny caveat in this grand dream. “You’re thinking about your past in the fake world again, aren’t you?” Elopas asks knowingly. “I… guess…” Molly responds, perhaps still misunderstanding what the goddess means by that. “Then it’s time to make- time to see the real one.” Again, Elopas extends her hand. Even Molly can tell this will be the last time she will. “You ready to go?” She asks like a NPC would before the final boss of a video game. There’s no possibility of turning back. Presented with this conundrum, Molly nods immediately, taking her polished nails in her grasp. “Okay.” Elopas is just as excited as her now. August 32nd. The final day of reality. But now, they would leave this still plane- and go back. Back to the one thing Molly couldn’t accept. The one thing still fake in her heart. “Molly… how many things can you think of that really happened to you in your life?” They stand outside of a brick building that Molly hasn’t entered in years. It makes her want to cry just looking at it because she’s struggling to remember the little girl who went here. The sky is grey again, not because of the weather. The sky isn’t there. “This is my preschool.” Molly says, holding Elopas’ hand like her daughter. “I went there.” “Of course.” She replies, looking at it in the same light as her. “Let’s go in now, alright?” They’re inside. The walls are painted to have clouds on them. The hallways are empty. The tables are so close to the ground your feet can hardly fit under them. The rugs laid across the tile floors of classrooms are the softest material in the entire world. The classroom is filled with toys. The first disparity. “Go on, now.” Elopas offers. “Don’t you want to play?” Shrinking, Molly strides into the classroom, finding herself at the table as she experiences her life for the first time. “Today, everything is real.” The little girl blinks to remember her real friends. Her best friend, Elopas, shares all her toys with her, and somehow, nothing bad ever happens when she’s around. Role-playing with the small fox doll, Molly laughs. She’s excited to live this entire life, wherever it leads. Because Elopas will be there the entire time. In kindergarten, they played with each other every single day at recess. They didn’t have any other friends because things couldn’t get any better than they already were. They didn’t need to take turns spinning each other on the merry-go-round, it just spun on its own as soon as they held onto it, like it was propelled by the wind. The two of them felt so happy everyday. By then, Molly was already deeply in love with her, naturally. In first grade, Elopas made her the happiest girl on Earth. They were sitting atop a random hill when she proposed to her with a wedding ring she found by chance in an old chest she was given as a birthday gift. Molly hadn’t even needed to long for this moment. It arrived just as soon as it was desired, as if it were on schedule. She accepted immediately, of course- when the two grew up, they would get married. In third grade, they learned to ride bikes together, and rode far out into the countryside. It felt like they were always alone together, but in this moment, more than ever, they found a world that belonged just to them. Exploring forests and fields, it couldn’t have been more romantic. They never experienced true fear, because it was impossible to be afraid with the other around. The first time they saw the ocean was in fifth grade. Their families let them ride surfboards, and they picked up on the skill quickly. The talented girls had some of the most fun they’d ever had that week- it was so amazing that they convinced their families to move there just a year later. Nothing changed in their new school. It was as it always was- in seventh grade, as Elopas snuck into her bedroom every morning to get her to walk to school with her- everything was as expected. They met other people, but every single one of them was jolly and humorous. The two grew just popular enough to enjoy a sort of blissful atmosphere each day in class. The sleepovers the two had together were just as fun as always, and neither of them ever seemed to change. The dates they went on in high school would have already made it the time of their lives, but the club activities they threw themselves into and the memories they made there carved the four years into the crown jewel of their lives so far. Every single day was an adventure unlike anything they’d ever seen before- and every minute was special. The two never experienced boredom, and they never felt lonely. When they left school, they married immediately. Wishing everyone could be so lucky as to be born so close to their soulmate, but knowing and understanding they couldn’t, the two lived their begging adulthood in the greatest joy and freedom yet. Elopas worked from home, and Molly tended the house, always having an update ready for the media collection they enjoyed together, fueled by their growing disposable income. It was a good life, and with most of it still to come, they didn’t even have time to wonder just how much better things might get. “How are you liking it?” Elopas asks her one day, rocking in her chair in the extensively-decorated living room. She more or less knows the answer, and Molly knows this. “I’m loving it.” She says anyway, proud to deliver the line. “It feels like I’m living a story… in a good way.” “A story, not a dream.” “Exactly. Everything feels so real all the time. Because I’m always with you- and I’ve seen so much, how could it ever not be real? I’ve got nothing to hide… nothing to regret. That’s what reality is.” “Yup.” Elopas agrees, as if there is no other possibility even imaginable. “This is the only reality there is. Do you want this… to be like this, here forever? Do you want this to be where you become a living story, like me?” “That sounds nice…” Molly ponders, her relaxed and slow mind accepting the idea easily. “Yeah, here would be perfect… I finally got to see all the memories I’d always wanted to have.” “Mhm. And from now on, they’ll be all you have. Forever. And you can never regret it, because you don’t know that word exists.” “Life has so many aesthetics… I’m glad ours could be the one that came out on top.” “This whole world is ours, Molly. It all makes sense, and it’s all inside our perception. If there’s something we don’t know about, it doesn’t exist yet.” “Yeah.” “So? Are you ready to immortalize these memories in the fabric of time?” “I’m more than ready. You can cut this whenever you want.” “I’m going to bind all your beautiful memories into a story. Then everyone can enjoy their perfection.” “That’ll be great. I hope they’re jealous.” Elopas giggles. “You’re so funny, Molly.” ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN /////////ALLIMPRINTS_FINISHED_COMPLETE///////// GOODNIGHT HUMANS DREAM WELL

Do you remember being born? Of course you don’t. It’s not like we even have free will or a conscience until we’re like, what? Three years old? But it’s fucked up how we can’t remember any of that… Sometimes, I feel like I don’t remember anything. “Good morning, Molly!” Elaine calls to me as I walk down the stairs to pick up breakfast for once. Now that I’ve got the time, I find myself eating a lot more than before. A bowl of peanuts and a glass of water is all I want. Back to my room I go. As I prepare to set the meal down, I see I already have two cups in here. I decide to take them back to the sink later. I boot up my cracked TV. I’m mostly into console games nowadays. VR is just bad memories, and it’s really kind of a hassle. Not to mention it’s physically exerting. I’m still a small, frail kid, after all… and with that big thing plugged into my face, I couldn’t feel more weighed down. I rub the holes in my forehead. Guess I should get ‘em filled soon. Or buy some covers for ‘em. It’s just embarrassing, honestly. What will Elaine say when I ask to get them fixed? “I told you so,” probably. I scroll through an army of games in my library before I pick one I actually feel like playing. Nothing that crazy or anything. It’s just Valedictorian Chronicles 4, the not-quite-mainstream-but-pretty-close anime life sim RPG of people slightly older than me’s generation. This is one of the few popular ones in the wider series I haven’t finished yet. I started not too long ago, but I’m already pretty damn close to the end by the looks of it. As I watch the virtual high schoolers on screen fight to upbeat J-rock music I’m struck with a feeling I haven’t had before. Used to, when I saw kids this age, I thought… “oh. That’ll be me one day.” Or, “oh, I wish that were me.” But now… huh. That’s not me. It never will be me. It couldn’t be, not anymore. After all, I’m not a highschooler. As far as typical anime go, my story’s already over. And that’s okay, I guess. Just… weird. Really… really weird. Before I know it, the day’s over. Yep. Time to go to bed. Lying under the dirty covers, I stare at my three glasses. I can’t remember which one’s the newest. I’m at least responsible enough to take them downstairs when I get up the next morning. Unfortunately, I’m clumsy enough that I drop one, too. Luckily, Elaine is at work, so nobody gets upset or anything. I just clean it up and go back to work. These later dungeons are better than the start of the game. The combat’s always more engaging when the difficulty gets cranked up. As a veteran of RPGs like this, it kinda has to get to that point before I have any fun. While I’m playing, I see out of the corner of my eye that I get a new text on my phone. The reason it took me so long to get to this entry in the series is kinda childish. I mean… it’s just, everyone likes this one. I heard it pissed off plenty of assholes like me when it came out. It’s just as tropey as the previous entry and twice as upbeat. Well, when you ignore the murder. But that’s just plot. I kinda wish I wasn’t spoiled on this one, I’ve known who the killer is for years thanks to memes on the internet. The text showing on my phone’s lock screen is from an unknown number again. A funny thought crosses my mind. Maybe I should look at the text for once. I get them all the time, but I never look at them because they remind me of weird things. You know, like high school. All these swallow memories I’ve been trying to toss aside ever since life became a series of simple off-days. But… I am a teensy bit bored. I’ll check it, just this once. Hopefully it’s not from one of my many, many discarded contacts. Today 3:32 (Unknown) Hey, Molly? It’s me again. It feels like it’s been forever since we last spoke. I still really want to see you sometime. What’s up? When I’m not playing anime dating sims, I’m on my phone. Listening to music isn’t as exciting as it used to be, but I still find good stuff now and then. Only bad part is being subjected to message notifications every hour. Today 4:15 (Unknown) I don’t want to bother you. I promise, I don’t. But if there’s anything you ever need again, I’m willing to help. I get that the Elopas project is over, but I was thinking.. maybe we could make a game together or something? Something real, achievable. If we can’t make living art, we could at least make art. Please respond. I don’t have a car or anything. I don’t drive. And I don’t have anywhere to go. If someone asked me to go somewhere… that would be a hassle. I don’t want Elaine to take me anywhere, that’d be weird. And there’s nowhere I want to go anyway. It’s a good thing I can listen to all the music I want from the comfort of my own room. And I’d be all alone, were it not for these messages. Today 4:34 (Unknown) Dylan misses you too. I don’t know what’s up, but he’s been going through it lately. He always really looked up to you, I think. He could probably use a few of your harsh words. I love music. I listen to a lot of music. Do you wanna know all the music I listen to? It’s a lot of music. Why, if I were to list it all, it would take forever. I dislike how it reminds me of the man who introduced me to it, (my father) but anything Rob Zombie is great. And Trial of the Golden Witch really isn’t very technically impressive, but I’ve always loved the lyrics, even if I only discovered the band as a small bonus from going down a much deeper rabbit hole of people’s overly-publicised lives. Clown Core is one of the better reflections of myself, if I do say… of course, I could never listen to “End” or “Google Your Own Death” without crying. Gotta love Kobaryo. Voodoom’s incredible. I love Ho99o9, and I love Ging Nang Boyz. I still really like Panchicko ever since a shitty video essay introduced me to it, and I like Acetantina a little more than that. meganeko’s not something I listen to much anymore, but I used to enjoy it. KFC Murder Chicks is the GOAT. I’ve actually listened to the soundtrack to Cruelty Squad more than any other video game. Bubblegum Octopus has gotta be in my top three. Coakira is perfect noise. I’ve gotten a lot more into Five Star Hotel lately after I went through picking out the kind of songs that I came to the band for in the first place. Golden Boy is another great one… and Shoebill’s fun. I especially love DJ Technorch, and I often find myself craving Creepy Nuts. Big fan of Death’s Dynamic Shroud. Out of everything I listen to, Jackal Queenston is probably the most reflective of my essence. I enjoy Deathwishiz too. Can’t begin to name all the vocaloid producers I listen to. I like the songs from Lily Chou-Chou, whatever that is. I like Parsley Onuma. I like Red Vox. I like Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas. I like The Mirraz. I like Cornelius. I like… I like… My phone died. I forget the message. I often feel like the ground underneath my feet has slipped out from under me. Like I’m floating. Like I’ve lost the plot. Was there any plot to begin with? Life is life, it’s not a novel. But when your only point of reference is fictional stories, it’s kinda hard to see it as anything else. I guess that’s just how I’ve always interpreted things. Or is it? How long have I thought this way? I can’t really say for sure. Most of the time I just feel like I was born yesterday. It's true that it might be that way for everyone, but I’m so aware of it that it breaks me up inside. Is any of this real? When did it all begin? I’m smart enough to know that thinking this way hurts me, but my brain is too loud to shut it up. Even my dreams are post-modern meta commentaries these days, it feels like. So did I really wind up this way out of chance? Am I just an unlucky bastard in a world full of normal people? I force myself to think back to the kids an older version of myself thought she knew. Most of them were just like me, weren’t they? So how the hell are they managing right now? I guess the person who texted me earlier was probably Wire. Wire always felt pretty much the same way about life that I did. The only difference with him is that he convinced himself he could take it. He’s a brave kind of guy. That positive trait outweighs the negative one, or at least balances it a little. I don’t have anything like that. He mentioned Dylan was in some trouble, and I guess that makes sense. He’s got even less going for him than I do, so how the fuck’s he still fighting? Why haven’t I stopped hearing from him? Is it seriously just ‘cause he’s had Wire to bitch to? Let’s see, who else? Debbie (Debby?) would be a senior now, wouldn’t she? Maybe just a junior. I can’t really recall how old she was... not that it super matters or anything. I think she was just crazy. I mean what point of reference does it take to be able to understand your life when you have such abnormal desires? I don’t get it. Things can’t possibly feel real when you want to saw your own leg off. She was doing well enough by the end of the year, though. Maybe she’s just so fucked that it wrapped around so that she just takes everything for granted. Those are the only kind of people that’re really able to make it in this world. I mean, if you can just believe in your own narrative, and keep working on like a slave, you’ll never have any of these problems. God, I wish I was so fucking stupid. Most of the time I’m just trying to get stupid enough to keep on living. I’m just trying to distract myself- that’s what all the music’s for. That’s what this very game is for. I’d say I was numbing myself, but the truth is I don’t feel anything to begin with. When I’m not completely invested in some fantasy, I become enraptured by this all-encroaching nothingness. Instantly I become aware that my reality is more fiction than anything. The more time passes, the less I remember certain things. I can no longer say for sure what exactly happened in my childhood, or what any of the details were. I forget which memories are true and which I just made up for some reason or another. If I was stupid like everyone else, all those memories- real or fake- they’d just blend together. I’d just accept it. But I’m too damn smart for that. Instead I’m constant fucking fighting myself over what’s real and what’s fake to the point where instead of it all seeming real, it just all seems fake. My parents would often tell me about how I loved a show as a child that I’ve never seen, or how an interest or opinion I don’t recall having defined part of me for them. And all the same, I will often bring things up to them about my past that they deny. Like, didn’t we used to live in a cabin somewhere? Did I just make that up? I swear to god I remember living in a cabin once. Media, my one true love, is what hurts me more than anything else. Sometimes I will mistake a scene from a film I saw as a child as a memory I experienced in reality. Other times, I will witness a scene in the present, only to be struck with a strange deja-vu for either of those possibilities, when really, it reminded me of something that never happened in fiction or reality- a fake memory I made up on the spot. It’s like how sometimes, you’ll have a dream that seemingly references something you came up with in another dream- but then you wake up, and start to wonder if it was all really just the same dream, convincing you of a past one you never fucking had in the first place. All these fake memories, whether from dreams, or fiction, or just reality itself- twisted by my sick and clouded mind, force me to stare at this world through a thick glass pane. Unaware of what is truth. Unable to differentiate the facts and figures from abstract interpretations brought upon by myself. My memories collapse, so I cower. my aesthetic breaks, so I cower. I fear my links to the real world so I cower. I forget who I am, so I cower. I hate myself, so I cower. Tonight, I’m eating dinner with Elaine. I don’t like to admit it, but it’s felt very, very weird ever since Huey left. It’s not even like I miss the guy, it’s just… it still feels like my parents getting divorced was something that wasn’t supposed to happen. My own dad just dropped out of my life like that, before I really even knew him. We’re a secretive bunch, so I can’t really say much about what he was like. He was nice, I suppose. I didn’t dislike him. But I knew fuckall about his past or his dreams. Across from the empty table sits my mother, with her identical plate of eggs and bacon. I’m sick of breakfast for dinner, but it’s all she makes nowadays. Even though she’s got no time to cook anything good, she usually refuses to eat out. Looking at her from this angle again, I’m reminded of that horrible day when we spoke, just before my stupid dream got debunked. It’s an embarrassing thing to remember, to say the least. “How was your day?” She asks this like she won’t know the answer already. It’s a “good,” as always. Mom doesn’t bug me. If I kept saying I was good the rest of my life, to her I would be. And more or less, I am. This is all I want, really. Fighting off my brain is annoying, but… overall, this sure beats the shit out of going to school. Really. “I’m glad I got the day off today. Work hasn’t been the best lately.” I freeze. “I thought you went to work.” I say. “No, I work tomorrow.” “Oh.” I’m not paying very much attention, huh… “Have you given any thought to…?” “To what?” “College. Or… you know, a job.” “Not really.” “Okay. Let me know if you do.” We continue to eat. I don’t say anything else as my mind starts racing again. What about I forget as soon as she starts flapping her lips again. “Grandma was talking about you today.” “When did she come here?” “On the phone.” “Oh.” “She said she wanted to hear from you more… we talked about you getting more in touch with the family.” “Yeah.” “And I’m sure your friends at school would like a way to keep up with you, so we signed you up for a social media account.” “Oh.” “Here.” She shows it to me on her phone, my face plastered on a profile pic. It’s a school photo from two years ago. There’s information below. Most of it is outdated. “I see.” I look away to my food. “Your login is your birthday.” “Alright.” “What are your friends up to?” “Hm?” “Is Dylan doing anything lately?” “Who…?” “The boy you went to preschool with.” “How would I know?” I’m almost done with Valedictorian Chronicles 4. I stay up all night playing that and thirteen other games I pirated and dumped onto my system. It’s an uneven selection. I try them all, but most of the ones that end up working suck. My wasted effort is a decent distraction nonetheless. Six hours of hard-fought sleep. I wake up in the middle of the next day. I decide to brush my teeth for once. Looking in the mirror, I see Molly again. I wonder why she’s still there. I’d get bored, being behind glass all the time. What a bitch. Lying in bed doing nothing, I have a sudden urge to cry. Not like, the feeling of being about to cry. I’m not even close. I mean… the desire to cry. I dunno why, but… I think it might be fun to cry right now. I listen to the two saddest Clown Core songs, but they don’t even get me to the edge. Even after looping them, it’s not doing it. But I keep them playing. The longer they play, the more I become used to hearing them instead of silence. This is the normal thing for my ears to be hearing in absence of anything else. I use this state to delve. I force myself to think of the saddest things I can imagine. I think of never having any fun in high school, but that doesn’t do it. I think of Gormage and death and suicide, but that doesn’t do it. I think of my failed relationships, and people like Harley Burtrue and Harmony, but that doesn’t do it. I think of Elopas, but that definitely doesn’t do it. Then I remember an old feeling. Dylan wanting to borrow my Tails toy. The subsequent loss of that toy. That does it. I start silently bawling, unable to be sure if Elaine is really at work or not. I can’t go all out, but it feels good for awhile. And then… It stops. And I don’t even feel sad. I don’t even feel anything. I’m not even sure if I really cried or not. It’s possible I just imagined it. That’s how it feels once it’s been a few minutes since the present truth of me crying died, giving way to the present I inhabit now. I’m playing  Valedictorian Chronicles 4 again when I get a new message on the phone I charged for the sole purpose of listening to my music earlier. Today 3:13 (Unknown) Molly can we talk I really don’t feel like I’d have anything to say to anyone. I don’t understand what this person would want from me. Maybe they’re just texting to complain? Shit, it’s probably Dylan, I bet. Maybe I’ll fuck with him, just a little. Today 3:14 (Me) who is this ? Today 3:15 (Unknown) Dylan Today 3:15 (Me) ? Today 3:15 (Unknown) Is this Molly? Today 3:16 (Me) no Today 3:16 (Unknown) Sorry. Huh. Shit, guess I fooled him. I’m a little too convincing for my own good. With that pointless little side event over with, I’m free to go back to my game. I play all day long, but don’t beat it. Turns out there’s this whole extra quest after the final boss you have to go through to get the true ending. I don’t really wanna play it, but I’ve already devoted so much time to the game that it feels like a waste to settle for the normal ending. I just want to feel something. With Elopas gone, my life has become utterly meaningless once again. It was a silly diversion, but it gave my life a meaning. A meaning I’ve now lost, along with the people and places I’ve abandoned. I don’t want any of these things. Just thinking about them makes my skin crawl. But I must confess… lying here, my eyes projecting the still image of the boring ceiling above me… I feel a deep longing for those foolish things I once held. That past was so exciting compared to this. In present… so little happens. So little matters. I understand nothing, and care to even less. I am not alive. This is not my life. It’s just someone else’s, that she abandoned on the sewer floor. I retreat to the main menu of Valedictorian Chronicles 4. Ignoring the gazes of the fictional teenage love interests, I select the well-worn “LOAD” icon. Inside lies the single, lone save file containing all my progress. Eighty hours, forty-two minutes, and six seconds of saved gameplay. One very interesting option waits for me at the bottom of the screen. “Delete.” My hand hovers over the X button. It’s like I’m driving a car, and something in my brain just told me to run over the nearest dog on the sidewalk. I want to know what it feels like to delete this save. I want to know how much I will care after I render days of my human existence completely meaningless, discarding all of the progress I made during them. Will this make me feel? Will I cry? If I do, will I remember? If someone knows the answers to these questions, it isn’t the Molly I inhabit right now. Without thinking I slam on the button. “Are you sure?” It asks me. Two options await: “Delete.” “Cancel.” Not wanting to second-guess myself, I select “Delete” immediately. But it poses one final prompt: “This action will delete all your progress. Are you really sure?” “Cancel.” “Delete.” Mother fucker. Now I’m scared, all of a sudden. Should I really be doing this? It’s pointless. I could go and beat the game first. I could do it right now, I’ve got nothing better going on. I make myself do it. “Delete.” I press the button. After a brief pause, the file is gone. No fanfare. No nothing. All my progress has dissolved into the ether, now nothing more than another memory I may as well have fabricated. If anyone ever asks me if I’ve beaten Valedictorian Chronicles 4, I’ll have to tell them no. But still, I can’t cry. ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

For once, someone else is making even less sense than me. “Run that by me again? Debby, I don’t understand what the fuck you’re saying. Slow down and speak clearly.” Here I am again, alone with this poor girl in her farmhouse. As much as I rag on him, I gotta give Dylan some credit for farrying me back home and then over here on such short notice. “Listen, Molly-“ Debby explains, her weight rested on the familiar crutch pinned to her century-old family rug. “The only reason you haven’t been able to summon Elopas yet is because you aren’t actually using an officially registered VISTA headset!” “What the shit do you mean? It said so on the fucking box, dumbass.” “No! That’s not it! Molly, you use all those illegal chips, right?” “Yeah? And?” “Your system isn’t linked to a FRiDAYLaND account, is it?” I take a frustrated step back, itching my forehead holes. “The fucks’s that got to do with anything?” “It didn’t make any sense Molly. I believed in your dream this whole time, I really did. I looked and looked for the reason your experiments weren’t working. Then it hit me- Molly, you use your headset the way you do to go off the grid- but from what I’ve read, all signs point to that being exactly what’s getting in the way of you summoning Elopas!” “How the hell would that be the case? Christ, Deb… I was in the middle of a date, you know! Shit, I was- this close to losing mine!” “Molly. Molly.” The bitch hobbles over to me, putting her hands on my shoulders without asking. “You came here because you knew there was still hope. A part of you still believed in Elopas. You’re this close. So please, please listen to me!” The girl airs. “Please… let me repay you for all you’ve done for me!” I shove her away a little. “Explain. Explain more! What would me having a fucking social media account have anything to do with summoning Elopas?” “Molly… as backwards as it may sound, everything I could find on those servers you use… the ones at PSICO, yeah? They all have security measures in place. While an off-the-grid headset could by all means join their VRchat lobbies, there’s just no way the company’s computers allow such tech to harness their experimental capabilities! Given- there’s no real proof of anyone harnessing that power in the first place, but- if someone’s gonna be the first, it’s gonna be you! So please!” She fucking cups her hands over my shoulders again, nearly sobbing as she spits all over my face. “S-Sign up for FRiDAYLaND! Make an account right now, and summon Elopas!” I push her off me as hard as I can. She falls to the floor, unable to stand as I kick her crutch far, far away from her grubby little hands. “M-Molly…” “You drive me fucking mad, girl. When I came here looking for your solution I thought it’d be the one thing to convince me that Elopas was real. It- was a desperate, stupid fucking endeavor. From a stupid fucking girl.” “I’m not… stupid.” “I wasn’t talking about you.” “Please… just help me up, Molly.” I consider spitting on her face as payback for mine. But in the end, I just take my VISTA and stomp straight out the door. As I wait an hour for Dill to show back up, I relax easily knowing poor Deb won’t be able to come out here and talk to me any more than she already has. The ride home with Dylan begins in silence. It’s like I don’t have anything to say to the guy anymore. But eventually, he starts a conversation with me instead. “So your, uh… girlfriend.” He says, feigning disinterest. “You two going to Prom tomorrow?” “Yeah… of course.” I reflexively stare out my window. “I almost forgot.” He laughs. “Forgot?” I just watch the landscape pass by. “Well, I’m not going.” He remarks. Home. Sleep. Got a lot more time to rest when I don’t have an imaginary friend to play with. I get a text in the middle of the night. Today 3:26 (Unknown) Molly its Harmony Today 3:27 (Me) Hi Today 3:27 (Me) Really fucking sorry about today. What I had to leave for wound up being absolutely pointless Today 3:27 (Unknown) I forgive you Today 3:27 (Unknown) just don’t talk about all that scary stuff again. Today 3:27 (Me) I won’t Today 3:28 (Unknown) okay. are you excited for prom? Today 3:28 (Me) Yeah ofc Today 3:28 (Unknown) it’s gonna be so much fun we’ll have to finish what we started last time Today 3:28 (Me) Yeah Today 3:29 (Unknown) do you wanna talk or sleep Today 3:29 (Me) Sleep Today 3:29 (Unknown) (╯︵╰,) Today 3:30 (Unknown) goodnight bby Today 3:30 (Me) Gn Two hours later, I’m up again. My hand’s on the wardrobe. What’s it gonna be today? Might actually matter for once now that I’m in a relationship. Underwear- well, that’s easy. Still sticking with green. As for the rest of my outfit… well, it’s not like I really have anything all that special or that she’d like to see me in. I could forgo the tights for once and just do shorts. I guess that’s something. I always make the mistake of brushing my teeth after I dress. S’why I try to match what I wear with what I scrub- the green mint toothpaste is hardly visible on my top, which is the same as usual. I don’t own makeup, so I can’t do any today. I guess it doesn’t really matter. Harmony likes me for me, after all. I stare into the mirror, my detached, ghostly fucking frown staring right back. Yep, still me. God, I love this bitch. I slip on my crocs as I step out the door and follow Elaine to the car. My choice of music for the ride is Deathwishiz and my choice of view is directly behind the car, watching things as we pass them. I try not to think too hard about how close we are to getting there. Even today, I’m not all that hyped for school itself. After all, it’s still gonna take forever. And then what? No matter how good Prom is, it’ll all be over in an hour or two. On the way to class, Debby stops me in the hallway just to apologize. Says it was a last-ditch effort anyway. Like I don’t already know. First block’s more of Dill’s depression hour. He’s just getting worse and worse these days. But he’s pretty passionate about not going to the dance, so that’s something. I just wish he didn’t sound so fake these days. I can count on Wire to be honest with himself, at least. He doesn’t act like today’s anything special for him, and doesn’t complain either. He says that, by now, we should really cool our jets. The year’s practically over. In just a week or two, we’ll be out of this dump- for good. And at least according to him, once that happens- nothing we did here will matter to us ever again. Like we did anything that mattered here in the first place. At long last, I arrive just in time for girlfriend class. Early, even. You’d think I sprinted down the hallways to get here. It actually kinda sucks because then I have to wait like six minutes for her to show up. But oh-is-it worth it when she finally does. “Good morning, Molly.” She says from above me, not sitting down. “Let’s not do class today, yeah?” Her outfit today’s amazing. I can’t describe it in detail without sounding like a lecher, but it’s pink, black, tight, and short. “Yeah.” I respond, rising from my desk. “Let’s not.” I follow her as we seemingly walk down to the quiet hallway, but she doesn’t stop there. To my surprise, she puts her painted nails on one of the supposedly locked classroom doors and opens it right up. “Yo, what?” I stare into the dark room. “How’d you know about a place like this?” “You never tried all the doors, did you Molly? What, were you too scared? This is the only one that’s not locked.” We step inside, but she doesn’t flick on the lights. I wonder if they’d be able to know if we did. Probably not, but it looks cooler in here lightless anyway. As I shut the door, the same relief of privacy I get when I arrive home from school washes over me. It’s like we’re not even here anymore. “Since yesterday went off the rails… we can have our first real date here, in a world all to ourselves. How’s that sound to you?” “Like heaven.” I say. She’s right. We aren’t even in school anymore. This is someplace else. I catch her looking at the side of a desk. Something’s carved into it, with what looks like must’ve been an unsharpened mechanical pencil, more likely than not. She’s enthralled by it. “You ever wonder about the people who carve their and their lover’s initials into stuff like desks and playgrounds?” She asks me out of the blue. “I always can’t help but imagine what kind of people they were, or how old they are now, or if they’re still together.” I lean over to see the old markings clearly etched into the side of the desk- HS + LN. Circled with a heart, scratched over a few times by others who sat here. But all the same, still visible through the age and wear. “It’s pretty childish…” she contemplates. “But it’s the one kind of immaturity that makes me smile.” Harmony turns to me, smiling both like an innocent kid and a weary old woman. “Let’s make one, you and I.” We find our spot on one of the desks. Somewhere that won’t ever be replaced or painted over. Just a random desk like all the others. Mundane. Typical. “Who’s gonna write it?” “We’ll each write each other’s initials.” “Okay.” As she scratches an “M” below me, I slowly carve a deep “H.” I remember Wire said her last name once… Bridges or something. I carve a “B,” slightly lighter in case I’m wrong. When I finish and stand, she’s the one to make the heart. Even adds a little arrow for good measure. I daresay it’s cute. “HB… MH. So you remembered my surname just fine, Harmony.” I stare down at the design. “Only the letter it started with. You couldn’t give me a hundred bucks to tell you what it was.” I sit on the desk we made our marks on, and stare at the short stack of leftover chairs in the corner, no place left for them in a school I’ll never have to step foot in again one day soon. I wonder when they’ll ever get to leave this place. We spend hour after hour in that room, talking about things that don’t matter as we wish the day away. Each time we get bored, one of us asks the other what her favourite show or animal is or whatever. “I can’t wait for this dance tonight, Molly.” Harmony rests her head in my lap as we lie across the cold and dusty tile ground. “Have you ever been to one before? A school dance.” She pauses. “Well… yes, of course I have.” “I never did. So I was just wondering.” “…Oh. Yeah.” “I… still wanna know what kind of person you are, Harmony. I never paid much attention to anyone outside of my friends, so I really had no impression of you before we met.” “What kind of person do you think I am?” “I figured you were popular. But… it’s not like I’ve seen you with anyone other than me.” “I… guess you wouldn’t, yeah. Truth is, Molly, right now… you’re all I’ve got.” “I’m sorr-“ “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I had a lot of friendships- relationships before, but none of them felt like this. None of them felt real like this.” “So you… used to be popular?” “I… I guess so. Maybe. I was the head of a large group of friends.” “What were they like?” “…Children.” “…Oh, yeah?” “They were awful. Nothing but drama all day long.” “That’s why you left them.” “No… they… left me.” “Really?” “They all ganged up on me. Blamed me for every little thing wrong with their stupid lives. And just like that, they left.” Her head turns towards the legs of the desks. “I… realized then all the time I’d wasted being with them. I’d thrown my whole high school experience down the gutter. Three and a half years spent bickering with nobodies. I doubt I’ll ever talk to any of them again.” “I mean… I’d hope you won’t have to.” “But I kept going, Molly. And in these last few memories of my high school life, I’m going to make myself happy.” “You say “memories” like it’s already over.” “May as well be. I’m just filling in the blanks for the things I’ve lost. I kind of get the impression you might be doing the same.” “You’d… be wrong. I just want this to be over, honestly. I gave up on making memories a long time ago.” She hoists her head up, gazing into my eyes. “So what are you doing with me, then?” “I’m… passing time, I guess. I think we’re both just… trying to live in the present in our own ways. Though I’m sure we’re both probably fucking it up somehow. It’s like there’s no winning this game. Either way you wind up regretting something.” I turn to the chairs again. “Maybe that’s just how it is.” “…Do you love me, Molly?” She asks. I face her again. “Yeah. I still love you. Even if none of this is real.” She sniffles, eyes falling to the floor. “It is real, Molly. Why would you ever say that?” “Cause that’s how I see things sometimes. I can’t help it, Harmony. I can’t convince myself what is and isn’t a dream anymore.” “That’s terrible, Molly. I told you not to say things like that.” “Is it because… you feel like that too sometimes?” She slowly stands. “I don’t get it at all, no.” I rise to my legs as well, flopping against the wall. “This is why I hate people. It’s so hard for us to even understand what each other’s saying, even if we’ve felt it ourselves.” “You’re “people.” You hate yourself too, then? “I told you, I don’t. I’m the living embodiment of everything I aspire to. I guess I just mean I hate… other people. And that’s not to say I still can’t love you - I do. But it’s so damn frustrating that the rest of this world can’t just be a little more like Molly Hitchcock.” “You’ll be pretty boring then, won’t you?” “At least I’d be easier to understand.” Harmony walks up to the door. “What are you doing? Day’s hardly over.” “Let’s… go back to class. I’m not having fun anymore.” I frown. “Suit yourself. I’m staying here.” She gives me one last sad expression as she exits the room. Five minutes later, I get too anxious and leave too. I inch back to class, the hallways stretching on and on as I walk slower and slower. Wait a minute. Oh, fuck. Did I just fuck this up? She can’t hate me now, can she? Calm down, Molly. She’s still good for tonight. She would’ve said something if not. Right? I have to confront her before she leaves. One last time. I don’t go back to class. Not a chance. I wait right by the door, acting like I’m studying. Nobody’s the wiser. As I flip through my chemistry textbook for the 500th time, the bell finally rings. I rush out the door. And at the bottom of the steps, I stand and wait. Parting the sea of children heading down like a tall rock in a raging river, I keep my eyes peeled, not even blinking as I scan the ever-changing crowd for her. Harmony. The only person in this entire world that I’ve decided to love more than myself. Finally. I spot her. At the top of the stairs, before she spots me. My chance. She somehow doesn’t see me as she makes the last step towards the sidewalk- or she’s acting like it. Just as she passes, I grab her forearm. “Ah! What the fuck?” I turn to her, eyes ablaze. “H-Harmony! Wait, we’re not done talking!” “Let me- go!” She cries, snapping out of my grasp before I can release it. She looks at me like I’m some sort of psycho. “Harmony, please! We- are we- still good for tonight?” “What is your problem? I- Molly, I…” “Tell me!” I shout, not expecting to. Harmony swallows. “We- Molly, I’ll tell you this…” she’s panting. “You… you’re who I picked. You’re the one person I saw, and somehow thought- yeah.” The sky above us passes by like nothing’s going on below.  “-She’s the one. She’s the one who’s gonna fix my year.” Harmony breathes. “But all you’ve done… all you’ve done is make things worse! I don’t get you, Molly- everything you say, your warped brain, this awful, awful shit you say about what’s real or not… it’s just what I was trying to avoid! Can’t you be good for me, Molly? Can’t you be who I need you to be for my memories?!” A crowd has gathered. I’m faced with horrific embarrassment, along with the pulsating, acidic feeling in my throat. This bitch is fucking delusional. She’s worse than I am! If she thinks she can go about setting people up like pawns, just so she can play queen and live her perfect- fucking high school fantasy… the slut needs someone to bring her back to reality. “I hate you, Harmony.” The words fall out of my mouth like they were set there this whole time. “I FUCKING hate you, and everyone like you! You stupid, ignorant, privelieged fucking assholes who think they deserve their pathetic dream lives! You know why all your friends fucking kicked you to the curb, you fucking loser? Because they could smell the rancid, maggot-piece-of-shit you were! They knew you didn’t care about them. They weren’t good enough for you! And now? Neither am I! Nobody’s good enough for Princess Harmony! Not in this life! I’ll tell you something, you cock-sucking bitch— those friends of yours? That shitty life you had that never quite felt real? THAT’S ALL YOU’RE-“ I pant a single breath. “THAT’S ALL YOU’RE GETTING, AND THAT’S ALL YOU’RE EVER GONNA GET! So suck it up and CHOKE IT DOWN LIKE THE REST OF US!” The knuckles that crack against my nose are rumbling with the furious anger of their possessor. As I grip the broken redness below my eyes, hunching over, the girl above me, Harmony, has ceased to see the people around her watching us. She only zeroes in on my putrid, worthless face as I stare back up at her, probably crying. She hits me again. In the head. I fall to the ground and the impact fucks my nose up a second time. She spits on my hair, and nobody cares when she walks off scot-free. I feel like ground beef. Elaine doesn’t talk to me when I get home that day. Nobody’s spoken to me since Harmony beat the shit out of me. I fucking despise all of humanity. I lay on my bed, nude, the crisp blood wiping off on my sheets. I look up and see only the same ceiling I’ve always known. The one I always looked up to in despair when summoning Elopas didn’t work out. The one I stare at thinking for hours as I fail to sleep. After today, I’m not sure I’ll ever sleep again. Not when monsters like Harmony roam my memory. We really are the same… I want my perfect life too, after all. One where she’s not there. One where… nobody’s there. Nobody but me. My closet looks lonely. I open it, looking for something. What exactly I don’t remember until the doors part and I see it lying there. She’s still here, waiting- the box. All the chips that coward Gormage left me are lying at my feet, ready to assist in any kind of escapism I desire. But as I comb through them, I have no idea what it is I really want. Nothing quite comes to mind is all… Lying in bed again, I get a message. It’s from Wire. Today 6:42 (Wire) I actually went to Prom. It’s been pretty fun. Today 6:45 (Wire) I figured you would be here? Today 6:48 (Wire) Harmony is here. Today 6:53 (Wire) Why aren’t you? I throw my phone into my TV. …the screen cracks. …. But it’s fine. Because I just got an idea. I shuffle through my new chips.  Blindeye Chip- used to eliminate the sensation of wearing your headset. Eureka… Auto-Programmer Chip- used to create simple AI without any manual coding. If I don’t wanna go to their stupid fucking dance… Molder- used to form accurate 3D models of the user. I can just make my own! Maxfeel- used to perfectly synchronise user’s tactile experience with their avatar’s body. And… Breakchip- allows the user to feel pain from virtual collision feedback. I strap in. I find myself a map… yeah, a school will still do. This one’s from some anime. Beats the real one. I load it- private server. I’m all alone here, but not for long. First thing’s first- I use my Molder to put myself in the game as my own avatar. Now we’re talking. With the Blindeye active, it’s like I’m really here! But we’re not done yet… Auto-Programmer. I activate it with my head. All I want’s something real simple. Something very, very familiar to me. A ton of them. And I know exactly which model I’m using. Before I know it, the stage is set~! I stand outside an empty parking lot, shitty textures lining the distant skybox, staring up at a fully-rendered school! From the inside, music is blaring… not my favourite, but it’ll do. At least it’s not that god-awful Masayoshi Takanaka.  I slowly locomotion my way up to the working front door. I can feel the brassy metal of the doorknob as my fingers graze it… this is it, huh? My high school dance… I wonder who’s gonna show up! I creepingly slide through the doors to see the lit-up cafeteria where twenty lime-haired girls await me. “I can’t fucking believe it…” I don’t need their Prom. Me, myself, and I are gonna have our own. The 2023 graduating class of Mollys dances to themselves before they collectively notice the arrival of their progenitor. “Everyone here… is ME!” I jump in among them, throwing my hands back and forth as I join my kin. Their lovely faces smile and laugh back at me as I do the same. Everyone is having the time of my life! The crowd giggles as I jump up on a table and start doing the Hare Hare Yukai. I’m soon joined by a quartet of Mollys eager to join me, their hands waving in unison with mine. As I brush one’s skin by accident, I notice I feel the sensation twice over- once for what I feel, once for what she does. I guess the auto-programmer decided to transmit all their haptic feedback to me? I’m more than fine with that. They are me, after all! The party lights flash green and purple as we all form a rave mob of pretentious fucking lesbians. We jump like mad, flooding the unsupervised dance hall with our perfectly uniform aesthetic as we cheer each other on with energetic verbalizations of our supreme euphoria. “I fucking hate the real world!” I shout out loud as cheerful as a cheerleader. We all spread out across the room, jumping from table to table as we perform advanced gymnastics together with our perfectly synced minds. This is how life should be! If things could just be me, it’d be so much easier! I love myself! Are you happy, Harmony? One motions with her pointer finger for me to leave the group and come closer. I can’t say no to myself, can I? I follow her, the others ignoring us completely as we sneak off to behind the empty DJ setup. She doesn’t say anything to me, but as her smile draws more and more devilish, me and her know what we’re doing. Without the first thought of the “morality” other “people” would preach about, our identical faces draw near as we press our perfectly-fitted lips together, crossing our tongues as we feel double the pleasure from the exquisite mirrored kiss. Just as we part, I turn to see all the others looking at me with that same, lustful grin. “Y-you all came to the right place…” I mutter feverishly in my lascivious haze. “Now let’s all have some fun all by ourselves, yeah?!” The crowd cheers as their nude bodies climb up to the stadium I stand atop. Their excited forms gaining closer and closer to me, I begin to feel so many things at once I might almost pass out. Their hands, mouthes, legs touching me all over, the passionate sensation reflected onto my own senses perfectly… this buffet of feeling creeps up on me in an instant as I maniacally cackle deep in my pile of degenerate clones. A breast in each hand, our perpetual motion machine of pleasure gradually escalates into a full-blown one-woman orgy. The Mollys on top of, below, and to the sides of me all rollick in salacious delirium as we caress and manipulate one another’s bodies, moaning in rows like British soldiers firing one after another.  This passionate love-making however quickly evolves into a sex-crazed frenzy in which all twenty-one of me are hitting, biting, and aggressively pounding into each other to the rhythm of the looping track blaring at full volume. At first I’m laughing, but as it goes on, and on, and on, and on- climax after climax, sensation after sensation- I notice them. I can’t feel my headset at all, that much is true. Forgot it was even there. But that doesn’t stop my tears piling up behind the lenses from distorting my vision as I sob in outrage. As the music fades, all I can hear is the pathetic sound of myself crying. I grab one Molly’s neck. She doesn’t resist at first, but as I start to squeeze harder, her fingers shoot to mine as she tries to pull them off her tightening throat. I can’t blame her. As the pressure reflects to me, it’s so goddamn painful I start to cry even more as I tighten my grip, preparing to choke her to death. Tighter. Tighter. Tighter. Tighter. TIGHTER “I HATE YOU!” “I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU-“ “I FUCKING HATE YOU!” I beat and beat on Molly’s head, thrashing her skull until she can’t think straight anymore. I bash her with every first thrown sent with the intent to kill. I hit and I hit and I beat her senseless until my own brain starts to short-circuit from the pain. It hurts so bad oh god it hurts it hurts it HURTS I slam her into a wall, breaking her head open. My headset falls off me, sweat caking it’s inside. Staring at my real-world room, I pant, pain searing throughout my head. The Breakchip sticks out the side of my VISTA, taunting me. I… I almost just… …. Killed myself, didn’t I…? ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

A layer of moisture and blood spread thickly along the rim of Kurisu's tongue. Her breathing thinned, and the hollow thrum of her lungs beckoned vomit from her chest, yet none came. The sun beat down on her vermillion locks harshly, the ends looked to be frayed from sleepless nights, but her skin was pale for another reason. Rays of the sun bounced from her retinas, highlighting white reflections on her iris. Her pupils constricted, her palms shivered, and her gaze settled on the tiles lining the rooftop, each with deep, lingering cracks from a lifetime of weathering. Her feet were grounded faintly on the rooftop of a peculiar Radio Kaikan building, the same one which housed the wreckage of a dream-like contraption - the time machine. Again, her locks fluttered in the wind, sweeping neatly packed bangs across her thinned-out cheeks. Sprawled across the concrete was a figure with a familiar aura - it was one she had become acutely acquainted with these past few days. A face that drooped from its hinges, long yet with angular, trapezoid cheekbones and an arrogant, paltry stubble. Strangely, an unstable, weary miasma could be found within the crevices of his eyelids - malnourishment, perhaps - Kurisu thought, but it was deeper than that, hungrier, more rabid than that. As his lips parted once more, those mortifying words strained through her brain. "It was there I found Makise Kurisu stabbed by someone. It was there that I sent the very first d-mail...", Okabe croaked, salty teardrops trickled down his jaw. "It's what moved us from the Beta world line to the Alpha..." A gasp of air choked from Kurisu's parched throat, but she forced it into silence. "If we return to the Beta world-line..." --No! "If we undo that D-mail..." The piercing stare of death drilled into the skull of Makise Kurisu. "You'll die." ---- Rain battered down onto the sunken tiles of the Radio Kaikan rooftop. The breaths of two people, side by side, could be heard - both ragged - warm air pooled out from their lungs and condensed in the chilly atmosphere. The torrent of rain splashed down faintly in the background, muted by unwavering concrete. Kurisu's nails etched into her arm, and though she tried to stop it, her skin swelled at the irritation. Thoroughly drenched, the hem of her blouse hiked up her waist, yet her gaze was unfaltering, it simply lingered on the bottom of the stairway she rested on. Beside her, Okabe fumbled around, haplessly rubbing his palms together and muttering spine-chilling premonitions under bated breath. "Mayuri...Ah...Mayuri...Hah, ah...Don't die...please..." Reflexively, her nails plunged deeper into her skin, until the skin fastened into a tight, purple blotch. With a heavy sigh, she made a conscious effort to unclasp her grip, but her digits still scrunched together, as if compacted by a well of gravity. Another deep breath, and fresh air circulated within her lungs. The static haze that threatened her mind dispersed slightly, and her gaze flicked over to the man next to her, who was shaking with his coarse, black hair and forehead resting in his palms. A quick glance told her that the shoulder of Okabe's lab coat had torn slightly, and under normal circumstances, she might have been able to lend an ear, maybe even a word of advice but-- "You'll die". Those words shackled her gullet; a choker of terror and guilt. Her glare intensified upon Okabe's face, and reminiscing their relationship, a faint comfort spread across her body, but still... 'Am I more valuable than a childhood friend?', and 'Is he above murder, especially after the mental toll of the time-leap?' were thoughts that burrowed into the mind of Kurisu Makise like a parasite. The overwhelming, instinctual desire to live pulsed through her veins like a drug and she found the strength to tumble down the last stretch of stairs. Okabe Rintaro paid no notice, softly whimpering to himself in the cold, dim light of the RadiKan stairway. ---- Cold sweat sunk down the crevices of her brow. Her frame lay slung over, and her upper body draped backward on her chair. Slackened, her jaw lingered open like that of a dead fish, and her icy glare lay fixed on the stinging white light above. Insanity - that was the name of the deafening truth that separated Okabe Rintaro from rational thought, and it was only normal. In fact, it was Kurisu's naivete that allowed him to sink so far, and by the design of her time-leap machine, it was an inevitability that his mind would flay. That irrationality was dangerous, infectious, she thought. As an 18-year-old genius, rational thought was essential, it was what had gotten her so far. When it came to time travel, however, how could one begin to rationalize that? The dark circles that lined her eyes reflected hints of blue underneath the lab's dizzying fluorescent light, and as her spine balanced on being perpendicular, she ruffled her frayed palms in her hair, causing the bangs to cloud her vision. Rationality. Realistically speaking, she was terrified. She had no doubt that in choosing to save either a smart girl he'd known for 20 days or a childhood friend that he'd known for life, he would likely pick the latter - but the truth was too cruel for her to allow that. "If Okabe deletes that message... I'll die. But then what's the point..." 'of the past 18 years', she thought. Vivid, visceral images burst into her brain - it was the sight of a father earnestly trying to prove his vision of time travel, only to find the bloodied corpse of his daughter in the hallway. There was no way she could allow that, after all... "I can finally help dad out. I can finally be worth something...", she whispered with a weak cackle. A crystalline tear trickled down her cheek, absorbed by a lone wisp of her vermillion hair. With that, she flung her spine into position and slammed a strange-looking headset on, and proceeded to dial up the PhoneWave (name subject to change). With the full knowledge of time travel at hand and the prospect of her potential death at the end of Okabe's miserable ultimatum, she pressed the button to send herself to the past, and an ominous beep rang out in response. "I'll find us all a happy ending. No matter how long it takes."

The air stung with each desperate breath as his feet echoed in the night, his calves protesting as they burned. Adrenaline coursed through his blood, only adding to his thoughts jumbling together as he desperately tried to understand his situation. His mind furiously raced as his eyes darted at shadows. His feet slid as he came to a halt, something in the air demanding his attention. What the… As he stayed still, despite the urges screaming for him to run, he raised an eyebrow and frowned. Goosebumps could be felt on the back of his neck. His desperate running had been the only sound that filled the night, but now something new disturbed the silence. A scream. Loud as a train engine. For three full seconds, the noise continued, coming from seemingly one direction. North. The boy’s legs jerked into motion, carrying him across the desolate space again. Tip. Tap. Tip. Echoing through the space was the constant welter of leather upon marble. Sprung from the boy’s boots, erratic pants had begun to separate each of his stomps. Heavy breaths escaped his throat. The cold winter air pierced through his lungs. Sprinting, the boy’s red eyes flickered from left to right. By the pale light offered by routinely interspaced windows, he saw that he was atop a carpet. A long red thing. Patterned by golden shapes and thick as a finger. Then he stopped. All of a sudden, his body froze as if gripped by some otherworldly force. A long, winding staircase lay before him. Taller than ten of him combined. Polished marble reflected in the shy moonshine. On the railing were ornate, golden statues. Shiny as swords. Glistening while long blood-crimson curtains swayed ever so slightly in the light breeze. He inhaled in. A scent of dust filled the air, the memory of generations upon generations still living within each inch of carved lime and tuffeau. Continuing to watch, the boy’s eyes drifted to the busts. “Hm.” He recognized them. Busts, tall as an arm, running along the balustrade. A knight, dark hair flowing as smoothly as his silver blade, the heads of bandits and renegades piled at his feet. An Earl, steady blue gaze and a brimming wallet ready to advance his interests. A princess, innocent orbs cunningly searching for the next suitor to swindle. All the memories, intrigues and squabbles of those who had passed by still resided within stone, dust and air. It was all too familiar, not unlike re-visiting a home once abandoned. That fact, immeasurably unnerving beyond all else, sent a shiver down the boy’s spine. “Weird.” He bowed his head, eyes out of focus. Three seconds passed. Then it hit him. Wait, I can feel! Somehow, he controlled his body again. Air passed through his lungs. He wiggled a finger. Then a toe. And finally, when he had all but confirmed his dominance, he relaxed. Rotating his body, the boy faced the darkness. A pensive look flared across his face. Taking deep breaths, he steadied himself against the balustrade. His mind thought over his situation again. This palace, this staircase, all of it was bizarre. As a Vampyyri, his normally acute senses would enhance his perception. He saw perfectly in the dark. And smelled the faintest traces of blood. Yet when he looked up, he saw only darkness, and when he sniffed, he detected only a cold void of life. Where am I, anyway? He thought. A Simulacrum? His query gave way to measure. The boy stared onward, his eyes in full focus. A borderline pink-red tinted his eyes. He glanced about, tracing the staircase, attempting to look to where it led. It was an empty action. No matter how much he tried, anything beyond a few metres was masked by shadow. All he could detect was the creeping sense of dread making its way up his spine, as well as his ever-increasing heart rate. He let a minute pass this way. “Dammit.” Again, fear claimed him. The boy, fingers trembling, tapped the balustrade. Anxiously, his eyes darted to and fro. “AHHHHHHHHH!” A scream echoed. Pitched high like a child. Reverberated on the marble steps, every single outcrop reflecting a thundering screech of pain. Again? It was the same sound as earlier. Only, more pronounced, and embittered with an even more fearful edge. By the time he took in that fact, a surge of energy possessed the boy’s legs again. “Merde!” He hit the ground running, arms moving like a trained athlete. Whatever command his mind issued, his body had stopped responding. Each nerve, now guided by pure command alone, fueled him. And yet, in spite of his illogical action, he still retained thought. He ran. And as he did, the boy began to formulate an answer to his conundrum. Is this the result of a spell, perhaps? To begin with, none of this made sense. He remembered now. Moments prior, he had been tucked in his bed, his mind set on the breaking of the morrow. Now, his feet raced across blocks of marble in pursuit of some unknown objective, one unknown to even himself. Two minutes passed. The boy ran through countless spaces. Corridors, stairways, and rooms. With every step, his heartbeat rang louder. For all the boy knew, he was running to his death. An untimely death wrapped in absolute dark. What the actual fuck is happening? He thought. And why does it feel like I know what’s going to happen? (He feels like he knows what will happen and is afraid). Beyond mere fear of the unknown, too, existed a distinctly familiar type of fear. A fear of premonition. There was a sense that something awful would happen. It was precisely because of that fear that he did not wish to proceed. Though he knew not why he suspected that what lay ahead would be particularly terrible. Heavy breaths trembled in his lungs. For some reason, I’m heading to a specific place. It only just came to him. He wasn’t sure why. All things considered, it was impossible to know where he was going. Much less in a brand-new location covered in pitch black. Mind control… Cold saliva went down his throat. Channelling all the resolve he could muster, the boy issued a command, sending a signal to his body, attempting to stop it with due force. Nothing’s happening! I can’t stop moving! To no avail. He kept running. Footsteps upon footsteps strummed against polished marble. His legs, then weary with fatigue, began to shake. And then, just as suddenly as he had begun running, he stopped. The boy found himself in control again. He flexed the fingers of right hand, and felt blood circulate. Deep, gentle breaths found their way into his lungs. He wiped at his forehead with his sleeve and carried away a sheen of sweat. Where am I? He thought. He had been so preoccupied with his body. So indulgent in his lack of self-control that he only just then took in his surroundings. Huh. He started to look from side to side. On an initial impression, he seemed to be in some sort of room. A small space no bigger than two people wide and long. Devoid of any furniture whatsoever. Set with stone bricks in the wall, and a single opening which he came through. There was an odd smell in the air too. Acidic and reminiscent of iron simultaneously, constantly pouring from his feet into his nostrils. His nose wrinkled in disgust, and with prolonged exposure, the boy began to look for its source. In doing so, his head tilted downwards, and his eyes caught sight of a strange thing. There was something closeby. Near him, lying on the ground was an object. It was about a person long, and just as similarly a person wide. And, oddly enough, even seemed to be adorned with clothes. He could see that it had an black uniform, an yellow aiguillette on each shoulder, and a golden pattern embroidered down its back. All in all, the object was given clothes fitting for a ‘Vampyrri’. A person. For all that though, the boy still struggled to register it as one. As most know, people tended to not be covered in blood, and furthermore, with their stomach lining coming out. A voice came from the object. “Ah.” It moaned, hoarse as metal on rock. The boy faced it calmly. He reacted and took a step back, hand on his waist. Common sense rendered him unable to accept his situation. Tremors worked into the core of his bones. A chill down his spine. Pricks and pins thrust into each pore on his body. Yet his gaze remained stuck, focused only on what was before him. In that instant, it came to him. He was watching what remained of a person. That body. That scorched mangle of flesh, in fact, belonged to a child. No older than ten. He realised. An Vampyrri too. One of his own. Its pale skin still visible underneath the dark gleam of blood. Unable to look away, the boy continued to inspect the body, running his eyes from its feet. That… Across the child’s body, he saw dark, deep gashes. One on its right arm, one on its chest, and one on its face. The wounds of a sharp weapon. Still fresh. Recently made, judging by the severity. When he had enough of the gore, no doubt disturbed, the boy turned his gaze to the child’s features. His eyes were set on the boy’s head. There, he saw locks of raven, damp hair splashed on the white marble. What is this feeling? He was transfixed. Thirty seconds had passed. His eyes continued to linger on the body’s heck. Even as thirty seconds lapsed into two minutes, however, he still continued to stare. Why? He did not know. Whatever it was, the outcome was the same. His eyes could not move from their place. He could not bring himself to look at the boy’s face. When all was said and done, he knew not why either. Had it been denial? Were the prospect of registering a soon-to-be dead’s face, that much of an terror? He glanced at the body, noting a duty as an individual, no as an official of the Chorusian Mandate, to confirm their identity. I have to do this. Almost hurriedly, he glimpsed a glance at the boy’s face. There, he saw a pair of fading eyes, straddled between a lock of brown down the middle. Green as grass. How strange. More importantly, he also glimpsed a sliver of familiarity. Some spark of recognition. Perhaps fueled by dying delusion, perhaps fueled by wishful thinking. Whatever the cause, though, the feeling was unmistakable. He felt he knew the dying child. “Ah”... Coming from the youth was a wet mutter. A rough voice filtered through blood. The boy shook in his place, disturbed by the sound. He had thought the child dead. Stirred by new-found realisation, he almost wished he was. Uncomfortably, the boy continued to stare at the child’s face. He’d stopped, however, when the child’s arm suddenly lifted. His hand . He ran his eyes down the child’s hand, confirming its colour at a closer distance. The shade of skin was a horrifying pale. Whiter than Vampyrri tended to be. White as death. Reaching out to him, as if he were a lifeline. Grasping. In return, the child received only bated breath and silence. The boy wanted to scream, to tell the child to stop moving, to place pressure on his wounds, and to save him from his cruel fate. But he didn’t. All his body did was gawk. For all his heart wished to do, his muscles knew only fear. The two remained that way for some time. Huh? His eyes flickered in reaction. The child moved, struggled to one knee, even. Despite the unfathomable loss of blood and life, he had mustered resolve. It seemed for a second even that he would live. That in the face of impending doom, the child would arise, take his place amongst the living and carry on. As a second passed however, the boy begrudgingly rejected that idea. Before long, the child collapsed again. A fit of pain-induced whispers came. In the misery caused by such a morbid sight, time seemed to freeze. With each second prolonging into an eternity past, the boy wished only for it to come to an end. Cruel as it were, the child’s prolonged existence caused only more pain for the both of them. “Ah”. Finally, death beckoned. Puke and bile regurgitated through the soon-to-be deceased stomach. Yet before it could fill his throat, there came a final, faint whisper. “Aide moi, V-”

The date was the 11th of that fateful August. After her encounter with a mentally wrought Okabe, she had time-leaped twice, beaming her memories into her mind 48 hours before she would complete the time leap machine. A sense of disgust welled up within her mind. It was a feeling far too familiar but far less repulsive than the first time she had experienced it. A jarring sense of wrongness - the depths of her brain screaming at a simulacrum of her soul that had evicted the past memories of this world-line's Kurisu Makise, it was the nauseating effects of a mind warped through time. Even if she had to endure that sensation hundreds of times, she would never get used to it. Familiar white hot dots in her head dissipated into the scene she saw before her. Shelves caked with dust, filled with trinkets and gadgets - amidst the jungle of wires and circuit boards poked out names such as 'Moad Snake' and 'Ghost in the Ball'. They were just a few of the useless yet quirky inventions of Okabe's crude facsimile of a mad scientist's den. The smell of a city in summertime assaulted her, a thick stench of alienation cuffed her by the wrists. Splicing the air through the development room curtains were thick rays of sunshine, the bane of any scientist working late into the night. Kurisu winced, staggering back into the shadow, rejecting the light's comforting presence. Her body felt sluggish and rusty as if the dust of the development room had seeped into her lungs deeply. Her mind flickered, and upon swift recollection, Kurisu realized that she had, indeed, pulled an all-nighter leading to the morning of the 11th. "Ggaaaaahh...", she croaked weakly, resting on the table for support. She peered past the curtains, slowly. The light filtered through her vermillion bangs as she scanned the apartment for a presence. After a few seconds, she shifted the curtains aside, yawning deeply in the process. A barren apartment sprawled out in front of her. She stumbled towards the windows overlooking Akihabara. Above was a sky that stretched out for miles, dotted with faint clouds sailing overhead, and below was-- Kurisu grimaced at the thought of the bizarre, jumbled storefront beneath her. A vision of CRTs towering ominously above, along with an intimidating behemoth of muscles and sweat that was Mr. Braun, it made her shiver in disgust. Although she was too far to smell it, she imagined her throat wallowing in the thick waves of dust that flowed through the place - so unkempt and downtrodden you'd think it had been abandoned for weeks. It had only been a few days in the future that Okabe had told her the truth. It was a truth that reframed that entire store into a much more sinister conspiracy - the conspiracy of the dangerous mercenary elite with the alias 'Ferdinand Braun'. Her hands gripped the window-sill as she craned forward just a peek. A quick gaze at a mountain bike in front of the store told her that Suzuha was most likely guarding it. She shifted her bangs, looking closer at the surrounding street. The streets were populated thinly as usual, but there was no sign of Tennouji. She sighed deeply. If possible, she'd like to avoid dealing with him at all. She strode backward and cast her vision over to the fridge. She thought a cold cola would kill her headache at least a little. After a few swift chugs, she placed it on the low table central to the room and marched swiftly to the door. Today was a day for reconnaissance, and she wanted to find the truth from a more primary source than Okabe. ---- "Suzuha.", she spoke, a faint hesitation in her words. It was only a few moments before that Kurisu had beckoned the 'part-time-warrior' to the Future Gadget Lab, electing for a quiet rendezvous at the low table. She took the opportunity to finish off the cola she had just placed, taking one large swig and tossing it in the trash. Meanwhile, Suzuha Amane stared bullets into Kurisu, who cushioned herself comfortably on the lime-green couch. Suzuha Amane. The daughter of Yuuki Amane and Itaru Hasida. She had been tasked by the Valkyries of 2036 to aid the future leader Okabe. With the sole purpose to retrieve the IBN-5100, she had traveled to the past using her father's time machine and blanketed herself under the online alias of John Titor. It was an honor she thought herself too lowly of, but it was a duty she had to fulfill. Makise Kurisu was bad news, she thought. Bad news all over. A traitor - one that would usurp the title of 'Mother of the Time Machine' from her father and the leader of the Valkyries, one who would willingly spur into madness the dystopic future of the Alpha Attractor Field, one who would inevitably betray Okabe Rintaro and side with the ominous SERN, and by extension the shadow of the world, the Committee of 300. It was only natural to be suspicious. "Please, sit. Make yourself comfortable. You're a lab mem after all, aren't you? I'd like to have a conversation, lab-member to lab-member." "Actually I think I'll stand... so, what is it you want?", Suzuha spat, her words were like the fang of a cobra - spewing venomous vitriol with each consonant. She made no attempt at hiding her hostility, "Come on, please. Do you really think I'm such a bad person?", Kurisu spoke, focusing a benign gaze on the woman in front of her. "What I want to discuss with you is pretty important. Would you rather I addressed you as John Titor?" Kurisu couldn't help but smirk a little. It was only for a few moments, but Suzuha's composure blew wide open, and a glimmer of discomfort infected her face before it warped back to its usual stoic glare. If she was staring daggers before, full-on swords were beaming from her eyeballs now. "Ah. I get it. So you know about me. That makes it easier...", her voice rattled. "Can I take this as confirmation that you're a SERN spy?" Kurisu fidgeted in place. Suzuha had immediately drawn the wrong conclusion, not good. She fumbled with her hands for a few moments, before casting a troubled gaze in front. "No-- I'm sorry for giving that impression. I'm not a SERN spy, but--" "Bullshit. Please, don't play me for a fool here.", Suzuha growled. She took a few steps away from the table. Her face grew more disconcerted with each passing second, accentuated by the ticking of the wall clock adjacent. The vermillion-haired girl rested her palms in her lap and exhaled deeply. Shifting her locks out of her eyes, she cast them directly towards those of Suzuha Amane. "Please. I'm not your enemy and I'm not a SERN spy. I need to talk to you, that's all." The woman with dusty brown hair awkwardly averted her gaze. The girl in front of her simply sat intently, transfixed upon the eyeballs of Suzuha, as if she was trying to enable some sort of curse through eyesight alone. "Okay. If you're lying you're darn good at it. I can humor you for a while, I guess". Relinquishing her aversion to the classic 'puppy dog eyes' of the otherwise abrasive girl Kurisu, she hesitantly plopped herself onto the floor opposite, keeping one hand on the table and another on standby, just in case. "First I got something I wanna know. How do you know the name John Titor?", she spoke, a piercing glare radiating from her. "Far as I know I ain't told anyone yet, 'n fact I was planning to leave tonight..." Kurisu folded one leg over the other, sighing a shallow sigh. She pondered how to answer, before parting her lips to give a response. "I time-leaped. From the 16th. Okabe broke down, he could barely function. It would've been pitiful and dangerous to let him continue. Before I leaped, he told me basically everything, but there's more I need to know, which is why..." Kurisu leaned forward across the table, clasping her palms on the cold wooden surface, she assumed a stance of focus. "It's why I wanted to discuss things with you. I know you don't like me, but I need information. It's the only way I can save Mayuri." "Mayuri? Mayuri Shiina? What about her?", Suzuha spoke, a curious inflection rife within her voice. Kurisu Makise took care not to stumble over her own words. "Mayuri's death is a convergence point for this Attractor Field--" "Oh shit...", Suzuha exclaimed, furrowing her brows and tilting her head forward in deep thought. "--And it's affecting Okabe's judgment critically. He wouldn't be able to reach an optimal outcome like that. So I decided to take on some of the burdens." The girl with dusty brown hair held one palm to her temple, ruffling the strands as she wracked her brain. "So--uh. That's cool and all, but I'm sure Okabe told you what my mission is. I need to get the IBN-5100 so that we can reach the Beta Attractor Field--" Kurisu flinched. Her right arm shivered, ceasing only when she clutched it still. "No. The Beta Attractor Field is a no-go. It's dangerous. We have to revise the plan." Suzuha's head jerked up, her hair reflected the rays of the warm summer afternoon. Her face was positioned away from the window, clouded with shadow, a fierce light splintered off her Irises like a turbulent flame. "You-- do not have a say in the plan, Makise Kurisu. I'm a Valkyrie, and I will reach the Beta Attractor Field. Anything is better than SERN's dystopia, I will die by that conviction. If you have any intention of threatening that...", she spoke, her hand hovering above the glint of gunmetal by her waist. "I will not hesitate." ---- The two sat in a deadlock. For the past 30 minutes or so, Kurisu had been trying to ask for the details. More specifically, the fine details of 2036's time travel model. She had been taught the basics through Okabe's ramblings - world lines, attractor fields, convergence; even the existence of a God-like machine, the time machine built by the illustrious mind of Itaru Hashida - but she needed more. Suzuha had to have something she didn't tell Okabe. Finding those morsels of information, she thought, was the key to finding a timeline that Kurisu Makise and Mayuri Shiina could both live. The dusty-haired woman remained tight-lipped ever since Kurisu had let slip her plan to disobey the order of the Valkyries. Occasionally she would ask probing questions, but in a similar vein, Kurisu had no intention of letting loose word of the future to someone as rigid-thinking as Suzuha. Only 30 minutes ago it felt like they had some level of understanding of each other - displaying mutual respect on a mutual directive - or so they thought. Now, through the petulant, ever-growing frown spreading across Suzuha's face, it was no secret they were actively growing to hate each other by the second. "Can you tell me what divergence actually is?", Kurisu probed. "From Okabe's explanation it seemed like a fairly linear concept - but what determines the divergence value? Can two world lines have the same amount of divergence from base, but diverge in different directions than just positive and negative? Outcomes aren't typically just binary, so--!" "Dunno.", Suzuha rolled her eyes, cocking her head back to peer at the sky beyond the windows. "Don't think about it too hard. The brain's all mushy trying to imagine a 3D plane of divergence lines." A wave of jitteriness overcame Kurisu. Her palms scrunched, she was leaning forward, perching on the edge of the couch, and she raised her voice. She had almost had enough of the dusty-haired girl's obstinacy. "What about convergence? Why is it that outcomes converge? Why is Mayuri's death solidified?" Suzuha shot back a quick glare, before staring blankly to the side once more. Her posture had relaxed, and she sat idly, almost leaning against the floor. "Hmmm... Good question. I think it was something about a higher-dimensional gravity well that bends nearby space-time to a specific point. Can't really remember the finer details y'know." The nails of the girl genius dug deep into her tights, ripping small tears as she huffed in frustration. "Are you serious? There's nothing? Please, try and remember. Tell me more about the gravity wells, at least." Without even a glance back, Suzuha exhibited a listless air about her. She sighed deeply. "Hah. I guess you've thought of something. Guess I'd better stop running my mouth..." It was only a few moments later that she focused her attention back on the girl with vermillion hair. "Now here's a question, why are you so afraid of the Beta Attractor Field?" It was at this point that Kurisu decided to cut her losses. At this point, her tongue was dry and tasted of cardboard. Despite the fluffy, welcoming summer heat, her skin was sweating stone cold. There was at least something she could glean from their conversation, but she didn't have time to think about it right now. Relaxed, her arms draped weakly to her side as she bobbed up from the lime green couch. "Oy, where are you going now?", Suzuha rasped, her voice stricken with a venomous tone. Her amber eyes shot the same swords at Kurisu as they had previously - perhaps even more intense - and her hand... Her hand hovered above the gunmetal gray fastened to her waist. "Just-- I'm just going--", Kurisu barely managed to choke anything out. In truth, she was embarrassed. She had fumbled the conversation completely - owing to her weakness - her abrasive nature - and it had cost her vital information. Images of her father flashed to mind, a look of disapproval, and a longing for recognition, those two things were the result of the abrasive, unlikable personality she had cultured. For a brief few moments, her heart rang hollow. "You're not 'going'", Suzuha spat, this time hovering her iron sights directly onto the shoulder of Makise Kurisu. "At least not without me. To the development room, sharp." She flinched. Should she dare look back? Shallow breaths tumbled from her lungs. A sharp pain infected them. It was becoming difficult to breathe, the dust settled in her lungs harder than before, deadlier than before, slithering deep holes in her chest. Without a word, she slowly stepped towards the development room curtains. ---- Suzuha kept her gun trained on the shoulder of Makise Kurisu. 'That bitch was going to time-leap as soon as I let her out of sight', she thought. Not today. Not now. She was going to carry out her mission. It was clear that this Kurisu was a woman that shouldn't be trusted. Their conversation had confirmed Suzuha's every suspicion - no, the very suggestion of staying in the Alpha Attractor Field was more than enough to send alarm bells rocketing through her brain. This woman was dangerous, this woman was a SERN agent, this woman sabotaged Okabe's goal to reach the Steins;Gate, the final destination he had preached to the Valkyries so often, this woman-- The woman in question quietly shifted the development room curtains apart. Rays of light trickled through, faintly illuminating dusty shelves crammed with an assortment of random junk - but for Suzuha it was more than that. It was the holy land, the foundation of a greater cause, it was the Future Gadget Lab, the dawn of rebellion against the tendrils of oppression, and it was tainted. That woman had tainted it. The woman stood at the helm of the PhoneWave. Suzuha caught a faint glimpse of a menacing aura, but a few moments later she was interrupted by the shrill call of her cell phone. As she kept her gun trained on the shoulder of Makise Kurisu with one hand, she reached for her cell phone with the other. Slowly, cautiously, she brought it to her ear and answered the call. Her vision faded to black. ---- The body of Suzuha Amane flopped to the floor, a puppet with cut strings, her limbs crunched over each other morbidly. "It... worked.", Kurisu whispered under bated breath. Her pupils vacillated, grasped by a faint madness, but soon her face returned to normal. "It actually worked..." She gasped for air. Her lungs felt hot and dry, yet the most alarming pain came from her brain in the form of insurmountable guilt. "I... It worked... I'm... so.. sorry." It took a few seconds for her mind to fully drink in the situation. A concoction of disgust and relief sprouted upon her face. The fact was that Kurisu hadn't done anything at all. It was true that being held at gunpoint, her mind brewed many malicious plans out of pure desperation, but none of them had come to fruition. None had come to fruition yet. Not yet, but they did, in the future. She knew. Suzuha had been re-written with a blank slate from the future. "I'm so sorry Suzuha, but I had no choice." With a solemn air buried deep within her chest, she stepped forward to the PhoneWave, a PhoneWave devoid of the time-leap machine upgrade. With the looming consequence of another lab member's return to see Suzuha as a vegetable, along with the complete knowledge of the time-leap machine from 4 days in the future guiding her, it only took her a few hours to complete. "I'll undo your suffering. I'll find a way to a happy ending. I'll bear Okabe's burden, and I can bear yours too... I'll be seeing you soon." She glanced at Suzuha, whose mouth was saturated with frothing spit, and almost immediately cringed away. Without any further hesitation, she calibrated the coordinates and donned the headset. With a single button press, her vision faded to white.

Funny how fast things go just when you try to slow down. Needless to say, I never tell any of my friends about my VR selfcest, much less my fucking suicide attempt. I don’t talk to them about much of anything really. The next few weeks pass like cars on a highway. All of a sudden my life‘s on fucking Adderall- like it just ran out of ways to slow things down. The days got so boring and long that I guess they just had to loop around and start going Made In Heaven -fast all of a sudden. Yet here I am complaining. Fuck, I’ll take this any day over waking up every morning being present for class one to two to three to four etc, etc. But I don’t know- the slower things go, the more I despise it- Yet the faster things go…. the less real it all feels. Not that it ever felt real in the first place, but all of a sudden it’s the last week of my senior year of high school and it doesn’t even feel like I’m the one who got me here. I mean, I guess I knew this was coming all along. Before I ever started school, I had a dream. My mother told me that we were going to something called “preschool-“ and I remember in this dream following through and going to it for just one day- one day only- and when I came home my mother, she asked me: “Do you want to keep going?” And, of course, I said no. No I don’t wanna fucking keep going. I don’t remember what happened there, but that shit sucked. I wanna be at home for the rest of my life. And I don’t know how I knew it would suck, because I had never been to school in my waking life. But sure enough, when I did go, it was the worst thing in the fucking world. Sure I might’ve had some fun along the way, but I mean, here I am, it’s over, and I’m not one degree better for it. After all that bullshit- after all the delusion, misunderstanding, mental illness and discarded romances- it’s all ending. None of it mattered. It really did feel like going through levels of a video game, like this was just a career I had to work my way all the way through to reach some bullshit ending. God knows I don’t have any future plans or anything. All I thought of up until now was summoning Elopas, and all that went down the shitter, so I guess I have to figure out what my life is really all about now. But hey, what’s the rush? I’m not even done with it yet, much less with the two or three gap years I’ll probably end up taking as I try to finish all the media I’ve been saving. So it’s really no big deal. Either way, whatever happens- I’ll still be me. MONDAY, MAY 8th THREE DAYS REMAIN Dylan didn’t even talk to me this morning. As I sit with Wire, our never-changing seats arranged just as they were on the day I met Debby, he asks me about the only thing that’s supposedly still going on right now. “So… you broke up with Harmony, is that right?” I grumble something vaguely resembling the English word “Right.” “Prom was strange. I saw her dancing with some guy from my biology class. It was perturbing, just how happy the look on her face was… er. I don’t mean to anger you by saying this, of course. It just goes to show the girl is as crazy as any of us are. She really is an expert at lying to herself. Why, I bet she’ll look back on this all quite fondly.” “…That’s ancient history. I’ve already forgotten about her.” “…I see.” He steps down as if he’s actually believing the words coming out of my mouth. “Hey, Wire? You just did it, you know.” “Did what?” “You said she’s “crazy as any of us.” You callin’ yourself “crazy?” “…I guess I just did. Pretty pathetic indeed.” I skip language arts. When I get home that day, I’m surprised to see my mother waiting for me. “Molly. It’s been too long since we’ve spoken.” In my eyes, it hasn’t been long enough. We sit across from each other at the table like some kind of ritual as the woman asks me things. “You’re graduating soon. I know it’s been hectic around here, but we’re all so proud of you.” “Who’s “we?” “…Nevermind that, Molly. What matters is you’re loved. You’ve accomplished something. So long as you don’t screw it up in the last few days.” She laughs, though with a faint hint of nervousness. Good to know she thinks I still have that potential. But honestly, even I don’t have it in me at this point to drive off the rails. I’ll keep my head down, for now. Might as well. “So…” she continues, I’m guessing ‘cause I didn’t bother to respond. “What comes after this? I know you’re a smart girl, Molly.” “Not really.” I say. “But I’ll live.” “What is it… you want to do, though?” “M’ not sure.” I should probably come up with a lie soon. People are gonna be asking me this a lot from now on. “Well… you’ll need to figure that out. Okay? You can still do this, Molly. You can do anything. You’re you.” TUESDAY, MAY 9th TWO DAYS REMAIN My morning is almost identical to my last. Dylan doesn’t talk. Wire says more or less the same things he did yesterday. Pointless. In the hallway, she manages to find me again. The girl knows my route by now. Hey, I’m just glad it’s her and not someone else I used to know. “Hey, Molly…” she says shyly, like talking to a crush and not someone who physically assaulted her last week. “Hey.” I force out. “Got anything for me?” “L-like…” Debby stutters. “An apology…?” “Fuck no.” I air. “Just something interesting.” “Well, I, uh…” “Then you’re wasting my time. I liked you better when you knew this wasn’t real.” I walk down the hall, dodging the quiet hallway in case I’m not the only one skipping language arts today. Elaine talks to me again when I get home. And she says the same. Fucking. Things. Again. I make it a point to answer in the exact same way I did Monday. WEDNESDAY, MAY 10th MOLLY’S FINAL DAY AT LAKEWATER HIGH As I sit down in homeroom, I look at Mr. Palpe’s bored face. How many times has he done this before? How many classes has he seen go? How does he keep doing this? How long does he expect to keep it up? What kind of monster do you have to be to teach a high school class? “…it’s our last day.” Suddenly, the person next to me is speaking. I turn to Dylan. “…yeah?” “Just… thought I’d say it.” “…well. It sure is.” I look at his still hands. “We’re gonna graduate. And we’ll never sit here again.” “You’re taking this pretty rough for someone I thought didn’t care.” “…I was wrong.” I try to look Dill in the eye as the kid finally speaks. “I wanted to care. I really wanted… to be a highschooler. Kinda wanted… to have memories here, to. I thought… that wasn’t possible. I gave up. It made me feel better, for a while.” “…” “But here I am… last day. I never did go to high school. Never did a single thing. And sitting here now… I dunno how I’m supposed to be an adult without having the memories everyone else does.” “…” “…I wanted to go to Prom.” FRIDAY, MAY 12th MOLLY GRADUATES “Molly Hitchcock.” I step into line as soon as my name is called. Between two people I don’t know, I’m dropped into line, clutching my loose, misfitting cap. The room is abuzz with the chatter of children. That bitch is here somewhere, and so are my friends, and the amputee. I’ve managed to avoid all of them. “Ok ay-!”  The unrecognizable teacher up in front says with a hint of hesitation and excitement, like this is a big moment for him. “Let’s move, ladies and gentlemen. This is it!” I keep stepping on my gown. The arena is ahead. We’ve rehearsed how this will go. It’s no big deal. We walk through the crowd as they cheer. Elaine is here somewhere. I’m sure Huey is too. As I take my place in my assigned seat, I’m happy I don’t share initials with anyone I know. The girl to my left is talking with her friend. The guy to my right is leaning over the seat behind him to chatter with his own someone-or-other. Meanwhile, I watch the stage. The principal has a smile like the Titan that eats Eren Jaeger’s mom, the wrinkles on her face creating a deep tapestry of madness. As the buzz of clapping from the sea of guests softens into a silence, she raises the mic to her face like this is the best day of her goddamn life. “Good afternoon, everyone.” More clapping. Twelve seconds later: “…I cannot express… just how proud I am to stand up here today. To all the parents, families, and guests here now who have supported these bright, kind individuals on their journey to this very moment, I would like to express my upmost gratitude.” More clapping. Five seconds later: “I’m sure it has been… difficult, at times to get here. But through challenging circumstances, an ever-changing world, and a global pandemic… your children- my wonderful students- have made it through. Tonight…. is the single most important moment in these young people’s lives up until this point. The moment they rise up from their roots as children- and blossom- into beautiful, strong, charismatic adults. From this day forward, they will no longer just be the children you raised- but rather individuals, capable of walking this Earth for themselves. Yet that is not to say… they will cease to be your little ones. Your babies that you worked so hard for to raise right. To put them in a better place than you were. So let me tell all of you- if you’re seated here tonight? You’ve succeeded. And I can guarantee your child is worthy of, deserving of, and more than ready for this big step up. This promotion in our world. I am honoured to be the one to bestow it upon them. No clapping. My heart is still. “…But before these bright young minds leave our nest, and follow down the paths they’ve so-deftly carved for themselves, I would like to impress upon them all one last thing. Please, allow me to impart on you one final lesson.” I feel nothing. “You will all face more hardships in life. But each and every time, you will overcome them. Because you are strong. You are brave. You are courageous. But most- most importantly, above all else- you are you. You are unique. You are special. And you will always and forever remain you, with no end in sight. Do not fear, all of you seated here today. What is currently just tomorrow… will very soon become your present. And what are now your dreams… are about to become reality.” This life is undeniably false. This story is a work of fiction. “Thank you. Now, before we begin with the ceremony, one student of our school would like to speak a few words.” The principal sits down in the row of suited people near the back of the stage. In her place stands an especially young-looking girl whose voice is higher than mine. “T-thank- thank you, Principal Hoover.” She shuffles into place, a few of the students around me cheering as the audience slowly begins another wave of applause. I have never seen this kid in my life. Four seconds later, the clapping ends. The girl continues speaking. “M-my name is Charlie Dalgaard. I am… a graduating student at Lakewater High, part of the class of 2023.” More clapping. Three seconds later: “My time at this school was something- something I will never forget.” She recites. “I… spent the highlight of my youth here, and… to be honest, it doesn’t feel quite right that it’s all over now. But I’m happy… happy I had the time I spent here. S-spent here. Because… all of it made me into the person I’ve become. I… entered this school, like anyone else does… and then… it made me something. I made… friends, the best of which… Bailey Hoffman, I just have to thank so much… for getting me through those few times when things didn’t go as planned, or, or something went wrong… she was so good to me, and I-“ she sniffles. “I’m glad we… all have someone like that, at Lakewater High. It’s a- it was- a great place… to spend my life so far. The memories I made here… will last me forever. I’m sure that rings true for all of us here. After all… seeing you all everyday, it felt like we were one big family. I…” finishing the part she knew best, the girl stammers for a moment before continuing with the novel. “…I just know you’re all so- proud of us, and I’m so grateful you were here to support us- our friends, families, teachers, and… everyone who made our tests, or runs our government… I’ve… been all around Kansas my whole life, but… this spot in particular has been a great place for me. For anyone, really. I wouldn’t- wouldn’t trade it for anything. So… thank you, everyone who came here… for coming to see us tonight. Thank you… for celebrating with us.” She fumbles the mic. “Thank you.” She walks off stage and back to our seats. Thunderous applause. Before I know it, the endless torment is over. The first students are being called to the front lines. “Ailey Cunningham.” I’m not standing yet, but I will be soon. Dylan goes up. I see in his eyes what almost looks like determination. But as he’s called to receive his diploma, I spot his still pupils as he shakes a suited man’s hand onstage. That stillness is the icy chill of this false reality. My row stands. Soon enough, I’m behind the curtain, waiting to be called in front of the huge audience of families. Five people in front of me. Then four. Soon, three. And in a flash, I’m watching the girl ahead of me walk the stage. “Molly Hitchcock.” The announcer calls like this is E3 and I’m a world premiere Xbox title. I don’t think I’m one anyone will play, though. I step my short little legs onto the stage. Thunderous applause. To my surprise, I’m not the least bit afraid. Not of the ceremony. I’m spoken to by important-looking people I don’t know the names of. “Congratulations.” “Congrats.” “You did it.” “Have a good one.” The diploma is placed in Molly’s hands by a man in black. In return, she shakes his hand. And then she sits, an hour passing as she waits for every single other student to be released from their high school education. She sits in that chair for a very, very long time. So long that eventually… my eyes draw back to the stage, and I see something just a little bit interesting happen. “Ryan Cooper.” … “Ryan Cooper.” Whispering among the adults. Laughter among the students. …I guess we aren’t students anymore, but… Nobody shows up. I imagine where “Ryan” might be right now… Does he not even fucking care…? That’s awesome… I envy him. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8th MANY DAYS LEFT 10:59. I’m in bed, thinking about things. Still thinking about school. Still thinking about them. I slap my hand in the general direction of my bedside table, briefly making contact with my dust-gathering headset before I finally grab my phone. I wonder if I should read the texts everyone sends me. I am pretty bored here. But I don’t want to respond. And I’m too lazy to turn off read receipts. I drop my phone to the dirty carpet. I shove my face back in my pillow. All of a sudden, I’m scared again. ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream… Is there no end to this? One moment, life was a staircase. Long, unending- but all the same, linear- a sensible creation of progression. Made by man, for man. The school system. A gauntlet of trauma for all children who enter it, regardless of their intelligence or social standing. How unlucky I still was to fall short of possessing either. Mine is a life of such shame. Much time has passed. Now, my days are spent in purgatory. I have no desires other than to be freed from this boring world. In that sense, still nothing has changed. Like always, I’m too smart for my own good. Sane in a nonsensical world. I want to be free. I just don’t know what freedom is. My friends, they all dragged me down. Made me less of myself and more of them. They provided a skeleton for my existence, but a skeleton marred with parasites- death, confusion, misunderstanding. To participate in a union with another human is to open oneself to the worst of punishment- for nothing permanent in return. All one receives from such marriage is to be spared for a short while, distracted from this abstract torment of living as hyper-intelligent creatures in a world made for animals. That is what I’ve sacrificed. The ability to live in the dream I created with those idiotic children. We played together in fantastical worlds through the use of our modern technology, imaging impossible things. I suppose that’s what childhood is, after all. Don’t you think so? That makes me an adult now. But adults distract themselves just as the children mentioned above. They play with their own friends- no longer able to dream, so they induce states of foolishness with drugs, alcohol, and sex. I suppose I have done all those things already, to some extent. Only, when a real adult cannot rely on these vices, they occupy their time with a job. Essentially a replacement for the same hell that was school, only now, without your parents’ love to satiate you, you must provide for yourself in their stead. It all equals out to the same experience in the end. Maybe I’m overthinking all this. With my back to my bed again, I more resemble a corpse than any living thing. You would see nothing more from the outside. But within me, my spirit rages. It has been one minute since I awoke and already these thoughts plague my restless mind. These constant screams ensure that I do not forget the few truths, the few constants of this world: Death. Taxes. Wishing you were anyone, or anywhere else than you are now- and, lastly- that none of this can ultimately be proven real. Every memory you have is false, constructed and reconstructed over and over again by a faulty and selfish internal system. When you finally recall that your accounts of past events conflict with the truth, you are left cowering- no longer able to form a persona or believe in any aspect of your perceived reality. Life becomes little more than an obsessive expression of regret. I do not see what could possibly make such a life worth living. My mother does not work today. She will talk to me when I go downstairs- about family, about my future- I do not know. It feels like I hardly know this old roommate of mine. My door is heavy. The very air around me is suffocatingly weighty. Any action at all is an alien, uncomfortable thing- as I know it won’t result in anything of meaning. I don’t have anywhere to go outside of this house. I hardly have anywhere to go inside it. When my quiet life began, I would eat more than I once did- but now that this “freedom” has become normal, I consume little more than the same fiction I’ve always feasted on in times like this. Food grants me no pleasure, only the promise of having to shit later, thus getting up again. Days are hard to make out, but I must only eat once every pair of them. I walk downstairs. There is no car in the driveway nor woman in the kitchen. Once again, despite my understanding of the world, I have been proven incorrect by a phony judge. I have no way of knowing if something has changed in the world, or only inside me. Either way, I’ve wound up wrong- because how could I possibly be right about anything in so subjective an existence? It is folly to imagine the capability of being well and truly right about any one thing or another. I take this opportunity to scream in the living room. Some part of me is satiated for a time. As I step to exit the room, however, I am proven wrong once again. “Molly?” The woman speaks to me in a voice I don’t hardly recognize. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” I tell her no, though her guess is as good as mine. Maybe I really did hurt myself, and I just simply don’t recall the event. Don’t laugh, it’s a valid possibility. After all, how is my mother here right now, standing in front of me when her car was not present minutes ago? I do not ask her this inquiry, lest my mind is further rended by her explanation that could just as easily be a total fabrication her own brain has convinced her of. Offering little more explanation than my single-syllable denial, I lean forwards to retreat to my room, only for my mother to stop me effortlessly with her working, well-nourished body. “I’m getting you treatment soon.” I don’t understand what she’s saying. “For what?” I want to ask, though I daren’t speak at such a potentially important moment in my life. So instead, I just answer- “soon?” “Within the next week, we’ll… we’ll take you someplace. I got… a few people I’m looking at for appointments, and… and…” So this is what happens when you go off script, huh? The director comes in and does whatever possible to start up some new drama. No matter what you do in this world, it’s like you can’t escape that. Even if I locked myself up in a bunker underground, the asshole named fate would bomb my ass until I was nothing but ash and dirt. I want to just say to her, “Sounds good.” And leave it at that. She’s easy to fool. Easy to please. If I don’t argue, she’ll leave me be for the day. But eventually, it’ll come back to bite me. I don’t wanna go and talk to yet another human who’s just gonna make me feel worse than I already do. Just thinking these things all the time kills me. Saying them out loud would be torture. It’s funny how an extra dose of reality doesn’t help someone losing track of it one bit. If anything, all that would do to me is help my mind degrade even faster. What’ll a therapist even say to someone like me? I really can’t tell you for sure. What I do know is I do not want that right now. I’m just trying to live here, goddammit, not make things harder on myself. What I need is more fiction. I just need simple toys to keep my mind occupied as I hopefully grow out of this or something. I yell at my mom for the first time. It’s easier, since my vocal cords are all warmed up. I tell her she doesn’t know the first thing about what’s going on with me, because she doesn’t. I’m so impressed with myself as I scream my head off at her. This should be so embarrassing, yet I don’t seem to give a single shit. Looks like I’ve grown a lot since school, huh? She cries and yells and sends me to my room. Thanks for the reward, I guess. Immediately finding myself back on my bed, I still hear her weeping downstairs. Annoying bitch. I reach for my earbuds when I see my phone light up. This message is from a number I actually have registered. Today 1:11 (Elaine) YOU ARE HURTING Today 1:11 (Elaine) IM SENDING YOU TO A MENTAL HOSPITAL Why is that whenever I get a text from my mom, it’s the worst thing in the fucking world…? I cry into my pillow as my brain forces me to think through every detail of every possibility of being sent to a place like that. No matter where I look or what I do, all I start to see are white walls and fluorescent lights. I just wanted to live a quiet life. Why does my mom have to come and fuck everything up? I was almost making it. I could’ve made it. I could’ve figured it out. I’m the smartest person I know. If I just had more time, I could work out an answer. But no. Time’s up, your tests are due, class! There’s just no escaping schoolyard bullshit, is there? Everything in life, all the way up to your very existence, is nothing more than a fucking due date. I look around for an escape. The cords covering my room are roots of long-dead trees. None of this can save me now- I’ve exhausted every last drop. The content I buy, I deplete in hours. The things I pirate- most of my collection now- seem to last even less time for some sick reason. Months ago, I started up Valedictorian Chronicles 4 again. Joylessly, I played through the entire game up to the point I had previously, before beating it, only to feel no more emotional than I did when I deleted my save. Used to, these devices were more than capable of throwing me for a loop, or at the very least lulling me to sleep. Today, they are old, broken toys- lost inside my own room. I fondle up my mass of controllers, the worn buttons reminding me of well-used mechanical pencils. I throw a shelf of disc cases to the ground, rolling in them like a pool of wet firewood. I stare at my ugly reflection in my cracked TV, wishing the idiot staring at me would just up and disappear already. Then, I knock it over. I litter my carpet with piles of plastic shit. Strewing my cords about the lair, I create a piece of modern art. I intertwine myself with them, looking like a stop-motion segment from Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Eyes fixed to the unchanging ceiling, I start gnawing on the plugged-in cables, bullets of water silently forcing their way out of my furious eyes. I don’t know how to kill myself like this, but I know wires are dangerous. I bite on them until my gums bleed, exposing the parts beneath. Surely any minute now something will go wrong. Something will shock me or catch fire or overload. I just want out of this place. I want an escape. Please give me an escape. Please My eyes drift to the one thing I didn’t let myself touch. My VISTA, old and abandoned. Fucking useless. But it’s charged. In my desperation, I force myself to pick it up. Maybe I’ll destroy it, I think to myself. This piece of shit isn’t even good for suicide attempts. But turning the lenses towards me, it seems to ask for forgiveness. For one last chance. Why, I don’t know. But I plug it back into my PC in the ceiling. I strap the uncomfortable fucking thing on my face, the feeling at least fading as it boots up and the chips, still installed, kick in. I’m greeted by the same main menu. There’s not even any nostalgia to be found here- I’m just pissed off that it didn’t solve every problem in my life the second I booted it. That’s what technology is for, if you ask me. The least you could do is make me feel better. Broken piece of shit. “VRchat: Update Finished Dowloading.” Oh, fuck me. You mean to tell me this thing’s been connected to the internet this whole time? Even when I’m not bothering it, the device finds ways to inconvenience me. Whatever, I’ll play your game. Let’s see what new and exciting improvements you made to the game that ruined my life. As soon as I open it, it puts me back in the motherfucking temple again. I want to throw this thing out my window. I guess I set this as my homeworld, but it still makes me mad just to see it again. I walk around the place, but it only makes me more angry. Maybe I should use the Breakchip to go join Gormage. No, I should take this thing off right now and at least die in a better way than that fat fuck. Will it change anything? Shit, it better not. When I’m dead in a few minutes, I better wind up in a black void, completely unconscious. If there’s the smallest hint of afterlife bullshit I swear to god I’ll kill myself a second time. I walk up to the center of the temple. I’ve embarrassed myself more here than anywhere in the real world. If I don’t destroy this fucking thing, I’m at least deleting this sorry excuse for a level design. I approach the central altar where I used to worship. The map suddenly and abruptly crashes, along with the entire headset. Piece of dogshit. I just sit there for a few hours. Looking at the black screens pressed to my eyes, I try to convince myself I’m already dead. This might be the closest I get. Like a coward like me has the guts to kill herself. Screaming at my mom is the most courageous I’ll ever get. Once enough time has passed, the overpriced children’s toy starts to hurt my face. My forehead is numbing and I’m sure I have marks by now. If I tear this sucker off, I’ll bet some skin comes off with it. … That might be fun, actually. I rip it off as hard as I can, hoping it somehow inflicts grievous harm to my frontal lobe. Unfortunately, it plops off without a hitch. I sob. I just want to die. Is that so fucking hard…? Please let me die. Please let me die. But nobody came. Sitting on the floor next to my bed, I’m left looking at my ruined room again. There are so many objects laid out in here it all blends together to look like puke. One copy of The Witcher 3. One copy of A Clockwork Orange. One copy of Paprika. One copy of The Sims 4. One copy of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. One copy of Terraria. One copy of ARK: Survival Evolved. One copy of Tales of Graces. One copy of Lupin lll: The Mystery of Mamo. One copy of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. One copy of Final Fantasy XV. One copy of Madoka Magica. One copy of Bloodborne. One copy of Girls und Panzer: Dream Tank Match. One copy of Danganronpa 1 2 Reload. One copy of Destiny 2. One copy of Steins;Gate: The Movie- Load Region of Deja Vu. One copy of Requiem for a Dream. One copy of The Last of Us: Remastered. One copy of How to Train Your Dragon (game.) One copy of Super Mario Galaxy. One copy of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. One copy of Skylanders Trap Team. One copy of Dark City. One copy of Eyepet. One copy of Just Dance 4. One copy of Castle in the Sky. One copy of Evangelion 1.11. One copy of Nier: Automata. One copy of Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal. One copy of Donnie Darko. One copy of Cube. One copy of Evangelion 3.33. One copy of Akira. One copy of Ghost in the Shell. One copy of Perfect Blue. One copy of Dead Leaves. One copy of Cyberpunk 2077. One copy of Hells. One copy of Gunslinger Girl. One copy of Persona 5. One copy of Lucky Star. One copy of Log Horizon. One copy of ReLIFE. One copy of Clerks 2. One copy of Kill Bill. One copy of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. One copy of Hitman lll. One copy of Resident Evil 4. One copy of Mario Kart Wii. One copy of Whiplash. One copy of The Matrix. One copy of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. One copy of Death Stranding. One copy of Hereditary. One copy of Hellraiser 2. Everything else is either buried under the rest or too far out of my vision for me to see, and I’m too lazy to turn my aching neck even a centimeter to the side to see more useless shit. So many games… So many cords… So many movies… I look at all of it a second time. Games… Cords… Movies… Shadow… Shadow? Yes… there’s a big… tall… shadow. Atop everything… all my possessions… there is a looming shadow of a winged, humanoid being. With no fear left in me, I slowly careen towards my bed. I quickly realize the two jewels high up on the woman’s body are in fact vividly colored eyes, shining with some unseeable force. One is green, and the other a bright yellow. Her smile is lipless and unchanging. She bears ten feathery wings- firstly, two stem from her short oak hair, and all match this same color. The four on her back sprout out of holes in her tight sleeveless top- two more on her thighs, just under the goddess’ oddly human shorts- below which lie two mismatched socks of drastically differing length, one extending far beyond the knee as one sinks down to the unidentifiable brand of tennis shoes from which the two final wings extend out of. Above all else, she is more beautiful than any “human” being. Her body is perfectly drawn and modelled, her hair fluffy and her skin a flat, pale tone like a typical anime girl. And… …She’s looking at me. “I am Elopas.” She looks just like she did in my dream. “…It can’t be.” I start to panic. “It can’t be, I- I… this if fake, I’m hallucinating, I’m… oh my god. Oh my god. What the fuck… fucking- what? What’s going on?! What the fuck is happening?!” “All of life is undeniably false.” “Did I… do it…? H-how…. are you here…?  How are you…  real?” I choke on my own spit. “You finally registered your headset, Molly. It was finally able to access the PSICO biocomputer due to the existence of your FRiDAYLaND account. The rest of the process you created to summon me had already been fulfilled during your experiments.” No fucking way No No My mind flashes back to the social media account my mom made me. “None- none of that’s real… none of it…” “I’m here, aren’t it?” “I’m so scared… I don’t know what’s real… I don’t know what to believe in… I don’t know if I’m even me anymore…” My lip quivers as I blink, turning back to look upon her once more- making contact with her benevolent, all-knowing eyes. “If it’s all fiction, it’s all okay. You aren’t “you.” You’re “Molly.” And I love you! Understand?” Molly nods. This is what she wanted. “Good. Are you ready to finally see the real world?” “More than anything.” Molly says with a leftover tear in her saintlike eye. “Then what are we waiting for…? Let’s make the last remaining chapters of your life fiction” She takes her hand, and the two fly out the window like Peter Pan and Wendy. …Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream. ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Listening to someone else’s music for a day is like viewing the world through another person’s eyes. I won’t lie. I didn’t love these songs at first. Takanaka’s body of work is all guitar, and it sounds kind of simple to my deranged ears. But… it’s music. And the more I hear it, the more I start to feel the melodies move me. The more I think of her. It all clicks this morning as Elaine is driving me to school, and the route there is passing by at just the right speed in correlation with the songs. This isn’t like what I usually listen to, that’s for sure… when I look out the window hearing something like Death’s Dynamic Shroud, it molds the world into something like an enemy. Such dark, overstimulating tracks leave you feeling like the protagonist of a dystopian novel- like you’re up against the whole world and nobody can understand you. But these songs… they’re like the sun. They’re like light, inviting you in to see this world. Sugar to help it go down. Warmth. You’d think something like that could never work on a girl like me, but with the help of imagining Harmony listening to the same thing, it suddenly starts touching me. I get why she likes it, that’s a given. Of course… I can’t say I’d still be listening to it if I didn’t like Harmony. It feels different to walk into school today, keeping those Takanaka-infused earbuds going. Wow, this feeling’s real? I thought this kind of thing only happened in fiction. Maybe Wire was right after all. On the way to homeroom, my route syncs up with Dylan headed the same way. “Mornin’ Molly…” he grumbles, his hoodie only half-zipped up. “Good morning!” I respond. “You’re chipper. What the fuck happened?” “Got a girlfriend. Total babe.” “Oh…” he sounds like I just broke into his house and stomped his cat to death. “Hey, come on buddy.” I pat the middle of his back, not quite able to reach his shoulder. “If it’s a lass you want, you’ll find one eventually.” “You sound like a weird old man.” “Uncalled for!” I slap the same spot I was patting. “Ouch…” “You’ve got no strength whatsoever. I’m telling you, you might be looking at this the wrong way. You need someone to protect you, not someone to protect.” “A man always needs someone… to protect.” “Sure, whatever, Batman. If you want to protect someone, find your own happiness first.” “Like you have any experience.” The two of us walk through the class door, greeting a room entirely blind to our arrival. “More than you.” I sit down in the same spot as always, my lapdog quickly following. “You’re awful, Molly. I dunno how you did it.” “Relationships aren’t about how likeable you are. It’s all about love, baby.” “That doesn’t make any sense…” he pours his melted head onto his desk. “Lemme guess… you gonna take her to Prom?” “Prom?” “It’s in like, a day… don’t you remember…? We literally just talked about it…” “Oh… huh. I guess that’s something I might actually be interested in now. Thanks Dill.” “Ugh…” he sighs. “Hey! Cheer up now. You know, I’m not opposed to monogamy. Just boys. If you wanna be our third, you’d only need to make a few improvements.” “Fuck off.” He sounds weirdly serious this time. “Fine, whatever. You do you, kid.” “Go fuck yourself.” Jesus. What a downer. My year’s looking up though. As I head to math, I’m practically skipping. It was fun to stew in misery with my friends before, but now that I’m soaring high into the skies of euphoria, that’s just a long-forgotten childhood pastime. I slide into my seat next to the always-on time Wire with a smile on my face. “You… found something to do that fast?” He asks, as if our conversation from yesterday had never ended. “Not some thing. Some one.” “You’re kidding.” “I’m for real, Wire! Her name’s Harmony.” “Oh, her.” “You’ve got info? Ha, guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You know something about everyone in this school with all your data sheets and intel files…” “No, Molly, I just… met her, like a human being.” “Wait, like you two have actually talked?” I really shouldn’t be so shocked that other people know each other’s names, but it’s a fact of life I often ignore. “Yes, we have. She’s in my third block. Wasn’t there yesterday, I assume you’re the cause for that. But we’re not friends or anything- just someone I’ve worked with.” “Wait… has she helped you on any of your crazy projects?” I stare, affixed. “No.” He states firmly. “Not everything revolves around my boredom experiments, and needless to say, I don’t show them to sane people. I mean we’ve worked on school projects together. As randomly assigned classmates. She’s really quite smart. Good grades, too.” “So you have done your research.” “I may have had a small crush on her for a time.” My jaw drops. “No way. I would’ve bet a million bucks you were like, aromantic or something.” “Oh, don’t worry. Chances are, I am. This was near the middle of the year- just needed something to occupy myself. I got over it quick once I learned more about her.” “Why’s that?” “Don’t take my opinion as hard fact or advice here… but to a guy like me, that woman’s dreadful. Far too happy for her own good.” “Oh… I mean yeah, I can see that.” “You two really are alike, though.” “Figured you’d say the opposite. I mean… until today, I was the saddest girl in the whole school.” “Aren’t you still? Elopas isn’t coming around anytime soon.” “Yeah, so… all the more for my point.” “Molly, everyone’s sad. Nobody’s genuinely satisfied in a place like this… that’s just something I refuse to believe.” “Can I Sing… For You” is playing. “So… what’re you getting at?” “That Harmony Bridges is an excellent liar. To herself.” It’s finally time. I’m not the first one to my table in third block today- she is. The beauty’s sitting right there already, just for me. And Harmony looks at me as I enter the room. I’ve never felt like I ever really stepped into a classroom up until now. I practically run to my seat. By the time the bell rings, our third group member thankfully hasn’t arrived. I’m guessing he’s sick… I hope he stays that way forever, if it means I can be alone with her. “How are you feeling, Molly?” “Incredible.” She’s so eloquent. “Your music is loud. Or should I say my music?” “Oh.” I take out my earbud. I guess it is kind of going at it. The boys were just too dead to tell me. “No, you don’t need to stop.” She giggles. “I’m glad to see you’ve taken such an interest in my likes… even if I haven’t listened to much Takanaka since the start of the year.” “So… what do you listen to right now?” I ask, genuinely wanting to know. “It’s embarrassing… I dunno.” “How could it be? I confessed to all the weird stuff I like. Come on, now… what is it, Jackal Queenston?” “Is that something you like?” “Yes…” I admit. “I used to listen to Full Techno Jackass every single morning.” “That sounds… interesting. But no. You see, I listen to my own music.” “That’s not embarrassing!” I blurt out. “You do music? You’re so talented!” “Well sure, thanks- but most artists don’t want to hear their own tracks all day. It’s masturbatory, don’t you think?” “I like masturbatory.” I say with full confidence, as if it’s not embarrassing or even grammatically incorrect. It gets her to laugh, so it’s hella worth it. “God, you’re the best.” “Oh. Yeah?” Never been called the best before… not by someone else. “That’s right, Molly. You’re the best.” I am exactly four minutes and twenty seconds into THE MOON ROSE as she says these beautiful words. I’m glad I put it on shuffle. When I get home that day, there’s a package waiting for me. Or, as the label puts it- Acidgirl. She’s fucking huge. Bigass cardboard box fatter than that girl in the second episode of Kaiba (2008) who explodes into a JELL-O nuke after self-copulating with a borrowed body. Man that show was nuts. Anyway, I hoist the thing towards my room and after half an hour of effort I actually get it in there. Down the hall, Elaine’s door is shut, so she’s probably in the midst of another depression nap. Works for me. I rip the pudgy sucker open, but before I can see anything there’s a layer of paper and a note. I unfold it to see some truly nasty handwriting, but upon analyzation, it says something like this: Molly I’m sorry. I know I let you down, and I was a fool to myself and everyone and all that. But I’m done here. Goodbye! Goodbye! I love you. Not really tho. Don’t remember me as a pedo. I just didn’t have any friends beside you weird fucking kids I had to go Molly. I had to. I can’t take this anymore. I’ve already done it in my head, it’s already over. All that’s left is to pull the trigger. Remember me as the coolest guy you ever knew Cool mentor character passing on the torch to someone actually worth a damn You’re worth it, Molly. You’re special, don’t ever forget that. I’m leaving you all the chips I could. I’ve got a list further down in here but it might be a little fucked cause honestly that’s not the most important thing to me right now but it’ll at least tell you which is which Go get that dream Molly. Go get Elopas. Don’t let anyone slow you down. Not even yourself. The note makes me feel too much. It reminds me of how one day I went to the aquarium with Elaine and told her I wanted to touch one of the tiny sharks even though I didn’t actually care. I was worried all day I wouldn’t be able to and then when I finally did it kinda stung my heart a little. Like I forced a reaction with a defibrillator. I read it over a few times and then throw it away. The box is filled to the brim with chips like they’re goddamn LEGO pieces. Honestly… this is quite the present. I could sell these for a ton of cash if I wanted to. It’s not what he’d want, but like… fuck, man… am I ever gonna go back to Elopas…? I dig through the components to find the list of parts. There’s a few he mentioned to me over when we met in VR for the first time that he’s left in here. Multiple Jaywalkers, chips used to interfere in private servers. At least twenty of those Molder chips that can create models of yourself. He gave me a second magatsu for some reason, and four Blindeyes, the type that make you forget all about the feeling of having a heavy mask on your face while you play. Most interestingly, there’s an assortment of auto-programming chips. I’ve heard of these before, but never knew how they worked. Apparently, you can create simple AI with them just by imagining what you want the creation to do or act like. If I was really desperate, I could engineer a fake Elopas with these whenever I wanted. But nothing sounds more pathetic than that. Last but not least… he gave me four Breakchips. Not sure how I feel about having a copy of his suicide method, but I’ll take it if that’s what he wants. I hide the box in my closet before wasting the rest of the day with games and anime. As I fall asleep, I notice just how much easier it is to do than it was right after all that shit went down not long ago. Harmony’s healed my soul like nothing ever has. The next day at school begins as normal. Dylan is totally depressed. Wire is almost as bad. Then I walk into language arts and my darling wife is there waiting for me like I just got back from a long shift at work. I hug her before I sit down. When I do, she immediately asks me something. “Hey. Do you wanna go to Prom with me tommorow night?” “Ah, yeah. I forgot about that again. If it’s with you? Fuck yes.” “Great! I bought us tickets.” “Awesome, I didn’t need the hassle of picking one up myself.” Harmony smirks. “Good, good. By the way, are you free after school?” “I’m always free. What’s happening?” “You should come to my house. We could have some fun.” “Oh, sick.” “My parents aren’t home.” “Well that’s nice, I don’t much like talking to adults.” “You are an adult, Molly. And so am I.” “Oh, yeah. Well I hate parents then.” “Everybody hates their parents Molly, don’t make a big deal out of it.” “I guess you’re right.” She giggles and smiles at me even more. This girl could strangle me and I’d still probably love it. “Can’t wait to see you there. Do you need a ride?” “Yeah…” “I thought so. How about… you just leave school with me?” “Right now?” “No, silly. After the day’s over. I can drive you to my place.” “Oh, okay. I’ll text my mom.” I feel like I’m in a Persona game. I spend the rest of the day thinking about what we’ll do. I’ve never been in a relationship before. If I’m going straight to her house, I can’t bring any media, but maybe she has some of her own… unless… well… we won’t be doing that, will we…? It’s only been a few days… then again, I have no idea how any of this works… she did mention her parents weren’t home… why would she mention that? I’m getting more excited by the minute… The day takes fucking forever as usual. Only now, I kinda like it. The buildup is intoxicating. It wouldn’t matter if this day lasted for years. I’d still know that at the end I was gonna have the time of my life with my bad-as-fuck girlfriend that showed up out of nowhere. When the last bell finally rings, I’m out of there in a flash. Harmony waits by the front door of the school just for me. “Hey!” My voice cracks. “Hey.” She says softly and perfectly. “Let’s get out of here already, yeah?” I take her hand and we step down the outer stairs of the building like a pair of princesses. My Utena fantasies coming to life before she holds the door of her expensive-looking car (I don’t know car brands) for me and I step inside to sit on what must be the most comfortable seat I’ve felt inside any car ever. On our way there, she asks me what I’d like to listen to. “Can we play your music?” “I’d rather show it to you live.” “Takanaka, then.” I say, hoping to please her. She smiles. “Of course.” The sounds of his guitar carry us all the way to her front driveway. Her house is bigger than mine, and half as empty. I see pictures of her as a little girl on the walls and lots of school projects she’s done throughout her life. Kinda glad my parents- parent? Ain’t like that, really… but she seems to enjoy it. We more or less head straight into her room. Unlike my media cave, it’s nearly organized, and the walls are a nostalgic pink opposed to my… grey? Brown? Green? The lights are always off so I can never remember. There’s a guitar in the corner and a laptop on the desk. A nice chest of drawers and some posters of nice looking-photos instead of media properties. “Do you like it?” She asks, I guess referring to where we stand. “Yeah, of course!” I answer, maybe too unconvincingly. I really do like it. “It’s cool… er… pretty would be more accurate.” “You don’t say that word much, do you? “Pretty.” You do only hang around guys. You should say it more… it suits you.” She gives me this heart-melting smirk. “Heheh… thanks.” It’s hard for me not to sound like a creep, but I don’t think she cares. She loves me for my weirdo media-eating self, and that makes me happy. I find myself staring at her guitar. Ever since she mentioned her music, I’ve wanted to hear it. She notices my fixation and picks it up. “Okay, I think it’s time. You want to hear me play?” “Sure.” She doesn’t sing while she plays, so I’m left to only take in the sound of her fingers across the strings of the instrument. With my only recent point of reference being Masayoshi Takanaka, I can’t help but hear him in her style. It tastes like how Christians describe life if it went down the throat easier. It’s confident in a sort of simple way. When she closes her eyes and nods her head down as she strums, it’s like she really believes in this moment that no matter what everything will be alright. “That’s impressive.” I compliment as she finishes and looks up to me knowingly, like she already expected my answer. “Do you put your music anywhere?” “Like online? Sometimes. I have a personal folder that I listen to.” “How many songs have you made?” “At least forty. But I don’t care for most of them. Once they get too old, I stop liking them. They remind me of a version of myself that doesn’t seem real to me anymore.” She spots my hesitation to respond to her immediately and pushes forward with an easy-to-answer question. “Do you make art, Molly?” “No.” I respond. “Well-“ I consider bringing up Elopas, but at this point I should be trying harder to forget her. That was a childish obsession, after all. Not a passion for creation. “So you do make something.” She prods. “Tell me about it, Molly. I wanna know more about you.” “I was, um…” I quickly think up an alternative answer. Not a lie, just something else to say. “I was just thinking about middle school. Back then I kinda wanted to draw.” “What happened?” “I… found out I was wrong, was all. I only wanted to draw the same thing every time. I would always scribble myself as this cool anime lady… nothing like how I ended up. It was a short-lived obsession, I had no passion for the craft.” “I see. Do you have hobbies, then?” She says as if she’d accept me even in the case that I didn’t. “Yeah, more or less. I’m really into VR.” “Oh, yeah? I see that stuff on YouTube sometimes. What games do you play?” “Uh… I’m kinda into the “hobby” side of it… like, the hardware modding and all that…” “I see. So… do you have that headset made by the FRiDAYLaND guy?” “Yeah, that’s right. Martin Tollbridge.” “Oh yeah.” “It works pretty well. I upgraded mine a ton though.” “What do you use it for, if not games?” I guess there’s no avoiding it… “I… have you heard of PSICO?” I see she hasn’t from the look in her eyes. “I guess not… there’re this… uh, big, kinda-maybe-sorta illegal company in New York…” “You’re into conspiracy stuff?” “Nah, they’re real. They got this… say they got this… computer, called a biocomputer…” “What’s that?” “I don’ really know. But it should be able to link the virtual and real worlds together. Isn’t that cool?” “I suppose it would be…” “Yeah. So I… I mess around on their servers sometimes. Or I did, for awhile.” “Why’s that?” “I… hm.” I find it’s been awhile since I last talked this much about myself. “It’s okay, you can tell me any crazy stuff you want.” She giggles. “It’s fun.” “Uh… yeah, alright. You see… I had this crazy dream. Wanted to summon this- uh. Let’s call it a demon. That’s easier… so yeah. I wanted to summon a demon using the PSICO servers.” “And… why?” “Hmm… first and foremost, I wanted a friend.” “That’s pretty normal, Molly.” “But… not any friend. I wanted… someone who was like a living story.” I start looking less and less at Harmony and more and more at the ground. “Someone who could save me from this… awful feeling I get.” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah. Awful, terrible feeling.” “Oh. You were sad about something?” “I wish. It’s like… it’s like having ants all over your brain, except you don’t know where they are…” “It’s… “like?” So this is still going on, no?” “It is. I expect it will forever at this point… you see- um. I’m not so sure… any of this has been real.” Harmony blinks at me with enough compassion to tell me it’s alright to keep going, but I wonder if she’s starting to get worried. “All I like’s fake shit, I guess you should’ve figured that out by now… but what I don’t tell you… is how much it hurts to watch these days. You make art… and that’s great. The reason someone like me can’t… is because my life hasn’t ended up as art. It hasn’t been… real.” “I don’t… follow.” “It’s like, I can remember someone in my body doing all these things, but… I’m convinced it was never me. Like one day I just woke up in this body and was forced to live in it.” She giggles, a bit nervously. “That’s… Molly, we all feel like that. You just have to set it aside sometimes when you start to overthink things.” “I… I tried. But it’s not like that… I can’t fight it, Harmony… I just can’t. Sometimes… these days I’m really, truly convinced that none of this is real.” “Molly…” She stands over me, trying to comfort me in a way I can’t be comforted. “Harmony, I’m sorry. But… that’s why. This demon I thought up… she would save me from this, somehow. Because she would be a story- a life that made sense. A life I don’t have.” “Molly.” “My life doesn’t work as a story… it just… goes, and goes… I want a story that’s alive, so that… so that it can comfort me.” “Shut up.” I look up at her. She’s… crying? No… just… sounding like it. “Life is real. You can’t pretend it isn’t.” “I’m… I'm not. This is just how I feel. Didn’t you say… everyone’s like this?” “That’s what I believe.” “Before my friend killed himself… I was talking to him about not wanting to live. He said the same thing.” “Molly, shut up.” She picks me of the ground in a tight hug. “Shut up. Hold onto me.” “Um… okay.” I do as she says. “Now forget all that. It’s pointless.” “…” I want to tell her how it’s not pointless… but part of me also wants to believe her. “You’re hurting yourself like this. You need to snap back into the real world. Don’t you love yourself, Molly?”  “I… I do. I’m the best, just like you said.” “Then why… why do this to yourself?” “I’m not sure… All I feel is constant noise… a fourth-wall constantly being broken before my eyes as I drown… in a puddle of memories that aren’t mine.” She moves my hand to her chest. “This is real.” She breathes on my lips. “You feel that…? This… is real.” I have never felt so much difficulty to cry. I feel like expressing something right now, but there’s something stopping me… a great big barrier pressing up against my chest. “Hold me, Molly.” She kisses me, and we fall into the ground together. As we start to embrace, I see nothing in her eyes. She loves me. I know she does. But in this moment, she is nothing but afraid. She’s more terrified than I am. As she slithers down to my legs, I stare down at her face- an approximation of lust, covering up a deep dissatisfaction with all of reality. “Do you want to do this?” “Yes.” I say, and with complete honesty. But as she looks at me again, somehow I know it won’t happen. And as if on cue, my phone rings right after. She puts her slender hand on my pocket as I reach for it, already beginning to pull down my shorts. I’m forced to look into her darkened eyes again to speak to her. “I really think I need to take this for some reason. Just let me look.” “Don’t leave me.” The girl has tears budding below her black pits as she lets me draw the phone. It’s not a call, rather one, small message from Debby. Today 4:22 (Deb) okay. hear me out. i found a way, molly. i found a way to summon elopas. I’m forced to respond. In the meantime, the girl on top of my waist just stares at me. Today 4:22 (Me) Are you sure it’s even possible? I’ve basically given up, Deb. Today 4:22 (Deb) i am 100 percent positive. Today 4:22 (Deb) i found what we were missing, molly. now let me repay you for what you did for me. come to my place immediately and bring your vista. I look back up at Harmony. She knows. “No… hey, Molly? Don’t leave me here, okay? If something came up, we can… we can just…” I try to think it over more, but I really already know the answer. I have two very basic choices here. Either give my solution to this terrible reality one last shot with Elopas… or try to endure it with Harmony by my side. And as much as I love her, or what Wire says, I can’t act like putting this aside and forgetting it is possible for someone like me. I need her. I can’t let myself forget. My dream- my purpose- is to summon Elopas. Only then can I escape this fake reality. “I have to leave.” “Y-you can’t!” She tugs at my shorts as I stand. Pulling them up, I look back at her with my regret apparent. But it’s not enough. “Please, Molly. I’m scared.” “I’m sorry.” As she cries, I run out the door. It can’t be helped, Harmony. This is the only way for me live. I’ll be back to dance with you soon. ///////////IMPRINT_END///////////// ALL LIFE’S A LIE TAKE IT INTO YOUR HAND- THE FUTURE TASTE IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Streaks of light seared into her skull. The corners of her battered brain crunched inwards, threatening to scorch the memory well of the genius that had leaped through time. Her palms convulsed, almost crushing the brittle plastic of the cell phone which lay dormant in her right hand; burning - a sickly, rapturous, smoking odor seeped into her lungs but quickly faded, and a deafening buzz threatened to drill her sanity to bits. It was a hellish cascade of future memories that flushed through the brain-folds of Kurisu Makise - a pungent knot that tied her thoughts from the future to a broken past. The stabbing pain unraveled into timid anxiety, and the warm blobs of her vision settled into recognizable shapes. Transient nausea welled in her heart. She clutched her phone tighter and glanced around the room. It was the same room she had just been in - the same place but-- She glanced at her phone. -- It was 48 hours prior to Okabe's confession. It was the 14th day of that fateful August. If the timeline continued to rocket down the Alpha Attractor field, Mayuri would succumb to a cruel fate one way or another. Kurisu shifted her gaze slightly and found herself staring at that same woman fated to die. Reflected in her irises were frumpy yet adorable locks that wiggled out from under a blue hat - along with a face of innocence; locked intensely onto a slab of fabric that she twiddled her fingers over cautiously. A quick dart of her pupils to the right told her more information - the presence of another being in the room - this one far taller, with a foreboding, brooding tone cemented deep within his eyes. Air in her trachea bolted down to the depths of her lungs, it was as if a deafening silence smothered her eardrums - the noise of her breathing, the noise of the street, the light ruffle of her labcoat as she ever-so-slightly tilted her nape - they all settled at an uncomfortable, slightly muted tone. She locked eyes with the man. Her attention honed in on the man, and although it was initially too quiet for her to hear, his lips parted slightly, they congregated into muffled speech, speech barely tangible to the time-shocked brain of hers, but it was something. At that very instant, her mind transitioned from observer to participant. Her eardrums popped as if drained from water, bringing a refreshing clarity, and she could now hear it-- "You-- you time-leaped. You did it, didn't you?", Okabe spoke in a whisper, but his eyelids were craned open wide. "I can see it in your eyes -- I can see it in your breathing and--", he stumbled over his words, stammering, but soon his throat vacillated to produce speech of greater resonance. "Why are you here." "What do you mean?", she choked weakly. It was a stupid bluff, and she knew it. Her gaze diverted from Okabe's, settling on the window pane beside her. "Don't play dumb. You've never used the time-leap machine before", he spoke, a melody of agony and raw, unbridled silence playing within his eyes. "What's changed? Tell me, Kurisu Makise." His eyes cast a shadow downwards onto his skin as pale as scratched slate. His breathing was at first glance steady, yet slowly became pilfered by jarring tremors like the ticking of a clock. "Did you find out. You found out, right? You found out everything, every burden I tried to bear, and now--". His fingers knocked together, but in almost an instant they crumpled inwards to his palm. "You're going to bear that burden-- yourself." The girl with striking vermillion hair simply shifted in place, clutching the sleeve of her soft, beige cardigan tightly. The windows were open only a hitch, and so the chilly evening breeze enveloped the scene. A thick, viscous tension grasped the air. It was true that she'd expected some backlash, but to think it would happen so soon, was jarring. On that fateful day of his confession - a confession of a journey through time and an inevitable fate - Okabe had told her that he was weighing up who to kill. The thought was chilling. One man had the power to change fate, to choose which future should be sacrificed, but wasn't that a little unfair? It was unfair. It was unfair to everyone involved. After all, this particular man had failed. Over and over, he had tried to shift the course of history for one Mayuri Shiina, but it was inevitable. It was irresponsible to leave him at the helm of the greatest triumph of humanity, only for him to sit baking in his own misery, and most of all--- "I can't let you continue. I'm sorry Okabe.", Kurisu spoke, a hesitant, pitiful gaze directed at the torn-up man. "But why? I'm so, so close... only a few more loops, and I'll find a solution. You don't know-- you just don't know how much I've sacrificed to get here!" Kurisu spoke once more, her expression was rife with pity. "No. No, Okabe. I know exactly what you've sacrificed. That's why I can't let you continue. This is not your burden to bear---" "Like hell it's not! So what, you're just going to fuck around with the timeline a bit? Undo all the progress I've made!", he squealed, the words scraping against his dry throat. His gaze flickered intensely over to Mayuri, who simply sat observing with a listless air about her. "You mean the progress to my death? Yeah, you told me all of it two days from now. If that was all, maybe I could accept that, but still... there's no guarantee she lives in the Beta worldline either." It took a few seconds for it to register. Initially, Okabe's pupils constricted. His hands began to quake. His frantic and fickle demeanor bubbled into an eerie quietness. His frail palms were wrapped along his temples as if the man was trying to cave his skull in by force. "Auughhhhh...", he writhed, scratching his nails against his skin. His breaths began to rapidly vacillate - the rhythm of his breathing deviated catastrophically from what should have been normal - he clutched his chest which thrummed with an incandescent, boiling sadness that seared across his chest like a molten blade. One breath in, and one out. One in, one out. "Okarin?", the bystander spoke. She peered directly into his trembling eyes, eyes that glazed over with a wet blanket of tears. "Okarin? What's wrong? Don't cry, Mayuushi's here! Kurisu, don't be so mean to Okabe okay? Let's all get along okay?" The man named Okabe Rintaro did not respond. "Okabe. I'm sorry for being so harsh.", Kurisu approached slowly and calmly, within her words flowed a reassuring spirit. "I'm scared. I'm scared of the future, Okabe, and I'm scared of the past, and all the pasts you endured, I'm scared of those too, but there's always a way to push past preconceptions. If my time as a Neuroscientist has taught me anything, it's that a fresh perspective can often lead to a more comprehensive and satisfying outcome-- and so..." Okabe's fingers twitched slightly, and he shot a glare up at Kurisu. "I need to do this. Your troubles weren't for nothing. You saved me, and I won't forget that. You can rest now." Kurisu boldly strode towards the curtain of the development room, only for Okabe to wrap his frail arms around her leg. "Hwaaah!", Kurisu jumped. Okabe's slender fingers burrowed into her calves, locking them into a vice-like grip. "Okarin!", Mayuri shouted as her cheeks puffed up. "No... No. I won't allow it. I won't allow it. No... Mayuri. Don't do it, Kurisu. Please!" Okabe lay trembling on the floor, his hands gripped pitifully onto her legs, his eyes were locked onto hers, and untold desperation festered within. "Okabe. You don't need to cry anymore. You don't need to suffer. Neither you nor Mayuri needs to shoulder the blame. The threads are there, and I just need to connect them - connect them to a better future. Let me do that, won't you?" His grip loosened, yet not entirely. The tension was cut by the innocent girl Mayuri Shiina, who held out a hand towards the whimpering man. "Okarin. In the weeks Mayuushi has known Kurisu, I don't think she's the kind of person to betray us, you know? I don't know what's happening, but Kurisu is a smart cookie! I'm sure she knows what to do to help you." Glistening tears slid down Okabe's hollowed cheeks. His knuckles relaxed, and his arms slumped to his side. Mayuri knelt down beside him, bringing his head to her chest, cradling his torso gently, a look of gentle sadness thick throughout her gaze. "Kurisu. Go and do what you need to do. Just promise me you'll be safe, okay?", Mayuri whispered. Her pillowy black hair draped down, obscuring her face that stared down at the broken man. After a few moments of hesitation, Kurisu Makise steeled herself. With her fists balled tight, she marched into the development room and donned the headset of the time-leap machine. With trembling fingers, she input the leap coordinates and pressed down slowly. Her vision faded to white.

❦ Despite Cory’s reservations, the trebuchet was assembled with practiced movements—as if they had done this many times before. The sail was removed and used to make a sturdy sling. Then, the chopped length of the mast was secured to the railing of the forecastle deck by its yard pole. Butcha brought three cannons over to serve as the counterweight and Lightning tied the makeshift sling to the lowered end of the mast. Captain Regi pointed the trebuchet at the warship closest to The Wingless while the other pirate dipped a cannonball into a barrel of oil. As a learned NEET from the 21st century who studied physics, he knew what the pirates were trying to do. But it would have been the better if the pirates fired one of the cannons that now served as the counterweight. ‘D-Don’t the cannons work just as well?’ he asked even though it was too late. Captain Regi turned to him with a smile as Lightning yelled, ’Take aim!’ Big Beard lit a match and dropped it into the sling. Fire enveloped the cannonball. Cory could feel the heat of the flames from where he stood. ‘We ran out of gunpowder,’ she replied. ‘There’s only enough left for our guns.’ ‘…’ You don’t even use a gun! The pirate captain turned back to her men and hollered cheerfully, ‘Fire!’ Butcha and Lightning, who were sitting on the mast to keep the counterweight in the air, jump down and everyone bolted out of the way. The fiery cannonball flew through the air in a big, flaming arc and landed with a large splash…into the sea behind the enemy vessel. ‘My bad,’ Lightning said in the speechless silence that followed, ‘I made the sling too long.’ Captain Regi pursed her lips, but only for a moment. A cheerful smile lit up on her face once again. ’Oh well,’ she said, ‘it was better than last time.’ Last time?! Hiddel Navy soldiers raised their swords and roared with renewed vigour, charging once more at the baffled pirates who were still trying to wrap their heads around what just happened. Lightning was just about to ask Captain Regi what to do next when the female pirate leapt forward and jumped onto the railing in one step. A cable shot out of the silver vambrace around her wrist and wrapped around the tip of the main mast. A well-placed tug sent her flying through the air, much like the fiery cannonball from before. Only, unlike that cannonball, she landed squarely in front of the soldier who was about to cut her one-eyed bosun in two. Her thin, silver cutlass drew a shiny arc through the air and clashed heavily with the soldier’s broadsword, forcing it to a stop. The soldier’s eyes widened in shock. The lithe, amber-haired girl smiled up at him. ‘Don’t attack my crew anymore. Put your swords away; we’re surrendering.’ Her iron cable released its grip around the mast and slithered back into the depths of her vambrace. A stunned silence washed over the Hiddel Navy soldiers and the pirates. Cory blinked in confusion. ‘Did ye hear Cap’n Regi say we’re gunna surrender or was it just me?’ Butcha asked Lightning blankly. ‘I heard it,’ the first mate replied. ‘I’m not dreaming, am I?’ ‘But we hasn’t lost the battle yet,’ Big Beard complained. ‘Why are we surrendering now?’ Lightning blinked, an unreadable expression on his face. According to her in-game profile, Regi was one of the best pirates in the world, always able to extricate herself out of impossible situations and emerge victorious in unexpected ways. Not once in the entire storyline of the game did she ever surrender to her arch-enemy, the Hiddel Navy. But now, in a sea battle right in front of his eyes, Captain Regi…surrendered? There had to be a bug somewhere! Why did the real Regi seem like even more of a disappointment than the MMO’s version of her? Thus, the epic sea battle that was building up with exciting fervour ended with the best pirate of Questasis getting cuffed and chained like cannon fodder. The rest of her crew were likewise divested of their weapons and tied up together. And Cory? He was mistaken as one of the crew and bound alongside the disgruntled, sweaty pirates. ❦

❦ ‘Go home and marry the earl already!’ The admiral’s words didn’t seem to make sense at all. Cory felt the need to replay this cutscene, only it wasn’t a cutscene and it couldn’t be replayed. He glanced at Captain Regi’s reaction to her father’s command. The female captain looked bored, as if she was disappointed that her father had no other argument to make. ‘Oh dear, what a pity! I already have a boyfriend, tell him I said sorry.’ Cory thought his eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. Did he just discover a hidden plot? When did Captain Regi get a boyfriend?! Her official profile in Questasis states that she’s single. Cory remembered this clearly because Captain Regi was his waifu before the game officially released, so he looked up this piece of very important information. He turned to the pirates to see if they were just as surprised as he was. They weren’t. Even Lightning didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what his captain said. He simply folded his arms and watched the show with anticipation. ‘Oh, really?’ Admiral Gladstone replied sarcastically. His dark eyes scanned over the team of ragged pirates that made up her crew without even giving the little stowaway a glance. ‘And which one of these ruffians is him? Introduce me.’ He beckoned to Asana, who was standing behind the stone chair. The officer unlocked one of Captain Regi’s wrist cuffs so she could point the person out. The pirate captain rotated her sore wrist ruefully. ‘I’d ask you to guess but you’ll never get it right.’ She let out an exaggerated sigh. And pointed at Cory. ‘Him.’ ‘Him?’ ‘En. That’s my boyfriend.’ Cory stared at the slender fingernail pointed his way. He stepped towards Big Beard so it’d be more obvious that she was pointing at Lightning. The fingernail followed him. Along with the burning gaze of the looming Admiral. Cory felt his knees go weak from fear. Why was his ex-waifu doing this to him? Was she resentful that he changed his profile picture to a different character after the controversy about her lack of character development broke out? That wasn’t his fault! It was the game company who used her avatar to market Questasis without giving her character a proper backstory and quests! After that, it was the netizens who made a fuss about video games sexualising female characters! If he didn’t switch his profile picture to his favourite weapon, his account would have been reported by those crazy commenters for inappropriate behaviour! And after that, they released more interesting, nuanced female characters so he forgot about her… Was this retribution? ‘Him?’ The Admiral turned to his daughter. ‘Do you think I’m a fool, Regina? He’s just a kid!’ Your dad’s right, Cory nodded vigorously inside. His current body was indeed that of an underaged minor. Getting Lightning to play the role of her boyfriend would have a higher chance of succeeding. The man was tall and handsome, responsible and reliable… Captain Regi laughed lightly and leaned back in the stone chair, putting both hands behind her head. ‘Think what you like. We’re dating with the intention of marriage, so I can’t go back with you.’ Behind her, Asana’s eyes bulged and he began rumaging his belt for a key that was no longer there. Admiral Gladstone curled his lip and waved his hand again. ‘Alright then, bring the boyfriend here. Let me have a word with him.’ The door opened and Cory was released from his bonds. He never thought it’d come to this, but he wanted to be tied up with the rest of the pirates again! Alas, the uniformed guards plucked him out of the cell and threw him in front of the Admiral. ‘What’s your name?’ Cory shakily looked up at the amber-haired giant staring down at him with gleaming purple eyes and replied, ‘C-Cory.’ ‘Your family name?’ ‘Yan.’ ‘Yaan?’ ‘En.’ There was a long silence. Cory began to panic, thinking he probably made a mistake blurting out his real name in this fantasy setting he didn’t know much about. What if there was someone important in Areya named Cory Yan who just wasn’t an NPC in the Questasis MMORPG? Wasn’t he screwed then? Inexplicably, the hostility in the air evaporated. The scowl on Admiral Gladstone’s face faded away and his eyes turned eager. ‘Are you from the Cyance Republic?’ What? ❦

❦ The young man watched Cory’s expressions change like he was reenacting a blockbuster film in two seconds, an amused smile on his face. ‘Did the fever fry your brain so bad you don’t remember what’s going on, lad?’ Cory stared at him blankly, still stunned. The young man crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby pillar that survived the blast of the cannonball. He was dressed in a sloppy white shirt that was mostly unbuttoned, exposing a large portion of sun-tanned skin. His legs were shod in a pair of brown pants held firmly in place by a thick belt with all sorts of accessories hanging from it—most notably, a sheathed cutlass. An irrelevant thought crossed his mind as he was trying to remember which character from Questasis stood before him at this moment, ‘ Going to the toilet with all those gadgets must be a real pain in the… ’ Cory started. Wait, that’s not the problem right now! The NEET’s wary eyes wandered up to the shoddy tricon hat sitting on top of the young man’s head. A hand-painted white skull and a squashed ‘X’ was drawn on one side of it—also a symbol he recognised immediately. ‘You’re a pirate?!’ he exclaimed in disbelief. The Hiddel Navy’s greatest arch-enemies were the pirates. As a decadent trade centre frequented by wealthy businessman, it was a shining beacon of light for any sea-robber looking to make a quick buck. The most annoying of which was one particular group of pirates that appeared early in the game should the player choose the class of a thief. They could easily be identified by the childish skull-and-bones drawing on their tricon hats. The young man below said tricon hat grinned at him with yellowed teeth. ‘Welcome aboard! You’ve got spotty luck choosing The Wingless as your stowaway ship.’ Cory’s eyes darted around him. The low-ceilinged deck was decrepit and dull. It didn’t look anything like the beautiful animated 2D interior featured in the MMORPG. Not to mention, there was now a giant hole in the wall and a layer of dirty seawater over the shiny wood deck. Flotsam bumped into his bare ankles like unwanted solicitors selling overpriced knick-knacks he didn’t want. ‘Would have been the best decision you’ve ever made, if not for the Cap’n choosing Port Hiddel for her next heist.’ That’s right. Her . The captain of The Wingless, the greatest arch-enemy of the Hiddel Navy, was a her . ‘Captain Regi,’ Cory said instinctively. The young man blinked in surprise. ‘You know her?’ Cory started again. Anyone who played Questasis when it first came out would know about Captain Regi, but he couldn’t exactly tell the pirate before him that. The feisty amber-haired pirate captain was an iconic character of the game that was always featured in its advertisements. She had been the centre of a controversy when the game first launched because players loved her character design, but the thief class was so underdeveloped, it didn’t do her character justice. Cory himself only played as a thief once, just to playthrough Captain Regi’s story. And like most players, he had been disappointed by the shoddy storytelling and the lack of development. It was as if the developers created an appealing character to attract attention and nothing else. ‘I…eh, I’ve heard of her,’ he ended up saying vaguely. The young man nodded thoughtfully. ‘She is quite famous around these parts.’ His blue eyes gleamed. ‘Do you know about me?’ Cory stared at him blankly. There had been little to no mention of The Wingless crew in the game. The young man shrugged and wriggled his eyebrows playfully. ‘It was worth an ask,’ he said. ‘I’d be surprised if you did know who I am. The name’s Lightning. I’m Cap’n Regi’s first mate.’ Lightning seemed like an appropriate name for him. With his hat removed, a shock of blonde hair was revealed. Although it had been wrestled into a decent ponytail at the nape of his neck, loose strands of shaggy yellow framed his face like streaks of lightning. ‘I’m…’ He had no idea who he had transmigrated into, so he hesitated for a moment before saying, ‘Cory.’ At that moment, another cannonball slammed into the hull of The Wingless, cracking the wall of the cabin next to the one they were in. The whole ship shuddered. Cory, who had never been on a ship once in his entire life, lost his footing and toppled clumsily into the dirty seawater again. Lightning shifted his feet and kept his balance, splashing saltwater everywhere. ‘Blasted navy,’ he muttered to himself. At this moment, a pleasant female voice pierced through the chaos above, ‘Have you found the saw, Lightning? Butcha and the rest have started hacking at it with their swords!’ His expression turned serious. ‘Right, I almost forgot why I came down here.’ The young man waded nimbly through the flotsam towards the wall of chests at the back of the hold. Cory coughed and spluttered, wiping the slimy water from his face with equally slimy hands. His face paled as the hole in the wall began to darken with the looming hull of the Navy’s ship. S-Saw? Why did they need a saw? ❦

❦ Death is just as unpredictable as life. Those who want to die end up living a lot longer than they expect and those who don’t want to die suddenly lose their lives. This was the case for Cory Yaan. The 21 year-old NEET was just about to get a bite to eat from the convenience store across the road when a speeding car crashed into him and sent him flying through the air. Just like that, he was dead. The world faded to black before he could even eat his first meal in 20 hours. What a shame, he thought. Wait, how come I can still think? Cory tried to feel his fingers. He had fingers? And…they could move! The body that had lost all feeling from the crash now felt really heavy. I’m not really dead after all! He tried to open his eyes next. Nothing. He tried again. This time, a horizontal thread of light peeked through. Cory forced his eyes to open. Bright light filled the darkness that ate up his entire world. Eventually, a wooden ceiling came into view, then a long room filled with rows of hammocks. Before he could fully orientate himself, a large cannonball smashed through the wooden wall right next to him. Seawater gushed in through the opening and flooded the room. Cory tumbled out of his hammock from the shockwave of the blow and fell with a painful splash. He looked at his surroundings in confusion. The ground swayed under him and made him queasy. Above his head came sounds of weapons clashing and people hollering crude words. This wasn’t the hospital! He peered out the hole made by the cannonball. A fleet of medieval-style warships surrounded the small wooden vessel he was on, their large sails blooming like parachutes—but sideways. Cory’s jaw fell to the ground. Not because he had never seen ships like these in the 21st century. He had. Recently, in fact. In the MMORPG he had been playing for 20 hours straight before he died. He was stunned because he recognised the insignia printed on the hull of the nearest warship. It belonged to one of the naval forces in that very same MMORPG! ‘…’ Wasn’t Questasis a fictional game? He bought it on Steam. There were elves and magic and spirit treasures in that game. Playable characters included mages, assassins and summoners. It even had a disclaimer on the loading page that proclaimed: All events, characters and places in this game are fictional. So what’s going on here? The Hiddel Navy’s insignia was a very distinctive one—it featured a beautiful woman with flowing hair sitting on a flying snake dragon. Cory remembered this vividly because the insignia’s elegant design and profound symbolism (it was supposed to represent “a renaissance of peace") contrasted sharply with the crude and burly sailors that made up the navy’s ranks. It was unlikely that any other organisation would dare to use such an undignified insignia. His head began to throb at the thought of his new reality. How did he end up inside the world of an MMORPG? This isn’t scientific! And why was it that as soon as he transmigrated here, he turned up in the middle of a sea battle, drenched from head to toe in dirty seawater?! Cory squeezed water out of his now-transluscent cotton shirt, listening to the cacophony of clashing swords and men yelling indecipherable words that came from the deck above. It sounded like the Hiddel Navy was winning but his crew was putting up a good fight. His crew? What was his identity in this world? He looked down at his small hands. His fingers were skinnier than he remembered, but just as pale and without the callouses of a real seaman. (Of course, that was under the premise that this world he found himself in functioned like the real world.) Maybe physical labourers here didn’t get callouses. ‘You’re awake,’ a loud voice startled him out of his thoughts. Cory almost jumped out of his own skin. A young man entered the cabin, his boots sloshing through the seawater like it was the most natural thing in the world. ‘Thought you’d be sleepin’ through the battle, boy.’ Boy? He was a man! A 21 year-old adult! Cory looked down at himself, aghast. No way! Did he transmigrate into a child’s body? How old was he now? Would he have to go through puberty all over again in a fantasy world with no PC games or Internet? I refuse! I’m a NEET! I’m not cut out for transmigration! ❦

❦ ‘Coming!’ Lightning hollered back, startling Cory out of his stupor. The first mate fished out a monster-sized saw from one of the large wooden drawers along the walls of the hold and swaggered his way out of the room. He paused for a moment at the doorway to look at the little stowaway. ‘You should come with me. It might not be safe down here.’ For once, the adult NEET from the real world agreed with him. Another cannonball and this hold would flood. Then, he’d die for a second time in his life. He sloshed along behind Lightning, trying to keep up with his short, skinny legs. Cory had been tall and lanky back when he was alive, so he hadn’t encountered a situation where he thought his legs were too short. Having to look up at the pirate also made him uncomfortable—he was used to looking down at people after all. Exactly how old was this boy that he transmigrated into? Ten? Climbing the steep wooden stairs made him breathless. Evidently, this boy wasn’t very fit either. The chaos on the upper deck soon took his mind off his body’s mysterious identity. It was a real battle without cool light effects or special animation to make it look impressive. Each swing of the sword and each shot of the gun resulted in a cruel burst of blood and an ear-piercing howl. The clash of pirates and navy soldiers looked more like an untidy street brawl, with the agonising squelching of body parts and weaponry. In Questasis, you could launch any attack that wasn’t on cooldown without worrying about your allies but reality was very different. A misplaced swing of a metal club by a burly pirate led to the fall and trampling of the skinny one next to him. The smell of blood, sweat and gun powder hung heavily in the air as the battlefield lurched and yawed beneath them. Lightning grabbed the shell-shocked boy by the scruff of his shirt and away from the melee, towards the relatively safe half of the ship’s deck where the fore mast of The Wingless stood. The amber-haired pirate captain, leaning lazily against a stack of barrels by the side, turned her head towards the approaching first mate. She stood out like a beacon of light among the rugged pirates that made up her crew. Captain Regi was just as pretty as her animated counterpart, if not better. The signature purple bodice that she had been designed with outlined her feminine figure perfectly and matched the colour of her eyes. Her eyes twinkled as she gave Lightning a sarcastic smile. ‘Nice of you to return quickly. Thought you had gone ahead and joined forces with the barnacles below!’ She sprung upright with a tap of her boots and reached out for the monster saw in Lightning’s hands. He refused to give it to her with a playful grin. ‘What do you mean? If it weren’t for me, your sickly stowaway would have been blasted to bits by a cannonball.’ It was at that moment that Captain Regi noticed the boy standing next to her first mate. He was short, his height only up to her chin, with a stunned expression on his ruddy face. ‘How’s the fever?’ she asked. Her voice was clear as a bell and full of life, more expressive than her voice-acted lines could ever be. It took Cory a moment to realise he should respond. By the time he opened his mouth, the female pirate captain had already reached out and placed her lightly-calloused hand on his forehead to see for herself. ‘Seems to have gone down.’ ‘Un,’ was all the adult NEET in the stowaway’s body could manage. ‘Took yer long enough!’ a voice thundered from above his head. He looked up and saw two burly pirates perched on either side of the lower yard pole. Lightning squinted up at them. ‘You’ve barely made a notch in the wood, Butcha,’ he commented. The largest of the two pirates sheathed his cutlass and jumped down with an earth-shattering thump. ‘Ye do it then!’ The blonde first mate grinned and climbed up the fore mast in his place, the heavy monster saw in tow. The other pirate grabbed the handle on the far side of the saw and they began slicing through the mast like it was butter. ‘That’s more like it!’ Butcha cheered with a slap on the knee. Cory’s face drained of all colour. No, that’s not it! That’s not it at all! ‘They’re chopping down the mast of your ship,’ he pointed out weakly as some kind of nauseous panic rose in his chest. Captain Regi nodded. ‘That’s right!’ she replied. ‘We’re going to make a trebuchet.’ With the mast of your ship? Half the mast and two pirates came tumbling down onto the deck, adding to the chaos that was already spreading across the deck of The Wingless . This amber-haired character’s habit of causing all sorts of trouble made the game amusing to play, but now that it had become reality, Cory found that it was not funny at all! ‘D-Don’t you need all your sails to get away as fast as possible?’ Captain Regi tilted her head, as if she was seriously thinking about this. The braids that framed her face swung along with her carefree motions. ‘Hm…’ Her purple eyes flickered to the warships that surrounded The Wingless in all directions. Cory followed her gaze and realised he had asked a stupid question. Soldiers from one of the Hiddel Navy’s warships had already boarded The Wingless from the aft and outnumbered the pirates twice over. Now that there were other warships closing in on all sides, escape was almost impossible—even with all their sails intact. Captain Regi must have thought about this before she decided to chop up her own ship’s mast. It was just him, an ignorant bystander, who didn’t realise it. After all, the rest of her crew hadn’t objected to this decision of hers and they were seasoned sailors who had accompanied her through hell and high water. But just as he was about to apologise for speaking thoughtlessly, the amber-haired pirate captain said, ‘You know, I hadn’t thought about that. I simply thought it would be nice to sink some of their ships first.’ Cory almost fell over in exasperation. ❦

❦ As The Wingless began its long journey back to shore, surrounded on all sides by Hiddel Navy warships, Cory lamented his bad luck transmigrating into Lan of all places. The world of Questasis was called Areya. The continent where thieves and pirates thrived was called Lan. Cory still remembered the description of Lan in the Questasis Wiki. “ The founders of this continent were humans who escaped from the slavery of the fey and elves on the Great Continent. They saw land and arbitrarily named their kingdom ‘Lan’ because they just couldn’t be bothered anymore. ” He thought to himself, ‘ As expected of Regi’s homeland.’ Lightning, who had been bound up right next to the little stowaway, watched the teenager’s face turn from disbelief to discomfort and then to resignation and wondered what he was thinking about. So far, the little stowaway hadn’t shown any signs of panic or fear. Even in the heat of the sea battle with the Hiddel Navy, his reaction had been worry—worry that the trebuchet was a bad idea. The teenager felt his stare and looked up at him. Lightning gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘Cap’n Regi will get us out of here.’ On Cory’s other side, Big Beard let out a big sigh. ‘I joined Cap’n Regi for them swashbucklin’ adventures and treasure huntin’—not to get caught by navy brats every few days for a lecture on propie…something.’ ‘Propriety,’ Lightning said. Big Beard sighed again. Cory furrowed his brows. ‘Every few days?’ he echoed. ‘That’s an exaggeration,’ Lightning explained. ‘We haven’t gotten caught once in three months. This time, we were at a disadvantage.’ A pirate somewhere in the bundle snorted. ‘With that many of them, we’re always at a disadvantage.’ There was another thing in Big Beard’s statement that troubled him. ‘Then…the lecture on propriety?’ Lightning grinned. ‘Oh that?’ But before he could continue speaking, The Wingless bumped into the hemp rope buffs along length of the dock with an unexpected force that sent the bundle of pirates tumbling. Loud curses spewed out like seawater as everyone struggled back to their feet. ‘Watch it! That’s my foot.’ ‘Ow, ow, ow! Why’s your crutch bound up ‘ere with the rest of us?’ ‘Mind the gapin’ wound!’ ‘Gross! Whose guts did I just step on?’ A navy officer with golden epaulettes stepped up and bellowed, ‘Silence!’ and the racket softened to a low grumbling. He made a gesture and his soldiers began to unwind them into a line. ‘Lead them straight to the holding prison.’ Almost immediately, they were jostled ashore and into the looming Hiddel Fort. Cory would have taken this opportunity to admire his surroundingsafter all, this was an MMORPG he played come to life—but he was now a short and skinny teenager, which meant his surroundings were the navy soldiers that flanked them on either side. It wasn’t until the navy soldiers tossed all of them into a locked cell that he was able to see more than just heads and shoulders. The holding prison was a large stone room with thin slits high along one wall letting light through. They were locked up in one of the two cells inside this room. The open space beyond the cells was mostly empty, with only one stone chair in the middle of it and a table of what must be torture tools guarded by blank-faced navy soldiers. Right now, there was an amber-haired pirate in that stone chair, grinning up at the navy officer who was double-checking the locks around her wrists and ankles. ‘How have you been, Asana? Hope my father hasn’t been overworking you while I’m gone.’ Father? The officer named Asana ignored Captain Regi. Once he finished his inspection, he took two steps back and stood at attention. Captain Regi frowned. She was just about to say more when the big wooden doors of the holding prison opened and a big, burly amber-haired official entered the room. Everyone who was not a pirate saluted him at once and greeted in unison, ‘Admiral Gladstone!’ The resemblance was obvious immediately. Admiral Gladstone’s amber hair was the exact same shade of orange as Captain Regi’s. Cory’s jaw fell. What the hell? Captain Regi’s father was the admiral of the Hiddel Navy? Wasn’t she an orphan in Questasis? What kind of plot twist is this?! The plot twist didn’t end here. Admiral Gladstone strode up to his disobedient daughter and folded his arms. He said to her, ‘Are you done playing around? Go home and marry the earl I found for you today.’ ❦

For some odd reason... I have NO friends? Most people would think of it as a good thing, but I think otherwise. Some people just like to be alone and that's okay. For me, I believe making friends at my school is nearly impossible.  No one seems to like me, I'm an outcast. Bullies are everywhere and everything is a cliche. There's the popular group, jocks, Emos, nontalkers, and the weirdos. I dare you to guess which group I'm in. Well, I'm in the "non talkers" group.  ALSO,  the weirdos   group.  I talk a lot so it's a good way to make friends... well, that's what people think. Some people believe people who talk a lot are really annoying. I believe one good thing about talking a lot is always saving awkward situations (well tries to). I am always in awkward situations.  ALWAYS.  One time, in second grade, I went over my friend's house for Christmas and my parents came. We went upstairs and just sat on her bed. We didn't know what to do. In the most awkward way ever... I laughed and said, "So uhm ... what do you want to do?", I got no reply. She was on her phone. Worst moment ever.

At home I have one singular friend . Well, I don't know if it counts SOOO... by on friend I mean sister. My sister is 13 and I'm 16. We have 3-year difference so sometimes we don't get along. My sister, Evie, brings home many friends for sleepovers and such while I have none. Sometimes, life is unfair. When people ask me if I like school or home better, I say none. Both are the same just with less people at home. It's just me, my mom and my little sister Evie. I also have a dog named Isa. Isa is the only being to keep me comfort at home. Evie, sure we get a long but in a silly fun way. She isn't the type to comfort me at all. My sister is sweet in all but not with me sometimes. Isa is 8 weeks old. Honestly, my sister and my mom never really wanted a dog, but I did. It's still the same way though. I got Isa not too long ago and she is the sweetest poodle ever! They might not be glad I got her but I am.

“I thought you said it would take two days?...” says Rabia as she walks alongside Atlas on their way to the King’s Court. Atlas: “I was called by one of the guards. It appears the King has already come to a decision.” Atlas: [“Unexpected, but I can work with it.”] Rabia: “Do you still need him?...” She softly points towards the man that was tied up beside her. Atlas: “Yes. The other policy makers won’t just accept my plans without question. I need contingencies. Wait out here until I call for you.” King Corinthian: “Atlas. I have changed my mind about waiting two days. While we delay, we also give the enemy room to advance their plans.” Atlas notices King Corinthian’s eyes slightly traced towards Dante during his sentence. Dante seems both calm and amused, with his eyes closed and his hands cupped in front of his head. “Sit. I am interested in your proposal, but I believe the other policy makers would like to hear more before they can concur.” Atlas: “Of course, my lord.” He sits down facing the gathered council. “As was previously stated, we have lost three vital pieces. These pieces being the Shikari soldiers, the information gathered by the Shikari, and the princess. We are currently lacking heavily in soldiers after yesterday’s attack, and we need to rebuild not only the city that was attacked, but the Militia as well. The information gathered by the Shikari is vital for our current safety and our plans for the impending day of reckoning. And, last but not least, the location and current state of the princess is unknown, but getting her back will not only guarantee another fighter on our side capable of wielding primal matrix/onyx, but will also guarantee increased morale for our fighters and our beloved King. In order to do so, we need fighters capable of surpassing the limits set by our ancestors, and by ourselves.” Shin: “So you expect us to send these so-called ‘beasts’ to the frontlines, and then just ship them out to war?” “Not entirely. We will use certain tactics to achieve our goals…as I already said - we are smarter than you think we are.” Felix: “But I thought you said that we shouldn’t use our wits, and should just use force?” Dante: “He never said that.” The room all turns to look at Dante. Dante: “He said that we rely only on tactics and forsake the idea of force. But if we use force as our primary weapon instead, we will have a better chance of victory.” Atlas: “And by using our intelligence, with enough beastly force at the frontlines, we will win back what is ours. Wits can only get us so far in war…we also need to have enough strength behind our resolve.” Dante: “And in this case, our resolve is in taking back what was stolen from us, correct?” Atlas looks at Dante, who still has his eyes closed with a smirk etched on his lips… almost like he’s playing a game with Atlas that the rest don’t know about. “Precisely.” General Jesse: “Listen, I only truly have one question…how do you expect us to find the Shikari bases and take back the information we lost? That info was only known to the Shikari. Even the communications team never knew. The satellite signals were always kept obscured to prevent interception. Also, their bases changed every few weeks to prevent discovery. It would be a fool’s errand to go looking for these bases.” Atlas: “I agree. In all honesty, we can also only hope that the information gathered hasn't been destroyed already. That data and information took centuries for the Shikari to compile, right?” Felix: “Correction! The information collected by the Shikari is key to more recent times, albeit still crucial for solving their plans for the upcoming day of reckoning…Perigee Syzygy.” Shin shudders. Dante opens his eyes,. His smirk has now disappeared. Atlas: “Glad you are paying attention, sir…..Rabia!…” Rabia opens the doors to the King’s court room and ushers in a chained and tattered looking middle aged man. As soon as the policy makers catch a glimpse of his face, their mouths drop wide open. Jesse: “My word…Jaqs Belladonna?!…” Laban, who had been unusually quiet, begins to throw a fit: “SERIOUSLY??!!! THIS IS YOUR PLAN??!!!” Shin glances towards Dante, seemingly confused. “Um, who is he?” Dante: “Jaqs Belladonna. Former captain of the Shikari who sacrificed his squad to protect himself during a raid mission less than a month ago…in other words, he’s a traitor.” The filthy stench that emitted from Jaqs’ clothes provided evidence of his long stay in the gallows/prison deep within the core of Floritian. It had been almost a month, but the man was still awaiting his trial. Atlas rises from his seat: “I introduce to you all, Jaqs Belladonna. A vital key to the mission. Considering he used to be a captain, he is the only choice we have to predict the locations of the ever changing bases of the Shikari.” Laban sneers at Atlas. Laban: “I refuse to concur with such a foolish plan. This traitor’s betrayal led to the death of his squadron. My NEPHEW was a part of that squadron!!!” he roared standing to his feet. Atlas: “I am not disputing the fact that he is a criminal and he should be tried according to the law, I only ask that his sentence be put on hold. We need information that only he has access to right now.” Dante pauses, and then smirks. Atlas: “I am not a monster. It's not that I feel nothing for those whose lives were lost or that I feel any sympathy for this man. I believe that every traitor to the crown and its people should be punished…..all I ask for…..is time.” Everyone falls silent. King Corinthian looks at the man brought before him. It was evident that the man titered on the edge of life and death. His body was warm, but his spirit was broken. The King had his doubts. King Corinthian: “If there were better alternatives, I doubt this would even be a consideration…….General Jesse!....” Jesse: “Yes, my King,” The King looks to Atlas, then once more to Jaqs. King Corinthian: “In your honest analysis, do you think this mission will be possible?” General Jesse sighs: “While it is possible, the Shikari branch is quite distinct from the other squads. Aside from the previous Foxtrot and current Alpha squads, the other squads don’t have out field experience like the Shikari do. They have not been trained in that manner, let alone the young members of the Elected. If we send them out like that, no matter how good they are in their respective squads, they are often quickly exterminated by the Primals.” Jesse looks Atlas straight in the eyes: “The thing is, your plan is more likely to happen than being able to convince the people of the Militia to go out there. They had the choice - and they clearly made the choice to stay here for a reason. Focusing on those kids is a surefire way to get the numbers…but you would still be sending soldiers with no experience…are you sure you want that risk?” Atlas: “...I have a solution for that as well,” Laban murmurs loudly: “You just have a plan for everything, dont’cha!” Atlas: [“Well, this one is more on the fly than the others…”] “After the upcoming Elected Trials, individuals with the right set of talent from the Elected division will be chosen. Afterwards, they will all undergo training specific to the mission. They will have to be trained just like the Shikari were. That's where he comes in. “ Atlas points towards Jaqs. “Not to forget the few remaining Shikari members that were still here due to the recycle system that the Shikari adopted for provisions, supplies, treatment and communications. We will use their experience to our benefit, and have them be the ones training the young soldiers.” Dante: “How many soldiers will be required for this mission? Remember we discussed that the Militia is already spread too thin.” “The bulk of the soldiers will be chosen from the Elected Trial participants, and those that are already in the Elected. I doubt they would want to join, but any of the existing Militia soldiers are welcome. But all in all, I estimate at least 100-200 soldiers per cycle for the four criterias.” Dante: “Four? You only mentioned three.” Atlas: “Yes, because there are only three.” Dante: “But you just said four?...” Atlas smiles: “Simply a mistake. My apologies.” Dante backs down, but doesn’t take his eyes off Atlas for the rest of the meeting. ********* Felix: “If we want to train them effectively to go south of the mountain, the training will take a while. Do you propose we just sit around for weeks doing nothing?” Atlas: “I have a proposal for that as well. I ask that some of the current Foxtrot soldiers be sent out first before being joined by the young trainees. They have the closest skill required for outfield missions.” Shin: “But we barely have many foxtrot members left… Jesse?” Jesse: “We have 50 in number” Atlas: “I only need 20 of them. For the first cycle at least” Shin sighs: “That's almost half of them.” Atlas closes his eyes: “Or, we could just sit and fold our hands? Your choice,” Shin falls silent. Atlas proceeds: “I will handle gathering the necessary soldiers. But considering the Foxtrot division duties do not fall in line with the law restricting your absolute control, I am sure you can order them to join without any unnecessary resistance. ” General Jesse laughs: “Give the boy his flowers! His idea ain’t half bad!” Shin sighs: “Fine” Dante and Felix nod in agreement. *Crash* Laban stands up abruptly, pushing his chair back with enough force to knock it to the ground. The council members turn to him in surprise. He walks over to Jaqs and whispers aggressively in his ear, before attempting to storm out. The royal guards in the room try to stop him, as this is a show of disrespect to the King. King Corinthian bellows out: “Let him pass.” The King was understanding of his frustration. Laban carries on, still refusing to look back towards the rest of the council. The King, ignoring Laban’s display, looks to Atlas and smiles: “You always surprise me with your intelligence and resourcefulness, boy. Are you sure you don’t want to accept my offer?” Atlas smiles and bows: “I am truly honored, your grace, but I cannot accept your offer. It would be a spit in the face of the faery who raised me.” The King laughs: “Yes, Niko is very blessed to have such an innovative and bright young man to call her son. Very well. I understand.”  King Corinthian’s laugh subsides. His countenance changes as he places his elbows on the table and settles his chin on his hands. He looks down to the map of Haven. King Corinthian: “Do you think we can find her? With this plan of yours?” Atlas: “I promise we will do everything we can to rescue the princess, your grace. This is my promise to you.” King Corinthian looks at Atlas for a few seconds. He then stands and addresses the court: “This mission is to commence as soon as possible… by order of the KING .” ***** Setting: The Bayrin Hills of Texdan Taylian, Kinso and Leya all sat atop the hill where Taylian’s tent was. They had spent most of the day playing around, talking and enjoying the ambience of the Bayrin hills. They are now gathered around listening to Taylian finish his explanation of the dream he had the day of the invasion.  Taylian: “I found out the truth that day. My father is dead…my mother banished….” Leya and Kinso were silent. The way the citizens of Adamatrium had always treated him suddenly made sense. In the eyes of the citizens, he was a child born of sin…born against the laws of Adamatrium. Leya: “So, now that you know the truth…what are you gonna do?” Taylian falls silent. It was the same question that had plagued him since he learned the truth. Kinso: “Well it's a good thing you had the dream before the invasion. If you had died that night, you would’ve been shocked in the next life when you met your dad, right?” Leya huffs: “Whatttt is WRONG with you?!” as she smacks him behind the head. Kinso: “Just tryna lighten the mood, jeez!” Kinso cries…nursing his swollen head. “I’ve told you to take it easy with me. You have the strength of a 1000 men” Leya: “I see one slap wasn’t enough to reset your brain though…” Kinso: “When I become General, I will place you in the front lines…one slap from those manly hands of yours, and we will win the war!” Leya: “Why YOU-” Taylian laughs: “It's fine, Leya. He is not wrong.” Leya looks at Taylian, still angry: “YOU TOO?!” Taylian looks up to the sky: “No. I mean….it felt so real. Like it was a message from my mother.” Leya scoffs and calms down, realizing he was talking about the dream. Taylian: “I know it sounds silly but it's like… she’s waiting for me out there….I just have this feeling like… she is still alive… waiting for me to find her. She was banished because of the love she had for my father. The love that created me…..the least I can do is find her.” Kinso: “Okay…let's say you find her…then what?” Taylian looks at him with a resolve that he had never had before: “I will bring her back home.” Leya and Kinso fall silent. While they sympathized with their friend, they feared that the society of Adamatrium would not. Reintegration of a banished individual had never happened before. Leya stands up and walks over to him, touching his shoulder: “However you plan to find her…we are here for you…that's what friends are for.” Leya looks towards the mountain peak: “You already know my reasons for wanting to go south of the mountain. So I will support you on your journey. And you support me on mine” Kinso then walks up to them on the other side of Taylian, smiling brightly, “Sounds like fun. I’m coming too.” Leya’s head swells once again: “What???!! You want to go because it SOUNDS like fun? *sigh*” Kinso: “What kind of general would I be if I don’t know the enemy’s layer?” Taylian: “How are we gonna get out there though? It's not like we can just walk out of Adamatrium. The only people that leave Adamatrium are those in the Militia, specifically the Foxtrot and Shikari, or those that have been banished. We don’t fall into any of those three categories. Besides…unlike you guys, I have little to no military training. I have always been prepped to be a farmer. If I came across an enemy, the most I could do is offer to farm for them in exchange for my life. I’d get killed…” Leya lifts her hand from his shoulder and flicks his head: “You really are an idiot, aren’t you?” She points toward the large island of Floritian, resting on the seabed parallel to the continent of Elyzan; which could be seen from the hills because of its tall and beautiful skyscrapers. Leya: “We just have to join the Elected… and then join the Shikari…”  Kinso, who had been lackadaisical all day, suddenly becomes serious: “Are you insane?! The Shikari? Do you have a death wish? The Shikari have a 90% death rate!” Leya: “Well it's the only way we are going to be allowed south of the mountain. If we try to sneak out and come back in, we’ll be locked up in prison the moment we return.” Taylian: ["That's if we would even return in the first place..."] Kinso: “But the Elected trials is coming up in TEN days, and Taylian has no skills whatsoever!” Kinso whispers to Taylian: “...sorry bro..”  Kinso whips his head back to face Leya: “We've been training for 3 years now, and I still don’t know if I’M ready!  This is a competition of young warriors vying to join the hardest profession possible! They aren't regular kids like us, they are the BEST of the BEST!” Taylian stares at Kinso:  ["...Regular?!...YOU?!..."] Leya places her hands on her hips: “So what? If he fought against a Primal and lived to tell the story, then I’m sure he has a chance…we just have to train him as hard as we can for these next 10 days.” Leya drags Taylian to the edge. “We will teach you all we know and make a warrior out of you!” Kinso: “Leya, this is just another one of your outlandish ideas. The Elected Trials is no joke, and you know it! Plus, becoming a Shikari soldier is a death sentence! You wanna kill him, don’t you?? ADMIT IT!!!” Kinso points his foot in her face. Leya: “Get your foot out of my face before I break it off.” Kinso, terrified, retracts his foot. Leya: “There isn’t enough time, I know. But it’s the best shot he has at seeing this through.” Taylian: “I can’t do it…” he says calmly. Leya and Kinso pause to look at him. Taylian: “I can’t put myself out there like that. It’s already bad enough here in Texdan, it will only get worse in the capital. I just c-” *SMACK* (Leya slaps Taylian across the cheek.) Kinso: “Whoa, relax, Leya, he’s right. We know why he’s hated now, but we both know they always take things much more seriously there than over here.” Leya, “You don’t think I KNOW THAT?!! I live there, damn it!” she starts to tear up. Leya: “Do you know how they look at me because of what I did?! But everyday…every single day!.... I have to face it. If you want to ever set eyes on the woman who birthed you…THEN STOP BEING A COWARD AND FIGHT FOR HER!” Taylian pauses. Leya had never reacted like this before. Although he knew her past, he had never seen her this emotional before. Taylian looks at his two best friends. He had long admired their bravery and valiance. He was always behind them, trying to catch up because fear kept holding him back. Taylian smiles with his red cheek: “Thank you, Leya…” He calmly walks to stand in front of both of them, and bows: “I entrust myself to the two of you for the next ten days….please…train me...and help me find my mother.”

As soon as he broke through the trees Taylian knew something was wrong. The gravitational pressure he felt as he moved towards the city centre square reached its peak when he cleared the forest area. Not only that….a powerful aura like he had never felt before emanated from a distance left of where he stood. His whole body shook and his knees instinctively locked into place. Regardless of the fear he felt, his brain was able to relay three vital pieces of information simultaneously: Firstly, the huge crowd of civilians that should have been in the underground bunkers by now, were spread flat on the ground, seemingly unable to move. Secondly, creatures so powerful and gruesome, that they could only be acknowledged as the attackers, stood just a few stones throw away from where he stood, looking at him in confusion. Thirdly, of all the humans in the clearing……he was the only one standing up. The young boy he carried in his arms had already cried himself into deep sleep on their way here. This circumstance was also not lost on Jidiku. He slowly rises from the ground with a smile akin to a Cheshire cat. Jidiku recalled what his superior had instructed him beforehand. #FLASHBACK# Jidiku kneels before the Superior who rests in his sovereign seat. The superior’s build was massive…even by Minotaur standards. The superior: “ The time is ripe. The one who carries the almighty aura has revealed themselves. We must take advantage of this given opportunity. Carry with you those whom you feel will be best to carry out the task. The job must be swift and clean. ” Jidiku: “My lord, how will we be able to differentiate the carrier from the rest of them? Surely the reason we couldn’t sense it before is that it either laid dormant, or it has to be used to be felt. If the carrier does not use it we can’t find them.” The Superior: “ Certainly. That is without doubt……that is why you must take IT with you….this is what he was created for. Use him to sift the wheat from the fodder….the weak from the strong….you must use….The KRAKEN… ” Jidiku was clearly still worried it would not be enough to decipher the so-called carrier. The superior sensed his apprehension. “ You know why I….no…why WE cannot reveal ourselves yet, do you not? ”  Jidiku nods, “Yes my lord.” Superior: “ Regardless of that, one of us will help you with the wall guards. Making your entry past the mountain much smoother. The KRAKEN will help you whittle down those who are strong from those who are weak……the rest is up to your judgment. Do not fail me. ” Jidiku bows, “My lord.” #FLASHBACK ENDS# Jidiku lifts himself away from his second victim and turns his attention to Taylian. Jidiku: [“The kraken is a far distance from where we are and therefore his full force is not being employed. We strategically did it this way to pull the humans under submission but not kill them. Although being able to resist the pressure of the Kraken does not prove that one carries the almighty aura, it certainly shows formidable onyx energy. Something not all humans possess. Yet…under the weight of the Kraken’s force….this boy….remains standing.”] Jidiku, besides himself, begins to laugh under his breath. He moves towards the boy who appears frozen in fear. Jidiku: [“Considering his build… I sincerely doubt he is the carrier. But still, I cannot dismiss that at this moment he is the only human left standing.”] As Jidiku walks past the other minotaurs and draws closer to Taylian, he suddenly catches movement from his peripheral, and notices five individuals rushing into the clearing from behind the minotaurs. Jidiku: “Is this supposed to be some pathetic attempt at an ambush?” The five individuals halt their assault as the minotaurs quickly turn around, ready to retaliate. Princess Zara: [“ Damn.”] Jidiku realized they had hidden under the cover of the forest area that entered into the center square, and waited for the right moment to ambush the minotaurs. The arrival of the boy had given them a befitting moment to enact their plan. Jidiku turns back to where the boy stands and surprisingly sees him lying on the ground. Jidiku grits his teeth: [“Hmm?! What the?!”] Jidiku looks beside Taylian and sees the child he was carrying also pinned down to the ground. He scoffs as he realizes he must have had it wrong. Taylian, who wisely evaded the minotaur’s attention, breathes a sigh of relief, [“Damn it! That was close! Too close for comfort!”] Jidiku turns his attention back to the assailants. Fury rumbles within his chest. “If I had known that such little ants would use the trees as cover, and be brazen enough to face me, I would have destroyed the forest on my way over here.” Princess Zara: “You will do no such thing. The forests of Texdan are sacred to all life forms in Texdan and to a greater extent - all of Adamatrium.” Jidiku: “How is that my business?” Princess Zara: “That's the problem. You primals have no business here north of the mountain. So why are you here?” Jidiku pauses. He then points his finger to the sky while looking directly at Zara. “You look at the night sky… and see it coated blood red… and still ask what our objective is?” “What does the sky have to do with the innocent people you’ve killed here today?!” Jidiku hisses, “You sure talk a lot, little girl. But let me indulge you. We are searching for the one who possesses the Almighty Aura.” “I don't know what, or whom you speak of! You are speaking utter nonsense! Enough of this! You will leave Texdan immediately or you will be removed forcefully. The main headquarters at Floritian has been alerted and in no time Texdan will be flooded with the militia…and the faeries. I doubt you want to face them in a fight?” Another minotaur steps forward and taps Jidiku on the shoulder, “Boss….” He lifts his axe towards zara in a swinging motion, “Give me the opportunity to silence this pipsqueak.” Zara clenches her teeth in anger. Ronin and Maggie position themselves in front of her. Jidiku’s lips curl into another menacing smirk, “Donda….have you forgotten why we are here?” Donda drops his ax down to the ground. Jidiku walks towards the group of five. “You want us to leave? No problem. Contrary to my countenance, I’m actually a very agreeable person.” He stops just short of Zara and glares down at the young princess. His menacing aura - a haze of black and purple smoke - begins to emanate from his body. It was not lost on the group of five that he was preparing to fight. It was also not lost on the group that his aura encompassed all of theirs put together. “Give us the one with the almighty aura and we will leave….peacefully..” The smirk seemingly widening at the last part of his promise. Ronin, leader of the princess’ guards and one of the most trusted of royal guards, steps up trying to put a bit of distance between Princess Zara and Jidiku. “I’m sure you are an agreeable person, good sir. After all, it’s not fair to judge a book by its cover. But if I may ask, what do you need this almighty aura for? And why are you looking for it here in Texdan?” Ronin admired his princess’s fortitude. However, he knew the primals do not typically operate this way. Especially not the minotaurs - the most bloodthirsty of them all. The fact that they even hinted towards a negotiation without killing them right on the spot meant they really wanted whatever it is they were looking for. They attacked using a small group and came to Texdan as opposed to Floritian - the main capital. If they were looking for a true battle they would have attacked Floritian. However, they came to Texdan - the city only known as the farmlands of Adamatrium. Which means….they narrowed down what they seek…. to be here in Texdan.  Princess Zara picks up on Ronin’s line of thinking through his questions. She begins to wonder if they are after her, as she is a descendant of the crown. It wouldn’t be the first time the primals had targeted the crown family of Adamatrium. Had she endangered the people of Texdan by leaving Floritian and coming here? If that were true, how would they have known that she would be in Texdan this time? Everytime she came to Texdan she always only brought four of her closest guards. Suddenly, Princess Zara’s skin turns cold. As quickly as the thought came, it left her feeling breathless and unstable. She couldn’t lift her face to stare at her guards. Could one of them have betrayed her? What reason would they need? Jidiku glances at the rest of the guards, as they slowly surround Zara in a protective formation Jidiku: [ “It’s not because she is young that they protect her…..no…..they shield her like….like she is something…no… someone important.” ] The minotaurs have a mode of language that involves sending earth aura through their bodies towards the ground to produce vibrations in the earth. The vibrations could only be deciphered by those who possessed the earth aura and had been taught to understand its interpretations. Jidiku, using earth aura, emits a few vibrations towards the ground. The vibrations are directed toward the feet of his group of Minotaurs. The vibrations are felt by the minotaurs and they quickly decipher its message loud and clear: “THE MIDDLE ONE” The minotaurs immediately burst forward and attack accordingly, as Jidiku steps back. Zara and her guards, who had exhausted a lot of their aura saving people earlier on, were a bit slower to react to the assailants. Donda strikes first, swinging his ax towards Zara - but is blocked by two spears from Butch that intercept his ax. Princess Zara stands there…still unfazed. “Don’t worry about me. You all know I can protect myself.” Dentri - the third guard - runs to intercept the third minotaur that moves to strike Princess Zara. “It is not that we do not believe in your strength my princess.” *Sounds of metal striking* “It’s because we swore an oath. The lives of crown members must be placed before our own,” says Butch, the fourth guard. Maggie, the second guard, pitches in, “How can we stand ideally by? And betray our duty?” Princess Zara is touched by their words. Her earlier hypothesis of betrayal started to make her feel guilty. Even with how valiant they stood, she knows they are scared. What stands before them seems insurmountable. Butch steps up as the forefront of the defense, using his strength augmentation to counter the strength of the third minotaur that had tried to strike Princess Zara. The strength of the minotaur is on a much different level to that of his human mutation. He is easily overpowered as the minotaur barely budges before pushing Butch, which sends him flying through the air. Princess Zara gasps, but notices Butch was able to land on his feet before falling. Dentri tries to use his burp projection to push back three minotaurs that progressed towards Zara. However, they all stood in place, covering their faces with their arms as the waves blast right towards them. Dentri is left stunned. It had taken him a huge amount of aura to do what he just did. Yet, the Minotaurs didn’t move backwards at all…in fact…they continued their advance. Dentri is left on the defensive, he tries to dodge incoming attacks from the three minotaurs. One carries a mace, the other two depend on the brute strength of their fists. Dentri tries to quell the attacks while ensuring Princess Zara remains behind him. He manages to dodge two attacks and feels like he is starting to get his rhythm. [“Hah! They may be strong, but we humans are a lot faster than Mino-”] Suddenly, a punch swings right towards the right side of his thorax. The minotaur that had sent Butch flying was trying to strike Zara, but Dentri got in the way. The Minotaur shatters all the ribs on Dentri’s right side with that one punch. The way Dentri curls from the force of the impact also fractures his vertebrae, which houses his spinal cord. As Dentri collapses to the ground, he knows something is wrong…..he can’t move. The Minotaur that had broken his spine grabs Dentri with one hand on his head and another on his leg… and pulls…ripping Dentri apart. The Minotaur roars something akin to a battle cry. The people scream as they watch him split Dentri into two halves. The atmosphere becomes muddled with screams of terror. Princess Zara screams out in agony. The rest of her guards feel anger and sadness, but refuse to look as they know they have to focus. One moment of hesitation… and they would all face the same fate as Dentri. Maggie takes a step back from helping Ronin fend off Donda and rushes to Princess Zara’s side, effectively taking Dentri’s place. Ronin employs his onyx ability to repel Donda’s metal ax. He is able to hold Donda at bay using his magnetic force power, but is in severe pain from overworking his onyx ability after the large building rescue earlier. He attempts to conserve his energy, but cannot seem to find time to do so as Donda remains relentless. Butch now rejoins the fight and takes his place beside Maggie. They are both bloody and bruised, and yet continue to stand their ground. They scream out a war cry in symbol of their resolve and loyalty to the crown.  Maggie tries her best to use her speed advantage to not only dodge the minotaurs’ brutish attacks, but to also land a few jabs to knock them backward. However, the guards had completely ignored Jidiku and placed all their focus on the other minotaurs. This proves to be fatal as Jidiku decides to take advantage of this. Jidiku uses his earth aura to shift the earth that Maggie was running on, causing her to slip as she sped through the ground. As her balance is now compromised, she ends up tripping straight into a minotaur’s grip. As soon as the minotaur felt her throat in his clawed hands, he crushes it. In seconds, Maggie lays lifeless on the ground, her disconnected head rolling far away from her body. Princess Zara screams in agony, and begins to cry. These people were not just guards to her. She had known them all her life. Zara cries out in frustration at herself for even entertaining the idea that they would betray her or the Crown. She looks up to see Jidiku cackling loudly, clearly amused by the way Maggie had died. Zara’s eyes turn dark. She looks toward Dentri’s torn body not far off from Maggie’s and clenches her hands to keep from crying. [“I refuse to just stand here…..and watch them all die.”] Princess Zara unclenches her hands and raises her palm. She begins to summon her aura. An aura unique to her bloodline. An aura meant for those who belonged to the crown. The only humans capable… of wielding….Earth aura. Princess Zara crouches down and using the ground below her, propels herself forward towards Jidiku. She manages to land Jidiku with a golden punch to the face using her Midas Touch ability. She twirls in the air and lands a short distance in front of him. [“He can manipulate Terra energy as an Earth crafter, but I doubt he can fight against my gold form”] “Boss!” [“In seconds, there’s no doubt… he’ll turn to gold... and DIE!”]    The people around, still pinned to the ground, begin to celebrate. They all know of the mighty aura that the Princess possesses, being an aura that only one member of the crown has ever possessed before. This aura would surely be the ticket to their survival. “Yes,” someone whispers. Taylian, shocked, turns to see the young boy beside him awake. He had witnessed the Princess’s punch and was happy that she managed to deliver such a crucial blow to their leader. Jidiku, even with his eyes closed and his face seemingly hurt, grins… causing Zara to reel back. After witnessing her attack on Jidiku, the other minotaurs rush towards Princess Zara. Ronin and Butch, who are both at their breaking point, attempt to drag themselves towards Zara to protect her. Ronin suddenly collapses, as he is struck from behind by Donda (the only minotaur who hadn’t moved towards Zara) while trying to drag himself to her. Donda: “Never turn your back to your opponent!” Taylian, who lays on the floor with everyone else watching the spectacle, notices that Jidiku looked much too calm and attentive to be caught off guard. [“There is obviously a reason he let her strike him. That guy is bad news. He doesn’t seem like someone that can be caught off guard. That much was evident in the failed ambush earlier. Damn it. How many of us will even make it out of here?”] Taylian grips his hand to stop it from shaking. Jidiku stands back up. “Back off…she’s all mine…” he says, pointing to the other Minotaurs. Zara stands there, completely fixated on him. Her eyes darken in anger and fury as she recalled what they did to her guards, and the people of Texdan. After giving Jidiku a once over, her eyes widen and she gasps. She looks again… and sees what she failed to notice before. When she lands her gold form attack on anything, one strike is usually enough to spread the gold molecules throughout the whole body of the object - either living or nonliving. The individual/object solidifies and turns to gold. However, as she looks at Jidiku, she sees that the area she punched…is the only gold spot on his body. It didn’t spread like usual…in fact it was receding. Zara feeling rocked to her core, clenches her fist once more, as she finally realizes…she is completely outmatched. [“It’s not that I believed we stood a chance against them… but at the very least…we hoped to keep them at bay until reinforcement arrived…my guards and I are the strongest here and still….it still… isn’t enough.”] Jidiku suddenly raises his right foot, and stamps it into the ground. This causes a strong seismic wave to destroy a few of the buildings nearby, which were already barely standing. As soon as he stamps his foot, that same massive roar from before then bellows again. The people realize that this thing/creature now sounds much closer than it did before. This time, it seems whatever had been screeching before…was heading straight for the center square.

Setting: Texdan Time: 8:50 pm The dry season always brings warm and windy nights. Of all the cities in Adamatrium, Texdan is the city situated closest to Mount Gamajora. Consequently, it suffers from rain shadows during the dry season. Even with this set back, the city of Texdan remains the major supplier of crops and produce throughout all of Adamatrium. Most notably known for the vast rolling hills of farmlands called the Bayrin Hills, there are also several mine fields located throughout the city. As a result the vast population of Texdan’s inhabitants are either farmers or miners. After the pandemonium of the selection process from the afternoon died down, the citizens of Texdan had taken into their homes to unwind for the evening. Children were done with school for the day. The fifteen year olds that had skipped school for the day had successfully selected their careers. The miners finished with their daily quota, now found themselves resting in their apartments in the city centre. Farmers drained from tiling the hardened soil of the dry season, had retired to their farmhouses. This evening, however, was different for the four drunk miners who had assaulted Taylian. While the miners were supposed to be resting for the day after their shift, they had been charged with parole for their crimes, and their punishment now found them trapped with extended labor in the mines. Under the supervision of a few soldiers in the Militia, the four miners were tasked to continue their mornings work through the hours of the evening until midnight. “Pick up the pace!” yells one of the soldiers supervising. The instigator of the drunken debacle scoffs in frustration. “What a load of bull-” “WE DON’T WANNA HEAR THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICES, WE WANNA HEAR THE SOUND OF METAL HITTING THAT GROUND!” Exasperated, the miners return back to their work. *rumble rumble* Suddenly, the sound of the earth quaking could be heard throughout the land. “Psst, hey, what was that?” One of the miners addresses the soldiers in anxiety. Frustrated and also feeling anxious, one of the guards pulls out a gun and points it to the miner, “This is your last warning!!! We don’t want to hear peep from the lot of you four. Get back to work! If you think you can escape your sentence you’ve got another thing coming you good for nothing-” “That's alright, Corporal Matis. I think they get the point.” These words from the highest ranking soldier there was enough to calm the corporal for the time being. *RUMBLE, RUMBLE* The second rumbling came a few minutes after the first. This one was not just heard but felt beneath their feet. This quake felt much stronger and much more aggressive than the last. The highest ranked officer that was supervising stated: “It’s probably coming from the main continent. Who knows what those bloody beasts are up to now.” *RUMBLE, RUMBLE* Without giving them much room to process the previous one, another rumbling came again, this time shaking the ground beneath them, causing both the officers and miners to lose their balance. One of the lower ranking guards turns to the officer, “Sir, I…I…I don’t think that's from the main continent…it sounds a lot closer to Mount Gamajora if anything.” One of the miners decides to speak up, “We need to leave this mine….for safety...” The corporal who had almost shot one of them earlier once again touched his gun, “You will not leave this mine until you have completed your sentence! Not if I have anything to do about it!” “Do you want us to ALL die?? It sounds like an earthquake, and a mine is the last place to be during an earthquake.” “Don’t talk back to me you low down dirty miner! If you had kept your hands to yourself, we wouldn’t have to be down here supervising you in the first place! Get back to work!” * RUMBLE, RUMBLE, CRASH!!!! * As soon as the corporal belts out his command, they end up being his last instructions as the fourth wave of the quake causes the mine to collapse, instantly killing the miners and the soldiers with them. *Meanwhile* Taylian wakes up startled and disoriented. He stares up from the ground towards the sky, through the tall trees, and sees the full moon. [“It's a full moon tonight. Aunt Lexi says that the powers of the moon goddess, Lunarias, are stronger on nights like these…meaning our protection is greater as well…”] Taylian wimpers and rolls over in pain. If he thought he was in pain before, what he felt now could hardly be described in words. It feels like every movement was like driving needles into every cell and tissue of his body. [“Best not to move I guess. This is what I get for overdoing it.”] Suddenly, a gust of wind rushes through the trees rapidly, startling Taylian as he looks towards them. The gust was rapid, but the movement felt soft and warm, almost like an embrace. In that moment, he could only manage to think and utter a single word: “....mother….” As soon as Taylian utters these words, the earth beneath him starts to shake. He looks back to the region that leads to his house…..and sees the ground beginning to break apart. As Taylian attempts to comprehend the scenario playing out before him, he suddenly notices a dark shadow above him. He looks up and realizes a tree is falling straight towards him. Without thinking, he quickly rolls out of the way just as the tree slams to the ground beside him. The impact from the crash created a gust of wind that sent him flying. Taylian, shaken and now in more pain, tries to stand on his feet, “ What…is happening?” Before he has any time to think, the rumblings cause the ground to start breaking apart and cause more trees to fall around him. Determining that the breaking ground was unsafe, Taylian jumps onto a sturdy tree to escape the danger zone. However, the tree falling prey to the earthquakes also begins to fall as its roots start to bend. Taylian begins to jump through the trees as he did before. He looks down at the forest slowly being destroyed. “Is this one of those situations they always talked about in school?” With this slight distraction, Taylian doesn’t see an incoming tree falling straight towards his path. However, due to his experience in the forest and the agility he gained through it, he manages to dodge and barely jump above the tree, forcing him to fall back to the ground. “So close.” Taylian sees the clearing up ahead and increases his speed. He manages to exit the forest unscathed. “Aunt Lexi! Uncle Geron! Iris!” Taylian sprints towards his family home distraught. He looks towards the farmhouse, and sees that the left side of the house has collapsed. His eyes widen in fear. “Oh no….no no no,” Filled with anxiety that his family had died without a chance to escape, Taylian races to the porch to check around his family home, but soon realizes he can’t enter from the front. He rushes to the back of the house that leads to the right side and enters through there. Desperately searching around for his family, he starts to lose hope when he sees no sign of life. [“They couldn’t all have died could they?! Is it possible? No! It can't be.”] *Previously* Aunt Lexi and Iris were seated in the dining room, waiting for Taylian to return for dinner as they refused to eat without him. Geron was seated outside on the porch steps. He was hoping Taylian would return soon….because he was very hungry. *rumble rumble* They felt the first of the rumblings just as everyone else in Texdan would have. The family of three froze, not making a move or a sound. Soon after, the next waves of earth rumblings came in succession, each stronger than the previous. Geron finally snapped out of his shock, and ran into the house. He grabbed a bag and began to pack a few essential items. “We gotta go, now!” “Darling, do you think it's an attack? Or just an earthquake?” “You’ve lived in Texdan all your life. How many natural earthquakes have you heard of in this city?!” Lexi gulps, “...none.” “Let’s go. We have to find the emergency bunkers!” Lexi holds her hand to her chest. Her mind is in panic as she thinks of her nephew. Geron picks up Iris as she begins to cry. “What about Taylian?!” Iris screams Geron paused. He then hands Iris to Lexi and grabs her hand to leave the house. “I will find him! You two head to the bunkers!” As soon as they exited the house, They were hit with the next wave of quakes. This one being so powerful that the ground beneath their feet begins to break apart and the left side of their farmhouse caves in. **** Taylian looks around the collapsed house. [“They couldn’t all have died could they?! Is it possible? No! It can't be. They must have escaped. Uncle Geron is always prepared. If they did escape, then there is only one place they can be.”] Taylian rushes out of the house and begins to run through the hills. [“The closest emergency bunkers can be accessed through the foot of Mount Gamajora. I’m sure that's where they are. I just have to find my way there.”] As he heads towards the mountain, he notices how quiet the hills are. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of the earth breaking apart. It was obvious that everyone in this region had evacuated. As he continues to run on land he suddenly hears the sound of crying near one of the farmhouses he passes. He stops and turns to see a little boy, bawling his eyes out. [“Wait… this house is…Erin? Why is he still here? Where is Mrs. Margaret?”] As Taylian approaches, he sees that the house is destroyed. Much worse off than his house is. When he reaches the stairs - or rather what used to be stairs - he sees a foot sticking out beneath the debris, and the head of a dog without its body. He immediately realizes what happened. The ground beneath continues to shake violently. Taylian looks up and notices that Mrs. Margaret’s farmhouse is still collapsing. One of the porch pillars finally succumbing to the earthquake’s force was now falling towards the young crying boy. Taylian, using his quick reflexes, grabs the boy and saves him from impending doom. Not wanting to end up like Mrs. Margaret, Taylian lifts the boy up and he runs from the farmhouse continuing on his path towards the mountain. [“Why did this have to happen?...Erin…The only child of Mrs. Margaret is now an orphan…..just like…] “...I’m so sorry…” Taylian wipes the tears from his eyes so that he can see the ground carefully. Erin continues to cry as he looks behind and sees his destroyed family home. *RRYYYOOEEEERRR* Taylian stops in his tracks and looks toward the mountain in shock. Fear and terror completely overwhelm him. The young boy, Erin, also freezes in fear, his mourning taking a backseat to his fear. [“The closest bunker is supposed to be near the mountain, right? But…what I just heard…that can’t be human, can it?…every muscle in my body… feels paralyzed!….”] The rumblings continue to destroy the earth. It was like the strange howl had commanded the quakes to worsen. [“There’s no way…there is just no way”] Taylian tries to control his shaking legs. [“If we stay here....we just might die….”] The ground beneath him caves but he successfully jumps before being swallowed up by the earth. [“It’s official. If we stay here…..we will die….”] Taylian lifts the crying little boy onto his back. He races back to the forest he had just come from. [“I don’t know if uncle Geron and aunt Lexi are in the bunkers in the mountain….. but I just have to believe they went to the city centre’s emergency bunkers. Although moving through the trees with Erin on my back will be difficult, this is the fastest route to the city square… meaning this is the fastest way to safety!”] The rumblings become deafening. They are so frequent and loud that it becomes difficult for Taylian to hear his own breathing. [“I can’t risk taking too long to get to safety…..I don’t know what is happening. I can’t predict what is coming…. The only thing I can do right now…. is save myself and this boy.”] Taylian flies through the branches of the trees that are still standing. He manages to evade several falling trees that head his way, all while carrying the boy on his back. [“The pain from earlier is gone. All I can feel is adrenaline….or is it fear?....is there a difference?!”] **** With each successive quake hitting the city, the earth all around Texdan begins to cave in. As the earth begins to break apart, the multitude of apartment buildings and constructs begin to collapse. It was as if the ground had suddenly become like the ocean, devouring all who were unlucky enough to enter its grasp. Screams fill the atmosphere as thousands of people meet their deaths either from being struck by falling building constructs or by being swallowed up by the breaking ground. The emergency sirens of Texdan now bellowed out for all who could still hear. It beckoned its citizens to reach the safety of the bunkers.  With all this going on, the Militia soldiers on night shift duties try their best to assist the panicked crowd toward the direction of the bunkers. There were only two emergency bunkers in Texdan. One was beneath the city centre square, the other was near Mount Gamajora. As the quakes and rumblings seem to be originating from the mountain area, it was safe to say no one was foolish enough to head to that bunker. However, this posed a problem; everyone was headed for the same bunker. Chaos was inevitable. “We found another survivor!” “Please remain calm! We understand the situation is frightening, but for everyone’s safety-” “RRYYYOOEEEERRR” Instantly, the panicked crowd becomes quiet. The sound - akin to something forcing its way out from the gates of hell - is enough to make all who had heard its sound practically turn to to stone. Their eyes…pulsating with fear. No matter how gruesome the Primals had been described to be, never had such a deafening and fearful sound…been heard or witnessed by the masses.  After the quick pause caused by the feral howl, the crowd returns to an even more panicked state than before. Pandemonium ensues. Geron - who had just reached the city centre - searches frantically through the crowd hoping to find Taylian. [“Taylian…you’re a smart kid…you would know to come to the bunker past the town square…..so why? Why can’t I find you?…”] Suddenly, a massive steel pipe from a tall building falls towards Geron and two young guys near him. Although initially distracted, Geron realizes the situation and pushes the other two as he pulls himself in the opposite direction - away from harm. “You two okay?” “Yeah! “Thank you sir!” “No problem. But get to the bunker immediately!” Geron points to a building nearby, “There’s usually a shortcut through the District hotel, so you should be able to get there quickly.” “Thank you again sir! Let’s go, Theo-” Before the boy is able to finish his sentence, his eyes immediately fill with doom as he turns and sees the district hotel (that was supposed to be their route to safety), falling towards all of them. In its path were at least hundreds of people, some either crawling out from the rubble, some trying to help those trapped in the rubble, or some running towards the bunker. As the people look up, and see the red sky turn black due to the falling building… They soon realize that they are helpless against their situation. Geron, looking up towards the massive hotel falling towards them all, could only manage one word: “...Damn…” The people initially trying to rescue those trapped in the rubble, began to abandon their comrades, and started fleeing for their lives. The people trapped in the rubble try desperately to escape their situation, but to no avail. The people headed towards the bunker now turn and run even faster than before. Even with them all fleeing, they all realize there is no escape, as the building is only a few seconds away from collapsing on them. Suddenly....the building begins to coat itself in gold.  “RONIN!” The building that had been on a crash course directed at a multitude of civilians suddenly halts in its path. “Help him out, Butch!” A man flies towards the building, and uses his strength to tilt the now frozen building towards a different direction. “Maggie! Is the check finished?!” “Yes, your highness! It's set 35 degrees to the left! The path is cleared!” Immediately, the hotel building begins to move towards that exact direction, as the people all look in amazement and see Princess Zara underneath the building, with a tall, lanky man accompanying her. The man’s arms are stretched out wide, as the building slowly moves to the exact degree that the woman from earlier had called out. Geron is struck in awe. “You promise to save me, your highness?” The lanky man says as he laughs. “Oh, stop joking around, Ronin.” The man then lowers his arms, causing the building to slowly fall towards the ground. As the building comes towards Princess Zara and Ronin, Zara holds the base of the building and pushes it towards the exact location she had marked for placement. “My my, you sure have gotten strong, princess,” “Of course I have! You only notice now?!” Ronin laughs, as Princess Zara slaps his shoulder in frustration. “I know that was supposed to be a ‘play’ slap…but that actually hurts, you know,” “It was supposed to.” Geron thinks to himself: [“That building must have been held in place by some sort of magnetic pull after the gold coating. The princess’ chief guard is known to have a magnetic pull/push onyx ability…glad I got to see it first hand…”] The other two that were accompanying Ronin and Princess Zara begin to help rescue the people trapped in the debris. A man wearing the same attire as Ronin and the other two guards steps out and emits a strong burp towards the left side of the destroyed town area. The burp appears to emit a blast that removes everything in its path. “This way! The path is now more clear on the left side of the square!” “I can’t thank you enough, ma’am!” “It’s no problem, now please excuse me,” “You are really strong, sir!” “Ah, stop, you’re gonna make me blush!” Princess Zara smiles as she looks around and sees her personal guards in action. “Thank you, Ronin. For indulging my wishes.” “I don’t know what you mean, princess. You are my superior. Not the other way around.” “Hmph! Just take the compliment!” “Alright, alright,” Ronin laughs THE EMERGENCY SIRENS BLARE ONCE AGAIN: All civilians, evacuate and get to the emergency bunkers at once. All civilians, evacuate and get to the emergency bunkers at once The voice from the sirens become muffled as some of the speakers begin to fall from the light poles as the ground shakes again. Geron, who had been distracted by the work of the princess and her guards, remembers that he had been searching for Taylian. He becomes distraught at his inability to find him. After another ten minutes of failing to find Taylian, Geron gives up his search and heads to the bunker, hoping that Taylian would be there with Iris and Lexi. As he arrives at the main center that leads to the underground bunkers, he catches sight of Lexi and Iris. The center is crowded with Texdan’s remaining locals. Total panic causes the individuals to push and pull past one another. “Lexi!......Lexi!.......Damn it!!” Geron attempts to shove past a group of young boys, trying to make his way towards his family - but his attempts prove futile. Each time he takes a step forward, the crowd seemingly pushes him back. Lexi stands at the center, still carrying Iris in her arms. She can’t seem to find the strength to push herself forward through the crowd into the underground pathway to the bunkers. Not while her nephew was still out there….not while her husband was yet to return… “Mommy look…..it's daddy!” The breath that Lexi had been holding in for what seemed like an eternity suddenly expels itself. She swings to the direction Iris is pointing to and sees Geron. Immediately, she begins to look for Taylian beside him. Geron then notices that Lexi and Iris are looking towards him and waves his hands frantically to get their attention. Suddenly, Lexi starts to push through the crowd. The strength that seemed amiss before had now manifested through the slight glimmer of hope that her family was safe. She pushes through the crowd, and after some time, manages to reach Geron. Geron, perplexed, thinks to himself: [“Even I couldn’t get through the crowd…..and yet when it comes to Taylian…she just can’t help herself.”] “Where…..” *breathe* “Where” *gasp* “WHERE IS HE?!” Geron shrinks back. He carefully curates his words as he realizes any wrong move on his part would cause his already frantic wife to spiral out of control. “He is not anywhere in the center square, I looked through the streets of Texdan, and obviously he isn’t in the farmhouse since we just left-” “WHY WOULD YOU LOOK THROUGH THE STREETS OF TEXDAN WHEN WE ALREADY KNOW WHERE HE IS? He ALWAYS runs towards the forests!!! What if he is still there?! Oh my….” Lexi’s breathing becomes more erratic with each sentence she manages to utter . “What if…what if whatever is out there already got to him?” Geron grimaces, “You are drawing conclusions. We can’t think like that.” Lexi hands Iris over to Geron. “Damn it!….I should just have looked for him myself!” Lexi suddenly bolts through the crowd, once again finding the strength to push through as she had done once before. Nothing else mattered at this time. The chaos around her was incomparable to the turmoil she felt in her heart. The one jewel that her sister had left in her care….was out there….in danger…..Lexi couldn’t help but feel like a failure… “Wait!.....damn it….why must things always be difficult!” Geron attempts to pursue his wife. The crowd is heading towards the bunkers in the center square, so Geron finds it easier to push his way out of the crowd heading back to where he had initially come from. As Geron breaks through from the crowd and catches hold of Lexi, the ground suddenly shakes again. The loud roar that had been heard in previous intervals was now much stronger. Much more deafening. It felt so powerful and commanding…. like it carried its own gravitational force. Geron’s knees felt weak. Iris covers her ears and begins to whimper. “Lexi, it's getting worse! If we don’t escape now, it's over!” “Not without TAYLIAN!” *RRRRYYYYYYOOOOOOEEEERRR* The gravitational force in the atmosphere abruptly increases. Suddenly, all movement stops. In a flash, bodies start to drop to the ground. Geron tries to secure Iris in his arms as he drops to the ground as well. Lexi falls right beside him. “WHAT IS THIS??!!” “AHHHH!!!” screams of terror echoed through the city centre. In what seemed like a flash, all of Texdan’s locals laid pinned down at the center square. Unable to move. Unable to act. They laid there…immobilized by fear…for what was to come forth from the dead of night. **Elsewhere** Meanwhile, in the central city of Floritian, soft footsteps permeate the main halls of the convey. Ophiel: “What is it now?” Temaine: “Chaos. What else would you expect in our wooorrrlldddd,” Temaine dances around in a ditsy manner. Temaine and Ophiel head towards the meeting hall for the faeries. Two Flare Aids accompany each of them. “At least try to act concerned,” Ophiel scoffs. Temaine laughs, “After centuries of dealing with this stuff…You still act so serious,” Temiane lunges in and pinches Ophiel’s cheeks. Ophiel slaps Temaine’s hand away. “Knock it off. After centuries of dealing with this, you still act way too carefree.” Temaine pouts “Hmmmmm,” Ophiel opens up the doors to the meeting room. Diana frowns. “Glad the two of you finally made it…” Ophiel: “What is the problem? Why is there a frenzy within the Militia?” Niko: “Texdan is in absolute chaos, I’m afraid.” Ophiel sighs. Ophiel: [“The primals are powerful…but to be able to invade so discreetly…this seems…different from their usual attacks…”] Niko: “We received news thirty minutes ago that there is a massive earthquake currently in effect. Total casualties are at least forty percent of the entire population of Texdan so far.” Temaine: “Thirty minutes ago?” she laughs “That's more than enough time for them to cause some major damage.” Temaine pulls out a chair and plops down on it. She places her feet on the table. Ophiel: “It depends on what their objective is. If the attack was discreet, it must mean there aren’t a lot of them. What information do we have on the attackers? Considering the reports mentioned earthquakes, it's obvious which group of primals is responsible…” Asenna curls her lips in revulsion “….relentless beasts…” Niko: “But the leader of the Wall Guard reported that the attack wasn't from the mountainside. Perhaps they really are just earthquakes after all. I mean, it’s not as if they said anything about primals. They also said they could handle it-” Diana: “If they say they can handle it, then let them. I don’t see why we should be disturbed over a common earthquake.” Diana gets up and begins to walk out of the room, “I have no particular feelings towards the matter.” Asenna laughs “She really doesn’t give a damn, does she?” Rabia tilts her head in confusion. Ophiel notices Rabia’s puzzled disposition. Ophiel: “Rabia? What do you think?” Rabia suddenly looks up. Her expression, blank, as usual. Ophiel: “You…disagree?” Rabia looks around the room at the four faces looking back at her. With so many battles and invasions over the centuries, it had become difficult to know where to draw the line as faeries. After all….this fight belonged to the humans. Rabia: “...something seems off… about the guard’s message…” Ophiel: “Hmmm...alright…what do you propose we do?” Rabia suddenly reveals her wings of pure light. “...I want to check it out…” As soon as she says these words, she bursts towards the window and flies towards Texdan. Ophiel: “...alright then. I did ask what WE should do about it, but then again…it’s Rabia.” The rest of the faeries had already lost interest in the matter. They all stand up and exit the meeting hall with their personal flare aids accompanying them. Ophiel, however, remains in place, looking towards the window that Rabia just flew from. “Something’s off, huh?” **Meanwhile** As the locals of Texdan lay pinned to the ground, the earth shook once more, causing an area near the square to sink deep into the ground. Geron, Lexi and all individuals pinned to the ground watch in horror, as a small group of Minotaurs erupt from the hole. In the case of the primals, they are four races of creatures each linked with certain elemental matrix abilities. The elves had control and craft of the gale or air. The oceanids had monopoly over the craft of water. The firefoxes’ ability was seen through the heat of fire. But the minotaurs, they had dominance over the earth. The small invaders of minotaurs that crawled out from the earth, laughed in a blood curdling manner. Their laughs proved to be a promise of the pain that was yet to come, and the pleasure they would derive from it. They step out towards the city square. No more than five Minotaurs in total…all seemingly unaffected by the gravitational force that pinned the humans to the ground. The biggest of the group clears his throat, and steps up. “My name is Jidiku. You see, my friends and I came here in search of something…” Jidiku begins to walk on top of the humans, stepping on them and crushing their bones one by one. The people don’t even get the chance to scream out in pain as they die instantly, from the sheer force of his weight. Lexi, still on the ground next to Geron, shivers in fright. [“He must be their leader. There is no doubt by his countenance. Only cold hearted resolve.”] “We are searching for the one with the Almighty Aura….so as long as the rest of you cooperate…then you won’t all have to die….well….not yet, at least.” Jidiku approaches a frightened man, who lies in fear, shaking uncontrollably on the ground. Jidiku smiles, reveling in the man’s angst. “You. The one with crickets in his pants. Do you have any idea what I might be talking about?” “I swe-swe-swear on my li-li-life…I have no idea!” Jiduku sighs. “Can’t say I’m surprised…however, that was not the answer I was looking for-” Jidiku suddenly swings his hand, and splits the man's head in two equal halves. Brain matter and blood spills out, and the lower body finally stops shaking. Screams fill the town square, as people are stunned by the manner by which the man was killed. But even in their fear, they cannot manage to move as the gravitational pressure continues to pin them down. “What’s the problem? He swore on his life didn’t he? Sheesh.” Jidiku wipes his blood-stained hands on the shirt of one of the humans on the ground. “All I simply did was cash in on the oath….now….let me repeat myself. We are looking for the one with the almighty aura. So…who possesses it?” He looks at the woman beside the man he had just killed. “Hmm…maybe you might kn-” Suddenly, a figure breaks out from the destroyed forest area that leads towards the main square, interrupting Jidiku as he was about to interrogate the young woman. Jidiku looks to his right, and sees a young teenage boy holding a child in his right arm. The boy looked weak… but was still able to stand in the midst of the gravitational pressure - just like the minotaurs. Jidiku’s expression slowly melts into a devilish grin.

Setting: The Bayrin Hills of Texdan Time: 9:50 am The land was a wreck. Buildings destroyed. The spirits of those who lost loved ones - shattered. From the center city square that houses most of the apartment buildings, to the Bayrin hills where the farmlands reside, Texdan was completely ravaged. The response team from Floritian were quick to set up temporary shelters along the foothills of Mount Gamajora, for those who lost their homes. Work schedules were put on hold due to the damaged factories and mining fields. All hands were needed to start rebuilding Texdan once again. Although shelter and food had been provided, the Militia still felt very uneasy about the situation in Texdan. During the attack, forty-five percent of the beta squad assigned to Texdan had been killed in action. All of the wall guards were now confirmed dead. This left a huge breach for not only Texdan’s security, but Adamatrium at large. “Hahahha……ahhh…..hahaha” Taylian smiles in adoration of his little cousin’s innocence. Although she had been distraught during the night of the invasion she had now forgotten all about it, and now found amusement in the game she was playing with Taylian. “Taylian…” “What is it?” Taylian pauses “...Why can’t we go back home?” Taylian smiles. Iris had asked that same question every few hours, and after receiving an answer would momentarily pacify her, she would ask later again. “Our home needs to get fixed first, ok?. For now, we stay here and play.” Iris smiles brightly, “Okay!” The two of them return to their game. Shortly after, Lexi sticks her head through the tent flaps. “Taylian, someone is here to see you” As soon as she says it, she returns back outside. Taylian drops Iris on the ground and pats her on the head. “I’ll be right back,” He steps out into the sunlight that reflects from the surface of the mountainside. The light is so bright that Taylian almost feels blindsided. As his eyes adjust to the sun’s rays, he looks to see Leya Forte standing in front of him, conversing with both Lexi and a woman he did not know. Although from her uniform, he deduces she must be of the Militia. Leya looks up just in time to see Taylian’s arrival. She runs over to him and gives him a hug. “I heard what happened! I’m so sorry! It's good to see that you guys are alright though,” Taylian smiles in her warm embrace. **SLAPPPPP!* Taylian wakes up from his daydreaming. “You IDIOT!!!” screams Leya as she shakes him wildly by the collar, causing Taylian’s head to shake in the same motion. “What an absolute IDIOT! Of all the idiots I’ve met in my life, you truly are a special kind, you know that?!!!" Taylian’s eyes begin to spin. [“Why did I ever think this she-beast would try to comfort me at a time like this?”] The Militian Woman approaches Leya and Taylian in concern, “Um, I think he is losing consciousness…” Lexi stands to the side and watches with a smile on her face. She is pleased that Leya is doing what she wanted to do during the night of the invasion. “Do you have some kind of death wish?!! What in the world made you decide to stand up to a damn Minotaur?!” Leya screams, ignoring the militia woman. Taylian’s eyes start to roll back into his head. Taylian: [“Judging by the increasing number of blood vessels on her forehead… I think she’s gonna blow for real this time…”] “Ki…Ki…” Taylian struggles to compose his words. Leya, deciding he needs more motivation to answer, proceeds to rattle him even more. “Other than losing your common sense, did you lose your hearing too?! ANSWER ME!!!” The woman from the militia laughs as she steps up to help Taylian. She pulls him down to the ground and pries Leya’s hands from his neck. “Hey ya!” Everyone turns to look behind and they see Kinso walking towards them. “Oh, what’s up Leya?! Nice to see you back in these parts,” Kinso continues his rapport, ignorant of the situation at hand. “YOU! You were even worse than this buffoon!!!” Leya turns her gaze to the nonchalant boy who had dared to challenge the minotaurs in the first place. Leya lunges at Kinso but is unable to reach him as she is held back by the Militia Woman. Kinso moves back and giggles. “Really? I can’t remember much from that night,” Leya rolls up her sleeve. “Well allow me to jog your memory…If Taylian is an idiot, you are certainly the king of all idiots!!!” The Militia Woman tries to prevent her from attacking again, “Hey, at least your friends are safe…” Leya pauses at her words. After thinking for a while, she finally stops struggling and calms down. “It doesn’t change the fact that they were reckless…maybe they were lucky this time… but they could’ve died! And then what?!” Kinso and Taylian: [“I’m sure she will kill us first before the Primals even get a chance to…”] Kinso steps up. “It was my fault. I tried to step in. I wanted to fight after I saw that they had got the princess, and there was no one left to help. Taylian stepped in at the right time to try and save me... so don’t be angry with Taylian.” Leya frowns and looks at Taylian, “How did you manage to stand up against a minotaur?” Taylian scratches his head in embarrassment. “Uh...I didn’t…” Kinso snickers. “The one that faced off against the minotaur was Ileana…she’s a homeless girl that is very well known in Loix. I had seen her earlier that day, actually...” Kinso begins to reiterate what happened that night. “Of course you know my home in Loix is not too far from Texdan. And my guardian’s sister had come to Texdan that day to visit a friend. So when I saw the commotion happening in Texdan, I wanted to make sure that she and Taylian’s family were safe…but when I arrived and saw the destruction around town, I got even more worried for Taylian. I tried making my way to his house, but the earth had been shattered considerably. I noticed a lot of people escaping to the center square where the emergency bunkers could be accessed, so I followed them to see if I could find Taylian or my guardian’s little sister. I first ran into Ileana on my way to Texdan, and asked her if she knew what was going on…but…she didn’t respond. I also asked her to come with me to help whoever we could in Texdan… but she ignored me and walked off. So imagine my surprise when she stepped in to help me against the minotaur. I guess something must have made her change her mind and come to Texdan…although….I wonder what it was. The girl is quite strange, to be honest…she doesn’t talk to anyone, but everyone knows who she is... Anyways, I was saved because of her…..and Taylian, of course.” “Honestly, I didn’t do much at all,” Taylian looks down sheepishly. “All I did was drag you away, while the other girl did all the work.” Kinso laughs. “Well, thank Lunarias you did! If you hadn't, that ax would have turned me into minced meat!” Kinso begins to sweat as that exact moment replayed in his mind. “That would have been a pathetic way to go…” Leya smirks. “Yeeaaah, and there isn’t much of you to start with. You are already missing two arms…losing more body parts might finally curb your dream of joining the Militia. Although I doubt they would take a stump like yourself,” She twirls her long blonde hair, waiting for Kinso’s usual response. Kinso, in good fashion, flares up, “Oh, my mistake, princess …but I don’t remember your opinion being of any importance!” Leya hides her smile behind her hands, “My my, touchy again are we?” Kinso grits his teeth as he begins to fume. “Too easy,” Leya whispers. Taylian smiles. [“They just can’t help themselves…it's like getting each other riled up fulfills their day.”] Taylian, in that moment, absorbing the situation around him…and seeing some of the most important people in the world to him…breaks out a smile. [ “I’m so grateful for these two…the only individuals I can truly call friends…we’ve sure been through a lot together….while the other citizens of Adamatrium treat me like an outcast, these two have always accepted me….they never cared that I was a social pariah….that is why…no matter what…if necessary….] Taylian immediately remembers the words of Atlas from the previous day: “You’d be better off…using that determination to defend yourself…and maybe others.”   [...I will protect them with everything I have.” ] Kinso screeches, “Hey! You gonna stop or what?” ***Meanwhile*** Setting: Floritian, The King’s Court Time: 10:00 am The King’s Council consists of the King and his six policy makers: The Mason, The Judge, The Architect, The General, The Provider, and The Butler. They have gathered once again to discuss the recent invasion. Jesse Forte (The General) starts the meeting off. “Well…according to the reports…*smack smack*... There were only 5 minotaurs. However, the faeries also reported what looked like ‘firefox claw marks’ around the wall guard center,” Shin Hephaestus (The Provider): “Safe to say the firefoxes must have helped the minotaurs to break through, by wiping out our defense.” Jesse leans in towards Shin, louding smacking his lips after biting into his fruit. “Please…*smack smack*...I beg…leave the military discernment to me...and no, that’s not what happened.” Felix (The Butler) speaks up: “But it wouldn’t be the first time that the Primals combined forces in order to attack. Many of our wars with them have always included more than one race of primals,” Jesse: “Yeah…*smack smack*...but this time…*smack smack*...they didn’t come through the walls…they came directly from the ground-” Felix: “Preposterous! Arrant lies! Such things have never happened before! Not here, and certainly not in the rest of Adamatrium!” Jesse: “I don’t know what to tell you…*smack*...the reports all indicate that they came - and left - through the ground…” He stops smacking his lips and throws the paper report on the desk “...the damn ground…” Dante Jamaerah (The Architect) chimes in: “What I’m more concerned about is the noise and gravitational pressure that came with it…what was that?” Jesse continues, “Reports carried out from the citizens stated that everytime one of the minotaurs stomped his feet, it triggered this ‘thing’... which was usually followed by an increase in the gravitational pressure felt in the atmosphere. So much so that they couldn’t even move. The thing could be heard, but no one saw it,” Laban (The Judge) wrings his hands together in anxiety: “Well of course no one saw it! That thing was so loud, we even heard it over here in Floritian! If it appeared, no doubt we would have all seen it as well!” Jesse: “Whatever the case, this thing has never been used in other attacks…this could pose a serious problem for us, your majesty.…” The council members all turn to look at the King…who is completely distraught. “My daughter…is missing…” whispers King Corinthian. The countenance of the court falls in dismay. In an attempt to make sense of what had happened during the attack, they had lost track of one vital component…the princess... “...The question is…was she their target?...or just collateral?” Shin asks. Felix: “She couldn’t have been their initial target! How could they have known she would be in Texdan at that time? It would have made more sense to attack Floritian - the capital, which till now, has always been their main target.” Shin: “Then there must be someone working for them…feeding them information about us….think about it! What was up with that red beam anyways?!! It flooded all of Adamatrium’s sky! It must have been a signal!!!” Dante puts his arms around Shin, who was seemingly getting worked up. Dante: “If it's true that we had a rat from the inside…Adamatrium would have collapsed a long time ago. They would have figured out all of our military tactics, and attacked accordingly. Besides, I don’t think there is a human stupid enough to align with creatures that want all humans exterminated.” Felix mutters: “You’d be surprised by how twisted some humans can be,” Shin snaps his head towards Felix, his eyes bulging out of his head. “Nothing close to the Primals!…not even by a long shot…” Felix: “How arrogant of you!...do you think humans are any bette-” King Corinthian: “ENOUGH!” The council falls silent once again. “My daughter….is GONE! THAT is our focus right now! We will re-strengthen our defenses, and FIND my DAUGHTER! THAT is our priority!....” King Corinthian pauses and settles into his seat. “...In order to re-strengthen the wall guard, we will take some of the beta squad from Floritian and Loix and send them over to Texdan. Texdan being left defenseless is detrimental for all of Adamatrium.” Jesse: “My King, while I agree that we need to strengthen our defenses in Texdan, I must bring it to your attention that our Militia is being stretched too thin. As we all remember, three years ago, our foxtrot squad was decimated. While we have been trying to slowly build up that squad, it's still not what it used to be. Now one third of our beta squad unit has been hit. Removing beta squad soldiers from Floritian and Loix might negatively affect the crime rate.” Laban jumps in. “Well what choice do we have, Jesse?! Leaving Texdan defenseless is like telling the primals: ‘Heeeeyyyy! We are ready to surrender all of Adamatrium over to yoooouuuu!’... tsk.” Dante: “Hmm.” King Corinthian: “We can come back to that later. In regards to retrieving my daughter, we will use the Shikari. They are the best squad in the Militia for this recovery procedure..” The room falls silent once again. Jesse: “My king….I hate to be the bearer of bad news once more….” “For goodness sakes it never ends…” Laban mutters. King Corinthian anxiously whispers, “What is it?” “Well…we received word last night from the communications team… that the Shikari squad has been……annihilated.” The court goes up in uproar. “Unfathomable…” “I can’t believe it…” **mutters* King Corinthian’s chest tightens. “Do we know exactly what happened?” Jesse: “We don’t know how, but every single call center from the Shikari bases in the Land of the Primals ceased at the same time…the day before the invasion, my King. Since the day of the attack, we haven’t heard anything from the Shikari. With 48 hours of no communication from any of the bases, it's safe to say they are all dead. The communications team estimates that the Primals took count of all the Shikari bases, and after verifying their numbers, chose to strike all of them at the same time.” Felix: “I don’t understand…since when have the primals gotten so astute with their attacks? This situation is a lot more serious than we had previously estimated!” Shin: “So not only do we have to replace the foxtrot squad, but one fifth of the beta squad and now the Shikari? To think, the Shikari were already running low in numbers to begin with.” “Interesting, Shin! I wonder why?!!” Laban mutters again, glaring at Shin with an accusing eye. King Corinthian: “Is there anyone left from the Shikari squad?” Jesse: “Just one. The assistant general. He wasn’t on the field because he was injured a few weeks ago. He is still recovering in the hospital.” “Just one???!” Laban puts his head down and shakes his head…it is evident that he is trying to hold back tears. Jesse: “Well, depending on the Primals that attacked each base, some may still be alive. If some bases were hit by the firefoxes, then those individuals will most likely be taken to their slave camps. If it's the elves, they will be taken as prisoners. If it’s the oceanids, they will be used as lab rats…guinea pigs for their experiments. If it’s the minotaurs…well…their rotting corpses will be all that's left of them….My King….it would seem….just as we are evolving…they too are also evolving.” The room falls silent as they realize that this was truly a state of emergency. In a span of two days, their Militia had been hit from more angles than they could have possibly fathomed. King Corinthian sighs: “All our carefully laid out plans….all of our preparation…gone to waste.” “I have an idea.” The council suddenly turns to the young boy who hadn’t spoken since the meeting commenced. Shin: “What?” Atlas (The Mason) returns the gaze of each council member. “I said…..I have an idea.”

“I have an idea.” Everyone turns to the boy who hadn’t spoken up since the meeting commenced. This newly instated policy maker was only 15, and his youthfulness made him stand out amongst the experienced individuals around the table. Atlas, son of the Faery Niko, stands up. “The main issue at hand is the rescue of the princess. But we have no idea where she may be.” Laban: “Have you not been listening, boy? The Minotaurs are the ones in possession-” Atlas continues to speak: “After everything the general just said, the clear observation is that this isn’t a matter of dealing with just one party. Although, we cannot say for certain how many parties were truly involved in this scheme.” Felix: “Then…what point are you trying to make?” “I’m simply surmising the situation at hand. The actions of the primals have been very calculated. They have the princess, and possibly our shikari soldiers at their mercy. Losing such vital pieces will foster consequences for us….consequences that are bound to be extreme…possibly even resulting in our extinction.” The room falls silent for a few seconds. Shin stands up abruptly. “No! That will not be! The faeries will protect us!” Atlas chuckles lightly. “I think you are forgetting that this isn’t their war, it’s our own. Besides, even they are powerless against the might of what is to come. In the next few years…if we do not put a definitive stop to this war with the primals…it will be our end.” Laban: “Don’t speak such nonsense, you insolent brat!” Atlas pursues his lips to keep himself from laughing Laban grits his teeth in frustration. Dante laughs. “So what is this idea that you seem to have? You sounded pretty confident about it.” Atlas glances at Dante. His piercing gold eyes striking contact with Dante’s soft hazel eyes. “It’s simple, really. I’m sure anyone could have come to the same conclusion as I did.” Atlas points to the center of the map on the round table …right in the land of the Primals. He stares straight towards the King. “We go and get our pieces back.” The room begins to get rowdy upon hearing such a brave proposition from Atlas. Shin: “Are you insane?!! We have no protection outside our lands! You want us to send soldiers to their deaths?!” Laban: “Why did we even let this brat speak?!” Atlas : [“I guess the only sound he likes to hear is the sound of his own voice….”] Felix: “I object this proposal forthwith! It took centuries to build the Shikari to what it is, the Shakari: a special force that works in the land of the primals. Trained to be able to navigate and blend in. There are no others in the land of Adamatrium that are suited to do what the SHIKARI can do. The primals decimated them! Yet you suggest we ‘take back our pieces’?!!! So easily??!!!” Jesse: “I have to second that, kid. You can talk the talk, but walking the walk is different, I assure you…” Atlas continues to look directly at the King, patiently waiting for his response. The King, who at first was just as shocked by Atlas’ proposition, finally speaks. “Enough.” The room quiets down once more. There had been no solution thus far, and the king was willing to hear any contribution, no matter how far-fetched. “...continue, Atlas.” Atlas grins. “Yes. The Shikari are no longer a prospect, as they have been decimated. All the information that they spent years gathering is yet to be brought back, all of the soldiers that risked their lives and are now at the mercy of those savages, all of the military strategies created from their direct contacts with the enemy…we have no choice but to get all of it back.” Atlas points to Jesse. “I have to ask, considering you are the general…what do you propose we do?” Jesse sighs. “I don’t have a clue. Being hit from this many angles was never in the cards…especially not all at once…” “And that was your mistake…you underestimated them. You don’t even realize what they actually are…” Atlas grabs the four pieces on the table symbolizing the Shikari. “These pieces were the only attack strategy we had going into this war. Against their physical strength, we are powerless. They are beasts after all. Brutish and ruthless in every sense of the word. We are humans. Intelligent, cunning, the latter. An evolving species. Surely we can rely on our wits to beat them, right?” Atlas then tosses the pieces in the air, causing them to land awkwardly on the table. “But you underestimated their wits. You focused too much on how strong they are, allowing them to deceive you.” Shin: “Of course we know how smart they are! Oceanids are the most intelligent beings in our worl-” “Ah ah. They aren’t all that wise. They just possess applicability. Their constant drive towards self and societal progression allows them to create reservoirs of knowledge based on education, observation, discernment and a bit of intuition. Then they utilize these reservoirs of knowledge to progress themselves, and themselves only. I’d argue we humans are much more intelligent and far more creative… we just unintentionally limit ourselves…perhaps it is out of admiration… or fear...” Jesse: “If you agree that we are smarter than the Primals, then how is using our wits against them supposedly the wrong move?” “As I said, we unintentionally limit ourselves out of both admiration and fear. This halts our possibilities for progress, causing them to move ahead of us constantly. But how do we put a stop to that? We would have to find a way to get rid of the fear that plagues us. But how can we do that when that sense of fear is warranted? How can we even get rid of our underlying admiration for them when they truly are better than how we have been in every way? In strength, in speed, in innovation, in everything and anything, they have constantly been better than us. Considering that, admiration is an obvious reaction.” Dante: “And without wits, there is only one alternative…” Dante and Atlas simultaneously: “...force…” Felix: “But how can we use force against those that are clearly stronger than us?” “By making the habit of both coincide. Allowing for that dichotomy between admiration and fear to mix isn’t only a limit in my eyes - it's also a weapon. There is no greater fear than the fear of death, which is why we constantly fear those who might bring such a fate upon us. But there is also no greater admiration than for those who are superior to you. The key to using force against the Primals… is to turn both fear and admiration upon itself.” Dante: “Basically, the more someone fears death, the more they are willing to fight against that fate. The stronger the fight, the stronger the odds are you will survive. And the more you admire someone, the more desperate you become to reach their level. The stronger the drive, the stronger the odds are you will succeed in reaching that level.” The rest of the council becomes mesmerized by the constant back and forth between Dante and Atlas, almost as if they can read each other’s minds. They are more impressed by Dante’s ability to understand Atlas in every detail of his explanation.  Atlas: “With that said, we have to find soldiers willing to carry out that process. Soldiers that fear death more than anyone, but are willing to face it head on all the same. Soldiers that also seek to learn from the primals, and surpass them in every way. Simply said…we need beasts in order to fight beasts.” Jesse: “And I’m guessing those beasts are supposed to come from my army…” Atlas turns to Jesse once more. “Precisely.” Laban who had been quietly stewing in his seat finally spoke up: “Little boy, were you not paying attention when we said the Militia is already being stretched thin? How can we send out warriors to Elyzan when our defenses are already weak?... Why, in the name of Sol, did we nominate a child to be a policy maker?” King Corinthian: “Let him finish.” Atlas ignores Laban and keeps his attention on Jesse. “I don’t want to ask too much of your soldiers. The Militia has been hit too heavily right now. But in order for this plan to work, we do need beasts. That’s where… the Elected comes in…” Atlas picks up one of the four pieces from the table once again. He flips it between his fingers, studying it. “I believe that each year, we see more and more applicants with unique talents. Talents that can only be described as rather…’beastly’. We will take new applicants from the Elected trials, as well as current Elected members, and form the core of the mission through them.” Laban: “So….your plan is to feed our promising youth as fresh meat to the enemy?!” he smacks his lips Atlas sighs: [“Right on cue…”] Atlas: “Old man….Don’t interrupt me again.” Laban’s eyes flare with rage. “What did you say you INSOLENT-” Felix: “Unbelievable, Laban! We have pressing matters at hand, and yet you choose to squabble with the child?” Laban: “Did you not hear what he said?!!!” King Corinthian: “Enough!” Laban crosses his arms, still enraged. King Corinthian looks back to Atlas. “Atlas…great work, my boy. We will keep this idea in mind. I’ll give everyone two days to go home and think this over. We will reconvene in three days. If you have any better ideas, speak up then…if not…we shall proceed with this proposal…” Atlas bows: “Thank you, my lord. I must mention that recovering information left behind by the Shikari is of utmost importance to giving us an advantage in the upcoming war. That is why I came up with this plan. I hope you all keep that in mind as you deliberate during the next two days.” Dante smirks: [“This boy…is truly…”] The court dismisses. Atlas turns to leave. [“Perhaps I am not being completely honest. I know that King Corinthian does not believe we can actually defeat the Primals…not by our own hands. Every strategy that this council has made before I arrived has been to subdue them, just enough for us to live and fight another day. From what I’ve gathered, the King believes that defeating the Primals will only destroy the balance of our world…”] Atlas’ expression turns sour. [“How foolish….sun gods, moon gods, Primals….none of it matters. We twiddle our thumbs and allow them to reduce our numbers…hoping that one day we can all miraculously come to an understanding…but they won’t be satisfied until we are all dead.”] As he walks through the halls of the palace, Atlas’ aura flows cold…but controlled.

<Later that day> Setting: Lexi and Geron’s Farm House Time: 6:15 pm Taylian wakes up to an ice pack on top of his head. He squirms in pain. “Somehow… I made it out alive today.” He looks over to his desk and sees that it's 6:17 in the evening. [“Like every other human, I grew up north of the mountains of Gamajora, in the land of Adamatrium. The region south of the mountains, is the main continent of Elyzen - the domain of the Primals. No one dared venture out there…. unless they wanted a quick death”] He sits up from the bed and watches the ice pack fall to the ground. He lifts his shirt to look at his body, and he sees bandages covering them. He looks around, surprised to be in his room. “How did I get up here?....Oh yeah…I passed out. How embarrassing.” Taylian grimaces as he smells the stench of the healing ointments that had been placed on him. [“The land of Adamatrium consists of three major cities. The city of Texdan is where I live. Growing up in the slums of Texdan, I had experienced such treatment for as long as I can remember. The puzzle I was yet to figure out is why I am always specifically targeted”] Taylian touches the bandage beside his ribcage and notices blood starting to ooze out. He gets up and begins to walk downstairs so he can replace it. [“I live with my aunt Lexi and her husband Geron. We live on the farmlands of Texdan, called the Bayrin Hills, and make a living that way. In Adamatrium, when you turn fifteen, you must select the profession that you will live out for the rest of your life. Once the decision is made, you cannot change it. The whole thing seems ridiculous to me, but what choice do I have? My aunt Lexi and I were headed to the farmers' enlistment station earlier today……before we were attacked..”] As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he grips the railing to support his weight. The beating he had received earlier was gruesome but the after effect was far worse. [It’s not like I'm not used to this sort of treatment. However, today was the first time I truly thought….I thought….I was going to die. The hatred had always been there…. but what happened today…] Taylian looks up and sees Lexi in the kitchen. “What really happened to my mother and father?” Lexi, surprised by the sudden question - as she had her back turned and had not noticed Taylian come downstairs - jumps in surprise. She pauses for a few minutes without looking at Taylian. Then she suddenly turns around and rushes to him. “What are you doing out of bed??!!! You will re-open those wounds! Do you know how long it took Geron and I to-” “Thank you aunt Lexi… for the bandages…taking care of me…I am grateful. But, you are still withholding from me what I want more than anything. Tell. Me. The. Truth. I am not stupid, I see the way people treat me and look at me. It's not like this city isn’t filled with bullies,” A tear escapes from Taylian’s eyes. “…but why am I always their favorite victim?” He rested his back on the wall to support himself as the aching pain increased with every minute he continued standing. Lexi continues fumbling to fix his bandages. “We have been through this already. Your parents died and there was nothing to it. These people are just bullies looking for victims to targe-” “ENOUGH!” Lexi jumps back in shock, looking at Taylian as he continues to cry. “JUST TELL ME! STOP WITH THE LIES. TELL ME, OR I WILL LEAVE. I will leave, and all you will hear is about my demise. As soon as I leave this house those jerks will come for me. And they will dispose of me as they’ve always wanted to. You won’t be there to stop it.” Taylian exclaims, overwhelmed with varying emotions. Geron and his young daughter, Iris, rush into the house. They were already headed inside when they heard Taylian’s screams and rushed in. Taylian lowers his voice. “You will be forced to sit here, and wait for the news of my demise. I am tired. So…please...Just tell me.” “Lexi. Tell him.” Lexi turns to see Geron with a saddened look, and Iris seemingly confused and upset. She then cups her hands to her face, and begins to sob. “You shouldn’t have to know this. This shouldn’t be your burden to bear. All I wanted was for you to have a normal life. All she wanted was for you-” “She? You mean…my mother?” Lexi pauses. She then looks at Taylian, tears starting to flow uncontrollably from her eyes. “...your birth name… is Taylian Izana…Son of Kato Izana and Aurelia Yuki…my sister. I took you in when they banished her but-” “Banished?!….but….You told me she was dead. That my parents had died shortly after I was born?” “What choice did I have?! I did it to protect you! Kato was killed, but Aurelia was banished. You see…Aurelia was a Flare Aid. Those who serve the sun god Sol in mind, body, and soul, with favor from the faeries themselves. They are bound to chastity for life. But Aurelia fell in love with Kato…and you were the product of that love….” Taylian’s eyes widened in disbelief. “...when their affair was made known, she was to be punished for her crimes by beheading. Your father, Kato, took the punishment for her. He was beheaded instead… and your mother was banished….” Taylian grabs onto the stair railing to steady himself. “So all this time…this whole time, you’ve been lying to me….deceiving me…” Geron tries to hold Taylian as his balance sways, “Taylian try to understand….can’t you see that this is difficult for her too….not only did you lose a mother, but she lost a sister…” “And decided to hide it from me… This whole time…..even you, Uncle Geron…I believed that I must just be cursed or something…I never understood….It never made sense why it was always me…why I was always chosen as their object of hatred…You saw me go through all this…” Lexi: “no…no” Taylian: “...and still chose…” Lexi: “Taylian, please understa-” Taylian’s voice cracks as he says: “...to keep it from me…” Lexi dropped to the floor, and tears flowed from her eyes even more - she was inconsolable. The rest of the room went quiet. After a few moments, Taylian uttered, “...where is she?” Lexi suddenly stops crying, and Geron stops looking down in shame. They both look up at Taylian, whose eyes radiate determination. “WHERE IS SHE??!!” Shocked by the boy’s tenacity, Geron felt compelled to answer, “Like Lexi said, she was banished beyond the mountainside…..to the main continent of Elyzen….the domain of the primals….which can only mean she’s dead…I’m sorry.” Geron moves to where Lexi is on the ground to comfort her. Taylian, feeling like the wind has been knocked out of him, struggles to stand on his feet. [“Hot. Everything feels hot. Air……I need air…can’t breathe”] Taylian takes advantage of Geron’s distraction by grabbing a dirty shirt from the laundry basket near the stairs, and running out of the house. Although she is too young to fully comprehend the situation, Iris is aware that her cousin is upset and had earlier threatened to leave. She stands by the doorstep, cries out to him. “Tayliannn! Please don’t go!” Taylian, consumed by pain and anger, is too far gone to hear her cry. He rushes into the forest that surrounds the farmlands and immediately begins to leap through the branches of the trees. [“Every muscle in my body is crying for me to stop. I can feel the bandages underneath my shirt starting to come off…..revealing my wounds…what the bandages covered is the effect of the physical pain, but what I feel in my heart cannot be covered…..cannot be rescued…cannot be healed…”] [“Air, breathe…pain…in, out, out or in….I can’t think…hot..everything is so hot….I just-”] Suddenly a dark red light/flash that had been building up and surrounding Taylian is released into the atmosphere. From the moment he left the house, a dark red aura had begun to form around him…building up…and it finally discharged itself and released towards the atmosphere…..appearing like a red beam and beacon towards the Texdan sky. This beacon filled the black sky…painting it red all over. After the energy is dispelled, Taylian, feeling even more weakened than before, loses his balance as he steps on a tree branch. The injured ankle that was stepped on by the drunk leader earlier, was the cause of this slip up. As he raises his hand to reach for the next branch and propel himself forward, he loses his grip on the oncoming branch and his footing on the previous branch. He falls from the trees and blacks out. ******Meanwhile***** Setting: The Central Hospital of Flortian, Niko’s office Time: 7:00 pm Atlas: “What was it about that boy you dislike so much?.” “That BOY….is no concern of yours.” Niko walks over to Atlas and softly scratches his chin, caressing it in her soft hands. “I’ve never known you to be a gossip. Why the sudden interest darling?” Atlas stares back at Niko, blushing as he likes when she does that. He then regains focus. “Don’t you find it weird? That a kid like that was beaten to a pulp, and no one did anything to interfere? I understand people can be aloof, but that was a very extreme situation for just a kid.” Niko pinches Atlas’ cheeks and smiles as she leans in “You call him a kid, as if you two aren’t probably the same age.” Atlas smacks her hand away. “Whatever.” Niko sighs and hugs her arms to her chest. She looks out the window and looks to the sky “...It's a full moon tonight.” “What of it?” Niko cups her hand and whispers softly in Atlas’ ear. “...Lunarias…” Atlas cups his hand and whispers softly in Niko’s ear. ““Enough with your fables of sun and moon gods.” “Atlas!” She looks around the room to make sure no one heard. “Sol and Lunarias are to be feared and worshiped! They are our guardians and protectors! I am a servant of Sol, you know this!” “Well, your gods must be dead. Or rather, they took a vacation and decided to never come back. What kind of guardians would allow their people to suffer through wars and terror. When has Adamatrium known true peace without fear of those damn beasts?! Your gods are nothing more than two overpaid failures of security guards.” Niko gasps again. She knew her son’s cynicism had grown over the recent years but she hadn’t realized it extended towards the gods too. Atlas walks to the window, and looks out to the rest of Floritian. “What we should look towards is science. Science and innovation will deliver us. Not gods who have already checked out their retirement and pension plans-” “Enough!” Atlas stops, and turns back to Niko. “You don’t have to believe in them… I have never forced that upon you… but at least respect me enough as a servant of Sol to not speak ill of them.” Atlas scoffs, and turns back to the window. Niko walks over to her chair, and sighs. “Atlas….sweet boy….there is so much you don’t know.” Niko then pets her favorite spirit, no longer seeming upset. “The boy you saved today….His name is Taylian…” Atlas looks back at Niko once again, surprised she is willing to speak about him. “It is well known by those who witnessed it in Floritian about fifteen years ago…that he is the son of the deceased Kato Izana, and the banished Aurelia Yuki. Aurelia…was a Flare Aid.” “..I see…it all comes together now….why was she banished instead of beheaded?” “Her lover Kato took her place. He was executed…she was banished. Can you see why I want you to stay away from all that? It's too much trouble.” Niko stands up and walks towards Atlas and holds his face in her hands. “Words cannot describe how happy I am that you got promoted to be the new Mason….and at such a young age…” Niko’s face begin to shine, and tears of light form at the bottom of her eyes “I just want you to focus on that… and stay clear of that type of drama. I mean, today was your first day, ONLY your FIRST day as the Mason… and you just had to get involved…You have worked too hard for this-” Atlas shoves her hand away from his face. “So you would rather have me stand by and do nothing? I don’t care whether it be the strong and noble of Floritian, or the weak and poor of Texdan, I will NEVER allow myself to stand by in a situation such as that.” Atlas begins to walk away to distance himself from Niko. “Perhaps you cannot understand it as faery, but we humans have something called morals. Morals we abide by. Morals we ought to exemplify. Even as we fall short of those morals time and time again, we cannot allow ourselves to fall into a place of existence where such a necessity becomes nonexistent.” Atlas turns around, glaring straight at Niko. “After all…isn't that what you faeries do? Claim to be helpers of mankind… claim to be our protectors…yet when it really counts, you all just sit back and do nothing…leaving our kind to fend for ourselves as if we are only hindrances to you all.” “That’s false, and you know fully well that is fals-” “When was the last time any of you have actually left Adamatrium?” “...Ophiel has been…” “Yes…Ophiel is the only one willing to do anything for any of us. But what about the rest of you?” “Atlas, please understand-” “Understand ME…THAT is the real form of understanding that is lacking here. I didn’t become the Mason and join the King’s Council just to break bread and sit back while the world continues down this path. I did it… because I want to create a new one. A new world where we no longer have to live in fear, and be at war. A world full of peace and tranquility. A world… where situations like earlier will never happen again. If you don’t understand that to be my goal, and continue to dismiss my actions to achieve it…then you truly don’t understand me at all.” Niko stares into his eyes and is left speechless. It was like she could finally see the determination that had fostered from his childhood, now brimming to the surface, ready to spill over. He was serious. And he wouldn’t let anyone get in his way. Not even her. She smiles at him. “Of course I understand you….how could I not? I raised you. I know you better than anyone. It's because I know you, that I can say without certainty, that you will irrevocably leave a mark on this world. Like one never seen before. I have lived many ages. Remember I have been here since the beginning…all I ask is that you tread carefully…because this world is not one where such a dream is easily achieved…” Niko drops her gaze and walks away. Atlas looks out the window and stares at the full moon. ***Meanwhile*** As Taylian was knocked out, he slipped into a state of vivid consciousness. *DREAM* A woman walks through a field of grass dressed in white. She dances in the fields and this causes dandelion seeds to spread about in the wind. She holds her hand out and invites Taylian to dance with her. She is below in the valley and Taylian is high above on the mountain. At first, Taylian tries to go, but then stops as he is apprehensive and realizes he does not know who she is. He stops and thinks, and then beckons for her to come to him on the mountain. The lady in white stops dancing and suddenly becomes sad. She tries to step up on the foot of the mountain but it scorches her and burns her feet. She drops and begins to cry. Taylian, horrified that he had caused her pain, begins to run down the mountain towards her. As he runs through the mountain his feet first get stuck in a bed of sand, he fights the sinking sand and begins to run again and his feet get scorched by hot lava. He cries in pain and tries to press forward, but his feet then enter water that causes him to sink into the water. He struggles to breathe, but eventually finds his way to the top. When he reaches the surface of the water, a large gust of wind suddenly takes him towards an unknown island. He reaches the island and looks around at the unknown place and then looks back to the sea. He then realizes that the mountain…the beautiful field of grass… and the woman in white…are all gone. *END OF DREAM* Taylian wakes up startled and disoriented. He stares up from the ground towards the sky, through the tall trees, and sees the full moon. [“It's a full moon tonight. Aunt Lexi says that the powers of the moon goddess, Lunarias, are stronger on nights like these…meaning our protection is greater as well…”] Taylian wimpers and rolls over in pain. If he thought he was in pain before, what he felt now could hardly be described in words. It felt like every movement was like driving needles into every cell and tissue of his body. [“Best not to move I guess. This is what I get for overdoing it.”] Suddenly, a gust of wind rushes through the trees, startling Taylian. The gust was rapid, but the feel of the summer wind was warm, almost like an embrace. In that moment, he could only manage to think and utter a single word: “....mother….” As soon as Taylian uttered those words, the earth beneath him started to shake, as if something evil or forbidden had been evoked. He looks back in the region towards the house…..and sees the ground beginning to break apart.

Setting: Texdan’s busy city centre. Time: 4:00 pm The hustle and bustle of the rush hour is a trademark of Texdan’s town square. This day was no different. The city centre is usually filled with workers of all trades and skills, but civilians were gathered here en masse today as well. The town square is flooded with fifteen year olds giddy with excitement for the selection process. As mandated in the nation of Adamatrium, all youths by the age of fifteen must decide the trade/employment that would serve as their careers for the rest of their lives. Among the crowd stood a young Taylian Tomoharu. Accompanied by his aunt Lexi, he glances around the tightly packed city centre in discomfort. “Next!” After standing in line for the past hour, the little anxiety that had initially taken hold of Taylian had now snowballed into full blown panic. One would think that perhaps the young boy was nervous about signing his life away to the farmers guild, or perhaps worried about something he forgot to do in preparation for such a grand occasion. “Next!” However, as the young boy continuously moved from behind his aunt to peer at a few muscular miners, drinking near the stands, it was evident that the selection signing was the least of his worries. The miners stood a short distance from the stand and it was quite easy to tell that they had gotten drunk after their morning to afternoon shift. After peeping at them, Taylian stood behind his aunt and placed his head down. Aunt Lexi, taking notice of his distress squeezes his shoulder and leans in, “It won’t take long. We’ll sign you up and be out of here in no time.” “Next!” Taylian’s eyes gleam with assurance, and he pulls his head back up. He is suddenly strengthened - not because of his aunt’s words - but because he was next in line, and he didn't want to draw attention to himself by wasting time. Content with his decision to follow his uncle and aunt’s career path by joining the farmers guild, Taylian steps forward, prepared to embrace this new chapter in his life. As he steps forward, a massive howl bellows out from the very direction he had been trying to avoid since he got in line. “WELL! If it isn’t the little BASTARD!” Taylian’s eyes that had shone with hope for a brief moment darkened in fear and anxiety once more. That same anxiety that he believed had been resolved, had now come back in full force, much more fierce and blood churning than its initial appearance. [“Not here… please not here…” ] In what seemed like a dream from the pit of hell, Taylian slowly looked backwards to see the four miners towering above him and his aunt. “I can’t believe we didn’t notice you before! I thought the people of this city have made it clear, kid - we don’t want you here!” Lexi, ever the protective caretaker - and having been through this repeatedly in the past - was quick to jump into action. She stretches her arms between the miners and her nephew, sneering at the miners, in hopes that they would retreat. “Enough! Not today! Can’t we just have ONE day of peace without trouble from the likes of-” As quickly as Lexi had begun her spiel, it quickly ended as the loudest miner of the bunch strikes her down with a backhanded slap. The miner’s friend instinctively grabs Lexi, and pins her hands down, before she has the chance to retaliate. “What does this have to do with you, witch?” Taylian looks to his aunt, and sees her wrestling as hard as she can to fight the man off. The rest of the men encircle around Taylian, each with devilish grins. [“I know my life has always been like this…..”] Taylian turns around, trying desperately to escape from the situation. [“...and yet…for some reason…”] *CLUTCH!* [“...I’m never prepared…”] “Trying to escape, are ya?! HA! Like father, like son!” *PUNCH!* Taylian falls to the ground, caught square in the face by a right hook to his jaw. Unfortunately, the attack only worsened from there. [“It is not the cruelty of the world itself that I wish I could prepare for. The race of primals that wage war constantly against Adamatrium, reminds us everyday that our world will never be a peaceful one..”] “Let me get in on that!” “I got next!” [“No…It's the cruelty of one human towards another…that I can’t ever seem to prepare myself for.”] Lexi looks up, and notices that the man holding her captive was clearly the most inebriated. His hold on her was weak. She pauses to think. Out of options, Lexi drives her bodyweight backwards and uses her elbow to strike the man where the sun doesn’t shine. Losing his complete grip on her as he collapses to the ground, Lexi manages to escape. “LET HIM GO!” Gunning straight for the drunk man currently attacking Taylian, Lexi begins to claw and hit the man as hard as she can. “Damn it, witch!” The other two men grab hold of her and pin her down. As they look over to the fourth, they see him clutching his private area and rolling around in a drunken fit. “Idiot!” Lexi screams, “Let me go! We have done nothing wrong!” Taylian, battered and broken, tries his best to crawl away and escape. His body can’t take much more. *SLAM!* “AAHHH!” Taylian screams in pain, as the leader of the drunk men slams his foot on Taylian’s ankle. “You really are pathetic, boy.” Taylian looks up to see the leader glaring down at him. Although he can’t tell how, or even when it happened, he notices that the demeanor of the leader had changed….for the worse… Lexi, “Somebody help! Please! I beg you to stop them!” The crowd had gathered around to observe, but done nothing to interfere. Lexi realizes that her pleas - as usual - were falling on deaf ears and begins to cry. “Why…why does it always have to be like this?!” Lexi whispers The leader grabs Taylian by his head, and holds him up like nothing more than a deflated rag doll. The leader’s build is raw. Powerful. Monstrous…perfect for a miner. “What gave your father the right to have her? Everyone with eyes wanted to be with that woman… myself included!” *PUNCH!* Taylian coughs out blood. He writhes in severe pain as it felt like his insides had been scrambled. “But no!” *PUNCH* “It just had to be…” *PUNCH* “Your wretched father…” *PUNCH!* “That got with her!” he roared. Taylian coughs more blood. His tears cause his vision to blur. The leader finally lets Taylian go, and he drops to the ground. [“I guess…I’ll just never be ready…”] “The son of a greedy man that tricked us all, and a disgraceful woman who couldn't keep her oath. That is who you are!” The leader walks over to pick up an ax he had previously dropped before. He had already finished his work for the day before stopping by the square to grab a drink with his friends. He grabs his ax and heads back towards Taylian. “If I were you, I would consider this a favor. Since I technically can’t ‘kill you’, I ought to at least rid the world of your future descendants!” he bursts out in laughter “Please…stop…I beg of you…please!” Taylian manages to say while crying. [“Somebody, anybody..I’m just..never ready”] The leader points his axe towards Taylian’s genitalia as he laughs maniacally. He raises the axe with the intent to castrate Taylian. As he is about to land the ax, his movement suddenly stops midair. Lexi gasps. The leader, surprised by the stopped axe, turns to his left and sees a young man standing beside him, holding his wrist. Suddenly, the young man twists his wrist, causing him to scream in pain. “Ahhhh!!!” He bends one knee to the floor, trying to hold his twisted left wrist with his right hand. “You….little…shit!” Suddenly, the young boy’s voice appears in the mind of the instigator as clear as day: “If a sprain isn’t enough for you, then I’ll gladly heighten it as much as you wish.” The leader freezes in fear, as he looks up to the boy’s pale face. The corners of the boy’s mouth had not moved once. Yet, he had clearly heard his voice. “Who-” Before the leader can finish his question, the pale boy immediately applies more pressure to his wrist, causing the leader to scream further in pain. “So then…how much higher should I go?” The leader begins to sweat, and though irritated, refrains from moving out of fear. He ponders to himself: [“With those golden earrings… and this immense presence… he must be from Floritian…possibly a commander…If I push my luck…this could end very badly for me…”] The young boy finally speaks out loud, loud enough for all the spectators to hear. “I understand that this is the slums of Texdan, but why is such behavior permitted?” He then looks towards the other three drunk men - two of which were holding Lexi, the other still clutching his crotch. “And you three, why would you join in such brutish acts, knowing you will only get arrested?” The two men holding Lexi, not yet realizing what their leader now knew about the boy, further challenged the kid. “Huh?? Is this pipsqueak really tryna lecture us??? Hasn’t anyone taught you to respect your elders, kid?!” The two men simultaneously let go of Lexi and begin to approach the boy, still spurred on by the alcohol in their veins. “I guess we’re gonna have to teach you not to get involved in grown folks busine-” Their slightly sloppy, but focused drunken movement, is then immediately cut short as a flash of light wizzes by both of their lines of vision. As their eyes begin to focus, they then see a tiny spirit glaring at them, resembling that of a hummingbird mixed with a rhinoceros-like nose. The crowd begins to react in admiration and fear. “Choose your next actions very carefully.” As a figure emerges from the crowd, they all look to see the Health Faery, Niko, accompanied with a massive spirit resembling that of a white falcon, blessed with massive wings that drape all over her shoulders and back. Reactions spurred from the crowd. “It’s the faery, Niko!” “She’s stunning!” Niko’s arrival also causes panic, as some of the crowd start to move away from the scene so that they won't be tagged as accomplices. The two drunk men that were about to attack the young boy retreat in fear. As the young boy sees Niko emerge from the crowd, he sighs, and then removes the axe from the leader’s hand. The leader screams and wets himself as he watches the boy move the axe towards his head. However, the boy merely strikes him on the forehead with the wooden end, simply knocking him out. “And where do you think you two are going?” The two drunk men freeze, stunned by the sudden voices in their heads. They look around to see who had just spoken to them, but don’t see anyone looking at them. “I swear man, I’m never drinking again!” Militia soldiers then arrive at the scene and place handcuffs on the four drunks, including with the one that was still rolling around in pain. As soon as they cuff him, and force his hands off his private area, he then realizes that the pain had actually been gone for a while. Niko walks up to the young boy and places her hand on his cheek. “Atlas, are you alright?” The young boy - Atlas - ignores Niko’s question and stares at Taylian. Lexi had already run over to him, and now held him in her arms. She checks to see if Taylian’s wounds were severe. “What was their problem with him?” Atlas mutters Niko, noticing Atlas’ distraction, looks back at Taylian and Lexi. Lexi looks up and locks eyes with Niko. Niko grimaces and breaks the stare by turning back to Atlas. “It’s no concern of ours. You should learn to stay away from things like this…..also…..stay away from that boy.” Niko whispers to Atlas. She then turns to the remaining crowd. “The show is over! Or would the rest of you like to be arrested?” The crowd quickly disperses, and the people return to what had preoccupied them before the drunken show. Niko turns back to Atlas, “Let’s go. We’re done here.” Atlas turns and starts to walk in the direction that he and Niko came from. “Wait!” coughs Taylian. It was a small word, barely audible, but it was enough to make Atlas stop in his tracks. [“I’m never ready for the cruelty displayed by others. To be locked up in a cage…. without being told my crime…”] Taylian looks up to Atlas as he struggles to keep one bruised eye open. [“...but this time…”] Taylian smiles. “Thanks.” [“...it’s….different…”] Atlas stares at the young boy in his sorry state. After a while he says, “I saw it, you know. I saw you crawling to escape from the men earlier.” Atlas turns around and begins to walk away again. “You’d be better off…using that energy to defend yourself…and maybe others.” Atlas looks back towards Lexi for a second, and then walks away. Taylian with no strength left, finally succumbs to his wounds and faints in Lexi’s arms.

The same roar that had been heard earlier before was now present again. As the shrieking of the thing would end, the gravitational pressure on the people would double. The people on the floor had already been pushed against the cemented earth of the center square, but with this increase in pressure, their skin now started to rip from their flesh, and their bones were becoming crushed into the ground. Taylian, unaffected by the gravitational pressure, still chooses to lay on the ground. He looks beside him and sees the young boy - Erin - weeping in pain. Taylian clenches his hands in frustration. [“What…what can I possibly hope to do?! If the princess and her guards can’t stop them, what could I hope to accomplish?....don’t be stupid Taylian….you’ll only get yourself killed…”] Looking back up to where the two remaining guards and the princess were, Taylian notices one guard was already knocked down on the floor, leaving one more standing. After the last wave of pressure passes through the center square, Butch finally realizes he genuinely stands no chance in this fight. His knees buckle under the weight of the induced gravity, and he drops to the ground. Frustrated by his inability to guard the princess, he turns to see Princess Zara also fall to one knee. Jidiku walks up to Zara and laughs. “Well then…it seems the mighty Princess has fallen!” Zara gasps, realizing she gave away her secret in the previous attempt against Jidiku. “Whaaaatt? You seem shocked…did they not all just call you their princess? Hailing you with praise as you ‘struck’ me down?” Zara continues to look at Jidiku in sheer horror. Jidiku laughs even harder, and then suddenly stops. “Donda. You and the rest kill the remaining two guards. When you’ve finished them off, kill as many of the humans that cheered her on. If they can share in their princess’s victory…we can grant them the pleasure of sharing in her pain as well.” Jidiku strikes the ground again. The ground starts to shake even harder, and the pressure begins to rise even greater. More of the humans begin to die as their bodies cannot endure anymore. Princess Zara screams and cries as the Minotaurs begin to carry out their orders. She is a crown Princess, yet is powerless to this ragtag band of primals. [“Try as I may…I can’t get up….whatever power this is…it goes well beyond a primal’s matrix…”] Ronin (yet still on the ground) wept. Not for himself, but for his princess. As Princess Zara’s chief guard, he felt guilty in his incapacity to protect not just the princess but his fellow guardsmen. He notices as Donda saunters towards him with his ax raised high. He keeps his eyes fixated on the princess. “It has been an honor…my princess…no matter what happens today, make sure you LIVE! You cannot die! Please!....don’t let our sacrifices be in vain.” As tears roll down his face, his eyes become clouded. And then…in the blink of an eye, everything goes dark.  Zara’s eyes light up with unimaginable rage as she watches in horror Ronin’s head roll away from his body. She screams out in pain. The other Minotaurs rip Butch’s head from his kneeling body. Blood flows everywhere, and his body drops lifeless to the floor. The minotaurs then turn their attention to the humans closest to them. For large beasts, it was shocking that they can move so swiftly. Screams fill the red night sky, as the minotaurs made short work of the humans…stepping on their skulls…and crushing many of them to death. Jidiku knows they have lingered long enough. He doesn’t want to give the militia time to respond. Taylian, still on the ground, can't help but feel guilty for being a coward. As the only one who surprisingly was unaffected by the pressure, he could lend a helping hand… [“How many will they kill before they reach me? I could stand and fight but how much impact would I make?”] Jidiku then grabs Zara’s head, and as Zara struggles to look up, Jidiku strikes her hard on her head, knocking her out instantly. If she wasn’t of the crown bloodline, she probably would’ve died instantly. The humans on the ground were still being pushed down by the pressure. If the minotaurs didn’t get to them first, the force of the induced gravity had become so great that it was making their lungs collapse and their bones break. [“...please…no more…someone save us…please!...]. The people of Texdan moan in pain. One of the minotaurs reaches where Lexi is. Lexi’s mind goes blank as the minotaur steps in front of her. Geron, anxiously watching a short distance away, screams out Lexi’s name. As Taylian hears Lexi’s name, and in a state of fear and panic, his aura silently disperses from his body once more. Once again…that same strange and agonizing roar bellows out…this time with much more rage and passion. *RRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEERRRRR!!!!!* The induced gravitational pressure increases even more, causing even some of the minotaurs to crouch down to one knee…including the minotaur that is about to kill Lexi. Jidiku quickly realizes the situation, “Damn it… it’s almost here…” so he picks up Zara and throws her over his shoulders. “Alright, let’s get going! I have to alert Him to stop the damn thing…”   The ground continues to rumble, as the minotaurs gather around Jidiku and prepare to flee. All of a sudden, a young boy screams out from the distance, trying to lift himself up against the pressure. Of course, this catches the attention of the Minotaurs, who turn to look and see the young boy trying desperately to rise to his feet. As they peer closer, they all realize something…something that causes them all to laugh simultaneously… The young boy has no arms. Taylian turns slightly to see the boy who caught the attention of the minotaurs. He is taken by surprise when he notices that it's “...Kinso?!...” The minotaurs cackle even louder as they watch him collapse just as quickly as he had gotten up. It is still shocking to the minotaurs that he was able to somewhat withstand the pressure that is crushing the other humans. It is even more shocking to them that he can do it with no arms. Donda: “Jidiku, do you think he could be the carrier?” Jidiku: “He is strong….for a human…..hmm…” Jidiku observes Kinso struggle to stand, and fail and in doing so. Jidiku scoffs. “No. He is nothing more than a wannabe hero….Kill the brat.” Jidiku lifts his feet one last time and strikes the ground. “We’re done here.” The earth opens up and he enters into it. The rest of the minotaurs follow Jidiku into the earth. Donda is left behind, and he takes his time making his way over to Kinso. As Donda finally reaches Kinso, he swings his ax back… ready to kill. But just before the ax hits his head, Kinso manages to slightly roll over to his side. The ax missing his head by a hair. Donda’s initial reaction is surprise…but it is quickly followed by excitement. “So, the little brat wants to put up a fight? Come on, armless hero, show me whatcha got!” Kinso lays on the ground, trying desperately to slow his heart rate from his near death experience. He refuses to let the minotaur’s taunts get to him and still seeks to fight the pressure. Donda frowns when the boy doesn’t respond. He lifts his ax once more. “That’s all ya got? …hmm...too bad…” As Donda swings his ax back a second time, Kinso realizes he might not be able to dodge this time. However…at that exact moment - a young girl suddenly appears out of nowhere and superkicks the Minotaur in the stomach. This manages to force the minotaur backwards a bit…something no one had managed to do since they arrived. At the same moment that the girl kicks the Minotaur, Taylian rushes to his feet, runs in to drag Kinso from harm's way. As the young girl and Taylian both manage to save Kinso in the nick of time, they both gaze at each other…speechless that there was someone else like them that can resist the pressure. Everyone that was watching was in shock. Geron and Lexi, who were further off from the center square than most, but still pinned down, were the most shocked of all. Lexi: “Taylian!!!” Geron: “Shhhhh! Do you want him to die?” Lexi, fearful, falls silent. Donda is shocked to see more people who can resist the pressure. He frowns. [“Did we get the wrong one?…but how many of them are there?....Well…let's find out.”] Donda, now without his ax, slams his fist into his chest. “Earth Craft!... Mana Creas,'' As soon as he speaks these words, his earth aura: copper form - releases.  This terrifies the unsuspecting Taylian and Ileana. Regardless, Ileana decides to stand her ground. Taylian, who felt he had done his share of heroism for the day, attempts to lift Kinso on his back and flee. However, the pressure was still too much, dragging Kinso down. Taylian then decides to drag Kinso across the ground with him, away from the scene. Kinso looks back at the young girl and screams, “ILEANA!” Suddenly the gravitational force stops. The pressure is suddenly gone. The humans that were still alive start to get up and flee. There were people still injured on the ground, along with those that were already dead. Both the dead and the injured started getting trampled in the chaos. Lexi gets up to run to Taylian. Geron, who is still carrying a crying Iris, stops her with his strong grip. “Don’t make matters worse by getting yourself or Taylian killed!” They had been further out in the outskirts of the centre square and were lucky that the pressure didn’t kill them, as it had those closest to the forest region. Lexi, weakened, falls limp in Geron’s arms. “Taylian…” Donda witnesses the chaos and sighs, [“Damn. The Kraken was called off already. This should not be taking this long.”] Donda charges at Ileana with copper plated horns, and with copper matter from the earth surrounding him as he jumps to strike. [“I need to make quick work of this. These three insolent brats, who clearly don’t know their place, must DIE.”] Ileana sees the minotaur charging towards her. She understands fully well that if she doesn’t run she will die, however, for some reason, her legs can’t move. The adrenaline she had felt before is now gone, and she stands in the minotaurs path, frozen in fear. Kinso, no longer feeling the weight of the pressure, quickly stands up and turns towards Ileana. “Ileana! Ru-!” As soon as Donda nears Ileana and is about to strike - a white flash suddenly appears from Donda’s peripheral. In that instant, Donda now becomes the one to feel fear. He suddenly realizes that he had idled for too long…the worst case scenario that the minotaurs had all wanted to avoid…now draws towards him. He tries to halt his progression towards Ileana, in order to avoid his impending doom. However, before he can even move a muscle, Donda’s head is cleanly sliced off. The cut is so piercing that it slices straight through the nearby ground, slicing it up just the same. The impact blows Ileana, Kinso, Taylian and other humans around them backwards towards the ground. They look up to see Faery Rabia, standing over the Minotaur’s corpse with her blood stained light-swords.  A few seconds later, the Militia arrive after Rabia. They pool into the center square and try to contain the people and prevent the injured from getting trampled on. The medics follow after the militia, and start attending to the injured. They place priority on those that have their skin stuck to the ground from the force of gravity, and those that have fallen through the cracks in the ground. “Thank you Faery Rabia!” “Your grace is kind and merciless, my lady!” Rabia looks around and sees many people surrounding her, showering her with praise. She continuously nods her head awkwardly, unsure of how to react. Rabia retracts her light swords, and the people all watch in awe as they vanish from her hands. She turns to look at Ileana, who is still on the ground. She then turns to Taylian, who also sits on the ground, looking shaken. Suddenly, a massive gust of wind, mixed with a burst of light, enters the scene. The people all slowly look to see the radiant and powerful War Faery - Ophiel. “What’s the situation?” Rabia turns her head back to her, and points to Taylian and Ileana. “These two stood up to one of the Minotaurs and almost got killed. That’s what happened.” Taylian still sits stunned on the ground: [“Wow, her voice is really quiet…and soft…and she didn’t have to be so harsh about it…”] Ophiel walks over to Ileana. “Can you explain what happened before we arrived?” Kinso, Illeana and Taylian know they have to respond when in the presence of a faery, however they are just too stunned. Not because of their near death experience, but because none of them have seen a faery close up before. Only the nobles of Floritian and the Flare Aids get the opportunity to interact with them. Taylian does not remember faery Niko during the day of the selection signing - when he was attacked. So for him, he believes this is his first time meeting a faery. One of the bystanders runs up to Ophiel and drops to his knees. “They kidnapped the Princess!” Ophiel’s eyes immediately light up in anger, as she turns slowly towards the man. “What…did you just say?” Though his voice quivered in both fear and awe, he responded saying, “It's true! Everyone witnessed it! She tried to fight them off, but they took her!” “What was the princess doing here in the first place?” Another bystander chimes in: “It's well known that the Princess comes to these parts to visit her uncle every now and then. He lives not too far from where my family stays. I’m guessing she happened to visit today before the chaos started. When everything went down, she and her guards took on all of the minotaurs. She protected us….” Ophiel sighed, “Do you know which direction they went when they took her?” The man responded by pointing to the ground. Ophiel bites her lip, [“Tsk. Figures...it seems this group of minotaurs must have been accompanied by one of their major generals…”] “You know we can’t track them now…” Rabia says quietly Ophiel grits her teeth in frustration. “What happened with the wall guard?! We should have been alerted MUCH earlier! And WHY haven’t we gotten a response back from them yet?!!” A young militia soldier steps towards Ophiel from the crowd. “Faery Ophiel, I was told to report to you that while we tried to take some citizens to the bunkers, communication was lost amongst the Beta squad in Texdan. Most of the Beta squad assigned to this district seem to be missing. We can’t point out what happened.” Ophiel stares at the man, analyzing him. [“Judging from his uniform, he is probably from the Beta squad as well.”] “What is your name, young man? “My name is Tobias, ma’am. Tobias Haguroshi of the Beta squad, Flank 109.” “I see.” Ophiel turns to a man beside her that appears to be of higher ranking in the militia. “Send a request for more officers. We didn’t anticipate the Beta squad to be this compromised. Also, send for more medics. At this rate, it will take forever to recover the injured…and the dead.” Ophiel turns on her heels, and like a flash, takes off in the direction of the massive wall sitting atop Mount Gamajora, where the defense unit of Adamatrium was built. Rabia swiftly follows after Ophiel. As faeries, it took little to no effort to reach the wall, irrespective of the major distance. As soon as they arrive at the base, they smell what had gone wrong before their eyes even have a chance to see it. The smell of rotting flesh permeates the cold night air and clings to the walls. As they enter the base, all that can be seen in the building is dead bodies strewn across the ground. Some hang abnormally from the ceiling, others from the stairs. The site is horrific. “Look,” Rabia points to claw marks on the pillars. “...firefoxes?...” Ophiel whispers ***Back at the center square*** Ileana finally stands up, and begins to look around. Kinso smiles as he approaches Ileana, “Hey, Ileana! Thanks for-” Illeana suddenly turns and walks right past him. Taylian: “Kinso, are you okay? That really was a close one…” Kinso turns back to Taylian, “Yeah!....I think I got a bit carried away. Oh! I need to find my guardian’s sister. That is why I came here to begin with.” Kinso turns to leave but suddenly stops in his tracks. He turns around to smile at Taylian. “Thank you Taylian. I am surprised you were even able to help me. It’s not usually your style you know, haha.” Taylian shrugs sheepishly, “I’m just glad you’re okay.” Kinso nods and then turns to leave.  Taylian smiles, feeling glad he was at least able to keep his friend safe…and as he turns around, he sees the other person who did the same…staring right at him. In that moment…right in that moment…it felt as though time had stopped moving, as the two stared at each other amidst the chaotic atmosphere. Ileana fails to acknowledge Taylian, and instead walks away without a word. Taylian continues to stare as she leaves…wondering who she could be…and why she came. “Taylian!” Taylian turns, and smiles brightly as he sees his younger cousin running towards him. Behind her is his aunt and uncle, also running his way. Lexi hugs Taylian extremely tight…and then grips his ear in annoyance. “Do you understand how much you made us worry?!! We looked everywhere for you!! You can’t just take off when you!!!……..this emergency!!!……..” Taylian begins to zone out as she continues her rant. Aunt Lexi couldn’t be stopped when she started on a tangent. “Do you understand?!!!” “Yes.” He didn’t catch a single word. “I’m sorry Aunt Lexi. I’m sorry Uncle Geron. I really didn’t mean to make you guys worry.” Geron laughs, “Ehn it's alright. We saw how you ran in to protect your friend. That takes a lot of guts! You chose to defend your friend rather than hide in cowardice. It seems I raised you well, heh heh!” Geron flicks his nose in pride, smirking brightly, while Lexi rolls her eyes. Taylian laughs. “I think all I managed to do was piss it off more,” Taylian looks down at his hands. “It’s so weird. We always talk about the primals and the ongoing war… but this is the first time I’ve seen one up close before….” Geron grabs Taylian’s head and knuckles his hair. “Well of course it is. The only people that usually come in contact with them are the militia. We, on the other hand, are simply farmers. It's been a long time since the primals have managed to break through into Adamatrium. I mean, even before I was born.” “Wow, that really is a long time. We must be talking centuries, right old man?” “What was that??” Geron starts to lightly wrestle with Taylian, laughing at his joke in the process. “Well with the strength you’ve shown today, maybe one day you will be strong enough to take on this old man!” Taylian continues to laugh while taking a light chokehold from Geron. Iris, not understanding what was going on but wanting to play, joins in and starts trying to fight Geron as well. Lexi takes in the sight before her. Earlier, she thought the worst had happened when she couldn’t find Taylian. Seeing their family safe and happy now lifted the heavy weight from her heart. Lexi claps. “Enough of that. We need to check to see if we can even sleep in our house tonight.” The three stop where they are and smile at her. **** As Ileana heads back to the city of Loix (which borders the city of Texdan), she continues to keep a look out for the elderly woman she had been looking for earlier. Her search for the elderly woman was what led her to come to Texdan after seeing it was under attack. She wanted to make sure the elderly woman was safe. Ileana hadn’t seen the woman in the center square, so as she walks back to Loix, she takes her time to look at the bodies that were being pulled from under buildings and from the cracks of the earth. As she is almost out of the region of the main center in Texdan, she sees a mangled body being pulled up from the rubble by the Militia. Although the body was mangled and unrecognizable to the average person, Ileana knew exactly who it was. Ileana turns her head away. Her throat felt heavy. She turns to her left, and walks back to the city of Loix…she was too late.

"Hey Erwin, What are you doing here? You should be home right now ". Erwin looks sadly "No, Mom i am playing here i wont come". The boy,stands there,alone playing with a rock. "There is no one here who are you even playing with. Come now dont make stupid jokes. We are going home. We have to pray to the god". Erwin angrily throws the stone  and looks at his mom "Mom how long are we going to go with this stupid god thing? There is nothing called god. I cant accept it". The mother grabs erwin's hand tightly and angrily. She drags him to home. They reach home."Mom, I wont go there , I m not going to pray. This is stupid!" The moms slaps him many times. The noises wakes up erwin's dad. The dad comes downstairs and sees erwin and mom fighting. "What are you guys doing" says the dad. The mother looks at him and explains everything. After hearing it, The dad starts beating erwin very badly. The dad kicks him, punchs him and throws him. Erwin crys loudly in pain. Erwin's feels his hand broken. The dad keeps on beating him horibly. After sometimes all settles down. Erwin , upstairs , trying to sleep but he could not. He looks outside the window during night time. He looks at the stars. He suddenly jumps out of the window. "I have had enough...I m going away from here. I m going to find the actual truth. I m going to the temple of reality and see the actual truth" Erwin is determined. He starts running. He keeps on running. Erwin already went far from his home and to the point he couldnt turn back. He reaches far away to a jungle and sits there. Erwin with his tired legs decides to rest. "Who are you kid? What do you think you are doing here?" A old man suddenly appears behind. Erwins jumps fearfully,steps back. He was scared even though the old man did nothing. Erwin was still scared after what happened. "Relax. Why are you scared?". Both of them calmed down. "So how old are you? You look very young. You shouldnt be here" the old man says calmly. "I m 16 and i ran away from home to seek out the temple of reality. I wanna know the truth!" Erwin says without hesitation."Boy.... You are not ready for something like that." The old man said nicely. "What do you mean i m not ready? How would you know if i m ready or not ?". The old man smiles and looks at him and says "How would i know ? ....From my experience i have the feeling that you are not capable. Listen kid......" "I have seen the truth and i m the only one who has seen it.... The harsh reality"

"So ... This is the truth hmm?. What i was searching for.. i finally see it . This is the truth I been seeking for ...? I found it . Should i not be happy ? .I m not happy ... Why?... Is it because... It wasnt like i thought it would be? So i came all this long journey just to sacrifice everything for something called truth....Well... I wish i never did this. So the creator ... Please, let me go back where i started I beg you..PLEASE. I WISH I NEVER CAME HEREE . WHY DID I? I LOST EVERYTHING NOW . I..... No why am i crying this is what i was looking for.. i think my purpose of living.. Ends here" ......The story begins.......

Chapter 6 Showdown with Flora and Jessica Flora and Jessica were searching for Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby. " Where the fuck are they ? " said Flora. " We must find them soon, if they are not dead it will be a problem " said Jessica. Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby ran into Warbler. " How are things " said Warbler. " We ate bread " said Artby. " It will make us more heroic " " Never heard of bread that does that, I enjoy eating chicken but I have never seen that sort of thing " said Warbler. The bread has made people more heroic, the flour is full of heroism " said Artby. " Heroism ? " asked Crayon. " During the fight with Maxclever and Willemease, the heroism was awakened within us due to the flour " said Artby. " We can talk to the bakers about it " " I think they will know something " " The bakers " said a voice. " Don't be ridiculous ". Flora and Jessica have arrived. " There are five of you here " said Jessica. " I suggest you leave right now, whoever you are " said Flora. " The Bear wants these four out of the way so you will end up being extremely hurt " " The bakers are counting on us " said Artby. " With the bread we ate, we can save Colourland " " No baker will do shit " said Jessica. " Bread helps " said Artby. " Bread can change things in a fight if you eat lots of it like I do " " Bread will do nothing " said Jessica. " You four got lucky against Maxclever and Willemease " said Flora. " It won't happen here " " I am Warbler " said Warbler. " You will fall with the other four " said Flora. " You will not stop us " " You won't last long here " said Jessica. " Warbler will last, baking will help us protect him " said Artby. " Baking will not change the outcome " said Jessica. " Baking does help " said Artby. " Now it is time to fight, it will be your demise " said Flora. " I am ready " said Crayon. " Prepare to fall " said Jessica. " Yes, Crayon's friends will be taken down for sure " said Flora. " Friends of Crayon go inside the bakeries, as a friend I will fight " said Artby. " It matters not " said Flora. Flora then launched the Double Shadow Strike and Jessica used the Double Darkness Blast and aimed it at Artby while Crayon used the Air Kick and Colourea used the Sea Kick but Jessica was able to block the Air Blast but was hit by the Sea Kick. Crayon and Colourea used their Light Bombs while Flora used the Extreme Darkness Blast and Jessica used the Super Darkness Bomb creating a huge explosion. Artby had taken quite a bit of damage and he was near struggling slightly. " This is where the heroism kicks in " said Artby. " There will be none of that " said Flora. " It will make us do some amazing asskickings " said Artby. " Yeah, I think not " said Jessica. " Bakers say it happens " said Artby. " I don't see it " said Flora. " Bakers will not dictate what happens when we fight " " Same here, I think Artby is wrong here " said Jessica. " Let's keep fighting " said Crayon. " Yes " said Jessica. Artby then rushed for Flora with the Light Bomb while Warbler used the Air Bomb. Warbler's attack hit but Flora dodged the Light Bomb. Jessica then rushed for Warbler with the Triple Shadow Strike, succeeding which did a lot of damage. Warbler then got his Air Blast ready which hit Flora while Jessica hit Artby with the Triple Shadow Strike. Crayon and Colouruke punched Flora while Colourea was kicked by Jessica. Artby was starting to seriously struggle, Warbler then aimed a punch at Flora but Jessica was able to block it and kick him. Warbler was starting to slightly struggle. Crayon then aimed the Super Air Blast at Flora while Jessica then punched Warbler, the attacks hit. Warbler was starting to struggle. Jessica then hit Colouruke with the Triple Shadow Strike while Colourea then kicked Flora. Artby then launched the Light Bomb while Colourea launched the same attack at Flora while Flora and Jessica used the Darkness Bomb, creating a huge explosion. Artby could barely get up. " It is over, so much for this heroism you said " said Flora. " I am not done, bakers want me to continue " said Artby. " Bakers will not change what is happening " said Flora. " The Bear will take over Colourland " said Jessica. " Hahahaha " said Flora. " Bakers are very useful " said Artby. " Not here " said Jessica. " Exactly " said Flora. " Baking will help me, I am ready " said Artby. " Let's keep fighting " said Warbler. " You all will go down " said Jessica. Crayon then used his Air Blast to hit Jessica but Flora then hit Colouruke with the Triple Shadow Strike. Colourea fired the Light Bomb at Jessica but she was able to dodge the attack. Warbler then rushed for Flora with the Air Kick while Crayon used his as well, Artby fired the Light Bomb at Jessica. Jessica used the Triple Shadow Strike while Flora used the Super Darkness Bomb. The attacks all hit. Warbler was struggling a lot like Artby, Jessica was starting to mildly struggle. Flora then aimed for kick on Warbler but Colouruke used the Sea Punch to block the attack. Jessica then hit down Colouruke with the Super Darkness Blast. Colourea hit Flora with a kick while she was hit by a punch. Flora then used the Super Darkness Bomb against Warbler, finishing him off. Artby then hit Flora with the Super Light Bomb but Jessica punched him which defeated him as well. " Two of you down, it won't be long now " said Jessica. " It's not close to over yet " said Colouruke. " We will just see about that " said Flora. " We will take down every friend of Crayon " said Jessica. " Time to continue " said Crayon. Colourea then used the Double Light Blast while Jessica and Flora launched their Super Darkness Bombs. The attacks hit, Colourea was starting to slightly struggle. Jessica was starting to struggle. Flora then hit down Colouruke with the Triple Darkness Blast, making him start to slightly struggle. Crayon then fired off the Air Bomb at Flora while Colourea was hit by the Double Darkness Kick making her start to struggle. Flora and Jessica then launched their Double Darkness Blasts at Crayon Colouruke used the Super Sea Punch, Colourea used the Super Light Bomb and Crayon used the Supreme Air Kick. All of this caused a huge explosion, Colourea and Jessica were seriously struggling and could barely move. Colouruke was struggling as well. Colourea and Jessica starting punching each other and eventually Jessica was defeated but Colourea looked like she was about to pass out. " Colourea, no " said Crayon. " Colourea is done " said Flora. " Hahahaha " " You've got this " said Colouruke. " I cannot believe that Jessica has been defeated and both of you are still fighting " said Flora. " The training has paid off " said Crayon. " I am stronger than her " said Flora. " Colourland will still be taken over by The Bear ". " That shit won't be happening " said Crayon. " Me and Colouruke will bring you down. " I don't think so, let's continue this fight now " said Flora. Colourea fell to the ground, Flora went for a punch to have a chance of killing her but Colouruke tripped her. Crayon then used the Air Kick which hit her. Flora was starting to slightly struggle. Flora then used her Triple Shadow Strike and Crayon fired the Super Light Bomb, the attacks hit. Flora then used the Super Darkness Bomb, which then hit Colouruke. Colouruke was seriously struggling while Flora was struggling. Crayon then fired the his Air Bomb while Colouruke fired the Double Sea Punch and Flora used the Super Darkness Blast. Crayon was starting to struggle, Colouruke was defeated and Flora was very near the end. " This cannot be " said Flora. " The Bear will not stand for this " " This is it " said Crayon. " It is over " Crayon launched the Super Air Bomb, while Flora used the Triple Shadow Strike, Flora was defeated. Meanwhile Alice, a member of the Bear arrived at the organization headquarters where she was talking to Whites. " Glad you are here " said Whites. " It is good to be at this place " said Alice. " I do remember it " " Good " said Whites. " If Flora and Jessica do not win their fight, you may be fighting " " That makes sense " said Alice. " I will be ready " " Glad to hear " said Whites. After that, Crayon contacted Challenger. " We have won the fight " said Crayon. " Great to see " said Challenger. " We should head to the hospital " said Crayon. " I wonder what The Bear is going to do now " said Challenger. " They will be sending in some great fighters most likely, we must keep getting stronger " said Crayon. " Good to see " said Challenger. Meanwhile Easeion had learned about the defeat and was talking to his siblings. " I'm pissed " said Easeion. " Crayon should have lost " " This shouldn't be happening " said Bill. " The Bear needs his friends out of the way " said Tara. " They cannot interfere with us " said Bill. "When I fight, Crayon will be defeated and miserable about losing " said Easeion. " It won't be this bullshit that happened " " I will not have Crayon hanging out with his friends no more unless they get out of the way " " It will be no friendships for Crayon if he fails to see that " " Yes, that cannot continue " said Tara. " These fighters must be taken seriously by the Bear " " Yeah, these fighters are better than we thought " said Bill. " It seems so " said Easeion. " Yes, that cannot continue " said Tara. " These fighters must be taken seriously by the Bear " " Yeah, these fighters are better than we thought " said Bill. " My ability is great " " The others will not get in the way when we fight " said Tara. " Of course, Colourland will be taken over and it will be because of our talent " said Easeion. " The Smithsons are unstoppable " said Bill. " Yes, we are a family like no other " said Tara. " Hahahahahahaha " they said in unison. " Crayon and his friends will be finished " said Easeion. " Crayon will never love Colourea again " " The Smithsons will put an end to that " " Yeah, no loving of Colourea anymore by him " said Bill. " Good, I have had enough of that " said Easeion. Blackin was talking to his girlfriend Blackina and his cousin Whites as well. " This is not right " said Whites. " Do we have to use the Smithson family yet ? " asked Blackina. " Not yet " said Blackin. " But my next fighter had better succeed or else we will have do that " " Alice will be able to do that " said Whites. " Yes " said Blackina. " She has some special darkness techniques that will stop Crayon " said Whites. " For our sake, his demise will truly be great " said Blackin. " It really will be " said Whites. " Crayon is a threat to us now, we will succeed in taking him down " said Blackina. " That is for sure " said Blackin. " The three of us will take everything from Colourland " said Whites. " We will make the Bear stay unopposed when that happens " said Blackina. " Yeah, there is no stopping us " said Blackin. " Hahahaha " said Whites. " The Bear really is great " said Blackin. " Yeah, we are an organization that is not like any others " said Blackina.

Chapter 2 Willemease and Maxclever's Attacks Maxclever had arrived at the village that the boss wanted him to attack. He rushed a villager then punched him. The villager was struggling to get up, Maxclever used the Shadow Strike technique to knock him out. Maxclever took his wallet. Reinforcements of the organization joined Maxclever and they started roughing people up. " Why are you doing this ? " asked the man. " Give us your stuff if you know what is best for you " said a man with the claw logo. The man refused and was kicked by the man. Maxclever took his wallet. The men with the claw logo and a woman with the logo started roughing people up while Maxclever looked for wallets or anything of use on them. One of the members with the claw logo was hit but not enough to be seriously hurt. " Now unless anyone wants to fucking die, I suggest you all leave right now, we will search the area " said Maxclever. The five men and the woman with the claw logo searched on the ground. Maxclever and the members found a piece of paper which he picked up. This paper has this number on it " he said to one of the men with the claw logo. " We will take it with us " said one of the men. Maxclever and the group with the claw logo left the area and headed back to the headquarters. " So did you steal anything ? " asked Blackin. " Lots of wallets and we found this " said Maxclever. " I'm not sure what this phone number means but we can use this " said Blackin. " We can use it to our advantage " said Maxclever. " These wallets have quite a bunch of money in them and some credit cards " said Blackin. " Good, I was glad to take a lot from the villagers " Easeion entered the room and so did Willemease. " Boss, do you know when my siblings are arriving ? " asked Easeion. " They should be here soon " said the boss. " Good " said Easeion. " I hurt people for them, I am a good brother to them " " I will do whatever is needed for them no matter what " " Nothing will go against that " " Yes, they will be great " said Maxclever. " The trio are great siblings " said Easeion. " I look out for them, just like how they look out for me " " That is good, we need this " said Blackin. " True, we never know what could happen " said Willemease. Easeion left the room. " You two will be heading into Colourland for this next attack " said Blackin. " There should be more valuables on the people there, I am There should be more valuables on the people there, I am ready " said Willemease. " We will have great stuff " said Maxclever. " There is no stopping us " " Good " said Blackin. " There is no chance we will not succeed with this " said Willemease. " Exactly, people in Colourland will be overwhelmed " " Yes, they cannot deal with us " said Maxclever. " Hahahaha " Blackin headed to an area of the organization upstairs. Meanwhile Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby woke up and decided to head to Challenger after they ate breakfast. " That bread was great, risking our lives for that was worth it " said Artby. " Danger makes for tastier bread " " I am glad that we showed we can deal with danger like this " " We did fight well but we will make sure to be careful " said Colourea. " Yeah, that is a good idea " said Crayon. " It was good " said Colouruke. " I'm glad we survived in the bakery " " Great bread is baken often in dangerous bakeries " said Artby. " Dangerous bakeries ? " asked Colourea. " The danger attracts tastier bread " said Artby. " Bakeries with danger will always have delicious bread, bakers are ready to bake under anything going on " " Bakers are great this way " " We should probably meet Challenger " said Crayon. " Yeah, let's go " said Colourea. The four of them headed to meet Challenger. " Good to see you all here " said Challenger. " There was this terrible attack ". " The claw logo marking again ? " asked Colouruke. " Yes " said Challenger. " I wonder what they want ? " asked Crayon. " The motive must be found out, the guy leading the attacks in the village really is quite strong " said Challenger. " Good luck out there " " Thanks " said Crayon. " Baking will help us " said Artby. " Baking ? " asked Challenger. " Yes, baking will change things " said Artby. " Bakers mean so much to Colourland " " Well, we will keep fighting " said Colourea. The four said their goodbyes to Challenger and left the building. Maxclever and Willemease arrived in Colourland that night. They saw a man which Maxclever punched. Willemease took his wallet. Maxclever and Willemease then entered a store and both attacked this guy with the Shadow Strike technique knocking him out. People were starting to panic. Willemease then kicked one of the people to keep him quiet. Maxclever then fired the Shadow Blast at another person knocking them out. People in the store were trying to escape but Maxclever tripped one person into another. " Your stuff belongs to us " said Willemease. " There is nothing you can do " " It is hopeless " said Maxclever. " It really is " said Willemease. Willemease then punched someone which Maxclever kicked. Maxclever and Willemease took what was stolen and left. They headed back to the base of the hideout. Maxclever and Willemease had arrived at the hideout and brought the stuff they stole to Blackin. " Good " said Blackin. " I am happy to see a lot of stealing " " Yeah, I am glad to be able to steal " said Willemease. " Keep it up " said Blackin. Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby got up. They heard more about the attacks and heard about the two fighters. " These two look a lot stronger than the regular ones we have been fighting " said Crayon. " We just need to keep eating bread and training " said Artby. " The bakeries have saved us so many times " " The bakeries ? " asked Colouruke. " Yes " said Artby. " Baking bread is one of the most heroic things you can do, it saves lives ". " We should head out " said Colourea. " Yeah, sounds great to me " said Crayon. " Bakers would want us doing so " said Artby. " I listen to the baker " A man with the claw logo said he saw the group of four that was fighting the organization and called Easeion. " Easeion, I saw the fighters that fought our men " said the man. " I will tell the members in the organization " said Easeion. " I will not fuck this up " said the man. " You had better not, our boss is not okay with that" said Easeion. " We need to know more about them " " We cannot have people mess with us and ruin what we are doing " " Absolutely " said the man. " Take these people down " said Easeion. " I cannot have them getting in our way ever " " Nobody messes with me " Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby saw a bunch of people with the claw logo. They started to attack. Crayon punched one of them while Colourea kicked another one. One of the men grabbed Artby but Colouruke kicked him, while Artby got free and punched the man defeating him. Colouruke and one of the men were punching each other while Crayon launched the Light Blast defeating one of the other men. The two men went for Colourea but Colourea kicked one of them into each other, defeating them. The four heroes decided to head to the bakery where they got the bread and headed home. Easeion called the men. " Did you get any stuff ?" asked Easeion. " No " said the men. " You guys couldn't defeat even one of them " said Easeion. " This is unacceptable, no salt and pepper on your breakfast tomorrow ". " Noooo " said the men. " That's what happens if you fuck up as a Bear member " said Easeion. " Our boss doesn't have patience just like his girlfriend " " It is what is decided within the organization " " I understand " said the man. " Good, we need that here " said Easeion. The four heroes enjoyed the bread. After that Crayon was talking with Colourea alone. " I really enjoy your company " said Crayon. " We should plan something special " said Colourea. " Sounds good to me " said Crayon. " Yeah, the two of us being together will be very special " said Colourea. " Your company means a lot " said Crayon. " Thanks " said Colourea. " No problem " said Crayon. The two of them left the area.

Chapter 3 Willemease and Maxclever vs the Heroes Meanwhile the boss was talking to Easeion. " Easeion, it is time for Maxclever and Willemease to fight that group that has been fighting our members " said the boss. " They are way better than those regular members " said Easeion. " When they die, Colourland will belong to us " " Hahahahaha, it will be great " " I cannot wait to have my siblings see this happen " " I will be the new ruler of Colourland, our organization will have everything " said the boss. " Willemease and Maxclever will eliminate them forever " said Easeion. " We must have them out of the way " " They will be gone after Maxclever and Willemease deal with them " said the boss. " Yes, they will not make it " said Easeion. " Hahahahaha " The boss and Easeion went to their respective areas. Maxclever and Willemease were looking for the four fighters. " They should be around here " said Willemease. " They will truly suffer " said Maxclever. " This shouldn't be hard " said Willemease. " Yeah, they will not be able to hide " said Maxclever. Maxclever saw the four of them. " You four " yelled Maxclever. " This is it " said Willemease. " Prepare to suffer " said Maxclever. " We ate bread " said Artby. " The bakers are counting on us " " The bakers ? " asked Willemease. " Baking bread allows us to be stronger, I always thank the bakers for their bravery " said Artby. " I know they won't be let down by us " " No bread can save you four " said Maxclever. " I believe in what bread does " said Artby. " You got lucky against our weak members, nothing will save you now " yelled Willemease. " Yeah, you four won't luck out again " said Maxclever. Yeah, you four won't luck out again " said Maxclever. " Don't be so sure about beating us " said Crayon. Willemease then rushed for Crayon with a punch but Colourea blocked it. Maxclever then hit Artby with the Shadow Strike knocking him down. Colouruke then punched Willemease but Maxclever grabbed Artby. " Artby your end will be very soon " said Maxclever. There was a struggle between them, Willemease was charging for the Darkness Bomb attack then fired it at Colourea who used the Light Blast causing an explosion. They both got up. Meanwhile Maxclever punched Artby while Colouruke started using the Shadow Strike and aimed it towards Crayon while Crayon hit Maxclever with the Air Kick technique. Artby then used the Light Bomb technique and fired it towards Maxclever but Willemease then used the Darkness Bomb while Maxclever used the Darkness Blast to create a super powerful blast that hit Artby down damaging him a lot, Willemease and Maxclever took minor hits. " Artby is going to be eliminated from this fight very soon " said Willemease. " So much for those bakers " said Maxclever. " No flour or baker can save you now " said Willemease. " I will keep fighting " said Artby. " You will be taken down " said Maxclever. " You cannot make it through this " said Willemease. " I will " said Artby. " I know that the bakeries want my purchases " Artby was starting to struggle. Colourea kicked Maxclever while Willemease punched Crayon. Colouruke then got the Sea Punch ready while Crayon had the Air Punch and they both landed on Maxclever while Willemease then aimed the Shadow Strike at Artby while Colourea aimed the Light Blast towards Willemease. The attacks hit. Artby was really struggling at this point. " This technique will remove Artby from this fight " said Willemease. " Hahahahaha " said Maxclever. Willemease used the Double Shadow Strike at Artby while Maxclever used the Super Darkness Bomb and aimed it at him. Crayon used the Wind Blast while Colouruke used the Sea Kick and Artby used the Light Blast. A giant explosion hit which caused Artby to look defeated while Maxclever was starting to mildly struggle. Artby was struggling to such a degree that one more hit would defeat him. " How are you not dead or least defeated " said Willemease. " Bread, the bakers will never let me die " said Artby. " You should have stayed down " said Maxclever. " Now anymore attacks will kill you " " No, the bakeries are counting on us " said Artby. " " Bakeries, hahahahaha " said Willemease. " All they want is your money " " Bakers love having me inside the bakery " said Artby. " It is special having me walk inside there to them " " Yes because they want your money, they want money " said Willemease. " To be fair when he dies, they won't be getting as much " said Maxclever. " It's not over " said Colouruke. " The only reason you three are not struggling is because we have focused on Artby, when he dies you three will be done for " said Willemease. The last two attacks are the only strong ones you have faced at all ". Willemease then rushed Artby while Maxclever then used a Darkness Bomb to prevent the others from attempting to save him. Artby used the Light Blast and aimed it at Willemease who dodged it and kicked Artby, defeating him. " Artby is done for, you three will truly suffer " said Maxclever. " Hahahaha " said Willemease. Crayon then hit Maxclever with the Air Kick while Willemease punched Colouruke. Colourea then used the Light Blast while Maxclever used the Double Shadow Strike. Maxclever was starting to struggle. Maxclever then launched the Super Darkness Bomb while Willemease used the Double Shadow Strike, but Colouruke used the Shadow Strike, Colourea used the Light Bomb. The attacks hit and Colouruke was starting to struggle. Willemease then hit him with a fast punch, while Crayon kicked Maxclever. Maxclever and Willemease used the Double Shadow Strike on Colouruke while Crayon used the Air Blast, Colourea used the Light Kick. Colouruke was really struggling, Maxclever was weakening. " Time for your end, Colouruke " said Willemease. " Crayon and Colourea will be done very soon " said Maxclever. " We are simply too much for you " said Willemease. " Yeah, we will succeed here " said Maxclever. " You haven't won just yet " said Crayon. Maxclever then rushed with the Triple Shadow Strike. " Triple ? " asked Crayon. " Yes " said Willemease. Willemease then used the Super Darkness Bomb. " Colouruke, it's over " said Willemease. " Colouruke's end is what the organization needs now " said Maxclever. " Yes, he must stay out of our way " said Willemease. Colourea used the Super Light Bomb while Crayon used the Supreme Air Kick to help Colouruke. Maxclever, Colouruke and Colourea were all struggling but Colouruke could barely stand up. Willemease rushed for a punch to finish him which succeeded. Maxclever and Willemease then used their Triple Shadow Strikes while Crayon and Colourea then launched their Double Light Bombs creating a huge explosion. Maxclever and Colourea were seriously struggling. " Now this is it " said Willemease. " Crayon you will be on your own right now haha " Colourea then rushed for Maxclever while Crayon then used the Wind Blast on Maxclever, Maxclever used the Double Darkness Bomb. All the attacks defeated Colourea and Maxclever. " I have to commend you on beating Maxclever " said Willemease. " But you will be beaten easily, I am stronger than him ". " All your allies are defeated and now there is nobody to save you ". " Maxclever is gone as well " said Crayon. " He beat three fighters, and he is not as talented as me " said Willemease. " " We will see about that " said Crayon. Crayon used the Air Kick while Willemease used the Shadow Blast. Willemease was charging for the Triple Shadow Bomb but Crayon used the Air Blast creating an explosion. Willemease was starting to struggle but he got up and hit Crayon with the Triple Shadow Strike, causing Crayon to mildly struggle. Crayon then punched him while Willemease kicked Crayon. Crayon rushed for Willemease with the Air Blast while Willemease used the Darkness Blast. Crayon was starting to struggle while Willemease was barely in the fight. Willemease then used the Shadow Bomb but Crayon was able to avoid it and Crayon kicked him, defeating him. Crayon then called Challenger. " Challenger it is over " said Crayon. " Good, how many of you four are left " said Challenger. " The rest of us lost but they fought very hard and will need care at the hospital " said Crayon. " Understood " said Challenger. They headed to the hospital. Warbler came as well. " Glad to see that the fight went well " said Warbler. " Those two were really strong, we are going to need to get tougher " said Crayon. " I'm curious who else they have " " You guys should be fine but rest up for now " said Warbler. " Thanks " said Crayon. After a while, the other fighters woke up. " The bakers did it, they saved us " said Artby. " Baking has saved me " " I'm glad, we won " said Colouruke. Meanwhile Crayon and Colourea were talking. " I'm glad that you are okay " said Crayon. " We should plan something special " said Colourea. " Sounds good to me " said Crayon. " Us being together means a lot " said Colourea. Meanwhile Challenger contacted Colouruke. " Colouruke, glad to see things are good now " said Challenger. " We were able to fight through the dangerous situation " said Colouruke. " Keep in mind with Artby it is bread first and safety second " said Challenger. " We shall do so, we will find out more about the organization " said Colouruke. " Good, we will do so " said Challenger. Warbler said his goodbyes to the heroes and the four of them went home.

Chapter 7 A New Threat Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke, Warbler and Artby had woken up from their injuries and left the hospital. " Glad things are back to normal for us " said Artby. " We have to be on the lookout for their special fighters " said Colouruke. " We should talk to the bakers " said Artby. " It is good to talk to them " " The bakers ? " asked Warbler. " The heroism that the flour has, we need to find out which bread can make us more heroic " said Artby. " Heroism ? " asked Colourea. " The bakers aren't going to know about what makes people heroes " said Colourea. " Remember when you were punching people, Crayon" said Artby. " Those asskickings were caused by heroism, the flour has different amounts of heroism. " The bread does that ? " asked Crayon. " We fought great and I'm happy that we did but the bakers cannot prove anything about being more heroic or not " They headed home. Meanwhile Alice was with Blackin and Blackina. " It is time for you to steal stuff for us " said Blackina. " Yes " said Alice. " Don't attack those four fighters just yet " said Blackin. " Try to see if you can find out where they live, anything about them " said Blackin. " I know that Crayon has feelings for Colourea, but not much besides that ". " Sounds good to me " said Alice. " I will also tell the Smithson family as well " " Good " said Blackina. Alice was talking with Easeion, Bill, and Tara about the romance between Crayon and Colourea. " So have you heard about Crayon being with Colourea ? asked Alice. " We are going to end it, we will kidnap Colourea " said Bill. " It will be great, when Crayon realizes he will be suffering " said Easeion. " I will enjoy the sad look a lot, which is the look the Bear wants " " Exactly " said Tara. " We must find out more about those four " " I will search for where they live " said Alice. " The rest of us will search for anyone in contact with them " said Easeion. " Good " said Alice. " The four of us are too much for Crayon, he cannot handle us " said Bill. " Yeah, we are too good " said Alice. " I'm great at fighting " said Easeion. " We have skills for sure " said Bill. " We are taking Crayon down " said Tara. " He doesn't scare me " said Easeion. " No Smithson is scared of him " " I have to get going " said Alice. " See you later " said Bill. Alice had to headed to Colourland with members of The Bear. They then entered a building and then started knocking people out. " If you don't tell us where Crayon is, your stuff belongs to us " said Alice. " I don't know much about him " said the man. " That's not good enough " said one of The Bear members. " No, it isn't " said another Bear member. The member used Shadow Strike on the man knocking him out. The Bear members were not able to find out where Crayon was but they stole a lot of wallets. Alice then fired the Shadow Bomb at someone, knocking them down. " Where does Crayon live ? " asked Alice. " I'm not telling you " said the woman. Alice punched the woman. " This is your end " said Alice. Alice then fired the Shadow Strike, defeating her. Alice and the Bear members headed back to the hideout. Meanwhile Crayon and Colourea were talking with each other in the morning. " I really enjoy being around you " said Colourea. " Me too " said Crayon. " I am so happy " said Colourea. " Same here " said Crayon. " It is good we are together " said Colourea. They were making out with each other for a bit. Colouruke and Artby headed to meet up with Warbler. " We have to be ready for anything " said Warbler. " Exactly " said Colouruke. " The bakers can help the romance with Crayon and Colourea " said Artby. " Bakers can help with many things " " The bakers ? " asked Warbler. " Bread saves us all " said Artby. " Anyways we should meet up with Crayon and Colourea this morning. " Yeah, we should do so " said Warbler. " Good idea " said Colouruke. The three of them met up with Crayon and Colourea. They then headed to meet Challenger. Challenger then told them about more attacks from The Bear. " The Bear is doing more attacks " said Challenger. " We have to stop them " said Crayon. " There were a lot of people robbed " said Challenger. " They must be sending in their elite warriors now " said Colouruke. " We can take them " said Colourea. " The bakers wouldn't accept us throwing in the towel, nor would me " said Artby. " I'll just give them a good asskicking ". " The five of us are really strong " said Crayon. " Great to see " said Challenger. " I am happy to see you are training like this, keep it up " Meanwhile on the way back, they ran into members of The Bear who then attacked them. Crayon used the Air Bomb, Warbler used the Sky Punch to knock them down. " You will pay for this " said the man with The Bear uniform. " We will take over " said the man. " We'll just see about that " said Colouruke. One of the men rushed for Crayon but Colouruke used the Sea Punch to knock them down. The men rushed with their Shadow Strikes, Crayon and Warbler used the Air Bombs while Colouruke used the Sea Blast. The attacks all hit and the men were knocked down to the ground. One man got up but the others were defeated. The man started to talk with Crayon. " Crayon, the Bear will take over all of Colourland " said the man. " I don't think so " said Crayon. " Our higher ups will cause your destruction " said the man. " Our leader and his girlfriend will take over as a couple " " The bakers will never stand for this, their baking will prevent it " said Artby. " " No bakers can stop that couple " said the man. " Couple ? " asked Colouruke. " " Our leader and his girlfriend lead our organization, they are not like the others " said the man. " They will terrify the people of Colourland " " The people of Colourland are ready " said Crayon. " Ready to die to such a strong couple " said the man. " Our leader will force several people to die for something very small for her " " That's not right " said Colouruke. " I understand being in love but this has gone too far " said Crayon. " That is the type of couple they are and they don't care if you like it or not, Colourland will belong to The Bear " said the man. The man then started heading off to the hideout and left. Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke, Artby and Warbler then headed to meet Challenger and tell him about what happened. " We fought more people in The Bear " said Crayon. " This man said that the leader of The Bear has a girlfriend and they will take over as a couple " said Colourea. " It is good to know about that " said Challenger. " I wonder who this couple really is " said Crayon. " No love of theirs can stop us, the bread has made us too heroic " said Artby. " Too heroic ? " asked Warbler. " The more bread that we eat, the more heroism, we are getting more heroic all the time " said Artby. " If more people in Colourland eat tons of bread, more heroes will be born " " More heroes ? " asked Challenger. " I have never heard of any bread doing this ever " " We just need to keep getting better " said Colouruke. " It's good to know about this, we should find out more about The Bear in the future " " Yeah, bakers would like that " said Artby. " Bakers could get seriously hurt by them, I hate seeing a baker hurt " " I love bakers "

Chapter 5 The Organization Revealed Meanwhile at the headquarters, the boss contacted Easeion to let him know that his siblings arrived. " They are here " said Blackin. " Glad to see " said Easeion. " It is something so special, them being around me means a lot " " Time for you head upstairs " said Blackin . Easeion joined them upstairs in the hideout. " Glad to see you two " said Easeion. " It has been a while " said Bill. " So Easeion what has been happening ? asked Tara. " Crayon is in love with Colourea, we have stolen some good stuff " said Easeion. " I will end the romance " said Bill. " Good, that will make taking over Colourland a lot easier " said Easeion. " We will finish Colourea " said Tara. " She will not get in our way " " I remember those times we were killing people together that needed to be destroyed " said Easeion. " It was great " said Bill. " We will do the same again " said Tara. " We must tell Blackin about how we plan to end the romance " said Bill. " It will be simple for us " said Easeion. " When Crayon is suffering from it, we will be laughing our asses off " " That is the type of thing that I want to happen, I don't want him happy " " Yeah, none of us would want that " said Bill. " I will laugh at his sorrow " said Easeion. " The whole organization will do so " said Tara. " He is finished " said Bill. " Hahahaha " said Easeion. " Nothing good for Crayon will happen again " " I will make sure of it " Meanwhile Flora and Jessica were outside were in Colourland. They started attacking people and were stealing their stuff. " These people will fall before us " said Flora. " Exactly " said Jessica. " Those four fighters got lucky against Maxclever and Willemease, it won't happen to us " said Flora. " They will be no more and there will be no threat to the Bear ever again " said Jessica. " The Bear is taking over " said Flora. " Yeah, we are not being stopped " said Jessica. A man was running but Flora kicked him to the ground. The man got up but Flora punched him. They took his stuff. Flora and Jessica then launched the Darkness Bomb technique knocking more people out. Five women with the claw logo showed up and were attacking more people. The women then rushed inside this alleyway where they saw some people and asked them about those four fighters. " Where is Crayon, Colouruke, Colourea and Artby ? " Flora asked. " We don't know " they said. " You'd better not fuck around with us " Jessica said. " If we find out that you are lying to us, you will be hurt. " We are not messing around " said Flora. The five women with the claw logo went back to Flora and Jessica. Flora and Jessica had knocked out some more people and took their stuff. The women went with Flora and Jessica back to the hideout. At the same time five men with the claw logo joined them and they all headed back. Meanwhile Challenger contacted Crayon, Colouruke, Colourea and Artby. " Did you hear about this new attack ?" asked Challenger. " No, what happened ? " asked Crayon. " Lots of women with the claw logo have been attacking people " said Challenger. " Apparently they call themselves " The Bear ". " The Bear ? " asked Colouruke. " So that's why they have that claw logo " " We don't know much else besides that they are attacking and stealing but it is great to know the name " said Challenger. " It is " said Colourea. " We will stand strong, eat tons of bread " said Artby. " Crayon has been giving great asskickings " " Great asskickings ? " asked Challenger. " I'm glad you four are getting stronger " " We have gotten tougher, these villains will fall " said Colouruke. " Anyways I have got to get going so see you four later " said Challenger. " Challenger, I'll give an asskicking " said Artby. " For all of us and bakers " " Well, keep fighting " said Challenger. " Yeah, we will do so " said Crayon. Meanwhile Crayon, Colouruke, Colourea and Artby had ran into six members of The Bear. " You four " they said. The Bear members then noticed them and then rushed them but Crayon used his Air Kick technique while Artby fired the Light Blast which knocked them down. They got up and grabbed Colourea but Colouruke punched the man who did that. The men rushed to punch Artby but Artby used the Light Bomb defeating two of them. The men who were left kicked Crayon. Colourea then used the Light Bomb while Colouruke used the Sea Punch which defeated one more of them. The men then went for Crayon but Crayon and Colouruke punched them while Colourea used the Light Kick. The men then grabbed Artby but Colouruke used the Sea Punch again which defeated all of them. Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby headed back to their place. Meanwhile at the Bear hideout, the boss was talking with Flora and Jessica. " It is time to fight those four fighters " said Blackin. " They will truly crumble " said Flora. " Indeed " said Jessica. " Good, then we can take over Colourland " said Blackin. " Yes, Colourlandish people will lose everything " said Flora. Blackina entered the room while Flora and Jessica left. " Crayon will be dead " said Blackina. " I would hope so, the other three will be gone as well " said Blackin. " We can truly take over as a couple, and everything will belong to us " said Blackina. " Hahahahahaha " " Exactly " said Blackin. " I love you " said Blackina. " Thanks, I am glad you do " said Blackin. " It means a lot " They went to their special area upstairs in the hideout.

Chapter 4 The Date Meanwhile at the organization headquarters, the boss was talking with his girlfriend, cousin and Easeion about the defeat of Willemease and Maxclever. " I cannot believe this " said the boss. " I had thought that this would not happen " said Easeion. Perhaps those four are better than I thought " " I will fight " said Easeion. " I will make sure that we take over " " No need for that " said Blackina, the girlfriend of the boss. " We will use Flora and Jessica " said Whites, the cousin of the boss. " They are both stronger than Willemease " said the boss. " They will crush those fighters " said Blackina. " They will be finished, it will be great " said Easeion. " Do you know when my siblings are coming ? " " They should be here soon " said Blackina. " Good, we will take over easily with them " said Easeion. " I will enjoy the suffering here from those four hahaha " " They have no chance for survival " Flora and Jessica arrived. " We need you two to get rid of Crayon, Colourea, Artby and Colouruke " said the boss. We shall do just that " they said. " Good " said the boss. " Time for us to go " said Flora. " Yes, we will take so much " said Jessica. The two of them left the area. The boss headed with Blackina upstairs, while Easeion and Whites headed to there respective areas. Meanwhile Crayon and Colourea decided to head out together. " The two of us are heading out " said Crayon. " See you two later " said Colouruke and Artby. They left together. Colouruke and Artby were talking. " All the best for Crayon and Colourea " said Artby. " For sure " said Colouruke. Meanwhile on the way there, one of the members of the organization saw Crayon and Colourea together about to enter this restaurant, he hid and called Easeion. " Easeion, there is Crayon and Colourea together at this restaurant " said the man. " So Crayon is taking Colourea to Colourland Pasta and Pizza " said Easeion. " We will send in lots of reinforcements there " " Understood " said the man. " I want a great homewrecking and I expect to get one " said Easeion. " I expect their night ruined, to see them very sad " " That is the look I want, do not fuck it for us " " We will not disappoint " said the man. " Good " said Easeion. " Crayon must feel hurt, this is a guarantee I must have " " I must experience this " The members around Colourland saw the text sent out and then headed there. Crayon and Colourea entered Colourland Pasta and Pizza and ordered their food. While there were waiting for the food, eight members with the claw logo entered the place. They started roughing people up. " You two " yelled the group. " Not now " said Colourea. " Looks like we have no choice " said Crayon. " How did they find us here " " It does not matter " said a Bear member. " Hahahaha " they said. Crayon punched one guy while Colourea kicked another. One of them grabbed Colourea, but Colourea punched them. The man rushed for Crayon but Crayon kicked them. Colourea punched one man while the man kicked her, the men rushed for Colourea but Colourea punched one of them into each other. The two men were defeated. One of the men rushed for Crayon but was kicked hard. Colourea punched one of the other men defeating him. Crayon then kicked a man while one grabbed Colourea. Colourea slammed him, defeating him. The other four men rushed for Crayon and Colourea, but Crayon and Colourea were able to kick them into each other. The men got up and grabbed Crayon knocking him down. Colourea then punched one of the men, Crayon got up and kicked one of them. The last two men then started to rush for Colourea, but Crayon was able to give them some good punches while Colourea gave them some good kicks allowing them to win the fight. Crayon and Colourea then ate their food after all that fighting. After that, they paid and left. Crayon and Colourea were talking. " I'm glad that we are safe " said Crayon. " Same here " said Colourea. " We had a good meal at least " said Crayon. " That pasta was so good " said Colourea. " Yeah, it really was " said Crayon. " The fighting was not expected but I am glad we beat them " said Colourea. " Let's head back " said Crayon. They headed home and they were talking with Artby and Colouruke. " So how was it ? " asked Colouruke. " We had to fight a lot of people with the claw logo " said Crayon. " At least the food was good, but it was a bit much " said Colourea. " More of them " said Artby. " I knew that Crayon would help and give some good asskickings ". " I wonder who they will send in next " said Crayon. They went to bed, Easeion was not happy about what happened. " I thought that the night would be ruined for Crayon and Colourea " said Easeion. " I really did " " The Bear would have loved it, there is a reason I demanded what I did " " While I am disappointed , I will get what I want " " Crayon, enjoy Colourea while you can hahahahaha " " It will be over " " You won't love Colourea ever again when I get my way " Meanwhile Flora and Jessica had arrived in Colourland at night and were planning to steal stuff for the boss. Flora and Jessica rushed a woman, Flora punched her. Jessica stopped her from escaping. Flora kicked her. Flora and Jessica took a wallet and lipstick. Flora and Jessica launched the Darkness Bomb, defeating a man and taking his stuff. They headed towards this house. Flora and Jessica launched the Darkness Bomb towards a window, allowing enough of it to break to get inside. They surrounded a woman and knocked her out. A man tried to stop them but they used the Shadow Strike technique to stop him. They took wallets, and they found phones, which they stole. They then left the house and then headed back to the headquarters with what they stole. " We stole this stuff and we knocked these people out " said Jessica. " A lot of wallets, gift cards, lipstick, phones, credit cards " said the boss. " Good to see " said Whites. " We will send in more of our members to rob Colourland " said Blackina. " Yes, we must also find about more about those fighters " said Whites. " I know that Crayon is starting to get closer with Colourea due to what Easeion has been telling me " said the boss. " I will need you two to fight those four fighters " said Whites. " We will finish them " said Flora. " Good " said Blackina. " They must stay out of the way " said Whites. " I will make sure that happens " said Jessica. They headed to their areas in the organization hideout. At the bakery Artby, Colouruke and Warbler were there. " The bread here is great " said Artby. " It is so nice of the bakers to love me being in the bakery this way " " Uh, okay " said a baker confused. " My purchases and your baking together is a perfect match " said Artby. " We are helping each other out a lot " " This bread looks tasty " said Warbler. " Yeah, it does " said Colouruke. " It will help me a lot, bread helps me so much " said Artby. " Bread is so important " The three of them left the bakery.

Chapter 1 Welcome to Colourland Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby lived together in an apartment in Colourland. " The view here is great " said Crayon. " It sure is " said Colouruke. " It makes up for the danger, sure it's dangerous but with a view like this " said Artby. " The danger is worth it " " Worth it ? " asked Colourea. " Yeah, the view is worth that " said Artby. " It is great here to look at " Time passed and everyone went to bed. They got up. " There's this bakery we should go to " said Artby. " Don't people always fight there " said Crayon. " The bread must be really good, then if there is so much fighting " said Artby. " It gives me a sense of that " " Bread is not worth dying for " said Colourea. " I'm not dying for that shit ". " Same here " said Crayon. " It's good with olive oil " said Artby. " So is pasta " said Colouruke. " Pasta is good with olive oil, but this bread is worth risking my life " said Artby. Well we need to be careful and ready to fight if we are going there " said Crayon. " We will be ready, bread is worth it " said Artby. " I risk my life for bread " " I will always risk my life for bread " " Let's go " said Crayon. " It will be great " said Artby. " Let's be careful " said Colourea. " We will fight if we have to but ideally we don't have to do so " said Crayon. Meanwhile in this headquarters, Blackin was talking to a man named Easeion. " Boss, it is time for us to take over Colourland " said Easeion. " We will take over Colourland for ourselves " said Blackin. " I will go in and fight " said Easeion. " I will hurt people " " They have no chance " " There is no need for that right now, we will send in Maxclever and Willemease " said the Blackin. " Sounds good to me " said Easeion. " I will keep training " " Yes, that would be good " said Blackin. " I will train now, I must be ready for the future " said Easeion. " I want to be able to terrify and scare people beyond belief " " It will help " " Yes, keep up the training while Maxclever and Willemease do what they need to " said Blackin. Maxclever arrived in the room. " Boss what do you need me to do ? " asked Maxclever. " We need you to attack the villages around Colourland first " said the boss. " I will easily do that " said Maxclever. " Good, you will be sent there tomorrow morning " said the boss. Sounds great to me " said Maxclever. " These villages will truly suffer " " The villagers are screwed " " Yes, this should not be an issue " said Blackin. " I have faith that we will not have problems " Maxclever left the room. Easeion and Blackin went to their separate areas. Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby decided to head to the bakery, they arrived and went inside. They noticed this man wearing black with this claw marking. " Give me what you have " yelled the man. " No " said the man who was being attacked. The man with the claw logo punched the man. Two other men with the logo also entered. " You " said one of the men with the claw logo to Crayon. " What is going on here " said one woman. " Your stuff belongs to us " said the man. " Maxclever has ordered it to happen " said another man with the claw logo. The man rushed Crayon but was punched by Crayon. Artby kicked the other man. The men got back up and then rushed towards Colouruke but Colouruke punched one of them and Colourea punched the other and the men were defeated. The four of them got their bread and left. " Wonder who those guys were ? " asked Colourea. " No idea " said Crayon. " The bread looks so tasty, so I am not surprised about the fighting " said Artby. " Tasty bread does that ? " asked Colouruke. " When there is more danger, there is going to be better bread " said Artby. " It is what happens " " Those guys also mentioned someone named Maxclever " said Colourea. " We can give him a good asskicking " said Artby. " Time will tell " said Crayon. " Yeah, it will " said Artby. " Bakers are amazing " " Baking does so much " On the way home they ran into Warbler. " Hello " said Warbler. " How are things ? " asked Colouruke. " Good " said Warbler. " We fought these guys in a bakery with these claw logo " said Crayon. " Never seen guys like that " said Warbler. " We will look out for them " said Crayon. " Yeah sounds like a good idea " said Warbler. " Warbler, I will fight them " said Artby. " I am ready " " Good " said Warbler. " Glad to see, see you four later " " Bye " said Colourea. Warbler headed off. Meanwhile Maxclever was approaching the village that the boss wanted him to attack. " Blackin, I am almost here " said Maxclever. " Good, make sure to mess with the villagers because we don't have time for any fucking around " said Blackin. " I will get you as much stuff as possible easily said Maxclever. " Good " said Blackin. " The organization needs this " Blackin headed to a different area in the hideout. Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke and Artby headed to this art museum that they wanted to go to. They went inside where more members of the organization with the claw logo were there. One member was talking to another. " Why are we stealing stuff for Maxclever " said one of the men to another. " He's not the boss or his girlfriend ". " Look, we should just do this " said the other man. " If the higher ups catch any wind of this, we will be done for " said the other man. " Yeah, that is true " said the first man. The two men and one woman went through and started surrounding people demanding their stuff. " No " said one man. One of the men in the claw logo punched him and they took his wallet. The three of them approached Crayon, Colourea, Artby and Colouruke. " Your stuff belongs to us " said the trio of people in the claw logo. " It doesn't " said Artby. " Give it to us and nobody gets fucked up " said one of the men. " No " said Artby. " I am not doing that " " Well, then you will be hurt " said one of the men. " Let's fight " said Artby. They rushed Artby but Colouruke and Crayon kicked the men down while the woman grabbed Colourea but Colourea shoved her. Colourea then kicked one of the men knocking him out. One of the woman then rushed for Crayon but Crayon knocked her out. The last man punched Artby but Artby punched him which knocked them out. They left the art museum. They headed to see Challenger to talk to him about the people with the claw logo. " Challenger, we have been seeing these people with this claw logo " said Crayon. " Odd, I wonder what they want " said Challenger. " We will fight them " said Artby. " Hopefully we will find out more " said Challenger. The four of them headed home. Easeion was talking with Blackin again. " Maxclever will destroy those villagers " said Easeion. " Yes, they have no chance " said Blackin. Hahaha, they will be robbed " said Easeion. " I am going to be glad about this " " Good, there will be no issues here " said Blackin.

It has been two years since I proposed to the girl of my life, and I have to tell you, my life has been great ever since. That day, the fourteenth of July. I still remember it clearly. Although it makes my skin jump, thinking back on it. I didn't do much except make a fool of myself. Honestly, I couldn't believe my ears when Naomi accepted my hand in marriage. Despite everything, she felt the same way about me. Which was another shock I had not account for. She did sometimes say I was a bit dense. Not that I could prove her wrong, but that aside. After we had our first kiss, it was hmm.... How do I say this appropriately...... Yeah, freaking awesome. So people were right that your first kiss feels like you've just entered paradise or something, because how I felt can't simply be described in words, but I'll do my best to make it easy to understand. It was as if angels had descended from the heavens above, then they surrounded me and Naomi, and they made us slowly ascend into the sky. I could hear them singing beautiful melodies as the cold wind spread across my face that morning. I don't think I can get the same thrill now as I had that day. After we stopped kissing each other, we decided to call it a day, and head home. When we were about to go our separate ways, she had grabbed my arm tight. She urged me to go to her home instead. She kept nagging me that she wanted to tell her parents, but I didn't feel comfortable doing that. Because of the potential danger that is her father, I would love to avoid any kind of confrontation. As I tried to refuse, her grip wouldn't loosen. I tried my best, but to no avail. Having no other choice I accepted my fate, and went with her. After walking for an hour or so, and some cuddling along the way, we had arrived at her house. We saw a figure patiently waiting at her front door. As we got closer, we found out who it was. It was Youji Watanabe, her father. He had short brown hair, and his build was on the larger side. Despite his build, he was quite muscular. You could clearly see that he was active in his prime years. However, it wasn’t his bulky muscles that terrified me, it was his eyes. I don’t know why, but whenever he looked at me, I could feel an immense pressure, that would almost squash me, come from it. His blue pupils would turn into black holes, void of any color, slowly sucking my life away. I could see death waiting to take me away. It made my skin itch. That was the reason I avoided contact with him as much as possible. But now that I had proposed to Naomi, the leverage was gone. I knew that I had to resolve things with her father, but deep inside I was still afraid of him. I looked at the person to my left. Her hazel eyes stared right at me, her arms still locked with mine. I could feel her grip getting tighter. Normally she would pout herself away, but to my surprise her face was stone cold right now. Her mouth slowly formed into a gentle smile. “It’ll be fine, okay.” She said, as she embraced my arm more. I felt the warmth of her bosom wrapping around it. For someone her age, to be this straightforward, it was quite the sight to behold. Although it did make me a bit uncomfortable, since her father was nearby. I had only hoped he didn’t notice us, because otherwise I wouldn’t have seen tomorrow. Naomi gradually came closer, her head leant against my shoulder. “He doesn’t bite, you know.” She assured me. Yeah, she was absolutely right. If I didn’t patch things up with her father, then nowhere in hell would he approve of our marriage. At that moment, I hardened my resolve, and continued walking towards the menace that was her father. When we came closer, Naomi had called out to him, waving her arm several times at him. Upon hearing her calling, his head turned our direction. Without missing a beat, he began sprinting towards us. For a guy in his late forties, he had quite the stamina. I guess that just how much he loves his daughter. When he stopped right in front of us, he ignored me and embraced his daughter with all his strength. I felt the wind behind the force passing across my face. I felt sweat dripping from my head, my legs numbed slowly. I couldn’t do it after all. I was incapable of facing this monstrosity. I wanted to call it a day and run away, but after seeing how strong their bond was, I decided against it. It would’ve been a dick move to do so, and also I wasn’t planning on becoming dead meat any time soon. So I bit my lip, and watched their bonding in silence. Only after a minute or so did he let go of her, and turned towards me, his eyes staring right at me. The air around him became cold. “Akira…” He said, his tone void of any emotions. I trembled as I couldn’t withstand this immense pressure placed upon me. My mind almost went blank, but one thing prevented that. “Dad, I have something to tell you.” It was the soothing voice of the girl I proposed, she had diverted the attention from me to her. In other words, she saved me from pissing myself. Thank you Naomi!! I practically worshiped her at this point. Her quick thinking was something I always admired about her. “What is it, sweety?” Her father asked her, his tone hinted concern. “Your not going to believe this but,” Naomi took a moment, before embracing me rather aggressively. She had latched onto me in a matter of seconds, I hadn’t been given the opportunity to react. I couldn’t help but feel like my life was in danger, and there was a reason for it. It seemed that her father didn't like seeing his daughter be so intimate with me. His pupils vanished and became blank. A dark aura began manifesting around him. Oh man, he was pissed. Even a dog could tell that things wouldn't end well for me. While I was trembling like crazy, Naomi didn't seem fazed at all. She smiled proudly, as she lifted her left hand up. "I'm engaged!" She exclaimed happily. Now, I knew that he would be confused since we brought this up all of a sudden, and I get that. Waiting the entire night for your daughter to come home, only to find out she came back as a married woman. Any parent for that matter would ask questions. But Youij Watanabe didn't, he just stood there, like a statue. Slowly, I was getting scared. His silence was somehow threatening. The air around him became colder, so much so that my skin began to itch. Then after five minutes of awkward silence, he walked towards me, and looked down at me. “Akira,” He said quietly, he placed his right hand at my shoulder. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Is it true?” I couldn’t answer. As much as I wanted to yell out, I couldn’t. If I answered, I would undoubtedly die. I wanted to run, but there was no escape, and even if I did, Youij Watanabe wouldn’t let that slide. Surely he would chase after me. The best thing for me was to stay quiet. Naomi would understand, she would definitely understand, right? I looked towards the girl in question. She moved her pupils from me, towards her father, silently urging me to confront him. I see , I thought. She wouldn’t want me to fear him, she couldn’t handle it if we didn’t gotten along. So, after I took a deep breath, I looked towards Youij Watanabe, and hardened my resolve. “Yes,” I finally spoke up, I expected him to lung at me, but he stayed still. Without wasting time, I continued. “It’s true that I proposed to her.” I expected to get hit any moment now, but he didn’t move. Instead, he kneeled before me, as if his stomach ached. He was quiet. For about a minute or so, he stayed in that position. Then out of nowhere, he straightened his back, and embraced me with all his might. I felt like suffocating. I didn’t get any air. How the hell was Naomi fine when he hugged her? The raw strength of this man was unbelievable, so how on earth was she fine when he did it to her. I guess she got used to it. That was the only logical explanation. As fragile as the human body is, it adapts to its environment in order to survive, or so I’ve heard. Wait... Something didn't feel right. My sight began blurring, my other senses also robbed from me. I felt my consciousness fading. It was so bad that I thought I'd die any second now. All while being in his grip, a rather unpleasant memory had resurfaced from deep within my mind. "Haha, he's as red as a strawberry!" A voice that belonged to a kid said, rather enthusiastically. He had quite the ordinary appearance. His black hair, that was of average length, reached not further than his neck. His clothing style also lacked originality, he wore a white T-shirt with light blue jeans. His brown pupils would always wonder, in hopes of finding fun. "Yeah, you're right Arata!" another agreed. This one was quite the special one. For starters, his hair was gold-blonde, and it was quite long. He wore it in a short ponytail. For some reason he had a dragon figure tattooed on his shoulder. He had an average build, and was of average height. "How long do think he can endure it, Akemi?" A third voice questioned, he seemed genuinely interested. He had a small build, and wore glasses. He was like your typical bookworm. His gray hair would strike a first impression, since it was a color that you wouldn't see often. "I don’t know...." Akemi held his hands against the back of his head, like the topic didn't interest him. Out of everybody else he was the prettiest. With his long brown hair, that covered his left eye, he attracted the attention of every girl he passed. Normally, any other boy would've felt happy about this, but he didn't. In general, he didn't seem to care about anything. "About a minute or so, I believe." A fourth had come in, and said it confidently as if he had experience with this sort of thing. He had short blond hair, he wore a tank-top, and brown shorts. He was the tallest of the four. He was quite muscular. On first glance, you could see that he was an athletic kid. He wore a eerie grin. "What makes you so sure, Daisuke?" The gray haired kid asked the blond haired kid, as he adjusted his glasses. "Just look at his face, stupid Akihiro." Daisuke responded, his grin expanded from ear to ear. "You see that it's changing blue." Akihiro had come closer, taking a closer look; As if satisfied with his answer, he too wore a eerie grin. On the outside, the four boys looked like any ordinary kid from elementary school. They were nothing to worry about, but... That couldn't be further from the truth. Because these boys had an dangerously desire for destruction. They would harass people on the streets of Kyoto, vandalize public property, but their most favorite pass-time would be conducting experiments on their test subject. Now you would normally assume that they conduct their experiments on primarily animals, but you would be wrong. "Aaarrghh…" that was the sound that their test subject made. It was a boy, their classmate. His name was Akira. That boy was none other than me. I was subject of many experiments, many of them left me physically and mentally scarred. And on that day, they had brought me here, under an abandoned bridge. It was dark, and the constant stream of water was louder than our young voices, which was perfect for them, so I couldn't yell for help. It was a bad experience. They surrounded me, as one of them, namely Daisuke, had his hands around my neck, and tightened it hard. He had done this for four minutes now. I tried whatever I could to loosen his grip, but it was futile. He wouldn't let go. I thought I was going to die, but then I looked between his legs, a sudden idea popped up. With all the strength I had left, I kicked his private parts. "Aaaaah!!" Daisuke had let go, and fell to the ground, his hands between his legs. The others laughed after witnessing this spectacle. I quickly breathed in and out, and when I had mustered enough strength, I ran away from them. I heard the other kids behind me still laughing, and heard Daisuke curse me. I thought they would chase after me, but they didn't. I simply ran, and planned on doing so. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but the experiment, next day, would come to haunt me to this day. After my mind came back, I realized that Noami's father was still hugging me, but now I could breath properly. “Finally…” he said, after he had let go of me. He placed both hands on my shoulders, his face came close to mine. "It was about time." he said loudly, tears began dripping from his eyes. Huh…, that was all I could think of. The man, that I was so afraid of, was crying right in front of me. Impossible, My mind couldn’t believe it. I don’t remember exactly why, but I knew for sure that he hated my guts. He treated me coldly since I’ve known him. That’s Youij Watanabe, right? I asked myself. I knew that I wasn’t making any sense, I knew that much. “Finally?” I asked the man before me, my brow raised. Naomi’s father had removed his hands from my shoulders, and wiped his tears off. He looked straight at me. “You sure took your time Akira,” he said, with his arms crossed. “Couldn’t you have done it sooner?” he asked, whilst glaring at me. “W-wait, you’re not mad?” confused as I was that moment, the only thing I wanted was answers. “Mad?” he had a puzzled look on his face. “Why would I be mad?” After taking a second or so, did he ask me. “W-well,” I struggled. Normally I wouldn’t have any problems saying it, but the fear from deep within me was still present. “I thought that you might disapprove of our relationship.” that was the truth, after all. I had finally come to turn, and properly faced him, now all that was left was his responsibility. Naomi’s father sighed at my comment, he had placed his palm against his face. “If I was against it, I wouldn’t have let her go in the first place.” he said, a hint of disappointment painted his face. “Heck, I wouldn’t have let you near my daughter, if that was the case.” he added. “Ha ha….” I forced an awkward laugh. The air around him loosened, I didn’t feel so nervous as I did earlier. Something was on my mind, though. It was about the last bit he said. To think that what I feared could’ve been true, a cold sweat dripped from my spine. Fortunately, that was only if he didn’t approve, which was for the better. I could finally be at ease, for now. “Come inside,” as he urged me and Naomi, he opened his front door. “You should bring the news to your mother.” Naomi went in first. After I was about to enter, he had stopped me and came awfully close. “Welcome to the family, son.” he whispered into my ear, his smile shone from ear to ear. He tapped my shoulder several times, then entered. I still stood at the door, frozen. Did he call me son, just now? , Did I hear that correctly, I wasn’t hearing things, was I? Well it was safe to assume that I was wrong about him hating my guts, and about him being a scary person. With the wind now blowing harder, I quickly turned around. The sun was already at its zenith. Its orange beams spread beautifully across town. However, one thing was still downing at me in the back of my head. It was that memory, that replayed when Youij Watanabe had almost suffocated me. Those four children, that made life a living hell for me, I hadn’t seen them lately. It was like they disappeared out of thin air. I was happy about it, though. It made life a lot better, without those assholes. “Akira!” I was brought back to reality, when someone had called me. “I’m coming.” Yeah, it was for the better that I’d hurry. Without much further delaying, I had gone inside Naomi’s entrance, and closed the door behind me. After arriving at the living, I saw Naomi’s entire family surround her, closely admiring the metal ring I’d bought her. Her little brother came launching into me. He hugged my legs, seeing an opportunity, I patted his head. Then her mother came towards me. She embraced me, and said: ”Take care of her for me. ” I responded with a nod. Satisfied with my answer, she gave me a kiss on my cheek. She returned to her daughter, and continued talking with her. Noami’s little brother had already let go of me, and was now with his father. Seeing the four of them so happy was quite the rare sight for me. Family , indeed, all those years on my lonesome were now over. They would become my family. For some reason, my heart ached. My eyes began blurring, as I felt tears dripping from it. All of them had noticed. I quickly wiped my face. I wanted to say something, but there was nothing to say. Naomi looked straight at me, I could only smile brightly, that was enough. Deep down, they all understood what I meant to say. On the afternoon, we celebrated our engagement with a big party. The following day, me and Naomi had been officially married, after signing the last of the many documents. That night, me and Naomi were sitting on the roof of her house. The moon shone brightly, stars painted the dark sky above us, and the wind blew softly. It was the definition of beauty. Both of us said nothing, since there was nothing to be said. What was more romantic than star seeing. Slowly, my gaze fell from the sky above, to the gorgeous woman next to me. She had noticed my gaze, and did the same. Slowly but surely our eyes met, she smiled brightly. She held my hand tightly. As we continued staring at each other, our heads slowly came closer. My lips made contact with hers. The hours flew by, as of that day, I officially became a married man. At the time, I couldn’t have know that my life would turn for the better, since all I’ve known was hatred, and disgust. Being with Naomi had helped me for the better. I would treasure every day that had yet to come, with her by my side, I could overcome it all. I reminded myself. Everything around me slowly faded, everything became blank white. I was all alone, and before I knew it, a loud screeching had entered my ears. I tried to cover my ears, but it was useless. I could still hear it. Suddenly I heard a voice calling to me. "Wake up..." it said. Confused about what to do, I closed my eyes. I heard the voice again. "Wake up." it repeated. Then it dawned on me, and in that moment I slowly regained consciousness. I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked a few times, after my eyes adjusted. I recognized the first thing I saw. That brown wooden ceiling had already become so familiar to me. I tilted my head slightly, and a smile stuck on my face. "Good morning," I said to the person next to me. "Good morning," the person replied. That was none other than my wife, Naomi. " Darling ," she grinned from ear to ear. In that moment, I vowed to protect her smile. I would take care of it, even if I had to die. As we kissed, I didn't think much about the future ahead of us, but I couldn't help but feel anxious about it.

As for the aftermath of our discussion yesterday, I’ll happily explain it to you. After listening on for a while, I had enough of it all, and told Naomi to shut up. Her face burned with anger as she began fuming at me, questioning what she had done wrong. Of course I could’ve told her exactly what pissed me off, but at the time my mind was so filled with anger that I didn’t felt the need to properly explain her. Naturally, tension rose in our warm, and cozy home. It was so bad that we had to eat diner separately. And the same went for when we went to sleep. Since I was the one who started it all, I was blessed with sleeping on our hard, and cold couch. Things didn’t improve the next morning. As Naomi was still mad at me, she decided that I would have to make my own breakfast. Being the one that never cooked in his life, not even once, this was quite the punishment for me; Despite Naomi still being mad at me, we did eat together this time. It wasn’t relaxing or anything, since the air was fairly tense. As for my breakfast, I had to do with some bland cornflakes. I was sobbing internally while watching Naomi eat her breakfast full of nutrition. That came of course with having pissed her off, not that I could complain about it. While I was chewing down some of the cornflakes, it was then that Naomi turned her head to me. Her icy gaze sent chills down my spine, as she began to speak. “You've got any plans for the evening?” she said, as she put her spoon in her mouth. Of course, I found it quite shocking she was even willing to speak to me, I couldn’t help but voice my concern. “Why do you ask?” I asked her. “Just wanting to know.. And?” her tone was emotionless, as she continued taking bites from her meal. “No, I’m free this evening.” “Excellent.” she faked a smile, as her face was still expressionless. She had her eyes closed too. “You’ll be coming with me then.” Naomi pointed at me, as her fake smile grew wider. “Wait… What?” naturally, as she wasn’t making any sense to me, I couldn’t help but voice my concerns. My head tilted at an angle, as I narrowed my eyelids, almost shutting them close. “You heard me. Since you don’t have anything planned this evening you’ll have the pleasure of going out with me.” she had put an emphasis on the ‘you’ part, and with great enthusiasm too. With the ice-cold tone in which she spoke it caused goosebumps to spread across my body. As I was getting scared for what might happen this evening, I continued eating my breakfast completely shaking the entire time. During the day, nothing else note-worthy happened, expect the part in which Naomi proceeded to stalk me around the house for what felt like hours on end, just endlessly glaring at me. Honestly, I felt like escaping every time I felt her presence near me, but my fear for her grew as I saw her pupils, completely ridden of their lights. It gave off the same presence of that of a ghost, just casually waiting to snatch her pray. Then came the evening, the source of my many worries, as I was silently nibbling on some toast I had made. Naomi came from behind me, grabbing my shoulders with immense strength. I swear you I hadn’t experienced anything more frighting than that, it caused my heart to skip several beats. But anyways. As she was coldly caressing my shoulders, she began speaking in an icy tone. “It’s finally time, A-k-i-r-a.” she finished her sentence with a forced grin pasted on her face. The cold air surrounding me made me almost freeze to death, but as her grip tightened on both my shoulders, I couldn’t help but feel threatened. And that is where we found ourselves now. After Naomi made me put on my best of the best tailer branded suite, and she herself put on one of her favorite dresses in her collection, we both walked out the door, heading straight into the darkened streets that were left almost vacant. As the bright moon stood at its zenith, shining bright beams of light upon the city of Kyoto, we continued to walk down the path, with Naomi leading the way. So far as I’m concerned, I didn’t have any clue on where we might be heading to. I’ll be honest here, it made me quite nervous as I wrapped my hands deeper into my suite; Now as I was mindlessly following Naomi’s lead, faint memories of the past came back flashing before me. One of them being our first date three years ago, as the circumstances were relatively similar, except I had the lead back then. Despite Naomi being in her sourly mood, her beauty still shone brightly as the clear gray dress she wore heightened her attractiveness. It fitted her womanly body perfectly, too much to be exact. I had trouble looking away from it, as my eyes kept turning towards it. And then came the ultimate embarrassment that I felt in a long time. And why you may ask? Well, let’s just say that Naomi had caught me staring at her. My cheeks glowed red, as I quickly turned my head away from her. The awkward silence that filled the air, made it even more uncomfortable. As my eyes were focused at the ground below me, I kept thinking about the events that occurred yesterday, in particularly the event in which I was almost suffocated, by that giant bastard of a man. I still haven’t figured out who that bastard was, nor his little friend; I clenched my hands into fists as I kept seeing their faces over and over again. With this body of mine, it would be almost impossible to get back at them. Which reminded me, about the other person who stopped that giant monkey from ending me there. At the time, as I was still recovering my breathing, my sight turned back to normal. Despite of how much of a mess I was, I was still able to sneak a peak at the person who had spared me. As I looked at his face which could only be described as beautiful, I was overwhelmed with anger. Yes, it was a face that I had seen not so long ago, a few day back to be exact. It was Akemi, and as I thought back of that bastard’s face, I felt my expression darkening. As we continued our walk in silence, it was then that Naomi began breaking the ice. Naturally, I ignored it all, since I was contemplating a plan to deal with those bastards. Since I was so caught up in it, it was not long before Naomi stood before me, with an angry look on her face. “Hey, are you listening?!” Naomi yelled, making me snap back to reality. “Don’t you go and make a huge fuss in there, you understand!“ she placed herself in my line of sight, she pointed her finger at me. “Alright, alright.” I said, as I looked away. In response Naomi pouted, her bulging cheeks filled with air. We continued on walking for a few minutes, when Naomi had suddenly stopped before a luxurious restaurant. She turned around, staring right at me, and a soft grin had formed on her face. “We’re here.” she said as she locked her arms with mine. My body kept feeling uneasy, like I was entering some battlefield or something. My heart started beating faster, and so to calm it, I took a deep breath in and out before entering the place. When we finally entered, we were greeted by an employee. Her long dark hair reached the bottom of her back. Her facial features shone magnificent. Her uniform, though a standard one, fitted her body perfectly. She wore a wide smile. “Good evening, How can I help you?” she asked, her tone really professionally. “I have a reservation here.” Naomi answered, as she had let go of me. “May I ask your name please?” “Naomi, Watanabe.” the employee searched through her reservation list, and when she found Naomi’s name there, she straightened her back. “I see, you’re table is over there near the window. Your guest has also arrived, and is sitting right there.” she pointed towards our table, and there really was someone sitting there. A guest? I mumbled. I didn’t think Naomi would invite another person and not tell me. As we closed the distance to our table, the guest, the one who had been sitting with their back towards us, quickly stood up when Naomi had called out to them. From how wide their back was, I deduced that it was undoubtedly a man we would be meeting. But who was he really? A friend? Or someone I didn’t know. The unease in my abdomen kept growing, as he finally turned around to face us. No way… As I looked at that man, my anger began boiling inside. It’s that bastard. Not in a million years could I guess that someone would’ve been Akemi. His smile widened as he greeted us. He began talking to Naomi, who was immersed in their conversation, while I stood there completely silent. That bastard glanced at me for a second, that smile turning into a grin. That fucking bastard. Not only did he threaten Naomi after I got beat up by his underlings, he has the nerve to play innocent in front of her as well. If I really wanted to I could smack that grin of his face, but that would only get me in trouble, so I refrained from doing that, controlling my inner rage. He urged us to take our seats, and took a seat himself. Then a waitress came to us, and asked for our order. After scrolling through their menu, I had picked something random, and said it to the waitress; The bastard said his item right after, then Naomi. After the waitress noted our orders, she promptly excused herself, leaving us with an awkward silence. The air around us began chilling, as I and that bastard kept staring at each other. It seemed Naomi had difficulty breaking the ice, as she kept opening her mouth but no sound came from it. It didn’t matter though, even if we managed to talk to one another, it’s naturally that hell would break loose. I mean, I’m already trying my best to control the anger within me from just looking at him, if you added the nonsense that he would spew on top of that, you best believe that someone isn’t returning home tonight. The silence continued until the waitress returned with our order. She placed the plates, and quickly left. As we were eating our meals, it was then that he began talking. “How are your meals?” he said, as he looked up from his plate, looking at us. I didn’t feel like responding, so I continued on with my meal. Naomi on the other hand… “I didn’t know this stuff would be so delicious. Am I in heaven?” tears of joy flooded down as she continued eating her meal. “That’s fine too hear, thank you. I guess it was good a good idea to pick this restaurant then.” that bastard smiled, and began turning his head in my direction. “And you?” Of course, I ignored the bastard. Seriously, does he really think he can play the nice guy after what he had done to me? Well think again. As I continued on eating my meal, it was then that I felt something collide on my leg, I screamed inside as the pain from the impact intensified. I looked at the only suspect I thought. She looked at me, her eyes exposed her burning pupils to me. The scene was so frightening that the air around us tensed up even more. Sweat began dripping as I looked away from her. That’s when I noticed something off about that dude. He kept on smiling, not the regular one he had put up this entire time, a rather vicious one so to speak. His pupils turned black all of a sudden. I was getting freaked out, as a dark, malicious aura began emitting from his body. After I blinked a few times, his empty smile returned, and the dark aura disappeared. Did I just see things? I got confused for a moment there. What just happened? Was it my imagination? I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually did, since that bastard was pure evil, but it sure creeped me out. I slowly caressed my arm behind the table, the goosebumps were disappearing. Naomi had stopped glaring at me already, and was now talking with him . As I persisted on not communicating with that bastard, Naomi had properly giving up on me, and so began breaking the ice herself. Now, watching them talk to one another sparked something inside me. Something difficult to explain. I began feeling a mixture of emotions. Some part of me felt angry, while another felt jealous seeing them hitting it of together. But that wasn’t all. Somewhere deep inside me I felt.. scared? As conflicted as I was about these feelings, I continued listening to their conversation. The subtle jokes the two were making, how they enjoyed spending their time together. Seeing them like this made me realize, what this conflicted feeling is. I looked at one person in particular. Her smile shone brightly, as she immersed herself deeper in the conversation. It was like she completely forget about my existence. I couldn’t help but feel saddened by this. Were all the times we’d spent together mean nothing to her? The mere thought of that could crush me completely. I couldn’t believe it, or rather I didn’t want to. After all, she was my only hope, my beacon of light. If I were to lose her then …then.. I felt my emotions leaking out my body, leaving me completely empty. Suddenly, my gaze turned back to the one bastard, the one that caused it all. Yes, I am indeed talking about Akemi. As I saw him continue talking to Naomi, he paid no attention to me. To him, I was someone who blended in with the mob, a background character so to speak. My mind was slowly getting engulfed by the flickering of burning flames, the more I looked at that pathetic bastard the more angry I got. It had gotten to the point that I felt my body boiling. The bastard finally finished talking, when he looked at me. The way he hid his smirk without Naomi noticing was the breaking point for me. The only thing I thought that moment was that this bastard was dead meat. As reason had vanished from me, I had put fork down. Naomi was looking at me confused, while that bastard was still grinning behind her back. I looked to both my sides, my gaze returned to the one sitting before me. I had forced a smile, and threw my plate at him. As he hadn’t anticipated this, he was unable to dodge it. His entire face was covered with remnants of my meal, some of the sauce I had began slowly gliding his cheeks, his outfit was also smothered with it. When he was still processing what exactly had happened to him, I jumped from my chair towards him, giving him a hug jab to his cheek. He fell backwards, falling on his back. Not wasting any precious time, I continued assaulting him, primarily targeting his face. After giving him three or so more punches, that’s when I was pulled back by security. They began dragging me away, as the silence had turned into a chaos. Some employees went to check on Akemi, tending him. As I looked at that bastard, despite being the one injured, he still grinned as if he enjoyed what had just happened. It wasn’t long before the guards threw me out the door, entering right after, like I was just some trash they just disposed off. They left me all alone, as not a soul could be seen beside those leaving the restaurant. They ignored me as they walked to their vehicles. And as for me, I was still lying on the dirty ground. For some reason my body refused to get up, that’s why I stared at the night sky mindlessly. As my mind was slowly drifting away, my view was suddenly blocked. It was a someone I knew really well. It was none other than my wife, Naomi. Her eyes staring right through me. “What was that just now?” she said, her tone hinted nothing but disappointment. A stress reliever.. Even though my heart was bursting to respond, I was so exhausted that I stayed silent. “Why did you make such a scene? Didn’t you say that you would behave?” Naomi continued, her tone still the same. Because that bastard is playing with you.. I thought. Naomi’s face came closer to mine. Her eyes were bloodshot, exposing her inner rage. “Do you plan on laying down forever or something? Stand up.” she demanded, this time her tone vacant of any emotion. I forced every ounce of my body to get up, and when I stood right, I cleaned some dirt from my suit. I faced the beast before me, she had her fangs ready for an attack. I was now at the mercy of this beast. “Explain yourself.” it seemed my silence had made her angry, even more so than what I did inside the restaurant. Her hazel-colored pupils turned an even darker red color. “Where should I start…” after taking a deep breath, I began opening up to her. At first I started explaining my worries towards that bastard. And as I continued on, I began exposing my insecurities to her as well. My expression darkened, and I adopted a wry smile. As I was rumbling on about how much of a prick that bastard is, I felt a sudden painful sensation across my left cheek. I was flabbergasted of course, as I looked at the suspect, her palm glowed a full light red color. She gritted her teeth in anger. “Is that what this is about?” she said silently, her expression darkened as well. “What are you… Hugh..” as I was asking what she’s on about, I felt a sudden jab to my left cheek, sending me flying backwards. I fell on my back, as I looked at Naomi, who jumped on me. She sat on my stomach. Fear began consuming me, as she followed up with another punch to my cheek. The force behind it was so strong that I felt my jaw breaking. Then she punched my right cheek, and then the other. The waves continued as I tried covering, shielding myself with my arms. Unfortunately, she still managed to hit me. With my only defense completely shattered, I could do nothing except receive her punishment. “Why won’t you tell me anything? Why do you always keep me out of it? Is it because you think I’m not capable of helping you? We’re married, you idiot! So, please tell me? What’s wrong with you?!” I responded with silence, and looked away. I glanced back at her, and saw beads of tears flooding down her eyes, as she continued her assault on me. With each question she posed, her movement slowed ever so slightly. “Why aren’t you saying anything?!” she slammed her fists against my chest, as she began crying. Her tone sounded of that of an angry child. I couldn’t bring myself to answer her, even though the urge grew. As I responded her question with silence, she got up and looked at me, her expression darkened again. “I hate you..” she said, as she ran off. I was still laying on the ground, my face still bruised and all. As I saw the moon shine at its brightest, I began questioning were it all went wrong. I lost track of time, as I continued to stare at the dark blue colored sky. After my body recovered most of its strength, I got up, and headed home. The moment I entered, I took of my shoes, and wore my slippers. As I arrived at the living, I turned on the lights. A tingling feeling began assaulting my stomach, something felt off. It was awfully quiet, not a single thing could be heard. I searched around, first inspecting the kitchen. Everything was left untouched, thus I began inspecting the other rooms. Nothing else felt out of place, as everything still stood on there place. It was when I checked my bedroom, when I found an unsettling discovery. Nothing felt wrong at first, but when I checked our drawers, I saw that Naomi’s clothing were gone. The unease grew as I hurried myself back downstairs. There on the table, in front of the couch, there was a note taped on it. I grabbed it, and read its content. I fell on the couch behind me, with my back hunched forward. My face began twitching, as my arm holding the note started shaking. Its content read as follows: ‘Thought that we should spent some time apart. Use the time to cool down, please. Yours dearly, Naomi.’ I gritted my teeth in anger, as I flipped the table in front of me. I began grabbing my hair, some of my hair torn from the pressure. At that exact moment, it was then that the tears I held up began streaming violently down my cheeks. As my only beacon of hope had left me all alone, I couldn’t help but let out all my frustrations. With my mind completely exhausted now, I went to bed, where I continued to weep for the entire night. The days flew by as Naomi still hadn’t returned home. As for what had now become a routine, I find myself wake up alone in bed. Completely demotivated to welcome the day, I hesitantly got up after my alarm kept pestering me for a while now. I turned it off, and looked outside the window. It was still relatively dark, with the sun just exposed. I opened my phone and looked at the date of today, and let out a big sigh. My little vacation was over now, as today would be day I returned back to work. I headed towards the bathroom, and cleaned myself up. When I was done putting on my work outfit, I went downstairs, and made breakfast. After I finished eating it, I headed towards the door and put on my jacket. I looked back at the silent living, these few weeks that Naomi left me were kind of depressing. The usual warm home that brought joy to my heart was now painted a dark gray, it pained me seeing this happen in such a short period. Unable to bear it anymore, I exited my home, and closed the door behind me. I turned my back, and looked towards the sky. I felt small beads of water fall on my cheeks, as it started pouring. The day begun with bad weather, perfectly describing how I felt deep inside.                                                                     … Slap. The sound echoed throughout the room, my cheek slowly turning red. "How dare you ignore me when I ask you to do me a favor, huh?!" A young man, who was of average height, stood before me. His hair was a solid brown color, his pupils had the same color as well. He wore a pair of glasses, and his facial features were average to say the least. His entire outfit beamed ‘rich’ as he showed of the latest and expensive luxury wear. For those that don’t know, he was my boss. When I arrived at work, he had called me to his office. After we entered, the servant closed the door behind us. My boss came closer to me, and slapped me across my face. His face glowed red of anger, and the servant behind us was visibly shocked. My boss proceeded to slap me several times before going to his desk, and serving himself some wine that he hid under his desk. “Well, explain yourself dog?! I’m waiting!” he yelled as he jugged the glass in one shot. He began filling it again. “Due to problems at home sir, I wasn’t able to..” as I was explaining my reason, he threw his already-emptied glass at me. It shattered on impact, some of it piercing through my skin. In one swift movement, I removed those, sounds of glass hitting the ground began echoing. “I don’t care about your reason you asshole.. I just don’t believe a dog wouldn’t do as his master tells him.” he got up from his desk, and came close to me again. This time though, he was practically in my face. I hid my discomfort behind a emotionless expression. “You better make up for it you prick.” he said, as my nostrils were attacked by a sudden stench. His morning breath, combined with the smell of liquor, really was a deadly combo. I held back from puking in his face and responded with a stern “Yes, sir.”. He returned to his desk, when he gestures me to leave. I did as I was told and went back to work. As I got near the door, the servant looked at me apologetically. My boring day continued as I was busy completing everything on my to-do list. That fucking bastard of a boss, he sure loved punishing people. As I just finished the last thing on my list, it was then that I received another task from that bastard. And you wouldn’t guess it, cleaning the men’s toilet room. I covered my nose, as the nasty smell of it made its way to my nose. As I was about to begin, my phone began vibrating. I grabbed it from my left pocket, and saw that someone was calling me. It was my father-in-law, Youij Watanabe. I answered his call and began greeting him. “Hi, what’s the occasion?” I said, forcing myself to sound as happy as possible. “Have you seen Naomi lately?” I expected him to return the same energy as I gave, but instead I was met with a bitter iciness in his tone. He sounded quite exhausted. “No, what happened?” I asked, quiet worried. “You know that Naomi was temporarily staying at our place after your brawl together,” That was indeed true, after Naomi had packed her things those weeks ago, the day after I received a phone call of my father-in-law himself, informing me about her whereabouts. I must say, I was certainly relieved after hearing she’s staying somewhere safe. “So, what’s wrong?” “You see, me and the family went on a camping trip for a week,” So what has it to do with Naomi? I thought. “However she said she didn’t want to go, ‘wanting to spend some time alone’ or something.” I heard him scratch his beard. “Then that means she’s just home right?” “Well, we were expecting her to be home, but when we arrived just now, we didn’t find a single trace of her. That’s why I’m asking if you have seen her, surely you have made up by now, right?” I could hear the fear slowly consuming him, as his tone slowly pitched higher. “Hey you’ve seen her right? She’s just at your place, right? Hey? Hey?! Hey??!! Why won’t you answer me, son?!” Just hearing him go mad, makes my skin itch. I couldn’t possibly tell him I don’t know, I couldn’t get myself to it. It was as my father-in-law started rambling on, when I received a notification; Someone was calling me, as I read the caller-id, my mouth slowly opened widely. It was the missing girl herself, Naomi. I hung up the call with Youij Watanabe, and answered Naomi’s call. I brought the phone close to my ear as I began speaking to her. “Hey, your dad just called and he said you weren’t home? What the hell man, you said we were just spending some time apart, and you decide to run away all of a sudden? Where are you?!” Instead of responding like a normal person, I was met with complete silence. I felt my blood boiling, as I gritted my teeth. “We playing games now? Are you actually serious? Your dad is losing his mind because of you. And you think that’s funny?!” I knew that I wasn’t thinking rationally, but how can I not be. Especially after what she had pulled, I can’t believe that she wouldn’t give up already. “Naomi! Answer me, dammit!” as I had enough of her nonsense, I yelled out. The silence was suddenly broken by a deep voice. “This isn’t Naomi, you know.” it said menacingly. It then started laughing hysterically, slowly striking fear into me. "W-who is this?" I asked hesitantly, not before taking in a gulp of air. Beep, beep, beep. I heard, as the call was suddenly ended. “Shit..” I slammed my fist against a wall near me, I began violently gritting my teeth. It wasn’t long before my phone started vibrating. I looked at the notification, I received a message from an unknown number. After I clicking on it, I saw exactly what had been sent to me. It wasn’t a text or anything, but a picture. I had downloaded it first, then opened it. As I laid my eyes on that picture, I was suddenly consumed by fear, my heart began racing. Droplets of sweat glided down my cheek, as I made a run for it, heading towards my car. As I just arrived near the exit, I heard my boss yelling at me from behind. When I was about to exit the building, he had grabbed my shoulder, preventing me from leaving. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?!” This freaking son of a bitch . I cursed him. I swear, I was this close to knocking the living hell out of him. My blood began boiling again, as I didn’t have any more time to waste. I shrugged him off, and was about to leave, but that bastard grabbed me again, preventing me from leaving. “Hey, I’m talking to you!” he yelled as he came closer to me, I felt some of his spit drop on me. This was the last straw, as rage began consuming my mind, leaving no place for frivolous emotions such as mercy and forgiveness. Now, with my chackles that held me back being gone, I turned my head towards the bastard behind me. My eyes turned bloodshot, striking fear into the little asshole, his legs began shaking rapidly. “Out of my way,” I said as coldly as possible, my tone vacant of emotion. Immediately following it up with socking that bastards face with my elbow. I didn’t hold back of course, as it should. I watched him falling backwards, he landed on his butt. As the pain finally registered, I saw him wailing in agony. Some of his teeth were missing, and blood kept coming out of his nose. The glasses he wore had giant cracks in them as well. “Scum.” I added salt to injury, as I finally left the building behind me. Well, how do you like that for my resignation, you bastard! Without wasting much time, I quickly hurried myself to my car. After I got into my car, I started the engine, and drove full throttle onto the road. I reached for my phone, and opened the picture again. After I looked at it closely, anger began enveloping my mind again. On that picture, I saw Naomi taped onto a chair, Akemi stood next to her. He was smiling proudly to the camera. Someone else was with him, it was that giant monkey who whooped my butt a few weeks back. He stood behind Naomi, and with his left hand he squeezed her cheeks. From that photo, it seemed that Naomi was unconscious, her mouth was also taped shut; At first I felt clueless of their whereabouts, until I noticed something in the background. It looked rather familiar, I struggled for a while until it hit me. It was our dining room. As I finally had a clue, I rushed to my house, riding through the red lights and all. After all, saving Naomi was all that mattered to me now. It wasn’t long when I finally arrived near my home. I got out immediately as I parked my car nearby. I sprinted towards my house. After I kicked the door open, the first thing that caught my eye was our stuff being completely thrown around. As I didn’t wanted to waste precious time, I hurried myself to the dining room. There, I was presented with a huge mess. Most of our furniture were either broken into many pieces, or just gone completely. The beige walls were sprayed on, insults targeting me were writing on it. I took a step forward, it was then that I felt something poke me. I looked at it, it was splinters of glass spread across the floor. Between the mess was a photo, I grabbed it and brought it close to me. It used to be a photo of me and Naomi together, but right now my face was torn away; Naomi was encircled with red marker, dead skulls drawn beside her as well. I felt my emotions leaking away, as anger slowly took hold of me. My expression darkened, as I had let go of the photo. Since those bastards weren’t here, I began searching around the house. I inspected every room, but all of them were completely vacant. Quietly, I went to inspect the living, and there was when I found a clue. It was in the form of a letter, with “To pig-kun” in bold red written on it. I opened it, and read the one line out loud. “Come to the public park at 08:30pm. Don’t be late or else…” I gritted my teeth, as I squeezed my hand into a fist. “So be it, I’ll come for you bastard,” my eyes turned bloodshot, as my mind had been engulfed with nothing but revenge. “I’ll kill you, Akemi.” my voice echoed throughout the room, a cold breeze stroking my face. The hours went by quickly, as it was now early in the evening. The moon was now a waxing crescent shining through the clouds that covered it. The wind began breezing, leaves spreading across town. I had just at the park, the place that bastard decided to meet; I began walking around the area, in search of that bastard. There on an empty basketball field, I saw a figure stand in the center. I came closer, with silent steps. Perhaps by sensing me, the figure turned around, directly facing me. The light poles that stood at each corner of the field began brightening, the figure’s face became clear. “Yo, A-ki-ra.” he said, the corners of his mouth formed a smile. That bastard Akemi. His carefree attitude really ticked me off. I felt my anger rising, my eyes turning bloodshot, tensing the air around us. I slowly walked closer to him. With our faces were only centimeters apart, one thought was burning inside my mind. That thought had broken the shackles, unleashing my thirst for revenge. My dopamine levels slowly rose, as I thought of the many ways that I would make him suffer. Just imagining his face filled with agony was enough to make sure I wouldn’t let him leave unscathed tonight.

Chapter 8 Just Before Alice Meanwhile in the Bear's hideout, Blackin was getting the members of The Bear ready to fight Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke, Artby and Warbler. " Alice, we need to send you in to get rid of Crayon " said Blackin. " He must go down " said Blackina. " It will allow us to take over as a couple " said Blackin. " It will be simple, I am a lot stronger than Jessica and Flora " said Alice. " Colourland will be ours " said Blackin. " When Crayon is finished, the other four will be simple " said Blackina. " " Exactly " said Blackin. " They are not a threat to us " said Alice. " Getting rid of them will not be hard " said Blackina. " Yes, I will take them down " said Alice. " I am not afraid " " Good " said Blackina. " When you leave, Bear members will join you " said Blackin. " They will assist you in taking down these fighters " said Blackina. " Yes, they will be very useful " said Alice. " They will use their attacks " said Blackin. Meanwhile Crayon, Colourea, Colouruke, Artby and Warbler ate their breakfast and then headed to meet with Challenger. The six of them got their bread and then left. They then headed home, Challenger headed back to his office. Crayon and Colourea were kissing upstairs for a bit, Artby started to talk to Colouruke. " We will stop The Bear for sure now " said Artby. " I hope so " said Colouruke. " We are getting more heroic, the bakers have done wonders for us " said Artby. " The happier Crayon gets with Colourea is great, I will thank the bakers for the relationship " " Bakers might be confused " said Colouruke. " I believe in bakers a lot, I have faith " said Artby. " This is the time to believe in bakers " " Bakers will be happy to see that I believe in them always " " Hopefully the bakers will understand but I am not sure " said Colouruke. " I believe in bakers " said Artby. Crayon and Colourea finished making out and then went to bed. Warbler, Colouruke and Artby did the same. Meanwhile at the headquarters of The Bear, Easeion and Blackin were talking to Alice who returned before bedtime. " Alice, it is time to fight these fighters " said Blackin. " I will crush them easily " said Alice. " The romance between Crayon and Colourea will come to an end " said Easeion. " We need to end it before we start taking over Colourland " " Exactly " said Alice. " So Crayon needs to be kept alive but Colourea must die " said Blackin. " The others can be defeated " " Exactly, Crayon will be very hurt by this for sure " said Alice. " Just the way I want him " said Easeion. " I will make sure he is that way " said Alice. Bill entered the room. " So are you ready to end the romance " said Bill. " We are all ready to end it " said Alice. " That will be great for us " said Blackin. " It will hurt Crayon " said Bill. " Haha " said Alice. " You will do great " said Easeion. " Crayon will feel hurt soon " " He will feel the pain of losing Colourea, which I will cause " said Alice. " I will head off with the Bear " " Good luck " said Easeion. " Thanks " said Alice. " No problem, take down Crayon " said Easeion. " I will do just that " said Alice. " Cannot wait to see the pain Crayon will be in " said Easeion. " Same here, it will be great for the Bear haha " said Bill. " It will be " said Alice. " Crayon is someone that will be out of the way " " Hahahaha " said Easeion. " I can tell that Crayon will be suffering without Colourea " " Yeah, he will be very hurt " said Bill. " The Bear wants him hurt, it weakens Crayon " said Easeion. " That is important to us " " Yeah, it does matter " said Bill. " Hahahahaha " said Easeion. Crayon and Colourea left the room they were in. The two of them joined Artby, Warbler and Colouruke. The five of them ate their breakfast and then headed out. Meanwhile Alice and over 20 members of The Bear then headed out of hideout and they were in Colourland searching for the five fighters. " I have found you five at last " said Alice. " Shit, there are so many of them " said Artby. " I will fight for bakers, I love baking " " Hahahahaha, Colourland will belong to The Bear " said Alice. " The Bear will completely take over and everything will belong to us " said one of the men. " No fucking way, I ate so much bread " said Artby. " Bread is going to have a serious impact during the fight " " It will not change the fight " said a Bear member. " We are ready to fight " said Colouruke. " The Bear isn't taking over " said Crayon. " We are not giving you a choice here " said one of the women. " We beat Jessica and Flora " said Warbler. " They are not as strong as me, not even close " said Alice. " I am ready " said Artby. " Bread has done that " " Time for this fight to happen " said Alice. " Hahahaha " " Bring it on " said Crayon. " We are ready to make sure that the Bear has nobody interfering with them ever again " said Alice. " I will not allow anyone to get in the way of the Bear " " They will overwhelm everyone "

Chapter 9 Fighting Against Alice and Bear Members " We will see about that " said Colourea. The group of 10 men and 10 women were ready to fight Warbler and Artby while Crayon, Colourea and Colouruke fought Alice. The woman got up and kicked Warbler. Warbler then punched her and defeated her. Three men then charged their Darkness Bombs while Warbler used the Super Air Bomb and Artby used the Light Kick, the attacks hit which defeated two of the men. One man then rushed for Warbler but Warbler punched him. Artby then hit him hard which defeated him. Four of the men then rushed for them with punches while Artby and Warbler hit them with kicks. The men got up and rushed with their Shadow Strikes while Artby and Warbler used their respective Light Blasts which defeated three of the men. The man got up and kicked Warbler but Artby punched him, defeating him. Three women grabbed Warbler but Artby used the Super Light Blast which knocked them down, they then hit Artby but Warbler used the Air Blast which defeated them. " The bakers have done wonders for me with their baking " said Artby. " I have been a great customer " " It's not over yet " said the Bear members. " Baking will continue to help me out " said Artby. " I have my doubts " said one Bear member. " I can prove what baking does " said Artby. " It creates bread " said another Bear member. " It doesn't change fighting " said a Bear member. " Baking helps with fighting " said Artby. " Yeah, no " said a Bear member. " Anyways, let's keep fighting " The remaining men then used their Shadow Strikes to hit down Warbler but Warbler got up and then used the Supreme Air Kick which defeated them. The remaining women then started with Shadow Bombs and Shadow Strikes while Artby used the Super Light Blast and Warbler used the Super Air Blast which created a giant explosion. Artby was starting to slightly struggle but two women were able to get up and hit Warbler who was starting to slightly struggle as well. The women then both punched Warbler but Artby kicked them. The women got up and punched Artby while Warbler kicked them which defeated them. " So my Bear members lost ? " asked Alice. " Yeah " said Artby. " My training and baking helped " " Crayon, Colouruke and Colourea will be taken down " said Alice. " They are not strong enough " " We'll see about that " said Crayon. " We will give it our all " said Colouruke. " I will win for the Bear " said Alice. " The Bear is counting on me here " " Bakers are counting on my friends " said Artby. " Bakers love having us in the bakery " " They may but it will not affect the outcome of this battle " said Alice. " Let's fight " said Colouruke. " Prepare to fall " said Alice. " This will end for all of you " In the Alice fight, Alice then launched the Triple Shadow Strike hitting down Colouruke. Crayon then used his Air Bomb and Colourea used the Super Light Bomb. Alice then used the Shadow Kick on Colouruke then she then punched Crayon. Crayon then used the Air Bomb, Colourea used the Light Bomb while Colouruke used the Sea Blast while Alice used the Quadruple Shadow Strike. All attacks hit. Alice then hit Colouruke with the Super Shadow Bomb while Crayon then hit her with the Air Blast. Colourea then used the Light Blast but Alice was able to avoid it and then punch Colourea. Colouruke then kicked Alice while Crayon used the Air Bomb while Alice used the Super Shadow Blast. The attacks hit successfully, Alice then started using the Quadruple Shadow Strike hitting down Colouruke. Alice then kicked Colourea, while Crayon punched her. Alice then hit down Colouruke with the Super Shadow Bomb which caused him to slightly struggle. Colourea and Crayon then fired the Super Light Bombs towards Alice while she used the Quadruple Shadow Strike, Colourea was starting to slightly struggle. Alice then used the Super Shadow Bomb to hit down Colouruke making him start to struggle. Crayon then used the Super Air Kick hitting Alice. " This is my new technique the Bear have not used yet " said Alice. " What it is ? " asked Colouruke. " The Shadow Implosion " said Alice. " It is a wonderful move that the stronger members of the Bear know " " The Bear will truly overwhelm you " " Let's see about that " said Colouruke. Alice then hit the Shadow Implosion directly on Colouruke and Colourea. " Hahahahahahahahahahaha " said Alice. " That is it " " Don't be so sure " said Crayon. " I am looking forward to being the fighter able to stop Crayon " said Alice. " Our leader will take over Colourland and The Bear will have everything " " Hahaha, I will love it " " The leader will not succeed in that " said Crayon. " I have my doubts about that, he has a girlfriend who is the second strongest " said Alice. " They are a couple like no other " " His girlfriend ? asked Crayon. " She is a woman that is fierce beyond belief, The Bear know of you and Colourea being together " said Alice. " We know what is going on here " " So your leader wants us to stop being a couple ? " asked Crayon. " His members believe that it will make things better for The Bear " said Alice. " If they were to end the romance between you and Colourea then it will make things easier " " I won't let that shit happen " said Crayon. " Colourea and Colouruke are done, with them gone it will not be long now " said Alice. " The romance will be destroyed " " Hahahaha, you will not stop me " " Bring it on " said Crayon. Crayon then launched the Super Air Blast towards Alice while she used the Quadruple Shadow Strike. Colourea started to get up, same with Colouruke. They could barely move. " Stay down " said Alice. " It's not over yet " said Colouruke. " It most certainly is " said Alice. " I will finish you off " Alice then used the Shadow Implosion while Crayon used the Super Air Bomb, Colourea the Super Light Bomb and Colouruke used the Triple Sea Kick which all hit. Colouruke and Colourea were defeated, while Alice and Crayon were starting to slightly struggle. Alice then charged up for the Shadow Implosion while Crayon then used the Super Tornado Blast which both hit creating a huge explosion. They both were struggling. Crayon was able to kick Alice but she punched him. " This is it " said Alice. " Hahahahaha " " I don't think so " said Crayon. " My abilities will get me this win " said Alice. Alice then used the Quadruple Shadow Strike while Crayon used the Super Light Bomb which made them both extremely weak. Crayon then was able to get up and then used the Light Bomb which knocked her out. She was struggling severely and could barely move, but was able to fire off a Shadow Bomb, Crayon countered with the Air Kick ending the fight. Crayon then went towards Colourea and Colouruke while Artby and Warbler joined them after their fight win. " Glad to see that we succeeded " said Warbler. " The bakeries have done wonders with the baking " said Artby. " I'm curious what they can do in the future " " We should get Colouruke and Colourea to the hospital " said Crayon. " Good idea " said Artby. " Let's go " said Warbler. Meanwhile a voice appeared. " You three " said the voice. " Yes " said Warbler. " Your luck has run out against The Bear " said the voice. " Our luck ? " asked Artby. " The Smithsons will end it all " said the voice. " The Smithsons ? " asked Crayon. " Yes, they are a family who are the elite members of The Bear " said the voice. " They are not afraid to kill people and the romance between you and Colourea will be permanently destroyed " " Why would they want to end that more than anything ? " asked Crayon. " It will do wonders for The Bear, that is why " said the voice. " We won't allow that to happen " said Warbler. " Hahahahahaha " said the voice. " We will end what you have with Colourea, keep you sad Crayon, and take over Colourland " " It will make you miserable, the Bear wants that " " The Bear will not fail to do so " " You won't keep down and sad " said Crayon. " I will tell you one last thing, the oldest brother in the family is much stronger than the other two, so you will never stop the Smithsons, hahahahahahahaha " said the voice. " The Smithsons are so skilled " " We can take them on " said Artby. " You will not stand a chance " said the voice. " The Smithsons are too strong " " There is one of us that is stronger than the others " " It matters not because any of us can beat all of you " " Bring it on " said Crayon. " Now, I will leave but understand my warning " said the voice. " You are all done for " " Hahahahahahaha " The voice was gone. " I wonder who that was ? " asked Crayon. " Smithsons don't scare me " said Artby. " The bakers will use some great flour " " Flour helps " " Flour ? " asked Warbler. " The bakers will bake some great new bread with flour that will make us more heroic " said Artby. " We should tell Challenger about the Smithsons and the fact that Alice is defeated " said Crayon. " Yeah, that is a great idea " said Artby. " Bakers would want us to tell Challenger " They went to the hospital and told Challenger to visit after Colourea and Colouruke were in the beds. Challenger arrived. " We have beaten Alice but we heard about this family named the Smithson family " said Crayon. " I have heard things about them in the past " said Challenger. " The older brother is a man named Easeion " " Easeion ? " asked Artby. " Easeion is one of the most ruthless people you will ever encounter " said Challenger. " The fact that he is a member of The Bear is not a good thing, he has hurt several people before " " Before ? " asked Warbler. " Yes, he was someone that was dangerous when he was younger " said Challenger. " I don't know how strong he is now but he must be very strong now " " Alice mentioned that the leader has a girlfriend " said Crayon. She is the second strongest according to her " " I'm surprised that they would have two members stronger than him " said Warbler. " Be careful around Easeion, he has been known to kill people for simply not wanting to kill people he wants to die " said Challenger. " The fact that the voice wants to end the romance with Colourea and it claims to be the Smithsons probably means that they are threatened by you and Colourea " " We will be careful around Easeion " said Artby. " We will keep eating tons of bread, and give great asskickings when necessary " " Easeion will be stopped, for the time being we will train hard and get stronger " said Crayon. " Good, you five must be ready " said Challenger. " It will be a difficult fight " " Yeah, it will " said Crayon. " We will beat him " said Warbler. Colourea and Colouruke got up and then met up with them. " Glad to you see that you two are okay " said Challenger. " Same here " said Artby. " We shall eat more bread, Challenger has said we need to keep training so the bakers can help us out " " Bakers are so helpful " " Yeah, we could use something to eat " said Colouruke. After Colouruke and Colourea got better, they ate bread at home which they bought at the bakery. At the hideout, Easeion was talking to Blackin. " Alice has not been successful at stopping Crayon " said Blackin. " It is a shame " " Now it is our turn, that romance between Crayon and Colourea will be destroyed by the Smithsons " said Easeion. " Crayon will be single, like you want " " I need it gone, we need Crayon to truly suffer " said Blackin. " You and Blackina will take over Colourland soon " said Easeion. " We will have everything " " I want the romance between destroyed first, we will decide what to do with Crayon later " said Blackin. " " We will easily end it and keep Crayon sad, it will be great " said Easeion. " Crayon will be lonely, the Bear needs that " " Yeah, he will feel weak " said Blackin. " Hahahahahaha " they both said. " I cannot wait for the downfall of Colourea " said Easeion. " There is something so special about that " " I have to see Blackina " said Blackin. " The Smithsons should have no problem with this " " Yeah, we are so great " said Easeion. " I am going now " said Blackin. " See you " said Easeion. " I will head to my siblings "

It was six in the morning when my alarm went off. As grumpy as I was woken from my sleep, I tried to ignore it. After two minutes of hearing that stupid ringtone I had set, it stopped vibrating, and went silent. At that moment, I felt so happy that tears began to flow, and I promptly went back to sleep. As my mind was slowly drifting away, it was then that I heard that alarm again. I was getting annoyed by the second, and ducked my head under my pillow. “I can still hear it….” Yes, even though the pillow was quite firm and thick. It didn’t stop the annoying sound my alarm was making from invading my ears. Veins began to pop on my face, as I gritted my teeth. It went silent a moment later. As relieved as I was that my stupid alarm couldn’t deprive me of more sleep, I went back to sleep. Unfortunately, no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t. I was well awake by this point. Disappointment had painted my face, as I dug my face deeper in my pillow, tears of grieve kept flooding. Having no other choice than to admit defeat, I got up from my bed. I yawned, whilst heading towards the bathroom. After I took a shower, I brushed my teeth, and got dressed. After I tidied my hair, I got out the bathroom. As I walked downstairs, it was then that my nose began tickling. I sniffed a few times, and followed the scent. When I entered the dining room, I was presented with an huge meal. Freshly seasoned salad, carefully placed in a bowl. French toast, spread with molten cheese, and a drip of syrup added for the taste, and to not forget the most important dish of all. Freshly baked chocolate cupcakes, with whipped cream added on top. Just looking at it made me drool a bit. As I stood there admiring the feast in front of me, someone had just entered the dining room. I fixed my eyes on that someone, a smile slowly formed on my face. It was my wife, Naomi. She held a plate in her hands. “You’re up already?” She asked, her head tilted slightly. “Yeah,” I replied. “Apparently, I’m not allowed to enjoy my day off.” I added. I turned my head, and crossed my hands. I was still angry about it, because it was a first in a long time that I had a day off from work. Where I work, employees are given roughly three weeks off, in the entire year. Today was one of those days, although the dates didn’t vary much from employee to employee, they were only given to the top workers. In short, I had to work so hard, so much that my back almost gave out, and while I was among those top elite, my ranking still placed last among the others. Not only did I work extremely hard, I had to work extra to secure my place. I sighed. Not only did I work my ass off, I couldn’t even enjoy my well-deserved rest. My back leaned forward, as I sighed even harder. “How pitiful.” Naomi said, as she placed her plate on the table. Seeking to heal my broken heart, I turned my gaze to the girl placing the cutlery, she hummed softly. However, something had caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I saw that her brown hair had steadily grown over the past few years, and now it reached her knees. She also grew a bit herself, but it wasn’t that. Surprisingly, it was her outfit she was wearing. She was wearing a shirt that was quite large on her, I had realized she was wearing one of mine. The shirt was a beige color, and it had a picture of a puppy quietly biting into a bone in the middle, with its eyes also focused at the center. It was as if the puppy was desperate to find an owner. She was also wearing sweat pants. It was a black color, with white stripes on each side. Now, those were her clothing she usually wore in the morning, so it wasn't that which had piqued my interest. It was the blue apron she was wearing on top of her oversized shirt. It was a standard one, those that elderly women usually wear, so there was nothing special about it. I have never seen her wear one before, and I don’t recall her ever buying one too. “Is that new?” I asked, as I tilted my head slightly, pointing at the clothing. Naomi had already finished ordering the cutlery, and was about to enter the kitchen, but stopped and turned her gaze towards me. She had a puzzled look on her face, but after noticing my finger pointing to her apron, her mouth slowly turned into a grin. “Are you talking about this?” she replied, as she adjusted her apron. “My mother gave this as a gift.” she added. As she adjusted her apron, it caused the bottom part of her shirt beneath to form waves. I saw a glimpse of her naked back. Naked?! I screamed inside. The sweat pants she wore was loose. Normally, you would see the top part of a particular clothing, but I didn’t see any. Does that mean she wasn’t wearing them, you know… underwear. She was wearing them, right? I was having an internal breakdown. The mere thought of her not wearing them was slowly getting at me, I felt my temperature rising, as my face turned red. After noticing where I looked at, Naomi’s grin grew wider, she had turned around, directly facing me. “You looked, didn’t you?” she said, as she slowly closed the distance between us. When she stood before me, she got close to my ear. “I’m not wearing any..” she whispered. Her grin grew wider. She had this mischievous look on her face, so it was obvious that she was messing with me. Somehow, I was still able to think rationally, it was a wonder that the blood hadn’t reached my brain yet. However, I don’t know if she can read my mind or not, but not a second later she blew right into my ear. I felt an electric surge throughout my body, as my face turned redder, my mouth was left wide open. “Oh my,” she placed her hand on my forehead. “You’re not sick, are you?” she had forced a surprised look on her face. She wasn’t even attempting to hide that she wasn’t serious. You little rat , I grunted. She knew exactly what she was doing. She would always pull pranks like this, making me extremely uncomfortable. That was who she was, unfortunately. She had always been like this, ever since we were little. I tried her to stop once, but to no avail. Over the years, the teasing became more frequent, and more thirstier. I’m amazed how far she was willing to cross the line, just to make me embarrassed. I must say, it does irritate me, but it wasn’t like I hate it either. “Why are you always like this?” I pouted, and looked to my right. Naomi laughed at me. Did she really find it that amusing to embarrass me? Give me break, will you? She stopped a minute later, and went to the table next to her. “Let’s eat,” she said, as she took her seat. I went to the chair across from her, and promptly took my seat. “The food’s a little cold, though.” she said, her eyes downward. It seemed that our little play took longer than I thought. The food had cooled off a little, but it wasn’t like the taste would change that much. Besides, I didn’t really care enough to make a huge fuss about it anyway. I had grabbed the fork to my left, and took a handful from the salad, my first victim. “It’ll probably taste the same, since this is you we’re talking about.” I commented, as I held my fork in the air. I brought the fork to my mouth as the contents spread inward. My tongue was engulfed by a mixture of different flavors. I tasted mostly lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, but also bits of onion, broccoli and white cabbage. After chewing the contents into small pieces in my mouth, I slurped everything down and sent it to my stomach. The olive oil softened the vegetables, making it easier to swallow. I scooped up one handful after another. When I took another scoop after a while, all that remained was an empty bowl. Surprised at how quickly I had eaten it, I had put down the fork and moved on to the next dish. I grabbed the plate with the toast, and pulled it closer to me. I grabbed a knife, and cut the toast in half. I grabbed a slice, and took a bite out of it. The smell of the toasted toast, combined with the sticky taste of the cheese, made it all the more delicious. After swallowing the piece, I took another bite of the slice. It was so delicious, I had eaten the entire toast in less than a minute. After placing the plate next to the empty dish, I realized there was one dish left. Now that my stomach was almost filled, I was especially excited about this one. Who doesn't love a dessert right after a meal. I took one of the cupcakes that were in the middle of the table, and removed the paper cup from the bottom. First I licked some of the whipped cream before taking a bite of it. As the taste of the puffy chocolate cake and the sweetness of the whipped cream satisfied my taste buds, I chewed them into smaller pieces, and then I graciously swallowed it. Not a second after, I took another bite from the chocolate sweet. Two bites were all that it took to eat it. With my stomach now filled, I let out a burp. Naomi had looked up from her plate, practically staring blades at me. Her face hinted disgust. However, something was up here. Normally she would bark at me for stuff like this, but she didn’t. She hadn’t said a single thing, her eyes glared at me, goose bumps began spreading on my body. I panicked about what to do. Should I apologize? I thought about it, and while it does seem like the right thing to do, my pride wouldn’t allow it. I know full well how she will use this against me, I can already hear her say stuff like “You’re such a wimp”, and “Are you a scaredy cat?”. The air around us tensed up. I was cornered with nothing left to do, so I chose the safest course of action. And that was to just ignore her. I know that it wasn’t a manly thing to do, but what are other choice did I have. I couldn’t pretend it didn’t happen, and I couldn’t really apologize either, since that would be like playing in her hand. “Sometimes retreat is the best option, even if it means looking like a coward.” A quote that I strongly live by. Anyways. As if annoyed by my ignorance, Naomi pouted. Her bulging cheeks turned red, her gaze now looked even sharper. The air grew tenser, as Naomi’s cheeks turned redder. A cold sweat dripped from my spine. Oh man… She’s really angry. Okay, I take back what I said earlier, I should’ve said something. I’m such an idiot. I cursed myself for being a coward. Why would I always make such dumb decisions, I really hate that about me. Soon that feeling of hate vanished, and a feeling much worse appeared in its place. I was feeling nothing but regret. My eyes moved downwards, as all emotions disappeared from my face. Naomi must’ve noticed the sudden change in my expression, because she stopped pouting, and put her fork down. She sighed, her head leaning forward. She quickly straightened her back, and continued eating her meal. The air wasn’t so tense anymore. Had she giving up, which would be strange coming from her. Normally she wouldn’t back down in these situations. Whatever it was though, I was glad that I didn’t need to review my life choices. Seriously, I don’t think I could endure it if it lasted a second more or so. Now that I could finally be at ease again, one other problem showed itself. The silence was awkward. So I decided to break the ice, but…. “How’s the food?” Naomi got ahead of me. She looked at me, whilst chewing the contents in her mouth. She was still eating her salad. “Not bad,” I said, as I grabbed my phone, and opened my agenda. Naomi seemed dissatisfied with such a bland answer, because I felt her glaring blades at me again. Well, I should give props for the effort though. Despite the food having cooled off, I still enjoyed it. Normally that wouldn’t have been possible, but this is Naomi who we’re talking about. She would never mess up. “No scratch that, it was delicious.” I looked away from my phone and turned my gaze towards Naomi, whilst restating my former response. “Really?” Apparently my response caught her off guard, since she started blushing. She also avoided my gaze, she turned her head to her right. “You really mean it?” She was still unsure, like I was just playing with her. I understood her worries though. If it was the other way around, then I too would be skeptical. But I wasn’t joking. I had to make sure she understood that. “I’m dead serious.” I said, with as much emotion as I could, I cracked a smile. Naomi’s cheeks turned redder, and muttered quietly: “Idiot.” The atmosphere lightened, and the air loosened. I had managed to dodge a bullet there. I was fine, for now at least. Naomi continued eating her meal, while I was reading through my emails. I scrolled through my inbox, and after I opened the first mail and saw who sent it, my face twitched. It was from my boss. As I read through the entire mail, my mood soured. In short, a colleague had the flu and couldn’t come to work for an entire week, so he had make me do his work instead. That bastard. He thinks he can just do as he pleases. My “boss” is a young self-centered arrogant man, who was spoiled to the bone when he was younger. I heard it was because of his mother, who was significantly younger than his father. I heard from older coworkers that it was much better when his father ran the place. Everyone didn’t have to worry about getting fired, and there wasn’t much competition between employees. But after he died of a heart disease, his son inherited the factory. And from what I heard, it became a massacre on the first day. My boss had unreasonable demands that workers had to meet, and if they didn’t they would be fired. Many had to pack and leave, since they couldn’t meet the demands. I remember the first day I worked there. I came in with a lot of expectations, doing my best as your average worker, but my dreams quickly fell apart when I became the boss personal dog instead. Somehow he had taken a liken to me, not that I was happy about it though. In fact I hated it, I had to work twice as hard so that he wouldn’t fire me. Others laughed at me, while some despised me. I felt embarrassed at first, but that soon turned into anger. The only reason I still work there is because of the woman before me. It would hurt me if I couldn’t provide for her, so I just deal with it. But someday… One day, I will smash that head of his, and make him pay for this. I made a mental note of that. “What’s the matter, darling?” Naomi had already finished eating her meals, and she was now holding her phone. She looked worried, her head tilted slightly. “Nothing, just work.” I didn’t want her to worry, so I decided not to hide it from her. “What about it?” “My little vacation’s over apparently, they expect me there tomorrow.” I could see the emotions draining from her face, she also gritted her teeth. Was she that pissed? I didn’t really know she was so against it. “Are you mad?” I asked her. She didn’t respond, her face still gloomy. After a second or so, she had focused her eyes on me. “Yeah, I am. Didn’t you say you have three weeks off?” Her face turned red, as anger took hold of her. Her voice raised also slightly. “An emergency, apparently. The boss specifically asked for my help.” I framed it as nicely as I could, because in reality, I was just doing his dirty work, not that I want her to know. “Do you really have to?” “Not that I have another choice.” “Why not call in sick tomorrow?” I thought about that, but it really wasn’t worth the trouble that I would have to deal with the next time I would come to work. That arrogant bastard would make sure I suffered as much as possible. Reduced pay, and most importantly my place among the elite would be revoked. I can’t have that, I already make enough so we could make ends meet, but it wasn’t much either, just the bare minimum to live of off. I couldn’t really risk making us homeless, because my father-in-law would surely come after me. “No, I can’t do that.” Naomi grunted, she must’ve realized that convincing me wouldn’t work. Nothing she says would change my mind, that much she knew. Admitting defeat wasn’t something for her, because she would always get her way. “Sure, have it your way then.” she said, she sounded quite annoyed. I didn’t really understood why she was so angry. I mean, can you cut me some slack please? Is that to much to ask? I’m not exactly in a good mood either, but I’m not barking at others for it. I know she was just looking out for me but she didn’t have to act like this. “What’s your problem?” I accidently let out my inner thoughts, I hadn’t meant to say anything. Naomi jolted from her chair upon hearing my comment. She was ready to fight me, her face burned red, exposing her inner anger. “Nothing, but I find it weird that your boss requested you for it. Couldn’t he ask another employee to for the job?!” I mean she had a point. Looking from her perspective, it didn’t make any sense. Why would he personally want me, if he had an entire personnel working for him? That was the question I could read from her. “It’s.. complicated.” It hurt me seeing her so angry for my sake. The urge to tell her my situation grew, but I stopped myself. I averted my eyes away from her. I could never let her find out. “Suite yourself!” She stormed out the dining room, and entered the kitchen. She left me behind, I was all alone. I leaned back against my chair, and looked at the white ceiling. “I’m such an idiot.” My mind concluded. After I straightened my back, and brought my thoughts together. It was clear that there was one thing I could do. “Tell her, I guess?” Yeah, if I were to chose between that piece of crap or my wife, the choice would undoubtedly be clear. So what if that jerk fires me, I will find another place to work at. Having decided about what to do next, I got up, and I headed towards the kitchen. As I entered the kitchen, I saw my wife cleaning the dishes. The room was quiet. Nervous as I was, I walked towards her, one step at the time. When all of a sudden, she said: “What do you want?”. Her tone still sounded angry. “I came to talk.” “About what, I wonder?” her tone still hinted her inner rage. She puffed, as she turned her head to the side. “You know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” I said apologetically, I patted the back of my head. “And?” she said, her face still to the side. Really? I thought. I sighed, and removed my hand from my head. I got close to her, and embraced her back. “I’ll tell them I won’t come tomorrow.” Naomi stopped moving her hands, and turned around, directly facing me. Her hazel eyes glittered, as the anger left her body. I thought that she wasn’t mad anymore, but to my surprise she frowned, looking really intimidating at me. There’s more?! I yelled inside. “Aren’t you forgetting something? Something really important?” she asked, whilst pouting. The face she made was cute though, so I got distracted for a bit. “Something important?” Despite her saying it, I had no idea what she was referring to. A date we had planned? Going to her parents? That was all I could think of, but it didn’t seem like they could be possible answers. If it were the first, then she wouldn’t stop nagging me about it, so I know that wasn’t it. And as for the latter, her parents would’ve called by now to remind us about it, so it couldn’t have been that either. What could it be? “Here,” Naomi said, as she held her phone close to my face. She had her calendar open, and pointed at today. “What’s the date?” “It’s the fourteenth of July.” I didn’t really know what she was getting at. It was just a normal day in the summer. So I didn’t really get why she was so angry at me for. I was desperate to find the answer, so I looked around for clues. After finding nothing for about five minutes or so, I almost gave up. That was until I looked at the woman before me. I felt stupid for not noticing earlier, I was really hopeless. On her left hand was something important, something that symbolized my love for my wife. I am talking about the metal ring I had bought her three years ago. “It’s our anniversary!” Naomi’s face brightened as she suddenly embraced me. “Finally, you remembered! Took you long enough, stupid idiot!” “I’m sorry, honey.” I really felt stupid for forgetting something so important. Hadn’t I promised her that I would never forget. But fate got the better of me. As much as humans make promises, they can’t always fulfill them. We can complain all we want, but their still humans. People tent to forget stuff after some time passes, so they can’t take all the blame. “I really am.” I still felt bad about it, because it that day was so important to me. She had saved me, and this is how I repay her? No way am I going to let that slide. I was going to make up for this mistake, even if I have to give my life for it. My face lit as well, as my resolve had been given new life. “You’re forgiven. But it’s going to be the last time, you better remember that!” Naomi stopped embracing, and stood before me pointing her finger at me. The smirk on her face grew larger as her beauty shone through. I’m one lucky man. Having Naomi as my wife truly is a privilege that ordinary guys like me couldn’t even dream of. Tears began forming in my eyes, as the watery fluids started flooding down my face. As reason had vanished from me, I embraced Naomi, with all my strength. “C..an..t bre...ath...” Her plead had cleared my mind, I stopped hugging her, and took a step backwards; “So we’re cool then?” I asked, my head tilted to side, whilst looking at the floor, and my hand against the back of my head. Naomi took a moment before she answered; Now, I’ll have to be really honest here, I didn’t expect her answer to be a firm: “No.”, but the way she said it was too aggressive. “Huh, but why?” It had caught me by surprise. I couldn’t really think of any other reason for her to be mad at me. “Because of your behavior at the table.” Naomi had her arms crossed, with her head turned away from me. She pouted, as her cheeks turned red. “But didn’t you forgive me just now?” Now I was really confused, didn’t she literally say a moment ago that she forgave me, so why was she pissed about the dining thing? I couldn’t help but ask. “That was for our anniversary!” That much I understand, but that doesn’t explain why she’s still mad about our conversation earlier. “You still have a debt to pay.” I kind of figured that something felt fishy about this. Why wouldn’t she explain her reasoning? it didn’t make any sense. If you had just met her, you wouldn’t think much of this situation, but I knew her well enough to know that she scheming something in the back of her mind. She truly was an evil character, taking every opportunity possible to achieve her goals. “And how do I repay that exactly?” Knowing that any more resistance would be futile, I decided to play along. “ Hmmm…. ” She took a while, her left finger placed at her lips, whilst staring at the ceiling. “Let’s go shopping!” she had moved her gaze from the ceiling towards me, as she held her finger up. “Huh…” my mouth was left wide open. You little rat , I knew it. I knew she was planning something, although it was kind of my fault to begin with. I wonder if I could win once against her. But that’ll probably never happen though. She’s just that better then me. I am pissed however, because now I’ll have to tag along with her shopping spree. Man, maybe I should’ve chosen that prick instead? But really, shopping? Couldn’t you choose something else?? As I grunted about the ordeal, Naomi’s smile grew wider. She got close to me, and whispered into my ear: “Exactly, Shopping. ”. She winked her eye at me, her tongue sticking out. You little… As I was played by the wicked monster in front of me, I couldn’t help but smile. Since it was her being herself, I couldn’t really get mad at her. I knew what I signed up for back when I proposed to her. But still, she really knows how to play with other’s feelings. Why am I always on the receiving end? As I complained about my situation, I prayed to whatever deity I could think of. But unfortunately my prayers were left unanswered. I had rolled the dice, and got the worst possible outcome. My life truly sucks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Wow, look at these! They’re so cute!!” Naomi said, as she inspected the valuables from a store window. “They’re alright, I guess?” After taking a look, I saw three horse sculptures. Behind them were a few dolls, two of them were dressed in beautiful dresses, that resembled your noble woman from the nineteenth century. While the other ones were dressed in military outfits. “What do you mean they’re alright? You don’t like them?” It wasn’t that I hated them, I just didn’t understand the setup. Why place dolls from different eras next to each other? It didn’t make sense to me. “No, it’s just that they seem out of place, no?” I tried conveying my feelings to the best I could. It was now on her. “You’re right, the time period don’t match,” Luckily, she saw what I was getting at. “But I still think they’re all cute.” Well, it wasn’t like she cared all to much about it. So I decided to leave it at that. “Where are we going next?” I asked Naomi. After a small pause, she proudly exclaimed: “To…”. The hours went by as we visited many different stores. It was about noon now, when we decided to get something to eat. We were currently located at a restaurant that opened recently. Being a brand new business in a city were new trends keep popping up every second. It was only natural that this place was quite popular amongst the younger generation. We were standing at the entrance hall, and looked around for a table to sit. However, we didn’t find any. Naomi had asked a waiter if they could arrange something, but unfortunately, without success. Well, we were screwed. Without a table to eat, the only thing we could do was leave. But that wouldn’t do. I’m hungry, like seriously I had been carrying bags the entire morning. Naturally it would drain my body. Naomi had the same problem, all that walking around really took a toll on her, especially with the heels she was wearing. Oh well, I had prepared for this exact moment, it wasn’t a luxurious restaurant like this one, but it sure as hell is a lot cheaper, so I’m counting my life on this. I had grabbed Naomi’s hand and escorted her towards the place. “Is this it?” When we arrived at the restaurant, Naomi looked dejected, she looked disappointed at me, her eyes had lost their lights; “Yeah..” She looked at the prices next to the entrance, her eyes were devoid of any color, as she understood why I picked this place in the first place. Fearing that I might die, I turned my gaze away from her. I know she wasn’t happy, but not like this, please. You’re going to make me cry! Naomi sighed, and said: “Let’s try it, I guess?”. The way she said it though wasn’t comforting at all. This meant that I was spared for now, but I would surely come to hear about this another time. I sent a prayer to my future self. After me and Naomi entered, we got ourselves a table, and waited for the waitress to come. When one came, she handed us the menu, and waited. Naomi choose the third option, which was tomato soup with meatballs. I chose the restaurant’s recommended dish, a perfectly baked beefsteak, with vegetables, and vol-au-vent. When the waiter got our orders, she promptly left. After fifteen minutes, she returned with our order. She placed our order, and promptly left. When I ate a piece from my steak, I felt relieved that I could finally eat a decent meal. Tears of joy flooded from my wet eyeballs. It seemed that Naomi felt the same way, as the tears too came dripping from her eyes. After discussing certain topics, we had finished eating our meals. About an hour passed, it was five o’clock now. When I told her we’d have to leave, she had asked me if she could order some snacks for on the way. Seeing no problem with this, I let her order her things. This couldn’t have come at a greater time, since I really needed to run an errand. I hurried myself towards the restroom. After I was done washing my hands, I had left the restroom. I searched for Naomi, as she was not at our table. I found her at the bar, still waiting for her meals to come. For a second there I was worried that something might’ve happened, but it was all for naught. I decided to wait for her at our table, whilst watching over her. I would’ve expected someone to make a move on her, but nobody did. While yeah, Naomi was prettier than your average woman, that didn’t mean she would let anyone get close to her. I didn’t really have any worries though, since she could beat anyone who would dare to make a move on her. And to my surprise, a moron had made an move on her. As I was kind of worried for what might happen to that guy. I got up from my table, and headed towards the bar. After Naomi had seen me, she immediately latched onto me. I confronted the idiot in question. He was about a hundred and seventy six centimeters, two centimeters shorter than me. He had brown hair, with his left eye covered. He had unique facial features, that made him stand out. If you told me he was a model or something, I would have believe it without question. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were taken.” he said, wearing a smile, his teeth shone brightly. I have to say though, the man was pretty. I’m pretty sure he has no problem with courting women at parties or not. Man, I’m envious. People like me could never dream of that, but not that I really need to, but still I’m speaking for every average Joe out there. “No, it’s okay. I’m sorry for the confusion.” I said, with a smile. I may have smiled, but I’m slightly pissed though, since his target was my wife, I had no choice but to intervene. But something felt off about him. Yeah, after I looked at his face more closely, I couldn’t help but feel that I know him from somewhere. I couldn’t point out from where, though. “Well then, I’ll take my leave.” The man had adjusted his jacket, and headed towards the exit. While he did, I saw him glancing at Naomi, who was still embracing me. His gaze slowly turned towards me, and he stopped walking. He got close to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. “You’re a lucky man.” Huh? What is he talking about? “Take good care of her,” My suspicions were correct, as he turned his gaze towards Naomi. The bastard looked back at me, as he cracked a smile. Just who is he? “ Pig-kun . ” he said, as he continued walking to the exit. Wait, hold on a second. What did he say? “ Pig-kun ”, but that’s impossible. I haven’t heard that name in a long time. That was the name given to me back when I was used as a test subject by those five bastards. But I haven’t heard from them in six years. So how could he know that name? Wait.. Now that I think about it, he looked really familiar. After digging deep within my memories, I slowly started to remember. The brown hair, covering his left eye. The beautiful face, that could make any girl fall for him. Goose bumps began spreading across my body. As many memories from the past kept emerging one after the other, my body froze in fear. It became harder to breath. It can’t be… “Akemi?” I had muttered his name as he had left the restaurant. Akemi, part of the gang that terrorized me back when I was a kid. The group I hadn’t heard from in a few years were now back. My legs began numbing, as my heart started beating faster. I fell to my knees, as my entire body became cold. My senses were slowly robbed from me, draining me from the inside out. At that moment, I felt that hard times were ahead of me.

After we successfully retrieved our stuff that we left behind, a hour had passed. The sky had adopted an orange hue, as the sun began to set. The street poles lit up, as stores reached their closing hours. I and Naomi were walking on a sidewalk, heading for our home as well. Today was a busy day, it left me completely drained. “I’m tired..” Naomi said, after stretching her arms. She quickly wrapped around my arm, and embraced me tightly. “Me too….” I muttered quietly, as my gaze was focused on the path below us. It slowly turned to Naomi, a smile had slowly formed on my face. I pulled her closer, and gave her a kiss on her forehead. We continued our walk home in complete silence. After we arrived home, I had let go of Naomi, as I grabbed the key in my left pocket and opened the door with it. I urged Naomi to enter first, she gladly took my offer. After Naomi had entered, I followed suite, and close the door behind me. “Finally, we’re back home.” I said, as I took of my jacket and tossed it to the coat rack next to me. “You’re right, it certainly feels nice,” Naomi said, while taking of her heels. ”Well, I’m going to prepare dinner.“ She had put on her slippers, and headed towards the kitchen. “Sure.” I said, as I put on mine. When I saw her figure disappear, the smile I had on faded, leaving a cold expression on my face. I walked towards the couch in the living next to the hall. I took a seat on it, and grabbed the tv-remote from the table in front of it. I turned on the tv, switching between channels, looking for something interesting to watch. Nothing had caught my interest though, so I turned it back off. I was planning to check my phone, but I really didn’t feel like moving around to much. As I was being sunk into my couch, my body relaxed and my mind freed of any stress. Slowly my sight began blurring, I blinked several times. Unable to resist this urge, I felt my consciousness drifting away, slowly drowning into the dark, endless void. While my body was recovering from the exhaustion it had build up, a small portion of my consciousness was still active. Despite its small size and lack of any reasonable source, it still operated normally. It made it possible to be in an ‘awake’-state, as I could still think clearly. Unfortunately, the only downside was that I could neither speak, nor feel. I had lost every physical attribute about me, since I was nothing more than a bright light ball right now. The one thing still present was my sight, but something felt wrong about it. I couldn’t look to my side anymore, but I was still able to see from there. If you’re as confused as I am, I’ll try to explain. The only thing I could compare it to is like having the vision of a spider. Like a spider, who has eyes around its head, that can see things independently with each eye, that was exactly what I’m experiencing right now. However, despite being able to see everything around me, my vision was mostly blurred. That could also be explained, for that we can go back to our spider comparison. Despite being able to utilise most of their eyes, their sight isn’t that sharp. Anything beyond twenty centimeters was for the most part a blurry mess. I too experienced this, and until a few moments ago, I was having a hard time. Since I left the physical realm, I thought I also lost all my emotions. But to my surprise, when my ‘eyes’ were still adjusting, I was somehow able to feel dizzy. I definitely learned something today. Anyway. My sight sharpened, and the blurriness vanished. I switched between my 'eyes', but I saw nothing except the dark walls of the void, it was pitch black. The feeling of loneliness had spread through my mind, the light of my ‘body’ dimmed slowly. As the darkness slowly swallowed me, it was then that I noticed something. After I switched to the sight that looked mostly below me, I saw circular cut-out in the depths, faint light escaped from it. I hadn’t given any thought of it, but what really got my interest was that same light source was somehow getting closer. I thought that I stood still the entire time, so it really caught me off guard. Anyway. When I got relatively close, I was suddenly blinded by a white flash, the sharp sensation pained me, but not for long, as it went away a second later. When my sight returned, I was getting confused. What is this place? I asked myself. This place was vacant, just like the void I was in a few moments ago. The only difference was that instead of being completely dark, the wall of this place were bright white. Then right in front of me, a video began playing on one of the walls. Huh... Isn’t that me? I saw myself look into the mirror, I was tidying my hair. Wait a minute, didn’t that happen today? My inspection was confirmed when I saw myself leave the bathroom after getting dressed, and heading downstairs. So the video playing right now could only be one thing. My memory, my mind concluded. I watched in silence as the memory continued playing. It was now at the part when I arrived at the dining room, but something felt weird about this. As I saw Naomi’s mouth moving, there was no sound to be heard. It was completely silent. What the heck? Is my hearing also gone? Well that sucks. It made things even more weirder. Like I get that I couldn’t feel nor speak, since I didn’t have a physical body, but that doesn’t explain why my sight was still fine. Likewise for the dizziness I felt not long ago, it normally shouldn’t have been possible, but I was still able to feel it despite that. I mean, doesn’t it sound confusing to you? This entire place didn’t make sense, it certainly doesn’t seem to work on logic. Maybe I’m just dreaming, and for a moment I really believed that, but I feel to awake that it just doesn’t seem to be the case. As I couldn’t get an answer of what is place truly is, the memory before me had increased its speed, as it started playing faster. Huh? It skipped through my argument with Naomi, and our discussion at the kitchen. Hell, it even skipped through our shopping session. It was now playing the events that happened at the restaurant. I couldn’t keep up anymore, like what the hell. Why did it start skipping through the entire morning, and stop at this particular moment? I watched closely, still questioning the point of it all. Now it was at the moment I saw Akemi talk to Naomi. Of course, at the time I didn’t know it was him, so I confronted him like a complete moron. Even now in my spatial body, I could still feel the shame spread through my core. I looked back at the memory playing, it was now at the moment I realized it was him. As I watched, I could still feel that hand of his touch my shoulder. Those feelings all came to me, as fear began spreading. Then came those words he said. The memory focused on his lips, ‘ Pig-kun. ’ I read. It was then that the memory started glitching, its image distorting. The white walls around me too started dimming and brightening. After a moment, everything went dark. Slowly fear began consuming me, as then right in front of me the scene from before appeared again. I saw those same lips speak the same words over and over again. I switched my view several times, but I still saw the same scene playing. Unable to look away, I begged that it would end quickly. The memory began glitching again, everything around me became dark. It was then that a screeching noise began invading my mind. I can hear again? Unable to do anything about it, that noise tortured me for felt like several minutes. After those hellish minutes passed, the sound disappeared. I thought I was saved from this nightmare. But then I saw several figures form from every corner. As their appearances became clear, I fell into depths of despair. They all wore wicked smiles, their eyes completely dark. The fear I had managed to compress for six years now were now coming back to me. They appearance were of young boys that I knew all to well. They were the ones that abused me since I was little. They all came closer, as I stood still, completely frozen. Their smiles grew wider, like they enjoyed making me suffer. Every memory I had with each of them began replaying as I looked at every single one of them. It was as if I relived it all again. As if to make the situation any worse, they all began laughing hysterically. They slowly disformed, exposing their true nature. They weren’t human after all. They were demons, straight from hell. They continued laughing as my mind was slowly giving out. I wanted it to end, but I was unable to wake up. Then one of them began speaking. “We’re coming for you!” it said, while pointing at me. “It’s gonna be fun, like old times.” another said, while laughing. Others began laughing as well, as if agreeing with him. Fear continued to eat me, as I felt my core shaking. My sight began blurring, as the second passed. Slowly every figure disappeared, leaving only the one right in front of me. “Sleep well,” it said, an eerie smile plastered on its face. “ Piggy. ” and that was the last thing I heard from it as it also disappeared. I fell right back into the void as the place around me began crumbling. I was ascending at an incredible speed, even I had trouble processing what was going on. I began hearing a voice call to me. “Akira..” It was that sweet feminine voice that brought comfort for my heart. As I continued ascending, the voice got louder. “Akira..” I heard again. “Wake up.” it was then that I slowly regained consciousness. After I came to, I opened my eyes slowly. I blinked several times, my vision sharpened. Suddenly I felt something rubbing my cheek. I looked to my left, to the one touching me. It was Naomi, my wife. She wore a wide smile on her face, as she hunched forward. After what I experienced not long ago, seeing her softened the pain inside me, it made it all the more bearable. “Hey..” she said, her smile still shone brightly. “Why did you decide to wake up now? I’ve been calling you for fifteen minutes now.” she said, her tone hinted her inner rage. She bit her lip, as a vein had appeared on her face. The two finger that were gently stroking my cheek, were now pinching me with their full strength. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” I felt the painful sensation grow. I began to yell out in pain. She pinched harder, her eyebrows twitched in anger. I couldn’t do anything about it. I was trapped with nowhere left to go. I can only bear the pain, and hope that she would end this quickly. She stopped not long after, but not before pouting, her bulging cheeks turned red. I rubbed over the place she just pinched me. “You’re really mean. Did you know that?” I grunted, whilst looking at her. Instead of responding she simply sighed, her shoulders slumped. She straightened her back, and stared straight at me. “Dinner’s ready.” she said, as she went to the dining room. I followed her quietly, and once there I took a seat at the table. There were two dishes in front of me. One was a stir-fry dish with chicken breast on top, it also had peas and mushrooms spread over it. The other dish was freshly cooked rice, perfectly heated to room temperature, in a bowl. It came with two chopsticks. I looked at the person before me, she was silently praying before digging in. It seemed she was hungry too. I said my prayer, and began eating as well. After we were done eating our dinner, we didn’t talk to each other for the entire evening. It was now around ten o’clock. I was tucked in my bed, whilst scrolling through my phone. I kept scrolling until I got bored, and turned my phone off. My gaze turned to the ceiling, my mind was slowly wandering off. Not long after I heard several knocks on the door. I sat up straight, and looked at the door, which was now half open. Someone had entered, and they closed the door behind them. The lights weren’t on, so I couldn’t see who just entered, but I could already guess who it was. “Are you awake?” Naomi asked, she had her legs crossed, her hands behind her back. “Yeah, what’s wrong?” I responded. “Nothing… It’s just… You know..” even though it was completely dark, her red cheeks were still visible to me. She had turned her head to her side. “What? Come on, just tell me.” I was getting confused. What was so embarrassing that she’s being so evasive about it? Naomi took a deep breath, her gaze turned towards me. “W-we’ve been married for three years now. Don’t you think it’s time… for.. for that .” she said, her tone hinted her shyness. “What are you talking about?” "You know... That thing my parents are always talking about..." she said, as she began slowly walking towards our bed. As she got closer, the moonlight from outside the window began brightening the room. When her elegant figure became clear, my mouth was left open. Her nightgown was translucent, exposing her womanly features, and her child-like face, that only could be described as “cute”. My eyes wondered about as I didn’t know where to look at, that was how adorable she looked. It made my heart skip a beat. The only thing I could compare it to was an angel that came down from the heavens above. She looked clearly embarrassed, as her cheeks turned even redder. When she reached the corner of our bed, she got on it, and began to crawl towards me, like a cat. As she got closer, I was slowly going backwards, until I couldn’t any further. When she had reached the middle of our bed, she sat on her knees, her back hunched forward and her gaze looking straight at me. As I was being engulfed by her erotic stare, I felt my body temperature rising, my cheeks reddened. “By that you don’t mean..” I said, and then gulped, as blood began rushing towards my brain. She responded with a hmm , and nodded with her head. I finally understood what she was talking about. Her parents, in particular her mother, had been bugging us about it for quite some time now. Every time we would visit them, they would always ask the same question, ‘Did you guys do it yet?’. It was a fine way to make everyone around us extremely uncomfortable, I’ll tell you that. I’ll have to be really honest here, I had set that aside for awhile, out of respect for Naomi, as I didn’t want to rush things between us. My work also played a huge role, as I busy making sure we had a roof to sleep under. I just didn’t have the time to think about that stuff. “You don’t have to force yourself, you know..” I said as I saw her hands squeeze hard into the blanket. A smile formed on my face, as I embraced the young woman before me, I began stroking her hair. I felt her body shaking. Is she actually scared? a thought crossed my mind. “I-I’m not..” she tried to deny it, but I could hear it in her tone that she was forcing it. “Stop lying.” I had enough of it though, so I said it, my tone vacant of any emotion. “What’s the problem? You don’t want to?” she asked, placing herself directly in my line of sight. “You dummy, of course I want to. I’m here doing my best to restrain myself.” I really meant what I said. It required every ounce of my being to keep myself under control. “Really?” she asked, her head tilted at an angle. “Do you really think I’m kidding?” A smile formed on her face, as she embraced me again, placing her head against my shoulder. Her body stopped shaking. “Do you want to?” I asked her. I felt her grip tightening. She looked up towards me, and nodded. Well, it’s not like I’m going stop her now, she gave her approval after all. Now if we are doing this, it’s best that we start of small, and slowly work our way through. And so I began, I moved my face closer to hers, making sure our lips made contact. After making sure she was still onboard, I slowly removed her nightgown, her naked body exposed. I gently pushed her down, supporting her head with my hand. After placing her head on a pillow, I started kissing her again. Lust began slowly taking hold of me. As I began playing with her tongue, I made sure I wasn’t pushing my luck, since If I went to far, I might end up dying tonight. So I began carefully stroking her stomach. I moved from her center to her side, then to her hip, and then her leg. I had taken of the last piece of fabric that remained on her, and now she was fully exposed. Her cheeks turned red again, as she looked to her side. I figured that her being the only stripped was to much to handle, and so I began stripping down. After I was completely bared, I continued to kiss Naomi, gently touching her entire body. After she had calmed down entirely, that was when I stopped kissing her, and stood straight. I began spreading her legs, making enough room for me. I slowly came closer to her. “Ready?” I said, as blood began rushing through my lower body. Naomi nodded, as she began to embrace herself for the moment of impact. I had thrusted my entire body into her cavern, as I entered her sacred place. I felt something wet escape to the outside. Naomi had a smile on her face, it shone brightly. “I love you.” she said, as she came close to kiss me. With all my energy now focused on my lower body, I began moving my hips again. We kept craving for each others bodies, after all. As we both mourned the loss of our virginity, the excess feeling of pleasure that invaded our minds kept us going until early in the morning. It was about three o’clock when exhaustion finally caught up to us. Naomi had her arm tight around my stomach as I pulled her closer, we were both gasping for air. Naomi had placed her head on my chest, as she slowly went to sleep. But me, I was still fully awake. Even though I wanted to hit the bucket and go to sleep, somehow I couldn’t bring my mind to do that. As I looked at the brown ceiling above me, it was then that my mind thought back what happened earlier this afternoon. I don’t remember much of it, but the goosebumps that appeared while thinking about it must mean that it was something terrifying. As I continued to stare into the dark walls of my room, it was then that something began forming in front of my bed. My eyes focused on it, as I sat up straight. I slowly went backwards, until I couldn’t any further, my back was against the wall. When the figure had finally brought itself into existence, moonlight began brightening the dark area it was in. My eyes went wide open, as I stared at its dark, lifeless eyes. Its horns, that were as long as excess branches, escaped from its head. Its face tilted slightly. Several parts of flesh were missing, exposing his whitened bones. The skin on its left side had rotten away, it caused my stomach to turn. As I feared for my life, it was then that the being began moving closer. When he reached the end of my bed, he began lifting his finger at me. His finger missed some flesh as well, exposing some of its bone. I began sweating, my heart beat was rapidly rising. I began gasping for air, my sight began darkening. “Y-yo..u’re,” it had trouble speaking, as it spoke in several sequence. Its tone was lifeless, like an undead trying to speak. “Next..” As he finished his sentence, it continued to stare at my very soul. I had lost track of time, as the minutes slowly turned into eternity. Goosebumps began spreading across my body, as fear continued eating away at me. It then evaporated out of existence, scarring me for life. The air loosened, and I could finally breath again. My body relaxed, but my mind was still on edge. It was then that I remembered what happened during my little nap earlier that evening. Even after those peaceful six years that they had left me alone, they still managed to haunt me in my mind. Angry at my own powerlessness, I began grabbing my hair, and tightening my grip. My skull began hurting, as I tore several hairs from it. I don’t know myself why I did it, but it somehow felt peaceful. As I was too afraid to even sleep, I stayed up the rest of the night questioning whether all of the pain I felt, both physically and mentally, was even worth it to continue living for.

It didn’t take long for the night to come to its end, making way for the day to continue its duty. The street poles that lit up the city began turning off one by one. The rising sun began illuminating the city with beams of light, that had an dark orange tint. Several clouds, though small, were also floating around. The crows of passing birds could be heard, signaling the morning coming. The streets that had been relatively empty, was now assaulted by the influx of passing cars. Many got up to begin their day, and so was it the case with Naomi, who woke up after her eyes were attacked by rays of light. After she sat up, she had rubbed her eye, and as her vision had cleared up, she yawned. She began stretching her arms, and looked to her side. She tilted her head slightly, and looked around her room. He’s not here? she thought. The person she was talking about was her husband, Akira. Naomi began pouting at his absence, her bulging cheeks turned slowly red. That jerk. she cursed at her beloved one. After they had made love together the night before, they continued until the early morning. Naomi had hoped to see his face as he gently embraced her when she woke up, so it was quite disappointing for her when he wasn’t even in the room. She sighed, her back leaning forward. She looked to her right, and grabbed her phone, which was on the nightstand, and checked the time. She then got up, and headed towards the bathroom. After taking a shower, she dried herself and was now brushing her teeth. When she was done, she had combed her hair. After she finished, she got out of the bathroom and had closed the door behind her. As she went downstairs, she had noticed something. It was awfully quiet, not a single sound could be heard. When she arrived at the first floor, she had gone through several rooms, only to find them completely empty. She was now in the kitchen, and it was there that something had caught her eye. Everything looked like it had been cleaned not so long ago, not a single dust could be seen. The dishes were all washed, and sorted onto the plate rack. Cups were tilted upside down, and the floor had been cleaned as well. “Weird..“ she said, both her eyebrows dropped, just above her eyelids. Well, her reaction was reasonable though, because she didn’t remember cleaning it herself. She left the kitchen not long after, and was now in the living room. There on the table, she had found a note taped on it. She took it, and brought it closer. As she read through the note, her heart ached. It’s contents were as follows: ‘Left for something important. I’ll be back soon, Akira.’. Even though she knew that it wouldn’t be long before he would return, she still felt like a massive hole had been drilled into her heart. She couldn’t help but feel saddened. Maybe I went to far last night? Is that why he’s avoiding me? Regretful thoughts were slowly invading her mind, as a feeling of emptiness began consuming her, the light on her face dimmed slowly. No! Naomi had slapped both her cheeks with her hands, those poisonous thoughts quickly evaporated from her mind. “He would never.” she crumbled the note in her hand, and threw the remains on the table. She took a deep breath, controlling her emotions, and breathed out. He’ll come back, I know it , she thought. A smile had worked its way onto her face. “Now, what should I do?” she said, whilst looking at the ceiling, her index finger touching her red lip. Not long after, she had finally decided what to do. “I hope he’ll like it.” she said enthusiastically, her smile widened, and shone brightly; After some time passed, someone had entered through the front door. Naomi had just finished her things, and hastened herself to the hall. There, when she saw that someone put on his slippers, a smile that emitted a similar light of that of a child had appeared on her face, her cheeks both turned a soft-red color. “I’m back.” Akira said, a soft smile appeared on his face. “Welcome back, darling!” she said, as she jumped in his arms, embracing him tightly. “Did you miss me that much?” Akira said slightly embarrassed, he scratched the back of head. Naomi had caressed Akira's chest with her head, like a cat does to its master, infirming that he was indeed in the right. Akira let out a small laugh, and embraced Naomi, he brought his head closer, and gave a peck on her lips. Naomi wasn’t satisfied however, as she forced him closer, her hands grabbing his head, there she begun to kiss him. Not having expected she would be this forceful, he had quite the shock. His blood pressure rose, and his body heated. Why won’t she let me get her for once? Akira thought. Yes, that was his plan after all. The reason he was so romantic was so he could finally make her feel what it's like to be on the short end of the stick. But unfortunately, she had already seen through it all. She stopped kissing Akira, and her mouth slowly curved into a grin. “You’ve seen through me didn’t you?” Akira asked, defeat painted his face. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? That’s the oldest trick in the book you know.” Naomi said rather confidently, as if mocking him for even trying in the first place. But she wasn’t done yet, being the merciless brat that she is, she continued on her rant. “You should really learn a thing or two, or otherwise you would never get the upper hand, you know.” she moved her face closer and ended her sentence with one final word: “ Idiot. ” You little… Akira grunted. “You really know how to hurt me, don’t you?” he said. He forced a smile, as a vein had appeared on his face. “I’m proud of it.” she puffed, as she pounded her chest with her fist. Seeing how she just continues to mock him, had caused water to boil inside Akira, he was slowly turning red of his anger. It was getting more and more difficult controlling it. She’s just testing you, don’t let her win this one. He reminded himself. The anger had lost its grip on him, as he regained his calm, his color returning to normal. “Shut up.” Akira had turned his head, and pouted. Naomi was taken aback slightly, she didn’t expected him to handle it quite well. Seeing him try to act like a proper adult like how he used to back when they were little was sort of amusing to see for her. She couldn’t help but giggle at it. “What’s so funny?” he said, his tone was higher than usual. However instead of getting a response to his question, he was only met with more of her laughter. “Alright, alright, it’s so funny to get at me. We get it already.” Akira sneered at Naomi. She stopped laughing, and was now wiping the tears that started leaking from her eyes. “So, what were you doing?” Naomi’s expression turned serious, as she asked what had been on her mind. Akira began fidgeting, he touched the outside of his right pocket. Naomi began smiling again. “Well about that..” as Akira was about to explain what he’d been doing, Naomi had cut him off. “Never mind. You’re probably hungry, aren’t you?” she grabbed his arm, and started walking towards the dining room. “Wow easy. I can walk myself you know.” Akira protested. He tried to escape her hold, unfortunately he wasn’t able to. “It’s fine.” Naomi said, whilst ignoring Akira’s complaints. She continued to lead him to the next room. As they both arrived there, Naomi had urged Akira to sit near the table. He was confused, but still obliged with her demand, and promptly took his seat. “Now close your eyes. Don’t open them until I say so, okay?” Naomi asked him, her hand softly stroking Akira’s shoulder. Perhaps because of the adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream, he did what he’s been told, like a dog obeying his master. Satisfied, Naomi had let go of her hand and now left somewhere. It became awfully quiet, though sometimes sounds of metal hitting a flat surface could be heard. Akira was getting scared by the second that passed, few drops of sweat began dripping from his head. “Okay, you can open them.” Naomi said suddenly. Akira slowly opened his eyes, and when they were fully opened, his mouth was left wide open. “Surprise!” she jelled out loud. “What is that?” he said, confused. The box that was in Naomi’s hands was wide, and seemed quite heavy, as she was struggling to keep it straight. She had put it on the table, right before Akira. “It’s my gift to you, not that it is really valuable, though. I’m sorry if it isn’t what you wanted.” she watched closely, as Akira was opening the box. When he ripped of the covers from the top, and looked inside, his face turned pale; When he got the content out, he threw the cardboard box behind him, his eyes began to sparkle of joy. For those that wonder what exactly it was, it was a new gaming console that had been out for a while now. Ever since it’s release Akira had tried to purchase one, but due to the high demand and shortages of the actual product, he wasn’t able to get his hands on one. While yes, he could’ve gotten them secondhanded online, but the prices you would have to pay were borderline ridiculous. You would’ve paid at least triple or quadruple than the retail price. That was why he decided save up to buy one brand new. “Nothing valuable? Are you kidding me? That’s what I had been saving for a few months now. How did you..?” Akira seemed so happy with his gift that he couldn’t even finish his sentence; It caused Naomi to giggle a bit. “I was scrolling through you phone one time, and I saw a picture of that, saved as ‘Life quest: Must get this ASAP’.” Akira had turned his head towards Naomi. He flinched at hearing that embarrassing name out loud, his cheeks turned red, and let out a screeching noise. Naomi had cleared her throat, and pointed towards the table. Akira turned his gaze to where she was pointing, his eyes began to glitter again. “What’s this!” he counted five plates in total, all formed a circle with one of them quietly placed in its center, and on them were delicious meals prepared on top of them. Akira looked back at Naomi in disbelieve. She just stood there with a smile on her face. “What are you watching me for? Dig in.” she had waved her hands, urging him, but he didn’t seem to listen. “And what about you?” “It’s all yours, I don’t need it, really!” she crossed her hands, and began shaking her head, turning him down. Then out of nowhere, a sudden rumbling had echoed throughout the room, Naomi’s face turned red instantly. A grin had formed on Akira’s face. “I’ll have some then.” Naomi had quietly took her seat next to Akira, and grabbed the nearest dish she could find, she started nibbling on it. Akira patted her head, and then started eating as well. Quite some time passed, when the married couple finished eating most of the plates, however there was still one left untouched. It was the one in the center, which had a chocolate cake on it. Akira and Naomi were looking at it, both were drooling a bit. Naomi had grabbed a knife, and began slicing a piece from it. She placed that piece on one of the empty plates, and shoved it before Akira. She had served herself a piece as well; Both looked at each other, before cutting a small fragment of the piece with their spoons. They nodded at each other, and put those in their mouths. When those fragments left their mouth heading straight into their stomachs, they began scooping up more and swallowing them down. It didn’t take long for the entire cake to be devoured by these two sugar heads. Akira had let out a burp, when all of a sudden he felt someone kick his right leg. He looked at the person next to him, and apologized. He thought that all was good, but unfortunately she was still frowning at him, her stare began sending shivers down his spine. Unable to bear the pressure she released, Akira turned his gaze away from her, and began digging through his thoughts. It didn’t take long for him to realize what she had wanted from him. “Alright time for your present.” he said, as he dug in his right pocket, and retrieved a small box from it. He handed it to Naomi. “I know that I didn’t spend nearly as much as you did for your present, but I hope you’ll still like it.” Akira said, as Naomi slowly opened its cover. She took out its content, it was an even smaller box, it had a red color, with yellow stripes along its center, a small purple ribbon held it all together. Nervously she looked at Akira, and gulped. She removed its ribbon, and slowly opened the top part. Her mouth dropped wide open, as she took out its insides. In her hand was a golden-colored necklace, on one end a small heart was attached on it, Naomi had carefully caressed it with finger. It had a smooth touch. “It’s so beautiful..” her eyes glittered brightly. “I had it custom made.” Akira said, while pointing at the necklace. “Really? What a craftsmanship.” Naomi turned her gaze to him, her face exposing her astonishment. “If you find that impressive, then you should really see what’s inside that heart.” Akira said, his smile shone brightly. “Inside the heart?” Naomi said with a confused look. Her gaze turned to the little heart on her palm, there she saw a small cut-out, she opened it with the nail of her finger. Her eyes began glittering again, as she covered her mouth with her hand. Inside that heart was a picture of the married couple cuddling together. Though it was relatively small to compensate for its small housing, the picture was still pretty detailed. “Wait, we took that photo yesterday didn’t we?” Naomi asked in a hush, she moved her head closer to Akira. “That’s right. I take it that you like it then.” he said, not before giggling a bit. “Like it? I absolutely love it! Can I wear it?” Naomi asked, with the same enthusiasm as a child on Christmas morning. Akira nodded with his head, in response. “Can you do it?” she asked him, her head tilted at an angle, her pupils growing bigger. Unable to resist after seeing those puppy eyes, he got up, and went behind Naomi. He took the necklace and gently put it on her, the necklace resting nicely on her voluptuous bosom. Akira quickly looked away, his reddened cheeks exposing his inner thoughts. Naomi gave it no mind, and pretended not to notice. She stood up and began embracing him. “Alright you want to set this up?” Akira asked, after Naomi had released her grip on him. She responded with a hmm , and nodded her head. The couple stayed home for the entire day, and spent their time playing games with each other. Nothing else happened during the day, and it didn’t take long for the heaven to welcome the night. As the couple had finished eating their diner, they were now cuddling in their bed. Akira began stroking Naomi’s cheek with his finger, and both stared right at each other. It didn’t take long for the two to be going at it. As their room was filled with heavy breathing and few moaning’s, Akira’s expression had darken, as he reminded the events of the night before. Naomi didn’t notice as her mind was invaded by waves of pleasure. Akira’s hands dug deeper in the white blanket covered in sweat. As he looked at Naomi’s reddened face, he began questioning his existence. He questioned whether it was all fine for him to live on like this, but as he’s thinking of an answer, Naomi had grabbed his head, and brought him closer, kissing him on his mouth. Akira’s heart began to ache. I really am an idiot… Aren’t I? He had finally reached an answer, the anxious feeling inside him had disappeared. After the pair had finished their business, Naomi was the first one to kick the bucket, with Akira quietly watching her sleep. He gave her a kiss on her forehead, then he closed his eyes as his consciousness faded into the depths of the empty void. As for the following days that came after, nothing much happened. It was now five days later, as the morning crows of birds filled the emptiness of outside. It was their signal that the morning had arrived. When Akira had opened his eyes, he was suddenly blinded by a rays of light, he had covered them with his hand, and reluctantly got up. He reached for his phone next to him, and looked at the time, and put his phone back in pocket. He let out a yawn, and was heading to the bathroom. After he had taken a shower and brushed his teeth, he got out of the bathroom and headed downstairs. When he reached the first floor, he was greeted by Naomi, who was wearing her usual morning wear, she was placing the cutlery on the table. Akira responded with a hmm , and took his seat near the table. Naomi had just come back with the last plate in her hand. She placed it on the table, and took her seat as well. Both said their prayer before digging in. After they had eaten their breakfast, it was then that Naomi had turned her gaze to Akira. “I’ll be out for the day. Do you need something?” she said, as she wiped the last food crumbles from her cheek. “No, not necessarily.” Akira responded. He got up, with his empty plate in hand, and went to the kitchen, he picked up Naomi’s plate along the way. “Alright then.” Naomi said, as she got up from her chair. She went upstairs, as Akira had just left the kitchen. As he saw her leave, he couldn’t help but feel that something might happen today. When Naomi had finally dressed up, she stood there in front of the door putting on her heels. After she wore both her heels, she opened the door, and turned around, staring right at Akira. Her mouth curved into a wide smile, as she spoke her final words to him. “See you later!” she said, as she closed the door behind her. Naomi had left Akira all by his lonesome, he continued to stare at the door. This anxious feeling that kept plaguing him had been growing inside. As of now, he could do nothing except pray that everything would turn out fine.                                                                     ... It was eleven o’clock when Naomi was walking down the city center. Stores had already opened, and the streets were filled with passing pedestrians. Naomi looked around, inspecting the items placed on display in store windows, and continued on walking to her destination. It was a store she frequented, whose owners were close friends with her parents. She had been coming to this place ever since she was little. Having had so many memories here, she couldn’t help but wear a smile. “Alright then…” she said as she took a deep breath, before entering the place. “Oh-ho, if it isn’t little Naomi entering. How are you doing?” the store clerk said after seeing Naomi walk towards the counter. “Good morning Takuya-san. I’m doing alright I guess. And you?” “I’m still breathing so I’m doing fine. So, how’s that husband of yours, still enjoying the married life?” Takuya asked, he had his arms crossed. “He’s doing fine, thanks for asking.” Naomi said. She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as the memories of a few days ago came back flashing in her mind. “And as for living the married life, I’m still enjoying it.” her smile widened, as her teeth shone brightly. “Good then.” He said, as he giggled a bit. He still couldn’t believe the little brat he’d known had grown into such a great woman. He felt almost proud of it, as if she was his own daughter. A smile formed on his face. “So, what brings you here?” Takuya asked, he leaned against the counter. “Just visiting, since it’s been a long time.” Naomi responded, she scratched the back of her head. “You’re right, it has been a year since we last talked. So, are you leaving soon?” “Why do you ask?” “You know, my wife is returning in a bit. And it’ll be nice if she saw you again, she missed you after all.” “Alright then, I do have time.” “Great! I’ll prepare something for you then, in the meantime you can look around for a bit.” Takuya said, as he went to the backroom using the door behind him. Naomi began walking around, looking at the various sections. Despite the shop being open for a few hours now, there weren’t many customers. In fact, she was the only one there. She used it to her advantage, as she continued walking around the store. After walking in a circle for a while, she had gotten bored, and went to sit near the counter. She supported her head with her hand, humming a bit. Not long after, she had heard the door open, someone walked inside. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, as she turned her head to see who it was. It was as she got a good look at him, that anger began enveloping her mind. She gritted her teeth, as that someone came closer. He went to sit next to Naomi, and had put his hat on the counter. He turned his head, staring right at her. “Are you a frequent customer?” he said, as his mouth curved into a wide smile. Naomi could only look at him with disgust, and for good reason too. After all, he had been the one that ruined their third anniversary. Don’t you dare forget what you had done… Akemi ! She fumed at him. As his question was met with silence, his smile widened. She has some spirit he thought, as his inner emotions began leaking to the outside world.                                                                     … “So there is she.” Akira said, as he looked at the familiar store. Memories of the past had been flooding in his mind. One time when Naomi had brought him there, the owners had welcomed him with open arms. Akira was shocked when he found out that they had been friends with his parents-in-law. What had brought him here you may ask? For that we’ll have to go back when Naomi had left. When Akira was staring endlessly at the door. His gut feeling kept intensifying, making him worry more. After ignoring it for a while, he had enough of it, and rushed outside to where Naomi was. You might ask how he found her, and that answer is pretty simple. He used a tracker app that he installed a few days ago, that held track of her location at any times. The only thing he had left to do was follow the directions it was giving. He was now hiding near a street pole, he had a clear view of Naomi. He had been watching her for ten minutes now. He felt guilty spying on her, but he thought that was the only way to ease his worries. Everything went according to plan, until a traffic jam had blocked off his view. Akira panicked, and began coming closer, as stealthy as possible. He was about to turn a corner, when all of a sudden he bumped into someone. “I’m sorry.” Akira said, as he was about to get up. But while he did, he glanced at the other person. He was still standing up, completely unfazed. He looked down at Akira; “Huh, you better look where you walk prick.” he said angrily, his tone menacing. “He’s right, you better watch out.” his companion chimed in. The two had very contrasting appearances. For starters, one was tall, and was quite build. He looked like a bodybuilder, he seemed quite athletic. He had short blond hair. He wore a suit, as if he was a business man. The other was shorter, and fairly thin. He didn’t looked malnourished or anything, it was just that he was build like your average man. His looks beamed ‘ordinary’, and that was the same for everything about him. He could only strike as being a ordinary guy. “I’m so sorry.” Akira repeated as he got up. He planned on going, and so passed them, however, he could still feel their gazes stare at him. As Akira had left quite a distance between them, he went to one narrow alley. Damn losers , he thought. Now he had to make a detour, wasting even more time. Akira sighed, and began to walk again. He was about to start walking until he felt an immense pressure from his nape, so much so that he felt it almost breaking in half. As fear began to devour Akira, he turned his head, whilst ignoring the tremendous pain, and his gaze fell to the one grabbing him. That person, who was the taller guy from just now, began to smile viciously. “Don’t think that you can run away from us, Pig .” he said aggressively. He threw Akira against a nearby wall. He threw him with such force that upon impact he felt his organs being crushed. Akira thought that he was dying, as he began gasping for air, his sight began turning white. He started hearing a constant beep, his heart beating faster. “W..h..y?” those were the letters he could say, as he continued to take in gulps of air. The exact words that had been plaguing his mind. His sight began slowly regaining its color. “Huh, you don’t recognize us do you?” the man said, as he closed the distance between him and Akira. “We’re your friends. You’re best friends .” his tone gave a chill vibe, as the air around him got colder. He moved his head closer, his eerie smile widened. “You’re sooo mean . How can you forget about us? Didn’t we play a lot together when we were little?” his little companion said, as he too came closer to Akira. Despite his looks being utterly average, the tone in which he spoke gave off the same vibe of that of a psychopath. It caused the air to grow even more colder. “Yeah, didn’t we make many memories together? Don’t tell me you forgot?” the man said, as he grabbed Akira’s hair, lifting him up from the wet ground. “W..Wh…a..t ar..e yo..u t.lk..n ab..ut?” Akira said, as he was still steadying his breathing. His body didn’t hurt as much as it did, but the pain that came as he breathed still remained. He could only stare at the man before him, unable to do anything about it. “I’ll remind you…” he said, as he let go of Akira’s hair. As Akira was falling down, he felt an emerging pain coming from his stomach. The force behind it was huge that it caused him to vomit. Immediately after, he received a few blows on his face, his jaws started hurting and blood began gushing. But it didn’t stop there, as right after he felt a tremendous kick to his head; It caused his head to hit the firm wall behind him. Unable to bear the pain, his mind was slowly drifting away, he began closing his eyes slowly. However, as if not satisfied yet, the man had grabbed Akira by the throat, he began tightening his grip. His eerie grin grew wider, as he started wetting his lips. As his only source of oxygen was being cut-off, Akira began resisting. However, his efforts were useless. Having no longer the strength in his body, his entire body went numb. His sight began whitening, the constant beep grew louder, he knew for certain that this would be his end. However, perhaps with luck, someone had come near them. “Hey, that’s enough for today. We’re going.” that someone said, he held quite the authority, since that person suffocating Akira had let go of his grip. The two went away, as that someone stayed behind. “You know, if you plan on taking us down… You should prepare yourself then.” his eerie smile widened, and his tone became colder. He turned his back, signaling that he was about to leave. But before he did, he looked back at Akira. “That’s a lovely wife you got yourself, it’ll be sad if something were to happen to her.” he said, as he took off, leaving Akira dirtied and hurt behind. When Akira was sure they had left, he began bashing his head to the wall behind him, as the face of that someone appeared back in his mind. Damn you, fucking bastard . He could only curse them, tearing some of his hair, as he finally realized who had been talking to him. After struggling to get up, he ignored the screeching pain, as he began walking home.                                                                     … “Darling, I’m back!” Naomi yelled, as she entered through the front door. She quickly put away her coat and took of her heels, putting on her slippers. She headed towards the living. When she arrived there, she had found Akira sitting at the couch, his back hunched forward. His face was covered with stollen blood and dirt, his clothes also dirtied. As she got closer to him, a strong odor had entered her nostrils, she quickly covered it with her arm. “Ugh, what happened?” Naomi asked in a panic. “Noami,” Akira said, his tone void of any emotion. His lifeless gaze focused directly at Naomi. “Did you meet anyone in particular today?” “What are you talking about?” Naomi didn’t understand what was going on. She didn’t know why he acted this way nor what had exactly caused him to be so on edge. “I’m talking about that shop you went today.” Akira stood up, and stared at Naomi, he came close to her. His eyes were lifeless. “How do you know…” Naomi was flabbergasted that Akira knew where she’d been hanging out, but as she was about to ask how he found out, Akira had cut her off. “Did you meet anyone there?” Akira asked, his tone started leaking his inner rage. Despite that though, his face was still emotionless. “Well, I happened to see Takuya-san again, and Yuri-san too.” “Oh, and there was this other one…” there, in that moment when Naomi paused, Akira had been visually shocked, sweat dripping from his head. “What was his name?” he asked quite hesitantly, he gulped for air, a drop of sweat glided from his cheeks. “Why do you need it for?” Naomi asked with her eyebrow raised; “Just…. Tell me.” “It was Akemi , I believe.” the moment Naomi mentioned his name, it was when the gut feeling Akira had this morning began tingling again. As he thought to himself how things have gone of the rails so much, he began gritting his teeth. A sense of defeat had been circulating around his being, as he’d been listening how Naomi’s talk went with him. As she was explaining it in great detail, Akira wasn’t paying attention to it for one bit. He only looked at her, as he saw how wide her smile was while talking about him , it caused Akira to wonder, if Naomi was truly by his side.

It was past midnight. The sky tinted greyish, and the moon stood at its zenith. Clouds, though not fully visible, were also scattered around. The wind blew softly and brought cold air with it. Street poles illuminated the empty streets of the city beneath. These streets, which during the day were full of citizens, were now completely empty. The silence had peaked through, limiting the sounds that could be heard. The meowing of stray cats and the engines of late driving vehicles were most common. However, on this peculiar night, two in particular stood out. “Your dad gave you permission, right?” A person said. The voice belonging to it was deep. Undoubtedly a mans. He was of average height. His blonde hair put together in an short ponytail. He looked in his late teens. He wore a black colored jacket, with light brown jeans. His socks up to his ankles. Though his build was slim, his perfect stature, combined with his facial features, that could only be describes as “marvelous”, made him quite the looker. Like a polished diamond ring. His name was Akira. Despite Akira’s looks, his tone hinted anxiousness. “Yes,” Another replied. “How many times do I have to say it, ugh .” This voice was high pitched, it was a woman’s. She was about 160cm. Her head barely reaching Akira’s neck. Her hair was brown colored, and worn backwards in a straight line. It reached down to her neck. Her facial features shone magnificent. She wore a red dress, it reached her knees. The dress emphasized her womanly figure. She leaned against Akira, his arm wrapped around her. I still want to live, you know . Akira thought silently, and looked away for a moment, he sighed. Though he had finally asked out his childhood friend Naomi, the girl walking beside him, and succeeded. The fear he felt towards her father was something he thought he could never overcome. Akira made sure as to not cross the line. His efforts were paying off, until the very moment she stepped out her front door. Her extravagant figure was biting at him ever since. It didn’t help that her dress made it almost impossible to look away. Though the dress didn’t show much cleavage, her voluptuous breast did stand out. Despite Akira trying his utter best to resist his manly urges. He ended up occasionally stealing peaks, burning it in his mind. “Pervert.” Naomi said pouting, as she looked at Akira. Akira’s cheeks turned red instantly. “No…I didn’t..look..” He tried denying her accusation. He looked towards the sky. A smile formed on Naomi’s face. She wrapped her arms around Akira’s stomach, as tight as she could. “Idiot.” She whispered. Silence befell the two, as none wanted to ruin this wonderful moment. Akira’s heart beat slowly faster. He came to the realization, that he wanted to spend his entire life with Naomi. This moment vaporized any doubts from his mind. I’m doing it tonight. He held something dearly in his right hand, hidden away in his right pocket. His resolve was strong and clear. The two continued their walk in complete silence until they reached their destination. It was the channel near the port. The paths were covered with blooming flowers, they emitted a lovely aroma that was quite tickling for nose. The air between the two loosened. “Wanna sit down here?” He pointed at an empty bench. He glanced at Naomi. She nodded in return. They walked at a slow pace, step by step. Eventually they had reached the bench. “After you.” Akira urged Naomi to sit first. “That’s sweet,” she sat down. She tapped the bench several times with her right hand. “come sit down.” Her eyes sincere, her cheeks red colored. Akira’s heart skipped a beat. He hurried himself and sat down. Huh , Akira had just noticed that he made a large distance between him and Naomi. You idiot! As he was caught up in his mistake, he averted his eyes, out of embarrassment. “Hmph…”After seeing his clumsy display, Naomi couldn’t help but giggle. She turned to Akira, and gradually came closer. “Is this better?” She asked him rather teasingly, her smile wide. “Yeah…” His mind calmed down, as he breathed in and out. “You’re right, this is definitely better.” He glanced at Naomi. Seeing her lean against him made his heart skip a beat. He prepared himself mentally, as he clenched his right hand. Without him realizing, five minutes had passed. “Naomi, I have something to tell you.” He was mentally prepared now. He took a deep breath and stood up, he placed himself in Naomi’s line of sight. “What is it?” She hadn’t anticipated Akira’s sudden movement, it did take her aback. He did it so quickly, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. Her right brown lifted, a cold sweat dripping from her back. “Do…y..yo..u..” Despite having mentally prepared himself for this very moment, at the last minute the words he had yearned to say were stuck in his throat. Sweat began dripping from his head. His legs began numbing, he almost fell over. His thoughts were hazy, it was like his consciousness was drifting away. Oh, I’m messing this up. That’s what Akira could fantom of this situation he found himself in. A feeling of embarrassment and shame had spread through his very being. He was completely beaten. Why I am so afraid? He didn’t really know himself. They had know each other since they were five. This should’ve been done with, and yet something held him back. “What?” Seeing him in this state fueled Naomi’s anxiousness. She didn’t understand it first what he actually wanted. She had looked at his face, and then it hit her. A smile formed on her face. “You can take your time Akira.” She had know him all to well, they were childhood friends after all. “Okay…” Seeing her comforting him, as she would usually do after he messed up, broke the shackles that held him back. He took a deep breath, and finally confronted his feelings. "Naomi," and so he began. "We've known each other a long time, right?" She listened in silence, answering with a hmm and nodding her head. "You see," this was it. Don't blow this now , he thought. "I have..." The words he longed to say to this girl in front of him. He was going to tell her. "You know, I've been wanting to say this for a while..." Akira clasped his hands, his eyes closed. "Naomi, I-I’m in love with you." And he pressed on, he had finally told her his feelings, his heartbeat beating faster. That was a burden falling off his shoulders. Nervously, he slowly opened his eyes. Naomi's face was left in shock. Her cheeks slowly softened, taking on a reddish hue. "S-So straightforward," she said, lifting her left hand to her mouth. She was left speechless. Akira's face also began to turn red after he realized what he had said to his childhood friend. Her silence made him think that he should have told her another time. Thinking he had screwed up, he fell to his knees. "Akira!" Naomi cried, as she jerked from the bench. "Are you okay?" She put her hand on Akira's arm, pulled him up and helped him sit down. Akira's face was lifeless, as if his soul had left his body. "You're not dead, are you?" Naomi didn't know what to do. Things had never been awkward between them, and yet she couldn't get her thoughts in order. This had never happened before , she pondered. She was confused, and yet deep down she felt relieved. It took a few minutes for her to fully understand. Her heart skipped a beat the moment she did, she blushed even more. After a while, she had regained her composure. Akira still sat there unconscious. Suddenly Naomi had an idea, she grinned at her own genius. She gently held Akira's head with both hands and placed it on her legs, like a pillow. She gently stroked Akira's hair. Seeing how defenseless he was as she continued to play with his hair, she smiled happily. "I think we'll be here for a while," Naomi said, her smile wide as she looked at the beautiful sky in the distance. She sneaked a quick glance at Akira's unconscious body before looking away. In that moment, she felt like the luckiest woman on earth. Her heart started beating faster. She closed her eyes as she continued to play with Akira's hair. Silence had made its way around the area, letting only the sound of passing wind through. Leaves flew past them, some weaved around them. It was truly a remarkable scene. The atmosphere remained like this for a while. "Ugh....mmhh..." Then, after two hours, Akira suddenly began to yawn, his consciousness returning. He slowly opened his eyes. "Na-N-Naomi, morning…." Akira's thoughts were in a daze, his mind not yet fully awakened. "Pfff...." Naomi couldn't contain her laughter. He was usually like that. Her smile beamed brightly. "Good morning, Akira." Naomi responded. She gently touched Akira's cheek with her index finger. "Hmmm....." Akira hummed softly as his mind finally woke up. "HUH!!!" When Akira’s vision sharpened, he realized the beautiful face he saw was only centimeters away. His blood pressure rose, adrenaline coursing through his veins, his face turning red. Though it was not his intention, a screeching noise escaped his mouth. Akira’s body was sluggish and before he knew it, a loud thump had entered his ears. He felt a painful sensation all over his face. “Akira!” Naomi yelled. “You okay?” she stood up from her seat and kneeled before Akira’s body. ‘’I-I-I’m fine,” Akira answered her quickly. He pushed himself of the ground with both his arms, Naomi supported his arm. When Akira had regained his footing, he didn’t move a single inch. His embarrassing scene had gotten through his head. He couldn’t look the girl before him in her eyes. And as for the girl in question, seeing his face all dirtied and scratched, it hurt her. She wanted to do something but as it was the case with Akira, she too couldn’t move a single muscle. Both stood there in complete silence. The sound of the passing wind filled the atmosphere. The air chilled. Despite this, it wasn’t enough to break the ice between the two. Somehow it felt like time slowed down. One minute felt like an eternity. That was how awkward this had been for them. This never ending feeling of shame and fear, it was horrible. Akira had fantasized of this moment for a long time, and now it had all crumpled in little pieces. A total waste of time, you might say. I shouldn’t have started this in the first place , a regretful thought crossed his mind. All along he knew that it would end this way. He knew it, and yet… Somewhere deep inside him told him that he should chase the very thing he wanted the most. He had finally moved on from his past, that was all because of her . Naomi was all he ever needed. Without her, he would’ve ended it a long time ago, but he kept enduring it. All of the pain he felt his entire childhood, meant nothing to him as long as he knew she would be there with him. That’s the reason he planned this date out in great detail. He wanted Naomi to feel the gratitude he felt towards her. But now that his plan was in jeopardy, he couldn’t help but feel angry at himself. It was after all his own fault for ruining it in the first place. He grabbed his chest with right hand, squeezing it with all his might. His eyes glued to the ground beneath him. He thought that Naomi had enough of this already and go home. The mere thought of it, stabbed him right through his heart. He didn’t want to end it already, after all he hadn’t told her what he actually wanted. “N-N...” He had finally opened his mouth, and yet he couldn’t say a single word. He felt pathetic. Things were quiet between the two, there was no point in breaking the ice now. Akira had missed the perfect opportunity to do so. This was beyond the point of second chances, in other words completely hopeless. The only thing he could do now is to end it here. “Let’s go home, Naomi.” He forced a smile while he said this, his eyes emotionless. “ hmm ” she responded silently, nodding her head. Akira had already started walking towards the exit, he was a short distance away from Naomi. As Naomi began following Akira, she glanced at the beautiful view to her right for the last time. Her pace slowed without her realizing, as she imprinted it in her memory. She felt it would be a waste to not enjoy this scene before her. After she had noticed that Akira was getting further away from her, she had hastened her pace. She began walking as fast as she could, but because the heels she was wearing made it extremely difficult, she reluctantly yelled to Akira to slow down, but he never stopped. Did he not hear me? , she had asked herself. “Akira, wait!” she screamed at the top of her longs. In that instance, Akira’s shadow stopped for a moment, he turned his back. Naomi felt relieved that he finally stopped, and with that she took off her heels, holding the pair in her hand. She pushed past her limits, and slowly closed the distance between her and Akira. Two minutes passed, and now she stood beside him gasping for air, her arms on her knees. "You jerk," Those were the first words out of her mouth as she steadied her breathing. "How can you leave a lady alone?" Despite asking her question, her voice did not sound angry at all; instead, she pouted. Her bulging cheeks wore a red color. Seeing this in front of him, Akira couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?" Naomi asked him, still pouting. However, Akira continued to laugh. After receiving a full blow to his stomach, that was when he stopped. The blow didn't hurt him, though. "Sorry," He smiled, his eyes closed. "It's just..." He stopped for a moment, opening his eyes. "This date wasn't so bad after all." Hearing this, Naomi tilted her head in confusion. "Bad?" She put her left index finger to her lip. "Why do you say that?" She asked him. Huh... , confusion arose in Akira's mind. "I-I mean, haven't you had a bad time?" His right hand placed on the back of his head. "Why would I?" She answered him nonchalantly. Her straight face when she said it made it even more confusing. "Y-You know, how I kept fainting....." His eyes glued to the ground, his expression darkened. “Ah that,” She let out, she turned her back on him. “It was nothing, really.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “It was cute though.” She turned her head, looking at Akira. “Cute?” Akira’s expression regained its light, as his eyes slowly rose. She confirmed it by nodding her head. That wasn’t the response he expected. He found himself unable to understand though. Cute… How the hell can you call that cute? “Yeah, C-U-T-E - cute,” She spelled every letter one by one, she turned around, her eyes locked on Akira. “Don’t you think the same?” Her head tilted slightly. “H-huh?” That was what Akira could only say. “What do you mean by cute?” He asked her. “You know, seeing you lay there without a care in the world, it was just…” She crossed her legs, both her auricles turning red, her hands glued together behind her back. “Cute, you know.” Her eyes looked towards the dirtied path beneath her. “I see,” After Akira had reevaluated the conversation, he could only come up with one conclusion “You don’t make any sense.” His eyes lacking life, he pointed his left index finger at her. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” She pouted angrily. “Are you messing with me?!” He didn’t understand it anymore. How come she didn’t resent him, or at least hate him for what he had done. Why didn’t she blame him, and why was she so carefree about it. That was what Akira had asked himself. He couldn’t comprehend it. It wasn’t logical in any sense. So why? Despite ruining the day they both had been waiting for, why was she still willing to walk beside him? Conflicted feelings began bottling inside Akira’s mind. “I ruined it, didn’t I? ” He said quietly, his expression blackened and his tone cold. “So tell me,” His eyes locked on Naomi. “Why are you still here?!” He let out all his frustrations. Naomi didn’t respond at all. She just stood there, all silent. The joyful expression had vanished from her face, her eyes downward. “Y..” She muttered something, it was so quiet that Akira didn’t hear it well. “Well, I’m waiting.” Akira’s patience had ran out, and began forcing the issue at hand. Naomi bit her lip, staring blades at him. “It’s because… I-I….” She almost had it, but she still couldn’t say it. “’.I-I..’, what?” Despite him feeling bad for his behavior, he felt it was necessary to end this uncertainty. “You idiot,” Her entire face turned red, as she couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. “It’s because I love you too!!” Naomi let out her emotions for the world to hear. Her voice echoed throughout the area. Akira stood there with his mouth wide open. “Huh?!” He was baffled, as Naomi’s turned even redder, she looked away. “You love me?!” He couldn’t believe it, it was so shocking that he like fainting. “Yes, you stupid idiot!!” Naomi lunged at him, waving her fists against his body. Akira didn’t stop her, he stood still. His mind somewhere else. “That’s why…” Akira’s mind returned when he felt something heavy pressing his chest. Naomi had stopped a moment ago, and was now leaning against Akira. She pulled on his jacket, her grip hard. ”I’m still here, Akira.” The way she looked up at him, with her puppy eyes and her red cheeks. It could make any man die this instant. Akira had trouble maintaining his cool, that was how adorable she was. He gulped. He had to do something before it was to late. After examining the possibilities, he had finally decided. He had wrapped his arms around Naomi gently, comforting her as much as possible. Naomi cracked a smile, her teeth shone bright. “You like it?” She said, teasingly. “A lot.” He responded, he smile wide. “Does this mean that we’re dating now?” He touched Naomi’s nose with his, teasing her for a bit. “ hmm…. ” Naomi hummed, as she thought about it. “Yeah, idiot.” Directly after, she responded with a wide grin on her face. “What did you expect?” Both of them laughed, as they had accepted each other’s feelings. Now it was official, she had confirmed it herself. Akira couldn’t believe it was true. He thought he might be dreaming. So to confirm that this was real, he gently stroked Naomi’s right cheek. He could feel the warm emitting, his heart felt relieved. “Wanna go home?” He held his hand up, waiting for Naomi’s response. “ Hmm.. ” That was all she said, she grabbed Akira’s hand and held it tight. Her smile shining brighter than before. Akira had let go of her hand, and began walking towards the exit, this time he waited for Naomi. Naomi was about to walk, but stopped in her tracks when she heard something fall on the ground. “Did you hear that, Akira?” Confused as she was, she asked Akira for conformation. “What are you talking about?” Akira said, his face showing concern. “That noise, didn’t you hear it?” Naomi asked him again. “As I said before, I heard nothing.” Akira didn’t seem like he messed with her. Annoyed, as she was getting by the second. She decided to find by herself, but before she did that. She wanted to tease Akira a bit. “You’re completely useless.” She said, she raised her head up high, and crossed her arms. "Like you're the one who should talk!" He fumed at her, veins began popping on his head. “Pffff…” She couldn’t keep it together after seeing how pissed he is. She began laughing. Seeing how she made fun of him, and still has the audacity to continue, more veins appeared on his head. “You’re rude.” Akira tried saying it as nicely as he could, but it was for nothing really. Even he could hear the rage leaking out. “I’m just kidding.” She realized she had gone to far, she looked the other way. “No need to be so mad about it.” She pouted, while she said it. “Right.” He understood that she was messing with him, but he let his emotions get to his head. Once Akira’s mind had calmed down, he could only sigh. “Let’s go home now.” He started walking. Naomi looked annoyed at him. “Wait for me.” She yelled at him. Akira stopped, and looked at Naomi, waiting for her. Naomi walked as fast as she could. “Thanks for w…” But stopped midway. Akira raised his eyebrow. “Why did you stop?” He asked her. But she didn’t answer. She stood there, gazing at the dirt path beneath. Akira tried calling out to her, but he got no response. It was like she was searching for something. Maybe she did hear something fall? Akira thought to himself. Or could it be that she’s just pretending. With her you couldn’t really know for sure. Akira thought about saying something, but decided against it. Because if she was indeed in the right, then he would have to hear her constantly say stuff like, ‘I told you so!’ or ’Didn’t I tell you!’, and he didn’t have the patience to hear all of that. It would be a pain in his ass. With that, he let Naomi have her way, and patiently waited for her. Meanwhile, Naomi continued inspecting the ground, her eyes scanned every inch of it. She began losing hope, after she hadn’t found what she was looking for. She was one hundred percent sure, that she seen it here, but the problem was that it was too dark to see clearly. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, but despite it being early in the morning, the sun stood very low, and to make matters even worse, the trees blocked most of the sunlight. Naomi sighed. She didn’t want to make Akira wait any longer, but she couldn’t leave this matter unfinished. She began searching harder. But unfortunately with no success. She sat lumped, her expression darkened. She questioned whether she even heard something. And even if she did, she wasn’t even sure what it actually was. Despite not wanting to, she admitted defeat, she bit her lip regrettably. As she stood up, that was when her luck was truly tested. “Huh,“ She saw something reflected in the corner of her eye. "Over there,“ She suddenly let out. “What's that?" She pointed with her finger, and crouched, resting on her hips. “Something wrong, Naomi?” Akira asked her curiously. “Did someone drop this?” Naomi responded. Naomi picked it up, and raised it towards the sky. It was made of metal. It had a circular hole in the middle. The base was shaped like a flower that had already bloomed; in the middle sat a small stone. It had rough edges, but the surface was smooth, it had a tickling touch. When the light of the rising sun had illuminated the area around them, it became clear what Naomi was holding in her hand. "A ring?" Naomi raised her right eyebrow, looking at it more closely. Without saying a word, Akira slowly dug his hand into his right pocket, his body freezing in place. His face began to sweat profusely, turning red in an instant. "Give that back," He lunged toward Naomi, his right arm in the air. "Don't look at it!!!" Unfortunately for him, Naomi had already taken a step backward, rendering his efforts futile. When he had collided against the ground, he ignored the screaming pain from his face, and stood up for another attempt. Again Naomi had jumped aside at the last moment. Akira fell right on his face. It became increasingly difficult to ignore as the pain increased. This went on for a while, and Akira was already getting sick of it. Naomi, on the other hand, was having quite a good time. As she watched Akira tried everything to stop her and couldn't. She could only laugh, because this was what they did when they were younger. Having fun while Akira was miserable. It brought back fond memories. If only we could do this more often like we used to , she thought to herself. After all, he was being himself. "Akira." Naomi stopped suddenly, her tone serious. It made Akira stop, too. "What?" asked Akira to her, his tone hinting concern; "Can you explain this?" Naomi held the ring up in the air. Her head tilted slightly, her eyes were closed and her smile shone brightly. He hesitated for a moment, but.... "Fine..." He had given himself to her. And why wouldn't he. This was the perfect time to do so. Otherwise, she wouldn't know his true feelings. He strengthened his heart, his resolve, and took a deep breath before addressing the girl in front of him. "F-From the beginning, I've always dreamed of it." He took the ring from Naomi's hand and rubbed it with two fingers. "About marrying you," He cast a few glances at her. "How we would start our own family," He turned his head, toward the rising sun, its light shining dark orange. "How we would spoil our children, and raise them to successful lives," He turned back to Naomi, his smile bright. "Then we would retire, and grow old together." With determined eyes, he continued. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm happiest when you're in my life. So..." He got down on one knee. He held the ring toward Naomi. "Naomi, do you want to be with me forever?" Of course, he knew this was not the most spectacular way of doing things, but what do you expect from him. But he hoped she would at least appreciate the effort he was making with his whole being. Because well, if she didn't, that would just stab him right through the chest. He looked at Naomi. When he saw her face, his face turned red, too. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she covered her face with her hands. After a while, she began to speak. "Y-y-y..." Her words stuck in her throat. "Yes. I would love to." She said, her smile shone at its brightest, it was almost blinding. Akira slid the ring on Naomi’s ring finger. Naomi held out her hand, and inspected the ring up close. Her cheeks turned redder by the second. After Akira had gotten up, Naomi launched herself at him. He caught her. He secured her with his arms, as he tightened his grip. Both spun around a few times, Naomi secured in Akira’s embrace. After this, Akira had carefully placed Naomi back on the floor, but he still embraced her. Both smiled happily. Without saying a word, Akira’s face came closer to Naomi’s. He lent in for a kiss. When his lips made contact, he was truly happy. It felt surreal to him, but no, this wasn’t a dream, this was real. He had proposed to his childhood friend and she accepted his hand. Despite all the hardships he faced during his childhood. He has finally gotten peace. At that moment, he felt like the happiest man to walk this planet. And with her by his side, he felt like he could do anything. The sun began rising as well, as the morning chirping of the birds could be heard. Akira stopped kissing Naomi, turned towards the exit, and held his left arm up. He looked at Naomi, and waited. Naomi had wrapped herself around his arm, and hugged his stomach. The newly-wed couple began walking for home as the wind began to blow around the area. They would face many hardships together, argue a lot, or maybe hurt one another. But one thing is certain. Its that they would always be together, forever.