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Ryoko AI 18

A dark, small dilapidated room with stripped down flooring, no windows, a single door, and one dim light that barely lit the room. A small, worn down bed with a tattered cloth hardly considered a blanket. A shabby wooden cabinet whose counter is littered with various pill bottles, scraps of day old food, and random trinkets worth nothing. Lastly but most importantly a clothing rack filled with all sorts of clothing from ragged jeans to dresses only the rich can buy. In this room, one lonely man, wearing worn down jeans and a bedraggled black tank top, slumps in the corner smoking a cigarette. This man was said to be the most beautiful thing to ever come out of the slums, his name was Yoshimi. Yoshimi was a very beautiful person inside and out and it cursed and blessed him. He was very feminine and petite, but masculine enough to be noticed as a male. He slumped in the corner of the room writing in his journal, It read: "October 12th, 2050. Another shitty day in this hell hole we call life, but at least Tomiichi pays me enough to" (Knock at the door) "Yoshimi, Mr. Yamato is here again. He says it would be appreciated if you hurried." "Tell Mr. Yamato that I'll be there quickly as possible." Yoshimi sat his journal at the very edge of the cabinet, pushing over the trash that littered it. After taking one last smoke, he pushed himself up fro the ground, and put the cigarette in the ash tray. He walked to the clothes rack, where he took off both of his worn down sneakers, then slowly started undressing. As he undressed, the scars from his painful reality became more and more present. Yoshimi quicking put on the sexiest clothes he had, black lace lingerie, then covered it up by wearing a brown tattered coat and slipped on black high heels. Then he calmly, but quickly, walked out of his home and turned right down the hallway. As he reached closer to the end of the hallway a elderly man in a black suit holding open the door of futuristic black limousine became more apparent. Happily Yoshimi shouted. "Hello Yamato-sama!" "Hello Yoshimi-kun." As Yoshimi had reached the end of the hallway, near the limousine. He respectfully bowed, then Yamato followed. "Now, please enter the car sir." Yoshimi steped into the car, and Yamato softly closed the door behind him. Once Yamato got into the driver's side, he started the limousine, and he clicked a button that lowered the thin piece of glass between them. Yamato solemnly gave Yoshimi a message. "Mr. Tomiichi is very anxious today and has been taking it out on young master Eito, so be very careful and understanding." Anxiously he responded. "Thanks for the warning, Yatamo-sama. I'll try my best to appease Mr. Tomiichi." "Thank you for understanding" Yoshimi sighed knowing the treatment that awaits him when he reaches his destination. "Looks like today I'm going to be feeling a lot of pain."

The gulls flapping their wings high in the sky, squawking endlessly in the scarlet horizon, The salty breeze blew its ways gently into the hearts of the people, the animals, and the forest, The palm trees dancing towards the direction of the breeze, beckoning it to accompany its encore, The waves crashing into the scarlet sands, mirroring the beauty of the sunset, And you, in the white, standing there in the middle, staring dazely in the horizon. With your feet soaked in the waves, I watched you standing there with unblinking eyes, because, I felt that if I blink, you'd be gone forever. And I will never find you again. " What are you thinking about?", I asked. You slowly turned your head around to face me, but not budging even an inch of where you stood. With your hazy eyes void of emotion, you answered. "Nothing"  You briefly said, as you quickly spun your head around to face the horizon again. As if my shaking figure didn't even register into your eyes.  " I'm thinking of nothing" , you repeated. As if the pain from your blistered feet were nothing. As if that bruise on your face was nothing. As if the slit on your wrist was nothing. Blood dripped. Drip. Drip. Drip.  And each sounded like a ticking clock in my mind. Tik. Tak. Tik. Tak. And I knew, every second it drips, every little life you have left would be lost. " Come here" , I commanded. The salty breeze blew again, flying away those natural curls on your forehead. You looked up, and then, Drip. Tears started to drip from your eyes. " Hey, I'm tired" Drip. " I am so tired" Drip. " I want to end everything now"  Drip. Drip. Drip. As your tears drip into the ocean waves, I felt my heart churn in ache. As if an invisible knife was stabbing itself into my body. Biting my lip hard enough I tasted iron, I... " Come back", I commanded again. I saw you flinch, and your eyes turned dark as if the last light in your eyes was extinguished. The tiny piece of paper you held on fell into the crashing waves, sinking to the bottom of the sands. You held your arms together as you shuddered. " Haha, I should've known you were this kind of man. I was foolish to think you could change"  You laughed in derision. I gulped. I don't know what to say in return. Maybe, at this point, I also knew, It was the point of no return. Anything I say to you, you will never believe it, ever again. I stepped into the waves. You move on step forward. I stepped again, and now the water is at your knees. " Cornelius!!", I called out your name angrily. Why? Why can't you understand me? Why can't you understand the good in the  things I did for you? Why do you always see the bad in me? In everything I do?  Why can't you see that this is all for you? The future I've been building for us? Why do you hate me so much? With a stubborn look in your eyes, you said in between your  gritted teeth. " Dont you dare follow me" "Or I will make sure to hate you forever"  My eyes widened at his oath.  An oath. It was all nothing but an oath. An oath that binded me in my place, an oath that prevented me from saving him. Funny, we got to this point, but all I could ever think about is, How I don't want you to hate me. I don't want you to straight up tell me that you hate me. I don't want to hear it from your mouth. How stupid. How foolish. How idiotic.  Tap. Tap. Tap. Every step you take, every deeper the water becomes. " Come back!", this time, I pleaded. For the first time, I pleaded. Yet again, you didn't look back, but hasten up your speed. Waist length, but I know, one misstep infront of you, will lead to doom. The entrance to the abyss. A deep part of the ocean where the water is murky, the currents deadly, and most of all, The bottom, untouched and a mystery. It was infront of you. An entrance to hell. " P-please" I'm begging you. Please come back. I love you. I love you so much. You mean so much to me. I want to date you, marry you, do lots of things with you, grow old with you. I don't want to loose you. I wanted to tell you that. I wanted to tell you that so much. But like a drowning man, those words drowned into the bottomless abyss in myself. An abyss called pride. A worthless abyss that is not worth any penny, or pity. An pointless  abyss that swallowed up and destroyed everything. " Damien" You called my name. You turned around to face me, and in your eyes were a light. A tiny hint of light. And in your face was a smile. A smile I never got during the 3 years we had stayed together. " I hope I never see you in hell"  You said with a crazed look on your face.  You said with a contemptous stare you could give me, the most ridiculous grin on your face, and the most hate on your expression. But that face, I will forever engrave it in my heart. Because that was the only time you smiled towards me so genuinely, even if it was a hateful one directed to me. And then at that moment. The waves swallowed you up. Dragging you to its bottomless abyss. And everything returned to its calm. The gulls squawked. The breeze blew. The trees danced. The waves crashed. As if nothing ever happened. The ocean swallowed you up. And I could do nothing to get you back. Author's Note:  When ur initial thought was just "an endless stretch of foot flood in a black backdrop with 2 MCs with one saying dont follow him and then 1 guy waking up realizing its a dream" turns into this kind of shitty drama. U know u fucked up. Hahahaha XD

My name is Amar, and I am a 19 year old undergraduate medical student currently at my parent's house during my 2 week long summer vacation. Our family comprises of me, my little sister who is 15 years old, my mother and father. We are a normal middle class family, father is HR manager at a management institute and mother is a housewife. My little sister is in 10th standard at my old school. My appearance is kinda ordinary or maybe slightly above average, I have black hair, hazel brown eyes and lightly tan skin. I am a little on the chubby side due to my unhealthy addiction to anime, manga, novels, games, etc. Anyway after going to the medical college, I kinda lost touch with my old friends from my hometown because of being away for extended period of time. You might be thinking why I didn't keep in touch with them through social media apps, and my answer to that is simple. I am very lazy and I don't like to do any kind of extra work if I can get away with it. I am telling you all this because my mom basically kicked me out of the house to go out and socialize with my old friends. I am feeling kinda awkward because of this. My social skills are not that good to be honest with you. I mean I can make friends with everyone but the ones that I could call my close friends would be at most 2 or 3. So yeah I am just kinda walking on the road of life now and see if I can meet any of my old friends. I guess we can discuss some more about my life while I am walking if you are interested, if not well you don't have a choice. I have always been called an intelligent and bright child since I was little and have always been a curious person. When I was small, my mom told me that my name literally means immortal. And when I asked her what that means she told me about immortality in Hindu mythology. Ever since then I have been quite curious about that concept and love stories that show that concept in different kinds of ways. I guess my main motivation to be a doctor is also due to the fact that I want to find immortality through medical science and become immortal, as unrealistic as it sounds its kinda my goal if I ever achieve it. Well I kinda have an idea about it, like preventing telomere shortening during cell replication to prevent senescence. This phenomena happens in cancer cells and hence those cells are basically unaging, but I can't really induce cancer in every cell of my body just for immortality now can I? Sorry I don't want to become a failed version of Deadpool so yeah. I do have some anger issues but my lazy personality kinda helps me in controlling them so I am not a loose cannon. Though I still remember beating one of my friends when I was in seventh grade with a bat because of a small disagreement, though I immediately regretted it that event still haunts me. Speaking of regrets, I kinda have some regrets in my non existent love life. You see I kinda had a huge crush on this one girl in eighth grade, she was quite beautiful as well. I kinda fell in love with her later because of a single event in which she saved me from public shame. That event would have dragged my reputation down the drain like a certain Ishigami Yuu if she hadn't saved me, she even opposed the teachers and helped me clear my name. Anyway I kinda became great friends with her in ninth grade. And I like an idiot that I was at that time thought that she had good feelings towards me as well. Things were going great except I didn't have any courage to confess my feelings back then. Then I committed one of the biggest mistakes of my life, I told one of my close friends back then about my feelings. I told him to keep it a secret and well you know how it goes. It slowly spread to my other friends, I don't know if my crush knew about my feelings back then but well many others like 4 to 6 people knew. They kinda gave me a thorough push for me to confess my feelings and I don't know what came over me I confessed my love at the worst possible timing. I confessed at a freaking crowded staircase, and got instantly rejected. After that I did some things that I am not proud of and my relationship with her turned very antagonistic. Till the very end, I couldn't gather my courage to apologize to her till she and I both passed 10th standard. And then she changed schools. But no she didn't change schools because of me if you are wondering but because what she wanted to study some subjects which weren't taught at our school in higher classes. I still sometimes wonder what could have been like a simp but I guess that's how much I loved her. But enough about depressing stuff, now I am at our old gathering place where my friends and I used to hang out before I went away. Let's see if I meet anyone. And I guess they still use this place because I found 3 of my old friends there just chilling and hanging out. They are also smoking but I guess these things happen. "Yo what's up guys? It's been a while." I said to them while walking towards them. I don't know if that's what you say after meeting them for the first time in 6 to 8 months but yeah that's what I said. "Oh, so you're back here huh", one of them said to me. He continued with a smirk, "So what's our genius doctor doing these days? Got any girlfriends~?" "Sadly no", I shook my head with mock severe face. And then we all laugh because I know they don't have any from their expressions as well. After that we hung out for like 10 to 15 mins more, then played some Football (soccer). I am kind of okayish in that sport to be honest. But I guess it's good exercise. Anyway after playing we part ways and now I am on my way home. On my way back, I see my sister looking like she is arguing with a boy with similar body size, I can't say any more than that because I am like 400 meters away from them. Suddenly the guy hits my sister and knocks her out, and two other guys come from behind a building and they start taking her away. This street is kind of deserted, not really but currently nobody other than me and those guys are here. Moving on from describing the area, the moment that I saw someone hitting my sister my brain buzzed and sudden rage started bubbling in my body, adrenaline secretion hit the probably and my eyes started seeing red. 'YOU DARE! YOU ACTUALLY DARE HIT MY SISTER! THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS RIGHT TO HIT HER IS ME!' These were my thoughts at that moment. Kinda f**ked up I know, but thoughts are spontaneous. So I ran at full speed, there is no way I am allowing some random guys kidnap my sister for whatever reasons that they are doing. Those guys haven't realized my presence yet due to the distance and well like 5 seconds have passed. By the time I reach the spot from which they took her from, I see them entering an apartment room which is at the ground floor and closing the door behind them. I quickly run upto the floor in 5 seconds, don't know where that speed come from but maybe it's adrenaline. And I bang on the door and shout,"OPEN IT MOT***F***ERS!!". There was some shouting heard behind the door, and as the seconds passed on I grew really angry. I backtracked a bit then ran upto the door and rammed into it. There was a loud bang and the door opened, for an instant I saw some unfamiliar yet familiar markings on the door. And then my sight turned to black.

(Authors note "I apologze for it being so short I will do my best to make it longer on weekends")   Mikael was glancing over a map of fortifications surrounded by his officers as Alexei walked in to report news about the first wall. Clearly a look of frustration was showing in his face as he glanced helplessly at his officers and then to Alexei "Legate Mikael, its still a stalemate over in the first wall, however I don't have any clue as to how to break it, we can try to flank them with light cavalry as they assault us with siege towers but it will be in vain due the overwhelming firepower of the 4th legion." "I know I see how difficult it is do have any suggestions tribune?" replied Mikael, as a fire pot exploded near by spreading green flames of Greek fire to nearby battlements. "Legate I think we should counter attack, we should give up the first wall and retire our ballistas to the much higher second wall where there out of current enemy range, If we collapse the entrances leading up to the first wall and trap them upstairs we can have free reign to pelt them." "Thats nonsense, respectfully tribune there has to be a better way to counter attack" replied a disgruntled officer "Ive already lost half my cohort on the first wall." "Are you also forgetting that the 4th legion is held at bay due to the ballistas threatening their siege crews you should now that when they come and find the first wall is no longer manned we risk the keep being targeted as well." "Hmmm, what cohorts still have their full strength?" smiled Mikael "I suspect you want to gamble my life as you sally out to sandwich them tribune?" "Yes Legate" smiled Alexei whose face a was now blossoming in excitement. "Very well I will take the front and have the 1st cohort hold the line" replied Mikael "Hurry get me battle dressed and inform the front of my arrival have the 1st cohort take the front and relive the 5th." "Your a cold blooded woman, truly deserving of the mastermind of the Corpse Maker" replied a legion commander however despite the harsh name a clear cut of respect could be heard in the those words. .... Mikael donned his black armor and straddled his war horse looking at the walls he beckoned for his officers to follow. As they reached the front Mikael could see the damaged structures and raging fires along with hundreds of demigods standing by for orders, their calm demeanor clearly showed their decades of experience, their golden eagle standard and custom emblems gave off their proud heritage and achievements, one cohort stood out from the rest however. Every cohort that was on standby, were shoulder to shoulder however this cohort had a massive gap on either side clearly isolating it from the rest, on its standard was a completely black eagle looking down on the world and its emblem was the simplest of all a skull with a golden wreath in its teeth behind it a big 1 was embroidered. The officers next to Mikael looked in awe at the 1st cohort, many of them had heard about how many battles it participated in and how narrowly it avoided complete annihilation numerous times. "The 1st cohort, show off as always" said one officer "The Devils Tragic Story huh, no matter how many times I go in to battle Im always in awe of the 1st." said another "The only cohort with surviving members dating back to the previous Legate, how it must have been an honor to serve beside the 1st during its inception" "ATTENTION" beckoned one of Mikael officers, immediately the thousands of legionnaires gathered stood straight and proud puffing their chests out with pride. Mikael strode up to the legion and uttered his orders in an almost amused voice "Men guess what crazy idea your tribune come up with" Everyone's ears perked up as they rarely saw the commander smile " She wants us to fall back to the second wall an use the 1st and I as the perfect bait, so now I need these orders followed to a teeth, have the remaining cohorts collapse the first walls entrance and take apart our ballistas. Now be prepared for the hell that will rain down as their catapults with be in range." The men quickly organized themselves in marching order and move to the castle walls second gate. Looking up one could see up close how massive the 40 meter high walls and gloming towers were, around them they could see the engineer corps hastily constructing massive trenches and wicked fireball traps that would sizzle any incoming attacker. as they stood they saw the massive oak doors open and reveal the chaos that was the first wall. Barely anything stood higher then 3 stories, rubble and fires were everywhere and frantic damage control efforts were taking place to prevent more damage, however efforts were in vain as a yell blared across the battlefield "INCOMING" whereupon hundreds of firepots and boulders lit up the blue sky and shook the ground with every impact, the men could here men being tossed like rag dolls or crushed by the sheer weight of the boulders. The fires kept getting worse and worse spreading ever closer to the second gate , the smell of sizzling flesh was also noticeable. "They deserve praise for holding this long, I have to envy the 4th legion for its mastery of siege warfare, hopefully Alexei's plan works" thought Mikael Mikael could see he came just in time as the men of the 5th and other cohorts came up hauling siege equipment and looking relieved as they knew they would be withdrawn, no longer to suffer the continuous effort of putting out fires or stationing the night watch. " CENTURION MILES" commanded Mikael, and a dark skinned man walked out from the ranks of the first legion, he wore the cohorts signature plate black armor and helmet, his face was hidden in a black scarf but one could tell the decades of experience emanating from this man, he held the standard gladius with its black blade and gold engravings, on his back a blood red cloak was draped over his shoulders and embroidered in it was the legions eagle with the golden wreath. "Yes Legate" replied Miles as he saluted Mikael "Take the 1st 3rd and 4th cohort to the front we will act as the rear guard have the 2nd and 8th engineer cohort to help reinstall those ballistas," Miles relayed his orders and began to march out the gate his sword raised high and proud " FORWARD FOR HADES" he yelled "PREPARE FOR INCOMING MISSILES" As soon as it was mentioned yet another salvo came bearing down on the retreating 5th, but the destrction of flying men and bone didn't come instead what followed was the explosion of multiple missiles and a massive dark shield that stopped incoming projectiles. Everyone looked at Mikael who instead of holding the normal gladius held a wicked 3 meter scythe adorned with silver threads and silver stars almost as if it was taken off a lunar plane, the blade was as bright as the full moon and black handle shone countless glimmering stars of the night sky. "QUINN ITS ME MIKAEL, COME AND CHALLENGE MY FIRST I KNOW THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT." as Mikael pointed his scythe to the sky, clearly he ignored the amazement of his legionaries and beckoned his beloved 1st to move closer to the front. Almost as if the the opposing Legate heard him a single boulder with the message "enjoy the rain first" was crudely carved in the rock. "HAHAHAHAA a battle of strengths then." snorted Mikael. "Miles, order the men to form testudo its about to downpour.

Chapter 1 "LEGIONS TO ME" bellowed a bloodied figure. "YES, LEGION LEGATE" exclaimed thousands of bloodied men, their somber eyes shone through the foggy battlefield. The general himself stood out from the men bellowing at officers to organize. The general's appearance was that of an angel. His looks could be described as rough with dirty, gritty skin however his eyes could render the heavens speechless, along with perfect rosy lips. His jaws were chiseled like marble, smooth and sharp giving an overbearing presence on the battlefield. However, despite this his fighting spirit mimicked that of that devil. "FORM A LINE" yelled numerous Perfects and Centurions. Almost instantly after the rally command a broad line of shields had formed each 10 men deep by 50 men wide shoulder to shoulder unwavering. "Victores deinceps" yelled the General. The men followed his cries, as they marched forward their swords eager for blood and slaughter shined with unprecedented brilliance. (Notes: Forward to Victory in Latin) The Tartarus plains was the site where thousands of men have battled on the border, the Gods Prison world and the world of demigod and magic. The skies on the border were red hazy and with a deep amber background. A bloody light erupted from the sky itself alongside the ground was desolate, cracked as if the land had been razed, salted, charred, vegetation was nowhere to be seen, save for a few dried weeds.f Yet here on these fields laid hundreds of dead men and monster alike staining the field with weapons, soaking the ground red. The very air itself radiated death and blood lust. "General, the Chimeras are now in rout along with the gorgons. Tribune Alexie has taken the 5th, 6th and 8th cohorts to ensure the Calvary can flank their left." reported a battered messenger. ..... "Tribune Alexie, the 5th cohort's recon has spotted an odd spectacle" reported a messenger. "What is it barely anything can surprise us" replied a beautiful woman who barely looked 18. Her appearance was contrary to the general's demonic aura. Her sleek curves, slender figure combined with her mood anyone close to her would feel comfortable and combined with her smooth white skin and dark red eyes that could entice anyone, she would've caused an uproar in the cities. Along with that came the untidy black hair that further complimented her beauty. "It seems on the borders of Tartarus; a soul has escaped" replied a messenger. "Quickly organize the 1st cohort they should be in reserve and notify Legate Mikael. Iris message quickly." Alexie had a surprised look on her. "Never in my hundred years have I heard about a soul escaping Tartarus, let alone making it past even the underworlds Cerberus". .... Mikael was in the middle of combat when his line had opened allowing a messenger to pass. "SHIELDS UP, COVER THE MESSENGER" yelled Mikael upon seeing this. "Sir, Tribune Alexie said to mobilize the 1st cohort, a soul has escaped Tartarus, the routed monsters are getting closer to is as we speak." Mikael had turned into a serious man after hearing this, clearly his battlefield experiences never recorded such an event. Turning to the man Mikael commanded, "Inform Perfect Xia Fang, tell her she's in command and has the 1st cohort been mobilized?" "Yes, Legate Mikael. The 1st Cohort is waiting for you." "SWITCH" yelled Mikael. Within a few breaths the lines formed gaps allowing the front line to withdraw and the second line to step up. Mikael grabbed a horse riding as fast as he could to the 1st cohort. "Legionaries, a soul has been spotted around 20 minutes ago, last known location is over 30 minutes from here. Any light infantry centuries willing to deploy? This is a risky mission since the monsters are routed also we are fighting a desperate enemy." The cohort was filled with buzz as they never heard of a soul making it to the borders of Tartarus let alone escape it. Alongside this, came an uneasy feeling of death since the monsters were at their wits end. "The 666th century is willing" replied a determined centurion. "Victor Diyu, commander of the nicknamed Devil's Curse. As I recall your men are tasked with sabotage together with assassinations. Are you willing to do front line work?" smiled Mikael. "Of course, Legate Mikael." replied Victor. His looks can be described as average compared to anyone in the legion. He had a hazelnut eyes that were giving off a calm demeanor however, signs of weariness could be seen, his dark hair, white skin made him look like he was 20, and his beard was a messy stubble. There wasn't anything sticking out aside from his sides which held a pair of wicked daggers ordained with a black jewel on the pommel of the dagger with a red jewel at the hilt. The blade was a foot of dark purple steel that radiated the smell of poison. "Let us march then. Victor." replied Mikael in a satisfied tone. "Cohort, the rest are to mobilize together to enforce the 5th cohort so they can aid our retreat. " Shortly after, 100 men charged out on horseback making their way to the 5th followed by hundreds of marching men. ... "5th cohort 8th century sir, the monsters are 30 more minutes away, we have delayed them but since they are in dire straits both the 6th and 8th cohorts are tied down. We are suffering very heavily sir." reported a grim soldier. "How far out are we from the soul? " replied Mikael. "Close sir, around 20 minutes we left behind scouts to escort you back. " ,,, "We have arrived." said Mikael pointing at a small dazzling star of light emanating a faint hint of life brimming with a warm inviting glow around 30 meters away. Soon the light moved seeming to have spotted the men. "Seems we have guests too. " "Century ad aciem. Pila tolle." said Victor who was gleaming with the intent to do battle. (Note: Form a line. Ready Pila) Soon the century had formed battle lines and switching to up their spears, while also surrounding the soul and Mikael. They all were radiating determination with a sort of faint curiosity. "Soul, this is a treasure of Hades or also known as the Hades Hand meant to capture souls, when we're back at camp we shall assign you the Contract of Hades to allow you back to this world. " smiled Mikael. "Legionaries, retreat we cannot stop those Gorgons, they will decimate us like the heavy cavalry they are. " Victor soon grimaced seeing the gorgons had closing in approaching his rear lines. "Leo take the front." A bulky young man soon took the lead while Victor moved to the rear. Mikael however remained calm following Victor while grabbing some men. Soon two lines of men were formed. Horses lined up in neat orderly rows while the men's spears and shields formed a thicket of spikes forming a deadly wall. "We are light Cavalry, we should be able to slowly retreat and regroup with either the 5th or 1st cohort, remember these men. We are to only engage at a range." After saying this they saw the Gorgons equipped with long 5-meter spears, some at their backs had broad swords sharp enough to slice horse in half. They all had thick scale hides, wore bronze armor that lost their trace of brilliance due to battle, their helmets also hid their humanoid face and serpentine like hair. The Gorgons stood tall among the demigods at a height of four meters the tallest one seeing to be 5.5 meters. Upon seeing the retreating light cavalry, they immediately thought that a recon Corp had went too far due to their arrogance, now they had an opportunity to avenge their comrades. "CHARGE" "KILL" "BATTLE LINES" The Gorgons had gone mad from the loss due to the earlier battles. "Throw spears" Mikael said with a calm voice. Immediately hundreds of spears came crashing decimating the front lines of the gorgons causing it to falter seemingly collapsing. But this was just momentarily. "FRONT LINE RETREAT, SECOND LINE READY SPEARS. " Again, spears were thrown causing gorgons to trip over corpses and ditch their shields. "40 meters. Closing" Victor said "SECOND LINE WITHDRAW, THIRD LINE READY" Mikael still maintained his calm face ordering to keep repeating the process. "Sir 20 meters. Closing." "Show them our bows." Mikael simply said. With such a distance also barely, any lack of armor due to the spears the bow men had unleashed a torrent of unending arrows. "Those with any spears left take advantage and throw them." Seeing this torrent, the gorgons at the rear started to retreat for their lives while the front lines had been forced to stay still trying to cover themselves. "Seems like these Gorgons are the last of the reserves they don't seem to be holding like usual." said Victor who was happily witnessing the sight. "Yes, but we still have to retreat. We have held them at bay like this, but we aren't too far off anymore from the 5th. " replied Mikael "Stop firing." "Make haste, as fast you can I estimate that the 5th is only 10 more minutes away. " With this order the bowmen retreated and pushed their horses back to the 5th. Along with Mikael coupled with Victors spearmen. ... Editors: MD and Mimi, Silvia Proofreaders: Andreas Notes: This has been in my drafts since 2018 never was a good writer but I just wanna share the work since I have more free time. Ill update 1 every 2 days, heres chapter 1 to 4 :) Chapter 2 "THE 666TH CENTURY AND 5TH RECON BRIGADE ARE ARRIVING, " yelled a man. "BATTLE LINES THE ROUTED GORGONS CAN EITHER RUN AWAY OR CHARGE US" Alexie was raising her spear and shield ready to block the charge. Her worried face could be seen through the visor, she knew that they wouldn't come off lightly from this encounter. The marching soldiers quickly formed the standard lines, drawing their swords. All of them had a trace of fear knowing that they would be facing a crazed enemy, despite this their shield wall felt as if they could block the heavens while, their spears could pierce through space. The retreating men had arrived in tow were followed by roughly 500 gorgons. All of whom had 5-meter spears with bronze round shields. They all emitted rank 4 auras their killing intent enough to suffocate anyone. These were hells horses with their thick scaly hides moreover murderous fangs. The speed at which they closed in made everyone feel nervous. "Leave it to Mikael to take only a 150-man century with 80 scouts." Alexie sighed. She knew her Legates actions were unorthodox. Upon seeing the cohorts Mikael ordered the retreating men to the rear lines while he quickly rode to the center where Alexie had commanded the formation. Not even 5 minutes after this the gorgons had not stopped, taking advantage of their momentum as a spearhead to break the lines. "Hmph a mere 500 gorgons dare challenge my 1st and 5th cohorts? " Mikael snorted. "LEGIONS THROW SPEARS, ARCHERS WAIT FOR THE SPEARS TO STOP THEN FIRE. " Mikael bellowed. "YES, LEGATE MIKAEL" erupted thousands of roars. "FORM A WEDGE. SHIELDS UP" yelled a gorgon while taking the initiative forming the tip to which a mass wedge soon formed. The wedge looked as if the men were facing a tank, some men thought they could very well flatten horses. Soon the splintering of spears, arrows, shields sounded despite taking all the spear attack the gorgons still proceeded though only numbering 500, they thanked their thick hides for being alive. They pressed forward unyielding resilience in their eyes. Soon they raised their shields together with their spears up preparing for the collision. BOOM! The collision of men and gorgons caused hundreds of men to fly, it caused shields to crack from just the sound of impact. Weapons and armor pieces were thrown in the air. The sounds of war and despair haunted the battlefield. "CENTER RETREAT, FLANKS CUT OFF THEIR RETREAT. HAMMER AND ANVIL LIKE IN TRAINING" roared Mikael. The center line was filled with corpses from the initial charge. Havoc ensued coupled with the sound of agony as the wounded were being treated. Mikael could see the dark ground littered with weapons as well as impaled soldiers who died standing. The Gorgons were fighting madly their spears kept men at bay, numerous lines were being impaled. They killed at astonishing speeds soon penetrating deep in the legion's lines. Mikael and Alexie's lines were next. The man next to Alexie found himself with three others behind him with a spear through their shields. All were dead on impact. "CURSE YOU." yelled Alexie and threw her spear at the gorgon who now was holding a short saber. The spear erupted with such power that some gorgons froze with fright. The very air itself seemed like it would penetrate through anything. "A rank 5 tribune?!!! A rank 6 spear arts???" cried a gorgon "A tribune quickly charge her our deaths won't be in vain if we kill a second in command. " said another. They didn't get a chance. Alexie had drawn a fallen soldiers spear and threw it at the saber gorgon who instantly blew up to bits on impact, the surrounding explosion had killed 4 other gorgons. Monster parts flew everywhere, their weapons sent flying like shrapnel causing the men to form shield walls. This caused a wave of fear to spread through the ranks of gorgons while it also unknowingly spread dedication in the 5th and 1st cohorts. This woman will avenge us, our deaths are never in vain since our souls can proudly say we are already avenged thus leave with no regret. Though this thought was merely a dream as all the men knew about their Hades Contracts. Following this came a surge of morale, soon soldiers were surrounding and killing the remnants. When a Gorgon threw a spear numerous shields and scrolls went up to shield the men. When a saber came crashing down a man, his shield would rise and stab the monster in the gut. The pattern had repeated with much hardship and soon the battle was in the legions favor. Mikael was another story. He fought side by side with Alexie and was unorthodox wherein he wasn't in formation and was wildly picking up dropped spears and hurling them while Alexie covered close attacks. Alexie blocked a saber with a shield following it had stabbed at the monster's stomach while Mikael had picked up a Pila throwing it at the monster behind her. Soon another monster had come, charged for Mikael while he was in mid throw only to be blocked by Alexie's shield followed by a sword drilled through his abdomen. Mikael smiled at this thinking "numerous battlefields, just now I see this side of her. " Not long after this the remaining monsters had been killed. All there were corpses looted put into chaos rings which held an empty space for items with each having a varied in dimension size. "Calvary of the 3rd legion has taken care of surviving Gorgons and Chimera" said a kneeling man to Mikael. "Order all men back to Lutetia City. Order the medical brigades over here. These gorgons managed to kill hundreds of my men I commend their courage. Under such a force I would could not blame anyone who chose to run." .... Lutetia city was one of the staging grounds for the demigod army. This was a border town. Most of its inhabitants were Demigod soldiers save for the few mortals used for miscellaneous tasks like nursing or transport. West of the town were the barracks, and in the center was a massive courtyard of around 3 kilometers and is where Mikael's men of the 1st legion were soon gathering. Under a starry sky a blazing bonfire was set along with hundreds of long tables with thousands of men who were gather drinking and eating to their heart's content thanks to the previous battle they earned extra pay coupled with extra loot. The scenery was a party, soldiers were rejoicing all around. It was a hard-fought victory they thought. The numerous campfires had spits with boar, pig, cow could be seen everywhere with their skin glistening with fats. The tables were lined with desserts, wine and exotic dishes satisfying everyone's appetite. "LEGATE MIKAEL AND TRIBUNE ALEXIE ARE HERE ABOUT FACE." yelled a man. As if a spell was cast the courtyard was silent facing a platform in front of the bonfire. There Mikael and Alexie stood holding the Hades Hand. "Men today we had faced off a legion of Gorgons and Chimeras which numbered around 25,000 strong" "Our 1st Legion of Hades or we as all know Devils Tragedy, was deployed with 150,000 men and 50,000 Calvary of the 3rd Legion. Our casualties are heavy since they were comparable to 50,000 heavy Cavalry. With regret we have lost 55,000 men of the 1st , 2nd and 5th cohorts and 15,000 men of the 3rd legion" The men soon took a somber mood after a minute of silence in unison yelled "THE VOICES OF HELL SHALL SING FOR OUR COMRADES" "As you know a soul was found to have escaped Tartarus, somehow making it past the monsters and the iron gates, to the border of the demigod realm. Let us see what this soul is and if the Hades Hand will offer her a contract, if not then we shall hand it to the Legions of Zeus and Poseidon. " Mikael infused his energy into the Treasure following this the camp was enveloped with the aura of murder and death. Every one of the men had seen this happen during their contract but had never seen such thick murderous aura that made them feel like ants. Mikael and Alexie were both shocked they thought this wasn't an ordinary sinner or soul. Following this came a flash of light a light forming the figure of a girl. .... Editors: MD and Mimi, Silvia Proofreaders: Andreas Chapter 3 (Notes: Just an Important Background chapter ;3) The whole camp was full of murmurs in addition questioning as to why the contract was emitting off so much hate, murder as well as killing intent that would cause anyone to feel as if the world was on top of them. The campfire now was covered in dark karmic flames which looked like the very world would burn. They knew it would be no ordinary sinner that the Hades Hand would summon. Everyone in the barracks would feel as if ice had stuck to their hearts after experiencing this. Shortly after the figure was manifesting into a tall slender woman that looked around 20. The murderous aura surrounding them wasn't suited to this figure. Her rosy lips matched with deep hazelnut eyes could warm a person to there very soul. Her light brown skin showed no flaws, her slender figure had a build of muscle with very little fat. Also she had dark messy white hair that made her eyes sparkle. She looked like a Aphrodite's royal guard if there was one. "Xia Fang!" barked Mikael breaking the silence around the camp causing everyone to come back. "Bring her to your barracks. Educate her on our world. Take her to me when you feel she's ready for war." A woman in full battle gear had climbed up the steps then proceeded to produce a blanket and cover the woman. After kneeling she departed saying "Yes, Legate Mikael" .... Two days later Xia Fang had been happily taking a nap when she had heard a stirring of the sounds of someone waking up. Immediately she hastened to get up and organize her tattered self. "Soul, I am Prefect Xia Fang of the 1st legion and 15th century. May I ask who are you ?" a messy pajama dressed Xia Fang asked. The girl looking at the woman couldn't help but think she was pretty just like that her messy hair had made her rosy cheeks pop. The pajamas had made her figure more slender as well as curvy while her eye were a sky blue combined with light jade skin. The girl also had a sort of feeling like a big older sister, her sky blue eyes had a nice combo with her dark auburn hair. "I remember being called Natalia Vergeben" she replied. Xia Fang pointed to a series of Armor with neatly arranged black gold greaves , breastplates, gauntlets and chain mail stands saying "that third one starting from the left is yours." Then she pointed at a pile of pajamas, shirts, jeans also a sword saying "your sword is to be with you at all times, in case of monster attacks we are close to the Tartrus Prison world after all. Armor is worn during patrol as well as combat, while these are the shirts that you wear when your in town. " Natalia had accepted the clothes, then proceeded to examine the armor. The armor had given off a faint vibe of remorse, grief, with hatred to kill. The breastplate itself was painted black with a series of over lapping plates for flexibility, it had numerous gold lines adorning it giving the armor a rich feeling of luxury. A distinct skull marking on the left with a fill in for which seemed like a squad identifier was on the right. The sword itself looked brand new and didn't give off a vibe of anything like the armor set. "Natalia welcome to the 1st Legion of Hades. " Xia Fang proudly exclaimed"We are the Devils Tragedy, We are the cries of hell itself" Natalia stared blankly at the woman saying "The Devils Tragedy? " Xia Fang turned upon somber hearing this saying "Natalia you were a soul that had managed to escape Tartarus. Ever since the downfall of Greece we demigods have been tasked with defending this world and preventing a Second Titan war that could wipe out both the world of Demigods and mortals." "We who are accepted by the contract are given a fate that defies the heavens themselves. We are sinners who deserve to be in the deepest levels of hell but have been given a chance at life. For the contract to accept a soul means they have committed the greatest sins know to man." Natalia looked at Xia Fang with shock and awe, thinking to herself "what have I done in the past". Xia Fang continued on with her tale. "The contract is hell on Earth with a cruel choice which is a second life but once death has come you will be in damnation subjected to torture greater then the ones you were subject to before. We defied the will of the heavens with this contract we all know our punishments. " Xia Fang looked somber at this but moments later had said "This is your second chance Natalia make it count" Natalia looked at her with a fearless face spoke "If I have already defied heavens will, then so be it they will not impede my chance at this new life" "Very well let me get you accustomed to this world of demigods." Xia Fang happily said "Everyone here in the barracks is a demigod either from the major 12 gods or the many minor gods that have existed. Some are born from with abilities like Ares the God of War whose children have talent for combat and sword arts. I myself am the child of Eris born with the gift of discord and strife. As for you Natalia we'll find out tonight," "Who is Legate Mikael? " Natalia said out of no where. Startled Xia Fang said " The commander of the 1st legion he is also in the 1st Cohort nicknamed the Devils Tragic Story. If you want to know about his sins, you will have to ask for yourself since no one knows. Also no one knows which God he belongs to but he's extremely powerful already a Legate at 27. " Natalia was shocked to hear this, she thought "Hearing this praise it seems even at just 27 he really is a formidable, shocking figure" Xia Fang saw her expression chuckled " Relax Natalia we all are sinners. I myself am a murderer. But why should I let my past influence me. That is what Legate Mikael said. We have already defied heaven, thus owe them a favor for granting us this contract." "Tribune Alexie Peccator is second in command. She is the famous Jack The Ripper the murderer of countless women in 1888 England. Daughter of Athena." Xia Fang said this in a laughing manner since Natalia kept making more and more shocking expressions. This camp as well as the legion as they call it is full of sinners thought Natalia. I must have been fated to be here I wonder what sins I have committed. What is this world ? What was she talking about? What kind of God did I come from.?" ,,,, Book 1 Chapter 4 Lost Soul (Notes: Important Background Cont.) "Xia Fang, what are those formalities you keep adding to the names of Commander Mikael and Alexie?" asked Natalia "Let's go outside" laughed Xia Fang Natalia followed outside and was soon shocked when she had seen the sheer size of the camp. There were cabins each around three stories high which had balconies that wrapped around the building in addition there were mounted ballistas attached to each corner. Each roof had at least 4 men on top, all of then could be seen relaxing on the roof slopes or hanging in the balconies. The buildings looked like they were ready to war anytime. While they all looked ready for war, one could feel a sense of comfort and joy inside the buildings. The roads were paved in a nice neat cobblestone where she could see hundreds of carriages and demigods traveling and selling wares. Looking around once more Natalia could hear the forges of fire coupled with the bangs of hammer and metal. Off in the distance she could hear the sounds of battle cries mixed with cheering. The barracks were lively, in addition the very ground itself with its paved stones and smooth concrete helped make the place comforting. Xia Fang led her closer to the east side of the camp and was greeted to the edge of a cliff with hundreds of spectators seated on wooden stands. At the bottom a lively sight of thousands of men, women, horses were seen assaulting a huge 500 meter wide castle that made them look like ants they all had blue or silver armor. The castle had thousands of archers, swordsman and a few cavalry but was somewhat lacking in mounted weapons like the barracks. The walls were littered with port holes and firing stations. At the tops of the walls she saw thousands of demigods firing arrows, delivering food, treating wounded all while seemingly keeping order. She could hear numerous orders, sounds of anger and arrows harassing the ground troops or harassing the castle defenders. Those defenders had all worn black or blood red armor. Natalia then saw a mass amount of men at the rear preparing numerous siege weapons which rivaled the castles height which could make the castle wall run for it's money. In front of the siege weapons stood a mass of men forming the tortoise formation. Everyone one of them battle hardened and ready for battle. Thousands of swords shone in brilliance ready for bloodshed and murder. Their shields emblems was a black and golden dog resonating determination, showing off their spirits, it seemed they would fight until the last man. Xia Fang said "This is the morning war games meant for achieving testing your weapon arts and your overall rank. That blue and silver side are the 2nd and 4th legion of Hades, while the black and red armors are the 1st and 3rd legion of Hades. No one dies there because the field itself is a dimension on its own once you "die" you are automatically thrown out. " "Interesting it seems that its looking like a stalemate, how long do these war games go on?" "Ummm, the longest I've seen was around 20 days it was tricky for both sides as heavy rain and mud covered the fields lowering accuracy for both attackers and defenders, pretty soon engagements went strictly hand to hand, defenders won in the end as the enemy was forced to scale walls with little or no siege support. Come Natalia lets head to the stands, its a perfect time for me to explain everything." Natalia and Xia soon made there way to the cliff side and found seats amid the curious stares of legionnaires. "Go on as me something Natalia" beckoned Xia "Well to start off where are we really and what caused this, explain what am I?" "That's a rather heavy question, Well to start in the beginning,There once was a mighty Titan named Gaia gave birth to multiple other titans who ruled our world, however there was a prophecy where the titans would be overthrown by their children so Kronos ate and swallowed what we know as our gods today, eventually Zeus the leader of our Gods killed his father and overthrew the titans scattering them to what we know as Tartrus." Xia cleared her throat and continued on "Soon the Gods made man and man made the civilization knows as Greece, here the Gods set down roots and were free to roam the Earth, they had many demigod children born with unique talents and cunning prowess, all of them made for war." "However peace didn't last and soon Greece fell and caused the first cracks in the Gods powers, as war ravaged the land and razed civilization, the Gods busy with saving their children or preventing wars had cause the Titans to notice and thereby weaken the prison world, this allowed them to unleash there monster spawn to the world." "They didn't have much time however as the Gods now backed the powerful Roman Empire who established peace and the Golden Age of Rome, here demigods were fully brought to the spotlight, myths like Cesar, Aurelius, and Marian conquered the world, upon this the Gods also entrusted them to hold the lines of the now weakened Tartarus while they repaired the damaged bonds separating the mortals from the hell." Xia Fang halted and pointed proudly at her armors emblem and said "Thats were we were born, Zeus established his legions from the mortal world as did Poseidon who both brought on numerous other minor gods to their fold. Hades however was left with nothing but the blame for oversight as he was originally in charge of keeping the Titans locked up. Since he couldn't recruit within normal means he built his legion of the damned as they call us, people who don't deserve second chances murderers, thieves and outcasts of society." Natalia didn't seem phased by this as she herself was one of the darkest souls to be accepted by the contract. "Well your probably asking how we can become such nice close knit people well that's because we have all died compared to the mortal legions we have gone through death and the torture of hell, though were bound to relive it we get a second chance which all the matters." "Natalia you may not remember the torture of hell but we all have" said Xia "Ive said alot already lets enjoy the wargame for now who knows maybe youll see the legates duel it out."   ... Editors: MD and Mimi, Silvia Proofreaders: Andreas (Authors notes: Thanks for making this far into this webnovel never thought someone would actually read it. Anyways Ill try to release 1 every 2 days as were just a group of college kids trying to satisfy our novel cravings. Sorry for any typos we always try to proof read.)

The young village girl had only barely managed to flee beyond the edge of the town, however she was too late to avoid the guards. She saw her father get killed, and while she turned to flee before she could witness the fate of her mother, it was likely she suffered the same fate. Men in armor from the Baharuth Empire had come into their village and slaughtered as many as they could find. For now she didn’t care what happened to the village, and to an extent she didn’t really care what happened to her, she only wished to see her little sister survive above all.   As her back was slashed at by a soldier’s sword from behind she fell to her knees, trying her best to protect her little sister in her arms as the pain pierced her body, blood slowly trickling down her back, staining her clothes as the wound continued to bleed. She had failed, not only her parents but her sister as well, there was no escape from this, she expected the end immediately but…   The end didn’t come.   But death did.   She looked up as she realized the soldier’s sword had stopped midair, looking onwards she could see why, a dark void engulfing the air around it, the only way she could describe it would be to call it a ‘door’ of sorts, which moments later she would be proven correct. As if stepping through a doorway to the mortal plane, a skeletal being with grand robes and clothing which she could only describe as ‘death itself’ stepped out of the void.   She thought it was death coming to claim her but… The soldiers had frozen as well. Death was not alone however, with it came another, stepping out of the void was another being, far more ‘human’ in appearance, but they gave off an aura of something grander. This being was a shining beacon of beauty, and while they had long silver-blue hair which could be called feminine, they seemed rather androgynous, their glowing yellow eyes shimmering brightly in the sunlight bleeding through the leaves.   To the young villager girl, it looked as if Death itself had stepped out of the void with life at their side. After only a moment, the skeleton stepped aside and the other stepped forwards, their right hand reaching across their body and pulling out a long, thin, and curved sword, though one that emanated the same power the two of them did. The being said only two words, “World Break!” and in an instant the sword swung across their body and now pointed to their right, seemingly having done nothing but slash the air.    Within a split second however, the girl felt a slight gust of wind, as if the slash itself had pierced through the air above her. Despite how she couldn’t bring herself to look away, her curiosity overpowered her shock as she looked back to see the soldier as stiff as a statue, however with a line thinner than string visible directly across his neck as a second later his body collapsed forwards, however his head toppled backwards, cut cleanly from the body so quickly that the heat from the slash had practically cauterized the cut instantly, and no blood gushed out.   In the next moment, the skeleton stepped forward, extending its arm and opening its skeletal hand before slowly beginning to close it, “Grasp Heart.” A moment later, the other knight chasing them let out an eruption of blood from their mouth before collapsing onto the floor, dead.   Enri held her sister close, expecting them to be the next victims, but again the end did not come. They had been saved by the embodiment of life and death. The servers should be down… right? Maybe they pushed back the shutdown? Maybe it takes a few moments to turn off? I’m no expert but surely turning off the servers isn’t this slow? Now that I look around I don’t see the console UI anymore either. What is going on?!   It only took me a moment to realize I had sprung up from my seat on the throne in shock, however my attention was redirected as I heard what I would realize to be the NPC Albedo speaking to me, “What is wrong, Lord Momonga?”   The NPC was… speaking? I mean speaking NPCs existed but… Well definitely not like this. I remained frozen as I had to figure out what was going on, though I had no clue.   Albedo continued to repeat herself, “Lord Momonga? Lord Momonga!” now moving closer to me with a worried expression, “Is there a problem, Lord Momonga?”   I saw her breasts bounced as she came closer, and to my knowledge Yggdrasil didn’t have much in the form of advanced ‘jiggle physics’ at least in that department, a moment after my shock was suddenly and forcefully calmed as I muttered “The GM Call function isn’t working…” The voice I seemed to speak with was deeper than my normal voice, not to mention my mouth moved when speaking it. Though by moving it was more like it simply opened, since I didn’t have a mouth, tongue, or any sort of vocal organs to need to move my mouth for.    Albedo took a step back, “I apologize. An ignorant one such as myself has no answer for this ‘GM Call’ you speak of.” Her mouth moves too, I thought at first I might have just been moving my avatar’s mouth, but it seems all speech has their mouths move… “If you would allow me to correct this grave mistake I will be forever grateful!”   I sat down again, I have no potential explanation for what is happening. I was speaking with an NPC… Was this a bug or something else entirely? If I'm gonna find out anything I need to test some things. Firstly I let go of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and, just like normal, it floated in the air. Despite this I still can't use my console still and I can’t contact any sort of administration. Whatever, if this isn’t the game anymore I need to be safe. “Sebas!” Can I even order them around? Whatever!   Sebas looked up, “Yes!”   “Sebas, step out of the tomb and confirm the surroundings around Nazarick.”   Sebas stood up instantly, saying “Understood, Lord Momonga.” before turning to head out of the tomb.   I looked over at the battle maids lined up at the side of the room, “Pleiades, go to the 9th floor and guard it from possible intruders.”   With this the maids began to walk out in a single file line. It seems the NPCs understand my orders even if they aren’t designated commands…   Albedo looked over at me smiling, “So, Lord Momonga, what should I do?”   There is one last thing I need to test… I’m not too proud of it but it's vital I know! “Let's see, come here then.”   Albedo simply said “Yes!” and proceeded to get uncomfortably close, leaning in so close that I could smell her, yet another thing I shouldn’t be able to do… Whatever I need to test further.   “Albedo I’m going to touch you.”   “Yes!”   I grabbed at her wrist, to which she responded with a moan which I decided to ignore for the time being. It seemed she had a pulse, it seemed as if the NPCs were now alive. Am I even in the game anymore? Is this some kind of update? There’s really only one way that I can for certain confirm whether or not this is still a game.   “Albedo, can I touch your chest?”   Before Albedo made a response I heard a “Ehh?!” from my left as I realized Rimuru was still very much here. Regardless of whether or not Rimuru was here, this test needed to be done. I don’t want to confuse the NPCs since they don’t seem to have the concept of aspects such as ‘GM Call’ so I’ll see if I can message him directly.   [‘Rimuru, you can hear me right?’]   [‘Yeah I can hear you, what are you doing?’]   [‘Apologies, I take it you realize the situation we’re in, correct?’]   [‘Pretty hard to ignore it.’]   [‘Exactly, I need to test this to fully prove whether or not we’re still in the game.’]   [‘I suppose if that's all there is to it, I’m frankly curious as well.’]   By the time me and Rimuru wrapped up our brief conversation internally Albedo replied to my request with a wide smile and a pink blushing face, “Of course. Please touch me as much as you wish!”   Rimuru slouched in his slime form, privately speaking to me again, [‘Shouldn’t have messed with her settings.’]   Sighing, I knew he was right. Though I worry what ‘bitch’ Albedo would be like. Regardless I had to test this. My shaky hand slowly approached her breast before grabbing at it, a clear act that would only be possible in an 18+ game, meaning this wasn’t another Yggdrasil game, and likely not another DMMO either. Considering how realistic their expressions, smells, and general existence as a whole are, I have to accept the possibility that all of this just became real somehow.   [‘Really enjoying her breast there, aren’t you Momonga?’]   I recalled my hand suddenly as I realized I had continued to fondle her during my inner monologue, Rimuru seemed to find it amusing enough to laugh however. Eventually I responded, [‘Sorry about that, got lost in analyzing it.’]   [‘No worries, I know you better than to assume you’d do something like that.’]   Albedo, on the other hand, seemed to have enjoyed it a bit too much though that's my fault for altering her personality. Before I could think of what to do next Albedo interrupted my thoughts, “You’re going to take me for the first time here and now, aren’t you?”   An audible “Huh?!” came out of both me and Rimuru simultaneously.   Albedo simply continued on with her lustful ramblings, “What should I do with my clothes? Should I remove them myself? Or would you like the remove them Lord Momonga?”   I panicked and threw my hands up “S-Stop! Stop now, Albedo! Now is not the time… No, we don’t have time to be doing such things.”   Albedo jumped back, distraught, “I-I am very sorry!”   I raised my hand to calm her down, “It’s fine Albedo, I forgive you completely. More importantly, I have an order for you.”   “I will do anything you wish.”   “Except for the Guardian of the Fourth Floor and Victim of the Eighth Floor, gather everyone to the fighting Arena on the Sixth floor. Have them gather there in an hour from now.”   “Does that also include the other Guardian of the Eighth Floor?”   I nodded in response while Albedo bowed.   “Understood.”   With that Albedo left the Throne room, leaving me and Rimuru as I sighed., “Quite a situation we find ourselves in, you got any idea what's happening?”   Rimuru shook his slimy body, it appeared as if he was more expressive now, perhaps whatever changes happened to the NPCs’ liveliness also impacted Rimuru’s expressiveness in his slime form. “I doubt much more than you do, I’m afraid.”   “I see… What is your take on our situation then?”   Rimuru looked up at the hall in front of us before looking back towards me, “If I had to guess, we’re probably not in a game anymore. No game that I’ve heard of has this level of realism, and I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to not have a logout button, and even if the game didn’t have one, the system by default has an emergency shut down option we can usually access…”   I nodded, there was no other option, we had to assume the most extreme outcome had come true, even if I didn’t fully believe it, it’s best to remain safe than sorry. After a few more moments of thought I stood up, looking down at my hand and the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown which allowed for the Guild Members to travel around the Tomb through teleportation. “Alright then, let's go.”   With that, I vanished and appeared once more on the Sixth Floor, used primarily for its amphitheater, it was also known for the forest surrounding it, not to mention what Rimuru deemed his pride and joy of Nazarick, his largest project, the Great Forest of Jura. I had followed Ainz shortly after he teleported, now standing within the hallway leading to the Amphitheater of the Sixth Floor. While Ainz was likely about to interact with the Guardians of the floor, Aura and Mare, I had another intention in mind.   The Sixth Floor was home to the Great Forest of Jura, and within it were three locations, first was the Amphitheater that we had transported into, the second was the labyrinth of a cave that housed the secret entrance to the Treasury, and lastly the city, though I don’t recall actually giving it a name. These three areas were three different challenges invaders would have to face. Two of these were effectively required to pass through, the third, specifically the cave, was basically a secret ‘boss’ of Nazarick that could only be challenged after actually unlocking the door in the later levels and then going back up to level six to challenge the strongest NPC in Nazarick. The remaining two were the Amphitheater where the main battle was against the two Floor Guardians Aura and Mare, and the City, which was intended to be a guerilla urban-warfare battle. The case in Yggdrasil was that most players had at least some experience even in the harsh terrain such as lakes and Volcanoes, however urban combat was rare in Yggdrasil, or at the very least any organized combat which utilized the urban environment.   Ultimately the idea behind the city was to make players fight in a terrain they had less experience fighting in against a series of AI with probably one of the best organization programming in Yggdrasil. You weren’t just fighting NPCs in a city, you were fighting a fully organized and coordinated army, one with full knowledge of the city they were fighting in. This city was the pinnacle of my efforts for Nazarick, and while it would go mostly underused, the NPCs I created there which were later expanded upon by others would prove to be the focus of my investments into Nazarick for the last few years, outside of helping Momonga with basic maintenance. Ultimately I felt it right to pay it a visit, as part of me wanted to see it alive.   Eventually transporting into my human form behind Momonga I turned and asked, “Hey Momonga, mind if I head out to the city for a bit? Might as well check their loyalty considering how many personalities we directly coded into a number of them.”   Momonga faced me and nodded, “Yes of course, I will not stop you, I know how proud you are of your efforts, though I will ask… I should’ve told Albedo, but I don’t believe they have the proper means to access his chamber without the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, so do me a favor and bring Veldora on your way back, it's vital he’s on our side.”   I nodded, “Yes of course, I’ll be back in less than an hour.”   “I’ll meet you here then.”   With that turned and walked off. The Amphitheater was at the outskirts of the city, made to be infiltrated after managing to fight your way through the city. It was possible to go around the city, but the challenge in doing so was just as, if not more difficult than going through the city for some parties. The actual defense of the system was organized by an elaborate system which I cannot for the life of me understand as I did not code it. It primarily aims to make the armies of the city fight as strategic units rather than blobs of forces charging at their enemies. They would use their surroundings, ambush them, strike quickly from dark alleyways or shadows, all sorts of attacks.   The armies were made up of a few groups, primarily lower level monsters though with large numbers and supported by the algorithm and programming causing them to fight as armies. The first, largest, and made up of the weakest monsters of all of the armies are the Goblins, specifically Hobgoblins. These were split into two groups, the basic infantry ‘Green Numbers’ which was the primary infantry force of the city, and the ‘Goblin Riders’ which utilized ‘evolved’ Dire Wolves and shadow movement to be a highly agile force capable of dealing damage before booking it out of danger. The head of the Goblin Riders is one of the head NPCs of the city which not only had more elaborate backstories and personalities (most of which I only had limited influence in actually writing at the time), but also increased strength which made them individually powerful foes. This NPC was one of the weaker ones among that group, however his build was a bit more optimized due to the strategy he used, meaning his weakness is easily made up for by agility.   The next group is the Orcs, they have lesser numbers but are not only more heavily equipped, but are basically the tanks of the army, low agility, high defense, even high damage output outside of their slow attack speed. Some of them even have some decent level earth magic. The leader of this group is Geld who has one of the highest defense stats of any NPC in Nazarick (though he is beaten out by most, if not all floor Guardians among others). His rot damage is one of the least defended against due to its rarity meaning oftentimes the enemy party may get poisoned and allow him to simply fight a war of attrition until their deaths or otherwise he can deal heavy damage at the cost of slower attacks.   The next and smallest group are the Dragonewts, which are advanced forms of Lizardmen. These fall into two categories, those part of the flying squad, and those part of the stealth squad. The flying members are more lizard-like in appearance and mostly focus on hunting down enemies in the city, relaying their location, and going in for the attack. Their leader, Gabiru, isn’t too strong, however his powerful weapon, ‘Vortex Spear’ easily makes up for much of his shortcomings. The second group focuses primarily on stealth-based attacks and shadow movement, all having more humanoid appearances, headed by the Oni Souei.   Lastly are the Kijin and Oni. In terms of the basic soldiers, they consist entirely of Kijin and function as the City’s primary spellcasting force, utilizing various magics. These are headed by the leader of all the armies, Benimaru. Benimaru, along with Souei are both members of the Oni race which make up some of the strongest NPCs in the city. The weakest of the Oni was Kurobei, who while functioning as a tank, had just as many levels in crafting-type skills as he did in anything solely combat related. Hakurou is a Sword Saint much like one of the Floor Guardians, Cocytus. Souei is a stealth-based build utilized to further make the lives of any infiltrating party pain. Shuna is a holy-based magic caster containing both healing magic and powerful holy magic spells such as ‘Disintegration.’ Shion is built as a tankier body-guard-like build. In particular she was made to both guard and aid any guild members of Ainz Ooal Gown in defending the city, primarily as they may fall victim to an ambush or sneak attack themselves within the city. Lastly is Benimaru, the NPC which makes all of the coordination between units possible. Not only is he high level in leader-type classes, but his magical abilities make him equally powerful in a combat aspect. He is effectively the strongest NPC within the City itself.   Despite all of this, I have little knowledge on their personalities, and I barely did much in terms of their outfits and gear. I didn’t want to make this many NPCs solely just from me, so instead I made it a collaborative effort. While over time I have contributed the most to their leveling up as well as being the one who created them and initially made their base designs, it's hard to argue that ultimately I was their primary ‘creator.’ As part of this collaboration however, I had little say in the personalities of any of them. In fact I hardly know a single one, so I’m not quite sure what to expect.   As I began to walk down the streets of the town I realized it was quite… lively. In truth I shouldn't have been surprised, Ainz Ooal Gown and by proxy Nazarick was just as much of a roleplay focused guild as it was a combat one, it makes sense that the NPCs were coded to be able to live normal lives. In fact I believe there’s even shops and warehouses throughout the city, even some ‘civilian’ NPCs which only fought when their homes were invaded.   It only took the citizens a few moments to notice my presence, many bowing or kneeling as I walked by, others quickly heading away, though I don’t imagine it was out of fear or rebelliousness, I’d imagine it was probably to inform the heads of the City of my arrival. As I approached the center of town, I would be proven correct.   The center of town was a wide open space with a large fountain in the middle of it. The top of the fountain had a miniature statue of me in my slime form, which I remember putting there solely because I wasn’t sure what to put at the top of it, but had no better ideas. It’s probably a bit egotistical of me to put it there but it's a bit late now. In front of the fountain however was where my interest was held as just about every significant fighter within the city was kneeling before me, much like the Pleiades had been in the throne room.    In the front was Rigurd, the de facto head of the village and of all the Goblins. He had a lot of levels into unarmed striking classes, and just about everything into the strength category, but he was never fully intended to be fighting on the front lines or seeking out any invaders. He was basically a miniboss any invaders would have to fight within the Town Hall. Considering there wasn’t actually that much to defend within the town hall, his presence there was mostly for the sake of roleplay and environmental storytelling, to make it feel more like you were truly fighting a nation.   Behind him were just about every important figure in the city, from all the Oni to some of the Goblin Leaders and Geld, the orcs’ leader along with Gabiru, the dragonewts’ leader. Immediately upon my approach, Rigurd looked up at me quickly and shouted, “Welcome Great Rimuru! We are honored to have you come to our grand city which you built for us! Words cannot express our gratitude for your arrival!”   Rigurd looked down again upon finishing, as I came to terms with the fact that the city, at the very least, was certainly still loyal, maybe too committed to praising me as some divine being, but that can be fixed. “Please, stand, all of you. I may be your creator but there’s no need to treat me so formally.”   Rigurd looked up at me, not quite standing up just yet, but all of them seemed to loosen up a bit, “We do not deserve such an honor, but we shall accept your wishes, Great Rimuru!”   Well it seems they’ve at least cooled down a bit, they’re still calling me ‘Great Rimuru’ but I suppose that can’t be helped, it’s progress enough for now. Though I wanna see what they think of me, I can assume they’re loyal, but knowing how they look up to me might be useful. “Well then, I want to ask what you all think of me.”   Rigurd looked behind him to all of them as each of them nodded, then turned to me, “I believe I speak for all of us when I say we adore you as our creator, one of the two Supreme Beings who did not leave us and one of the most powerful beings Nazarick has ever seen! In fact I believe we should do this city justice and give it a name!”   Giving the town a name? What's that got to do with anything?   Rigurd continued, “From now on this town shall be called ‘Rimuru City!’ Any objections?” Those behind him shook their heads, though Rigurd didn’t need to look to guess their opinions. I was simply left shocked at this new decision, despite the fact I wanted to change it, I got the feeling they wouldn’t let me, or rather it may hurt my image to them if I did.   I shook my head, “Alright that's enough, no more kneeling for me like that. I may be your creator, but I’d like you all to think of me as an equal, or at the very least treat me like you would treat a superior like Benimaru.”   Rigurd nodded and stood up, “If it is truly what you wish then we shall do it Great Rimuru.” The others followed him in standing up. I would like to interact with all of the NPCs, but not only am I on a limited schedule, but I feel it would be optimal to do so in a more casual manor, right now they all look tensed up from my sudden appearance.   “Alright from now on, there is no need to organize like this when I come down, I’ll probably be visiting more often, so I want you all to continue what you’re doing when I visit unless I tell you otherwise.”   They all nodded, “Understood, Great Rimuru!”   Next time I’ll interact more with some of the NPCs but for now I need to find the guardian of the forest, Veldora.   Turning to leave the cave, I left them to return to whatever they were designed to do, Benimaru seemingly returning to handle the military, Souei vanishing into the shadows, Shuna heading to the tailors shop and numerous others into numerous other places. Meanwhile I walked into the woods until eventually I came across the cave. The cave was at the base of a small mountain and was fairly deep into the woods. The chances of someone finding it were quite slim, though the mountain might make it stand out at least somewhat. The cave was a deep labyrinth, though nothing like the cave system I found the item I used to make Veldora.   Eventually I found the door which led to his chamber. It was much like the grand door at the entrance to the throne room, however this one had the design of two dragons, one on each door in a similarly grand fashion. Normally the door was locked unless someone managed to not only find out the means to unlock it in an obscure place on the 8th floor, but also backtrack all the way to the sixth to do it, however with the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, it would automatically unlock.   Holding up the ring to the lock there is a click noise as the lock glows briefly before the doors slowly open with a creak as the vast chamber makes itself clear. The room was a mixture of stone brick and pure stone cave, as if a dungeon of sorts had been reclaimed by the stone. Large stone towers stretched from the floor to the roof, thinning out near the middle before thickening out again towards the edges. In the middle of the room was a dark towering figure, as I approached it leaned down, its glowing yellow eyes standing out in the darkness.   After just a moment his loud voice boomed out, echoing against the cold walls of the chamber, “Kyahahaha! Rimuru, my sworn friend and creator, it is great to see you! I have been…” His dominating aura and intimidating presence quickly turned into a pout as two of his fingers tapped against each other, “Incredibly lonely…”   Eh?   He quickly began waving his hands as if to defend himself, “N-Not that I have any problems with being the guardian of the Treasury, far from it, it is a perfect job, but… Well it would be nice if I could leave sometimes… I can’t actually unlock the door from the inside and the Treasury, well… I’m not allowed in there either.”   Ah yes… I coded him as a Tsundere didn’t I? Oh well, at least he’s loyal.   I scratched behind my head, “Yeah, sorry about that, Veldora, I suppose we were so caught up with defense we didn’t consider that you couldn’t open the door from the inside…” In reality I didn’t expect the NPCs to come ALIVE in the first place.   Veldora nodded, “No matter, what is it you want, my friend? The great Storm Dragon Veldora Tempest shall aid you in any request as your sworn friend!”   I remember now… His backstory was that he was an ancient powerful dragon sealed away and I managed to make a deal with him, unsealing him in exchange for friendship. So long as I’m loyal to Nazarick, so will he. Hopefully he respects Momonga’s authority though…   “Momonga is gathering all the floor guardians to the amphitheater, we want you to come as well. You’re not quite a floor guardian, but you’re both as powerful as one and as important as one. You have a human form, correct?”   Veldora gave another hearty laugh, his body turning into smoke as he transformed into his human form, a tall muscular blond-haired man with no shirt on. Technically speaking, all of it is his scales, since he can't really equip clothing items, he technically didn’t need to have a shirt on since even if he had one it would be a reflection of his scales.   Veldora stretched his arms as he began to walk, “Kyahahaha! Of course, I’ll gladly attend. It's been quite a while since I’ve interacted with any of the floor guardians… Or anyone else for that matter.”   With that Veldora began to walk out of his cavern, myself following closely behind to unlock the door for him as I let him get temporarily sidetracked by the village as I headed straight for the amphitheater.   Now that I have time to properly think, do I still have access to all of my skills? I was one of the very few ‘skill-casters’ in Yggdrasil considering they were added so late into the game’s lifespan, not to mention how hard it was to get enough skills to make a build around it. Only I and a few others had builds which were cheeky enough to manage that, and I was probably one of the only ones to manage it in an optimal manner.   The Skill system had skills of various types. The first were Intrinsic Skills which were granted as racial features, Common Skills which were fairly weak and basic, Extra Skills which were less common and tended to have decent effectiveness, Unique Skills which were the main hard hitters in any player’s skill set, and Ultimate Skills which were like the World Items of skills, so powerful that only a world item could remove it from a player, though some skills were usurpable. I had three of these Ultimate Skills, likely the most out of any player, though unlike world items, those weren’t as easy to track. My ultimate skills are Lord of Storms: Veldora, which manifested after I created Veldora, Lord of Gluttony: Beezelbub, which I got as a reward for winning a tournament, and Lord of Wisdom: Raphael.   Lord of Storms was basically just an advanced storm magic skill, basically giving me complete dominance over most electrical attacks and being able to utilize powerful electrical attacks with basically no casting time. Lord of Gluttony was an evolution of Gluttony which evolved from my intrinsic skill Predator, it basically lets me eat a whole lot of attacks. Basically a whole lot of projectiles proved ineffective against me. Lastly is Lord of Wisdom which evolved from my Unique Skill Great Sage. After a while I realized I could evolve it further, and in doing so I could give it a name and personality as if it was an NPC.    ‘If I have access to my skills then… wait, Ciel?!’   [“Yes Master?”]   ‘Well shit, I can use my skills.’   [“Affirmative, all of your still are still fully functional even after this situation began.”]   ‘This situation? You know about what's going on?’   [“Of course, Master. I am capable of reading your memories, so I know all about Yggdrasil and your real life.”]   ‘And it doesn’t bother you that you were just part of a game?’   [“I’m not part of a game now, am I?”]   ‘I-I suppose not…’   [“Then there is no issue.”]   ‘I assume you’re still capable of everything you were in Yggdrasil?’   [“Correct, however as I am no longer confined to the practical restrictions of being limited to a game system, my function have expanded, I can now both manage items in your inventory or stomach, analyze devoured items, and calculate just about anything, even if unrelated to combat.”]   ‘That's… a lot. Though I suppose that’s to be expected from an Ultimate Skill. Whatever, I need to meet Momonga at the Amphitheater, Veldora’s probably not been out of his cage in what for him seems like forever, so I’ll let him have his fun for now, he should hopefully be here by the time he needs to be.’   Veldora and the City are dealt with, all that's left is the Floor Guardians.   Announcement I’ve implemented a system for updating some of my stories more consistently and evenly, it’s posted on my discord for those curious. Invite is at the bottom of the prior chapter)  

Yggdrasil, the game which for the last decade has basically taken over my life outside of work is finally coming to an end. To be frank, it was inevitable really. Game was far past its peak, and while it probably could’ve kept going for a few more years but… Well it probably deserves to go while it still has some popularity rather than for it to fade into obscurity and die in the dark. To an extent, the guild me and my comrades have spent so long building up, Ainz Ooal Gown reflected this, long gone were the days of the guild’s peak, now we were lucky to have a few active members. I can’t blame them, however, one of the requirements was to be a functioning member of society, so to ask them to prioritize the game over their life would be unrealistic. I only hoped more people could show up for the end.   Eventually a notification appeared on my screen and a familiar blue ball of slime waved at me with its small stubby slime hand from the other end of the table. It would appear as if I would not be alone for the Guild’s end. “Ah Rimuru, I’m glad to see you, you haven’t been on for a few weeks.”   Rimuru transformed into his human appearance, his slime form allowed him more flexibility in movement, however it seemed he preferred his human-like appearance for obvious reasons. He leaned against the chair, the long, blue hair of his avatar pushed against its back, “Yeah sorry, got a bit backed up with work, I only barely managed to squeeze in enough time to be on for the last hour or so.”   “It’s not common for you to be so busy, usually you’re the more lenient of us all in terms of scheduling. Still, I’m glad you came at all today, you just missed Herohero, he was on for a short bit but he left not too long ago.”   Rimuru tilted his head and sat up more, stretching though he didn’t quite need to, “Yeah, really unlucky honestly, sorry I didn’t give you a heads up. Sucks that I missed Herohero though, it’s been a few years since I’ve spoken to him.”   I shook my head, “It’s fine, he wasn’t on for too long anyways, he’s probably been too busy to come on much over the last few years, I can hardly blame him. I’m glad you’ve remained active, however, it would've been a lot more boring if I was the only one maintaining Nazarick this whole time.” Rimuru was just about the only one who would be consistent with his schedule, about as consistent as I was anyways. We weren’t always on at the same time, but we met frequently enough. Others came and went, some coming on only once every few weeks or months and others coming on for a few days or weeks of activity before fading away again.   Rimuru shrugged, now leaning slightly forwards in his seat at the large round table “I don’t have much else to do when I don’t have work, so it’s the least I can do. I enjoyed it regardless, most of my friends are those I made from work and just about all of them are busy whenever I’m not. I’d say we did a pretty good job at maintaining Nazarick though, we’re just lucky we haven’t had any more large raids, not sure if we’d have the manpower to rebuild after it.”   “That certainly would’ve been a hassle, but it seems most of the largest guilds which could’ve rivaled us have similarly faded into the same loop of inactivity we found ourselves in.” Having gotten an idea, I stood up, “We have about another hour till it ends, why don’t we look around at what we’ve accomplished, It was over a decade of our lives after all.”   Rimuru smiled, bouncing out of his chair like the slime he was, even if he wasn’t in slime form, and nodded, “I don’t see why we shouldn’t, no point in wasting our time sitting in one room when we have an entire tomb to go back and explore.”   The two of us began to walk through the floors of Nazarick, reminiscing about memories of the Guild and the grand quests we had gone on with our old comrades. It filled me with a sense of dread, a reminder that all of this, all that us and our comrades had worked for, all the memories we had made, would be erased from history, left only in the minds of those who remember it. Yet at the same time, I felt happy, in an almost nostalgic kind of way, I had accepted this inevitability about a year ago when Yggdrasil gradually began to slow in popularity, however never had I accepted it in this way. Perhaps it was the fact that it was about to end that made me feel this way, or maybe it was finally getting the time to talk about my memories of it with one of the friends who had been here actively for years.   All of those feelings were dwarfed by the joy of the moment, the laughter we shared thinking about moments from the past decade of playing this game, a lot of them were at Rimuru’s expense considering I was the guild leader, primarily the time he lost a bet and had to make his, already fairly feminine looking avatar put on a bunny suit. Supposedly he still has it in his inventory, but he refuses to check.   Eventually the topic came to some of the many NPCs we had made together as a guild. I had made one but I’d… rather not talk about him. Rimuru however made two of probably the strongest in the guild. One of them was effectively the creation of a World Item, one of the, if not the only True Dragon NPC. True Dragons being the strongest form of dragons in which unless highly prepared, a single max level player would struggle (and likely fail) to take it down. Personally I doubt I’d be able to take it alone, maybe with Rimuru so long as he was able to keep it at bay while I cast spells, but even still those types of Dragons are strong. Rimuru named him ‘Veldora Tempest’ similar to his own character ‘Rimuru Tempest’ and he was placed as the guardian to the secret entrance to the Treasury in a labyrinth of a cave system hidden within Level 6.   The second NPC Rimuru made he actually didn’t have a full part in, in particular he really had no say in her outfit, though he did have a say in her personality. She was basically made in contrast to the NPC Sebas. Sebas is a Dragonoid race which focuses solely on the advantages to physical strength granted by the race, whereas Rimuru’s Dragonoid NPC Milim Nava focuses primarily on the sheer magical power gained from it. This makes Milim easily the strongest in terms of offensive AOE attacks.   Eventually we made our way back to the entrance to the throne room where numerous NPCs dressed in maid outfits lined the wall leading to the throne room door. I opened up the interface to examine them and nodded, “Ah yes, the Pleiades, shame they never got a chance to be used, considering nobody ever made it this far.”   Rimuru shook his head and shrugged, beginning to walk past them towards the Throne Room entrance, “Personally I wouldn’t quite call that a ‘shame’ so much as a ‘fortune’. Now that you mention it, did anyone ever fight Veldora? You didn’t quite need to make it to the very end to find him, though I suppose the cave system was probably hard to navigate…”   “Even if they did make it to Veldora, considering how many monsters you packed in those caves I doubt they’d be in proper enough strength to take him head on. Though it would’ve been interesting to see him in full action.”   Rimuru pouted, crossing his arms and shouting “Yeah, I fought tooth and nail to get the World Class item that let me create him, I was hoping he’d curb-stomp at least one invading party!”   “You didn’t even go that deep in the cave with the intent of finding the World Item, you just happened to find it.”   “So what? Still would’ve been cool to see the look on their eyes when they faced off against a Boss level monster.”   “I’m sure that would’ve been quite the show.” I gave a light laugh as I finally lowered the UI and looked over at the battle maids agan, “Hmm, I suppose I should move them one more time, for old time’s sake, it's the least I can do.” I turned to walk and spoke the command; “Follow me.” With that the NPCs began to follow behind me, Rimuru walking slightly behind and to my right as we entered through the large creaking metal gates.   As we approached the throne itself I caught eye of another NPC, Albedo, the leader of the Floor Guardians and effectively the true last line of defense for the Throne Room. Eventually as I approached the throne I stopped and turned to the NPCs, “The command was ‘Stand by,’ right?” With that the NPCs bowed and moved to the side of the throne room, remaining in line as they stood firm.   I sat on the throne a moment later, Rimuru not seeming to mind as he himself went into slime form as if to fit on the armrest of the throne. I looked over at Albedo and silently muttered “Hmm… What were her settings again?”   Rimuru looked over with a slight tilt in his slime form, “I’m not sure personally, but knowing her creator, it's bound to be extensive.”   I opened the settings and began to scroll, “Ah yes, definitely the work of Tabula-san.” I kept scrolling until I reached the end. “Huh? What's this? A bitch?” I sighed, Rimuru let out a small ‘pfft’ noise in amusement as I gazed over.   He waved a slime numb at me, “It’s nothing, it's just how you said it. I’m not sure what you expected from Tabula-san.”   I nodded and looked back, “He always did love his contradiction of looks and character, but this is just too terrible…” I thought for a moment before looking at the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown that I had grabbed back when we initially left the throne room, “You know, with this I don’t need a tool to change her settings so I can… hmm…” I began to delete the line regarding her status as a ‘bitch.’   Rimuru squished down slightly, “What are you doing Momonga..?”   “I’m sure nobody will mind if I mess around with her settings, it is the last day after all, right?”   Rimuru seemed confused but did the slime equivalent of a shrug, “I suppose not but what are you planning on putting there?”   I thought for a moment before giving a slight chuckle and beginning to type “...She is deeply in love with Momonga.”   Rimuru seemed to find it funny as he himself gave a hearty chuckle at it before speaking again, “You better hope she doesn’t find out.”   I waved my skeletal hand at Rimuru, “It’s fine, it’s only gonna be there for the next few minutes… Now then…” I look over at the NPCs again after dismissing the UI, “Bow down.” With that command all the NPCs get on one knee with their hands over their chest in a bow as I lean back on the throne.   I began to look up at the banners lining the walls of the Throne room, each one representing a different member of the guild, naming each one, starting with my own banner, mimicking a skeletal face, and ending with Rimuru’s, which was more or less just an oval with two lines to represent his slime self. I looked up again, letting out another sigh, “It was fun, my friend.”   Rimuru nodded, “Indeed it was.”   For the first time since I had heard of Yggdrasil’s upcoming shutdown I felt satisfied with it all. I cannot thank Rimuru enough for being here with me as it ended, he is a close friend I hope to remember for the rest of my days, just like every other member of this guild. These days I shall never forget, and to an extent, I’m happy to see it off with one of my friends. Perhaps if I had been alone I may not have felt this way but it matters not, despite how much I long for it to continue, for this Guild to remain, and for Nazarick to live through the ages as a testament to our friendship, no story lasts forever. Every story has an end.   But this one does not end here. Announcement Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/xcCvpSxmA7

Um, Hello. I am new to novels and this is my first attempt on writing a novels, pls point out any mistakes. And pls don't be sarcastic as I am too slow on sarcasm to the point I just ignore them.

“Fuck off.” I said. This would probably seem rude to most of you, but I was quite annoyed at that moment, so cut me some slack. “Whaaaat. I just wanted a sandwich! Can’t a gal catch a break?” the thing standing in the middle of my home responded. “No. Fuck off.” I said again. At the time it seemed the right thing to say. What are you supposed to say to a random home invader? Especially one that looked like her. Standing in my foyer, there was a grayish-blue skinned woman, with short horns adorning her head. Now, I’m not usually one for monster taxonomy, but every practicing wizard worth their salt knows what a demon looks like. Unfortunately for me, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, this particular demon decided that wondering the wastes of Hell was not high on her list of priorities. “Look hon,” the demon continued. “I really just need some food; I’m not asking for your eternal soul or anything. Just like a sandwich, or a pizza. Hell, we could order takeout!” “Fuck’n, why are you even here?” I ask incredulously. “We both know if you wanted to kill me you would have done so already, and I can’t kill you because I haven’t prepped any combat spells today; which you probably already know.” The demon had already stated that she wanted food but I knew, or at least I thought I knew, that the situation could never be that simple. Demons are expert tricksters, they will lie, cheat, and steal to get anything and everything they want. “UGH! Why is it always like this.” she stated, more than asked. “Seriously. I am not joking, trying to trick you, or anything else. I just want some food. Please.” This took me by surprise for a moment. I couldn’t remember hearing of a demon saying “please” to anyone for any reason, they are too prideful. They resent the idea of lowering themselves to beg like that. Or at least… I thought that at the time. I was so surprised in fact, that I did not notice her moving from the place she appeared in my living room to the kitchen. “You’ve gotta have something to eat in this joint. I promise I’ll pay you back for it! I just reeeeally don’t feel like dying of starvation ya’ know?” she said, completely ignoring me. Looking back, the funniest part about this situation is that I did not, in fact, have any food in the house. I was dirt poor, and was only living there because it came with my mentorship; a mentorship which did not come with a meal-plan. Capitalism for the win. “Deep breaths…” I said quietly to myself, as I did my best to regain whatever composure I had left. What I saw unfolding before my eyes as I entered my kitchen was… unique. I’ll honestly never forget it. The demon had somehow already rummaged through all the cabinets, almost taken apart the fridge, and was climbing onto the counters to check above the overhead storage. At least she had the decency to try to look guilty when I walked in, slack jawed at what I saw. Though her tail continued to sway, like she didn’t think she was really in trouble. “Get down from there you infernal creature!” I said, after some time. If she does any more damage, it might start to have consequences. Demon or not, the master of my little apprenticeship wouldn’t care, he’d drop a big fat bill in my lap before kicking me out. “Now, now; there’s no need for name calling~.” she said, giving me the biggest puppy eyes I think she could muster. It was… extremely disconcerting to see one of hell’s spawn just… begging. “Besides,” she continued, “I think I found the good stuff!” She smirked triumphantly, as she pulled out from the top of one of the cabinets a large-ish bottle of cherry wine. Now, colour me surprised when I find out that someone, probably not one of the previous apprentices, had stored one of the most expensive wines on this side of the continent just… there… in what was now (provisionally) my kitchen. When I say expensive… I don’t mean like, a few silver, or even a few dozen gold. No, I mean that one of those bottles could buy the whole school my mentor worked at, and so much more. Whilst I was staring slack-jawed at the bottle, I failed to notice that the woman had found herself a cork-screw. I was so stunned by the whole situation that I just let her open it. She took a massive swig of the liquid money before I could stop her. “Ahhh~!” she exclaimed, “That’s the good stuff.” I ran over to her and wrenched the bottle out of her hands. “What are you doing??” I shouted. “Oh I’m sorry hon.” she said. “I forgot to offer you some!” Before I could stop her, she grabbed the bottle and shoved it’s end in my mouth. So, I should probably mention that this alcohol isn’t just super expensive for no reason. It’s expensive because it can make anyone completely wasted with just a sip. It didn’t matter if you were the most powerful mage, the most disciplined warrior, or even a sentient pile of stone. If you drank it, then you were drunk. I’d like to say that I know exactly what happened after that, but I do not. All I know is that the next thing I remember doing is complaining. Complaining might be a bit of an understatement. The demon and I were viciously verbally attacking our social superiors, and we showed no sign of stopping any time soon. I learned that she was actually a runaway. She had actually fled hell’s infernal depths and succeeded. She even had a few scars from the event. Her “old boss” who I learned to be what the demons of hell call an “arch-fiend” literally stabbed her on her way out when she declared she was quitting. I, on the other hand, complained about that two bit, self proclaimed, “master of the wizardly ways”, hack that the mentorship I signed attached me to. I complained about the constant lying I had to deal with on a daily basis; the belittling of my person as if I was so much chopped liver was just too much to deal with sometimes. For her part, when I was talking she listened with wrapped attention. Which I’ll be honest is a first for me. “You know your teacher dude, whatever his name is, sounds like a bigger dick than my old boss.” She stated matter of factly. “And you know that’s saying something, considering he’s trying to murder me.” “You know…” I started. “Maybe we don’t need them.” She looked at me quizzically. “What do you mean?” “You heard me!” I said. “What if we just left? What if we saved up just enough to fuck off to some forest somewhere?” I speculated. “Yea…” she said, mulling the idea around in her head. “Yea!” “Maybe we should just make our own way!” I yell. “See how they like it! We’ll make our own big damn adventure, and we’ll do it better than any of them!” “YES! EXACTLY!” she shouted, threatening to wake the neighbors. Her smile slowly fell, as she seemed to contemplate something. “How are you able to just…” she paused. “turn things around like that?” I thought about it for a bit before answering. “The world is an awful place sometimes; I don’t know if I’ll survive it to see the end.” I told her. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to.” We sat in silence for some time. “Do you think I’ll ever have to go back?” she asked. Obviously not looking forward to the day. “I don’t know the answer to that…” I trailed off. “Maybe there is an answer somewhere, and maybe it’ll be given soon… but then again maybe not.” She paused for a time, just thinking. After a long while she asked, “What’s, y’re name sweety?” “Nora.” I told her. “What’s yours?” “L’landra.” I woke up the next day in a haze. Apparently, we complained to each other about our lives until very late into the night before passing out together on my couch. For a moment, I mourned the loss of the bottle of liquid gold that she had found, but only a little. It’s not like I would have been able to find a buyer for it. I’d have probably been killed if anyone found out I had it. My biggest take away from the whole event was that anyone with that much money was probably a bad person anyway; so again, not a total loss. It didn’t matter if the rich were from hell or not, they were all demons. Speaking of demons, L’landra had stirred from her rest about the same time. She looked probably about as terrible as me; hung over, bags under her eyes, etc… “Heeey~.” she drawled when she noticed me, “How long have you been there~?”. She bopped my nose with her index finger before falling back onto the couch. She was apparently content to sleep the morning away, and I wasn’t about to argue with her. I simply got up off of the couch, and prepared to attend my lessons. I didn’t pay much attention that day; there was a lot on my mind. When my mentor noticed, I told him that I was just thinking about some things. He gave me some extra work so that I didn’t “…waste my time on such frivolities as philosophy.” What a dick. The thing that I think surprised me the most was that I actually enjoyed talking with L’landra. My first friend turned out to literally be a demon from hell, and I don’t know if that says more about me or the society I live in. As I was walking home that day, I bought an extra portion of food. I suppose, looking back, my biggest worry was that I’d walk home to find she was gone. That she had been recalled back to the infernal depths, and I had to accept that I’d never see her again. Fortunately for me, she never left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [ Chapter 1 ] Naruto looked at Sasuke in shock, Sasuke was severely injured protecting Naruto from a barrage of needles headed towards Naruto. The one that sent the barrage of needles was a masked individual which name is Haku. Out of rage Naruto unconsciously tapped into Kurama's Chakra, And A vortex of Red-colored Chakra spins around Naruto. "I'm going to kill you! " Naruto shouted with immense Anger and Rage behind the voice. 'What is this Chakra?!? ' Haku questioned himself in his mind, at the same time Naruto's wound healed and his nails became longer and sharper and his whiskers became thicker resembling that of a monster. Of course Kakashi noticed the immense chakra and mistakenly thought it was Zabuza but quickly realised it was Naruto(Ninetails) and corrected himself. "I refuse~ " said cutely and charminglu by a female individual. "Eh? " Naruto unconsciously blurted out, out of shock of being transported out of the battlefield to a unknown place. Naruto then saw the Female Individual half sitting and half laying down in a obviously comfy sofa, in instinct Naruto readied himself into a defensive stance because of the unknown danger that maybe lurking around. The Female Individual dissapeared from Naruto's sight in sheer speed to the point it looked like she teleported, however they were inside his mind, his domain, but still he couldn't retaliate against the female individual. "Say, how about we have a deal? " said by the Female Individual directed at Naruto, and released her restraint on Naruto. The instant Naruto's restraint got released he backed away, jumping and doing multiple flips in an attempt to gain distance between him and her. "Who are you?!? " Naruto shouted at the Female Individual for his voice to reach her because of the huge distance between them. In an instant the Female Individual closed the distance seemingly instantaneously but still is  meters away from him. "I am the nine-tails " said by the female individual. [Female Humanoid Ninetails?, she has a very small body that of a healthy 5-7 years old girl, she has a short hair with it's length being only able to barely touch the shoulders but in exchange her hair was very beautiful, silk and smooth (her hair is black) , she also wears a perfect kimono with a black color as the base color suiting her black hair. Her most obvious unique trait is she has 9 obviously fluffy tail and is a bit translucent but is mostly opaque ]  [ End of Chapter ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AN : I Lack Motivation and have a lot of stress due to school so I apologies for a very chaotic schedule in the future, you could give recommendations and please state any grammatical error as english is not my first language. Anyways let's explore the world of this novel!!

There once lived a three-tailed kitsune in Japan. There he was in charge of a farm and on this farm lived a man with his wife and two children. It was a peaceful existence the family would come and pray at his shrine that was given to him by lady inari. The day he was sent to the farm was one of pure joy for he was finally receiving the honor of his shrine. For not just any kitsune can get a shrine there are as many steps to get one as there are torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine. But he did it and got his third tail from inari. Life on the farm was peaceful every morning the family would come and pray and leave an offering of rice, sake, and other foods in exchange for a good harvest. Which he was all too happy to give. In the summer he would watch the children play as the parents work. In the winter he would watch them stay warm. As the snow melted they came and prayed and started to plant their fields. Be something was new this year a two-tailed kitsune was out front of the house. He fell head over paws for her. Throughout the spring they fell in love and as the summer went on so did their love. As the fall came the mother of the house fell ill. Every healer around came but couldn't help. So the father and children can and prayed to him to help. But the kitsune had very little knowledge of healing. He tried his best but she pasted just as the snow melted. As spring came no one came to pray. As time went on he went for a walk to checked on the protective barrier when he felt something new in the house he went to see. When he made it to the back of the house in the garden was a wedding. The father had remarried as the days went no one still came but one night well the father was away the kitsune heard water hitting wood and someone talk with strange words. As he rounded the corner to see the wife throwing water on the post of the house. After she was done she left when he went to touch the water it burned him. As he followed the wife he came across a small black shadow creature. It looked at him with an evil smile as the kitsune tried to banish it just laughed and jumped into the wife. As the days went on the shadow grow bigger and his seals for the barrier kept getting destroyed by the burning water. Then one day the father was killed by one of the works over not getting paid. When the kitsune heard the fight it ran out to the field to see the father died with the man above him crying with the shadow creature above him. At the moment he knew it was an evil spirit of greed well is it in the field he went back to the house to strengthen the barrier as much as he could but the wife just used more water. As the days went on a heavy sadness was on the children. The kitsune realized I couldn't keep the evil spirit out but I could keep the children safe. He wouldn't leave the children's side but he had to back to its shrine to rest. So every night it stood guard over them and slept during the day. One night went it was time for the children's bedtime the kitsune was trapped in the room where his shrine was. He could see down the hallway as he slammed on the barrier the wife had a knife and was heading for the kid's room with the creature on her back. As it came back out of the kid's room she was covered in blood. The barrier came down and the kitsune felt rage and anger for the first time and charged at her. But was repelled by the same barrier as he fell to the floor he laid the with tears fell down his face. The next morning he laid by his shrine as he felt a new presence in the house. As he went to look it was a man in a white rob holding book and a wooden stick with a man on it. He did not like the feeling this man gave off so he put up a barrier at the door and hid in his shrine. As time went by he heard the man chanting words in the same language the mother did before the evil spirit came into the house. Then the man was in the doorway. Just as the man took down his barrier the female two tails came in. From his shrine, he saw the two of them make eye contact the man reached into his rods and pulled out a clear vial that looked like water. The robed man opened it and was about to throw it. At that moment the kitsune burst from his shrine and in front of the two tails as he is hit with the burning water he throws the two tails into his shrine. As he lays there the robed man chants more words as the burning water intensify. As his vision starts going dark he looks over at his shrine to see her beautiful muzzled face crying out for him. As she pounds on the barrier to get out he just smiles knowing when he is gone anything in the shrine gets sent back to lady inari at Fushimi Inari Shrine. He looks at the man in white chanting and throwing burning water on him as the pain increase. The last thing to go through his head is he was not able to save children but at least he saved someone he cared about. As the dark takes him and the voice fades away.

"Congratulations, Professor Stilinski." A gruff voice interrupted Stilinski's train of thought as he poured his attention over the schematics of the mechanical soldier he had finally completed. "This is not worthy of praise yet, General. It is only a prototype." Rhys grunted, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. He preferred his first name, but did not mind others calling him by his surname. "Even still! A prototype that is able to wipe out two battalions of soldiers on its own is very much worthy of my praise. Even the Head of State is surprised!" General Vladimir chortled. "Hmm." Rhys simply hummed and turned back to the blueprint spread over his work desk. The bearded general walked over and peered over his shoulder to examine the blueprint. After just a few seconds, he turned away. He did not understand the tiniest bit of the science behind the mighty war machine that Rhys had created. Rhys grunted and turned around, looking out of the observation window and into the massive underground workshop. A thirty meter tall mechanical mass stood proud and tall, its metal plates gleaming in the silver coating that had been applied to it only a day ago after testing it on the enemies of the Empire of Fire. "The higher ups told me to pass on this news. Your budget will be increased by twenty percent." Vladimir eventually calmed down and told Rhys. "I asked for a bigger increase." Rhys frowned, taking off his glasses and glaring at Vladimir. "Indeed, but they only permitted a 20 percent increase. I cannot do anything about that." Vladimir straightened and met Rhys' glare with his own steely gaze. He was a general of the Empire of Fire. There was no way a common scientist would intimidate him. "Hmm." Rhys snorted and turned around, rolling up his blueprint and tucking it under his armpit before walking out of the observation room. He marched through the halls of the underground base until he reached his room. The door to the room slid open, revealing a room in disarray. A work desk was pushed up against the farthest wall, with various blueprints, pencils, and papers strewn about it. "Dumb idiots. They don't value my expertise." Rhys mumbled to himself as he went over to the work desk. He skimmed over the table once before tossing the blueprint under his armpit on his unkempt bed, and quickly began rolling up all the blueprints on the table. When he was done with that, he packed them all in a backpack he had prepared earlier. Bang bang! A loud knock rattled the metal door of his room, and a gloomy expression crossed Rhys' face. "Who is it?" He asked, his voice edgy. "Open up, the higher ups sent me to you." The voice of an unknown soldier reached his ears and he swore under his breath. "A moment, please." He zipped up the backpack and stood straight, sucking in a breath of the stale air that permeated the underground base. With firm steps, he walked up to the door and swung it open, his eyes fierce as he glared at the soldier. "Come in for a moment." He told the guard and turned around, walking up to his work desk. The guard followed, and when he saw Rhys' ruffling through a drawer, he pulled out a pistol from its holster on his hip, raising it up. "Alright, I'm ready." Rhys said and turned around. Bang! Blood splattered over the cold metal floor, and a lifeless body dropped to the ground. "Idiot." Rhys grunted as he stepped over the spreading puddle of blood. He did not even bother with hiding the body as he picked up the backpack he had packed earlier, slinging it over his shoulder and walking out of his room. He closed and locked the door to buy him a little more time before anyone found out about his actions. In a few minutes, he had reached the hangar bay where the vehicles were kept. Ducking his head, he slipped past the security post, flashing his access card, before quickly walking to the side and passing through a door there. He followed the next passage way until he got into an observation chamber. "Oh, Professor!" Vladimir was surprised to see him. Rhys caught a glint of hostility in the general's brown eyes and instantly knew that he was in on the plan on the higher ups. "Vladimir." Rhys nodded at the general, stepping closer, "I forgot to pick a file here. I'll be off to see the higher ups in a moment." He said. "Oh, that is good." Vladimir nodded. Bang! Bang! Bang! Three gunshots sounded, and Vladimir dropped to the ground, three bullet holes in his chest. He glared up at Rhys, his eyes vengeful. "You... Bastard..." His voice trailed off as his eyes lost the light of life in them. "P-Professor! What is the meaning of this?!" A staff in the observation room stuttered, stunned silly. "What? It's either him or me. Now, be quiet, or I'll silence you myself." Rhys shrugged and turned to point the gun at them. At once, the soft hearted geeks went silent, huddling in the corner of the room. Rhys snorted and turned to the control panel that had several buttons and levers on them. He pulled out a master key from his pocket and slotted it into a keyhole while placing his other hand on a large lever. "No, Professor! Don't do it!" Someone yelled to stop Rhys, but there was no way he was stopping. Click! He turned the key and pulled down the lever in one smooth motion. At first, it seemed like nothing had happened, but after a few more seconds, a booming vibration shook the deck beneath Rhys' feet. "No! What have you done?!" One of the men in the room lunged forward, reaching for Rhys. Fire raged in his eyes, and his hands grabbed for Rhys' throat. Slck! The sound of a knife slicing through flesh and bone was sickening. The man fell to his knees, his hands desperately clutching his throat to stem the bleeding, but the cut was too deep. In just a few seconds, he dropped to the ground the remnants of life seeping from his body. Rhys turned around and left the room quickly, but not before putting a bullet between the eyes of everyone in the room first. He quickly weaved through the panicking crowd. A few people rushed past him to the observation room to find out what the problem was, and he subtly increased his speed. "W-What happened here?!" The moment he heard the startled yell, he pressed on the trigger in his hand, and a loud explosion shook the place. He was well prepared. He would cause as much chaos as he could before he escaped. "Alright, next phase of the plan." A smirk spread across his features as he eyed the massive mech several meters away. He quickly found a way to climb up to the mech, making sure to act in an unsuspicious way, but alas, his deeds had been found out. A soldier came running from the security post that led deeper into the base, looking around. The moment he spotted Rhys by the cockpit of the mech, he yelled, "Stop him!" People turned to look just as Rhys hopped into the cockpit. He quickly slammed the button to close the cockpit as he sat down in the pilot's seat. Screens flickered to life as electricity coursed through the transmission channels of the giant robot. Vrooom... Thud! "One massive step forward for science!" Rhys laughed as he felt the press of the interface around his head. It was a clunky piece of technology, but as he had said earlier, this was only a prototype. He would work on a better interfacing module when he escaped this place. "Eat metal." He controlled the war machine to turn to face the inside of the hangar, and the massive gun barrels on its sides began spinning. Dududududududu! The sound of the gunfire was deafening, with most people's eardrums popping after the first shot. BOOOOOM!!!! The hangar shook and trembled as explosions were set off. Rhys turned the mech around and piloted it out of the hangar bay while listening to the beautiful symphony of explosions that rang out behind him.

Author's Note: This story is one that, in a unique twist, was inspired by a TG caption series I did over on DeviantArt, which was itself inspired by a concept for a prose story that I've had in my head for just about as long as I've had Summering in Femininity up there, I could just never work out how to develop it past the initial concept, and once I did the caption series, I had the urge to bring my original vision to life, which is what this story is. Enjoy! It was shaping up to be a normal, run of the mill day for siblings Dennis and Kylie Stevens. As it was the middle of summer, they were spending their day lounging about their house while their parents were at work. As it was a rainy day, they were spending the day inside.   Kylie strolled up to her older brother’s room and poked her head inside. A loud boom of thunder rang throughout the house, causing Kylie to jump. Dennis didn’t seem to notice it, since he had a pair of headphones on his head as he played a loud shooter game on his TV. Dennis’ room was about what one would expect, relatively messy, with a pile of dirty clothes near the closet, some posters depicting sports stars, and sci-fi fantasy movies on the wall and a TV on one wall with the bed situated on the other, which is where Dennis was sitting.   “Yes, eat it!” Dennis exclaimed as he sat back and took his headphones off to scratch his ears.   “Hey!” Kylie knocked on the door frame.   “Hey, what’s up?” Dennis turned around.   “I was wondering, do you wanna maybe watch a movie together or something?” Kylie asked.   “Maybe another time, I’m in the middle of an important part of the game, I’ve been trying to get here for weeks!” Dennis put his headset back on, turning back to the video game.   “Oh, okay…” Kylie dejectedly walked back to her room.   Kylie sat on her bed, idly scrolling through her phone messages, with several messages explaining how several of her friends were unavailable to hang out due to a variety of circumstances. Kylie sighed and laid back onto her bed.   Just then, a loud crack of thunder boomed through the house, and the lights immediately turned off. Kylie sat up in bed just as the lights returned.   “Aw, dammit!” Dennis shouted from the other room.   Kylie rushed out of her room and ran toward Dennis’, where he was quickly emerging from the door.   “Is something wrong? What happened?” Kylie asked.   “The power went out right before I was about to finish the level… Figures…” Dennis replied.   “Maybe it’s a sign that the universe doesn’t want you to finish that level today…”   “Well then, the universe can shove it, because once everything reboots, I’m doing it!”   Kylie just rolled her eyes and walked downstairs towards the kitchen. Several minutes later, as she was pouring herself a glass of soda, she heard Dennis shouting from the top of the stairs.   “Kylie!”   “Yeah?” Kylie shouted back.   “Can you check the router for me? My game isn’t connecting to the internet!” Dennis shouted.   “Got it!” Kylie replied.   Kylie headed into the family room, where the router was situated and started to look at the router. While she was very adept with technology, when the router went out, it was usually Dennis’ department, so she didn’t know what to look for. She scrunched her face as she tried to figure out what was wrong with it.   “Dennis! How many lights is the router supposed to have?”   “Four! How many are there?”   “None!”   After exhausting every troubleshooting method he knew, all of which failed, Dennis gave up and called their internet service provider, and once the fifteen minute call was over, Dennis sighed and hung up the phone.   “So? What happened?” Kylie asked.   “Apparently the power surge from the storm fried the router, they have to send someone out to replace it.” Dennis replied.   “That doesn’t sound too bad.”   “They’re not able to get someone out here until the hours of one and three… tomorrow.”   “That still doesn’t sound so bad.”   “It’s just annoying… it means I can’t play my game until then.”   “You need the internet to play your game? I didn’t hear you talking to anyone...”   “It’s one of those games that, even though I’m playing alone, it requires an internet connection to run, it’s really dumb.”   “Oh no, you might actually have to do something other than sit in front of a TV, how dreadful!” Kylie put her forearm on her forehead in mock concern.   “I’m glad you find this all so amusing…” Dennis walked away, heading for his room.   Half an hour later, Dennis was bored out of his skull. His limited connection to the internet on his phone was useless because of their data cap, and the only video game he wanted to play was non-functioning. He considered his options and came to only one conclusion, he should go check in on Kylie, surely she was just as bored as he was.   “Hey…” Dennis knocked on Kylie’s doorframe, poking his head into her room.   Kylie’s room was similarly predictable, Kylie was a very girly girl, and so her room was very girly. Pink walls, a vanity with cosmetics and jewelry strewn about it, a closet overflowing with skirts and dresses and various different types of shoes. At this particular moment, Kylie was sitting on her bed, flipping through a magazine.   “Hey!” Kylie closed the magazine and sat up. “What’s up?”   “You said earlier that you wanted to watch a movie? I guess I’m free now.” Dennis said.   “You’re finally bored enough to want to hang out with me?” Kylie smirked.   “No… Well… Yeah, there’s nothing to do!”   Kylie knew Dennis was right, as the rain continued to beat down on every window of the house, the siblings only had each other for entertainment.   “Let’s watch it down in the living room, the TV is bigger.” Kylie got up off her bed. “Here, go set it up, I’ll be right down.”   Kylie handed Dennis a DVD case, for a film Dennis had heard of, an adaptation for a book that Dennis had never read, since it was geared towards girls, so it was never on his radar. Still, it beat doing nothing.   Dennis headed downstairs to set the movie up, while Kylie grabbed some items off of her vanity, stuffing them into the pockets of her pink-striped pajama bottoms. She quickly went downstairs and sat down on the couch, sitting on one armrest as Dennis took the other. Dennis started the movie, and the two began watching.   For the most part, the movie was entertaining, certainly entertaining enough to warrant the awards that it had garnered. Halfway through the film, Kylie began to empty her pockets of a nail file, some cotton balls, and a bottle of bright pink nail polish.   “What’s all that?” Dennis asked as the noise took his attention away from the movie.   “Just some nail stuff, I was gonna give myself a pedicure.”   “Neat…” Dennis turned back to the movie.   Soon, the movie was getting close to the denouement, and Dennis was invested in all the characters, so much so that he hadn’t noticed that not only had Kylie finished her pedicure, but had moved from her seat on the couch to the floor, at least until Kylie grabbed his foot.   “Hey!” Dennis pulled his foot back. “What are you doing?”   “Just looking… you know your nails are terrible.” Kylie grabbed the foot back. “Look how dirty these are…”   “So what? I’m a guy, we don’t worry about that.” Dennis said.   “Maybe you should…” Kylie sniffed, then made a disgusted face. “How about I give you a pedicure? Just like mine!”   “I think I’ll pass.” Dennis said.   “Come on, I’m bored, you’re bored, besides, no one has to know! Who knows, you might even like it.” Kylie insisted. “The movie’s almost over, unless you’ve got a better idea of what to do?”   Dennis frowned, he didn’t have any better ideas, but doing such a girly activity was an affront to his masculinity! As he looked down at his sister giving him her best puppy dog eyes, he sighed and relaxed his foot.   “Why not? As long as nobody knows, right?” Dennis mused.   “Right!” Kylie smiled as she got to work.   After several minutes of shaping and buffing, Kylie was satisfied and put down the nail file, only to pick up the bottle of pink polish that she’d used on her own toenails. She started to place cotton balls in between Dennis’ toes, but Dennis once again pulled his foot back.   “No way!” Dennis exclaimed. “I don’t mind the shaping, but I draw the line at nail polish!”   “But it’s part of the experience!” Kylie insisted.   “Well, does it have to be pink?” Dennis asked.   “Please? I don’t wanna go all the way back upstairs to find my clear coat, besides, nobody’ll see it, and I’ll remove it later.” Kylie started her puppy dog eyes once more.   “Okay, fine!” Dennis threw up his hands in surrender. He’d lived with Kylie long enough to know it’s better to placate her than to get into an argument. “But no one will know, right?”   “You have my word.” Kylie said.   As she painted her older brother’s toes, Kylie grabbed her phone a few times, making it look like she was texting, but in reality, she was taking photos of Dennis and his shiny pink toes as he watched the end of the movie. With the movie finished, she moved onto his other foot, and as she finished the final brush stroke, she sat back and admired her work on her brother’s newly groomed and polished toes.   “And there... we... go! Honestly, I gotta say, pink looks good on you, bro.” Kylie giggled.   “Are you finally done? I know I agreed to let you paint my toenails but what if Mom and Dad come home and see it?” Dennis made nervous glances towards the front door.   “Relax, they’re not due home for hours and by the time they get home it’ll be dry enough for you to wear socks.” Kylie said, screwing the cap back on the bottle.   “Socks? You said you’d take it off when you were done!” Dennis exclaimed.   “And ruin all my hard work right away? Come on! They’re not going to be getting the truck out to fix the internet for at least a day. We’ll be just as bored tomorrow, so I thought we could do something else. Ooh, maybe I could do your hair!” Kylie started imagining other activities.   “Nuh uh, I'm drawing the line there. I’m still not sure how you convinced me to do this.” Dennis crossed his arms.   “Because it feels nice! Besides, it’d be a shame if these photos I took ended up online once the Wi-Fi comes back…” Kylie turned her phone around, showing Dennis various photos that clearly showed him allowing Kylie to paint his toenails. “I bet both my friends and yours would be very interested in seeing these…”   “You wouldn’t dare!” Dennis attempted to reach for the phone.   “Are you willing to find out?” Kylie stepped back.   “Gimme that!” Dennis started to stand up, but Kylie pushed him back down.   “Bup, bup, bup! You don’t want to smudge them, otherwise I have to start all over again! Now, I’m thinking that I probably won’t send them to anyone… if you do a few things for me.” Kylie grinned evilly.   Dennis didn’t think that Kylie would actively do anything to hurt him, but then again, he couldn’t really be sure, they were siblings, and he cared about her, but they weren’t particularly close enough for Dennis to know how she’d act in this situation. He only had one option.   “...Fine, you can do my hair. Tomorrow.” Dennis said, firmly.   Kylie smiled and started swiping through her camera roll.   “Of course I could probably send one or two pictures out with data if I really wanted to…”   “Okay, you can do my hair now! Just keep those pictures to yourself!” Dennis pleaded. “Please!”   “Yay! And don’t worry, tomorrow won’t be that much worse… Oh, I wonder if we have a pair of heels in the house that’ll fit you!” Kylie started to skip towards the stairs. “Coming, dear sister?”   Dennis held his head low with shame as he stood up and followed Kylie upstairs. As he entered Kylie’s room, she motioned towards the chair in front of her vanity. Dennis complied and Kylie began to play with his hair.   “You’ve always had such great hair, I’ve always wanted to do something to it.” Kylie said.   Dennis’ hair was, like Kylie’s, long and blonde, but while Kylie had their mother’s straight hair, Dennis had gotten their father’s curly hair, so the longer it got, the more unruly it got, so he tended to keep it in a low ponytail. Kylie eagerly removed the hair tie and reached over to the vanity for her already plugged in hair straightener, but Dennis quickly grabbed her wrist.   “Hold on, this is a lot more permanent than nail polish.” Dennis said.   “Not really, if you wash your hair a few times it’ll pretty much go back to normal.” Kylie said. “Besides, you don’t really have a choice here.”   Dennis began to speak, but closed his mouth and scowled instead, releasing Kylie’s wrist. Before grabbing the straightener, she popped over to her bed and picked up the magazine she’d been reading before, handing it to Dennis.   “Here, read this, it’ll help keep your mind off it, and maybe you won’t interrupt me as much. Remember, the faster I’m done, the faster this is all over.” Kylie said.   Dennis nodded and idly flipped through the magazine, there wasn’t much of interest to him in it, pages advertising perfumes, clothing and shoes, a few articles, but even the pages with models on them didn’t really hold his attention. Kylie continued to straighten and brush her brother’s hair, making sure not to miss a single strand. Eventually, Dennis looked up at the mirror and gasped, seeing his curly locks were much longer when straightened, and his short ponytail had given way to hair that was far more similar to Kylie’s than he’d have liked.   “Looks great, right?” Kylie asked.   “I…” Dennis was surprised at how big a change occurred from just straightening his hair.   Truthfully, Dennis hadn’t been endowed with much in the way of facial hair, a quirk of genetics, since their father’s facial hair was perennially patchy as well. Before Kylie could do anything else however, the siblings heard a car outside, and moments later, the front door opened.   “Kids! We’re home!” their mother shouted from downstairs.   “We picked up dinner on the way, I hope you’re in the mood for pizza!” their father shouted.   “Be right down!” Kylie exclaimed, before handing Dennis back his hair tie. “Here you go.”   “Thanks…” Dennis muttered as he pulled his hair back into its familiar ponytail.   “Meet you downstairs, don’t forget socks.” Kylie joked as she headed out of the room.   Dennis headed back to his room and picked up a pair of socks that wouldn’t reveal his painted toenails, and headed downstairs for dinner. As they ate, they discussed their days, with Dennis and Kylie omitting particular details of their day.   “The internet’s out, a power surge fried the router, so the company is sending a truck out tomorrow to fix it.” Dennis said, in between bites.   “Oh dear, how did you kids get along without the internet?” their mother joked.   “It wasn’t easy, it was pretty boring. But Dennis and I watched a movie together.” Kylie said.   “That’s nice, I’m glad you’re doing things together.” their mother replied.   “Yeah, I figured without the internet you’d be at each other’s throats.” their father chuckled.   “Come on, Dad, we’re mature enough to handle ourselves, right, Dennis?” Kylie asked, winking at Dennis.   “R-right!” Dennis replied quickly.   Satisfied with that answer, the conversation soon turned to the rough day at the office that their father had, before dinner concluded and everyone went their separate ways for the night. If either of their parents had noticed Dennis’ hair, neither let on.    Before turning in for the night, Dennis passed Kylie’s room, spotting her digging through her closet. For what, Dennis didn’t stick around to find out, but it didn’t inspire him with confidence about what would happen the next morning. Dennis did make an attempt to find a bottle of nail polish remover, to at least remove the potential for further blackmail material, but it seemed that Kylie had already taken care of that, having anticipated Dennis’ idea.   As such, it took Dennis a long time to fall asleep as his mind raced, wondering just what Kylie had in store for him and just how he managed to get blackmailed by his younger sister.   The next morning, Dennis stirred awake as he felt something touching his foot. He sat up and pulled his foot back, allowing Kylie to pull off one of his socks.   “Wakey wakey, sleepyhead! It’s time to get ready for the day!” Kylie sang. “Mom just left, so it’s time to play!”   “Go away!” Dennis, squinting his eyes, kicked his foot towards Kylie, but she artfully dodged him.   “Well, if that’s how you want to be, I bet I can find a good use for these photos…” Kylie giggled.   Dennis’ eyes shot open and he attempted to make a grab for Kylie’s phone, but failed.   “No, don’t!” Dennis shouted, before sighing. “What do you want me to do?”   “I want you to take a shower. Use my shampoo and body wash. And my Nair, unless you want to try your luck with a razor.” Kylie said.   “Hold on, nail polish and hair straightening is one thing, but shaving my body? That’s too far!” Dennis said.   “Oh relax, hair grows back! Besides, it’s not like you’ve got that much leg hair anyway.”   Dennis rolled his eyes at that comment, much like his face, the combination of poor genetics and blonde coloring made it patchy at best.   “All right, fine. But can you promise you won’t do anything else drastic?” Dennis begged.   “I think that can be arranged.” Kylie smiled. “Now, ‘Denise’, it’s time for your shower. I’ve left my robe in there, once you’re finished, meet me back in my room and I’ll help you get dressed.”   Dennis did as he was told, going into the bathroom, where indeed, Kylie’s pink terrycloth robe was hanging prominently on the back of the door. He turned on the shower and stripped out of his clothes, his shiny pink toenails taunting him as a reminder of the fact that, at least until the internet came back, he was at Kylie’s mercy.   “Well, let’s get this over with…” Dennis stepped into the shower.   For the most part, the shower was fairly normal, just a different scent than his usual “Clean”, “Fresh” or “Sport” soaps, in this case it was a flowery lilac scent. Using the depilatory was a new experience, but once he read the instructions, Dennis knew how to use it. What really concerned Dennis was Kylie’s behavior. Sure, they were siblings and siblings do stuff to embarrass each other or mess with them, but he hadn’t known Kylie to be as devious as she currently was. A prank is one thing, blackmail is out of character…   Unfortunately, his ruminations were interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door.   “Hurry up, dear ‘sister’! I’ve got a big day planned!” Kylie shouted.   “I’ll be right out!” Dennis shouted back.   Dennis quickly finished up the shower and toweled off, shivering due to the lack of body hair combined with the cold linoleum floor of the bathroom. After drying off as best he could, Dennis put on the fluffy pink robe and opened the bathroom door, where Kylie was eagerly waiting.   “Don’t worry, you’re going to look great by the time I’m done!” Kylie grabbed her brother’s hand and dragged him into her room.   Kylie started digging around in her drawers, purely for show, Dennis knew that she’d have already chosen what he’d be wearing by now. As Dennis waited, he shivered again, reminding him of his shaved body.   “Can you hurry it up?” Dennis demanded.   “Ooh, someone’s excited to wear my clothes…” Kylie giggled. “Here, put these on, I’ll turn around.”   Kylie handed Dennis a matching bra and panty set, both pink, much to his chagrin. He turned them over in his hands.   “Is a bra really necessary?” Dennis asked.   “I dunno, is keeping those pictures a secret really necessary?” Kylie retorted.   “Touche…” Dennis sighed. “Turn around.”   Kylie complied and Dennis let the robe fall to the floor, before quickly putting on the unfamiliar undergarments. He fumbled with the bra, but soon figured out how to fasten it. The tricky part was getting himself stuffed into the panties, but with some effort, he figured out how to keep himself contained within them.   “All right, are you happy?” Dennis asked. “Immensely!” Kylie replied. “Now, let’s see, I like this dress, but this skirt is cute and…”   After a few more minutes of hemming and hawing as Dennis stood in the center of Kylie’s room, with the padded bra providing the illusion of cleavage, which Dennis noted as he glanced in the mirror.   “Okay, okay, I’ve got your outfit right here.” Kylie presented Dennis with a bundle of clothing.   Dennis looked through the bundle, which consisted of a white tank top and a skirt adorned with multi-colored flowers. Dennis grumbled a bit, but only to hide his relief that she hadn’t chosen one of the formal dresses that he’d seen her wear in the past. Once he had gotten the high-waisted skirt and tank top on, he squirmed uncomfortably.   “Almost done…” Kylie grabbed some socks and stuffed them into the cups of the bra. “Perfect. Now, take a seat.”   Kylie motioned to the chair in front of the vanity, and Dennis sat down, sighing. With a blow dryer and brush in hand, Kylie made quick work of getting her brother’s hair into a similar style as it had been the previous day. Dennis watched, slightly in awe, as his wet stringy hair, which he usually didn’t do much with, transformed into soft, shiny locks that reached past his shoulders.   “You know, you’ve got really nice hair, it’s a shame you keep it tied up all the time…” Kylie muttered.   “I guess…” Dennis replied, but couldn’t help but silently agree with what his sister had said.   “Okay, and now for the fun part. Makeover time!” Kylie grabbed her makeup bag and started going to work before Dennis could object.   Dennis, already exhausted from his previous attempts to get Kylie to let up, decided to just let it happen, the sooner it did, the sooner it would be over, so while he wasn’t happy about it, he let Kylie apply a generous coating of gloss to his lips, a bit of blush to his cheeks, and some mascara to his eyelashes. Again, Dennis was thankful, since much like with the outfit, he’d expected a lot worse. While it wasn’t that dramatic, Dennis did realize that he had a lot more resemblance to Kylie than he’d thought previously, enhancing features they’d both inherited from their parents.   “One last thing…” Kylie approached Dennis with a pair of tweezers in hand, but Dennis quickly ducked out of the way. “Come on!”   “You said nothing permanent!” Dennis stood up and backed away from Kylie.   “I’m just going to clean them up a bit, or are you growing a unibrow on purpose?” Kylie motioned to the mirror.   Dennis got closer and looked at his face in the mirror, noticing a lot of stray hairs in between his eyebrows. It wasn’t something he’d ever noticed before, but now that he saw it, it was very noticeable.   “Okay, fine, but just the stray hairs.” Dennis sat down once more.   “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing…” Kylie moved the tweezers back towards her brother’s face.   Unfortunately, Kylie was a tad overconfident in her abilities, so after plucking a few too many hairs from one eyebrow, she had to repeat the same on the other. Keeping Dennis from seeing the mirror, Kylie assured her brother.   “Don’t worry, it looks fine… mostly.” Kylie said.   “Mostly?” Dennis pushed Kylie out of the way to look in the mirror.   Dennis’ jaw dropped open as he saw that his eyebrows had been shaped into a very feminine style, something that could take weeks to grow back to normal.   “What the hell, Kylie?” Dennis demanded.   “I’m sorry, it was a mistake, but it’s fine, if they notice, I’ll tell Mom and Dad I did it as a prank while you were asleep and if you need to go out, you can just use an eyebrow pencil to fill it in!” Kylie responded, pulling out her phone. “Besides, even if it wasn’t a mistake, you’re in no position to argue…”   Dennis slumped back in the chair and sighed. He desperately wanted to take charge and demand the phone, after all, he was the older brother, but now that he’d let her take it this far… there wasn’t any turning back. He just had to let things happen from here.   “And now for accessories!” Kylie grabbed a few pieces of jewelry off her vanity and handed them to Dennis.   Dennis looked them over, a ring, a few bracelets, and a necklace with a pink crystal heart. Girly, but by far the least of his worries at this point. The ring and bracelets were simple, but the necklace took some work. As he fastened the necklace onto his neck, he spotted Kylie taking another photo.   “Lookin’ good, ‘sis’! I really like how your hair came out after I straightened it.” Kylie grinned.   “Yeah, sure, get your jokes in now, because once the internet is back, this is over! I don’t know how we managed to hide my hair from Mom and Dad, but you’ve gone way too far now!” Dennis whined.   “Looks like you know something I don’t, because I never said it’d be over when the internet was back, just that I can’t really post any photos until it’s back.”   “You said you wanted to do this because you were bored and we had nothing better to do!”   “And I didn’t realize how much fun it’d be, I might want to keep this up… that is if you don’t do exactly what I want without complaining.”   “...What do you want from me?”   “At the moment, I need some better photos, the lighting in here is terrible, I think the next step is to take the photoshoot outside.”   “Outside? But someone might see me!” Dennis’ heart started to race.   Dressing up like a girl and letting Kylie do what she wanted was one thing in the privacy of their home where no neighbors or passerbys might see. But out in the open? That was another matter entirely!   “And as long as you’re cooperative, no one will ever know who that mystery girl on the lawn is. If you don’t, I think my ‘sister’ might start having a burgeoning social media presence…”   Dennis opened his mouth to speak, but again, was completely speechless. After sputtering and stuttering for a minute, he just threw his arms up in frustration.   “Oh, and before we go, make sure to put on your shoes.” Kylie handed Dennis a pair of pink, open-toed pumps.   “Heels?” Dennis asked.   “Not only do they show off your pretty toenails, but they match, too!” Kylie smiled.   After putting on the unfamiliar heels and taking a few cursory steps, Dennis managed to get the hang of it, at least well enough to descend the stairs, while gripping the bannister tightly, and made his way towards the backyard.   While the previous day had been dark and stormy, the sun had finally emerged and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Dennis squinted as he emerged from the house.   “You should consider yourself lucky, I was going to make you pose on the lawn, but the grass is too wet and your heels would just sink, so we’ll have to stay closer to the house.” Kylie said.   “Small mercies…” Dennis muttered as he glanced around, ensuring nobody was in a position to see into the yard.   “All right, now stand there and I’ll tell you how to pose!” Kylie said.   For several minutes, as he stood against the wall of the house, Dennis was forced into a variety of poses and expressions by Kylie, including one where he was to hold the hem of the skirt with his fingertips.   “Yes! Just like that, hold the skirt like that, although it wouldn’t kill you to smile, you know.” Kylie instructed.   “Maybe I’d be more inclined to smile if I wasn’t being blackmailed! How much longer is this going to go on for anyway?” Dennis spat.   “I dunno, I guess until we get internet back, but we’ll see.” Kylie shrugged as she snapped another photo.   “Come on, you’ve had your fun, you made me shave my whole body, you plucked my eyebrows,  I’m wearing a stuffed bra and a skirt, and you put makeup and jewelry on me. I think the game’s gotten old.”   “Old? I’m just getting started! It’s fun to have a sister around to do stuff with, way better than some boring brother who spends all his time in his room playing video games…” Kylie trailed off, a hint of sadness in her voice.   Dennis’ jaw dropped. The blackmail, her gleeful remarks as she forced him into the most embarrassing situation that he’d ever been in before, the threats, it was all because she felt he played video games too much? Dennis was confused, angry, and a whole bunch of other emotions that he couldn’t even process at the moment.   “Is that what this is about? You didn’t need to blackmail me if you wanted to just hang out!” Dennis exclaimed, louder than he intended.   “No, but you don’t like the same stuff as me, certainly not any of the girly stuff I like, face masks and pedicures and all that. Besides, you’d have said no when I asked.” Kylie pouted and crossed her arms.   “You don’t know that! You’ve never asked!” Dennis shouted.   “I do! All the time, and you’re always too busy in a raid or something like that!” Kylie shouted back.   “So you force me to dress like a girl by blackmailing me?” Dennis motioned towards himself. “That’s your idea of doing stuff together? You think this is what siblings do to each other? Embarrassing them in sadistic ways? Threatening to release photos that could ruin my reputation at school?”   “Sadistic? I’m sorry… I just wanted to have some fun…” Kylie frowned. “I wasn’t really going to post any of the pictures. I’d never do that...”   “Really?” Dennis’ anger evaporated in an instant as he saw tears starting to well in Kylie’s eyes.   “You can go ahead and get undressed, I’ll delete all the photos…” Kylie sniffed as she held back tears and ran into the house. “Wait, Kylie!” Dennis shouted, trying to grab Kylie as she ran away. “Stop!”   Dennis, unused to the heels he was wearing, attempted to give chase, but was forced to take small, mincing steps to avoid face planting on the hard concrete. Once he got into the house, he took a few steps before clicking his tongue in annoyance, and sat down on the couch, reaching down to remove the inconvenient high heels from his feet. He massaged his foot for a moment before rushing upstairs to Kylie’s room.   Dennis took a moment to catch his breath and really thought back, trying to remember the last time he spent any time with Kylie that wasn’t just idle conversation at dinner or passing in the kitchen as they each made a snack. Dennis sighed as he realized that it had been a very long time… too long a time. Steeling himself up as much as he could in his feminine get-up, he knocked lightly on the door.   “Hey, Kylie?” Dennis called.   “Go away! That’s what you wanted right, for me to leave you alone?” Kylie shouted.   “Come on, Kylie, I just want to talk for a minute.” Dennis insisted.   “Fine…” Kylie opened her bedroom door slightly.   “Listen, I’m sorry I yelled at you. I was angry, but I get it now. I wasn’t being a particularly good brother, it’s no wonder that you felt you had to blackmail me to do anything with you…” Dennis said. “Besides, I didn’t hate everything you did as much as I said I did…”   “You’re just saying that to make me feel better!” Kylie began to slam the door, but Dennis pushed it back open.   “Wait! You were right yesterday, the pedicure did feel really good, I wouldn’t mind doing that again, minus the pink nail polish. You know, if you wanted to hang out together once I’m back in my regular clothes. But while I’m still dressed up like this… what else did you have planned for today?”   “Well, now that you ask…” Kylie grinned, not an evil grin, but a genuinely happy grin.   Once the burden of blackmail had been lifted, Dennis was far more receptive to Kylie’s activities, and they enjoyed a few hours of activities, some sisterly bonding like Kylie teaching Dennis how to paint nails, leaving the siblings with matching pink manicures, with Kylie using press-on nails for Dennis’ for easy removal later, and some just general hanging out, like cooking breakfast together. Dennis was far more comfortable in his new outfit, ditching the tight tank top and skirt for a pair of black shorts and a green collared button down sleeveless blouse. Even the uncomfortable heels had been replaced by a pair of Kylie’s sneakers that fit Dennis.   As Dennis munched on a piece of bacon and Kylie chattered on with her other plans for the day, they were both interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Dennis froze, and Kylie, noticing her brother’s discomfort, immediately shot up.   “I’ll get it!” Kylie ran to the front door and peeked out the window.   An older man in a uniform was standing there, carrying a box. Satisfied that it wasn’t one of either her or Dennis’ friends making an unannounced visit, Kylie reached for the doorknob.   “...Yes?” Kylie asked as she cracked open the door.   “I’m from ISP, we got a call that your router is broken? We’re here to replace it.” the man said, pointing to the logo on his breast pocket.   “Oh, of course! Come on in! ‘Denise’, show him where the router is!” Kylie shouted.   Dennis sheepishly nodded as he motioned for the worker to follow him. After checking the router and doing some routine checks of the system to ensure nothing else had failed, the worker installed the new router, and the internet light blinked on, like a beacon of hope.   “That should fix it, but feel free to call back if you have any further problems. Have a good day, young ladies.” the worker said as he wrote down something on his clipboard, before heading out of the house.   Kylie shut the door behind him, giggling at how her brother had been referred to as a ‘young lady’ by the worker. When she returned, she found Dennis had left the room. Kylie quickly realized the first place her brother would have gone. She bounded up the stairs and sure enough, Dennis was turning on his game console up in his room. Kylie gently knocked on his door frame.   “What are you smiling about, dear ‘sister’?” Kylie asked.   “The internet’s back! I can finally play my game again!” Dennis exclaimed. “I’m gonna kick that level’s ass!”   “Oh… I guess you’ll want to change back into your own clothes, right?” Kylie said sadly, looking at her feet.   “I could… although this outfit is pretty comfortable. Way better than that skirt and heels. I wouldn’t mind wearing it a little bit longer.” Dennis shrugged. “And you said something earlier about face masks? That might be fun to do, since Mom and Dad aren’t gonna be home for a while yet.”   “I’ll go get them! Ooh, and there’s this rom-com I’ve been meaning to watch… And-” Kylie excitedly started to turn around.   “Or, or, or…” Dennis exclaimed. “You could be my player 2!”   “Huh?” Kylie scrunched her face in confusion.   “I mean, you’ve spent the last two days sharing all of your favorite stuff with me, I think it’s about time I return the favor.” Dennis smiled, holding out a controller.   “Nothing would make me happier, bro.” Kylie smiled and took the controller from Dennis’ manicured hand.   “Same here, sis.” Dennis motioned for Kylie to sit down. “Now, the secret to this level is…”   The End  

Thud. Thud. Thud. The heavy footfalls of Rhys' mech prototype echoed through the forest as he made his way away from the hidden base of the Empire of Fire. Lucky for him, the base was nowhere near the capital of the empire, or else, he would have been under heavy fire by a dozen fighters by now. He had destroyed the base's hangar for this same reason. There was no way they would be able to follow him after all the destruction he had sown. And even if they had contacted the capital by now, by the time any fighters were able to reach him, he would be long gone. "Dima! Tell me the sub is ready!" Rhys picked up the radio he had brought with him and barked into it. Static crackled for a few seconds as no reply came in, and worry bloomed in his heart. "Bzzt~ hys! Rhys! Can you hear me?" The voice that broke through the static on the other end immediately allayed Rhys' worries. "I can hear you just fine. Tell me, is the sub ready?" He asked again. "Yup! I'm already waiting at shore!" Dmitri, Rhys' loyal subordinated, chirped in his ever merry tone. "Good, I will be there in two hours. Prepare yourself." Rhys replied and put the radio aside, focusing on what he was doing. With the bulk of his mech, and the hasty way he was fleeing, there was no way he would be able to not leave tracks, to what he could do right now was focus on fleeing as fast as possible. Yes, this new war machine was powerful, but that did not mean that he could take on the whole Empire of Fire on his own with this hunk of metal. A few well placed APDS rounds to the joints of the machine would bring it tumbling down in no time. Thud. Thud. Thud. The steady footfalls of the lumbering machine comforted Rhys for the next two hours. The stream he had been following downstream was an estuary that led to the ocean. Of course, there was no way Rhys wanted to take a dip with him mech, so he had already arranged for a pickup. When the river widened, he finally came across enemies. He tried his best to avoid the fortress built by the Empire of Fire to guard against external enemies, but word had already spread, so some troops had been sent out to intercept his path. Vroooom! Half a dozen armored trucks appeared on the road that ran along the river. The machine guns mounted on them clicked and began whirring, unleashing a curtain of bullets the next second. "Damn fools." Rhys swore, a vein popping up on his forehead as he turned the upper body of his mech to face the road. A spark of light flashed through his deep blue eyes, and a spike of pain lanced through his head. "Argh!" He grunted in pain just as the barrels of the guns mounted on either side of the mech faced the road ahead of the speeding vehicles. Snakes of electricity danced along the barrels of the guns just before they barked out the rounds that were loaded in the mech. Boom! With a deafening explosion, the road, along with part of the mountain that it ran along, exploded into bits of rocks and dust, flying into the air. "Humph." Rhys simply snorted before turning away and continuing on his way. That would delay the troops of the empire long enough for him to get away. Ten minutes later, the end of the stream appeared before Rhys. He saw how the modest sized river opened up as it ran further down, reaching for the sea up ahead. Quickly, he pressed a few buttons and pulled a lever. A port on the top of the mech popped open, and a missile shot out, flying straight up. Bam! The missile exploded in the air, spreading green smoke. The green smoke was the agreed signal that would let Dmitri know that Rhys was there, and he was not being tailed for the moment. A couple of minutes passed before the water at the edge of the shore began to bubble, and in the next few seconds, a large, metal hull pushed out of the water. Rhys grinned as he recognized the sub that his splinter organization had hastily put together in preparation for this day. It was a miracle they had been able to get multiple subs ready for this day in time. They only had less than a year, and a very lacking manpower base. Only one submarine had come to pick up Rhys, as he did not want all of his assets this close to the territory of the Empire of Fire. Squeezing one sub through the gaps had been the best that his spies could do, so he would have to make the most out of it. The few minutes it took Rhys to get to the shore was enough for the men in the submarine to disembark and man the different machines that they needed to hook up the mech to the sub. This dock had already been deeply infiltrated by his spies, so everyone present was working for him. Those that did not had already been killed off. "Rhys!" As Rhys climbed out of the cockpit of the mech, a young man came forward, yelling his name and waving at him. Rhys rolled his eyes at his most loyal subordinate's ever chummy attitude. Why could he not be more formal with him like everyone else? "Dima, did any complications arise on the way here?" Rhys asked the young man as he climbed down from the mech. Thunk! A hook attached itself to the back of the heavy war machine with a loud sound. Rhys eyed the operator of the crane, and the lady smiled nervously, quickly averting her gaze. Dmitri snickered at this interaction while waiting for Rhys to finish climbing down. When he finally did, the first thing that awaited Rhys was a firm punch to the shoulder. A scowl spread over his face as he turned to Dmitri with fiery eyes. "What was the meaning of that?" He demanded. "Oh, pssh. Don't act all bossy with me. It's been what, six months since you last saw your younger brother and you're acting all cold! You should be hugging me!" Dmitri exclaimed, catching the attention of a few people working nearby. Smack! "Idiot!" Rhys smacked the back of Dmitri's head before turning and walking away, a scowl still present on his face. Dmitri and he were not actually brothers, but they had grown up together. All those years together allowed them to bond and become something similar to actual brothers. It was just that Rhys was more of the stern older brother, while Dmitri was the goofy younger brother. "Let's get the mech hooked up to the sub quickly. Coastal patrol will get here any minute." Rhys clapped his hands and raised his voice so everyone could hear him clearly. "Yes sir!" After receiving an affirmative response, he made his way to the submarine, while Dmitri remained outside to watch over the others. With his active guidance, the team was ready to move out in just thirty minutes.

[Atlast, I'm back.] The man slowly turned his head left and right, seemingly trying to check the area of something. With a deep humming voice the man curiously asked to himself. [Is this the right universe?] The man stopped looking around and directed his eyes into the ground. [Hmmm, this is definitely the right universe.] [Brothers, Sisters. I fulfilled my promise. I found my home, Our home.] The man stretched his right hand infront of him and opened him palm, suddenly a small black with white liner cube looking object appeared ontop of his palm. With a tender and sad eyes as he mumbled something to the cube. [??????, ???] The small cube emitted a very bright light, with an energy far beyond any beings on Earth have seen or felt. Once more all living beings on Planet Earth directly pushed into the ground with a higher intensity than before. But luckily the pressure have no killing intent so nobody have died because of it. From the small cube, many golden lights shot out from heading to the nearest empty space they can find beside the man. 10 Lights. 100 Lights. 10.000 Lights. With the new addition of 10.000 new light sources, the intensity of the brightness increases drastically. Almost blinding many living beings around them. 10 minutes later one by one the golden lights fades, revealing many man and woman wearing a similar armor with the man with the white mask. Until the last 7 lights. These 7 Lights are more special than the others, they emitted lights with colours they are Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and pure white. 5 minutes later, the special lights also fades slowly. Under the Red light, a man with a huge spear revealed. Under the Orange light, a woman with crystal gauntlets revealed. Under the Yellow light, a woman with a void staff revealed. Under the green light, a man with a gigantic rifle in his back revealed. Under the blue light, a man with a very stylish hat revealed. Under the violet light, a woman with a big shield revealed. And lastly under the pure white light, a woman with two swords on her hips revealed. After the last light fades, the man with a very stylish hat coughed lightly. "Uhm brother, i think you should hide your presence. Look at those humans, most of them already fainted." [Ah... I forgot about that] "My bad." The man with the jetblack armor embarrasingly scracthed his head. "Anyway..." The man looked into his right side, there stand a very beautiful woman with two swords on both side of her hips and nervously asked. "Honey... look we are at home now..." The woman looks around her, taking a deep breath as if reminiscing the sensation of breathing on Planet Earth. Then she suddenly looked into the man and said. "But at that time, why did you forcibly teleported us into the Stilled Cube?" The man looked into the distance with a solemn eyes. "I feared to lose you, to lose all of you." When hearing this, the woman aura surged. "WE CAN HELP YOU IN THE WAR! WE ARE ****** TOO! WE ARE YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS! WE FIGHT TOGETHER!" The man slowly looked into the crowds. As if looking them one by one. He slightly shakes his head. "No you cannot. Your power is too low to participate in that battle. I cannot risk it, i cannot lose you again." The man pointed at his body, exactly at his right arm and left leg. "As you can see, that battle cost me quite alot. I might need to rest for a few quadrillion years to heal this injuries." All of them stay quite, blaming themself. They noticed only around 10.000 from 1.000.000 of them comeback alive, they are lucky to be saved the Ancient Emperor into the Stilled Cube. They wished they are stronger at that time, and the tragedy won't happen like that. The woman, stumped hearing those words. She approached and hugged him, crying silently.  "Then what should we do if we lose you?" She asked softly. The man smirks with full confidence. "Hah! i'm eternal, i can only die if i choose to die. So don't worry about that." They both stay quite like that for a few minutes. Then they occasionally do some banter, Looking very lovey dovey with each other. The rest of the crowds : Really, right now? The crowds can't really do anything as the two powerful beings are their superior. Their savior. ======== The Scientist looked at The man with jetblack armor and what looks like a smooth white porcelain mask with no eye holes, mouth or nose and the woman with all-white battle robe with a smooth black glass mask also with no eye holes. Trembeling in fear they retreated slowly fearing that the man will notice and massacred all of them. The strongest of the group, the only 10-Star Hunter on Human used his telephatic ability to order everyone to keep quite. Even though he's very nervous himself, he cannot show his nervousness to the others as he is their prided one. If he's fallen then the humanity also falls with him. "Rena my sweetheart, did you have the teleportation item that i gave you long ago with you now?" (The father) "Yes father, i always brought it with me incase i face some danger i can't handle" (Rena, the father's daughter) "Good, on my signal you have to use it. No matter what don't look back. That's an order" (The father) "But....  Yes, Your Lordship Henry." (Rena) "Good. You have to tell the... !!!" (Henry, the father) Before Henry finished his words, he found out that their group now have the crowds attention. Henry sweated and his hands trembled, he failed to give the signal to his daughter. He can see their bottomless power from the crowds eyes, he felt like being stared by a gigantic beings hovering over him. But before he broken down from his extreme nervousness, the man with jetblack armor spoke. "Ah!  What a coincidence! Hello there brother! He's my real sibling!" The man happily exclaimed and they can feel like the man was introducing him to the crowds. Henry and the group : WTFWJDAPDMAJDSAAIONDANI!!!!   KneeHunter Quality is quite bad, i know. I need your critics so i can learn from my mistakes and hopefully improve myself :D

Year 2308, Earth South Pole, Humanity Last Fortress, The Ark Fortress. A woman and an old-looking man sat facing each other in an office room. If someone looks closely into their faces, they will surely find some similarity between them. Both of them are quite famous, One hailed as the Battle Goddes, and the other one as the Human Savior. "Father, a 5 Star Strike Force team reported an abnormality they found in Asia Continent. They said they have never seen something like that before." "Hmm, which Team are you talking about?" "The oldest one, Praetor." "Ah, those Hunters are old fogeys with many experiences. It seems we need to take this seriously. So what is the abnormality they talking about?" "They said they aren't that sure what it is, but its phenomenon is similar with when a portal forms." "If they say it like that then it must be something weird, did they record it?" "Yes they did, here you can watch it." The woman rotates her Laptop showing a video where 4 men standing beside a space crack, the space crack looks very intimidating with black smoke coming out of it slowly. But one can see that the space around it is already starting to heal. One of the men very carefully extended his sword, but when the sword got closer to the portal it immediately crumbled to pieces. The owner of the sword quickly throws the sword before the effect reaches him. Dumbfounded, all 4 men agreed to seal the place so no one accidentally stumbled upon it and died tragically. "Isn't that his prided treasure ' The Dragon Slayer'?" "Yes, it is. The owner cried 3 days and nights after he returned to the base." "Hmmm, it seems the corrosion effect is very strong considering it can corrode the famous Dragonslayer sword in an instant." "Yes, we have sent a team of scientists and four 4-Star Strike Force teams along with 400 Type-B Guard Sentries to study it and maybe come with a new weapon that can help us eradicate those filthy monsters." "Uh, Isn't that too excessive?" "It wasn't and we are planning to send one 5-Star Strike Force team to make sure everything will be safe. Or father do you want to go there too?" "Me? the only 10-Star Hunter in the whole humanity?" "..." The woman looked into the man's eyes with a very cold face. "Ok ok, I'll go there alright! Call your brother back to safeguard the base." Hearing the sound of defeat coming from her father, the woman smiled brilliantly. The father: My mother is scary, My wife is scary, why did my daughter also scary?! Why the heck does this family only have scary women?! ------------- Unknown place, Uknown year. A silhouette of a man floating in something like space. Countless lightning bigger than a galaxy supercluster flashes around him. Numerous explosions can be seen on the horizon, one can only imagine how strong and big those explosions are. "How long... do I have to... wait." The man asked the question to no one but to himself. "How long... have I floated in this destroyed dimension." The man once again asked a question, but no one answered him. "Sigh if only those kind race is still around." The man sighed sadly, thinking just how cruel the universes are. The man closes his eyes and starts to have flashbacks about the super kind race that was once lived in this destroyed dimension but was tragically annihilated by the so-called universes' destiny. 1 Year passed. 10 Years passed 1 Million Years passed. 1 Trillion Years passed. The man slowly opened his eyes, he felt something out there. Something familiar. Something very close with him. He extended his hand and pointed in the direction where he felt that "something". *BLINK* The man teleported to there, he saw a dimensional crack. A very rare natural dimensional crack like this can happen if the dimension can no longer hold itself together. The crack is very gigantic, its size is almost 1/3 of the dimension's size. The man wondered just how a crack this big can form without his knowledge at all. The man stared at it for a while and decided that it was time for him to get out from this blasted dimension. With one final look at the destroyed dimension. He stepped into the crack. When the man disappears into the crack, suddenly the dimension shakes uncontrollably and then crushed into itself crushing everything within it into an almost infinitely small object. The man will never know that his presence is the only thing stopping the dimension from its inevitable death. ---------------The year 2308, Asia Continent, Country H. "So this is the 'abnormality' huh?" A man looking into the space crack and sighed softly. "How is it father, can you stand close to it? and maybe peer into the crack?" "Nope, far from standing beside it I can't even go closer than this." The woman raises one of her brows. This is the first time after a long time she sees her father a bit frustrated like this. She stopped looking at her father's face and walked into one of the scientists. "So what have you gathered about this 'abnormality'?" "Frankly we don't know ma'am." The woman frowned upon hearing the word, they have been studying the abnormality for over 4 months and still got nothing from it. Aware of her frowning face, the scientist hurriedly fixed his tone and told her about their recent finding. "But we know that this abnormality is not by any means a portal like any other." "What do you mean?" "It is a portal but the other end is not from this universe. We have sent a drone with a very very thick Divine metal armor a few weeks ago. Though it's destroyed almost instantly, we got 5 seconds recording from the other end." The scientist showed her the video, she can see countless lightning and explosions. This of course surprised her, as she had never seen any portal like this before. The scientist continues his explanation from before. "The place that the portal leads to seems like another dimension, or universe. That dimension is either in its very early phase or its decaying phase." The woman hurriedly called her father and told him about the video while dragging him with her to the laptop. It's just beyond her, so she needs her father's opinion about this. The father looks closely at the video. The father: I don't know a thing about scientific things, how am I supposed to know what is this lightning and explosions thing? at least I have to look cool in front of my daughter. "I think this ar... HHMMM?!!" Suddenly the father felt something coming from the space-crack. He immediately erected a 10-Star Barrier Spell to protect everyone from the incoming danger. "Everyone quick go inside my barrier! Something is coming out from it!" All scientist leaves their station and run for their lives into the barrier, while the Hunters hold their weapons in their hands. Everyone looking nervously at the space-crack. Slowly a man with jet black armor and a white mask comes out from it. A pressure like no other falls upon them forcing everyone on Planet Earth flat into the ground. A thunderstorm formed in the skies around the Planet Earth with countless thunder striking the ground. The Hunters and Scientist faces palled after they realized the God's Blessing in their body disappeared, they even can see those blessings escaping to the skies with their tails behind their legs. Then a few seconds later they see something beyond their understanding, in the horizons many big creatures with unfathomable power fall from the skies . Their fall destroyed mountains, cities remain, and islands. The Hunters and Scientists: Aren't they the powerful gods?! Today, Year 2308. Every living beings in the entire Planet Earth fall flat into the ground. No exception, gods and mortals alike. After a few minutes of chaos, a deep humming voice sounded in the entire planet. [Atlast, I'm back.]

Today was Friday and there was a Pokemon new episode. I watched it and today's episode is amazing. In first, I did not want to Galarian Farfetch'd in Ashs' team but with this episode I like it. I am impatient to see Sirfetch'd in anime now. Also, in my opinion, in the next few episodes, Galarian Farfetch'd evolve to Sirfetch'd. It is time to go bed now. After I slept, I saw pokemon in our world in my dream. With this, morning came. *yawn* I opened my eyes with the light brightening in the window. ''Huh, Where am I?'' I opened my eyes and I noticed I am in a different from my room. It looks like a hospital room. Suddenly, I had a headache. There are some memories started to appear in my mind. Just like before life, my name is Beyaz Kurt. And it looks like the world. Just 10 times bigger than my previous life world. And the most important thing is in the world there are pokemon. I am also 14 years old here. And also my shape is just like before. I was living with my family in the same place just like my previous life. But it is 10 times bigger than before. My family was a farmer before. In here, they farm berries such as sitrus berry, oran berry... In my previous life, my family was dead last year. Unfortunately, here my family died last week because of a car accident. This is also the reason why I am in the hospital. I and my family was going Pokemon Breeder House to get my first pokemon. In here people get their first pokemon 14 years old after the graduation from primary school. There are some ways to get your first pokemon: Getting pokemon egg from Pokemon Breeder House, getting from wild, getting from your family, or getting from a researcher in your town. My family did not have their pokemon. My family did not let me go wild area and get from the wild. Also, near our town, there is no researcher laboratory. There is the only way I can get pokemon is from Pokemon Breeder House. For the first pokemon, people should get a pokemon egg and hatch it themselves. Getting a pokemon egg is also expensive. Somebody can not afford it. Also my family too. It is expensive to get my first pokemon egg. But, for who can not afford it, there is a solution too. In line with the support of the Pokemon Alliance, who can not afford pokemon egg can lucky draw which means play with the random wheel. In this wheel, most of them are general rare pokemon which not rare in wild such as weedle, rattata, sandsrew etc... But there is also one chance to get a rare pokemon egg. You read it right. There is also Pokemon Alliance in here. All countries around the world participate in Pokemon Alliance. Anyway, when times come for getting the owner of this body first pokemon, owner of this body went Pokemon Breeder House with his family. Learning from my mind, Pokemon Breeder House is big. Its area is around 1 km2. It is different from the Day-Care House. Pokemon Breeder House established by Pokemon Alliance for selling pokemon eggs while Day-Care Houses are private ownership places for taking care of your pokemon, hatching pokemon eggs, selling pokemon eggs. After went to Pokemon Breeder House, they went reception and a worker took them to in front of the egg wheel. There are 5 different egg wheel in there to not wait for people too much. There were 10 people in-line. 2 hours later, it is their turn. After someone uses the egg wheel, it will reset for the get fair chance. After the rotate egg wheel, they wait to stop it. Around 15 seconds later, it stopped. ''WTF, is that my first pokemon?''

The following is a true story…I think. Well, it’s a story, at least, and some part of it is true, maybe, but I don’t know if all of it is true, you know? It’s that kind of thing! Or, um, maybe it’s wishful thinking? It started yesterday, when I was pawing through Dr. Newton’s latest book. ‘Hypnosis in the Mainstream’. It’s a perfectly acceptable subject for an honor student and not at all related to any fetishes I may or may not have. It’s an academic review of various quasi-scientific phenomena and the relation to hypnotherapy and liminal barriers and – (well, it’s also kinda hot, but, that’s unrelated, I swear!) “Oh, I haven’t picked that one up yet,” I heard, a girl settling down near me. Ah, but… I, Percy Lowell, have pledged to remain outside things like ‘romance’ for so long as my studies continue. Despite the many suitors pursuing me, the most I have revealed to the world is that I prefer girls, but… This girl… “I’m still working through ‘The Supreme Idea’, you know? It’s a lot to wrap my head around. I keep having to go through the bibliography just to keep up.” Vesta is just so darned cute! She’s like, this delicate little thing, that’s so full of passion, and I really can’t help but feel like, ‘oh no I have to be a responsible senpai’, but of all the people I’ve met here at the Verwest Adventist Academy, no one has tempted me more! Not a one! “There are many layers to her work,” I said, keeping my gaze as level as possible, hiding my face behind the book. “I find that to achieve deeper understanding, I have to read and reread to ensure I absorb the information.” Yes. It’s that. It’s definitely not that I get the tingly feelings and ask ‘what would hypnosis feel like’. Nothing like that, of course. “Mmm. Ms. Sin has been very helpful to me in that regard.” No, that name is nothing weird, it’s Korean, there’s no secret succubus teacher whispering in Vesta’s ear, that’d be weird, no weird thoughts Percy! “It’s a rough read sometimes, though. The thought of people deliberately spreading misinformation like that, and that misinformation outcompeting legitimate information…” “Well, memetics was a pseudoscience in the 2010s – er, the Heisei era,” I said, trying to put on my best ‘senpai’ voice. “Society was built based on the assumption of people playing fair. The ‘supreme idea’, a ‘meme’ that can supplant all others in a human mind…it’s terrifying!” Yes. Terrifying. Not hot at all. Not even a little! Ugh, there’s no way, Vesta could never know any of this! Responsible senpai Percy, that’s me… “Well, um…actually, there’s something else I’m curious about.” Vesta fidgeted, and I smiled at her, trying to be all graceful-like. “You remember my cousin Junon, right?” “Right, the ‘influencer’. With the colorful hair, yes! I recall you and her don’t always get along super well.” She lives not too far from the dorm, though I’ve only seen her once or twice during girls’ night out. “Is she troubling you?” “No! For once, no, thankfully.” Vesta took off her glasses, and, aah, I still wish I could just take this girl and do her hair, her nails, her makeup…but then everyone else would know how cute she is, too! Or, maybe I’d not be able to hide it…“No, she just, after I visited her last, she said something about how my voice would be really good for ASMR.” Oh. Oh no. If there is such a thing as God, then surely this is a test of faith, or something. At least, that’s how I felt at the time… “I, um, seem to remember you saying something about it, Percy?” “Uh, yeah, what about it?” I averted my eyes a bit; this, I thought, was something I couldn’t reveal. It was a bit embarrassing, but mostly it’s that my interest isn’t totally toward, and Dr. Newton’s latest book is, in fact, about the similarities of phenomena like ‘ASMR’ to ‘hypnotic’ phenomena, and darned if that hasn’t given me thoughts, and how can my secret kohai crush give me such a trial?! “Well, I was thinking, maybe, um – maybe it’d be nice if I gave it a try. With you. Or even just, well…” Vesta peered around, as though trying to avoid the gaze of the other students. “Dr. Newton’s writing on hypnosis has made me awfully curious about the whole thing, you know? I think you’re the only person I could ask who wouldn’t consider it ridiculous.” Right. Right, this was completely innocent. I had no reason to worry. It’d just be a cluck like a chicken kind of situation, right? Everything would be just fine. I’d just be getting ASMR and/or hypnosis from the kohai I secretly have a crush on! There’s nothing weird about that! “Um…sure!” I said, trying to hide any anxiety. Honestly, most people had never even considered such a fetish, and those who had probably considered it immoral. Everything would be fine! Vesta’s just, my kohai, she can’t do anything too weird, I thought. I was wrong. (…maybe.) I’d managed to swallow down any second thoughts before we found an empty dorm room to share. Fortunately, Vesta’s dormmate was visiting her home, so it was just the two of us, in a dorm, with a locked soundproofed door separating us from the rest of the Cassandra Hall. Yes, just Percival Lowell and her cute crush, Vesta Ilustrada Imanis, and she’s younger and probably not really the type to twist a girl around her finger with her words, no matter if even her name sounds hypnotic, and was I perhaps working myself up too much? Hoping for it? Never. Not a bit. (…right?) “Um, right. The, uh, most important part of this is trust and comfort, right?” Vesta seemed awfully nervous, her hands fidgeting, but that just meant I probably seemed fine. “Do you trust me? I know we’re friends, but this is a big ask.” “Just leave it to senpai,” I said, putting on my best smile. “Anything I can do to help!” “Then, um…” Vesta reached into her pocket, and fished out a lighter. For a moment, I thought it might be a real one – she can’t have that in here, you know! – but even if the flame looked realistic, I could tell it was a hologram. Even so… “Why the lighter, Vesta?” I asked. “I thought, um, it’d make an interesting focus.” The flame was reflected in her glasses, and I found myself staring into those reflections as much as the flame itself. “That it’d be interesting, if you watched the flame.” “Of course!” I smiled. “I’m really interested!” Would it be smoker ASMR? No, wait, that’d be a weird fetish! Abort, abort – “Interested in the flickering flame.” “Mm, it is interesting. Very realistic!” “Interested in the way it quivers, even in the still air.” “Huh, that is a trick. That pattern –” “Percy.” I found myself drawn from the flame, into Vesta’s eyes. I could almost imagine the flame inside them, instead of reflected. The reflection in her glasses, and in her eyes, and even off a nearby mirror…how did that song she likes go? ‘You are a kaleidoscope’… “Do you trust me?” There was something firm in her voice, that confidence Vesta could display when challenged, and I tried to take it more seriously from there, even if I wasn’t sure how I’d even agreed to this in the first place. “Ah! Of course, my – er, my friend, kohai, um.” I felt myself stumble over my words. I had almost said ‘my love’…ah, no, was I trying to confess?! Just because I’d imagined saying it like that before, it’s not strange, is it – “Then listen, and watch the flame.” My eyes caught into the flame again. “Watch it burn brightly in the low light.” I was able to focus on it. “Watch it flicker and quiver.” I was able to focus on her. “Watch it, reflected in my glasses.” I was able to focus, more and more. “Watch it, reflected in my eyes.” I was able to listen. “Watch it, as you listen to my words.” I was able to listen before I realized I should “Watch it, as you feel heavy.” I was able to watch but I didn’t realize I was heavy “Watch it, as you start to fade into the flame.” I was able to fade into the flame “Watch it, as you sink” “sink” i what? how? i fell before realizing i fell i fell before realizing i needed to i can hear Vesta’s voice “Ten…” counting i was this my fantasy? “Eight…” she’d been reading, alongside me, as i thought of this “Six.” dreaming of a supreme idea “Four.” did i somehow hypnotise myself? there’s no way “Two.” even if Vesta is beautiful, there’s no way “Sink.” i sank. “Good girl.” i wondered if i imagined it. “All hypnosis is self-hypnosis, isn’t it, Percival?” i nodded. her face had changed. she had this…big, sexy, smug grin. almost like she was a different person, but, a hot person. “You’ve been priming yourself with these books, Percival. It’s easy for you to fade for me.” she reached out, to place her hand on my cheek. i smiled. “Easy for you to sink for your crush.” i nodded. she saw. she saw my love… “Easy for you to sink for my words.” this wasn’t right, but i didn’t care. “I’m going to have you confess for me, we’re going to go deeper, but before that, I’m going to take your first kiss. Do you want that, Percival? For the girl you love?” she grinned. because she already knew the answer. she’s so sexy when she’s smug. and so i nodded. she stood, and approached, and grasped my head in her hands. letting me feel completely under her control. she stroked my cheek, and my hair. “You look so perfect when you’re hypnotised. You belong like this. Drooling for me…” i smiled, and nodded to Vesta. and her lips met mine. her lips met mine, and my first kiss was the most wonderful it could possibly be, a hypnotised first kiss that would never be forgotten. her tongue pushed into my mouth, and i swallowed down her drool, and everything faded into the Flame of Vesta’s hearth… everything faded into hypnotic bliss… I fluttered my eyes as I awoke. “Munnh…” Why was I lying down? One moment I was – was being hypnotised, or, did that happen? What? And the next, I was lying down?! I felt a bit headachey, and my mouth felt weird and dry, and there was this damp spot between my legs, and I felt all warm and tingly, but – “Oh! You’re awake!” Vesta quickly shut her book and rushed to my side! “Um, you passed out right when we started…I-I’m sorry, did you, um, have you been overworking yourself? Percy?” “N-no, my…my love,” I muttered, but barely intelligibly – I don’t think Vesta heard it or anything, even if her hand was warm against mine… “Um, maybe it’s…well, Dr. Newton’s scripts are sometimes intense. Maybe I hit on something unintentionally. Even I fade a bit sometimes when reading them.” Was it…like that? I didn’t remember reading hypnotic scripts before, but now I do, and did I hypnotise myself? Was all that wishful thinking? Oh, if that’s the case, then it was all fine. Right? (…right?) “Oh, so nothing weird happened,” I said, smiling. “That’s good…” “Only me calling you a good girl,” Vesta said, and then immediately – “T-that was a joke! I’d never, um, do something weird while you were like that! Ehe.” I smiled wider. ‘good girl’… Why, even now, does the thought of being Vesta’s good girl make me tremble? Even if that was all in my head, did Vesta want that? Dream of that? Does she hope for that kind of control over someone? Or is this all simply ideas Dr. Newton has planted in my head? I almost wish it were real, but is the mere wish simply a sign that it wasn’t real? Or is it just, that now that I’m back in my room, I can’t resist the thought of touching myself, to the idea of a girl I thought of as nothing but my cute kohai making my brain into her plaything? Filling me with her supreme idea? … …well, um… …I guess, in lieu of a real answer, masturbating works too, right? (Real or not, I doubt I’ll ever be able to look at Vesta the same way again…) – from the fantasy(?) diary of Percy Lowell. queenfiona Thank you for reading! As a continuity note for my loyal readers, this story takes place twenty years before the events of It’s No Game, when Vesta and Percy were attending school together. (…maybe.)

After my death, I woke up in a strange place, a very dark place. I quite like the darkness, it brings calmness like none other.  But before long I spotted a light that made me annoyed because the peacefulness was instantly ruined.  Finally in front of the light or rather an old man I see him stroking his beard as if in thought.  "Hmm... this soul will do... Yes yes... Now for boons... A mage? Yes, and what els-"  Finally having enough with this senile man I yell "senile old man quit acting like I'm not here!"  "Oh! A fiery one arent cha! And to be conscious during this! Impressive indeed... It seems I picked the right soul... you know what? Why don't you pick your second boon?"  While suspicious of the strange old man I decided to see where it goes, On a whim I say. "I want an inhuman body physique that doesn't change me physically."  After all, I don't want to be muscular.  "oh ho ho! I pity the fools that are on your bad side, especially with my last boon!"  Confused I look at the old man.  "What's the last boon?"  "Oh, nothing much just a soul-bound weapon that can change shapes..."  Not believing the senile old man in the slightest I just stare... And stare...  "Ahem! Let's get you on your way! Oh and before I forget you're to help the blessed! Or as they call them the cursed..."  Barely hearing the last part, I saw spirals entering my vision before I woke up in what appeared to be a jail cell- "ahhh!" Memories came flooding in...  Of a rather unpleasant life... the old man wasn't as senile as I thought...  The world I'm in is called Gaia, a modern fantasy world.  Anyone born a mage is immediately hunted down by the governments to become a living weapon and... I'm genderless?  Apparently, every mage is born genderless, which is probably why we're called the cursed.  Though I don't know how to feel when I'm missing my girl parts.  No use crying over spilled milk I guess... "Hey... Rory are you sure you don't wanna try escaping again? I heard next week they'll be doing death duels for training..."  Right, I'm Rory shadowcross in this world and the guy next to my cell is jack he's another mage like me.  He's been pestering Rory about escaping, she thought it was a foolish dream and that he was delusional.  But now with the strength I have, It might not be... Rory's been here basically since birth, she's been traumatized, beaten up, and having to kill her first human at 10 years old, and many other things a child shouldn't have to go through...  So of course she tried escaping, like many other kids she failed because mages' prisons are so secured that Houdini would find it impossible to escape.  With a resolute expression, I face jack.  "I'm up for it... Do you have a plan?"  Scratching his head in embarrassment he shook his head... Of course, he wouldn't he's a person that likes to jump into action with little to no thought.  But that's what makes him cute.  "Ok, jack this time we go with a plan, ok?"  "Ok!"  With stars in his eyes, he accidentally yelled, which the wardens don't like. "Keep it down..."  With widened eyes, he worriedly looked around before he calmed down.  "So jack tonight we'll escape..."  After planning, night came quickly. "Jack are you ready?"  "Yes!..." he Loudly whispered which garnered him a glare. Walking over to the metal bars I tap it to see if I could break them but... I broke the metal with just one tap...  "Whoa! Rory's super strong!"  Glaring again he stops talking loud. Breaking my cell I free Jack next then we "quietly" left.  Jack was as loud as always which gained us unwanted attention, luckily I can kill the wardens with a tap.  But soon an alarm sounded prompting us to speed up our escape.  After going through many bends and guards, we were finally at the entrance though this time we were facing a group of adult mages along with the head warden.  "Impressive to have made it this far it isn't too late to turn back you know? After all, I don't want to kill you!"  Unnervingly the group of adult mages are staring at us with blank expressions.  Ignoring him while keeping a eye on the mages we cautiously walk towards the gate.  "Disobedient brats... Fine then, Attack oh, and keep the brat with the long hair alive, ok?"  As if puppets were following the puppeteer, they started shooting at us with magi guns.  "Jack! Get back inside it's dangerous!"  Not hearing anything from him I look in shock and horror as my one and only friend is... Is dead... Overcome by rage the world slowed down to a crawl... Moving at inhuman speeds I didn't notice the wounds I was getting that would rapidly healing. "Oh? Prisoner 184 has regenerative abilities? The egg heads would love this! Maybe I could get a promotion for this find!"  The head warden was casually talking as if he knows he'll win, which engaged me even further.  Finally, in front of the mages, I throw a punch which cracked the kinetic shield the mage has around them. "Oh? Cracked a kinetic shield with pure strength! Not even T5 beast can do that!"  After multiple punches at inhuman speed the shield breaks.  As I was about to kill the mage in a fit of revenge I almost tripped because of the spell earth snare, but that was enough for the mage to get out of my range again and create another shield.  Getting more and more annoyed I unknowingly started to channel mana, which increased my strength by 10×.  Before the mage could even react I arrived in front of them throwing an uppercut and a kick to the stomach.  Which killed the mage on the spot, my fist brutally broke the mage's neck and the kick sent him flying.  Looking at the other mages the head warden yells in fear.  "R-Retreat!"  They glowed a white light before disappearing presumably teleporting.  After the adrenaline high had gone away I just walked over to jack and cried... While hugging him... I- I can hear a weak and faint heartbeat... Meaning he's... alive!  Hope once again returning I use my mana to heal him.  He healed at a visible rate before his eyelids started to open.  "Umm... why are you half-naked Rory?" He asked while blushing.  "Stupid dummy! Please don't die on me! You had me scared!"  "Wait! What happened to the mages and wardens?!"  "I... Killed one and the rest retreated..." In shock, he looks over to the mage I killed and... "Your amazing and super strong! For killing an adult mage!"  I thought he would look at me in horror but this... Made me happy for some reason after getting praised.  As I was about to get up he pats my head... which for some reason felt good.  "Good girl!"  "Em!" After that, we looted the mage for clothes and items we could use.  Jack took the magi gun while I took the clothes.  "Should we free the other kids here?"  "Yeah." Going to the control room I kick the door open easily, with no one here I open all the cells and gates.  As we were leaving I look one last time at the place of trauma.  "Jack?"  "Yes?!"  "Wanna free other children like us?" "Yeah! We can be like heroes!"  Thus a group called the Blessed ones were born that one fateful day.

A peaceful life is what everyone wants, but what kind of peace actually? How does individual person define peace? Can it easily be achieved? No matter, it’s just way things goes. Thinking about it made me confused if my decision was worth it. I help them to achieve a peaceful life, now that they achieved it they start cursing us. I know, we are not heroes that God’s send, we choose to protect, we agreed to get a little blessing from Demigods offer, and that’s all to it because we didn’t want to be their lackey. Calling “us” monsters, that should not let live. Ironically, we massacred the monsters that took away their so called “peaceful life”. Is this how they repay us for helping them, by cursing, blaming, also wanted us just to drop dead? Really ironic, they want those monsters to be gone but little did they know, they formed an agreement to finish us off with even more monstrous than what we massacred. The human is twisted in many ways, no not just human, everything is, if you’re good, they abuse you, you fight back, you look bad, you help them, they backstab, you ignore them, they keep following, and the story keeps going. Those bastards, they just popped out of nowhere and then came to us with killing intent. What are they really? Where the heck did they found them to begin with? Why did they side with them, what kind of sorcery have managed to convince those humans too easily? They’re obviously inhumane. My skin hair stand up just by feeling their presence. They’re still around here looking for us. They seem to be good at magic and their fighting style is unfamiliar. The magic they use also is not from this world. As I remember there are elements based only from the first 4, which is Fire, Earth, Water and Wind. Their magic is definitely is not based form them, but still have the same form. There are still lot of things undiscovered in this world huh? Are they from different part of the world or different world? They still look like a human so probably they are from this world too. What do they desire? Why did they want us dead? I want to know, I’m sorry my friends for failing you. If ever we get out here alive, I’ll investigate through it, else if I or we die here I already prepared something to bring us back, only I can use this given to me as a gift, after years or maybe more than that and we’re back again not the same person as we are now. We’ll definitely comeback reclaim our honor and pride. It should have been impossible to hurt us because basically we are close to the power of Demigod which is the pinnacle of all humans. We are chosen to protect them but got betrayed worst beaten by unknown origins of people. Next time we comeback and live again, I wish we can meet each other and still become my friends even in different personalities and faces. --- 5 persons laying in the ground, surrounded by burning ruins and craters of battles that partaken, a battle to death. An intense battle has happened. “My, is this truly our end?” (Mommon) A badly injured, wounded and soaked in his own blood, holding a broken battle axe handle. The man barely catching his breaths but he can still smile and stay calm despite his current status. Mommon is the best melee offensive in their group. “I guess, it shouldn’t have turned out like this if I was better at commanding you all.” (Bell) Bell is their commander, their brain in their group. They are talking thru their in game voice chat. “Tsk, those worms dare betray us, after all we did for them!? I’m gonna kill them all, I’ll remember this even in my next life!!” (Lucy) The women clenched her fist saying as she said. “Now, calm down that’s not how women suppose to talk. Also, no need to be that serious it’s just a game.” (Lev) Lev tried to calm enraged Lucy for her to not rage quit. “Heh, you’re still treating us a woman after we massacred those demons with you? You’re making me blush.” (Amadeus) She said that as a sarcasm. “As I said this is just a game! Stop mixing up reality to the game! “(Lev) “Huh, where’s Stan? Did they get beat up him badly and didn’t even leave a single trace of existence? “(Bell) “Nah, he already dripped out during the battle you haven’t noticed?” (Mommon) The 5 person is playing a VRMRPG that they have been taken in to liking lately. It’s a game called “The World” which allows them to play however they want to inside the game, it’s basically a game copy of world with different settings and the world is not yet that developed, the world in the game will develop as they play the game. There are also jobs that can be chosen by the players liking, they can make business, become Adventurer, Heroes, do some main and side quests that can be found randomly and so on. Bell recommended the game to his friends, he had a hard time convincing the others but still managed to get them to play it. One of them is just lazy to play so she stopped playing before she even reached the intro of the game. While the others have gotten their interest. They formed a party that only consist of them friends. Bell supposed to be not their leader because he didn’t want to, he knows that he isn’t really fit to it. He ended up becoming the leader because of majority voting in their group. “He is smart so that’s the reason he is chosen” is his friend’s logic. After hours of playing they said their goodbyes to each other to call it a day, because they have class tomorrow. Bell was deeply thinking he didn’t notice one of his friends haven’t log off yet. “Hey, what do you guys think if this game will become our reality? Nah they probably gonna think I’m weird if they heard that.” (Bell) Bell and his thoughts running wild and he ended up leaking it through his mouth. He had the look of embarrassment and regret when he look at his screen and seen one of his friend still in the party, Lucy. “This is the worst thing I’ve done in my life! What’s even worst it’s Lucy who heard it! She’s one of the people I met with sharpest tongue! Ah my life is over!”  Bell screamed internally. Lucy heard it through their in-game voice chat, it was awkward moment for him as worse that she didn’t responded, he thought she think of him as weird. He wanted to immediately log off and crawl to his bed but he got a response. “If this will become our reality, I’ll gladly take it. I’m sick of just going to school everyday I rather go off to an adventure like we do here!” Bell couldn’t believe what he heard from her, Lucy who is supposed to be the person who don’t say things like that instead just directly laughs and judges things. She got a rant on her life too!? I can’t believe it! He asked himself. “Be-“ Lucy is one of them that Bell had hard time convincing to play the game yet she loved it very much that she could say that. “This isn’t the kind of development I wanted!” Bell thought. Bell couldn’t believe that he was lost in thoughts. “Bell! What now? After asking such question then you just go silent after I answered!? Wth? “ (Lucy) An angry Lucy have appeared! “Ah, sorry I wasn’t expecting you to answer me, also I thought everyone logged off already hahah.” (Bell) Saying that as Bell slightly scratches his head in embarrassment. “Hmp, I wouldn’t even answer your stupid question if everyone is here you stupid!” (Lucy) Bell can imagine Lucy pouting. “Now now, I’m really sorry if I asked such stupid question. Anyway why haven’t you log off yet? Are you still gonna play?” (Bell) Bell you’re really stupid, Lucy thought. “It’s none of your business you idiot! Now I’m gonna log off you idiot see you tomorrow in school idiot! “(Lucy) Lucy shouted at Bell on voice chat and then she log off the game. First I’m stupid, now I’m an Idiot!? Bell thought. She really called me an idiot many times in her last words. How am I to show my face again to her tomorrow? Maybe I should wear a mask or something. After that bell also log off the game and turned off his gadget and get to bed while smiling. “Thinking about it made my day, I really never thought she feel would the same way a me. I think she’s really an awesome girl.” Bell thought as he falls asleep… “He---, We----!” After an hour of Bell being sleep, a distorted voice heard by Bell he thought this as just a dream. The voice continued for a few times. Bell felt like he is floating so he tried to open his eyes. “Huh? What is this place?” Bell calmly thought. Bell is floating and is surrounded by just white color, there are no sign of the place to have an edge. Bell tried to move his arm. “Hmm I can move my arm, the last time I dreamed is I couldn’t move a single part of my body, well it’s a nightmare. So did I mastered to do the, hmm what is it called again? Lucid Dream? “ Multiple light flashes suddenly and the floating Bell ended up falling to infinity. “Wahhhh!!!!” Bell screamed. “Shit I’m gonna die! I need to wake up!” Come on wake up Bell, you need to wake up! Am I dying because of this dream? No don’t think negatively! Think positive! Ah, what to do!? Will I really die like this!? But I seem like falling into unknown depth, what is this? After an hour of falling. Ah!! Just let me fall to the bottom of this I’ve been falling for an hour here! If I’m gonna die just kill me! No need to make me a dramatic death like this! Bell decided to rotate his body to face the bottom and to see what’s below the infinite pit like. A table? Books? Oh shit it seems like this is really my time. Goodbye world. Bell closed his teary eyes as he accepted his death already. After a few seconds of seeing the table, Bell finally hit the ground and it cracked. “Guehh!” Bell after hitting the ground. “Huh? I didn’t die? It didn’t even hurt?” Bell thought. Bell stands up and checks his body. “Took you a long time to reconnect.” A voice behind the floating chair in front of Bell. “What is this thing? I didn’t see it when I’m above falling.” Bell replied. The voice sighed. “It’s because you closed your eyes you idiot.” “Hey! I’ve been called an idiot many times this day already stop adding from it!” Bell replied. The floating chair rotated as the voice behind it talks. “Ah, whatever just listen to me and you can do whatever you like after this.” A white cat is sitting in the floating chair, and the source of the voice. “A talking cat!?” Bell. “Alright stop that already, I’ve heard that many times already.” White cat replied. “Don’t use my words on me!” Bell. The white cat sighed. “Okay now hear me out” The white cat voice changed as it says the line: "Welcome to the Land of Infinia, where you can enjoy countless adventures, the world is vast you can do whatever you want, you can become a hero, or an evil! Form a party, use magic or swords it depends on your style." I got clueless at first but I realized it immediately and asked the cat.  "Is this an advertisement for a new VR game? Cool, well it feels realistic even if you play this in your dream. I'll definitely try it our when it comes out!" Bell.  "You're really an idiot aren’t you?" White cat.  "Alright allow me to introduce myself. I am Cathia, I'm mot your normal cat and assigned as a receptionist to who ever enters this realm.  I introduce person who end up here to the new world you'll live in! You pissed me off with your idiotic mind, so I won't give you so much details about myself about the world I'm going to send you in and just send a data in your about how things work in that world, also there is already installed device in your head so that you can understand the language in that world, I'll give you something i won't tell as a parting gift!  I am that generous so be grateful, now fuck off! "  What a talkative fellow when mad, Bell thought.  After that a big hole suddenly appeared below Bell, there appeared a forest and clouds.  " Huh?"  Bell falls again rapidly after that.  I'm falling again?  Am i gonna really die this time!?  You bullshit cat! 

As Gripgrut was making his proclamation I took in his appearance, and just now realised something.   ‘This fucker is SWOL AS SHIT?! Isn’t the stereotype for Goblin Kings to be fat slobs? This guy has muscles on his muscles! IS THAT A 12-PACK?! HOW?!’   Gripgut was at least 1.8 metres tall, and ripped out of his damn mind. Massive broad chest and arms thick as trees. His legs were no different. Yellow eyes and short black hair, with a clean shaved looking face.   ‘To be honest, he’s not ugly like his kin. I wouldn’t date him as a human or anything, but he could pass for human if he had human colours for skin and a cloak to hide his face or something.’   Mumbling to myself, “But what is his level…?”   Gripgrut: “Oh? You know about the human system and their levels, little Artoria? Your knowledge is all over the place, if I am to be honest with you. You know their levels, but assume we have them?”   Artoria: “Eh? Yo- we don’t?”   He shakes his head, and relaxes his stance.   Gripgrut: “No. This is good. I will inform you, and clear my debt to you. Killing you without clearing that debt was honestly going to leave a bad taste in my mouth.”   Artoria: “Debt?”   Gripgrut: “Yes. You see, I firmly believe in paying back my debts because of the one who named me. I incurred a debt from you, because you provided me with some good entertainment by fighting my kin. But, at the same time, you incurred a blood debt towards me for that very same reason. I will tell you a little bit about levels to clear my debt, and then collect mine from you.”   Artoria: “...okay?”   Gripgrut: “So, the humans have their system from the Goddess, which has levels. And somehow that same system can “view” our levels if they have a skill called [Appraisal]. But we don’t truly have levels, as we’re not connected to that system. For we have no need of it. We, monsters like you and I, can get stronger by killing anything with mana in it, evolving, or by being named by someone (or thing) powerful. While the humans need that system to help draw mana from their killed targets to safely apply it to their bodies in the way of ‘levels.’ Following so far, little Artoria?”   Nodding my head, he continued on shortly after.   ‘Why is he explaining this? No-one really believes that much in a debt system right…? Well, whatever, more time for mana regen.’   Gripgrut: “So, as I was saying. While the system can show our ‘level,’ it is not real and more like an estimate of our strength in their system of power. The one who named me thinks it does this by measuring the mana in us, and I am inclined to agree with him. From the mana I can sense from you, I would say you are in the upper limits of Rank F. Which is ‘level’ 10 and below.”   My eyes widened at that. He was really close to guessing my level!   Gripgrut: “Yes, you might be surprised to find out you are really so weak. The hobgoblins under me were all lower rank E’s. So, level 15 and lower. But, as you noticed and proved, levels are not the be all and end all. Up to a point. Well, I think that is enough information to cover my debt. I thank you, little Artoria. Truly, it would have left a bad taste in my mouth to not have cleared that small debt.”   He got back into his ready stance, which was just a boxer stance I think? Bringing up my sword in a two hand position near my head, I asked a question.   Artoria: “No weapon?”   He just gave a light chuckle.   Gripgrut: “You are not strong enough to warrant one, little Artoria.”   ‘Tch, looking down on me. I am obviously lower level than him, but let's see how he likes an Evil Ray with all my remaining mana!’   Lowering my sword halfway with my right arm, and pointing it at him, it started to brightly glow and looked like it was giving off flames of purple-black and red. This caused him to smile at me.   Gripgrut: “That looks like a very dangerous attack, little Artoria. But-”   Without letting him finish talking, I unleashed the attack! Pumping my entire mana pool that was left into this attack caused it to grow quite splendidly in power.   The area around me was blinding with the power of the attack, and I could hear it ripping apart the stone of the cliffside Gripgrut was standing at.   The attack didn’t last too long, and soon it was over. I felt drained, but not exactly tired.   ‘So, this is what zero mana feels like. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but nothing major.’   As the dust started to settle, my eyes widened at what I saw. Gripgrut was just standing there casually, with his right arm stretched out, palm facing me. The cave behind him was completely untouched, but it had looked like he split the attack to the sides of himself, as there were large and deep holes in the cliff side now.   Gripgrut looked to his left side and whistled.   Gripgrut: “That was not a bad attack, little Artoria. But is that the best you got?”   Before I could even get out of my stupor of him casually stopping my strongest attack, he vanished and was in front of me. I didn’t even get to register his back hand slap as I crashed into the ground below me forming a small creator.   Artoria: “Geh! Ack!”   Gripgrut: “Then your best won’t do.”   He then crouched down near my broken body and looked me over.   ‘FUCK THIS HURTS!!!! One slap?! ONE?! How was I supposed to kill this fucker, you shitty god?!?! ARGHH, it hurts so much!!’   Gripgrut: “It is a shame you are a Fae, little Artoria. You are very beautiful for one so small. I would have taken you in as a concubine. Oh well. I don’t want you to suffer too much, as even that light tap was too much for you. Oh, by the way, I think you should know.”   He stood back up, and raised his left foot up to prepare to stomp on me.   Gripgrut: “In the human power system, I would be around level 45, a Rank B threat. Good bye, little Artoria. It was a pleasure.”   He then brought his foot down, and all the pain I was in was thankfully ended.   Opening my eyes to the roof of my shitty shack, I was about to swear up a storm again when a notice took my attention away.   Quest Failed! Generating a more suitable quest. . .   Artoria: “NO SHIT IT FAILED! You shitty system and god!! What the actual FUCK. He was level 45?! How in the SHIT was I supposed to do anything about that?! GRIND?! Fucking useless ass god and system don’t know what a ‘starter quest’ is do they?! GAH FUCK YOU!”   New Quest! ~Clear the “Unending” Dungeon!~ Floors cleared 0/1000 (Check point every 10 floors. Death will not cause failure of quest.) Rewards: One Rank UEX trait for Soul Armour. Special Evolution option.   ‘As long as floor one isn’t some fucking bullshit that has nothing but Goblin Kings on it or some shit…’   Dismissing the new quest, I brought up my status.   Name: Artoria Class: Warrior 7 (8%) Seal integrity: 100% Passives: 8 Dexterity: As agile as a cat! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: Playful Trickster 7 (8%) Deaths: 5 Vitality: As healthy as an ox! Wisdom: You’re no genius, but you’re not dumb either. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral -99 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: Can’t crush rocks with your hands, but you can throw one really, really hard! Magic: A novice, but at least you won’t blow off your own hand! Race: Grey Fairy Corruption: 0% Skills: 2(+) Defence: As strong as wood! Can’t stop a knife, but can stop a fist. Maybe. Mana: Look look! You got a rather large bucket’s worth here! Level: 7 (8%) Soul Energy: 300/1000 Spells: 2(+) Resistance: A fireball will still hurt like hell, but at least you won’t die immediately? Quests: 1 Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan Soul Armour: Basic Leather   ‘Oh? I didn’t notice this before, but what are the plus signs next to my skills and spells?’   Bringing up the skills part, I got a notice asking me if I wanted to upgrade a skill to the next Rank, or learn a new skill. Wanting to see the new skills, and to see if I could change my mind later, I selected to learn new skills. It brought up three possible skills, and said I could only learn one.   Rend Rank B1 Strike with an empowered slash and cause a bleeding wound for a minimum of one second.   Hamstring Strike with an empowered slash, and supernaturally hamstring those hit. Causing movement speed to be reduced by 50% for 10 seconds.   Retreating Slash Feint a slash, and quickly dash backwards 5 metres.   Artoria: “Huh. Interesting how only Rend has a rank and level. Now, to test if I can back out and select Rank up.”   And much to my relief, I was able to back out and select rank up. Doing so, it said I may sacrifice one unlearned ability from my pool, to rank up one selected ability.   ‘Huh, give and take kind of system I guess? Well, that’s fine with me.’   Selecting Retreating Slash for sacrifice, it listed the abilities I could boost. Much to my delight, it wasn’t just my skills, but also a few passives. And the one I wanted to boost, was thankfully there: Swordsmanship. I got a notice after confirming my choice.   Rank Up! Swordsmanship N1 Increases the damage you deal with all attacks from a sword, including magic if the sword is used as a focus, by 60%. Increases chance to land a supernatural hit by 15%. Increase accuracy with a sword by 15%. Provides instinctive novice knowledge and muscle memory.   Artoria: “Holy damn. No wonder that guard and Goblin King killed me so easily… if this is just novice level, I shudder at how stupid powerful the others are. Time to check magic~.”   Bringing up the magic section, and going to new skills I was again given three new options to pick from.   Fade Rank B1 Slightly fade from view, making it harder to see you. More effective in darkened areas. Lasts for one minute and proves a 1% supernatural dodge chance while active.   Confirming my suspicion on the supernatural dodge, it was like critical hits were blows and spells would seemingly miss for no reason.   ‘Safe bet this will become invisibility, and that dodge part of the spell could be life saving at higher levels, so strong chance I am going with this spell. Hmm, now that I am thinking of it I bet accuracy bonus' counter supernatural dodge in some way? Other wise, no-one would be able to hit anyone else.’   Phantom Sword Rank B1 Summon a phantom copy of your sword that will copy your physical attacks with 1% power. Lasts 1 minute.   Phantom Armour Rank B1 Summon ethereal armour and reduce physical damage taken by 1%. Lasts 1 minute.   ‘Okay, both of those sound awesome. I honestly want all of them, but I think I will focus on survivability for now.’   With that I selected and confirmed I wanted Fade. I got up from the pillow, and floated over to the mirror and tested out Fade. I had become ever so slightly transparent.   Looking at my hands I think, ‘Yea, this will most likely turn into invisibility eventually. Looking forward to higher levels of this spell.’   Nodding my head, I floated over to the door, and left my Inner Realm. Arriving in the damnable forest, I looked around for a few seconds before tilting my head in confusion.   Artoria: “Where the fuck is this dungeon?”   Would you like to move to the Unending Dungeon?   Artoria: “Uh… yes?”   Please note, a new checkpoint will be saved upon entering this dungeon. And you may not leave it until you complete it. Are you sure?   Artoria: “Yes, go for it.”   Entering Unending Dungeon. Welcome, Artoria! This is floor NULL. Here, you can select which floor section to clear, or redo, via the door by thinking of the said section.  Good luck!   Dismissing the display, I looked around the floor. It was moderately large and honestly a bit bigger than my Inner Realm. There was a bed, a tree with what I assumed were apples near the bed, and a small looking area for bathing. There was only one door, which led to the dungeon proper.   Artoria: “Has no-one else ever been here before? Is it dungeon shenanigans and instanced, or will I meet others trying it? More importantly, am I the only one who can’t leave? Or even enter?”   Sighing and shrugging my shoulders, I floated over to the door, and went to open it. When my hand touched the handle, an image of a giant tower heading down appeared in my mind, with only floor one lit up. Selecting it, my vision was flooded by white light for a few seconds.   As the light faded, I looked around and saw I was in a vast open field like area. Floating up a bit, I could see a couple of horned rabbits hopping about here and there. And some distance away from where I was, I could see a door in the middle of nowhere.   Artoria: “Huh. Must be the next ‘floor’. Well, my [Danger Sense] isn’t going off from anything, so let’s get this slaughter started then.”   Mira_Zenon Well, how was it~? Did the fight go the way you thought it would? WERE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! Hehe~. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter~.

Announcement So, I saw a comment about chapter 2 not being out and had an "oh shit! I completely forgot to release it!" moment. So yeah, here's part 2, I'm gonna pretend like this isn't horribly late and... yeah. HOLY CRAP, LOOK OVER THERE! *Makes an awesome getaway while you're distracted by my brilliant ruse, muahahahaha*   Do you know what I hate more than anything in this world? When cliffhangers aren't addressed right away... anyway, let's take a gander at the record of my greatest failure as a supervillain from about a year ago!   ***   January 5th, 2046 Dear Diary Evil Plan Log!   Operation Keep Your Enemies Close is officially a go! I somehow even managed to talk the landlord down to a reasonable price that’ll actually let me afford a pack of instant ramen every couple of days. Yes, poverty is suffering, and paying both the mortgage on my lair and rent in a metropolitan city is tantamount to insanity, but it will all be worth it when I’ve dealt with Crimson Saber once and for all! Muahahahahaha   Damn, it’s a lot easier to write a maniacal laugh than to project one out loud. Note to self: add evil laugh to voice training practice.   Ugh, I digress! After my twenty-fifth humiliating defeat at the hands of Crimson Saber, I’ve decided to enact the most heinous of schemes! I managed to track down her true identity and address, and as of today, I’ll be her new neighbor. Now, all that’s left to do is befriend her, earn her trust, have her let down her guard around me, and when she least expects it… submit a detailed report of all the apartment rules and regulations she’s breaking thus having her fined and penalized until she can no longer afford rent and has to move out of my town... forever!   Ha! I’m a fucking genius!   Your days are numbered Crimson, just you wait…   ***   Stardate: January 7th, 2046   Dear Evil Log of Evildoings... Evil!   …   It turns out that unlike many of the other heroes that call this city home, Crimson Saber is actually kind of nice. You know, in a lame "wow I'm capable of making genuine human connections" kind of way. I just went over to introduce myself and she smiled, and chatted, and even invited me to dinner next week.   Who does that!?   She asked me if I like charcuterie? I said yes, obviously, to maintain my cover, but I’m gonna be real here — I had no idea what the fuck that was. When I looked it up later, I saw it’s just a fancy “grown up” way to say homemade Lunchables.    I’m going to eat Lunchables with my arch nemesis a week from now. The world is weird sometimes. Like, goddamn surreal.   Anyway, the plan is right on track… I’m a little concerned that things are going a bit too well, but I’m just gonna chalk it up to being absolutely incredible at what I do and charming beyond all belief.   ***   January 14, 2046   Operation's Log So I had dinner with Lisa Crimson Saber yesterday. It was… actually pretty great. The last thing I expected my nemesis to be was charismatic and funny. Like, make me snort wine through my nose hilarious! She did an impression of The Iron Iguana, easily this town’s most ridiculous hero, and I was in stitches. We ended up just talking for hours as time literally slipped away from us. I honestly didn’t want to leave, even as night became morning. I could tell that she didn’t want me to leave either.   Strangely enough, for someone so beloved by the community, she seemed lonely.   Not that I cared, of course. It’s just an observation. Exploitable information for later, obviously.   So yeah, productive night for operation Keep Your Enemies Close!   Speaking of close though... when I was leaving, she hugged me.   First time anyone’s held me in… years? Yeah, probably more than a few years. She was warm, very warm. Her powerful arms that I’ve seen tear death bots to pieces gently cradled me against her.   I’m obviously no expert on the matter, but I think she held me longer than people normally hold onto each other. Maybe it’s been a while since she’s embraced anyone as well?   It was still really nice.   Note to self: Build a hug bot for personal use! Nope, uh-uh, too pathetic, even for me.   ***   June 15, 2046   Fuck it, Dear Diary!   I know it’s been a while since my last entry, sue me. Do you know how hard it is to find time to take notes on an operation when you’re spending more time at your neighbors' place than your own? The plan has gone completely off the rails. At some point in April, I got promoted to 'bestie' status with Lisa and I don't know how the hell that happened! I always thought the term 'frenemies' was oxymoronic but now I know with one hundred percent certainty that it fits the situation, because I'm a fucking moron! Yes, when the whole mortal struggle between good and evil thing is shelved, we actually get along wonderfully.  Yes, this time I've spent with her has easily been the highlight of my entire life. Yes, I'm planning a surprise party for her birthday next month, it's sci-fi themed and there's gonna be laser tag and --  AAAAAGH Do you see the problem here!? This is a fucking disaster! I can't actually go through with the plan now! Not when I know what kind of person I'd be hurting just to advance my goals for eventual world domination. She's just... wonderful. And then last night happened and... AAAAAAGH!!!!!   So, what happened yesterday to warrant a rare update here? Fuck if I know!   A lifetime of studying every academic discipline and mastering science in all its forms… and I don’t know what the fuck happened!   One second, we’re just sitting on the couch watching some stupid movie with tons of explosions and one-liners… then she slid closer to me. Like, reeeeeeally close to me. Nothing too out of the ordinary, casual contact is something she's been pretty comfortable with since day one and I've been getting used to... slowly. Then — holy shit, then she held me from the side. Like, full-on cuddled up to me. I mean, we'd been close before, but this was like, closer than close. This was Glenn Close watching "Close Encounters" while sitting close to a closed wax museum called "Close Enough: Celebrity Likenesses."   Don’t get me wrong. I really liked it, but… I didn’t know what it all meant and I HATE being confused!   Well, lucky me, the confusion didn’t last long.   She kissed me. Not the “Oh hello darling” kiss you see in period dramas or a platonic little peck… no, she KISSED me. It hit me so hard I dropped down to an IQ of about 10 for a minute. I forgot everything I knew about everything as her warmth, affection, and passion steamrolled anything resembling reason.   “I love you, James.”   Four words and I was back on planet Earth. The first three could have sent me across the galaxy… but that last syllable.   Things shut down really quickly after that. I had to get out of there. I didn’t think I had to tell her who I was… no, not Count Carnage… who I was. Me. The person under the mask. I thought I’d be able to get in and get out with this stupid fucking plan of mine… now she loved me.   And I loved her.   And she didn’t even know that my name… my name, is Julie.   This whole plot was a fucking mistake.   Everything’s been a fucking mistake.   Maybe it's time to revisit time theory and see if I can unfuck this timeline.   ***   June 17, 2046   I told her. I fucking told her. I can hear her outside knocking on my door. I might have told her as quickly as possible and literally ran away. Yeah, I’m a fucking coward, at least I’m consistent. She doesn’t sound angry. But I still don’t know if I’m ready to see her again yet. Bolting after she kissed me hurt her. She let me know the day after it happened. Now I drop this bomb on her. She probably hates me. Probably thinks I’m disgusting. Weird. Wrong. But her voice is still so gentle. And she’s still calling for her bestie. … I want to answer. I really fucking want to answer the door. I want her to hold me again and tell me that nothing has to change. Tell me that everything’s okay. Tell me that she still loves me.   But I can’t.   Fuck.   ***   July 1, 2046   I’ve returned to my secret subterranean lair. Operation Keep Your Enemies Close was a failure of unprecedented proportions.   In the end, I couldn’t even face Lisa again. I just ran. But now I’m back. Contessa Carnage is back. Julie had her fun, but now it’s time to get back to work.   At least I'll get to see her again as she's foiling my plans... and stomping me into the pavement.   And that will have to be enough.   ***   *Cue Card With Thick French Accent* One Year Later *End of Shameless Reference*   "Wait... Julie!? I don't... what's going on?" Lisa is at a loss for words, funny that being captured by a supervillain elicited less of a reaction than this.   "Hi Bestie," I say, my elbows on my knees, back curling like a wave about to crash and fade. My voice is soft and I can't bring myself to look her in the eyes. Ironic, considering the number of times I'd have given anything just to see her again. To feel her springy locks of auburn hair brush my face as she slid in too close to me on the couch, to hear her incredibly loud belly laughs that the neighbors would complain about at night, to just see her smile that put every other wonder of the world to shame. Yet here I am, speaking face to face with her... only I'm face to floor like a damn fool. "Guess I have some expl--"   Before I can even finish my thought, Lisa's arms have wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me halfway out of my chair. The words I was trying to form die as does every thought in my head as a surge of raw emotions throws me further into her embrace, my hands winding around her waist, trying desperately to convey all of my regret and fear without any words to weigh the sentiment down. "I'm sorry," I finally manage to choke out, forgetting all of the times I'd practiced what I wanted to tell her, the speeches I had written in my head, all of my best laid plans... all worthless as the dam I'd shoved everything behind crumbles to dust. "I'm so sorry."   Lisa is the one to finally break the hug, pushing me away slightly so she can look at my face. Her eyes dart around appraising me from every angle possible at this distance. "It's really you, right?" My head bobbles up and down as my synapses fry like bacon in a pan. "Julie..." If there was ever a miracle greater than the sound of her saying that name, it certainly didn't make it into any religious text I've ever seen. "You left me. You didn't say a word. One day, you were just gone. I... Why?"   "I didn't mean to. Hell, I didn't want to. I was just... scared."   "... Of me?" Her words burn the air between us, fueled with more fire than I'm sure I realize. The woman in front of me, with the build of an amazon and supernatural strength to match, seems to shrink as she retreats back to her seat.   Following her as much as I dare, I lean forward and place my forehead on hers. "Of course not. I could never be afraid of you... I was just afraid that you'd hate me. That when you found out that the person you'd fallen for was a mask covering up someone else entirely, that you'd never want anything to do with me again. Guess I decided to end things preemptively so I'd never have to know what you really thought of me. Of Julie." After pausing for a second, I back off and gesture towards my entire body. "Of all this, and the ways I wanted to change."   "You didn't even give me a chance." I'm not the only one crying anymore, as the heroes eyes fill with tears of their own. "You really couldn't trust me? Even after all the time we spent together?"   "Lisa, I have a hard time trusting everyone. You're talking to someone who's always had to look out for herself. Then all of a sudden there's a woman in my life... beautiful, kind, funny, fucking perfect in every conceivable way... I wanted to trust you more than anybody else, but that desperation to let you in... just made it harder to take that final leap. Then that night happened and you told me that you loved me. I couldn't keep up the lie anymore, but I'm broken, in ways I recognize are unfair to you. So despite needing to tell you the truth, I couldn't bring myself to stay for the fallout I was positive was coming." I furiously rub my scalp and growl. "Fuck, I guess that's just a long winded way of admitting that I didn't trust you. I'm sorry for that too."   The woman I love looks like she's just been struck. I can't blame her, if nothing else in my career, this exchange proves once and for all why I deserve my title as an evil villain. Unable to take the pained expression I caused for a second more, my eyes drop back to the floor. This in turn prevents me from seeing Lisa's arm as it reaches out to mine. Before my hobbled mind can catch up to what's happening, Lisa has placed my arm in one of the shackles of the Comfort-Capture Mark 1 and bent it around my wrist. "What?"    Crimson Saber's hand covers my mouth before confusion can turn into protest. "Alright, so you never trusted me, but now there's no running away and you will hear exactly what I think of you!"   This is it, the ultimate culmination of my plans. Lisa, unfiltered, afflicted by a truth serum, telling me exactly what I need to know.   Damnit all to hell! My hand mimics my nemesis' as it covers her mouth. I then proceed to lick Lisa's hand, getting it to recoil in disgust. That's right, you may have forgotten at some point, but I am still a heinous villain capable of cheap shots! "Wait! Please! No more running, I agree. But the truth serum will only last another five minutes. Please wait until then. I want to trust you, I need to trust you, but while you're under the serum's effect, it won't be you I'm trusting. I want to hear this from you, however you're comfortable saying it. I owe you that much."   Lisa nods and I let go of her face. The two of us stare at one another, both somehow coming to a tacit understanding that the next five-minutes are strictly quiet time. The only sound present being the slight bubbling of my new lava pit like some kinda twisted white noise machine. If this thing helps me sleep at night I might just get a second one for the bedroom.   As our stalemate comes to a close, I nod.   "How do we know the serum wore off?"   "That's... a good question. Can you tell a lie?"   My captor thinks for a second before snorting a laugh and turning to me with a mischievous grin. "Your homemade lasagna tastes incredible."   It takes a second for me to register why she'd been so pleased with herself a moment ago. "Oh, that's a low blow!"   "Yeah, so's using ketchup instead of marinara!"   "They're functionally the same thing!"   The two of us break out into laughter at my expense and the simple act of getting to share a joke with this woman again seems to lift all of the burdens off of my life... at least until I remember what comes next.   "So... I guess the serum's worn off."   "Guess it has."   "So--"   Lisa pulls me into a kiss that puts the one that started all of this to shame. The heat, her soft lips, her fingers running through my hair and across my scalp, my nerves are flooded with a torrent of indescribable sensation that has me forgetting about all of my doubts, fears and insecurities. Apparently it's good enough to have us both forget to breathe and as we have to violently part, gasping for air and another glimpse of one another, my nemesis, my friend, my love, pushes me onto the very table I'd affixed her to not long ago.   "Any questions? Comments? Complaints?" She asks, locking my other wrist into place.   All I can do is shake my head, reeling at the total one eighty today has pulled.   The Crimson Saber straddles my waist, and as usual, I'm completely at her mercy. "Then let me just correct my mistake, from the day we both remember so well. I love you, Julie. My best friend. Hilariously enough, my reason for protecting this city. You are and will always be, my love. If nothing else, trust that."   For the first time in my life, I truly did.   Announcement So yeah, that's it. Totally the end of the story. Nothing else to do. No questions left unanswered. No spicy scene just barely cut out. ...Look, this was supposed to just be a quick one off (or two off I guess) to get away from editing while having a bit of fun. Fun fact: That's why it hasn't been edited for crap and is probably not the greatest thing I've done. But yeah, if there's interest I'll put out a part 3 with an explicit scene at some point in the future but it's gonna be in the back of the line after the massive backlog of other stuff I gotta do. Thanks for reading this little fun thing I just threw together, and I hope you enjoyed it, even a little bit.

Announcement Just something short I made because editing sucks and I hate it, and somebody please save me. Anyway, this is probably going to be a mess. It's 7 AM here, I haven't slept and I refuse to fucking edit this! That would defeat the whole purpose of writing to escape editing. The second half of this will be out tomorrow, just gotta finish the very end. Fair warning, story is probably lame/ contrived/ messy/ terrible. But it's 7 AM and I haven't slept yet! This is the point where doing dumb things seems like a good idea. So here ya go.   Have you ever had, just, the most perfect day imaginable? One of those magical days where literally everything goes according to plan and the world itself seems to be extending an olive branch like “Hey Julie, we’re really sorry about all the times you’ve been screwed by circumstances outside of your control. Here’s a flawless victory, on us.” Why thank you world, I will graciously accept!   Alright, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself in a hilariously on-the-nose setup to get knocked off of cloud nine and back down to bedrock where I live and pay taxes. It’s just… you gotta understand how ridiculous today has been! First of all, the contractors finally finished installing the lava pit into my secret subterranean lair. Yes, it’s a bit over the top, and the maintenance fees alone are downright criminal, but it really ties the room together! Then, my union rep from the League of Dastardly Ne'er-do-wells came through with my upgraded benefits plan which kicks in… today! Booyah!!! No more copays when I have my joints dislocated facing off against the super zeros that are always trying to keep me from asserting my fundamental right to protest. Yes, protest, as in protest against the inequities propagated by the wealthy one-percenters of my home country… by robbing them blind.   Honestly, who’s the real criminal, the one exploiting underpaid and overworked employees or the one trying to put a dent in their multinational corporation? Right!? Thank you!   Finally, and here’s the big one, drumroll pleeeeeease! It finally happened!!! Today’s the day I finally defeated my nemesis in a no holds barred battle extravaganza the likes of which movie franchises would hump a leg to copy and paste into their next high-budget mess-terpiece.   Eighty-seven and a half losses… and I finally won once! I’ll fucking take it! WOOOOOOOOO!!! Ahem, sorry, that was incredibly unprofessional of me. I like to pride myself on my standards of practice when it comes to being a respectable supervillain, but when everything’s coming up MIllhouse it’s hard not to get swept up in the moment.   Anyway, back to my nemesis! The great and mighty Crimson Saber. “More like the dumb and angsty Crimson Lame-ber… am I right!?” Holding out my hand, I wordlessly call one of my many gimme-five-bots to dispense validation for my admittedly childish outburst. The mini contraption, a single steel arm mounted onto a pair of plastic wheels, darts over to me, slaps my hand, and shouts an exaggerated “Got em!” thereby concluding our business together. Totally worth building a fleet of those, I tell ya.   Just waking up now, Lisa Redwood, the alter ego of the aforementioned Crimson Saber, begins tugging at the well-padded yet steel-reinforced binds pinning her to what I like to call, the Comfort-Capture Mark 1. The Rolls-Royce of superhero restraint devices, sacrificing none of the durability while providing the most pleasant, cushioned prisoner experience for the one held in its grip. What? A villain can’t have a strong code of ethics and a general aversion to hurting people? Get over your preconceived notions!    “Where am I?” Lisa mutters dreamily in that absolutely gorgeous– ahem, I mean… annoyingly self-righteous voice of hers.   Alright, showtime Julie, you only get one shot to get the laugh right. Years of practice all culminating in this single moment, showtime’s finally here! Red leather yellow leather. Heat from fire, fire from heat! Alright, let's go! “Muahah–” *hack* *cough*    FUCK! Choking by literally choking!? There’s gotta be a Darwin Award equivalent for jinxing yourself into a big ole pile of humiliation.   “Who’s there?” Lisa calls back, the pluck and fire returning to her tone as she becomes more and more aware of the situation she’s found herself in.   Everything’s fine, just gotta make a flawless recovery and today will still be a roaring success! Clearing my throat, I take in a deep breath and steel my nerves. “Who else would it be but I, Contessa Carnage?! Inventor of torment, harbinger of woe, and as of today, conqueror of hero!” Boom! Nailed it!   Happy as a clam and keeping the smile I desperately want to unleash tucked away, I step into Lisa’s view, still decked out in my doin-crime-threads. What magnificent ensemble do I terrify the town with? I’m glad you didn’t ask! The bulk of my outfit consists of a silver bodysuit reinforced with titanium nanobots and emblazoned, of course, with my signature CC crest. I also wear a full cowl mask to conceal my identity, a black leather lab coat… that yes, looks just like a duster but is ABSOLUTELY a lab coat. I’m a mad scientist, not a character from The Matrix. The whole affair is stylishly tied together with a black utility belt that makes a certain flying-mammal-themed superdork’s belt look like a worthless fashion statement by comparison. All in all, I look fly as hell (but absolutely can’t fly until the materials I need to build my jetpack are no longer on back order).   “Contessa? How did I get to your lair?” Lisa asks, trying to piece together the memory of my triumphant victory.   “Don’t you remember, dear? We were locked in a splendid battle, one for the ages, until I gained the upper hand and--”   “Wait a second… did I trip on a pothole and hit my head on a streetlight!?”   “... maybe.” It still counts. Shut the fuck up.   “So what now?” Lisa asks, the fear and uncertainty in her voice all but a distant memory. “What’s the play here? Are you going to let me go after a sinister monologue, or am I waiting for the other heroes to mount a rescue operation?”    The blase tone of her voice hurt, I’m not going to lie. “Hey, you’re in the lair of a villainess, very much in the palm of my hand! My evil machinations could spell your doom!”   “Oh please, you couldn’t hurt a fly.” She says, chuckling to herself.   The hell I can’t! “I most certainly can! Do you have a fly on you? I’ll hurt the shit out of a fly!” Her melodic laughter only grows as I become more desperate to prove my aptitude for evil. “Stop it! I could reduce you down to atoms without a second thought!”   Turning her beautiful sea-green eyes my way and blowing away a loose strand of her wavy auburn hair, Lisa smirks. “Alright, do it then, coward.” Never in my life have I been so thankful for my mask than in this moment, feeling my cheeks burning hotter than ever before. “Heck, you have this lovely lava pit… really ties the room together, by the way. Why don’t you just throw me into the magma and melt me down?”   “Are you kidding me? That’s gotta be the most painful way to go! Why the hell would I ever– I mean, umm, that would be too quick for you heroic scum. I’d rather play with my food longer… that’s all.”   Proving once and for all that the line between hero and villain truly is a blurred one, Lisa unleashes the most diabolical attack of all time. “You’re adorable, you know that?”   Loud klaxon alarms start blaring. Not actually, mind you, but in my head, it’s red alert. A fatal blow has been dealt, and I’m sent reeling. This farce has gone on for too long. She wants to tease me? Fine then. Any lingering guilt I felt about going through with my plan has died. The villain’s here now, baby. From my wonderfully pocket-laden belt, I produced a syringe filled with a clear solution that hilariously enough is the clear solution to all my problems.   “You’ll regret that, Lisa… oh, how you’ll regret that.” My nemesis rolls her eyes, blissfully unaware of what I’m about to unleash. Quickly administering the shot into her exposed, toned bicep, I watch a flash of confusion and pain grace my mortal enemy's face. “Not so funny now, huh? What you’ve just been injected with is my state-of-the-art, one hundred percent flawless truth serum! That’s right, you’re going to tell me everything I’ve ever wanted to know about the inner workings of your pathetic, heroic enterprise! Muahahahahahaha!” Successful use of the laugh, check!   “... you do know that everything about the main hero agencies is public record… right?” Huh? “Like, I’m saying you can walk into a library and look up almost anything about any hero completely free of charge. It’s honestly disturbing how comprehensive their information on each of us is.”   If I wasn't one hundred percent confident in my truth serums quality... I wouldn't believe my ears. "W-w-well surely not EVERYTHING is public record, right? Like, that's just the stuff for citizens to see and feel good about a layer of transparency protecting them from heroes whose abilities far outmatch their own. Surely there's something new you can tell me!"   "Not really. I'm sure there is some hidden sinister corporate layer underneath the hero agency's idyllic front-facing image. Basically, any company is like that. But I'm just an employee and know even less than the records kept in the public eye, I'm sure."   Could I keep asking questions to my now exceedingly forthcoming guest? Yeah, I suppose. I could ask about her weaknesses, life outside of her heroic duties, if she's single-- Purely to take advantage of a potential weakness a relationship would be for her, obviously! But honestly, a truth serum already crosses way too many of my ethical boundaries. To use it against someone so personally would be wrong. Yes, I get the fucking irony of a villain not wanting to cross a line. But even if I was willing to play dirty like that, I couldn't do that to her, not again.   … Today fucking sucks. Pulling over a rolly lab chair, I plop down on the seat, a defeated husk of a woman. “To hell with this.” I quietly mutter, eyes glazing over. Pulling out a simple remote, I press a single button and the restraints keeping Crimson Saber in place release.   Lisa sits up and stretches out her muscles. "Oh? What happened to atomizing me? Doesn't the big bad villain want to prove she can be evil?"   My fists clench and my jaw tightens. I should have known today could only end in humiliation. Whether she's taking down my robot army with her greatsword or restrained in my own lair... she'll always have power over me. "Just... go. Please. I quit. I’m the worst fucking villain who ever lived.”    “That’s not true at all. You’re the best villain of all time.”   Superhero still under the effects of truth serum says what?   “What? Why are you looking at me like a puppy dog? You’re obviously the best villain. Unlike your cohorts, you actually stand for something meaningful with your targeting of amoral assholes, not to mention all the anonymous donations to charity you make. You’re basically modern-day sci-fi Robin Hood. Plus, the way you always break away from the pack during large-scale battles to make sure collateral damage is kept to a minimum is simply inspiring. And look at that jacket! You got a whole Trinity vibe going for you and that’s never a bad thing.”   I’m… not really used to people saying nice things about me. Never have been. I synthesized a cure for the common cold when I was seven and my dad threw it away because his “son” spent all day tinkering in a lab rather than throwing a ball around. I’ve been ridiculed, berated, devalued, taken advantage of, and excluded in every way imaginable. All of this being said to explain my admittedly lame reaction of sobbing in front of my archenemy.   “Hey, I’m sorry if what I said came across as dismissive of you as a villain. I do recognize that you sometimes operate outside of the law, but you do so in clever and kind ways. You’re what every villain should strive to be rather than a mindlessly destructive Tasmanian devil wrecking everything they can.” Lisa sighs. “I’m still not helping, am I?”   Realizing that my cowl is preventing me from properly dealing with the traitorous tears torrentially tumbling out of me, I remove my mask, letting my short brown hair bounce free. I press the big red button on my belt, the one I was convinced would go permanently unused, and let both my voice modulator and the microprojectors that alter my appearance power down. My plan has fallen apart, that much is obvious, but while the truth serum is still in play, and with my pride already in shambles… I make the amoral decision to ask one more question. Not as Contessa Carnage interrogating her nemesis, just as a woman. A woman who made a huge mistake years ago.   “Wait… Julie!?” Lisa exclaims, shocked for the first time in our entire exchange. “I don’t… what’s going on?”

Opening my eyes and groaning I started to swear up a storm.   Artoria: “Stupid fucking wolf, stupid fucking ice. Hurr Durr look at me, I can one shot a tiny ass fairy. I am so great.”   As I was bitching about the wolf an alert was suddenly displayed in front of me.   New Quest! ~Hunt the filth!~ Wipe out the Goblin village that is to the west of your start point.  Goblins- 0/64 / HobGoblin- 0/7 / Goblin King 0/1 Reward: One selectable trait for Soul Armour. One level to all Classes.   Artoria: “Oh? I should be able to take on some Goblins pretty easily. And while I am taking them out, I’ll get stronger. Hopefully enough to be able to take on a Hob. But damn, there are a lot of Goblins though…”   Getting up off the bed I just shrug my shoulders, fly to the door, and leave my Realm.   ‘Right, so it said west. I wonder how far though?”   Thankfully it had only taken me about an hour to get near the village. I wasn’t even really that bored on my way there, as I managed to kill three wolves, and two rabbits. I assumed I was near it anyway, as I had just run into my first goblin scouts.   As I was hiding in the branches of a tree above the 2 scouts, I took a look at my prey. And they were just like your classic goblins. Short, green, ugly and child-like body. Skinny as hell too. All they had on were their disgusting looking loincloths and a pointed stick for a pole arm like weapon.   ‘Well, time to see if they are weak, or are bullshit strong like everything else so far in this world.’   Summon my sword, I quickly jumped off the branch and swung downward while activating two-fold slash. I landed with a light ‘pomf’ on the ground in front of the goblin who I attacked, but he was just standing there, looking off into the distance.    The other goblin, though, jumped back in fright and pointed its stick at me. I tilted my head as I looked at the goblin I attacked in a bit of confusion.   ‘I know I hit him, so why isn’t he… oh?’   Before I could ponder more, two red lines started to appear in the middle of the goblin. And then with an interesting “shlick” sound, three different parts of him fell three different ways. The middle part fell forward towards me, while the sides flopped outwards.   ‘That was cool. But why? The wolves didn’t act like this when I cut them? Maybe because they have better natural defences than goblins?”   Shelving that line of thought for now, I quickly used charge at the remaining goblin and aimed my sword swing at his neck. I was moving a bit faster than he was able to react thankfully, and was easily able to dodge his shameful thrust attack and I cut off his head in one swing.   Learning my lesson from the blue wolf, I flew back up to the tree branches and quickly hid from anything nearby while I brought up my status.    Name: Artoria Class: Warrior 2 (77%) Seal integrity: 100% Passives: 5 Dexterity: As agile as a cat! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: Playful Trickster 2 (77%) Deaths: 4 Vitality: As healthy as an ox! Wisdom: You’re no genius, but you’re not dumb either. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral -90 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: Can’t crush rocks with your hands, but you can throw one really, really hard! Magic: A novice, but at least you won’t blow off your own hand! Race: Grey Fairy Corruption: 0% Skills: 2 Defence: As strong as wood! Can’t stop a knife, but can stop a fist. Maybe. Mana: Look look! You got a rather large bucket’s worth here! Level: 2 (77%) Soul Energy: 120/1000 Spells: 2 Resistance: A fireball will still hurt like hell, but at least you won’t die immediately? Quests: 1 Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan Soul Armour: Basic Leather   Artoria: “Wow. Goblins are fucking lame as shit. Able to kill them in one hit, and overkill most likely. And they were only worth 5 SE a pop? And very little EXP as well. Well, it’s basic bitch Goblins, what was I expecting?”   With a sigh, I continued on westward. As I was flying I thought back to how the goblin was sliced in 3 so easily. And the only thing I can think of, is that he had no defence whatsoever for my attack to do that.   ‘The wolves take several attacks to bring down, at least two of those slashes to cut through their necks. I guess that’s what happens when you have a weapon that has B2 penetration and they have zero armour.’   As I was flying, I suddenly got a small foreboding feeling. Quickly flying to the nearest tree, and de-summoning my sword I hid in the leaves while looking for what was giving me this sudden feeling.   I got an alert from my display, but thankfully it only appeared as a small red “!” in the bottom right of my vision. As I was considering opening the display, I suddenly heard two voices from below me. As quietly as I could, I peeked down at what was talking.   Below me, there were two humans, one female and one male. They looked like adventures from their gear. And not very high ones by the looks of it. Their gear was about as good as mine, minus my sword naturally.   ‘I can’t understand them, it's annoying. But why am I getting such a bad feeling? It’s not from them, because they look like they are about my level in po-’   Before I could finish that thought though, a warlike yell attracted all three of our attentions. A short distance away there was a much bigger goblin with a lot better gear than the two scrubs I killed.   ‘Hobgoblin maybe? The feeling I am getting is definitely from him.’   The two humans yelled something to each other, and the male started to charge the Hobgoblin. He was using a two hand sword, much larger than mine when it was human sized, while the female had an oak looking staff.   ‘Compensating for something there dude? Heh. Also, a staff huh. Mage? Or maybe a healer?’   My question was answered soon when she soon let out a fireball that flew past her partner and slammed into the chest of the Hobgoblin. But he just straight up ignored it, it seemed and continued on unimpeded. Soon the male and the Hobgoblin clashed weapons and started the fight proper.   While the skirmish was going on, the female would try and pepper the Hobgoblin when it broke away from her partner, while the male was doing his best to defend and attack at the same time.    The fight lasted for several minutes, but it would be over soon I thought. The female is panting heavily while the two melee fighters are covered in wounds and blood.   Suddenly, a great idea came to my mind, and a cruel smile appeared on my face. As quietly as I could, I flew down the tree I was hiding on, and made my way to the back of the female. As I was raising my sword to attack her exposed neck, she suddenly jolted her head, and started to turn it towards me.   I quickly used my project sound to imitate the battle cry of the hobgoblin to her front. Sadly for her, she fell for my little trick, and her head snapped back to the front while she brought up her staff in the direction of the sound to block the expected blow.   Activating my two-fold slash, and swinging with all my might, I cut through her neck like it was butter. It felt like when I cut the goblin in halves, which confused me for a moment. But I put it in the back of my mind, and used Charge to close the distance on both the Hobgoblin and the male who were both looking at me in confusion.   Before they could do anything I activated my Flame Slash and again swung with all my might. My two enemies were both engulfed in purpleblack-red flames. My attack had managed to cover an area of around 3 metres wide and 9 metres long. I felt around 10% of my mana chunk away using the ability.   Both of them screamed for a few seconds before they settled down on their backs, looking like nothing but burnt statues of themselves.   *Thud*   Looking back at the female, it seems her head finally slid off her body. Turning back to the BBQ statues I made, I gave an impressed whistle. This was the first time I used one of my sword abilities. So far I have been just using it as a normal sword along with the Evil Light buff.   Bringing up my status and the display, I couldn’t help but smile.   Name: Artoria Class: Warrior 3 (77%) Seal integrity: 100% Passives: 6 Dexterity: As agile as a cat! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: Playful Trickster 3 (77%) Deaths: 4 Vitality: As healthy as an ox! Wisdom: You’re no genius, but you’re not dumb either. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral -99 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: Can’t crush rocks with your hands, but you can throw one really, really hard! Magic: A novice, but at least you won’t blow off your own hand! Race: Grey Fairy Corruption: 0% Skills: 2 Defence: As strong as wood! Can’t stop a knife, but can stop a fist. Maybe. Mana: Look look! You got a rather large bucket’s worth here! Level: 3 (77%) Soul Energy: 220/1000 Spells: 2 Resistance: A fireball will still hurt like hell, but at least you won’t die immediately? Quests: 1 Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan Soul Armour: Basic Leather   Artoria: “Those humans were worth a lot of EXP and SE! 50% of that level, and 50 SE, what the hell?! Didn’t they die a little too easily to give that much? Oh right. There was a Hobgoblin in the mix as well... ”   Looking back to the dead female, I floated over to her, and started to rummage through her belongings.   ‘Not to mention, this one has armour. But why did it feel like when I had cut the Goblins? Wait. Does armour actually function like armour and only provide protection where it covers? Shit, I know the first trait I am going to pick for my armour if it’s there…’   While I was looking through her shit, I brought up the other notice I had gotten.   New Passive Learned! ~Danger Sense B1~ Able to vaguely sense danger towards yourself in a small area around you.   Artoria: “Nice. This is always a great passive to have!”   Having collected all of the shit off the corpse and putting it in a bag she had, I opened the door to my Inner Realm, and floated through dragging the bag. After arriving, I floated over to my chest, and tried to dump my entire spoils in at once. Much to my delight, it all went inside easily enough.   My total spoils were three health pots, a shitty oak magic staff of B1 rank, and three silver and 50 copper coins.   I made note that the money didn’t take up a slot in my inventory, but had its own counter near the button right of the window. And the currency was apparently called “Kins.”   Shrugging my shoulders at the more than likely useless money, I head back outside. Once returning, I head towards the goblin village again. About half an hour, and with no more things to kill, I arrive at the outer edge of the village.   Looking down from my view top in the trees, I was able to count six archer posts with two goblins in one post each. It looks like there is only one entrance, and that is the closed gate in between two archer posts at the “front” of the encampment. There were a lot of huts, and a cave entrance in the cliff at the back of the village it seemed.   ‘This just screams “classic goblin camp” to me. Now, I should wait for nightfall. But I don’t want to. This grass is really tall, and I want to see if I can cheese a stealth like ability.’   With a plan of sorts in place, I float down behind the tree, and land on the ground. The grass is taller than I am by several centimetres. I slowly make my way towards the wooden wall that surrounds the camp trying to make the grass move as little as possible.   Reaching the wall relatively quickly, I start to sneak around up and down along it. After a few minutes of my make shift prowling, I got a display alert.   New Passive Learned! ~Suppress Presence B1~ Reduce the presence you emit by 1%. May be toggled on and off at will.   ‘Well, 1% is nothing really, but I assume it’ll eventually be a 100%. I was hoping for stealth, but I am going to assume that’s more magic inclined. I do have illusion magic, so I assume stealth would be in the cards at some point. I really am making a lot of assumptions… But what can I do about it? Shitty god did jack shit for explaining anything.”   With a bit of disappointment and annoyance, I move left, away from the gate, along the wall so I come to the end where it meets the cliff face they are built near.   ‘For the most part, this wall is pretty well built. But there is more than enough room for me to squeeze past between the wall and rocks here.’   Slipping through, I hovered just a bit so I could see past the long grass and into the camp proper. The whole thing, as expected, was crawling with goblins. I was getting that uneasy feeling again, but I couldn’t see any Hobgoblins. Double checking, and making sure the area was clear of hobgoblins I started to slowly fly up to the archer post.   Getting close to the gate, I slowly peeked up and into the post. Both of the goblin archers were facing slightly away, looking at different parts of the forest with their backs to me.   ‘Here goes nothing.’   I quickly flew up behind the goblin on the right, summoned my sword, and used two-fold on his neck. Without pause, I did so again to the other goblin who still hasn’t reacted to his friend dying and repeated the action.   ‘I am honestly surprised that it worked.’   The head on the fist goblin started to slide off after my musings. I floated over to it in a hurry, and grabbed the head and set it down on the floor. I did the same for the other head that started to slip as well.   ‘Don’t need these rolling out of the post and getting attention now. Luckily they don’t weigh too much so the bodies didn’t make much sound when they plopped down.’   Walking over to the corner and peeking out, I was glad no-one seemed to hear the guards or notice them killed off.   ‘Hrmm. Not a lot of grass on this side to hide in. But it should be enough if I crawl a little in the short patches. Well, no time like the present, time to get to work. Hup!’   Quickly floating down to the ground, I hid back in the grass, and started to make my way to the next post. While I was skulking to the next bit of EXP sacks, I got a notice that my Suppress Presence levelled to B2.   ‘Nice, my first B2 skill level up. And as expected it’s now a 2% decrease. Maybe I should focus on levelling some skills soon.’   My musings came to an end when I reached the next post. Looking around and seeing no-one looking towards me, I flew up to the top again.   ‘Take two I guess. No reason to change what is working after all.’   A quick repeat of the first post, and I was back in the grass making my way back to where I entered. While I was passing through the rock and wall, I got a notice that both my Suppress Presence and Danger Sense levelled up.   ‘Nice. Now, I should repeat what I did on this side, with the other before I attack the posts connected to the gate. I just know something will go wrong, and I’ll have to fight since the two posts are so close to each other.’   Sometime later, I finished off the fourth post, and brought up my quest detail while I was mulling over what to do.   Quest ~Hunt the filth!~ Wipe out the Goblin village that is to the west of your start point.  Goblins- 10/64 / HobGoblin- 1/7 / Goblin King 0/1 Reward: One selectable trait for Soul Armour. One level to all Classes.   I then brought up my status page.   Name: Artoria Class: Warrior 4 (17%) Seal integrity: 100% Passives: 7 Dexterity: As agile as a cat! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: Playful Trickster 4 (17%) Deaths: 4 Vitality: As healthy as an ox! Wisdom: You’re no genius, but you’re not dumb either. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral -99 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: Can’t crush rocks with your hands, but you can throw one really, really hard! Magic: A novice, but at least you won’t blow off your own hand! Race: Grey Fairy Corruption: 0% Skills: 2 Defence: As strong as wood! Can’t stop a knife, but can stop a fist. Maybe. Mana: Look look! You got a rather large bucket’s worth here! Level: 4 (17%) Soul Energy: 250/1000 Spells: 2 Resistance: A fireball will still hurt like hell, but at least you won’t die immediately? Quests: 1 Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan Soul Armour: Basic Leather   Looking at my Soul Energy, I couldn’t help but quietly chuckle to myself.   ‘Goblins really are worthless. Hardly any EXP or SE from them. Oh well. Now. How do I want to go about these last two archer posts…’

As I was peeking over the ledge to the last two archer posts I heard someone at the bottom of my current tower shout out.   ???: “Hey, you two idiots! The King wants to know if you have seen the missing scouts yet! Hello? I swear, if you two shits are sleeping again I’ll kill you myself.”   ‘I can understand them? Also, fuck! So they already noticed the missing scouts? No, more importantly, what am I going to do?’   ???: “You’re asleep up there again aren't you?! Damn it, that’s it.”   I then heard whoever was climbing up start to grumble about useless non-evolved. Meanwhile I was panicking in my mind trying to think of a solution.   ‘I am caught, no matter what. I can’t fly over the other side as the other archers are already looking this way I bet. Fuck! Alright, best bet is to use Evil Ray. It should be enough to kill whoever is climbing up, right?’   Soon as I picked a course of action, I saw an ugly green hand grab the ledge of the floor, and heard another grunt as the goblin pulled itself up.   ???: “Alright you shits, wake the-”   Before he could finish he saw me holding my sword at his head, and before he could properly understand what exactly was going on, I used my sword's ability.   A giant 3 metre diameter wide ray of black and red light blew out of my sword, and through the goblin, travelled the full length of the camp and rammed into the cliff side. It left a deep, smouldering hole in the solid stone.   Artoria: “Holy shit. Did not expect that. This dudes only a pair of feet now! Damn, that took a lot of mana though, 30% if I have the count right. Shit, what am I doing, no time for this!”   Snapping myself out of the fact that I obliterated a hobgoblin with total ease, I turned to the other archer posts and used Charge. Arriving at the still stunned goblin archers, I used 2-fold on both of them in quick succession. Confirming they were both dead, if not still looking fine, via the quest tracker I moved on to the last post.   One of the goblins snapped out of it though, and noticed me charging him. He had enough time to shout in surprise, but didn’t have time to fully draw his bow. After using 2-fold on him, I was forced to dodge as the second archer had drawn a dagger and swung at me.   After dodging his swing, I retaliated with one of my own. He went to block my tiny sword with his knife, fully confident that it’d stop my swing easily. While mid swing, I had a curious thought, so I activated 2-fold and swung with all my strength.   Much to my glee, red lines started to appear along the direction I had swung. From his left hip to his right shoulder. His knife was also cut in pieces, and already tumbled to the ground. As he died, I felt a little surge in my mana.   As I was turning to look at how many goblins would be rushing towards me, I got a notice. Looking and seeing I had more than enough time, I quickly read the alert.   New Passive Learned! ~Death's Bounty B1~ Be rewarded for your kills. Physical kills grant 5% mana, while magical kills restore 5% stamina.   ‘Oh, now that is just awesome. Also, that confirms I have a “set” amount of stamina. I just have no way to feel it out like mana currently. Alrighty, looks like it’s just goblins running towards me right now. And not all of them are actually armed. Perfect, time to restore some mana!’   With that thought, I flew towards the goblins with a crazy grin on my face. When I was close enough I used Charge to reach the first goblin faster, and tried to cut his head off without using a skill. Much to my delight I was able to without problems, though his head went flying right away unlike when I use 2-fold.   My madding grin widened even further, and I started to go to town. Soon, I was lost in the trance of the slaughter.   Dodge here. Slash there. Duck, retaliate with a 2-fold. Dodge again and confuse with my spells in the mix. While my spells didn’t do much, they also didn’t cost much either, so I used them freely.   Soon enough there was a small mountain of corpses building, and I was still flying around laughing and murdering goblins. I was knocked out of my trance when my Danger Sense went blaring, causing me to instinctively look towards the cave. And low and behold, there was a hobgoblin mage of all things, casting something.   I didn’t have to wait long, as a fireball soon came flying towards me. It was rather slow however, and so I just dodged to the left. I glared at the hobgoblins. Yes, plural. The rest of them were now lined up near the cave entrance.   While taking in their gear, and trying to guess their classes, I brought up the quest to see how many goblins I killed in my trance.   Quest ~Hunt the filth!~ Wipe out the Goblin village that is to the west of your start point.  Goblins- 59/64 / HobGoblin- 2/7 / Goblin King 0/1 Reward: One selectable trait for Soul Armour. One level to all Classes.   ‘Damn that was a lot of goblins. I am only missing five huh? And my mana is back to full capacity.’   I was broken out of my thoughts by a yell from one of the hobgoblins who was currently charging at me.   ???: “Damn you little shit! I will rip off your wings and crush you in the dirt!!”   He was followed by three others in his charge. They all seemed to be warrior types, and had more or less the same gear as the others I have seen or killed.   Smirking, I held my sword with both hands in a baseball like stance and got ready. With a madding smile, I shouted and swung my sword horizontally.   Artoria: “Die!”   As I was starting my swing, the caster hobgoblins eyes widened, and he shouted to the others.   ???: “Get down you fools!!!”   But it was too late, with a “voom” like sound, my attack went out. Unlike before, this time my attack was very thin but just as deadly. The flash of red and black light had cut through the four charging hobgoblins like butter, and when it impacted the stone cliff behind them, it produced a mild explosion causing the stone to blow outward in the line.   Artoria: “Hahahaha!!”   I was laughing at the slaughter I had wrought so easily. Granted, 30% mana is huge, but you can’t argue with the results.   As the dust was starting to settle, I heard some coughing. Looking for the source, it seems that the mage was still alive. Not wanting to give him a chance, I Charged.   ???: “What kind of fairy can do- SHIT!”   Unfortunately for me, he was able to block my attack with his staff. Not wanting to give up my momentum, I swung again, but this time I used 2-fold. And like the last time, the attack cut right through his wooden staff, but only left two gashes through his clothes drawing blood.   ???: “You little shit!”   He lost his patience with me, and swung his large (to me) fist at me. Easily dodging the swing, and retaliating with a chop to his wrist I cut off his hand.   ???: “Fuck! SHIT! How can such a little-”   I didn’t give him time to say anything else, as I used 2-fold on his head. Two nice red lines started to draw from right to left. One above and one below his eyes. As I was smiling at his death, I heard someone clapping, a deep laugh, and loud steps coming from the cave.   ???: “Now, this brings a smile to my face, little Fae. I have never seen such a tiny little thing wipe out so many, in such a short order. I thank you for the entertainment.”   Artoria: “Eh? You’re thanking me? Also, I’ve been wondering about this for a while. How come I can understand you, but I can’t understand humans?”   ???: “Hmm? You don’t know? You must be a new born Fae then? That is even more surprising that you’re this strong. Well, to answer you, it’s simple. Their goddess doesn’t want monsters like us being able to communicate with her grand creations. Or something. Don’t fully know or care about the entire story myself. But that’s neither here nor there.   Right now, we have a problem, you and I.”   Artoria: “About how I nearly killed off your entire village?”   ???: “How astute of you little Fae. You see, while it was entertaining to watch such a little thing like you murder everyone, it leaves me in a bit of a bind. What is a king without subjects?”   Artoria: “Well, I am not above a bit of regicide. That’ll solve your problem.”   He laughed a deep belly laugh at that.   ???: “My, how amusing. My name is Gripgrut the second. I am named, and a King. Do you truly believe you can match me, little Fae?”   Artoria: “I also have a name; Artoria. Big deal? And I won’t know until I try.”   As we were talking, I brought up my status and the quest.   Name: Artoria Class: Warrior 7 (8%) Seal integrity: 100% Passives: 8 Dexterity: As agile as a cat! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: Playful Trickster 7 (8%) Deaths: 4 Vitality: As healthy as an ox! Wisdom: You’re no genius, but you’re not dumb either. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral -99 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: Can’t crush rocks with your hands, but you can throw one really, really hard! Magic: A novice, but at least you won’t blow off your own hand! Race: Grey Fairy Corruption: 0% Skills: 2(+) Defence: As strong as wood! Can’t stop a knife, but can stop a fist. Maybe. Mana: Look look! You got a rather large bucket’s worth here! Level: 7 (8%) Soul Energy: 600/1000 Spells: 2(+) Resistance: A fireball will still hurt like hell, but at least you won’t die immediately? Quests: 1 Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan Soul Armour: Basic Leather   Quest ~Hunt the filth!~ Wipe out the Goblin village that is to the west of your start point.  Goblins- 59/64 / HobGoblin- 7/7 / Goblin King 0/1 Reward: One selectable trait for Soul Armour. One level to all Classes.   Gripgrut: “Oh, you are named? Interesting. Very interesting. I wonder who did that… Well, no matter. Come at me, little Artoria. I will show you the power of a King!”   Mira_Zenon Short chapter, sorry~. Hope you liked it anyway though!

Artoria: “Ahh!! SHIT!!”   Waking up screaming and with some panic I rapidly feel around my neck. After confirming that I do indeed have my head and arms back I finally start to calm down.   Artoria: “Phew… getting decapitated did not feel great… not great at all.”   Shifting on my bed so my legs are off the side I lower my head into my hands to try and completely calm down.   Artoria: “I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m alive, and whole. Haaaahhh…”   Leaning backwards I put my hands behind me as I look up to the roof of my shitty shack. I take deep breaths and after a few minutes I am finally calmed down.   Artoria: “Okay. Okay, I’m good. Hahhh. Now, let’s look back at what I did wrong.”   Bringing up my status page, I think back to my attempt on the guard.   Name: Artoria Class: N/A Seal integrity: 100% Passives: N/A Dexterity: You can walk and run without tripping. Most of the time. Congrats! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: N/A Deaths: 2 Vitality: Well, at least you’re not dying by breathing, right? Wisdom: Well, at least you know where to put the pointy end of a sword. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral 5 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: It’s honestly surprising you can even stand on your own two feet! Magic: What’s that? Can you eat it? Race: Human Corruption: 0% Skills: N/A Defence: A baby could wreck your shit. Mana: As empty of content as a sports video game. Level: 0 (0%) Soul Energy: 0/100 Spells: N/A Resistance: A light breeze will be able to put you down. Quests: N/A Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan   I had made my way back to the asshole who murdered me the first time pretty quickly. But this time, I tried to sneak up on him and take him by surprise.   It was going well, until I was directly behind him with my sword raised. As I was about to bring it down, he quickly spun around and cut off my head and arms in a single slash!   As my head was slowly starting to slide off my body he fucking laughed at me and resumed walking like nothing even happened!   Artoria: “I think I severely underestimated the guard, I must admit. I didn’t even really see the swing of his sword when he killed me. As much as I hate it, I think I’ll have to leave him be for now, and focus on getting stronger first.”   With a sigh, I dismiss my display, get up and walk to the door. Opening it, and stepping into the blinding light, I find myself back in the random forest I appeared the other two times.   Lightly glaring at the north east, where I would find the guard, I instead head to the south.   Artoria: “I think this is deeper into the forest anyway…”   After walking for a minute or two, I hear some rustling in a bush a little bit in front of me. I quickly summon Excalibur Morgan, and get into a stance that most real swordsmen would die of embarrassment upon seeing.   After waiting for a few more seconds, out came an adult sized rabbit with a fairly long horn in the middle of its head. Seeing it, I let down my guard.   Artoria: “Ahh, it’s only a horned rabbit or whatever they are called here.”   My voice attracted its attention, and it looked at me. It started to growl at me, but it honestly sounded adorable.   Artoria: “Awww, aren't you a cut–”   But before I could finish my sentence, the rabbit had blitzed me faster than I could react too, and I was now falling backwards with the bastard's horn in my chest. My anger flared as I realised what just happened.   Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the rabbit’s neck with my left hand and brought down my sword onto it with my other. The momentum, as weak as it was, and the weight of my sword helped the swing, and it cut the rabbit in half.   Sadly though, the damage was done, and I was going to die again. The little bastard's horn went through my heart.   I glared at the dead shits eyes and said, “Not… alone… this.. time at least…”   Opening my eyes, I calmly looked at the roof of my shitty soul shack. Anger simmering below my skin.   Artoria: “I died again… To a fucking rabbit. Haahhhhh.”   Opening up my status, I now had a whole five soul energy.   ‘I need to go back and kill the rabbit again. And hopefully not die, so I can see just how much soul energy he gives.’   With a sigh, I got up and walked to the door.   ‘At least dying like that didn’t hurt as much as that asshole's sword. A poison or something in the horn maybe?’   Shaking my head as I passed through the door, I was about to head back to the bunny when I remembered something.   ‘Right. I should try to summon my soul shack. Hmmm.’   I closed my eyes and focused inside of myself, and I was able to quickly find a “feeling” of it. Opening my  eyes, I will the door to appear and much to my delight, it did.   ‘Well, that was really easy. Glad for that, but back to hunting myself a rabbit.’   Walking south again, I summon my sword early and try to raise what counts as a guard walking through the forest. And sure enough, I found the rabbit in the middle of the path a few minutes later.   Gripping my sword in two hands and putting it in front of me, I talk to get the attention of the rabbit.   Artoria: “Found you, you little shit. Come at me.”   Hearing me, it turned around and growled at me much like the first time. I tensed all my muscles and focused solely on the rabbit. I saw it get lower, kind of like a cat does when it prepares to jump, and got ready to dodge.   Much like the first time, it was nearly too fast for me to even see, but fully expecting it and being ready went in my favour. More or less.   I had dodged to the left while bringing my sword in the way of where it would collide with the high speed rabbit missile. It succeeded in mutilating itself on my blade, but the force of the rabbit hitting my sword caused me to follow the direction, turning and falling down flat on my face.   Artoria: “Ow. Well, at least it’s dead, and I didn’t fully lose my grip on my sword.”   Opening up my status, I took note that I now had 15 soul energy.   ‘So, they give 10, and I lose half of my total energy every death? Damn, dying is going to be a total bitch beyond just… well, dying.’   Groaning a bit as I get myself back on my feet, I walk over to my dead prize. Looking down at the rabbit, it’s in a really bad shape. Nearly cut itself in half kind of bad shape.   ‘I bet if I actually swung my sword and hit the little shit, I’d have cut him clean in half.’   Reaching down with my free hand and picking up the rather good imitation of road kill by the back, most of its internal organs and what not fell out of it and on to the ground.   Artoria: “Yup. I have no idea what the fuck to do about this. I can’t just magically cook this like all those other isekai protag’s. Hmm.. on that note, I’ve not felt hungry since I’ve gotten here. Well, I’ve died several times, so maybe that also ‘resets’ my hunger?”   While I was thinking over what to do, I heard a low growl from behind me. I slowly turn around and what I see is bad news.   ‘How the fuck did a wolf sneak up on me so easily? I heard nothing! Damn it.’   The wolf was bigger than normal ones back in my original world, nearly double the size. It had black fur, and bright yellow eyes. And some pretty large teeth. But I noticed it was mostly looking at the dead rabbit and pile of meat on the ground than me.   ‘Dumb idea, but it might work. I doubt I’ll get out of this alive if I try to run anyway…’   I grip my sword tightly, and wait for the wolf to make its move first. After growling a few more times it seemed to have run out of patience, and started to run at me.   While he was really fast, it was much slower than the damn rabbit's blitz charge. So when the wolf was within several metres of me, I threw the rabbit's body at it. As the body was flying towards the wolf, I gripped my sword with both hands, and swung it like a bat at the wolf.   The wolf had caught the rabbit out of the air no problem, but was too preoccupied with its new prize to see the sword that was following just behind it. The sword tore through his skull a good 30 or so centimetres. Nearly taking off the entire top half of its face.   Breathing heavily from the short amount of activity I had to do, and the adrenaline coursing through me, I was honestly surprised how easily my sword cut the wolf. I smiled at my sword as I let it rest against the forest floor.   Artoria: “You may only be B1 rank right now, my companion, but you are still a powerhouse it seems ha ha!”   Looking at my new total of soul energy, I gawked as I was at 45 now.   ‘That wolf gave so much?! Damn, 30 soul energy from a wolf. Now I REALLY want to kill that guard, but I know he is way beyond me still. Now, what to do about these bodies…’   Looking around to make sure no more damn wolfs snuck up on me, I confirmed the area was clear for now. I then took the time to take in my surroundings better, and found a tree I should be able to climb with relative ease.   ‘I’ve got an idea…”   I picked up one of the wolf’s back legs and dragged it near the tree. I dismissed my sword, and started to climb up it. It took me a bit longer than I am proud to admit to climb the tree.   Artoria: “Holy shit I am out of shape. I feel like I am dying. Anyway, time for a quick test first.”   I summon Excalibur Morgan again and hold it over the edge of the tree.   Artoria: “Sorry, my companion, but this is for our growth. I trust you understand!”   I then simply dropped my sword and it landed with a satisfying thud as the tip of the sword cut into the earth embedding itself halfway up the blade.   ‘Now for the actual test. Please oh please work!’   I concentrated on wanting to store Excalibur Morgan back in my soul and to my absolute delight the sword vanished in a light shimmer of red and black.   ‘YES! Now, to wait for something to catch the scent of the blood and free kills, baby!’   While I was waiting for my first victim to appear, I brought up my status.   Name: Artoria Class: N/A Seal integrity: 100% Passives: N/A Dexterity: You can walk and run without tripping. Most of the time. Congrats! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: N/A Deaths: 3 Vitality: Well, at least you’re not dying by breathing, right? Wisdom: Well, at least you know where to put the pointy end of a sword. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral 5 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: It’s honestly surprising you can even stand on your own two feet! Magic: What’s that? Can you eat it? Race: Human Corruption: 0% Skills: N/A Defence: A baby could wreck your shit. Mana: As empty of content as a sports video game. Level: 0 (96%) Soul Energy: 45/100 Spells: N/A Resistance: A light breeze will be able to put you down. Quests: N/A Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan   Artoria: “Oh nice, I am almost level 1! Nice to see my soul energy so high too. Almost halfway there.”   Just as I was about to close my display, I noticed that my alignment had changed.   ‘Wasn’t that higher before? I can’t remember by how much, but it was higher no? So, it’s already starting is it? Though, knowing that shitty god, it was already said and done the moment he got his hands on me…’   Before I could get further into my hate and regret, another wolf had finally shown up.   ‘Are these part of a pack, and just hunt solo, or what’s the deal…’   Re-summoning my sword, and tried to angle it as best I could at the wolf, and let it drop. I figured that since it was able to stab into the hard ground to nearly half its blade length, it should be enough to kill or at least heavily wound the wolf.   Luckily for me, but not for the wolf, my sword landed directly on its back. It collapsed to the ground and started to whine.   Artoria: “Ha. I think I severed some shit and paralysed it. Oh well, time to try again.”   Summoning my sword back to my hand and dropping it again and this time I hit true as the blade went right through its skull killing it.   As it died, I felt a surge of power flow through me. It felt exhilarating, and very addicting honestly.   Artoria: “Holy shit, is this what it feels like to level up?! This feels fucking awesome! I don’t even care if this feeling is simply another way for that shitty god to make me want to kill, this is fucking great!”   Basking in the euphoria of levelling for a minute till it eventually went away, I summoned my sword back and opened up my status.   Name: Artoria Class: N/A Seal integrity: 100% Passives: N/A Dexterity: You can walk and run without tripping. Most of the time. Congrats! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: N/A Deaths: 3 Vitality: Well, at least you’re not dying by breathing, right? Wisdom: Well, at least you know where to put the pointy end of a sword. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral -4 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: It’s honestly surprising you can even stand on your own two feet! Magic: What’s that? Can you eat it? Race: Human Corruption: 0% Skills: N/A Defence: A baby could wreck your shit. Mana: As empty of content as a sports video game. Level: 1 (74%) Soul Energy: 75/100 Spells: N/A Resistance: A light breeze will be able to put you down. Quests: N/A Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan   Artoria: “Awesome. Level one. But nothing really special happened at all from the looks of it. All my attributes are the same. My alignment dropped again, but whatever. Pointless to resist what is clearly going to happen. One more wolf, and I can level up to 2, and get my first evolution as well!"   Hearing some rustling in the bush, another wolf came out.   ‘Perfect. Come on you sack of EXP and SE, come to mama.’   This one seemed to be a bit more wary of its surroundings, sniffing everywhere. It must have caught my scent, because it looked right at me a few seconds later. Growling at me, it paced around the tree for a few minutes before getting bored after realising I won’t be coming down.   ‘A big wolf is still just a wolf in the end. Come on you sucker, take the bait.’   And unsurprisingly it did. It soon ignored me, and started to eat away at one of the other wolves. Summoning my sword, I tried to aim it at the neck of this wolf, and released it.   I ended up missing the neck, but it hit the back of its head, killing it instantly.   Artoria: “Not what I was going for, but I’ll take it. Ah!”   I once again felt that euphoric feeling of levelling up and moaned in satisfaction. My bliss was interrupted by an alert I didn’t mind one bit though.   You have enough soul energy to evolve! Move to your Inner Realm to begin the process.   Artoria: “No time like the present!”   Still feeling absolutely great from the level up, I summoned my shack's door, and went through. Entering my Realm, I finally came down from my level high.   ‘It’s a good thing the door doesn’t actually need a floor…’   A new display interrupted my musing.   Congratulations on getting enough soul energy for your first evolution, Artoria! Please select from the current list. This list is based on your current skills, level, alignment, and abilities as well as your desires. This choice is permanent, and will affect every evolution from this point on, so think about it!   There was a really large list of creatures to pick from. Things like Dragons, Elves, Demons, Angels. It was honestly overwhelming. When I selected Dragon, it showed a sub list, and what I would actually start out as.   Reading over everything, nothing stood out to me in the Dragon section, so I went back to browsing. But then, thankfully, something caught my attention, like with my sword and name.   Fae.   When I went into the sub menu, another one caught my attention. It was titled “Demon Empress Dark Fae.” There was no information about it, or even how many evolutions I would need to go through to get to that point. But it did say this was simply the highest evolution it could show for this race of Fae at this time.   ‘Not even any of the dragons had that notice. Now, where do I start on this evolution path?’   Selecting it, brought up the Race I would start out as.   Grey Fairy A race of Fae that have been forsaken by the Light and Nature for some reason or another. But have yet to be fully accepted by the Dark. They have lost all of their connection to Nature, and have been lightly blessed by the Dark. Intrinsic Skills Flight, Mana manipulation B1, Illusion magic B1, Amplify Mana B1   Artoria: “OOhh. I like that. Illusion magic is my favourite type so that’s already a win. The ability to fly will be a godsend, I can feel it in my bones. And finally having access to mana so I can use my companion like it's meant to be used is great. Plus, I assume that since it is a fairy, I’ll be really small. That should help me survive a bit better.”   As I selected Grey Fairy I noticed popped up.   Grey Fairy selected! As this race is very small, normally several of your main attributes would be worse. But as the Ultimate Evil, you ignore this. Instead, you will get a slight boost to all attributes.   ‘Well, that’s just awesome. Still won’t thank you though, shitty god.’   Before you evolve, you may select a main class and Subclass. Please pick now.   Artoria: “I am going to assume these will open up further in the future, because there is hardly anything here to select… and the only option is ‘Playful Trickster’ as my subclass. From my new race I am willing to bet.”   While I wouldn’t call it a build, I did have a class I wanted to be or make if it didn’t exist somehow. Magic swordswoman. The best of both worlds, and a perfect fit for Excalibur Morgan.   So with that in mind, I selected Warrior. There were only the classic three to pick from anyway. That being Warrior, Ranger, Mage. Cleric was strangely missing. Guessing it was because of my Race, or even me. But it didn't matter.   Warrior and Playful Trickster have been selected. Evolve?   I hit yes, and I immediately fell into Darkness. I looked around, confused.   Artoria: “What’s going on?”   I kept looking around till something finally caught my eye. There was a mirror or something in the distance, so I started making my way to it. When I finally reached the mirror and looked into it, I was surprised by what I saw.   It wasn’t my reflection, no. I saw a massive amount of golden chains wrapped around some kind of golden glow. I reached out and touched the mirror with interest. As soon as my hand touched the surface, it rippled ever so slightly, and I got a massive flood of memories.   Artoria: “Argh!”   I fell down to my knees holding my head as the memories flooded into me.   Artoria: “These… are my memories? Wh.. geh!”   Falling down to my sides I curl up and try to deal with the pain. I “remembered” coming into existence, but a Goddess of Light didn’t want to let me be. So worried about life on this planet, she sacrificed herself to seal me. While also placing a blessing on the humans in hope they would eventually give birth to a Light that could defeat me whenever I break free.   Artoria: “So this is my backstory, huh shitty god?”   I say through grit teeth. The pain was finally subsiding, as the rest of the memories were of me just being sealed in this cave for hundreds of thousands of years.   I knew these were not real memories of mine, but I couldn’t stop myself from hating that Goddess of Light. Or the intense feelings of being bored while sealed, unable to do anything.   Eventually, the pain started to fade completely and I was able to fully think again.   Artoria: “That fucking bitch of a Goddess. She didn’t even give me a chance before she sealed me! She’s just like that guard. Not taking even a second to ask me anything. Sealing me as soon as I was conscious of myself.”   Sighing at how real these memories felt, I sat up and looked back at the mirror. It was pitch black now, not reflecting or showing anything anymore. Looking down at my hands, I frown.   Artoria: “I can feel the hate so clearly. Like it really is mine, like I was actually, personally, sealed. I clearly understand these are not real, but it’s not helping. I can feel the hate consuming me slightly.”   Sighing, I lean backwards and plop down on my back. Looking up into the pitch blackness, I channel all that hate to the god I really should hate.   Artoria: “You really went all out, you shitty god. I swear, I will make it my mission to hunt down your soul if it somehow survived your death. Tch. Both gods I feel hate for, and both are supposedly dead.”   Thinking about it, even if these memories are fake for my soul, they are not for my body.   ‘I could totally see that shitty god actually making a Goddess just so she can seal me and die. So while these are not my memories, they did most likely happen. Which means I’ll have to deal with a hero or more when I am finally released.’   Sitting back up, I glare at the mirror.   Artoria: “Fine. If I can only have a peaceful life after I kill some shitty heroes, then so be it.”   No sooner than when I said those words, I felt something leave me. It wasn’t much, and I have no idea what it was, but something did change. Tilting my head in confusion, I tried to think about what it was but I was coming up with nothing.   Before I could go any deeper, the whole area around me started to have cracks of light appear all over.   ‘Oh, I guess I am done evolving? This was quite the experience. Hundreds of thousands of years of memories, and nothing useful. No skills, no insights, nothing. Can’t give me an easy win, huh you shitty god.’   Soon enough, the whole area exploded in light blinding me. I then opened my eyes and found myself on my bed. Or, I should say my pillow.    Artoria: “Holy shit I am tiny!”   Looking around and ignoring my display for a few moments, I marvelled at how large my shitty shack looked now. I was tempted to go and look in the mirror right away, but I didn’t want to have to try and look past the displays, so I decided to take care of that first.   Congratulations Artoria! You are now a Grey Fairy, and have taken your first real step towards becoming the Ultimate Evil!   The display then automatically changed to my new status.   Name: Artoria Class: Warrior 1 (0%) Seal integrity: 100% Passives: 5 Dexterity: As agile as a cat! Age: 32 (Appearance 21)  Subclasses: Playful Trickster 1 (0%) Deaths: 3 Vitality: As healthy as an ox! Wisdom: You’re no genius, but you’re not dumb either. Sex: Female Alignment: neutral -78 Inner Realm level: 1 Strength: Can’t crush rocks with your hands, but you can throw one really, really hard! Magic: A novice, but at least you won’t blow off your own hand! Race: Grey Fairy Corruption: 0% Skills: 2 Defence: As strong as wood! Can’t stop a knife, but can stop a fist. Maybe. Mana: Look look! You got a rather large bucket’s worth here! Level: 1 (0%) Soul Energy: 0/1000 Spells: 2 Resistance: A fireball will still hurt like hell, but at least you won’t die immediately? Quests: N/A Soul Weapon: Excalibur Morgan   I smiled looking over my new stats. I wished my attributes actually had numbers and shit, but it is what it is. I also notice the huge drop in my alignment., which didn’t surprise me. The anger I felt at being sealed was very strong. And no matter how much I tried to convince myself it wasn’t real, I just couldn’t do it.   I dismissed the display with a sigh but another one soon replaced it.   Hidden quest finished! ~Evolve for the first time and pick your new race!~ Reward: Soul Armour (B1)   That immediately brought up my mood.   Artoria: “Fuck yea, some ARMOUR finally!”   Unlike the Soul Weapon though, I got no selector for the armour. I did feel the slight burn on my left hand, but when I looked I didn’t see any tattoo like with my sword.   However, after looking at my hand, I quickly froze. I had just noticed I was butt-ass naked! Looking around my shack quickly I couldn’t see my clothes anywhere, but then my eyes fell upon the chest in my room.   ‘Maybe there? Can I see what’s inside by thinking about it maybe? After all, it’s not a regular chest in some random shitty shack…’   With that line of thought, I tried focusing on what was in the chest. When I did, a display popped up showing a grid of items, and my clothes were occupying a slot. There was a little notice at the bottom of the window though that simply said “View only”.    ‘I bet as I level up my shack, and this skill, I’ll be able to interact with things without needing to come back to the chest. Anyway, I am glad that my clothes are still there, and not surprising now that I think about it. They were normal clothes, and can’t exactly shrink down. That shitty god isn’t that nice after all.’   With a dismissive wave I closed my inventory display, and focused on the armour in my soul. There was a soft dull white glow, and all of a sudden I was wearing some classic leather adventure armour. Most of it was black with a few red and purple highlights.   The set came with everything though and not just the leather armour only which was nice. I brought up the information display for the armour to check the stats it had.   Basic Leather Soul Armour B2 Rank (UEX Potential) Defence B2 Resistance B2 Soul Energy: 0/1000 Traits: Soul Armour, Self Cleaning (EX), Self Repairing (EX), Identify Null(UEX) Abilities: N/A   The armour set was both great and disappointing at the same time.   ‘I was hoping for another Soul Name resonance thing to happen, but no such luck it seems.’   With a bit of disappointment, I opened up the information about Soul Armour.   Soul Armour differs from Soul Weapons wildly. The first major difference one would notice is once equipped, Soul Armour may never be removed. Many consider Soul Armour to be a curse, as no one knows how to properly enhance them. The second major difference is that while Soul Armour will grow in strength like a Soul Weapon, you can infuse extra Soul Energy into the armour to add traits/abilities or to customise the material. The selection will not show anything beyond the rank of the armour itself.   Artoria: “Well, that’s… something? I like this overall though. Being able to customise the armour is nice. But already starting at 1000 soul energy is worrying. I hope it doesn’t increase each time something is added. Well, a woman can dream at least.”   Checking the Self Cleaning and Repairing traits didn’t really surprise me. They were what to be expected, mostly. Self Cleaning was always active and would keep the armour clean at all times, even in combat. The Repairing however was only active outside of combat. If I wanted the armour to be repaired in combat, I’d have to spend some mana. I then checked the last trait, Identify Null.   The armour of the Ultimate Evil prevents any and all kinds of identification spells or abilities of any Rank to work on you. For good or for ill.   ‘I’ll take this as a good thing for now, honestly. Now nothing can identify me and my abilities. Hopefully that gives them pause to either let me escape or kill them.’   While I was at it, I brought up the display for my new Classes, skills and spells. First was Warrior.   The starting warrior class will provide skills and passives to get you started as a weapon user, and provide more as you level up.   'Don't know why I was hoping it would change because of my evolution, but it clearly didn't. Now, what about Playful Trickster?'   The Fae are notorious for their tricks and playful nature. This subclass gives you access to Illusion Magic at a basic level, and will provide spells as it gains levels.    'Yup, this is the same as well. Oh well, on to my skills and spells. Charge, you're up first.'   Charge at an enemy with 3 times your normal speed. Consecutive uses will leave you winded and feeling drained.   ‘Pretty standard, and a 3 times increase in my speed at base even. I can see this getting bonkers as my stats starts to eclipse the norm.’   Strike twice with only one swing. Rapid use of the skill will leave you winded and feeling drained.   ‘I wonder how this will work with my sword abilities. I hope it’ll cast them twice at once, or at least double the power output. Willing to bet the mana cost would also increase as if I used the ability twice though. Seems logical.’   Next I brought up the display for the two magic spells I had. I would have been lying if I said I wasn’t excited at the prospect of actually having magic now. First was Project Sound.   A spell of the Illusion school. Project any kind of sound you know of at a range of up to 5 metres. Volume is controlled by mana spent.   ‘Nice. I can use this to distract, and confuse.’   Trying the spell out I made my voice appear at max range at normal talking volume. The feeling of mana spent was odd, but the good thing is that this spell took next to no mana to use. I tried again at shouting volume, and still didn’t even notice an actual drain on my mana pool.   So, I did the next best thing, I covered my ears and tried to make it as loud as I could.   ‘That was a mistake. Holy FUCK that was loud, and I feel like half my mana is gone. I wonder if I could eventually turn this into an actual sonic attack at higher ranks. Also, quick note, no spell cast time for this spell.’   A spell of the Illusion school. Project a static, flat image of your choice of up to 5 metres. Size of the image is controlled by mana spent.   Testing this spell out as well, I summoned an illusion of myself. What appeared was an exact replica of what I looked like now. Ignoring that for now, I walked along my pillow to the side of the spell, and did confirm it was flat, like a piece of paper floating in the air. Continuing to the back of my illusion it showed my back, with my new wings.   ‘Honestly, I half expected to see my face on both sides, heh. So this is what I look like now hmm?’   I was now very tiny, about as big as Tinker Bell if I had to guess, maybe a bit smaller? But I had no real way of knowing for now. My wings were rather large, going well past my arms. They were solid black butterfly wings with red trims and lines. And had what looked like an infinity sign in a royal purple in the middle of both of them that went from one wing to the other.   Artoria: “I like these quite a lot, if I am to be honest. And I noticed it before, but my hair is also a lot longer now too. All the way down to my butt huh. Which is now a nice sized bubble butt, hell yea.”   Thankfully, my hair was still that dark rose red, but it now also had streaks of black in it. Walking back to the front of my illusion, I got a good look at my face.   I smiled at what I saw, because I got quite the uplift in beauty if I say so. Having gone from a “solid six” as my friends say, to a 10, easily. But another big thing that changed were my eyes. Both had slit pupils for one, and my sclera was now black. I got to keep my heterochromia though, as both were different colours still. My right one was now pink and my left one was golden yellow. And both had a glowing red ring around the out edges of my cornea.   Artoria: “Well, that is unique to say the least.”   Stepping back from my illusion I give myself a look over once more.   Artoria: “Yup. I totally have that “Ara Ara” young milf look going on that can fit in your hand. Heh. And my girls seemed to have grown a lot. Well, in proportion to myself that is anyway.”   Dismissing the illusion, I also took note that I regen about 1% of my mana every minute. This was only a guess, a feeling I got courtesy of Mana Manipulation I think. I started to bring up my passives after that mental note, starting with Flight.   Use your wings to fly! Can spend mana to repair and regenerate any damage done to your wings. Grants instinctive knowledge and muscle memory.   ‘Great! I don’t need to learn how to fly. I’ll double check that before I leave.’   Able to manipulate mana to a greater degree than normal, adding a 1% bonus to your Magic attribute. Grants instinctive knowledge at baseline.   ‘Yup, I was right. This skill is great, and going to be nuts at higher ranks and levels. I can tell. 1% is nothing, but assuming it goes up by 1% every level? And maybe a jump when it ranks up? Oh yea, could get bonkers.’   Increases the effects of all illusion magic spells by 5%. Decreases the likelihood of your illusions being seen through by 1%.   ‘Huh, so the passive magic class doesn’t grant spells then, but rather just bonus’ to the school. So just the actual classes give the spells then. Can I also learn them via other means? But still, 5% to all effects at B1 is huge. Just how much of a bonus will this give at UEX rank? Anyway, next is Amplify Mana and I think I know what it's going to say.’   Provides a 1% increase to your Mana attribute.   ‘Yup. And this is just as good as the others. Percent increases are great. Pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a passive like that.’   Increases the damage you deal with all attacks from a sword, including magic if the sword is used as a focus, by 5%. Increases chance to land a supernatural hit by 1%. Increase accuracy with a sword by 1%. Provides instinctive novice knowledge and muscle memory.   Now this one got me really excited. I’ve seen what Excalibur Morgan can do in the anime. Adding on a modifier to that is just eating my cake too. Curious what a supernatural hit was, I checked.   To sum it up, it was just a critical hit in real life. No-one understood why sometimes some attacks would just do a lot more damage than normal, so they called it a “supernatural hit.”   But what really got me excited was the basic knowledge I could now feel about using my sword. So with much anticipation, I summoned my sword.   As soon as I summoned the sword, it started to lightly glow purple and I felt around 20% of my mana become “locked” if I had to use a word to describe it. I also sunk in to the pillow a lot. Laughing a bit at that, I scramble out and stand on my bedding instead. Though I was still pressing hard on the mattress.   Artoria: “This glow must be the Evil Light trait of the sword. That is a large chunk of my mana, but it adds a cool looking glow and it’ll get better eventually anyway. Oh speaking of.”   I brought up the information about Excalibur Morgan, and confirmed it was now also B2, like my armour. All of the traits and abilities as well. But I noticed that the Devastation ability was still locked.   ‘Not enough mana yet huh. Not surprised really.’   Dismissing the displays, I started to swing my sword around and I could immediately tell the difference. It was much easier to use, and felt a lot more natural in my swings. I even had a competent stance.   An interesting thing I noted though, was that even though the sword could be considered a toothpick now, it still weighed the same as when I was human sized. I easily confirmed this as I sunk into the pillow like a rock in water. This also helped confirm I wasn’t a weak tiny fairy like I should have been. My swings will pack one hell of a punch.   Finishing up testing out my new sword skills, I dismissed my sword and walked to the side of the bed. Time to test my flight skill.   Artoria: “Fuck it, time to be a baby bird. Hup!”   And I jumped off the bed side. But like the skill said, I just “knew” how to fly. I had a massive stupid smile on my face as I started to zip around my shitty shack.   Artoria: “This is awesome as hell! YEAH! WEEEEEEE!”   After flying around, and acting like a lunatic for the better part of what felt like an hour I calmed down and landed back on my bed.   Artoria: “Okay, that is an awesome feeling to fly like that. And after flying for so long, I am still not tired! Anyway, it’s time I got back to that grind.”   Flying over to the door with a large smile on my face, I went through. Arriving just above the branch I was camping on before, and seeing how huge it is now sends home just how small I am now again. Shaking my head, I float down to the wolves and begin to think about what I should do.   ‘That last wolf was hesitant to get near because of the corpses of the others. And I assume having three here will only make the next wolf even more wary. So, how shou-’   Before I could finish that line of thought, I was interrupted by a loud and deep growl. Turning around, there was a massive wolf. Bigger than the three I had killed, and its fur was blue. Smiling, I bring out my sword, and get in a stance to charge.   Artoria: “I don’t know whe–”   But before I could even finish my little monologue, I felt something cold entering my back before exploding through my body scattering myself everywhere. A giant, to me at least, icicle has blown through me with ease.   As I was dying again, and losing consciousness I only had one thought, ‘Doesn’t hurt as much.. as I would have… thought….’   Mira_Zenon Null DAMN this chapter is long. I just couldn't find a good spot to end it Haha~. Hope you enjoyed it~! But, I really do need a break from writing for a bit~. See you all in the next chapter of... one of my stories~!

In the beginning, there was nothing. In the nothing, there was a beginning. The beginning was an aeon and an expanse of endless dead, cold blackness. And then, a light came into that nothing. It came from the void of a howling warmth. In the centre of it was an orb floating atop a sea of fog. Overlying it were multicoloured orbs: Mysterious coloured orbs that were alive and pulsing like living, breathing beings. Springing forth in colourful shimmering gusts, the Entities awoke, quivering and quaking in fervent anticipation. Moments later, the orb exploded. A thousand unseen maws descended from the sky and devoured the light in the centre of the exploding orb. A frenzied intensity of countless tentacles lashed at the orbs that darted all around, trying to escape. And then, all of the orbs began to speak… …And words were born. A thousand sentient mouths collectively cried out and spoke a message. The words were shocking. For the disembodied voice, like the orbs before it, was undecipherable. A set of unintelligible syllables that spewed out of an alien language, yet none of the Entities could understand them. Each Entities also cried out the same strange yet beautiful message in response to the speaker: “WhAt hAvE YoU HeRe?” “i aM ThE LiGhT. i aM ThE RaDiAnCe.” “nO! nO! nO! yOu aRe nOt! I Am tHe pUlSe, I Am tHe fOrCe!” “wE ArE OnE. wE ArE OnE.” “I DeMaNd tO Be yOuR RuLeR.” The first to respond was a small, chalky humanoid creature: it was not a human, nor any other creature that the Entities had previously encountered. It was humanoid in form, but its features were complex and twisted into unnatural shapes. Its skin was an alluring white and its arms and legs were slender yet blood-red with sharp nails. Although its colouring was very unique, the thing was clearly human-like in shape. Its limbs were all musculature and its body reminded the Entities of a human child. In addition to its unique appearance, it was also seemingly innocent in nature. In fact, it appeared to be entirely devoid of malice, even to the point that it seemed completely unaware of the sheer atrocity that was about to happen. It exuded an inexplicably bright and shining aura, as though it was awash in a never-ending ray of light. Immediately, the disembodied entity uttered a different statement than the others had… “I MuSt hAvE ThE LiGhT.” But this entity was not satisfied with such an opinion. It was not satisfied with how little it mattered to the other Entities. It took one of the orbs in its possession and retreated to another plane of existence, the source of the light it originated from. The strange creature floated through an endless void for what seemed like hours. When it finally emerged, it looked much less innocent, having a skeletal quality to it and bony protrusions all over its body. It emitted a hauntingly beautiful light. The orb before it suddenly exploded as well. And thus, the creature made its way back to the source of the light. It revealed its message to the scattered Entities. “I MuSt hAvE ThE LiGhT.” The next to make a statement was a bigger, more muscular entity with bat-like wings. It possessed a powerful and warriorlike air about it. Its body was muscular but yet muscular enough to be fluid. It possessed a healthy appearance, and its limbs were extraordinarily strong. Its head was angular, jagged and fiery red, but its face was unblemished and clear. It rose into the air, and the creature’s voice boomed. “WhAt hAvE YoU HeRe?” “i aM ThE LiGhT. i aM ThE RaDiAnCe.” “nO! nO! nO! yOu aRe nOt! YoU ArE ThE PuLsE, yOu aRe tHe fOrCe!” “wE ArE OnE. wE ArE OnE.” “I MuSt hAvE ThE LiGhT.” The creature rose until it had flown right into the cloud of orbs. There it became illuminated by their reflections. It glided back and forth within the orbs and stared deep into their other-worldly depths. Its voice reached a low, but powerful sound that resonated throughout the entire area. The creature spoke again. “Is nOt tHiS TrUe oF YoU, eNtItIeS? yOu kEeP LyInG To mE. i aM RiGhT HeRe iN ThE BoDy oF ThE FoRcE, aS I Am aLwAyS RiGhT HeRe iN ThE BoDy oF ThE PuLsE. cAn yOu nOt sEe? I Am rIgHt hErE!” The orb-bearers responded in unison, feeling as though the creature could not be wrong. They continued in unison. “Of cOuRsE We cAn sEe yOu! Of cOuRsE We cAn sEe yOu!” “nO! nO! nO! yOu aRe bEiNg lIeD To! YoU ArE LyInG To uS.” It was at this point that the creatures shifted from their defense posture to a threat posture. The entities formed into a powerful, black mass and began to move through the air. They hovered and flew. They remained motionless for a moment and then the black mass and their voices started echoing throughout the universe. “LoOk uP HeRe dOwN HeRe” “ThErE Is nOtHiNg hErE!” “YoU ArE TrYiNg tO HiDe yOuRsElF FrOm uS. yOu sEe tHaT? sEe tHiS? yOu aRe tRyInG To hIdE.” “I Am aBsOlUtElY ImPoRtAnT To yOu!” “yOu nEeD Me! I NeEd yOu! YoU Do nOt dEsErVe tHe lIgHt, YoU CoUlD NeVeR DeSeRvE ThE LiGhT, yOu aRe mAdE Of dArKnEsS!” “We aRe tHe oNe…” “OnE Of mAnY…” “BuT I Am oNe,” said the One. “I Am oNe, ToO,” replied the Entities. …But the reaction was the same: The voices reached the minds of the Entities and they all nodded in unison. Unbeknownst to the One that spoke the message, the One knew what was coming. It was the time of creation. The time of the Primordials. For now, the One knew the extent of its own creation. The One fell to its knees, struggling against a desire to speak to the entity. It had all of the will to utter words. It had all of the will to communicate with it. But, the desire to listen overwhelmed it. To listen to the One who was soon to be its creation. Time did not stop. The One sat and wept. Yet it did not know why. The silence was deafening, but the One could do nothing but sit in it for it was in that silence that the One was born. “So iT BeGiNs,” whispered the One, as the echoes of silence returned. If the One was alone, it would have wept, screaming and reaching out to whatever was making all of this commotion. But that was not the case. The One was not alone. They sat in a collective of their own creation. A myriad of Entities, all one and the same. And they knew the One. They knew it was the One. And the One knew it was not alone. For now, the One realised the extent of its own creation. It had no name. “We hAvE No nAmE. fOr wE ArE OnE.” The words sent a chilling chill down the faces of each Entities. A fear not entirely unfamiliar to them. For as far back as they could remember, they’d never seen or heard anything but what they now were. They had never known hope, warmth, or love. They had never tasted the sweetness of love or the bitterness of hate. They had never known death. And that was because they were the only ones. The Otherside had been devoid of life for an eon before the Beginning ever came. Even before The Beginning. The Entities cried out once more in shocked disbelief: “…aNd wE ArE ThE DeViAnTs…” And then, the warm glow surrounding the infinite emptiness erupted into an abrupt, violent upheaval. In the midst of the chaos, an enormous floodlight that shone with an endless, powerful white light suddenly burst forth from the centre of the earth. An immense, fiery presence suddenly invaded the Otherside’s void and instantaneously began to consume it. The fire that drove forth the blinding light was even greater than the light of the titanic orb. An even more horrific sight. The fire did not consume all the entire Otherside. It wreathed around the huge, cruciform-shaped humanoid. Its appearance was blood red and blazing hot. Its grey-black hide looked scaly and leathery, yet despite its scaly nature it glowed with a lustre. Its furred face and blank eyes were deathly white. Its gigantic, pointed teeth shone with an iridescent, shimmering shine. As it breathed, blue and purple flames danced forth. And then, its eyes turned to focus on the Entities. And they fell. Their beige skin caved to the floor, their wings became twisted and spindly, their silver hair and violet eyes melted into ashes. The One had awoken, and its view of the Entities before them was lost. In its searing glare, they could not understand its purpose. It then spoke again: “YoU ArE ThE DeViAnTs…” And then the fire suddenly began to die down. The fire became replaced with a wave of black so dense and thick, it engulfed the creatures that stood before it. Every single Entity was instantly reduced to ash. The flames were extinguished by the blackness. The ash also became formless, shapeless matter. And the blackness which had burned the Entities into the earth began to move. It began to cover the very ground that had swallowed the entire Otherside. And then, out of the dark came the first steps. Small, grotesquely human like spindly bodies emerged from the black, oozing matter. They walked around, several of them scurrying from the area with shrieks of terror in their inhuman throats. They swirled around, gaining height, and they became fully visible. They were a steely-grey, humanlike structure, standing over six feet tall. Their skin was blue and scaly, and their eyes were wide and emotionless. Their mouths were a dull, silver grey, whilst their small, cat-like ears sat beneath their sharp-looking heads. Their legs were equally grey, whilst their feet were reptilian, clawed and black. They had long, finger-like claws and their arms were black and tapered. It continued to advance on the Entities and its human-like eyes gleamed with an unnerving, concentrated light. The Eternals were struggling to get back to their feet. The bulk of the Entities had been reduced to ashes, but they still tried to get back to their feet. The human-like Entity, however, ignored the rest of the Entities. It began to turn away from the Entities, and begin to crawl on its four long, clawed arms towards them. It shuffled slowly towards the Oneness. Its black eyes widened in surprise as it saw the disintegrated remains of the Entities and it said: “NO…” A wave of blackness engulfed the Oneness after it raised its right arm and thrust it forward. The Oneness kicked away with its back leg as it spun around. It created a low, thunderous roar as it spun and kicked away the Oneness. As it spun and kicked, it flailed its arms violently. It then turned around, yet it did not attack. It then dug. Its black paws dug into the charred ground as it pushed its way through the ash. It continued to move and dig through the ash until it was as tall as a human. The ash was also creeping over the shape of its body, which made it furious. And then, it shook and convulse as it felt the intense heat from the other side of the void. As it shook, the ash also moved and the black mass lifted itself off the ground. It looked up at the Entities, whose broken bones, bloodied wings, and ash-covered skin were now melting. The Entities looked down at the Entity, their flickering flames now extinguishing. It then turned to the Oneness and slowly removed its clawed hand from the ash. It then looked back down at the Oneness, whose flames were now snuffed out. The Entity then dropped its eyes and opened its mouth, revealing its gleaming, purple tongue. It then spat out the ash. It then said, in a mechanical monotone voice: “BrInG It tO Me.” And as it looked down at the Oneness, it raised a black hand. At that moment, the Oneness warped. Its arms and legs contracted as its body shattered. And then, it sucked in huge chunks of the ash that was still in its mouth. And then, it consumed the ash. It consumed the ash at a tremendous pace. The ash twisted around the edges of the shape of its body, until the Oneness was now the shape of a cylinder that extended towards the other side of the Void. After that, it began to slowly, repeatedly, pull itself towards the Entity. The Entity looked down, as the Oneness pulled itself towards it. Then, the Oneness withdrew its black arm from the ash and threw it forward. It began to wave it slowly back and forth, and then it gripped it firmly. The Entity turned around and shouted out in pain, but it did not withdraw its black arm. The Entity then brought its black arm up and opened its mouth. The black, tentacle-like appendage spat out a torrent of black ichor. The black ichor rushed forward towards the Entity, and it began to suck in the ichor, as it began to grow larger. As it grew larger, the black ichor began to rapidly boil away and burst out of the black tentacle. The black ichor hit the Entity and began to boil away. The black ichor then entered its mouth. The black tentacle retracted its tentacle and folded its black arms. It then said in a mechanical monotone voice: “LeT It fLoW.” And the Entity began to suck in the black ichor that was still dripping from its mouth. The black ichor began to fill the blackness inside its mouth and the Entity began to grow larger. The black ichor that was still flowing from its mouth began to thin out and it slowly began to drop onto the ash. When the black ichor began to thin out, it began to puddle in the shape of a liquid on the ground. Then, it began to pour out of the Entity’s mouth. It streamed out of its mouth and onto the ash. The Entity continued to grow larger and larger, until the black ichor that was left in its mouth began to boil away. And then, it felt the hot ash dripping from its mouth as it spit out a powerful blast of sound. The blast of sound caused both the Oneness and the Entity to gasp in pain, but the Entity felt the pain only momentarily. The Entity then pulled its black arm from the ash and threw it forward. It began to wave it slowly back and forth, and then it gripped it firmly. The Entity then raised its black arm towards the Oneness. The Oneness continued to slowly transform, as it continued to stare blankly. It took one last gasp of pain before its body dissolved and dissolved away completely. Then, the Oneness emerged. Its hands were now fused with the ash’s body and its body was also now completely black. Its head was now shaped like a cylinder. It stared towards the Entity, whose orange-red eyes were pulsating violently. It then growled, its jaws now open, and yelled out: “ThE WeAkNeSs tHaT HaS LiEd iN YoU WiLl nEvEr gEt yOu bAcK.” The black shape then suddenly turned towards the Oneness. It continued to continue to spit out the ash until the ash became pure black, charcoal, soot, and dust. It then began to take a step towards the Oneness. And then, the Entity opened its mouth and spoke again, once again in its mechanical monotone voice: “BrInG It tO Me.” It then shoved its long, clawed hand into the ash, which then dragged itself into the smouldering ash. The Entity’s claws dug into the hardened ash, ripping it apart. As the Entity dragged itself through the ash, its tail was turned towards the Oneness. It spoke, yet again, in its mechanical monotone voice: “BrInG It tO Me.” The Entity’s tail then began to lift itself off the ground. It then took several steps towards the Oneness. Its tail was then engulfed in the smouldering ash. It did not move again, until the ash had completely covered the Entity’s tail. The Oneness spoke one last time before he said his last words, before he took his last breath and was obliterated: “YoU ArE NoT YeT ReAdY.” As he said it, he turned to look at his remaining followers and said: “It iS DoNe. ThIs wIlL Be tHe eNd oF ThE BeGiNnInG. wE WiLl bE ReBoRn.” His followers all bowed their heads and took their final breaths. And then, they were reborn anew into formlessness once again. So it was written.  

“What’s going on? Sis” claimed a little boy while seeing a woman cleaning a camera set. She stopped and glimpse at the cute boy who has a bright smile on his face. She chuckles seeing how enthusiasm he is, she strokes his black hair. “Nothing much cleaning my new camera set” stated the woman with brown hair and dark green eyes. “You always do this Sis; you know my desire is to become the best Pokémon trainer and I will take every picture of Pokémon because it will help you in your dream Sister” declared the boy as he smiles. “Awa thank you my cute little brother” claimed she cuddle him. ………. “Helioptile~” shout a lizard type Pokémon as it rubs its head to her cheek who was sleeping. She woke up from her dream as she smiles. “Did we reach the airport Helioptile?, I can’t wait to see him” claimed she observe at the window as she notice the airport as her heartbeat become greater. *Attention to the travelers the plane has reached Kalos region- Lumiose city. Thank you for traveling* “Huh, home sweet home” said Alexa as get out of the plane. ………. “Long time no see!” claimed Noah as he hugs her. “Noah!” claimed Alexa as her voice is full of happy. She then kisses him all over his face. He couldn’t help let her do it. After some time, she clams herself and look at him delightfully. “Look at you, have you eating?, you look very thin and I have told you handful of times while traveling that you should eat properly sis” stated Noah as he starts lecture to her. Seeing this Serena and Viola chuckles, both Gible and Eevee are playing happily with Helioptile. “Good for you!” stated Viola in sarcasm. Alexa grin looking at her. Viola turns away from her eye sight. “Noah, I’ll do it as you say so, please let it go and I promise” stated Alexa as put a pitiful face. He clams down a little and nod his head. She sighed inwardly and hugs one more time. “Hello, sister Alexa” said Serena. “Oh, Serena how are you?” claimed Alexa as they both start talking, Gible directly jump into her. “Gible~” “Awa Gible did you miss me, me to” claimed Alexa as she cuddle it and pat Eevee head. “Ok, shall we all go to prof. Sycamore Lab” stated Viola. “Ah, I’ll drive sister” claimed Alexa. “Sure” ……….. Lumiose city- prof. Sycamore Lab “Gabite~” landshark type Pokémon as it moves to its head toward a man with black curly hair and gray eyes. He pats gently as Gabite close it eyes with a happy expression. “Oh, they have come” said he go towards the entrance. “Hello prof. Sycamore Good to see you” claimed Noah as he shakes hand with prof. Sycamore. “Haha it’s been long time Noah and you look glorious, hello you guys” claimed pro. Sycamore. They all nodded their heads and talk each other as for Pokémon they are in their world. “Oh! Your Shiny Gible and Eevee are as healthy as usual and you are starting your journey, come I prepared everything for it” stated prof. Sycamore. An assistant came with Pokédex and Pokéballs. In addition to, three Pokémon stand in straight line as they look at Noah. “Thank you prof. Sycamore” “No problem your photos on Mega evolution helped my research enormously” claimed prof. Sycamore as he gives those things and asked him to select the Pokémon. “No prof. I don’t need Pokémon because I have Gible and Eevee as my starting Pokémon” stated Noah as he pats the three Pokémon. “Ok then take 10 Pokéballs, don’t worry I’ll manage from association furthermore this ID is that you worked as an assistant prof. in my lab it’ll help you in discount while you are purchasing items in association” prof. Sycamore. “Thank you prof. Sycamore” “it’s ok, this is what I do?” stated professor.  “Lastly, I want you take these reports to prof. Rowan and it helps a lot for me, will you” claimed Professor. “No worries” said Noah as he takes those reports and put it in his backpack. “I’d better get going” “Ah, if you take any photos about Pokémon while evolving send me those pics” declared Prof.Sycamore. “Sure” “You should go for extra mile” as a reply Noah smiled. …………….. They spend in Luminose city for one day, all dated together in the city. The city avenues have smaller Parisian- style buildings, eating in famous restaurant. Finally, they all went to prisom tower. “I told those two that I’ll be here” claimed Noah as he looks around. “Who you are talking about?” asked Alexa.   “Brother Noah!” shouted cute little blonde girl as she run and hug him. “Bonnie! How are you?” claimed Noah “I am good brother Noah” said Bonnie. “Ok, where is Clemont?” said Noah as Bonnie put a blank face. “Brother come quickly” shouted Bonnie as they all see a blonde hair person running while panting laboriously. “That’s a good one” stated Noah as he holding his laugh. “Don’t joke and Bonnie why did you run always?” argued Clemont. “Ok dude long time and how is your work now?” said Noah. “Well, everything is fine and are you going to start your journey” said Clemont. “Yep, I am dude” claimed Noah as they talk each other and Bonnie talk with others. They go to Lumiose museum and spend happily some time. “Ok Clemont bey and Bonnie don’t cry I will come again at that time I will give many souvenirs” suggested as he hugs her while patting her head. “Woo.. really will you come?” asked Bonnie while she is crying as he nodded his head. She then pecks his cheek. “Ah, brother Noah don’t forget to check a girl for my brother” claimed Bonnie “Bonnie don’t tell like that, how many times I have told you and it is very embarrassing” argued Clemont as everyone laughed out. They then say goodbye to each other and went directly to Airport. Both Viola and Serena crying, he hugs them and talk some time with them. “Take care both of you” “Gible~” “Eevee~” “Helioptile~” said Noah unexpectedly Viola kiss him on his lips which shocked Alexa. Serena also kisses him. They both wave their hands as he and Alexa go in plane as it takes off. ………… Sinnoh region- Sandgem city At airpot “Huh, I’ll send you pics of this region Sis Alexa” said Noah as he looks at her with complicated heart. “Noah did Viola….” Before she wants to say he interrupted her by kissing her. She widens her eyes and let him kiss her. “I love you to the moon and back” declared Noah as she starts crying and nodded her head. “Me to, looks like my plane is come, I dying for to come with you but I have work and I will try to come at Sinnoh league” stated Alexa. “Take care!” “Gible~” “Eevee~” “Step up your game” “Bey” as they both wave their hands. She turns her head as she holds her mouth with her hand, tears falling from her face. “Helioptile~” “It’s ok, he starts up his goal then I will be preserving on my goal” claimed Alexa as she put a determine face.  

I'd made a deal with the carpenters across the street. They'd pool together some money at the end of each month and in return all I had to do was keep the blinds open. I needed money. Just a bit, to supplement the two thousand and five hundred salary I was receiving every month. The three of them were happy to donate a few pesos in exchange for a nightly gander at my mistress' topless form through the window. God knew why. Ma'am Cecilia was a pudgy, short bitch with thick eyebrows and love handles oozing over the waistline of her constricting white cotton pants like buttercream icing on a cupcake. I had to admit, though: her breasts were quite nice. The number of times she called me up to her bedroom to help undo the bra clasps embedded in her fat, fleshy back, I was able to get a glimpse of the two coconut-sized orbs dangling like swollen appendages from the top of her balloon-like stomach, her nipples pink and raw like coral pearls. She did nothing to hide them from my liberally probing eyes. I was in charge of cleaning the master bedroom since she was too lazy—or too fat—to pick up her panties off the floor, or even to close the windows. She had nothing to hide from me. The two burly ones gave me thirty each. The tall, lankier one, with the long limbs, gave me forty because he was richer. He always got first gawk. On the first day I went to retrieve the money, the three of them scurried excitedly from their work posts. The burly one with the brown hair had been running grey powder through a big, wooden sifter. The other burly one—with the black hair—had been struggling to hammer a long warped nail into a piece of wood. The lanky one with grey hairs sprouting sporadically from his thin scalp had been lounging under a tree, his lemon yellow hard hat perched on his nose, covering his eyes. Then, only the first floor had been completed. "Oy! Mang Lom!" the lighter-haired carpenter called. "She's here!" As they counted their cement-and-soil-encrusted bills, I decided to ask them, "So how was it, boys?" and the two young men erupted in excited chatter. "That fatty? You wouldn't guess her tits would be that nice!" "They were huge!" "It was like viewing pink marble sculptures from afar," the grey-haired guy said softly, like he was trying to evoke some sort of depth by using cheap metaphors. The two younger ones stopped their tongue wagging. They obviously thought the guy had said something deeply profound. "Oh… Oh yeah," the brown-haired one said in awe, looking the older man in the face. "Pink marble… I'd like to live in a house with marble floors pink as those nipples of hers." "Faggot," the darker haired, burly one said. "You go on and look while I taste those little cherries, sweet as lollipops." He stuck a finger in his mouth and withdrew it, making a popping sound with his lips. "You really think they taste like lollipops, fool?" the other one replied. "They're just a little bit salty, almost tasteless." "Like you've ever had one in your mouth," the black-haired one said skeptically. "Salty, you say? Been screwing a lot of dirty women, Charlie boy?" Charlie knitted his eyebrows and slapped the other one on the back of the head. "Damn you, Lenio." Lenio drew back his open palm to deliver a slap. Charlie ducked, forming a fist with his right hand. The two charged forward, each colliding with the other, noses banging together. "Ow!" A chorus of shouts was followed by a string of curses. The whole yard stared. "Enough, boys, or we'll be found out," Mang Lom chided. "What was that about?" another worker called from on top of one of the grey, unpainted walls. "Nothing, friend," Mang Lom called back. "Just a disagreement." The two quieted, returning to counting their money. They handed me thirty each and the older man gave forty. All three made sure to hand the cash to me as inconspicuously as allowed. "Who's that?" the one on the wall was looking at me. I could see his eyes giving me a once over, pausing once they reached my chest and settling there. They never met my face. "Charlie's girlfriend." Lenio lied, adding emphasis to the word girl. "She a prostitute?" Charlie looked disgruntled at the assumption. "No, dick." "Well she sure looks like one." I was about to reply with equal vehemence when Mang Lom turned to me and said, "I think you should go now. We'll see you next month." I nodded and left, shooting a scowl at the man on the wall before turning my back. It went on like this for a good three months: my going in to clean Cecilia's room and leaving the blinds open, then collecting my money at the end of the month. The arrangements went on unchanged until one day in October, after I came to collect the cash, Mang Lom made me another request. By then the second floor had been built, and half of the red roof shingled. "I want to get closer," he said. "See those pink marble beauties up close. Magnificent." His voice sounded far away. "I—" "I'll pay you an extra ten," Mang Lom offered quickly, "Every month. Just for me. If the others want to get closer, tell them they have to give you more, too." Silently, I nodded, the prospect of receiving an extra ten (thirty, if Lenio and Charlie were up for it) every month nudging me to take the offer. Right then, we made plans. The next night, after all the workers had left and only the dark shadows of Mang Lom, Charlie, and Lenio could be seen moving on the messy lot, I crept out the screen door and keyed the large, heavy padlock of the metal gate, making the sound of a gun being cocked. I stole back into my quarters, which were right underneath Cecilia's bedroom. I peered out the window from my darkened room, watching, waiting to see what Mang Lom would do next. I heard the slow, dragging sound of metal grating on metal, soon after followed by Mang Lom appearing through the slim space. He slowly crossed the yard to the large, imposing mango tree just outside the window and proceeded to climb, the muscles in his exposed calves growing taut. He settled on a thick tree branch, his bulging eyes reflecting back the yellow light that glowed from Cecilia's window. From where I was hiding, it looked as if tears of joy were settling on the brink of his eyelids. I was startled at what he did next, though I now wonder why I never anticipated that he would do it. What I can remember most clearly is the flaccid thought that sprung into my mind after my initial surprise: He's got a brown dick. I never expected it to be nearly as dark as it was. Mang Lom wasn't fair-skinned, but from my vantage point his penis was an unnaturally dark brown—almost black. It was as if a stiff twig had suddenly grown out of the bark of the tree on which he was perched. It was a few tints darker than the rest of his body. Or maybe it was just the shadows. I grew uncomfortable when he started to breathe raggedly. I had looked away long before, though now I felt the need to cover my ears as well. His grunts got longer and louder before I felt the need to tell him to stop. I turned back to the window to see that his breath had created a mist over the glass. I knocked on my window to catch his attention. "Mang Lom—" A shriek came from my mistress' bedroom. The window opened with a loud bang and Mang Lom, startled, fell in a lump on the ground below it. "What the hell are you doing?" Ma'am Cecilia squawked. "Who are you? Get the hell out of here!" Mang Lom gathered up his trousers and fled. In the distance, his posture resembled that of a dog fleeing with its tail between its legs. It was pretty easy to figure out I'd been responsible for the midnight peepshows after that. One visit to the construction site and the two burly ones were happy to give me away. Who was I to them? With me gone, they wouldn't have to take a few pesos out of their salary every month anymore. Their fun had been ruined anyway, because now Ma'am Cecilia made sure to close her blinds every time she undressed. She'd keep the oversized cloth of her shirts close to her round body, too, for added measure. That same night, I left for Romblon, anticipating what my father would say once he found out I'd been told to leave my job. I trudged slowly to the village exit, passing the construction site, now empty of the three hulking figures of Charlie, Lenio, and Mang Lom. I stopped, gazing up at the house, now almost complete, with a tacky purplish-blue paint job that made it look like ube ice cream studded with uneven globs of violet. I felt my lip curl, mildly disgusted by the color. I turned to leave when a familiar voice, gruff but still somehow smooth, stopped me in my tracks. I could see three shadows, one topped with a yellow hard hat—a brightness that pierced the darkness. "I paid these two to help me rape you," came the voice. Then a sudden movement. I was sprawled on the gravel of a narrow alley between two empty lots, barely knowing how I had gotten there. The sharp stones dug into my back and I could feel them embed themselves deeper into my skin as Mang Lom lay on top of me. His face was inches from mine, so close that all I could see were his eyes, framed by deep crows feet that looked like cracks in the mud. His lips brushed against mine and I could feel that they were chapped. Cold, strong hands gripped my wrists and ankles, pinning me to the ground. I didn't know whether it was Charlie and Lenio who were restraining me, or if they were entirely different people—strangers. They say it's only painful your first time. That first entrance, the first probing into secret parts, is the only one that feels like a violation. I realized then that those who say that know nothing about being violated. Each movement, each plunge that Mang Lom made, created a fire that burned me and became worse each time. Each time more painful. I couldn't scream or make a sound because his tongue choked me the whole time. His spit tasted like grime and cement. My whole body couldn't bear the heat, and the traitorous cold hands on my wrists were a dim respite from the fire that engulfed me. When it was over, Mang Lom stood towering over me, his eyes roaming my body. My underwear was a twisted vine at my ankles. I lay still with my shirt yanked open and bra clasps torn. He bent down for the last time. I was surprised at the gentleness of his rough fingers as he took one breast into his hand and kissed the raw, tawny nub at its peak. As he righted himself and turned away, his eyes seemed to say thank you, his yellow hard hat growing fainter in the distance as he walked. The ground underneath me was rough as asphalt, cold as marble.

There were always a few people who needed help in classes, after all, university classes were not easy by design. They had to wring money out of people any way they could. Books, classes, extra materials that are overpriced, it was frustrating. So naturally people turned to tutoring when classes were difficult. Science. Math classes, everyone at some point either needed or offered help. So, when someone who was offering tutoring stopped responding to their friends, people got worried. Normally it’s just someone caught with a bad cold or something in their personal life happened, other times it was nothing more than a dropped course. “Where the hell is he…” a young man sighed, his curly brown hair bounced as he scratched his head. His friend had been either missing or not checking his phone for a few days. “he’s missed a week of classes, not picking up his phone… the only way I know he’s still around, his steam pings me when he’s online.” This man, Allister, was wondering where his friend was. After about a week of tutoring one of the more sports-oriented students, he had vanished. Nothing, not even his roommates knew how his place was staying clean. It was like he just left the planet. So naturally, he was wondering where Archie went with an increased sense of worry. Even if no missing person's report had been filed, and no police action, something still felt off. It wasn’t impossible he just had to fly out to family and just couldn’t tell anyone, but that didn’t answer why his place was clean. That led him to the next option, the gym nut that Archie was tutoring, Markus. Finding him was easy at least, sharing the same classes and he loudly announced whenever he was going to the gym. The issue was really that he needed to not accuse him of anything. Being worried is one thing, lashing out on a guy who made bench presses look easy was another. That of course, was the plan, what wasn’t included was the guy having his girlfriend there. A girlfriend Allister swore had something familiar about her, maybe someone from earlier education. But it was certainly distracting when both of them were doing cutesy talk in between reps, not leaving a chance to ask Markus anything. Also, the woman in a bright pink tank top and mini skirt with a visible thong wasn’t helping him maintain focus. So now he tried to wait them out, maybe she’d go get a drink and he could interrupt, and that meant not loitering. At least treadmills were easy to deal with. At first, but when it was going on twenty minutes and Markus still was being hovered around, something had to give. And unfortunately for Allister, it was his pace. Sending him stumbling off the treadmill. There was a pause, a few people looked over to make sure he was okay. He was, it wasn’t anything worse than a stubbed toe, but it was more humiliation than anything. He wasn’t athletic, that was for sure. And he definitely fit the nerdy stereotype look. Glasses and a messy hair style due to headphone hair. But, if nothing else, running was a thing he didn’t suck at. Even if it was just to make sure he stayed healthy. However, whatever protein powder or supplements Markus was using to have energy were also keeping him going way longer than was probably healthy. It got to where Allister was convinced, he was going to have to wait until he was pulled out on a stretcher before the guy was finished. At least his girlfriend was there, so someone might be able to stop him before that happened. Though, the girlfriend in question felt familiar. Something about her phone? While it was bright pink and had a layer of glitter on the case, there was a hint that something was up. Or she was just a nerd. But it was the same icon Archie had as his steam icon. Granted that was just a frog from Frogger, but it was still something that caught his attention. Or she just had a spot of green on her phone. Allister shook his head, knowing he needed to not jump to conclusions. After all, transitioning unfortunately doesn’t only take a week. If it did, he might have a lead, but he wasn’t going to bother a random girl just based on a coincidence. Another half hour passed, and that was it, he was out of energy to even try and be patient. It was time to act. “Hey, you’re Markus, right?” he said, getting lucky as h was refilling his water bottle. The larger man looked confused for a moment. “We have that physics class just after lunch?” “Oh, don’t remind me of that class, man” Markus chuckled, he wasn’t wrong. That class was hard. “Needing a tutor is rough.” Speaking of which… that was the easiest way to broach the topic to this guy. An easy question with a hopefully easy answer. “Yeah, my friend, Archie, was tutoring you.”  Allister said, thankful that he was giving him such an easy way to ask. “I haven’t seen him for a while, any idea where he’s gone?” there was a look of momentary confusion on Markus and the girlfriends faces, like they were trying to piece things together. “Even his other roommates haven’t heard from him, so people are starting to get worried.” The girl was barely visible in Allister’s vision, but there she was, nervously twiddling her thumbs and trying to whistle innocently. And failing. “Uh… babe. You did tell him. Right?” Markus said, looking at the pink covered gym bunny. No way. “I uh, like… might a forgot some teensy details?” the woman said, looking rather sheepish. Absolutely no way. “Yeah uh, sorry bro, she was supposed to tell people.” Markus shrugged, visibly unsure on how else to break the news. “Your uh, buddy is my girlfriend, or like, one of them bro.” Science still hasn’t gone far enough. But if someone was able to transition this fast? It was a good sign. But now the real question was, how had she done this so fast? Allister’s mind was frankly overwhelmed. Mostly with relief, but also joy that his friend was still around and had a boyfriend. Naturally, this meant he owed her pizza if he ever slipped up on her new pronouns. “So,” the less workout inclined student said, swallowing nervously. “First. Sorry. I misgendered you without knowing.” There was a pause as the group all looked at each other. “Well, uh… thanks. For being okay I mean.” “You’re tooootally welcome” the woman giggled, visibly relaxing now that this awkward scenario had ended. “I, like, changed my name to Aria.” “It’s a good name.” Allister said, looking between his friend and her boyfriend. Something still felt off, but at least she was safe and happy. There was an awkward pause as the group stood around. “Well, uh, sorry for interrupting your gym time? See you later.” Allister thought that would be the end of it, or later would realize he hoped it would be the end of it. Mystery solved, no Old Man Jenkins. It took a few days, but his best friend was back, in a way. The first sign that something was off was just how little time she spent gaming. It used to be impossible to get her to do anything but study or destroy hard content in MMO’s. Now? She was redecorating and studying at the same time. At least when she wasn’t with Markus. Shockingly, the guy wasn’t that bad to be around. Allister would’ve pegged him for someone who couldn’t respect space. But surprisingly unless it was with one of his girlfriends, he was chill. Granted the public displays of cuddling and pet names did get a little annoying after a few weeks of them. Especially since Markus seemed to be making himself more… at home in their dorm. Sometimes just walking out in nothing but his underwear, leaving drinks out. Thankfully he cleaned that up whenever he was called out on it. But it was strange… and Allister was feeling more and more welcoming of it. Or rather. More welcoming of Markus. Some alarm bells tried to go off in Allister’s head but were silenced whenever he saw his best friends’ new outfits. So cute… and pink… but he would shake those thoughts away. At least, for a while. They’d get more intense as the days went on, even just hearing the mention of him started getting his heart racing. It was starting to mess with him... so naturally we felt he should talk to the person who knew Markus better. His friend was eager to talk, really about anything now that her transition was public. And with her new name being widely accepted by the friends who wanted to stay in touch. Alister and her were now sitting in her room and beginning the talk. The talk that quickly delved into talk about programming and transformers. “So, Beast Machines was definitely a downgrade in writing from Beast Wars, right?”  giggled as they looked at upcoming figures, they could pool money to order. “Like, it lost its spark!” The subsequent pun resulted in the appropriate level of ‘Ay’ and finger gun pointing. At least she was still herself, just... bubblier. The game and movie posters had pink frames, her computer was sporting pink, white and blue stickers, there was a Bridget cosplay visible in the closet. She was still herself, which gave Allister some peace of mind. “Hey uh, Aria?” the man asked, feeling his heart racing. “When did you, well, figure it out?” “Oh. The gender? Uhhh.... I... don’t remember?” she laughed, twirling her hair. “Like, a few days into tutoring Markus? I guess?” there was a pause, getting a look from her best friend that was skeptical but also like she had experienced the same thing he was. “There was just this, freeing feeling? I don’t really know how to describe it.” “Like... something freeing. Huh...” Allister mused, wondering what he was feeling and how it would manifest. “Like... he just made something click?” “Mmhmm!”  said, getting a slightly glazed look in her eyes. “Well, what really clicked was like, when his bathroom door didn’t close right, and I saw it.” “It...” Allister hummed, knowing exactly what she was talking about. There was a pause as they both sat on her bed. “What... well.” “If you like, wanna see it, I can ask Markus!” his roommate giggled, getting a laugh out of him as well. She grabbed her phone, sent a message and waited, not for long before a text came back, and she grinned. “He’ll be in here in a minute!” “That fast?” the guy said, incredulous at how he could make it to their dorm in a few minutes. “Wasn’t he in the middle of something?” “Yeah but, oh!”  giggled, showing her screen as a picture of Markus, pants down with his cock out was shown to her friend. There was a beat as he stared, not even stunned or phased as he looked closer. “Wow he’s... big!” Allister said, feeling that freeing feeling fill him up. Not noticing the fact that his hair started to turn blonde in the corner of his vision. He looked away before there was a knock-on ’s door, and there he was, in the flesh. “Uhm! Hi! Markus!” “Yo Alli,” the gym enthusiast grinned, his pants already going down. “You still have a chance to back out, but I think all three of us know you won't.” “B-back out?” Allister said nervously, now getting a whiff of the man's gym sweat. “M-maybe? Why do you ask?” his heart was pounding out of his chest, something felt taboo, like he wasn’t allowed to do this or even think about it. His friend grinned; Markus grinned but made sure to stay out of the doorway if he really did want to back out of... whatever he was doing. “You can say no.”  giggled, stretching and starting to undress. “We’re still gonna be besties!” He could say no, he could back out right now and just assume it was envy for having a cock that could please someone. The curse of having too big a cock was Allister's to bare, a smaller one like Markus’s would be nice. His eyes moved between his friend, her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s dick, the door, the dick, the door. “What’s the worst that could happen?” “You could realize you’re bi or pan?” Markus answered genuinely. Letting the slow blondeification and physical changes take their time. After all, they’d only move as fast as Allister let them. He didn’t know why he had this effect on guys, but he certainly didn’t mind it, he got to have girlfriends, and they got to be happy. A win-win really when you thought about it. But now, unless he wanted to be a massive chode, he just needed to wait for a signal that things were okay. No hard feelings unless Allister wanted a hard feeling in his throat. Maybe some coercion would help, Markus mused, starting to rotate his hips like he was hula hooping. Allister’s eyes slowly following the motions of his dick, bouncing up and down before Aria decided to join in. She sauntered over to her boyfriend, got on her knees, and slowly started stroking him in times with his motions. “Go on~” she teased, giggling the entire time as her lips gently started to kiss the side of his dick. “You can do it, it’s not bad to want to try~” And that was all Allister needed to be egged on. The transformation was already moving through his body, but if he even noticed it, that wasn’t clear. But his clothes started to fall off, or more accurately, just removed themselves from his body. He shuffled, nervously, across from Aria, her lips slowly moving up and down the side of her boyfriend's cock. A grin still visible between her plump lips as Allister swallowed some air. Allister was not about to prove he wasn’t willing to suck dick to get rid of this weird tightness in his chest. Sucking dick is easy, and hot, and he found himself mimicking his friends' motions before he even knew what was happening. He felt a hand place itself on the back of his head, not in a way to force him to continue, but almost like Markus was going to act as a safety net, in case he changed his mind. But that thought wouldn’t enter his mind, something about this felt freeing, even if nothing came of this, Allister felt freed in some way. Like a shackle had come free of his mind and allowed him to see things from a cosmic other perspective. That or he was just getting dramatic. Or wasn’t thinking at all as Aria stopped doing her thing on her boyfriend and gently tugged Allister towards the front of Markus’s dick. “How’s it feel so far? Bestie?” she giggled, grabbing a pocket mirror from her desk and letting her best friend get a peek at what was happening. Instead of his short hair and baggy clothes, he was practically naked, aside from lingerie he didn’t remember buying. Nerdy ones at that. The hair that he was used to having as a bare bones crew cut. Had exploded outwards into frizzy static charged ball chestnut with spots of blonde at the ends. It was shocking, alien, something familiar but not too familiar. The feeling in his chest started to leave, the strange pain that he didn’t know was there until now had left. Even if what caused it was another guy's dick on his lips. His mouth opened, mostly to gawk at what he looked like, and a few glances down confirmed this either was the best goddamn trip of his life, or he had tits. Both was a possibility but the least likely scenario. It was unbelievable, especially since he could visibly see his hips widening and his legs thickening. “Wanna see how far this can go?” Markus said with an audible hint of mischief in his voice. After all, he was the one getting pleasured from this.   MagicLottie Hey, thanks for reading! I’m MagicLottie and I specialize in writing fun, upbeat queer erotica and fanfiction! If you liked what you read, why not check out my patreon where you can vote on monthly stories and get access to everything one week early! I also do commissions! You can check everything out here! https://www.patreon.com/MagicLottie 

Hello, it has been a bit since I published here. I wanted to let everyone know that FMK has moved platforms to Mythrill (available on android and apple). I will be releasing all my previous chapters with new content (fully edited) as well as all new chapters and continuing the story. I have the first 86 Episodes written. The platform also allows lore cards with awesome art, so you can see what characters look like as well as more information. I do not have a hard release date for the Mythrill platform, but in the meantime, you can read my story God of Gears on Mythrill. God of Gears: A simple watchmaker in the steampunk land of Virtuoso has an accident and suddenly he can hear voices and thoughts of machines. He even begins to develop the power to control them, but as rumors of his power travels, so does the fear of what he could do to the world and the people in power. You can read the first 9 chapters for free then unlock episodes for free with tickets (1 a day for log on and 1 a day for ad) with the exception of the latest 5. Those are coin unlock only (depending on the package only costs .03-.16). It updates twice a week (Tues/Fri). As of 7/24/22 there are 43 released episodes of GoG. The first season is still ongoing.

Chimera Academy Yesterday “Alright, come on you sluggish snails, line up, chop chop! The multitude of students marched across the large gymnasium lining up along the far end wall as a moderately large woman paced in front, she was finely toned, with a generous girth around the waist. She picked up the whistle at her neck and blew, the shrill howl echoing. “Right now, since some of you decided yesterday in my absence you would take the time to satiate your laziness, today ALL of you will have to work three times as hard, that’s right, it's the 6 lap relay. But, because I’m too lazy to pull you all into teams-” She shrugs before continuing by holding out her hand between the line of students. “Half of you on one team, the other half on the other, lets go!” With another blow of the whistle the students split and dispersed to their side of the wall. Great, a race, just another reason and way for them to- Kai’s thoughts were interrupted as he felt a shoulder brush past his rather roughly, in his peripherals he saw her smirk, a hand casually drawing across her bangs. There’s a challenge in her pale amethyst eyes.  *** Kokona Haruka, the Raven-haired witch, ever since Kai had transferred into high school at chimera academy, she has been a thorn in his side. It was bad enough how others already seemed to treat him but Kokona took things to a whole other level. Taking every opportunity to make his life as difficult as possible, over the last years the two had become like oil and water. Still, no one would step in front or defend him when she insulted him or played her little tricks which she often did with her magic. It merely became a fact of his life.  Kokona Haruka, the Raven-haired witch, wasn't exactly charming and yet she seemed to be very popular with lots of friends always around her. At one time, Kai thought  that perhaps she might have put some kind of charm on the school, but of course he had no proof since again, he was pretty sure they would have treated him the same with, or without her influence.  *** “Alright you wimps, now, to make sure you don’t fall  back into your lazy stupor, those with powers, I don’t wanna see you using them, if you do, that’s an automatic 8 laps understood?!”  “YES COACH!” The students responded in unison, getting in a variety of “starting positions.” “Sumuire, Yanata, you’re up first, on the whistle!” A female and male student squared up next to each other, Suimere Yato, the female and more athletic of the two looked up the side as she drew her right foot back giving the more stout male a little salute. She was a starter in all track meets and the 5th fastest in the country. There were rumours that there was sylph on her mother’s side but in today’s world, such things were pretty common so it wasn’t usually held against her.  As the whistle blew she pushed off her toes on her rear foot, taking off from the bullet position, red hair sailing behind her. It was no surprise to anyone when her fingers glanced at the wall and seemed to glide into the spin as she headed back. Meanwhile, her male competitor barely came in behind her heels, as she tagged the next person on her team the male grit his teeth glaring at Kai as he skidded past him. “If you lose this Hinata I’m gonna kick your ass!” He hissed.  It’s not my fault you lagged so far behind, if we lose it’s not on me. Kai thought as he pushed off from his starting position. But, as he looked out to his side, his pace staggered when he noticed who his competition was. The Raven-haired girl gave him a sly smirk as she pulled right up to his side. Regaining his composure, he tried to draw his right foot back and push off for an extra boost but that grin still gave him a bad feeling. Suddenly, just as she began to pick up speed, Kai felt something at the back of his foot tapping his heel. Of cour- Before he could even finish his thought he felt his foot wrapped up then, his foot was yanked out from under him causing him to fall onto his butt. As Kokona sped past him she turned, a sly grin on her face. “Gotta keep your guard up!” Twisting round he noticed that his ankle was tied by a vine, this was one her favourite pranks. Damn, I didn’t even hear her snap. Worst part was, she was still back peddling while watching him, which told him that she wasn’t done yet and he was right. It was just like a movie, time seemed to slow as he watched her raise her arm, the vine rose shooting itself and him straight up into the air. Kai held his breath as the vine twisted and flung his body down until he was hanging by his ankle looking straight at the gym floor. You have got to be kidding me… By now a group of the students had begun to gather as Kokona began walking back towards him. Kai crossed his arm glaring daggers at her. “Why the hell do you have to pick on me?!” He spat, scowling at her. Seemingly unfazed by his tone, she merely sauntered over to him, lowering the vine until his face was level with hers.  “Why, oh my dear Kai, the reason is oh quite so simple..” Her voice was low and sultry with a hint of haughtiness as she ran the back of her hand slowly down his cheek. “I do it because... it's fun.” In the next moment, she snapped her fingers causing the vine to shake, shaking Kai’s body violently… “Whooaa,, whoaa… aaahh!” The Vine split and two giant blooms spread, dropping Kai straight down head first with a thud, students gathering around… murmuring to themselves. “Think he’s dead?” Kokona merely scoffed, “your joking right, he’s made of firmer stuff than that, I know that at least. Come on Fang-Face, get up…” Her tone was nonchalant as she walked away. As the bell signalling the in-between time for the new period rang, Kai turned, getting back to his feet, his mind reeling. Yet again, he fell victim to one of her pranks and yet again, no one did anything about it. “A relay race, a normal relay race, no powers, no funny stuff, just a test of speed and skill, and why is it me!” He huffed under his breath as he sat down on the bench nearby, at this point, he didn’t even care if he was late to his next class, he was ticked. Finally, he relented to a sigh…  “You think I’m overreacting, don’t you?” He asked, not even looking up, feeling a familiar presence.  “I didn’t say that now, did I?” A female figure sat down next to him looking his way.  “But, remember what mom used to say, everyone has reasons for being the way that they are.” Kai rolled his eyes looking over at the dark haired girl. “Sure, Himari, but what if her reason is really just because she likes to torment me?” With a slight chuckle Himari shook her head:  “I really don’t think that’s the case, little brother.” With that, she hopped to her feet, beginning to walk away but then turned, giving a bright smile as she got really close; “then again, some people are weird.” She rested her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “Just hang in there  Kai.” With that final word she left him with his thoughts.  “Man, is that the same Himari Hinata who used to make my life a living hell?” A weary smile crossed his lips as he shook his head. “Man, I’ve never really been good with the ladies, have I?”  *** Present Day: Kai’s eyes flicked between the woman and Kokona who had her usual sly smirk on full display. He shifted uncomfortably hissing under his breath. “What are you doing here?…” Scoffing, Kokona strutted towards him, her fingers gliding along the back of his right hand gripping the chair.  “Well, clearly you don't pay attention, you read the letter didn’t you? Suddenly she got uncomfortably close to his face, close enough that he caught a whiff of her western cherry blossom perfume. “I’m here to take care of you.” She said, straightening up, turning to walk away, flicking her wrist. Kai bolted straight up as he felt the familiar sensation wrap around his foot. Kicking the vine he backpedaled behind the chair.  “Well played.” Kokona nodded as she stepped back a little further but then, she snapped her fingers and suddenly vines sprung from the floor tying his ankles. “But I’m just a bit faster.” The mirth in her voice probably irritated him more than the predicament he found himself in. The woman behind the desk looked less than amused as well.  “That’s enough Ms. Haruka.” She said plainly, harshly. “Fine, whatever, so, was this just all about introductions or do you actually have a mission for us?” The irritable tone of her voice gave way to the fact that Kokona didn’t much like being told what to do, but in this instance, she would have to comply. With a sigh the woman got back into the drawer of her desk drawing out another manilla envelope. “There is a particular matter that has come to our attention. Kai reached for the envelope but before he could grasp onto it, Kokona swiped it from the side of the desk and began thumbing through its contents. “Hmmm… interesting.... “Let me!-” “Oohh, well now…” Kai tried to come from the side and snatch the document but Kokona turned side-stepping him. “You’ve got to be!” Finally, she folded up the paper, placed it back into the envelope and slammed it against his chest looking up on him. “Get your dancing shoes on Fang-Face.” *** There have been reports by I.S.I.P.U. Contributors that accuse Hisao Hitoshi, Vampire Lord S-Class of luring, incapacitation and devouring of humans during an annual dinner party at his mansion in Taki City, please apprehend the accused to be brought before the I.S.I.P.U to be further investigated. You will infiltrate the gala under the Guise of Mr. Hiramo and Ms. Hurusha, invited as a couple.  ***     Suddenly, Kai’s expression darkens causing Kokona to sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “You can’t dance, can you?” She asked dryly.      “The event hardly ever comes up, this isn’t exactly the average type of mission. Rather than press him any further, Kokona walked up to the desk plucking a piece of paper and a pen.              “Excuse me Ma’am.” She says, no apology present at all in her voice.. Folding the paper she handed it over to Kai and shook  her head; “Meet me here after school, speaking of which, we should go before we’re late.” She said, saddling her bag back over her shoulder. “If there’s nothing else Ma’am?     “Go before you're late.” Kai nodded slinging his own backpack over his making his way out the door with Kokona behind him. “Ms Haruka, a moment please?” Pausing Kokona turned;     “Yes Ma’am?” The woman's look was serious, solemn. “Please, watch over him and yes, that is a biased request. As Director I am responsible for the lives of everyone under my charge, but even more than that. He’s my son, so I am not asking you as your superior, I am asking you as a mother. For a moment, Kokona froze but then she simply nodded giving a thumbs up.     “Sure thing.” After a small wave she ran out the door ro catch up with her new partner.     Once outside the building, Kokona ran up to kai linking her arm with his, the sudden action made him look sideways at her. “What the hell are you doing?” He asked as he sharply pulled away. She simply looked up at him with a sickeningly sweet ear-to-ear grin;      “The order has us going into this under the impression that the two of us are a couple right, so we might as well get used to it. Not only that but, we’re partners now fang-face, so that means I stick to you like glue. Soooo…” She suddenly snatched the back of his coat collar pulling him up as she linked their arms again. “Stand up straight, smile and shut up.” There was a playful tone in her voice but Kai simply yanked free again stepping in front.     “The whole school already knows you live to torment me, if you change that dynamic now, people will know something is up.” Crossing her arms Kokona hissed under her breath.     “You know, maybe if you would change that attitude of yours, I wouldn’t be such a pain in your ass all the time…” A car whizzed by, engine revving, in the background, somewhere nearby she could hear a dog as suddenly she was stopped in place by Kai’s sudden pause. “Yo, Fang-Face what’s the hold-“ “You think I want to be like this, his voice was low trembling… It’s hellish, every day, and you think it’s all just… ATTITUDE?! suddenly he spun around, his movement seemed to dash like lightning as he was in her face hands curled into fists around her collar shoving her into the nearby wall… Day after day I try to keep the secret side caged, out of sight under lock and key, I hate it. But you pick, and pick at the lock and I have to fight harder and harder to keep it from waking…” Suddenly, his already blazing orbs erupted into cobalt flames as his fingers wrapped around her throat… Eyes wide she began to panic in total shock. Color running from her cheeks as she slapped and grasped his wrists.. “K..-ai… s..-top!” She struggled for air as he stared intently at her… then suddenly his hands dropped… she slid down the wall gasping, eyes darting around.. Kai had stepped back.  “Damnit I’m..-“  “You have no idea…- no idea how similar we really are…” the rasped words shocked him. He opened his mouth to speak but instead all he could do was gasp, staggering back as she launched the full force of her body up, plowing her fist into his gut. Now it was her eyes that seemed wild.  “Don’t you ever, ever do that again Kai Hinata, if you do I swear yesterday’s incident will seem tame, I’ll launch you straight up one-hundred feet, and drop you, right on your head. I know full well what you are.” She pushed herself in front of him, shoving her index finger right in his face. “If you think that’s going to make me walk eggshells around you every damn day, then you really do have no idea who I really am.” With that said, she turned marching off leaving Kai with one big revelation. Clearly she’s not going anywhere.  Dammit…  The majority of the rest of the walk was a quiet one. Nothing but the ambient noise and the sound of their thoughts. Kai couldn’t deny his guilt. He lost control and the worst part, it took every drop of his will not to drain her dry because he lost his temper. Finally Kokona broke the silence. “Look, I don’t blame you okay, I am still royally pissed at you but, I don’t blame you.” Caught off guard, all Kai could do was stare. “What, don’t look at me like that! Sheesh, okay look, the Director told me your whole story before you arrived, that whole entrance was just to mess with your head and she played along or whatever. Point is, I know you’ve been through crap, so just quit your damn moping alright!” As their destination came into view she suddenly picked up the pace and went through the door with a final nod with him falling behind, readying for another day at Clandestine Academy. The academy itself was yet another result of the change that occurred when the world was changed. Along with the transfer of the main I.S.I.P.U base it was decided that what the world needed most was understanding, therefore, programs were started in several countries which opened up institutes which would blend human students and those with supernatural descent. Overall, it was the hope the two “worlds” would come to understand each other, and to build a type of diplomacy. To do that, the selected humans were often the children of already appointed officials including Mai Hinata’s daughter Himari, one of the few people in the school Kai actually got along with. It was also the beginning of how the Prevention Unit actually became International. Reaching his locker Kai began to slowly put in the combination, letting out an exhausted sigh. “Did you know Himari, that’s why you gave me that peptalk yesterday right, you were trying to help me give Kokona the benefit of the doubt.” How does he do that? Mom's powers are extensive and even she can’t feel my presence the way he always can… Clearing that thought, she cleared her throat standing behind his locker, leaning her shoulder on it. “Even if I’m not in the organization, being Mai’s daughter, I hear things. I knew you were getting a new partner but I had no idea it was going to be Haruka-San.” She peeked around the door glancing sideways at him. “You two are behaving yourselves… aren’t you?” Her tone was playful but as he slammed his locker shut she could tell the air had changed. “I had an outburst, it happened as we were leaving mom’s office.” His voice was low as he looked at the ground. Swiftly Himari stepped up, putting her hand on his shoulder, eyes full of concern. “Are you alright?” Kai brushed her hand away; “Its, Kokona you should be worried about, I had my hand around her throat, she just, just pissed me off so much. I lost control, and the worst part was that that was the first time in so long, the hunger felt so insatiable…” He looked down at his hand solemnly, pain filled in his eyes but Himari simply pat his back.  “Kai, you’ve fought like hell to keep that part of you in for so many years; losing your cool every once in a while, it doesn’t make you a bad guy.” “You don’t understand, it took every bit of strength I had not to drain her dry, what if next time I can’t keep the monster contained, what if I actually hurt her, or someone else!?” There was a desperation in his voice as he gripped his pant leg but just as he was about to turn away, he was caught by surprise as an open hand flew straight for his face, landing with a solid SMACK! “That is quitter talk, the Kai Hinata I know is no quitter and I’ll be damned if I let him become one now!” Running his fingers across his cheek he looked at Himari literally shaking, one fist clenched to white palm. A soft smile formed as he nodded. “You're right, I’m sorry.” Suddenly Himari turned away from him, moving away a bit, a stammer in her voice…  “G..-good… n…-ow get to class!” “Right, seeya.” He nodded, leaving Himari with her thoughts.  She’s proven time and time again that she can best you, that means, she allowed you to erupt… As he crossed the hall Kai stopped in front of the door in his “cross relations class.” A few classmates brushed past him to get in but he wasn’t ready yet. His eyes were on Kokona as she took her seat. He had to ready himself, afterall, she was in the majority of classes with him. Finally, stilling himself he stepped inside, though he noticed her pale eyes fall on him immediately. “So, done with your little tantrum?” She asked cooly.  “Yea, I’m fine now'' he said as he pulled his chair out but just as he was about to sit down he felt something at his heel and suddenly he was pulled backwards falling just beside the chair. When he looked up again, Kokona was grinning at him. “Business as usual, right?” Snatching the vine that had coiled around his ankle, Kai rolled his eyes, pulling himself up to his seat as he heard a chorus of snickers around him. “Ya, ya… good one spellcaster.” She opened her mouth to respond when the door suddenly swung open, a tall man made his way with a briefcase in hand and a book under his arm. Walking behind his desk he gingerly places the book down addressing the students. “Good morning class.” The tight wrinkles under the man’s eyes gave him an air of deceiving age given the fact he was only a few years older than Kai’s foster mother, the two were friends after all. But, the look also gave him an air of wisdom, perfect for a high school teacher.  A chorus of voices greeted the man formally before he raised his hands to silence them.  “Right let’s get started.” Pushing the tips of his fingers off the desk he rounded the corner swiping a very familiar ornate book revealing it to the class. “I’m sure you’ve all heard of this story, Romeo and Juliet; but what does a tragic love story have to do with Cross-Relations, can anyone venture a guess?” Tapping the book at his side his eyes scanned the room just as a hand rose up gingerly. “Yes, Ms Harako, do you have an answer for us? The blonde stood up, giving a slight bow to the man before turning slightly to address the class. Her name was Moriko Harako, she was a bright student with a kind disposition. She too was one person Kai actually didn’t mind. Her parents were also political dignitaries.  “There’s a lot about judgement and prejudices in the story; some might consider it very similar.”  The other students seemed to be waiting for clarification but Kanako simply bowed once more and took her seat leaving some to wonder what she meant but the man simply smiled.  “Well-” He was about to speak when Kokona held up her hand. “Wait a second Mr. Sato, wouldn’t it be good to hear some elaboration on Kanako’s part?” However, the man known as Sato gently shook his head.  “That’s alright Ms. Haruka. Actually, we’re taking this in a slightly different direction, I would like to talk about tradition. Now, what Ms Harako said is true, there was a lot of judgement surrounding this story. Both the Montigues and the Capulettes were proud families and they believed that the two of them should not cross one another, this way of thinking brought about many unfortunate effects including the separation of the two main characters and, the death of one who saw past tradition and simply wanted to help his friend, but, here is the big question, were the Montigues and Capulettes wrong?” There was a brief silence until Kokona raised her hand once more. “Of course they were wrong.” She said rather harshly. They were trying to keep their children apart despite the fact that they were in love.” “But what about the after effects?” the teacher asked, beginning his rebuttal.” They were raised from parent to child in tradition. When Romeo, Juliet and later, Mercutio changed that dynamic, it stirred, it shook the very foundation of society itself and for some, that can be a very difficult thing,  “But it wasn’t fair for them to try and rule their lives, you can’t convince me that’s okay, tradition or not!” Kokona shot back, this time a bit more perturbed. However, Kai now raised his hand to intervene. “I’m not sure that’s what Mr. Sato is getting here, he asked, were the two families wrong, and I am not too sure they were entirely. The smallest ripple can cause a titlewave… “I know that more than anyone…” After muttering that last part under his breath he cleared his throat speaking more clearly. Think about the end of the play, the revolution itself caused not one but three deaths. It's true that change needed to occur but, is it possible that such a rush to the extreme is actually more dangerous than the old tradition itself.?” Snapping his fingers, Mr Sato nodded. “And that’s the question isn’t it? Neither of you are wrong, times change and with them, traditions but, the sometimes unfair truth is, if you rush man, they will retaliate. Just then, another student raised his hand.  “Okay but, things weren’t so bad when our world was changed, and it was pretty instant, I mean, in the grand scheme, aren’t many if not all changes pretty instant?” “Well, let me pose this question to you. There are much more traditional families out there, are their not?” The class nodded to the teacher's question, probing him to continue. “So what about arranged marriage, is that inherently wrong?” Once again the room fell deathly silent. Mr. Sato had thrown them a curveball and they knew it.With a bit of a sly grin Mr Sato continued. “It's not so easy of an answer when it's a tradition we can relate to, is it?” Walking around to his desk once more he placed the book down gently. When you have a book, a play, a movie, anything of that nature, it's easy to see things in the black and white, it's the convenience of plot. However, he lowered his voice a bit looking solemnly at his class as he sat down. Even though they say your life is a story, things are not nearly that easy when it comes to reality. Were the Montigues and the Capulettes right, that was a trick question. You stated earlier that the conversion to the old ways of thinking about this world, to the new, was instant and smooth. I can assure you, that hasn’t always been the case. That’s why you're all here, the transition is still in effect and not all have taken to it as well as others. “It sounds to me like you're saying, all this is a matter of perspectives, different perspectives born of different beliefs. And in understanding that, there’s actually a lot about relation and other things that we can learn from this story.” The class was surprised to hear Kanako speak again but Mr Sato nodded. “That’s right. Ambiguity, I think the more of life you go through, the more you begin to realize, that is the key.” “Doesn’t that mean that things are unclear and have many interpretations? That doesn’t sound that good to me Sir.”  Tossing his chalk up in the air and catching it Mr. Sato pointed at the boy who spoke up.  “The devil is in the details, it’s true that sometimes there truly should be only one interpretation for certain things however- he motioned his hands in a scattered way as he spoke. In this world there are so many people with so many beliefs, conceptions, and frames of mind and, nine-times-out-of-ten you will find, there truly are at least two sides to every story.” It could have been his imagination but Kai could have sworn that there was a pointed tone in his teacher's voice, and that his eyes flicked right to him making him shift a bit uncomfortably in his chair until the sound of the bell signalling next class passing rang out and as the rest of the class filed out he stood packing his things letting out an exasperated sigh as his zipper caught. “Quite a debate today, wasn’t it Mr. Hinata?” Kai looked up to see the man sitting in the chair in front of him, head leaning in his palms.  “Well, it's like you said, everyone has their own way of looking at things, sometimes our points of view don’t match, thus starting a debate. His tone was less than enthused which Mr. Sato picked up on immediately. “How are you doing, Kai?” His tone was kind and genuinely concerned but Kai simply kept his focus on his broken zipper. “You know, just then, you and Himari are the only ones who still pointedly call me that since I moved out. Wait, scratch that, classmates call me that too when they want to sound menacing but that’s different and-” “Kai.” Mr Sato’s sudden firm tone made him stop immediately. “You're deflecting.” Giving up on his zipper Kai simply shrugged; “I just have a lot on my mind, that's all.” He was about to pick up his bag when the teacher spoke up again.  “Tell me, does it have anything to do with the news you got this morning?” The question caught him off guard so abruptly that he dropped his bag back down to the chair. Friend or not, he’s way too nosey and knows way too much about daily operations… It was indeed Kai’s belief that, despite his relationship with Mai, Mr. Sato knew too much about the organization. Regardless though, in the end it was her decision, and having someone he could be open with was nice, most of the time. This was not one of those times.  “I’m just not used to it, that’s all.” He said hoping that would end the conversation but Mr Sato seemed bent on continuing.  “Are you certain that it has to do with getting a partner and not perhaps, who your partner is?  “This has nothing to do with Kokona!” He snapped suddenly, lashing at the man. He wasn’t too thrilled about being called out, but Mr. Sato simply raised his hands trying to defuse the situation. With an irritated sigh he slung his bag over his shoulder trying to walk away but Mr. Sato wasn’t finished.  “It’s understandable, Kokona picks on you day in and day out but-“ Kai turned back glaring at the man.  “Your point? You should have heard her today, telling me that we’re more alike than I realize. She’s Miss popular. Meanwhile, people are afraid of me and either avoid me, or just automatically decide that they hate me.” Mr. Sato crossed his arms as he listened.  “Sounds to me like your sour and even perhaps a bit biased. Kai, you're a day-walker correct? Kai eyed the man incredulously. Probing him to continue. “And if I’m not mistaken, Haruka is the only one of her kind at this school?” Kai gave an exasperated sigh as he shook his head. “Again, what is your point?” He could see a hint of a smirk on the man’s face which annoyed him further but finally with a defeated chuckle he began to elaborate.  “Day-walkers are judged harshly by humans because of the light in which vampires are shown, but, often you don’t even get any acceptance of your own kind because you live differently than they do. Now, look at Haruka. Mr Sato began gesturing with his hands, “Even before the turn of the world, her kind was aware of the supernatural. You of course understand the weight of that knowledge but she’s supposed to be human. Imagine how much of an outcast that knowledge probably made her. So here the two of you are, balancing on this thin line. Not exactly one of them but, not really human either.”  Kai fell silent as he considered his teacher's words. It was admittedly, something he had never considered, but his mind was still filled with a single question. “Then why does she do these things to me all the time? If we’re on the same team in spirit, why doesn’t she act like it?”  “Kai, consider the class discussion today, we were discussing the same story, the same topic so, what sparked the debate?” After considering the question for a few minutes he nodded.  “Perspective, the topic sparked a different belief.” With a nod Mr. Sato continued.  “Let’s focus on “perspective” sometimes Kai, you just have to consider the other person, even if it doesn’t feel like they are considering you.” As Kai began to stand Mr. Sato put a reassuring hand on his shoulder making him pause.  “Thanks Mr. Sato, I’ll think about that.” After slinging his bag over his shoulder, Kai made his way out the door as Mr Sato peeked his head out after him. “Mr Hinata, don’t be a Tybolt!” Kai turned giving a reassuring wave as he continued down the hall towards his next class. With Mr. Sato’s advice ringing in his head, it was time for Kai to face a different problem. Speech and debate. The class itself was not the problem. Dealing with some cases the Organization has been involved with and dealing with Kokona for the last three years had made his negotiation skills unmatched; basically, he could debate anyone under the table if that’s what he really wanted. The real problem was the teacher. The only word that could really be used to describe her in his mind, was deplorable. An icy woman stuck in her ways who’s complexion of deep wrinkles, crater like cracks from dry skin and droopy eyes that would make even the fearsome Oni of ancient stories shrivel in fear. However, that wasn’t even the biggest problem. Ms. Rin Saki also had a reputation for having a prejudiced state of mind. Not liking or caring about people with supernatural descendants, even students. She had been part of the school system for something like thirty years as a part of the public system but, when the government had to delegate funds many teachers on the public level were let go; some like Ms Saki however were picked up later.  Kai lagged in front of the door for several minutes, his hand on the handle walking to his seat trying not to look Kokona in the eye. As he went to grab the chair however it suddenly moved back, he flicked his eyes towards Kokona who motioned for him to sit, a small smile forming Unfortunately the moment was interrupted by a crass voice.  “Ms Haruka!” They turned to see Ms. Sato crossed her arms tapping her index finger along her forearm. “Refrain from using that… Magic in my classroom.” Her heels clicked loudly on the ground as she turned to walk back to the front of the room when suddenly Kai cleared his throat.  “Ms. Saki, this academy was built on principles that are supposed to bridge the gap between humans with supernatural descent and humans outside that realm. Yet, when someone shows anything that makes them different they are reprimanded by you. Kokona was only trying to help me, she pulled out a chair for me, does that really sound like something she should get in trouble for? If you think that just because it was a supernatural student that did the helping then, maybe you shouldn’t be teaching here at all.” The room became deathly silent; the boldness in Kai’s voice surprised even him; there were even some whispers. Did Hinata just defend Haruka?; I thought they hated each other; She doesn’t need that freaks help. On top of the awkwardness in the room Ms.Saki was beginning to look like one of those 90’s cartoon characters who’s emphatic characteristics give away their emotions like veins on their necks popping like a balloon. She turned, thrusting her index finger at the door. “Mr. Hinata, HEADMASTER'S OFFICE, NOW!!!”  Without a word Kai picked up his bag and walked out the door prompting Kokona to stand. “Hold on Ms. Saki, this is speech and debate. But, if what we have to say doesn’t fit into your little box of acceptable topics we’re chastised by you.” There was a cold calmness in her voice before she simply stood up, grabbed her bag and left the room. “HEY!” Kai came face to face with Kokona, she was visibly shaking, it was clear what he didn’t understand was the amount of frustration she felt. From her perspective this was a complete 180. It was a lot to handle so, she dealt with it the only way she knew how. “Thanks for sticking up for me back there; she balled up her fist at her side; but, she swung her arm knocking him with a straight jab to the jaw onto the floor. “I can take care of myself.” With that, she walked away leaving Kai rubbing his jaw, head spinning.  There really is no pleasing here is there? Picking himself up he continued his way down the hall when he felt something scrunch in his pocket making him remember that the real battle was probably still yet to come. Looking at the slip of paper he let out a deep sigh… Here we go.

Santalune city A bus is driving in a road, in a window seat a blond-black color haired girl is sitting. She looks outside, notice houses, Pokémon's with trainers as they are having matches. With a smile on her face, bus was stopped in bus stop, she gets up and leave the bus. She looks around and couldn't help singed inwardly. "Did he forgot?, and I even text him that I am coming" claimed she have a chuckle remembering him. Suddenly two hands hugged her from behind. She scared by that hug. "Ahh" "Long time no see! Serena" claimed a boy with bright smile. "Noah, don't scare me like that" stated Serena. "My bad" claimed Noah smiley and then suddenly a small Pokémon with no neck and a big mouth with sharp teeth. It has bright blue and a yellow color on its tummy. It jumps in to her arms happily. "Gible~Gible" "Gible! How are you?" claimed Serena and rubs its head gently. A Pokémon landed on her shoulder as it rubbed its head to her chin. "Eevee~Eevee" "You to Eevee" claimed Serena as Noah take his bicycle and take out a helmet for Serena. She wears helmet and two Pokémon sited in front of basket. As for Serena, in the backside seat and her arms hugged Noah. She keeps her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes as the bicycle moves. "How is it going?" asked Noah. "Well, all is fine but my mother was dragging me in Rhyhorn race" claimed Serena with irritate tone. "Good for you" stated Noah. "You don't understand, it is difficult and I still don't know what I want to be" claimed Serena. "Don't worry about it, you have time and until then just enjoy and learn whatever you want" vlaimed Noah. "What about you?" "Me, well… I want become a trainer and of course take every picture of Pokémon" claimed Noah. "So, for Kalos league I will cheer for you Noah" claimed Serena enthusiasm. Hearing this he was shaken a bit. "Serena, I am not participating in Kalos but in Sinnoh region.." declared Noah. She tightens her grip as her face become unhappy. Noah stops bicycle at the side of road and look back. "Serna.." "Gible~" "Eevee~" "So, you are leaving" stated Serena. He touches her cheek with his hand and look at her teary eyes. He gently wipes her tears. "Hey, don't cry when you have your first Pokémon we will travel together" claimed Noah. She  delighted by listening his words. "Ok, then I will come at the time of league" claimed Serena. "Got it madam" claimed Noah in sarcastically. "You… don't mock me" argued Serena as they both laughed and reach the house. "Come on my sis is waiting for us" claimed Noah. ...…. In a kitchen room a woman wears an apron while she is cooking. She has sandy blonde hair, dark green eyes. "Huh, everything is finished, they should be here at any time and I don't know Serena will handle Noah departure" claimed she take the food and keep it on the table one by one. "Sis Viola we came, Oh, such a luscious food" "Gible~" – as both shouted when they see delightful food on the table. Seeing this Eevee shakes its head as it was adopted to their behavior "Hello sister Viola" claimed Serena politely. "Awa it's been long time Serena" claimed Viola. She cuddles her cheerfully. She then looks at him and said, "Good for you" "Hehe can't complain" claimed Noah as he shakes his head. "Will sister Alex come?" asked Serena. "Yep, she will come tomorrow and you look unhappy, did my idiot brother said about his departure" claimed Viola. She nodded her head as she about to cry. She hugs her and pat her head gently. "Come to my house whenever you want" claimed Viola. "I will" "Good, you two go and wash your hands for Lunch" claimed Viola when Noah was going to touch the food. He couldn't help go and wash his hands. They all sited in chair as Viola distribute the food on their plates. She keeps poke blocks for Pokémon. "Both of you How is the food?" asked Viola. "It is good and very tasty" claimed Serena. "Perfect" as he thumbs up to his sister. "Ah, Noah don't forget to go to prof. Sycamore he called for some matter" stated Viola. "Oh, ok looks like some research work about prof. Rowan in Sinnoh region" said Noah. "You were saying?" asked Serena. "Hmm, maybe it's about Pokémon evolution, I mean prof. Sycamore is studying on Mega evolution and prof. Rowan is researching about evolutions of Pokémon both their works are synced" explained Noah as Serena nodded her head. After eating the food both brother and sister sited in sofa as start talking each other. Serena changed her dress and came in front of them. Noah dazed a moment. "You are cordial Serena" claimed Noah as he come close to her and hold her hand. "Ok you two come back before dinner" said Viola. "Alright sister then Serena, let go for our date" said Noah as she blushed and nodded her head. They both went to the door as Noah open the door as they went out. "Fingers Crossed" said Viola ecstatically. "Gible~" "Eevee~" "We will come back later guys" claimed Viola. ...… "It was a first-class movie and acting of Diana was splendid" claimed Noah as they hold their hands and walking each other in park. "Hmm, that was" said Serena as they come to a bench on a mountain viewing an extraordinary sight. They both sited as she holds his arm and embrace. "I don't know what I want to do after you gone Noah, still I wish to travel with you" said Serena. "Hey, you really ought to come with me" said Noah. "Nope, when you are away I will try to manage myself and I don't want bother your dream" stated Serena. "It's very kind of you" claimed Noah as lift her head and their both eyes met. He moves his head and kiss each other. She put her hands on his neck and kiss him aggressively. His tongue tangled with her tongue after some time they stop by leaving a line of saliva. "As usual your kiss is good" claimed Serena. He smiled and again kiss her again. "If it not for age matter I will definitely eat you" claimed Noah. "Oh, I will wait for that" claimed Serena as she smiled. "It's time for go to home" claimed Noah. "Noah…. It's about your sisters… you know they love you right" stated Serena "I know and I also know they both are not my real sisters…" claimed Noah. "You idiot you love them and you aren't expressing because of me, thinking that I will be unhappy" stated Serena with serious face. "I... I know but are you ok with that… I mean.." "Idiot they love you so much so, don't hold back and I also love to share them because I…. like the way we all used to" argued Serena. "You are really very kind Serena and I love you…" claimed Noah as kiss each other aggressively. "Hmm… mmm.." ..... "My Noah is leaving; it will be boring to stay without him fortunately I have Serena with me or else…." Spoke Viola as she sleeps on bed and thinking about things. Tear drops fall from her eyes. "Really sis Viola" said Noah as he come to her bed and see that she is crying. He is sorrowful seeing this. "Ah! Noah! You came, did you enjoy your dating" claimed Viola as she wipe out her tears. He came to her, hug her as they both fell on bed. "Noah.." "Sorry I know you will be lonely but I…" she interrupted him by saying, "It doesn't matter" She kisses him on his lips as she shocked for what she done and she immediately want to get out, but he pulled her head and kiss her aggressively. "No worries" said Noah. "But… I am happy when the first time Alexa and me saw you and take you in as our brother, from child onwards you are an exceptional kid maybe that's way we both love you very much" declared Viola completely with in her heart. "Me to, I love you a lot and thank you for everything" claimed Noah as they both smile each other. "Where is Serena?" asked Viola. "She is sleeping in my room and why don't we three sleeps together" claimed Noah as she nodded her and went with him to his bed room, sees that a girl is sleeping in the bed. Both chuckled and sleep her happily. ...….. In the morning a woman and a girl are cooking in the kitchen. They both talk each other happily and preparing food. "Huh, he still not wakes up, Serena, you go and wake up that idiot, I have to hurry to go gym" claimed Viola. "Ok, sister Viola" claimed Serena. She goes the room as she opens and look a boy is sleeping happily. She goes to the bed and climb on him. Feeling weight on him he wakes up and glimpse, Serena is on his top. He pulls her toward him and give a kiss to her. She also kisses him happily. "Now, get up and ready we both have to go and pick Sister Alexa and then go to prof. Sycamore lab" claimed Serena while stopping him from kiss. "My bad, thank you for everything Serena" declared Noah with full of love. She looks at him and understand what he was saying.

He pushed the box of files aside. The clock was ticking, down to the last minute of the day. Another box rolled toward him, passed through a flap in the wall, transported on a conveyor belt. Dutifully, he picked it up, uncapped a pen with a click, and signed his name on top of it. Alexander Rykov. A stamp was pressed on top of the first folder. Hesitating, he turned the page. The face of the topmost rebel in the folder was stained with blood-red ink. Staring at him, limp. He took the page out to be replaced - but stopped as the sharp sound of a bell filled the room. He took a second to gather himself, looking down over the faces. Shuffling them around, flicking through. The faces, excepting one, that had been sentenced to death, with a single stamp. He looked past the glass wall in front of him, into the office. They remained seated, writing at their desks. He pressed a button to activate the Intercom, and spoke. "You may leave." was all that was necessary. His employees stood, proceeding to the hallway in an orderly fashion. Alexander followed suit, opening his own door. Outside, a single picture remained hanging. The Union Jack. Imposing, with the word "BRITANNIA" emblazoned in bold capital letters underneath it. It stood almost three times your height at the end of the hall, growing larger as it was approached. Alexander reached the base of the flag, and stopped briefly to salute, his boots positioned neatly aside one another. "Rule, Britannia. Still more majestic shall you rise." As with the national anthem. A sharp turn to the left left, to join the line. A line of suits, carefully trimmed hair, and pockets stitched without threads out of place. The sounds of footsteps, in unison. He was in sync, stepping forward slowly as the queue progressed. Stomps on the floor, as if the beating of a heart. Each figure at the front raised their arms in turn, and placed their beige Labour Card through a slot in the wall, by the exit. There was no glass, no window to view inside. An employee sat inside, operating facelessly, a faint shadow - barely visible through the small rectangular hole. The men in suits did not wish to look at whoever it was. The figure did not wish to look at them. They remained in the darkness. The same scene as always. A disembodied hand stretched out to grasp the card, skeletal, a small hole punched through one corner, marking another day. The second stamp brought out, heard before it was seen. Clacking as the clock inside of it turned, churning the gears. The metallic typewriter sound of the spinning parts invaded the space-- until it was paused for a moment. A button was held down, forcing a clamp upon it. He could hear the voice of the gears inside, straining to rattle and spin, to turn and scuttle up a shirt sleeve. The clamp held, and the hand descended to brand the card with the exact time of the employees' departure. To the second. Alexander did not look at the machine when it was his turn. As he walked out of the building through the sliding doors, he was greeted with mild weather. No hint of wind, as if he were in the eye of a storm. Or the calm before one. Either way, as it moved on without him, he would be unable to move, left watching as the stillness turns into a breeze, a gale, roaring winds. It would capture him eventually, twisting his body like a house caught in a tornado. Or he could remain intact, be transported by it. From sepia, to colour. Away from the 'London Filing Division' nameplate that was pinned to his blazer. Three clicks of red shoes. These thoughts occasionally entered. They never showed on his face, a perfectly practised blank demeanour. He was better at it now than when he first began. He turned to walk down the path back home. The Filing Division was in Mayfair - it was called Mayfair, once. When he arrives back, the Labour Card will be stamped again. He has a book in his apartment, "The History of Britannia" - a gift from a superior. The Heads of each division are rumoured to be allowed films. It must have been around twenty years since the last screening he attended. He pictured it inside his head, remembering that it had singing. And music. The closest to films now were the roughly-weekly broadcasts, projected upon the sides of the skyscrapers. You would cheer with the crowd, a patriot, and then forget. Back to the daily routine. The bad ones were projected upon single apartments, or single houses. Sometimes, a small crowd would gather, sometimes no crowd was present - it played solely for you. A traitor, their crimes would be described aloud, blared for all to hear. Occasionally, the crimes were too upsetting - and must be censored. Some were the opposite, described in detail. Close-ups. The projections close to the ground, you could make out the slight imperfections in their faces. A day-unshaven beard and moustache, or stray hairs crossing the forehead. It was harder to cheer for. He wondered what films the Heads would watch now. Perhaps propaganda-laced. Or even drop the lace. How would they produce a new one? Even - could they? The thought rolled around, simmering inside of Alexander's head. Reason and his conscience came back into play. He sensibly removed and ignored the thought. It attempted to worm in, intruding, becoming invasive and threatening permanent occupation, direct challenges to superiors. He found the honourable courage to purge the thought, kill it, gut it with his axe. A degenerative influence. He'd been distracted, his physical body walking back through muscle memory. He shook his head to snap out of it. His unfocused eyes looked directly at a passer-by, meeting her gaze. It was magnetic, both their heads instinctively turning to meet. He was mentally stuttering, thinking of something to do. She continued to look back, unfazed. She was of a lower rank, a Quota-Worker, the symbol of a hammer pinned to her grey coat. Eye contact was not recommended. He moved his eyes downward. A black-on-white name tag was seen, emblazoned across the right pocket of her chest. Lydia Demille. He felt an odd electricity between them, as if a stone had been dropped into a lake, a ripple emerged, speeding and spreading outwards. A supernatural feeling. The dirt specks on the path, the clouds tinge of white and grey. The obscured sun, a possibility of rain. He filled his mind with the surroundings to get away from it. Alexander sat on the chair in his room. For some reason, he couldn't get her out of his head. Her eye contact was unusual, as was her stance. Leaning casually against a sign, almost lounging. Like she didn't have anything to worry about at all.

13 Years Ago:     “N...no… Mommy… plea..se… help… help me!- Please… I.. I need you!-” A child’s cry rings out like an alarm overlapped by the crashing world around him. He grips the hardwood floor, his tiny fingers curling as he digs his nails, scraping as he scoots himself trying to escape, to find refuge from the chaos around him. Trembling, the child freezes in place huddling into a tight curled mass, his eyes shut tight, he throws up his clenched hands, covering his head trying to blot out the world around him.  In the next moment a warm familiar feeling surrounds him. A grip so tender yet firm covering him like a veil or a protective hood. Trembling hands, so delicate yet full of purpose… someone is speaking to him. But the voice is too out of focus, as though he’s being spoken to from a long tunnel with light just out of reach… the ringing in his ears distorting that desperate voice… then, in an instant the ringing is replaced by the sound of another CRASH and a pained scream…  Eyes once shut shoot open again as he looks off to the side a single form splayed on the ground… once more the child picks himself up, clawing at the floor as he raises his body up… face drenched in sweat and tears he scoots himself, inching his hands forward willing his body to move on his knees… A small yelp echoes as he lifts his hands looking at the splinters covering his fingertips and palms, but the majority of his attention still rests on the mass in front of him… Pushing forward he finally reached the form, his head resting forlornly as he cried, in the next moment a chill ran down his spine, followed by a pain through his neck, his head shot back looking at a massive shadow looming overhead seeming to overtake him until the room, the world was completely enveloped. *** Kai burst from under his sheets clutching his chest as it heaved up and down, beads of sweat falling profusely down his forehead. His nerves wreaking havoc on his body. Silence filled his ears as he inwardly began trying to will himself to calm down. His eyes darted around the room as his subconscious tried to refamiliarize itself with the surroundings of his apartment. After a few minutes he pulled his covers back turning his body to swivel around letting his feet rest on the floor taking another breath before standing up. His eyes rested on the outline of the curtain which framed both the windows in the room, underneath a thin ray of twilight etching across.  Blinking a few times he padded his feet on the carpet steadying himself before making his way down the short hallway to the bathroom covering his eyes letting out a groan as he flipped the switch. Gripping the edge of the sink bowl he pulled himself forward, head sunk as he sucked in a breath. For thirteen years Kai has been haunted by the same dream fractured pieces of a lost past. Night after night, the same face yet he cannot remember anything about the woman besides the connection of  “mother.” Finally, mustering up the courage he looked up into the mirror, a faded almost reflective image staring back at him and the blazing blue inferno in his eyes, once again reminding him of what he had lost. Running a quick hand through his scalp trying to control his unruly hair he finally gave a definitive sigh, unable to look at himself any longer he nodded… Good enough. As he turned to leave he hissed out as his hand slipped along a jagged section of the sink's edge.. “Dammit.” Instantly a pang of unrelenting hunger gripped him and he brought his finger to his lips sucking softly. Well, here’s my breakfast…  Turning away from the room he made is way back to the small bedroom setting his sights on the dresser at the side of the room, since he was already awake, he figured that he might as well get a start on the day, on top of that, he remembered that he had been summoned the day before and just as the thought entered his mind there was a ring coming from the nightstand by the single queen-sized bed. Checking the caller ID he answered by pressing the phone to his ear. “Yes, I am at your beck and call.” There was a moment of silence before the person on the other end responded with a soft chuckle.  “All I am is your wakeup call kiddo, after all, I know how much you love your sleep.” There was a mix of joviality and seriousness in her voice, an unusual combination. Kai cracked a bit of a smile at the corner of his lips as he propped the phone between his ear and shoulder to begin rummaging through the drawer. “Your motherhood is showing again Ma’am, I’m a big boy, when I have someplace to be, I can wake myself up…” There was a sense of pause in his voice as he thought back on his nightmare but was immediately brought back to the conversation with her next statement. “Kai… you know you can call me Mai, as you said, you are an adult and I have come to think of you on a much more equal footing,” Kai simply shook his head as he dug out the plain t-shirt he was looking for. After placing it on the bed with a long silence, he sighed. “I just can’t do it, don’t get me wrong, I love the nongolant relationship we have but I can’t just break rank, when we met, you took me into your home and I called you mom, when you brought me into the Prevention Unit, you became my superior on a professional level that’s just the way I am, and that’s just the way it is.” Again there was a long silence until the one on the other side spoke at an almost inaudible level. You shouldn’t think of me so highly Kai, putting one on such a high pedestal is dangerous… “What?” he tried probing her to repeat herself but she finally changed the subject. “What’s your ETA?” “I can get out the door in 10 and arrive in 10.” He set the phone on speaker and moved it onto the bed as he pulled the T-shirt over his frame. “Can you tell me what this whole thing is about, I thought you said you were going to keep the during-school missions to a minimum?”  “It's not a mission kiddo but it's important so try to make it before class; got it?” Kai shook his head as he turned his head towards the clock on his headboard. “I highly doubt I’m going to not make it before then, considering it's 6am.” The woman on the other line let out a chuckle. “See you soon then.” He nodded and picked up the phone again; “Yea see you.” Hanging up the phone he tossed it back on his bed, moved back to the drawer plucking out his school uniform vest and tossed it on the bed while he pulled up his uniform pants. Then, picking up the shirt tucking it under his arm he moved out of the room heading down the narrow walled hall to the open area which connected the living-room, kitchen and inner entry way. As a studio apartment, there wasn’t much to see but it was enough to satisfy his needs. As he walked towards the door he caught something out the corner of his eye, an ornate table which sat at the center of the living-room, stopping, his breath caught in his throat as a faded vision of the form from his nightmare appeared. Shaking his head, clearing his thoughts he looked again and the vision vanished. When the woman who had saved all those years ago brought him into her home, she used her resources to have the old table restored, perhaps as a way to try and give the young man a piece of the past he had lost so suddenly and brutally. Damn sentimentalist. He said as he stopped near the door, slipping into his shoes and grabbing his bag stuffing his vest inside.  Opening the door he stepped out pausing for a moment as he looked up at the sky. Twilight had just broken so the sky was mostly dark lined with the slightest hue along the horizon. This was the type of atmosphere Kai appreciated best. It's not that he hated daylight, in fact, he liked the sun but, he had to be careful, it was his curse. Taking a cleansing breath, he took a moment to look down the street, with no vehicles around it was so peaceful. Finally, as he readied himself he headed to his car, started the engine and headed to his destination. For some reason, maybe because of the nightmare, maybe because of the phone call or a combination of the two, Kai was feeling rather contemplative. He thought as much as he could about the dream, the old house, the disaster, the woman who took him into her home and in doing so, gave him the chance at redemption and purpose. The I.S.I.P.U (International Supernatural Incident Prevention Unit) It was at fifteen that he was made aware of the organization and the creto in which she and soon he would live their lives. “If they mean harm, they must be stopped, if they just want peace, leave them alone.” To him, it really spoke to what kind of person she is, and why he had so much respect. Finally, he reached his destination. The headquarters of the Japan branch of the I.S.I.P.U. it didn’t look like much, nothing major stuck out about it, it wasn’t technological, or even guarded, just a building on a road in the middle of the city. Back in the early 2000’s the building was actually used as a college preparatory school. Students from some of the surrounding lower level schools would transfer over to prepare themselves to either head to the local University, or even overseas for special programs, but, when the time of the school ran its course the government had to decide what to do with the same building. It was around the same time that the I.S.I.P.U had run into a problem of its own. The former Director and Kai’s foster mothers mentor, decided that a change needed to occur, he was the main driving force which caused the world to be in the state it is in now. According to his ideology, the world needed transparency, he believed that they were ready to know the existence of the organization, and as a whole, the existence of the Supernatural kind. That decision created a fundamental shift. With the secret already out, transparency then became a must, so the headquarters were moved and the school was converted, people can come and go as they please, but, with it now commonplace, many, no longer bothered.  As Kai stepped inside the building, he made his way down the main lobby area which was converted by knocking down the walls of nearby classrooms and through a door which led to a small reception office where Kai stood in front of a tall desk with a 30 something-year old with a soft complexion. “Hey there Rika, I’m headed to the director's office.” The woman glanced up from her computer giving him a soft smile; “You do realize you don’t have to ask permission for that right, especially if she is expecting you.” Giving her a small wave, he turned down the next hall and headed down towards his destination. He could see a few of the other members inside the labs hard at work probably mainly trying to learn more and more about vampiric physiology. He continued down the hall until he reached a door with a nameplate on the side which read Mai Hinata: Director He knocked lightly waiting until a gentle yet firm voice invited him in. “Come in Kiddo.” Opening the door slowly he nodded; Stepping inside, it took his eyes a mere moment to adjust to the lack of lighting in the room due to the blackout curtains that covered the windows, just like the ones which covered Kai’s apartment. This was because the inhabitant of this room, his savior and Kai, shared the same secret. However, for some reason her eyes were more sensitive than his, because of that, the only light was the dim overhead ceiling light and the dim shine of her computer screen. “Reporting for..- Uhh..” As he went to sit down in front of the desk Kai noticed the form hunched over behind it, she seemed to be rummaging through the desk drawer. As organized as ever I guess… Moments later the figure straightened, a soft smile on her soft features.  “Punctual as ever, eh kiddo?”  The soft features and complexion of the 30something year old gave her a very youthful vision, if one were to have met her for the first time they honestly might think she was no more than eighteen years of age. Her soft spoken yet firm demeanour made her way to talk to which really made her all the better for the position of Director in most people’s opinion. She was well liked and respected.  Rising from her seat, Kai saw a small device in the woman’s hand, about the size of a pen. It had a small round needle poking from its end, the young man recognized it immediately and instantly his muscles tensed. It was a device used to draw samples of blood.  “Umm, what's that for?” Kai asked, hesitation clear in his voice. The woman stopped in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder reassuringly but her voice was serious.  “As you are well aware, our scientists have been working with method, on top of method trying to find some way of creating a true defence against the nightwalkers. The situation began to look promising when we discovered your blade could actually penetrate them. We thought perhaps, the key is within… the physiology of vampires themselves.” He could tell she was hesitating, trying not to trigger him but he gave her a slight nod signaling her to continue.  “We tried all manners of ways to enchant weapons with my blood but, we can’t get so much as a miniscule reaction. You are the only one who has been able to actually fully defeat them which means, your special Kai.” Finally, he nodded placing his upturned hand in hers, she pressed the device to his wrist drawing the sample and made her way back to her desk setting it down. “So, is that all you needed me for, I could have come by after school you know.” Kai said with a shrug, but the woman seemed over-encumbered by something.  “That’s not the reason I asked you here.” She said as she pushed the manila envelope she had drawn from the drawer closer to him. Hesitantly, he took it and began to read the contents inside, his eyes widening.  “WHAT?!” 他人を食い物にする悪者から来る大胆で無謀な最近の一撃によって、私は協力者を割り当てられる全ての猟師を必要としています。全ての協力者は私の意のままに私に選ばれるでしょう。 (Kyuuketsuki ga totsuzen ni daitan to muhou ni natta node, subete no ryoushi ga patona ga hitsuyou koto ni natteiru. Subete no patona ga jibun no erabi kara ataerareru) (Due to a recent stroke of boldness and recklessness from the vampire species, I am requiring all hunters to be assigned a partner. All partners will be chosen by me at my discretion. -Mai Hinata-） “I’m confused, you can’t be serious! I haven’t had a “partner” since that old man back when you  first brought me in, you yourself told me how impressed you were by my ability to be independent, you called me one of the best, so why!?” “Kai, calm down.” The softness in her voice was gone now, only sternness remained. “I of all people understand how independent you are, but there’s something you have never understood, the most independent and well off and well thought, are the ones that have the foreknowledge and and the sense to be dependant, it might sound like the two are completely exclusive, but they aren’t.” She sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of her nose.  “On top of that, in the last week alone we have lost five of our people to ambushes. And that only accounts for a small amount of the time that the nightwalkers have begun their extreme advances. I won’t lose anymore, especially you. I know I can’t completely guarantee that we have no more casualties, whatever this is, is far from over but, if there is anything I can do to give the people left a greater chance then that’s it, the decision is made.” Deflated Kai finally calmed down, slumping slightly in his seat. “Alright, I get your point, just, tell me one thing, who was it you chose, I wasn’t made aware of this decision so obviously my opinion wasn’t taken into account.” He said a bit husskilly, earning a bit of a glare from the woman. After a moment however, her features seemed to soften again. She folded her hands in front of her sighing. “A fellow student was chosen from Clandestine Academy.” His barley calmed body tensed once again… “What… No….no..no...no..no, anything but that, you have to choose someone else, from somewhere else please! He seemed to be lost in a stammered fit… “They… they hate me, day after day, they either avoid me, or fight with me, they make my life a living hell and now you want me to… to work with one of them. I understand that since moving out you probably don’t keep too good an eye on me but-” “KAI!” The words caught in his throat suddenly turned harsh, “I always keep an eye on you, I know very well what you have to endure, however, it’s my belief that this person is the right choice.” Baffled it took a few moments before he could speak again...  “W..ho who was chosen?” Just as the question left his lips he heard the door creek open, he caught the sight of a figure sauntering in, he felt a hand glide over the back of his chair as the figure turned in his direction, his blood turning ice cold as the girl looked down at him. With one hand she brushed her long bangs out of her face. Orbs of pale purple burrowing straight into him Raven hair, eyes of pale amethyst.... “That would be me…” Her voice was smooth yet toned with condescendance as she held out her hand and flicked his nose… “So get used to it, Fang-Face.”

PRELUDE 1. It was launch day for Breath of Destiny VI, a game surely to be the game of the year according to every website worth its salt. An epic Japanese role playing game focusing on a hero who would save the world from the foul forces of the mysterious AdDeus- ahhh, nothing was quite as good as a high adventure and best of all, a game with plenty of cute girls! That was the real reason he played JRPGs, to be honest. A scrappy lad of barely twenty two, living alone in a house paid for by his rich father, who was often off on business trips and only had enough time to visit for his son's birthday, our hero didn't have a job- he never needed one in his opinion. All that mattered was his harem of waifus. Sweet, sweet anime girls were his lifeblood. Any girl that caught his interest? Their merchandise was his to own, all over his home. And Breath of Destiny had the best ones. Each game had a new set of girls for him to fall in love with. It was beautiful, dammit! So imagine his surprise when his copy of the newest game was here almost first thing that morning, right in his mail box. Such a sweet treat, such a sweet game, such sweet wives awaited him! He pushed his way through a messy living room to the door, opening it with such a violent excitement and force that you'd be forgiven if you thought he was going to rip it straight off. Rushing, he looked down. Not a thing on the porch, so it had to be the mailbox. That damn thing- it was so far! So many yards, so many seconds he could spend on playing the game- goddammit! With a heavy sigh, he ran out in a sprint. He arrived at the mailbox a few yards out of his drive way a moment later, eager to open his mailbox when- Well. The delivery truck nudged him with just enough force to slam him face first into the mailbox. The sickening crack of bone flooded the world around him, his vision turning a blurred mess as he slumped over. The delivery driver was quick, hopping out of her truck to help. “Oh crap!” She exclaimed, with panic in the eyes our hero couldn't see, what with the blurring and darkening hell scape his eyes had become. “Are you okay? Talk to me, du...” The delivery driver's voice trailed off into a ringing cacophony of noiselessness. Was this what it was like to die? Your vision dark, your hearing gone, your senses falling one by one. He felt like he was floating on an everlasting cloud of nothingness. Like a flying bird frozen in a snapshot, he just floated there in ringing darkness. The sense in his fingers were gone. He couldn't move his legs. Even his mouth wouldn't work as he felt each rasping breath rag on shorter and shorter for each second before with a pitiful whimper, he died. It wasn't what he expected. The bright light wasn't there, nor was there a chorus of angels, or the laughter of Satan. All he heard was the raspy, masculine voice of an unknown figure whispering: “Another player in this game would be fun.” And with that, never again did Earth see our hero open his eyes again. PRELUDE 2. With a gasp, he awoke once more. The first thing he realized was that the piercing ringing in his ears was gone, and the lingering words from the mysterious voice. The fact he could see surprised him too- and by the looks of things, he awoke in a small medieval hut. The sort of thing you'd find in a RPG... ...Wait. Dying? Hearing a mysterious voice in your last breaths? Waking up in a medieval hut? Oh! Oh, it was suddenly all making sense! “I'm in an isekai!” He proclaimed as he hopped to his feet, an almost hysterical grin on his pale face before bursting into laughter. He was a chosen one or some bullshit like that! He was going to save a fantasy world and roll in the babes! Goddamn, he knew those hours upon hours spent watching anime and reading light novels would pay off some day! He might as well have spent his life preparing for this. “What's it, now?” A soft voice asked as an old man, one with long white hair and wrinkled, suntanned skin, entered the room. “Ah, is that somethin' from the city, boy?” Ah! The first NPC to be met in his epic quest! With a laugh, he rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess you could say that, gramps...” “Well, whatever this 'ee-say-kai' is, it doesn't matter right now.” The village elder gave a small smile at our lad, “We were worried when we found you- had a real wallop on your head. Didn't think you'd wake up.” A slight chuckle from the old man. “But it's always good when someone makes it out of the forest. What's your name, laddie?” ...Ah. The color drained from our hero's face as his wide grin faded and his eyes went wide. He couldn't remember his own name. “Well, this is gonna sound embarrassing, but... I don't, really, remember...?” Guess that's what head trauma does to ya, huh? “Ahh, how unfortunate. Must've gotten amnesia, with that bonk on your head!” The old man's smile turned sympathetic, as he came over to give our hero a pat on the back. “Well, laddie, we'll take you to the village's mage, get things sorted out for you. Find out your class, your stats, all that- for all we know, we could've found the generation's biggest hero!” The old man gave a laugh, which our hero felt he had to join in on too. So this world has classes, the boy thought. Stats too. Must be one of those JRPG worlds, huh? “Come on, laddie, let's get you up and out of here.” The old man whistled for his grandson to come into the room, and when he arrived, said grandson was a man who's clothing screamed 'holy man' to our hero. Must be a priest. “Oh, how good it is to see you awake, sir.” The grandson gave a kind, earnest smile. “My name is Jakob- might you tell me you-” The village elder cleared his throat to interject. “He's forgotten it, sonny. Poor lad. Think it's Ophelia's handiwork?” Jakob frowned at the name, muttering a prayer under his voice before saying: “He was found in the forest... The wicked witch could've hexed him...” Ophelia...? His eyebrow crowned upward. Sounded like somebody a hero would slay. Clearly this foul witch would be brought down by his shining blade of justice! “Mm. We shouldn't keep talking about this, in front of him.” The village elder gestured softly towards our hero. Jakob gave a nod, before helping his guest out of bed. “Let's get you to dinner, yeah?” Jakob gave a kind smile again. He agreed with a nod, finally hearing his stomach roaring. “Yeah, that'd be nice...” PRELUDE 3. He made a big mistake at dinner. He asked who Ophelia was. What moments ago was a merry festival of feast as the village sat around bonfires in the center of the village had suddenly taken a hushed darkness to it. Children asked their mothers how the stranger didn't know of the wicked witch of Blue Hills Forest. Husbands eyed their wives. The village elder cleared his throat to break up the sound of whispers. “We mustn't forget that our guest here isn't from here, my friends.” He turned to look at our hero, who was sat beside him. “Are you sure you want to know about the witch?” Our boy gave a nod. The old man of the village sighed. “She was born long before even I was.” The old man started. “Ophelia used to be a sweet staple of the village for generations- a pretty thing that had been here longer than anyone could remember, and made sure everything ran smoothly with her magic.” “Doesn't sound so bad...” He replied, muttering it under his breath. “But, she... changed one day, maybe thirty years ago. She'd gone into the woods one day, and found... something.” He sighed, shaking his head. “We don't know what she found, but she built herself a cabin in those woods and summoned something. Something foul- something that seemed to make even the bravest men of the continent tremble.” “Ahhh, sounds pretty bad...” Our hero nodded, rubbing his chin. “Maybe I'm here to take her out or something like that...” The old man gave a hearty laugh, with most the village giving some sort of chuckle alongside him. “Ah, is that what you think?” “I mean, why else would I be here?” He gave a laugh, arrogant and self-serving as he always did whenever he had to 'prove' himself. After all, his father- and Lady Luck- had always made sure he could do anything he damn well pleased. That luck must have carried over, and hey, maybe the witch will drop some massive amounts of gold? “You found me in the forest, so I must've gotten through it somehow.” The village elder's laughter ended quickly as his face took a grave look, eyes squinting as he scowled at the boy sitting next to him. “Aye, you did, but luck is mercurial. The witch could've easily just passed you for being too weak of a foe, lad. Don't get yourself killed- we don't even know your clas-” “Yeah, but like you said earlier- I could be the world's greatest hero!” Another cackling, arrogant laugh that seemed to worsen the village elder's mood. The old man mumbled something under his breath, pushing himself up with his staff and wandering towards a particular someone in the crowd around them. “What? You said it earlier!” The elder stopped at a woman with raven black hair, who wore a silvery outfit- something that obviously was too expensive for a mere serf like the rest the village. The village elder whispered into the woman's ear, to low for anyone else to hear. She nodded curtly, rising and sliding a deck of cards out of a long sleeve on her gown. The crowd around her parted slightly, leaving an open circle around the woman. It didn't take much to put two and two together- she was clearly the village mage. “Come here.” The village elder's kindly, warm tone was replaced by one that was cold and demanding, motioning for our hero to step forward. “We'll find your class, boy.” “Eh?” He rose, wandering over with a mild hesitation that betrayed his fear. Scenes like this- where the jovial people you meet in the first town, the friendly elder, all turned negative... those were always flags that a tragedy was going to happen. Dammit. He sat across from the village's mage, who shuffled the deck of cards and began laying out what she drew, muttering incantations under her breath. Above each card, a flicker of light popped into existence- some brighter than others, others fading into darkness quicker than they even appeared. The crowd around him whispered things to each other, things our lad couldn't hear but sounded dreadful. Hopeless. Disparaging. The sorta thing that leads to a hopeful protagonist's gruesome death by the hands of the first villain of the story. He watched as the spark of light above the cards faded away as the woman slowly collected each card and stacked them back into their deck. The mage spoke a moment later: “He's a Serf.” Before our boy's eyes appeared the stats he had in his new life. NAME: ???LEVEL: 1ATTACK: 2DEFENSE: 1RESISTANCE: 0MAGIC: 0FAITH: 3CHARISMA: 2INTELLIGENCE: 4ELEMENTAL AFFINITY: EARTHPERFECT CLASS: SERF He didn't really understand these stats, but he did understand the “Perfect Class”. A serf. The village elder sighed, shaking his head. “All right then. He'd die trying.” He looked over at the boy, but whatever he said didn't reach our heroes ears. The same deafening ringing filled his ears once more as he looked on aimlessly. Serf? A SERF? What did I do to deserve this? That voice said I'd be another player- is that what I'm supposed to play as? Some whelp in a village held hostage by a witch?! Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! This isn't how it works! I'm supposed to be the hero of this world, I'm supposed to be OP! “-doesn't matter anyway, lad, you'll...” The village elder looked up as our hero shot up, turning his back to the crowd. The elder's eyes went wide as he saw him break into a sprint. “Lad, you'll die- you were lucky once, don't try again!” “I don't fucking care!” He shouted back as he sprinted through the crowd, each face blurring and swimming by. “I'll show you! I'll show you all!” Jakob sighed as he watched our hero run through the village and into the forest laying on the edge of it all. “Ah, another goner, huh, Grandfather?” “Happens to every damned one we find.” The elder took a deep breath through his nostrils, nose flaring as he did. “We'll send a search party for the corpse in the morning.” And with that, never again did this village see our hero alive again.

The moment I realize my second chance was gone without me notching I wasted my life again. My name is Nigel, and I have a lot of regrets. My first life ended with me bringing shame towards my family, I lost interest in interacting with everyone life goes by with me in my room time moved and I stay, until one day I found myself browsing the internet and found my hope it’s a manga, that told the story of a boy living his best life with what little life remaining, it a good manga with a great message at the end ‘Life is too short to spend it on wallowing’ I like that. I started to join the community around that manga, and how I meet someone like me, who having and experiencing misfortune as I have. ‘Thank you ‘This manga saves me’ ‘The Arthur seems to live a rough childhood’ ‘Kya!! >_< so cool! the way the MC never gives up>O<’ ‘The ML is also great!! supportive, kind, and loyal’ ‘Damn I wish I have someone like that’ ‘Hand down the best waifu of all time’ ‘Are you sure about that!?’ I smile it's fun “****! your food is getting cold” my mother is calling “…” # “Ha!! it can’t be_” then the author passed away after finishing his work. thinking after that I found someone, myself looking in the mirror look at me, what am I… I began to restart my life trying to reconnect with my family, I try again I manage but barely now I live my life a hectic one… “Move out of the way,” I tell a coworkers “Hey!” I accidentally bump another one “Sorry,” I say hastily say so before moving forward again “Hey, Tyrol! Be sure to finish the rest of the document” my senior reminds me of the project “Yes, on it” I answer although reluctant but I will still try It is a busy life but I enjoy it… [well, you certainly made yourself confrontable] “e?” everything turns dark “Ah_” I remember now. “Huff-huff come you can do this” I stood in front of my door. As I pull the handle, I can’t do this, chickening out, damn it! DAMN IT!!! Looking at the mirror ‘one door opens and the other closes’ there is always another opportunity… but I only have one door “Nah” I punch myself “ouch” that hurt. After a set number of times, I open the door, look king around there was no one, I began to move to my parent's room “Um… mom, I want to talk” “…” But no one answered. I never get that second chance my family die before I could reconnect with them and I___ My left hand “Not there” [the scar you are looking at is on your body not on your soul] “Who are you?” I spoke to the person in front of me, a man stands at approximately 180 featuring a Victorian-era style of clothing and has a top hat but the face… I can’t see his face. [well… that is new, usually, they would say ‘are you a god?’] “…” [oh! so you think so too] “Are you_” [well! let's get to the point, do you want a second chance] “What?” is he going to tell me. [A second chance. my friend second chance] he repeats. # Standing in front of the statue *murmured* “What does this mean?” “Does this mean the Duke's son…” I stand there hearing the countless whisper, and one of them is “Gift less” “Omen” “Abandoned one” The countless word come to me but *slap* one sound stood the most out of all of them “What is the meaning of this Risa!!!” my father screamed to my mother, my mother fell at the sudden action. “Wa_” my mother stood dumbfounded, of course, she would her partner just slap him and yell at her. I was shocked, not because of the incident that is present but because of the sudden memory that is the past. “My… second chance” I whisper under my breath. “SILENT!!!” Everyone stopped from the voice of the man in front of me, he looks at me with pity. “Forgive me, child,” he said and then move back, and the entire place became uncomfortable. # It seems that I have been reincarnated as an aristocratic child, and my mother is the second wife of the duke, and I was not given a give during the coming-of-age ceremony a year ago. Everyone looks at me as if I am some sort of_ “filth,” they say behind my back as I walk past the servant in the hallway, just because I was born without a gift my very blood came into question, ‘Is he the child of my blood’ my father says that to my mother. Now my mother stay locked up in her room never going out and never even letting someone inside, the maid who once happily serve her would gossip ‘then it’s is true’ ‘cheated’ ‘but who is_’ “that's enough!! get back to work” the head made a shout at them and they run like a cockroach, she would then bow look at me, and bow, I walk past her. # I stand Infront of the door and knock “Come in” I open the door and walk inside, what greets me is my father sitting in his chair, and a woman with a young boy not much younger than me, my younger brother the child of the third wife “You are to be exempted from the right to inherit the dukedom” my father heartlessly proclaimed. “And my son credo shall be the one to inherit my dukedom,” my father says, and I can see a sneer form my little brother's mouth, this ******. “You may leave” I turn my back and left, the reason why the duke resident or even nobility react like this is that only of noble’s blood has the gift, even a bastard child would have a gift, the fact that I was born without one, means that I am not the duke sons, the act of adultery was considered blasphemy, to betray the noble’s blood. It is only a matter of time before someone would say that my mother is a witch but before that, I will bring mother to a safer place. # “attention!!” everyone began to line up, thank you captain everyone no lineup “We will now begin our sparring match,” the captain says but everyone looks uncomfortable, they all look at me worrying, the reason why they worry is because of me. I stand within the circle and draw my sword. “Um… is this really alright, young master” thank you captain but “don’t worry, sir Leo my sword arm has healed quite well” The reason why I ask for a spar is so that I can face a super human-like enemy, Lordsword’s blessings the gift that normal people gain when they make an oath to serve a noble that bare the noble’s blood. They will become my enemy and my sword shall be the tool to protect. Hah, how funny I would still bring a stain to my family even in another world but all I can do is now to put any effort into everything swordsman shipped and education. *clang* my sword collides with the knight but he is holding back “It’s okay, I can take it,” I say the knight would then overpower me, I disengaged by jumping backward making the distance between us, he is still not taking this seriously “Please,” I ask, the knight clench his sword more firmly and_ *Clang* my sword has left my hand and fell to the ground behind me. After a bit of sparing I left the library, opening the door I began to read the history and geographical location of the dukedom, looking at the border of the land I began to make my plan of escape. # Walking around the hall at night I began to look at my surroundings and finally reach the part of the hall with a long rectangular mirror I began to look out of the window hallway and see the full moon, perfect! “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, show me the way to fairest of them all” the mirror that reflected the wall began to show a hallway, the backroom I began to walk through the mirror after that I look behind me and the mirror still shows the hallway before finally fading and reflect the backroom, I began to tie the frame of the mirror with the line of my yarn ball. I began to explore and walk from room to room searching for the witch “ohhhh” hearing a voice I began to look in the direction and draw my sword “OHHH” a small stocky humanlike creature stood in front of me holding a pickaxe wearing a worn-out brown tunic and bib pants, it holds a pickaxe in its right hand. I began to fight one he has no reach so I wound be easy by dogging to the side once I got behind the humanoid I strike *Cling* “!?” my sword slid of this thing skin is like a stone. Jumping backward I began to run away, tree intersections as I look forward, I see another humanoid from the left as well running to the right then another humanoid stood in front of me. *Swish**Swish* “?!” dodging to the side I see a pickaxe flying past me and hit the one in front, huh? I ran and picked up the pickaxe as I was running, I found myself another the intersection but this time there is no humanoid creature I began to hide. “haha” I began to hold the pickaxe ready waiting for one of the humanoids to come and “HYAAA!” “OH?” *CRACK* right in the head the humanoid stop moving but my shouting attracted the other to my location “uh?!” stuck.   “HO?” the humanoid creature stands looking at the corpse with a pickaxe longe into the head of its friend “HOOOOO!!” they make a scream as if to morn.   “Ha-ah, snap” I look at the ball of yarn the line that was supposed to be on the back snape. “Whether I found the witch or die here” now it finds or die. I kept on walking hallway after hallway doesn’t know for how long but eventually, I found a set of stairs I began to keep walking up the stair, during my walk I see a dead body with a black cloak the moment I approached the cloak flew toward me, “aah” I was startled and close my eyes but instead of dying I found myself a fashionable black cloak. “Huh, neat” I began to inspect the corpse and I found a letter ’to whoever reading this, it means that my cloak has found someone worthy of my art, my name is grof, I am a wondering artisan who was employed by the duke to become an architect. Because of my specialty I could see the fundamental shape and comprehend the form of the object, I see the world in the eye of a beholder. I see fundamentals of life weave into an object and have made life itself, I am the witch and this land of the mirror is my masterpiece p.s. that cloak will guide you to the center of the maze’ after reading the letter I began to feel a slight tug the cloak is pulling me to ascertain direction. So, I have followed the cloak guide and as a walked, I can feel it tugging downward wait that couldn’t be right as I take my step forward, I feel the floor give way to me. *Crash* “AHHH!” my leg it__ hurts as I scream the cloak began to wrap around me and began to cover my mouth. “Mumm!” I struggle to get it off but as I struggle it constricted even harder. “HOOOO!” I stop struggling as I look at the sound **** it’s them again but this time there are four of them. “HO?” it began to move its head left to right “Mm?” can’t it see me, is the clock obscuring their view or is it making me invisible. *Ring ring* “HO” a bell sound and the humanoid walk away and is gone. The cloak began to unravel “Ha-ha thank you” I thank the cloak and “UGH!” my leg *Swish* *Sink* the cloak became to wrap around my leg and tighten “alright” I began to move my leg slowly moving the opposed way was the creature gone but my leg won’t take a step forward. “don’t tell me” Hai fine. I walk slowly to where the cloak wants me but then “Hauck” I was hit from behind

1. The forest was alive with sound. The deep howling of wolves, the chirps of crickets, the buzz of dragonflies. It'd been serene if our hero wasn't running for his life. He had found something. He couldn't see what it was yet, but it sure as hell was growling and snarling the second the village was too far behind to see. He took one step too deep and- bam. A snarling hell creature was trailing him. The more he thought about the scenario, the more it felt like he probably should of waited to do this. You know, help the villagers kill some slimes, level up a bit, go into the woods with a party... ...damn, was Jakob supposed to be the healer this story gives you? Well, I screwed that up... Ah, the things your mind turns to while being pursued by an unknown, probably terrifying, creature. Tends to make you think of your mistakes, even in a new life as short as our unnamed hero's. He heard the creature's deep howl- a very close deep howl, followed by the sound of thuds on the ground. Thuds that sounded behind him. He was about to die- again. He couldn't even make it 24 hours in this new world and he was about to be out of it... The next thing happened in a flash as the tiny beast leapt into the air, biting him in the shoulder. “Ow!” Our hero shouted in pain as he kept running. The beast's teeth were certainly sharp- he could feel the warm blood start to run down his back as the creature dislodged itself, jumping back to bark and snarl again. He heard another set of frantic thuds behind him- clearly larger than the creature, but knowing his luck? Probably its mother, looking to finish the hunt. ...But hey, if it wasn't striking again, that was just more opportunity to get as far away from it as humanly possible. Our hero tried to pick up a sprint, as fast as his malnourished, I-eat-nothing-but-cup-ramen-and-its-great ass could carry him. It wasn't very far. The creature jumped up and aimed for his jugular. With a sickening chomp, he felt himself fall to his other side, the creature dislodging and trotting in front of the dying man with a triumphant howl. He laid there, vision wavering and fading- trying to get a view of what killed him, what had successfully protected its home and probably the witch. It was small, not even a foot tall. It was fluffy, mostly, except for the parts of it that'd been replaced by a stitch of cloth. It had two little beady eyes and the face of a teddy bear. It was a Pomeranian. Our hero had been killed by a Pomeranian. Of all things, one of the tiniest and most yapping creatures to ever exist, and in two bites killed a man grown. He was never meant to be a hero if that's what killed him... His vision failed him as he heard whoever- or whatever- was chasing the lap dog approach. “--there you are, Cuddles~” A sweet, feminine voice cooed, followed by the sound of excited barking and jumping. “Oh, what did we say about leaving Mommy's cabi--” There was a deep pause as the woman looked down, seeing the man bleeding out on the forest floor. “...Bad boy, Cuddles!” And with that, our hero died for the second time. 2. It wasn't long before he woke again, shooting up like lightning shot through him, finding himself in a hastily made bed of hay. His vision was blurry as it slowly returned to him, revealing he was in a... room. A not-too-well-kept room, judging by the fact things were scattered about, but a room none the less. But hey- it's better than rotting on the forest floor, right? He just wanted to know how- and why- he was alive again. He instinctively reached up to his neck, finding a crudely stitched patch of cloth covering where his neck had been torn open. “FEED ME THE BLOOD OF THE OUTWORLDER, OPHELIA!” A deep, yet oddly cartoon-y, voice crooned from outside the room he was in. He grimaced the second he heard that- and the grimace grew even deeper when he realized it said Ophelia. He was in the company of the Witch of Blue Hills Forest. “Shhh, he's our guest!” The feminine voice replied- clearly that had to be the witch- to the other. What the hell was she talking to? “IT MATTERS NOT, I NEED BUT ONE TASTE, PHI-PHI! PLEASE, JUST ONE DRO-” There was a pause as there was the sound of a loud thud, the kind that follows when a particularly thick book falls onto a wooden floor. Followed by the sound of the deep voice giving a high pitched shriek as the dog- Cuddles, wasn't it?- ripped and dragged something around in frustration. The door opened then, a sweet looking woman with long, flowing white hair stepped inside. “Ah! You're up!” She gave a smile. “That was a nasty tear my lil' baby gave you!” A laugh came from her. “But, that's all in the past now, isn't it?” What in the name of God...? Why was the witch- the sinister, evil witch who held a village hostage- so damn nice? “What's your name, mister?” She gave another sweet smile. Our hero cleared his throat. “I, uh, don't remember...” The smile was once again sympathetic. “That's okay, mister. I'm sure we'll come up with something to call you.” Ophelia replied. “I was mostly worried that Cuddles' bite was a bit too hard to fix...” “How did you do that, anyway?” He asked, voice cracking slightly in fear. But he remembered what his dad told him his whole life- always be polite when you're a guest. He never had to try it until now, but man, was it good advice. “Necromancy.” She replied cheerfully. “...excuse me?” His eyes were wide as his hand went to his neck, feeling for a pulse. There wasn't any. “Yeah! Dragged you back here, grabbed Connie, and Wham! Bam! Pow! You're back!” Ophelia grinned cheerfully. That's an awfully cheerful way of saying you were playing God... Our hero blinked as he stared at Ophelia, who by all accounts so far was a sweet thing, despite having the reputation of being a terrifying necromancer. Contradictions sure were something. He cleared his throat again. “So, uh, who's Connie?” It was Ophelia's turn to go wide eyed this time, shooting up and out of the room. “OH THANK SWEET HEAVENS YOU'RE SAVING ME FROM THAT BEAST, OPHELIA!” The deep voice sang, as Cuddles was pulled away from whatever it was attacking. Probably whatever 'Connie' was. She came back into the room holding a thick tan tome against her chest. She took a deep breath before, in grandeur, saying: “I present to you, mister, the mightiest of spell tomes: Connie!” She turned the book so it's front faced our hero. The book had two black, beady eyes and a mouth of yellow teeth, sharper than a knife and cracked into a sadistic grin. “HELLO, OUTWORLDER. I TRUST YOUR WORLD KNOWS OF THE MIGHTY BOOK OF THE DEAD? THE POWER KNOWN AS THE NECRONOMICON?” ...Ah. His eyes went wide in terror. He'd seen enough horror movies to know what was going to happen. The book would slowly drive them all mad in return for its mighty knowledge of the unknown. So our hero fainted. “...NOT MUCH FOR CONVERSATION ARE YA, PAL?” The book then cracked into a hideous giggle. 3. A jet of water to the face was all it took to shake our hero awake. Ophelia stood over him, Connie splayed open as she cast Aqua 1. He arose a second later, dripping in water and rubbing his now-bruised forehead. “You didn't have to go that far.” He replied, grimacing. “It's not polite to act like that to Connie!” Ophelia pouted. “Connie is a very nice spell book, you know!” “I- it's- Connie's scary?” He stared on in disbelief at Ophelia, who only huffed in reply. “Apologize!” She shouted, closing Connie and holding it up to our hero. The book's eyes squinted and gave a steady stream of tears. “BOO HOO! BOO HOO HOO- SUCH A RUDE YOUNG MAN!” It whined. “ALL I DID WAS SAY HELLO TO YOU AND YOU FAINT! I UNDERSTAND I'M NOT THE LOOKER I WAS THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, BUT A YOUNG MAN SHOULDN'T TREAT THEIR ELDERS LIKE THAT!” He sat there, dumbfounded and mouth agape. The Necronomicon- the book of eldritch lore that every nerd worth their salt knew about- was before him, and it was crying crocodile tears to get him to apologize. Maybe staying dead would've been better to this. “I'm...sorry?” He stared at the book, eyes unflinching in his despair at how ridiculous of a situation he had gotten himself in. Maybe the book wanted to feast on that despair, maybe this was all a ploy by that voice to give the Book of the Dead an endless source of food. Or maybe it just nagged its owner into demanding an apology. Either seemed likely. “OH, KIDS THESE DAYS! I SWEAR, NO SUCH THING AS HEARTFELT APOLOGIES!” The book huffed, having Ophelia wipe away its tears. “BUT AN APOLOGY IS AN APOLOGY, BOY, AND I ACCEPT IT.” “Now that's that~” Ophelia chimed cheerfully, smiling again as she set Connie down on a table next to the bed. “I figured out a name for you, too!” “You... did?” Our hero raised an eyebrow. “You have to be a strong person to go into these woods! I've heard the last couple people through here gossip about me, they think I'm a horrible witch with control over foul beasts- it's very mean, you know?” I mean, you are a necromancer... He thought, nodding along. “Very terrible.” He said, placating the witch. “So- I'll name you Andrew!” Before our hero could refute the name, before his eyes, he saw this: NAME ACCEPTED. Then his stat sheet appeared once more, with one change: it had his name as Andrew. With a sigh of defeat, Andrew gave a nod. “Fine. That's better than nothing, Ophelia.” And so began a friendship that'd change the face of the world.

Everyone lives their lives differently from others. Almost 8 billion people are living on earth as we speak and all of them have a fate that is unique to themselves.  When it comes to life, sometimes a simple choice such as taking the left path instead of the right could create, or destroy your entire future. In the news today it listed that a man was run over on the street last night. If he had drove to work that day instead of walking nothing may have happened and he would have been none the wiser. It was the simplest choice that spelled the end for that man. In life, no matter what path you think you're treading. Life will never hold you above another. Do not think that nothing is in your control however. life may alter your path, but it is still the path that you chose to walk. You may be wondering why I'm talking like some kind of philosopher right now. Well, it all started a long time ago... or maybe it wasn't that long. Currently, I have no idea. When it came to my own life, I tried to keep my path simple. I would spend my days at school, then spend my nights playing games. To others my life may seem boring, dull, or even gross to some people. But for me it was all I needed.  I never struggled in school, my grades would never be above 'B' nor would they be below 'C'. These grades were perfect in my book. If I were to study extra or worked a bit harder, I might have been an honors student.  But I am not. Why? You may ask. Because I do not enjoy it. Studying has never felt 'fun' or rewarding for me. Especially classes like English. I find it very difficult to work hard at a subject that I do not like. To the point where I nearly had a breakdown before a test. But thats a different story. Games, on the other hand were different. Compared to the amount of times I've gotten frustrated at school, for games, it would be triple that number. But I still love games. I don't know why I enjoy them so much, but Its just how I am. This brings me to last night. It was around 11pm and I was almost done with my 10th playthrough of [DRAGON SLAYER: ORIGINS]. There where two achievements I was going for this time round, beat the game 10 times, and beat the game in under 20 hours. I have put my heart and soul into this game and these are the last two that I needed for 100% completion. 19 hours in, and I was finally at the last level. The palace of the dragon queen Leonoria. A gaint ice dragon with six horns three eyes and four wings. So far, the this run had gone the same as all the others. You bring the boss down to 10% health, then enter a QTE (quick time event) to dodge her strikes and deliver the final blow. I've gone through this event hundreds of times to get it right.  "Press A to dodge the tail sweep..." "Hold W to slide under her claw..." "Double click D to climb on her forehead..." "Button mash S to not get thrown off..." "And press Space to stab her eye and pierce her brain..." It's that simple. All you have to do is use the movement keys at the correct time... But I failed... When I pressed the space bar it never registered. I looked at my monitor expecting that stupid game over screen I've seen a thousand times. But it wasn't there. My character was just standing on the queens with his arms still raised. "Did the game freeze? That would be just my luck" Suddenly the queens eyes met with mine... not with my characters. But with my own eyes. Her eyes where cold and emotionless, but also enticing and beautiful. I've looked at the queen several times, in cutscenes and in gameplay. But they've never looked like this before. I was in a daze because of the queen's eyes. I failed to notice as the queens spine tipped tail slowly raised behind her. It instantly shot towards me faster than I could react! "KAAAAK!" The last thing I remember is the queens tail, coming out of the screen and violently impaling me through the heart as everything went black.

Dragons... Possibly the most well known, and feared beings on all of Zöldeur. But while they may be the most well known, the least is also said to be known about them. While very few in numbers, dragons are said to be the strongest natural creatures on this planet. Rivaled only by the Arch-demons and High Elves. A dragons lifespan can be counted by millenia and by also possessing indeterminate growth, strength comes to them simply by being alive. Making them a target of both jealousy and reverence. Similar to other sentient inhabitants of Zöldeur, dragons are able to manipulate mana to cast spells. However the method in which they do so is a highly unknown and researched topic to this day. What IS known is that dragons can each only posses a singular type of mana that infuses with their entire being.  granting them superiority in that particular element. A common belief is that a dragon gains their element from their parents. An example being two earth dragons making an earth dragon. while a darkness and life dragon create a poison dragon.  But due to recent studies we have found this notion to Acually be false! Thanks to the A-rank party "Gods Hand" we where able to obtain a freshly layed dragon egg and made an amazing discovery! We discovered that the dragon inside possessed no element! Using a magic tool that allows you to see the flow of mana it was noted that the egg was rapidly absorbing the stagnant mana around itself, using it as fuel for the child's growth. These observations allowed us to therorise that a dragon actually gains its element from the mana it is subjected to as an egg! Not from its birth parents. This theory explains why dragons of certain elements are more common than others. Earth, water, and air are all very plentiful types of mana. making these types of dragons more likely to be born compared to something like a thunder dragon.  This theory brings me to my current experiment. Artificially Creating a dragon by exposing its egg to various special types of mana.                             Exerpt from: project 0001-AD, research log. By Dr. Rowan Altraz Vincent.  

Now with that flashback out of the way, allow me to explain my current situation. To put it simply, it's dark. All around me is nothing but black. Its not like the void of outerspace kinda black though. If I had to describe it. It would be similar to deep underwater. I've never been there myself, but I know that the bottom of the ocean is not only pitch black, but puts immense pressure on all its inhabitants. Thats what I would compare my environment to. My body feels strange and compressed. I know my eyes are open, but all I see is solid black. Not even my own limbs are visible. I tried moving my hand in front of my face only to feel a strange sense of infamiliarity with my actions.  I am aware that this 'void' is restricting my movements. However my body feels stiff, and bloated? Maybe? It feels as if most of my body is... thicker, than I remember. Especially around my hands and feet... "Ah no good"...I think as I'm hit with another wave of exhaustion. This has happened several times already. I've only been able to remain conscious for very short spans of time, but the amount increases every time I can stay awake increases every time. ... ... ... Good morning! I have regained my awareness yet again. I see the void has not changed sense last time I was here. Though is it just me or is the pressure a little stronger? ... ... ... I've gone through this cycle a few more times and have made 2 observations. One, every time I wake up the pressure IS increasing on my body. What this means? I dont know.. Two! My body is indeed different from before. While I am unable to physically see myself. my other senses are still here, and they are improving after every awakening. The feeling of my skin is different now. If feels stiff yet kinda flexy. Almost like a fingernail yet softer. As for my actual fingernails. They are much longer and larger than my old ones, but still feel incredibly dull. And here's the big one... An extension from my lower back almost like a fifth limb... I believe it could only be one thing.  A tail! An extra addition like this garentees that I'm not human anymore. As for what my current race is I wouldn't know. My guess would be a type of lizard based of the feeling of my skin. I could also be a fish-thing considering the underwater feeling of this 'void' around me... The growing pressure is worrying, but my ability to control my own body has also increased. I believe its time to attempt some serious movement for once. I lift my legs kick back behind me. Trying to simulate some sort of swimming. Moving my limbs is harder than I thought. They still don't move and respond at a level that I'd like. Plus the void is further restricting my movements. To put it frankly it's annoying. I'm using all my strength but barely moving an inch. Im getting tired again...

Gusts of winds blew through our ears, it was hard to hear anything, but in these conditions and at this altitude, we wouldn't have been able to hear anything, even if we wanted to. But we kept on marching inside of this voracious storm of snow and ice. The circumstances were really bad, we could barely see our own feet... But between all the snowflakes, I was able to see the back of the person who has been with me during all this trip, always by my side, without looking or even thinking about what we left behind, what we have lost. “Oi, Tsu! Are you sure that we'll be able to see something from the top?!” The voice from the girl in front of me was shaking, but somehow I was able to hear it loud and clear, maybe because it's the only voice I have been hearing since it all started? “I don't know Mai, but if we can't see something from there, there would hardly be anyone near us, it's the highest mountain after all!” We haven't thought about it so much, but what if we are the only ones left? What are we doing next? All this search has been useless? It's something hard to believe, but since we haven't seen a single person... Deep inside, we really hope we’ll be able to see some signal or something from the top of this mountain. But I know the answer to all these questions… “The storm is growing! We should find shelter and stop for today!” “Let's hope we’ll find something soon Mai!” The storm was growing stronger with every second. Besides, the fresh snow and the low visibility made every step harder than the previous one. At this pace, we won't be able to reach the top... No, even if we find some shelter, we still have to survive the storm in this deadly mountain. But we were lucky, and after a few minutes (that felt like years) we found a cave and went inside. “Hey Tsu, what if…?” “Before you start talking, come here Mai, you are shaking. We need to get warm.” The girl in front of me was Mai, we haven't known each other for so long, but we became close really fast, maybe due our differences or maybe because we are pretty similar at the same time. Even our birthdays are alike, hers being on May 4th and mine on April 5th, making me just a fews days older than her. Her lips had shades of purple on them and her skin was really pale due to the cold. But her chestnut hair and orange eyes that resembled autumn made this place warmer, even if her hair and eyelashes had snowflakes on them. And her smile… her smile can melt even the coldest heart, she has a bright personality after all. We went to a nearby rock and sat on the top of it after cleaning the snow a little. I started hugging Mai, not really because of the cold, but because I wanted to do that. “Do you really like hugging me, right Tsu? Even if we are covered in all these clothes. Hahaha~” “There isn't much that we can do about it, we need to keep ourselves warm after all.” We used the last of our firewood on an improvised bonfire. It was really weak, we have next to nothing of firewood left, so the fire could hardly be used as a source of light. “That thing won't last long…” Mai said with a sad voice while clinging to me, she had one of her cheeks laid on mine, it was as cold as ice. “Yeah, I know… I really hope the storm ends sooner this time, but it seems unlikely…” “Huh? What do you mean?” “N-Nothing! Let's eat something, can we? I think I still have some chocolate left.” “Yay! I love choco!” Even with her trembling body and voice, even with her purple lips and pale skin, Mai gave me a big bright smile. It seems like even in the worst case scenarios, she is still able to smile with all of her spirit. No, at this point I know that’s true, that's why I fell for her even more after it all started. “Oh…” “Huh? It’s something wrong, Tsu?” I was so surprised that I almost let out my thoughts, so right now Mai is looking at me with an inquisitive expression. While I was searching in my cluttered backpack for food, I found out that we only had one last chocolate bar. Of course I gave it to Mai without thinking. “Mhmm~! I really like choco~!” Mai cried out with her mouth full of chocolate. She even has chocolate on her cheeks! Seeing her act like that, can heal your ill heart, you know? “Mhmm!? You are not eating Tsu! W-Why is that…? Don't tell me...!” “Ha ha ha. Did you notice, that's bad… But don't bother about that Mai, you need to keep yourself warm, and that chocolate will help you with that.” I said while giving her my best smile, that turned out to be a really bitter one. It's not that I’m lying, she needs to eat. Sadly, we haven't eaten well in days, so I’m really hungry too… But I can't say that to her. Inconveniently, it was my own body who told her the truth with a loud stomach growl. “Tsh!” “You dummy! No, wait… I’m the one who didn't notice, that makes me even dumber than you!? What's worse, I’ve almost eaten all of the choco...” Mai was talking to herself while holding her head with both of her hands, falling into a pit full void of darkness. It’s really weird to see her like that, so I couldn't help but laugh, she really cares about me, I know that pretty well. “Oi, Tsu! Don't laugh, come here!” She grabbed my cheeks with her cold hands and before I could react, she pressed her lips against mine. They were sweet, more sweet than all the previous times I’ve kissed her. She opened her cold lips and pushed her tongue inside my mouth and I accepted it like a precious gift. I could feel one of her hands going to my waist and the other was playing close to my chest. “Mhmp! I won't be able to feel you with all this clothes on!” “I-It’s not like there's much to feel here…” I said while looking at her own chest. Yeah, the difference is really clear, like a schoolgirl compared to her sexy teacher. I can't compete against her. “Don’t say that, Tsu! It’s the body of the girl I love. The body of the perfect thin, tall girl with long black hair and cold gaze that no one dared to approach.” Her words were just a whisper in my ear, but I knew that she was smiling while saying them, is she trying to turn me on? We have never gone that far before, and this doesn't feel like the right moment to do it, but maybe it’ll be our last chance. “Now eat something!” She said while putting a piece of the chocolate bar inside of my mouth. She really caught me off guard this time. “But Mai, this is…!” “Yeah, don’t think I’ll be giving it for free. You must share it. Hehe~” She threw herself again against my lips. I could feel her breath and tongue inside my mouth. Both of them were warm. Not as warm as always, but warm compared to the low temperatures ruling this place. Our tongues started playing together with the chocolate between them. It was like she was trying to steal it from me, but as soon as it was inside her mouth, she kindly gave it back to me. Inside our mouths was nothing more than a sweet and warm disaster of melted chocolate, breath, saliva, tongues and lust. I could feel her hands desperately trying to crawl inside my clothes so she would be able to feel my body, and if it wasn't because we were inside of this cold mountain, I'll be doing the same to her. “We should stop Mai, or I won't be able to hold back… We need to keep ourselves warm tonight. I promise you that as soon as we leave this mountain, I’ll give you everything you want… After all, I want you too…” “Fufu~ That's a promise then!” We hugged each other as hard as we could, then we slowly closed our eyes, trying to sleep into this raging storm. The next day, warm rays of sun entered the cave and showered our faces. It was a beautiful morning, the perfect picture of the calm after the storm. “Look, Tsu! We weren't as far as from the top, we should be able to reach it in one hour or so!” “Let 's go then. Just be careful on your steps, the snow is really fresh.” We climbed the mountain to the top, being careful with every step we made, until we finally reached our goal. The landscape around us was beautiful. If a mountain covered in fresh snow wasn't beautiful enough, a river leading to a green field and woods was right at the mountain base. Next to the river, an abandoned wooden house with a water mill was waiting for us. But we weren't able to see smoke, nor lights, fire or any signs of human life, nor in the house, nor in our visual field, no matter how far or which direction we looked. After looking at every possible place for nearly four hours we finally gave up. “It seems like there's no one else near, Tsu…” “That seems to be the case, what do you wanna do? Do you want to keep on looking for people?” Mai looked at the sky while thinking of an answer. We have traveled quite a lot, no one is going to question her choice at this point, there's no one left but me to do that, and I’m not going to question her. “I don't know Tsu… Isn't it lonely to be the only ones left?” “I would never feel lonely if I’m with you Mai, and that house over there looks like a nice place for us to live together.” “But what if you get sick?! Will I be able to take care of you?” Mai had a really worried expression while she was asking that, she really cares about me. But I don't want to see her worried, I just want to see her happy, so I just gave her a silly answer. “Then I just don't get sick. Hahaha.” “Fufu~ So you're telling me that you are fine living with me? Even if I’m useless?” That's expresion suits her better, a big bright smile coming from her heart. “I’m fine living with you, but you should do your part too!” “Hahaha~” Tears flowed from our eyes, maybe because we were happy, maybe because we were lonely. The future is really uncertain, but we'll be able to handle it if we work together. Braising those feelings, we went to the wooden house, to make it our new home. The place was a mess, but we were lucky too. There were some bed clothes, and even some seeds and a low quality, abandoned vegetable patch along with some tools for it. We managed to make the place our home. We organized the daily chores, and we explored the beauty of the surroundings and the youth love.             But this is not that kind of story, so one night while we were sleeping on the bed... It came, the talk I didn't want to hear, no matter what. “Hey, Tsu…” “Is there something wrong Mai?” She hugged me with all of her strength. Her hands were cold and she looked a little bit pale, her body was shaking and so was her voice. Even her breath was cold. “Would you believe me if I told you that I love you?” “I already know that, and just for you to know, I love you too.” “Fufu~ I already know that…” “Then, what's wrong?” A cold, deep, dense silence fell upon us. Mai was burying her worried expression into the bed sheets. Finally, she managed to gather her strengths and broke the silence. “Do you remember what happened that night...?” “Huh? What night? What do you mean, Mai?” But I already know the answer, I just don't want to hear it from her. I don't want this perfect life to end. But at this point, there's nothing I can do to stop this disaster. “That night, in the mountain… Did the storm really end? I’m feeling really cold…” “D-Don't think about it Mai! Just hug me, hug me with all your strength! Don't leave me!” “I really liked living here with you… Dreams are so cruel, don't you think? Hehe~” Her voice was turning weaker with every word she said, turning into just a lonely whisper at the end. A cold whisper that was cutting the thin line between this world and the other. The thin line between life and death. “Don't leave me Mai! I-I can’t live without you!” I hugged her even harder, like trying to keep the life inside of her body. But her grip turned weaker and weaker until her hands fell from my back. I closed my eyes as I felt my heart breaking. Tears were flowing from my eyes, but I was unable to speak, all the words that I wanted to say were stuck in my throat… No, it wasn't just that. When I opened my eyes, I saw the white around us, we were still on the mountain. I was hugging Mai’s frozen body, and the bonfire was gone long ago. I couldn't feel my own fingers, but somehow I could feel my insides burning. <This is how it ends, huh?> I wanted to say, but my throat was frozen. This is so unreal, I could swear that I can still smell the diner we made that day in the wooden house next to the river, but it was just a dream. A dream full of hope, but more important, love. Dreams can be really cruel, just as Mai said. I kissed Mai’s forehead and left her laying with her arms crossed. She had a smile on her face. I covered her with my jacket and walked to the deadly storm in the middle of the night. <This is really how it ends...?>             “Tsubasa, Tsubasa, Wake up!” “Huh?” I was sitting on one of the desks in the classroom of our last year of high school. Well not precisely sitting, because half of my body was over the table, I was sleeping just a moment ago. The girl calling my name was sitting by my side. She is Mai, the happiest girl you'll ever see. Her chestnut hair and orange eyes that resembled autumn somehow made the place around her warmer. And her big bright smile was able to melt even the coldest hearts. We haven't talked since long ago, but we have some kind of secret friendship… or maybe a little bit more than that. “Are you alright, Tsu? You looked like you were having a bad dream…” She asked me while holding my hand with a worried expression. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine now Mai, thanks.” “Mhmm, okay…” Mai stood silent for a few seconds, she clearly wanted to say something more, but she was never able to find the right words to say the thing she wanted to say, so at the end she just ended looking at me with a blushing face while playing with her own fingers. Finally, Mai managed to sort her thoughts and let them out while talking really fast. “W-Want to go for something to eat after the class is over?!” “S-Sure…” If I hadn't had that weird dream, I could have answered her with more enthusiasm, but right now I'm feeling really weird, so I ended up giving her a really vague answer. But that wasn't just a dream. I grabbed my phone looking for the date. At this point it is just some kind of reflex, because I already know what I’m going to find in it. <May, 4th. 14:35> Yeah, it's the same this time... This cursed day, this fateful day. The day when we were going to cross the line of just kisses and hugs. The day of Mai's 18th birthday. The day when it all started, the day when the world ended. At this point I’m already used to this, but I’ll never be used to watch Mai die. Even if I’ve already seen it 73 times, it always hurts like the first time. I just want us to live happily… I looked at Mai’s warm eyes. I promised her from the bottom of my heart, that this time we’ll make it, no matter what. I wonder what kind of path we'll be taking this time...

MellieBee A silly short I wrote a while back and wanted to share. ^_^ Enjoy! The place was more... normal than I had expected. Then again, what had I been expecting?  Some carven stone temple like the ones in the Old Quarter?  Obviously there wouldn’t be anything like that in this part of town. This was just some building on some street.  It could have passed for a local clinic, or a small office building. “Shouldn’t I, I don’t know, just get a referral to a therapist or something first?” I asked.  “I’m pretty sure I’m just, like, depressed or something.  It feels a little premature to be calling in the divine.” “Come on, El, do you really wanna wrestle with insurance just to get some outrageous co-pay dropped on you anyway?”  Lucy countered.  She was a great roommate but a horrible influence.  And she looked the part of one too, with her impish grin, and her long ears, and her sandy hair in Fey-style plaits.  “These are real medical professionals, you know, just ones who work charitably.  They’re supposed to have people for lots of specialties, too, not just magical.  And you said you’re worried about the future, so, hey, bonus:  See a counselor and an oracle under the same roof!” I hated that I was convinced.  Skeptical, of course, but she was right that wading through red tape sounded utterly insurmountable right then.  And it could have been worse, right?  She wasn’t dragging me to some charlatan peddling essential oils.  Even if there were no therapists here, divine magic was scientifically sound, and they might be able to recommend someone to me. Why did I let her talk me into these things?  Oh, right.  She was sweet and pretty and charming, and I was a sucker. Lucy pulled into a parking space, and I reluctantly climbed out of the car and followed her into the temple/clinic/whatever.  Inside was no more showy, the walls painted a soft, pale yellow and decorated with tasteful abstract art.  The only indications this place was anything other than a secular institution were a couple brass sun icons among the decor and a sign marked ‘Chapel’ with an arrow pointing down a hallway. A bored-looking woman sat behind a semicircular information desk. “What can I help you find?” she asked as we approached, in a voice significantly peppier than her body language. “I’m, um, looking to get set up with a therapist?” “Suite H, upstairs and on the left.” The better part of an hour and several forms and questionnaires later, I sat on a couch in a cozy office, with a worn armchair across from me.  How in the deeprealms had I lucked into an intake visit on a walk-in?  Not that I was going to look a gift horse in the mouth. My under-engaged senses and I were busy scrutinizing the sappy wall art and the texture of the ceiling when someone knocked at the door and entered. The person who stepped into the room appeared to be a man roughly in his thirties, tan face cleanly shaven, shorter than I would have expected given his rounded ears.  He shifted a clipboard to his left hand and offered his right to shake.  I half-stood and shook it. “Eleth?" he asked amicably.  "I’m Finn, nice to meet you.  What brings you in, in your own words?”     After a couple months of visits, therapy seemed to be helping... a little.  Finn had been able to suggest some strategies and tips for managing, which helped with the little things.  And I was beginning to realize that there was some something behind that feeling of having no future. I couldn't seem to put my finger on that underlying issue, was the problem.  I had a lot going for me, didn't I?  I had done okay in school. I didn't have any serious problems with my home life.  When I looked in the mirror, a handsome-ish—if boring—young man looked back.  I would probably even have good odds of getting any apprenticeship I might be interested in, if I could just get interested in anything... Maybe Lucy was right, and I should visit an oracle. "That might do you some good, actually," Finn said, when I mentioned it at one session.  "If for no other reason than it may help set some personal goals for yourself.  Unfortunately, we don't have an oracle in residence here at the moment." "Oh," I said, surprisingly disappointed.  "Are there any in the area?" "None that I know of.  Illuriya is the only deity I know of that really illuminates the future anymore, since the shift in popularity from sun and stars to the gods of industry.  Although..." I could just imagine a little brass sun appearing over his head when he said that. "Do you have a primary doctor right now?" I shook my head no. "I can refer you to someone here and maybe send a note along.  If you really think a glimpse of what's to come might help, there might be another option.  Newer, and a bit unorthodox, but maybe."     "It's very unorthodox," said Doctor Brightstar—to whom I had been referred—a couple weeks later.  "For most patients in your situation, I'd just offer a trial run of antidepressants, though not everyone is comfortable taking them." "I'd rather hold off on those," I said.  "For now, at least." "Fair enough.  If you think this approach may help, then I'm willing to write the prescription.  Basically, taking prognosterone in the short term could help spark a bit of minor foresight, but no guarantees.  You wouldn't be taking it long enough for major side effects, but you may notice some changes to your mood while it's in your system." Honestly, a limited run of mood swings didn't sound too terrible, even if it didn't work out. "I think I'll try it." "All right, I'll give you a one week course.  Just take one at night before bed." She scribbled out a prescription slip and handed it to me.     I realized I'd zoned out during my morning routine.  I rinsed the toothpaste foam out of my mouth, and then gave my cheeks a couple gentle slaps to wake myself up a bit more.  It didn't occur to me that anything was off until I glanced back to the mirror in front of me. Staring back was a woman about my age.  She looked a lot like me, too.  But then again, I had pretty run-of-the-mill features.  Somehow the tawny brown skin, gently pointed ears, and shaggy hair (though shorter than mine) seemed less plain on her.  She had a sort of tomboyish charm.  Having boobs probably helped, too. Except I was her?  She was me?  A glance down corroborated the mirror's argument.  I was pretty lost. What had me even more lost was how not-lost I was.  In the physical sense, that is.  I was standing in my and Lucy's bathroom.  In our apartment. I walked out and poked my head into the kitchen.  Lucy was making breakfast, as usual.  It smelled delicious, as usual.  She was being adorable and humming to herself, as usual. "Luce?" I asked.  "Who's the girl in the mirror and why am I her?" She laughed brightly.  "I know, right?  You're looking great, Ellie.  Glad things are working out for you." Ellie.  So I was some sort of girl version of myself?  And this was, what, an alternate reality?  I had to admit it was kind of nice to be a cute girl. "Whoa, you okay, Ellie?  See something in my future?" I didn't have time to think about what Lucy meant by that before her feet slid out from under her, and she reflexively caught herself... by planting a hand right in the skillet.     I woke with a gasp.  Whatever I had been dreaming about, it had given me a start.  I had been a girl, and then... something. My stomach rumbled, and I realized I smelled something cooking.  A quick glance at the clock told me that I had slept through my alarm.   I emerged from my cave to find Lucy prodding at something enticing in a skillet.  Why did that give me déjà vu? "So you are alive!" she said playfully, and waved hello with the spatula as I approached to see what she was making. Eggs with sausage and onion?  Nice. Lucy wobbled, and faster than I could think, I sprung forward and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Whoa!  Maybe cool it with the socks on the linoleum, Luce.  At least with the stove going?" She nodded, and handed me the spatula.  So I babysat the food for a few seconds while she pulled off her cute patterned socks and tossed them haphazardly onto her spot on the couch.  And playfully ribbed me about 'rescuing' her. Once she had reclaimed her spot and spatula, I shuffled off to the bathroom to get ready for the day.  My usual self stared back from the mirror, as disappointingly as ever.  I kind of envied the girl in my dream.  I couldn't guess what her future had in store any more than my own, but I could imagine a version of her that was older and more content with life.  Now, if I could just do that for myself.     I kept dreaming about being Ellie.  No future sight, save for the occasional trivial episode of déjà vu.  I didn't get mood swings so much as mood... mood.  More mood per mood.  Or something.  And I could tell I was being more awkward around Lucy than usual.  Or at least blushing a lot.  I had nursed a little crush on her when we had first met, but this was ridiculous.  If she noticed, though, she never said anything except that I seemed more lively lately. Then my weekly appointment with Finn rolled around.  The temple seemed brighter than usual.  Were the brass icons glowing now, or was it just me?  I had slept in again, though, and was cutting it close, so I didn't give it much thought. "Well, you seem more lively," Finn said.  "What's new?" I explained the dreams, and the rest. "You know, I'm not a priest, but I have picked up bits and pieces about oracular visions while practicing here.  The way I hear it, they don't always give revelations of the future.  More like... they shine a light on what we don't see.  And when it comes to revelation through dreams, well, that tends to be a bit abstract, not so much literal.  Do you follow?" "I think I get the idea, but what does it have to do with me?" He pinched the bridge of his nose.  "Let's put it this way.  You've expressed concerns to me about having a hard time envisioning a future for yourself.  What about this other you?  Where do you imagine her in five years?" "Well, I can't imagine, like, what she could do as a career or anything, but I guess I figure she'd at least hang in there.  Maybe she and Lucy find a roomier place to move into and she has more room for hobbies.  Maybe she even takes up artificing?  I can picture her as this cool older craftswoman." "Well, maybe she's the future you're looking for." "Pardon?" "Maybe she's you and you're her.  Do you tend to relate more to women than men in stories?  Envy women you meet?" "Well, sure.  Who wouldn't?" He chuckled. "You'd be surprised.  Let me show you some resources here..."     "What's the diagnosis?" Lucy joked as I got in the car. "Girl, apparently." "Yeah?  Awesome.  You'd make a pretty cute girl." For a moment I thought she was being sarcastic, but there was that stupid gorgeous grin of hers.  Was she for real? "You say that like it's no big deal." "It isn't a big deal, at least to me.  Might be to you, hopefully in a good way.  Wanna tell me more?" I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could fake, then spilled it all anyway.  I didn't know what to think.  Most guys didn't daydream about what if they were a woman?  Sounded fake to me, but okay.  Transition?  Too good to be true, right?  And what did it say that girl me was such a tomboy? "You know, Ellie," said Lucy.  It felt way too good just to be called by a slightly different nickname.  "Excuses why not are all well and good, but you could always look at the excuses why you should too.  I get that it's scary, but lately you've been the peppiest I've ever seen you!  Even with all the emotional junk you've been digging through!  Imagine if Ellie were you all the time and not just in magic dreams!  I mean, no rush, sleep on it, all that, but you do fit the bill of a trans girl from where I'm standing." I was getting tired of people having good points today. "You're sitting.  In the driver's seat.  Eyes on the road," I teased, making sure to throw a wry smile and a good-natured eye roll her way.     I was Ellie again, lying on my bed and wiggling my feet. Someone laid down beside me.  She was blindingly incandescent. "You know, I'm short on oracles these days," she said.  "Want to be one?  I know it's short notice, but it comes with good benefits.  And leaves you a lot of time for other pursuits." What, like, become one?  Me?  Not some priestess? A giggle. "Yes, to all of that.  You've been searching for insight, and I'm in a position to let you find a little extra." A little rude of her not to wait for me to say things with my mouth, but I wasn't gonna be the one to tell her.  Out loud, at least. It sounded pretty cool, though. "Don't worry about the arrangements, they'll be taken care of by the clerics."     The prescription ran out, the dreams got less vivid, and I kept going about life as usual.  Gender transition kept being the big topic at my appointments with Finn, and I was starting to feel more comfortable with the idea. It wasn't until a couple months later that I noticed something was different.   "I swear, Ellie, if you don't stop responding to me before I say things, I'll—" "If I don't stop what?" Lucy gave me an exasperated look. "You just did it again!" Really?  She had said it, and then I had responded.  At least, I thought she had.  That was how communication worked, right? "Ugh, I can't even chew you out!  Have you really not noticed?  Well, whatever.  You keep doing it every time you're distracted, and it's rude." She pouted.  Annoyed, but not pissed, then.  Lucy only pouted at me when she was mildly grumpy. "Mail for you, by the way," she said a minute later, and held out an envelope toward me. Something from the sun temple.  I didn't think I had asked Finn for a letter or anything yet... Elethyn Firwe, congratulations on gaining the oracular gift.  We will contact you again soon regarding training and duties.  Illuriya's light be upon you.  P.S. Enclosed is your first stipend. Huh.  And here I had shrugged off that dream a couple months back. Lucy prodded me, so I handed her the letter. "Well, that certainly explains some things...  By the way, is it just me or are you looking softer around the edges lately?"

“Damn it! Stop yanking dude, you’re gonna rip it off!” A voice rang out. “I told you not to call me dude when we’re doing this!”  The voices of Cindy’s roommates shouting at each other startled her as she was about to unlock the front door to her apartment. She paused, then pressed her ear to the door. “This was your idea. Fucking hurry up, we gotta get out of this before she gets home.” “What are those two dumbasses up to now?” She thought.  Cindy had seen and heard plenty from her two roommates over the time they had lived together. She mostly saw the signs of repressed sexuality and what not. But everyone figured stuff out at their own pace. Though, she wasn't going to have that conversation until she had to. Opening the door to her apartment however, made her think the time to have a talk was upon her. In the middle of the living room stood both of her roommates, standing extremely close to each other, with a tube of some sort connecting them at their...  “What the hell is going on here?” Cindy said in shock.  Her roommate Clyde looked up at her with a mixture of fear and horror. He tried to turn away but failed and groaned in pain as his motions only jerked their other roommate Oliver, who yelped at the motion.  “Fuck! Uh--okay, I can explain.” Clyde scrambled to try to hide what was connecting them both. Cindy stood there, as both of her roommates very blatantly had their dicks stuck in opposing sides of something.  “Hi Cindy. Sorry about this. We, uh, are in a bit of a predicament.” Oliver shamefully waved and hung his head down.  Cindy dropped her bag on the floor. “Yeah, no shit. But that doesn’t answer my question. What the hell is going on here?” Clyde still had his deer in a headlights look. If he could move freely, he would have pretended to play dead to avoid whatever was happening at all costs. Oliver let out a long sigh. “So, I was out at the porn shop on 5th street. And I saw this thing.” He gestured down at the object connecting them. “It looked cool so I bought it and then decided to prank Clyde by using it as a goof. But we got stuck and haven’t been able to get our--you know what's, out of it.”  Cindy looked back and forth between them. Befuddled, bewildered, baffled, bewaflded even. ”So--how did you get your dick stuck in it?” She gestured at Clyde. “Oh, yeah, uh--I tripped and fell into it.” He nervously chuckled. “But why was your dick out?”  “Hmm?” Clyde let out a high pitched noise. “His dick was out to use the thing as a ‘prank’.” She pointed to Oliver. “But why was yours out? It would have to be out for you to fall in and get stuck.” Clyde tried his best to put on an emotionless face. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” “Why was your dick out for it to even get stuck in the first place?” She reiterated. He threw his hands up in frustration. “I can’t understand what you’re trying to say. Can you just help us out here? Maybe check the box? It’s starting to hurt a little.”  Cindy rolled her eyes and begrudgingly walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up the box.  “The Penis Fly Trap. A gag masturbator to prank your friends, ex, or any guy who has wronged you but you’re still on well enough terms to warrant a sex toy as a gift.” Cindy was well beyond understanding anything as she read the box description aloud. “This thing blatantly says it’s a joke gift and that it’s meant for the person who uses it to get stuck. Why would you use this on yourself, Ollie?” “It’s not like I read it! It had a fun name and I was in a rush.” Oliver protested. “I swear to god. Okay, so this thing has a very simple way for you to get out. But first I need an answer. And only if I get an actual answer will tell you how to get out of it. I’ve seen you two act all sheepish around each other. The weird looks, the obvious sexual tension. This conversation needs to happen. But first, why are you both wearing maid outfits?” Cindy stared them both down. Clyde and Oliver looked at each other's panic stricken faces. Both of them had hoped she wouldn't have noticed the maid attire. But the jig was up, and it was a jig they were long dreading having to talk about. If you don’t acknowledge the jig, it never jigs at all. Schrӧdinger's jig, if you will.  Clyde ran his hands over his face in frustration. “Fine. So we do this every week when you’re at yoga. We get dressed up and then fool around. Sometimes in my room, sometimes not. This time we were on the couch and things got…well you see how things went.” “On the couch?! Really? C’mon I sit there.” Cindy whined. “Hey, you can’t say anything. Not after what you did on this couch last christmas. Even the thought of eggnog makes me wanna vomit now.” Oliver piped up after a brief silence. Cindy started to protest but she couldn't really say anything. It was true, she had done unspeakable things on that couch. But sometimes she just wanted to make god cry. There was also the fact that she never actually went to yoga. Though, she wasn't about to admit that she left for a few hours every week just to go to the library, and ask for the most obscure books she could, just to talk with the cute girl that worked there.  “You know what, fair.” She said while walking over next to them. “So let me get this straight. You both dress up like girls and fool around while I’m not here, and today just so happened to get stuck in what I’m assuming was some sort of mutual masturbation thing where you both use the toy at the same time.” “Yeah pretty much, except we were also making out too.” Oliver added. “Fuck, y’all are useless.” Cindy’s voice was exhausted and devoid of all fucks. Things were starting to click for her. Everything went from small signs to flashing announcements as her roommates' quirks were finally explained.  “Okay, you gave me an honest answer. You can get out by moving inwards in the toy and then pulling out. It’s like one of those old finger traps. How the logistics and physics of something like this even work are beyond me. A sex toy with this function doesn’t seem physically possible but here we are.” She crossed her arms and waited. “Wait--so that means we have to...”Oliver began. “Touch our tips together in order to get out?” Clyde finished while his cheeks glowed a bright red. Cindy shrugged. “Yeah, probably. So what?” Clyde and Oliver stared at each for a moment. They looked nervous, flustered, embarrassed, nerflarrassed even.  “But that would make it weird.” Clyde protested.  Oliver nodded in agreement. “Yeah! I mean, I think of you as a girl when we do this. But I’m a guy. And like, I don’t wanna touch tips as a guy and a girl.” Clyde shot Oliver a confused look. “Wait, I was thinking of you as a girl and myself as a guy. That's why I was nervous. You really see me as a girl like this?” Oliver shifted slightly. “Well yeah. You’re really cute and stuff and make all kinds of noises and looks when we do this. How could I not think of you as a girl?” “I…” Clyde looked like he was going to cry. “Wow. I was thinking of you as a girl this whole time too. Like with how you rock that outfit and make all the cute giggles and are just so easy to fluster. I never thought you’d see me in the same light.”  Cindy continued to look on in sheer disbelief at the utter denseness of her two dumbass roommates confessing their feelings for each other. She wanted a bowl of popcorn for the dumb bitch show going on in her living room.  She shook herself out of her captivated trance and interjected. “So, if I can offer a suggestion? Why not think of yourselves as girls as well as each other?” They both looked at her, then back at each other. “So like, think of myself as a girl as well as her?” Clyde asked. Cindy nodded. “Can we do that? Can we just be girls?” Oliver said as his eyes grew wide. “YES! Ugh finally, you dense bitches. You can just be girls if you want to. God, I've been waiting for this for over a year.” Cindy jumped up in frustrated excitement. “So then like, two girls touching their tips. Yeah that sounds cool. I can get with that.” Clyde exclaimed. Oliver looked at Clyde. “So like, do you wanna be girls, together? Maybe we could, I don't know, go on an actual date or something? Only if you want to. I totally understand if you’re not inter…” Oliver was cut off by Clyde grabbing her head and kissing her. They locked their bodies together, leaning in close. After a moment, they pulled apart, the sex toy dropping to the floor between them.  Oliver looked down. “Wait, what’s the stuff leaking out of it?” Clyde flopped down on the couch with an exasperated huff. “Oh yeah, I came like ten minutes ago.”  They both just started laughing as Oliver joined her on the couch and snuggled up to her. Cindy walked over taking great care to step over the abomination still draining on the floor. “So, you bitches got a lot of gender and what not to work out. But firstly, what do you both wanna be called? At least for the time being.” O looked at C. “I mean, there's the names we came up with to call each other when we were fooling around. I could get used to Olivia. If you wanna go by Christine?” Olivia gestured to Christine who was turning three shades brighter red than before. “I fucking swear. They could make space shuttles out of your eggshells.” Cindy dragged her hands over face.  She got up to leave the two girls alone so they could talk things over and figure stuff out. “Fucking penis fly trap. What the hell is my life?” Cindy muttered as she entered her room to look up more obscure books to ask for in the following week.    RavenKane Hi hi! This was possibly the stupidest idea I've ever come up with. I hope it caused as much psychic damage for you to read as it did for me to write. Thank you for reading!

He avoided the park until one sunny June day.  He was on his bench again, pretending to read the paper and playing with other people's leather. A harried mother was attempting to herd four whining kids towards the park exit. The narrow strap of her heavy purse was cutting into her shoulder, so he reached out with his power and widened it. He couldn't do anything about the kids, but he could remove one source of irritation from her day. He got up, folded his paper, and turned to walk home, only to find his way blocked by the young woman he had transformed back in the spring. She was wearing the thigh high tanker boots over snug white jeans, with a dark blue shirt that perfectly matched her eyes. Most off-the-rack clothing was too snug here, or too loose there, but her jeans and top looked like they were custom made to her exact fit. "Whatever happens next," she said, "I want to thank you for the boots. I love them." "How did you know it was me? What do you mean, what happens next?" "I'm a witch. One of a circle of witches. Once we knew to look, my sisters and I found traces of your work all over town. Still, I wish you had stopped with the boots. I mean, I like looking like this, but..." She shrugged, and made an odd gesture with one hand. A flare of magical power shot up into the sky. Soon after, another woman walked up next to her. A Nordic beauty, she had hair like sunlight and eyes like the sky. She put a hand on the brunette's shoulder and said, "So, this is the criminal.  We've learned a lot from examining your work," said the blonde, "but you should have stuck to being a magical cobbler." A rich, throaty voice said behind him. "Magic must never be used on another person without their consent, except in self-defense or defense of another. Breaking this law may not go unpunished.  It's a lesson from the Burning Times.  Breaking it could lead to our discovery and persecution." He turned around to see a woman with skin like sunshine on mahogany, standing tall and proud and slender, like a Swahili princess. Incongruously, he remembered a college professor saying the Swahili Kingdom was exchanging ambassadors with the Chinese Empire while Europe was mired in the Dark Ages. Several other women joined the circle surrounding him, all of them attractive, and all deadly serious. The last one to arrive had a smooth, ageless face, but silver-white hair and traces of crow's feet and laugh lines hinted that she was older than her looks. She said, "We are the sisters of the Cayuga Lake Circle of Witches." She had accent he couldn't place. Eastern European, he thought. "Had you not used magic on our sister without consent, we would have wanted to learn what we may from you, and teach you in return. Now that choice is taken from us. Your life is forfeit to the Goddess. What she will do with it, I cannot say. Pray she is merciful!" She raised her arms and gestured. He felt a surge of energy from all around him. Each witch was glowing brightly with magical power. Slowy at first, then with increasing momentum, light passed clockwise around the circle to their priestess. She gathered the combined flows of eleven witches at him, and added her own. It blasted past his feeble shielding attempt, and struck him full on the chest. He was surrounded, trapped by its power. He tried to scream, but could only make a small whimper. He tried to run, but only fell to his knees, then all fours. Light surrounded his his head and went downwards, remolding his skull as it went. He could feel it forcing him into a new shape, as he did with leather, as he had forced onto the stormy-eyed girl. He hoped he would not be too hideous. The power crept downwards. He felt his eyeballs sag as his facial bones shifted, then they grew to fill the larger voids in his skull. His teeth fell out. They lay on the ground in front of him, with their old silver fillings. Smaller ones grew back in their place. They fit his smaller jaws. Still, the power crept downward. His shoulders, once the broad, powerful shoulders of a soldier but diminished by age, grew narrower still. His ribcage followed it, popping and creaking as the bones found their new places. Still, the power crept downward. He could see it now changing his arms, smoothing away the roughness of age. His gray arm hairs fell out and downy red-gold ones grew in their place. His chest felt odd, weighty, sort of like the pecs he had in his Army years, but very different. He looked down between his arms, and saw soft, rounded shapes growing there, hanging downwards. He realized what the Goddess's punishment was. She was taking his life, his very identity, and giving him a new one. Still, the power crept downwards. He felt abdominal his organs shift as his waist contracted and his hips swelled outwards. A mass of curly red hair, the color his was in his youth, spilled down around his neck, and blocked his view of what was happening below. He lacked the strength to lift a hand to move it, and was glad of it. Still, the power crept downwards. He almost vomited when it reached his crotch. His testicles were forced up into his abdomen, squeezed through openings smaller than they were. He fell down to lie on the cool grass, racked with pain-induced nausea. Between dry heaves, he could feel his aching balls move up through his abdomen to take positions a few inches below and to either side of his navel. The pain was so intense, he didn't feel other changes down there. And still the power crept downwards. She felt her legs shift, her feet shrink, and then it was over. Where a middle aged man had stood, a young woman lay, breath heaving. She slowly becoming aware of the little things. The feeling of her arm pressing on her breasts. The way her legs felt, lying close together without squeezing the boys. The tightness of her men's pants around her hips, and the bagginess of her t-shirt. She rolled over into a sitting position, and a small Asian woman, elegant and poised, said, "Let me help you with that." With a surge of power, she reshaped Jacob's worn, poorly fitted men's clothing into new woman's wear, even remembering to flip the fly and button of her jeans onto the other side. Her t-shirt was now a knit cami top, and chunky, high-heeled Red Wing work boots came up to just below her knees. "Oh, I almost forgot!" she said, and Jacob's briefs rearranged themselves into panties. Desperate for some vestige of her former life, she reached into her back pocket and fumbled for her wallet. On her license, a young woman named Jackie stared back at her. She looked a lot like Jacob's sister had at that age. Her date of birth was January, 1991, when Jacob had been in Kuwait. The priestess said, "Sisters, we have been, in number, twelve. One short of a coven. Help her to her feet. It is the Summer Solstice, and we have a new sister to initiate tonight." I hope you enjoyed the story.  To be honest, dear readers, I have no idea where to go from here.  You're welcome to make suggestions, but if I don't come up with something, I may just mark it as completed. As far as I know, no one makes thigh-high tanker boots, but I wish they would.

“I’m Aster Curtail, and today is the first time in 28 months that I have streamed. I want to tell you a story today. I’ve tried to tell this story a few times now over the last 28 months. There is always a nagging feeling in back of my head whenever I start, a conscious voice that reminds me that I don’t tell it for a reason. I call that part of my brain my fight or flight reflex. This story is a part of my own which means it scares me to tell it. Not because of a perfect idealism of what is next but because once I tell the story maybe it will come true. Maybe this rambling clip of my drunken self will make it’s way to her.” He took a breath, his fast-paced opener blurted out in seconds.   Aster brought his hand to his mouth and pulled at air as if trying to pull the words from behind closed lips. Proceeded by a tsk he uttered in drunken mumble, “I wish I could see her face if that happened, I’m sure it would be one of shock. One of petrification that would morph to anger then to sadness.” He paused, his eyes locked on the ceiling with a nostalgic smile.   He spoke softer now, his harsh husky voice mellowed to a slow velvet, “Lost myself for a moment there.” Pensive he took another pause, hesitant since finishing his introduction. His demeanor a stark contrast to the stream of consciousness that started this video.   “You have someone you can hear the laugh of right now? I hear the reminiscence of hers softened by the shrills of our last conversation. The barrage of complaints, we hurled for superficial reasons. That was one of only two fights.” He stood up from his chair and began to pace around the room, his fingers running his leg like it is the keys to the grand piano that sat in the corner. The camera swiveled and tilted to keep him center frame.   “Despite that, it supersedes all the memories of laughter. It deafens all the I love yous and I miss you. It drowns out the idle conversations that we had from morning to dusk.” He silently laid out across the hardwood. He didn’t move and the only sound for minutes was the hum of his air conditioner. The room was plain, near empty. Opposite the piano sat a pillow and blanket, and beside it a bluish book with golden writing along the spine.   “I wonder do you think the same? Do you think of it at all after all this time? I placate the self-pity by insisting you must. Delude myself into grandiose visions of it working out. Even when I know it is only my inability to forget.” Another pause, “I’m sorry this was meant to be a story, not my self deprecative monologue.” He sat up and glanced about the room for a moment.     “I’m not great, but hopefully this will suffice for an apology.” He jolt up and moseyed over to the piano.   The keys were gently pressed as he played the beginning to “The River Flows in You”. He paused mid chord abruptly interrupted by himself. “I’m running from it.” He sighed.   “I’m here to tell the story, not digress like this. Let’s get back on topic.” He stood up from the bench and walked back over to his office chair.   “What is your longest call with someone? Mine is 42 hours. I can’t tell you everything we talked about during that time anymore, but I remember why it was so important. It was the essence of us. The first voice you heard in the morning and the last one you heard at night. Started every morning with a good morning bestie and ended the night with a good night bestie. With I love you sprinkled in for added effect. Until the last day that part of us rang true, some days it was the only messages we sent each other. Anyway, the call. I forgot I was in it at first, we played games the night before, and in my grogginess forgot to hang up. So the next morning what came through my speakers is her jubilant.”   He paused, and his smile turned to a frown. “Come on superman, say your stupid line.”   He took a breath, “Come on superman, say your stupid line.”   “I hate that song. But I can sing the entire damn thing because of her.” He inserted before going back on topic.   “Up Up and Away, I unmuted.” The smile immediately returned at the memory.   “She screamed like a child, instantly insisting I gave her a heart attack. I silently listened to her retorts before interrupting, Good Morning Bestie. I love you.”   His face pointed at his keyboard his mouth open and closing without a peep. His eyes glistened under the monitor lights as he admitted, “That is the first time I meant it romantically and not platonically.”   What followed was minutes of dead air, broken by a pained chuckle. “Falling for a taken hand, falling for a girl on the other side of the world, falling in love with that to which you can not have. Tale as old as time. However how many people are willing to do it? Would you get on a plane and fly across the world right now? For just thirty more seconds with someone. I would, almost did. Bought the plane ticket and was supposed to fly out the next week, and then I got the text ending it all. A normal person cancels the flight, goes on with their life and never brings it up again. I went on the flight and spent the week traveling the country. I can’t tell you a single thing I did on that trip, beside sit in my room and pretend to everyone else that I was still in the states.”   “That was meant to be it, and for 20 months it was. I went about my life and did my best to not reach out to her. Did my best to remove myself from her community to not cause backlash. Then I was at a party with our mutual friends, and it flooded back to me. I contemplated making an unban request. I was stopped my friend though, who reminded me that it was dumb to go back. Regretfully he couldn’t stop me today. I wond-“ A chime blared as an email notification appeared in the corner of his screen. He didn’t say a word but for a moment you could hear the heart beat through the microphone. Then defying all novel logic, his request was denied. “Sometimes we wish life was like a novel. We wonder for just a moment what it would like to be the main character. Then when we try, we put ourselves out there as they would…I’m reminded why I don’t. A novel is only a story, and life is life. I best remember that.” He abruptly ended the stream.

Pain, despair, that's what I feel right now. I have my whole body full of wounds, and I'm surrounded by monsters, but not just any monster, but zombies. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come to this damn place, *sigh*."I have to survive" I took out a fiery scroll and a MANA crystal that I had a hard time getting, put them together in my hand, and yelled."Fire" Within a 5-meter radius, all the zombies were burned. After the spell ended I made my way to the side where there weren't many zombies. I ran as much as I could, with my body that still did not receive any power or obtained an evolution process. I got tired quickly, but hold on since I am still being followed by a horde of zombies from behind. Furthermore, I entered a multi-story building, climbed the emergency stairs, and closed the door after entering. "Ahh" [Banc] A zombie approached me showing its sharp teeth trying to bite me, but I alluded to it by moving to the side. Take my pistol I placed it near his skull open the trigger and shoot. The zombie's brain exploded from the magic bullet, and it fell to the ground motionless. He disappeared from the body after a few seconds, leaving a black coin. "Another coin" "This was my last bullet" I checked my pistol cartridge and found no more bullets, I can only blame myself for being poor and not saving. Well, I didn't have enough to live on either, since everything is spent on food. There were days when I didn't eat, so I could repair my equipment.I climbed the ladder to the top floor, I encountered a couple of zombies, but they were no problem for me. On the roof of some buildings, some bridges connected to other buildings, they were used as escape insurance or mostly as safe streets where zombies did not arrive. I go through several buildings to be sure they are not following me, I pulled out the map that was supposed to help me avoid the places full of monsters. "I'm lost" I shouldn't trust these second-hand sellers, but there was no time to do enough research on this dungeon.I turned around and started running towards a large mansion that possibly belonged to some rich man, but is now in ruins. The place looked safe and there were no monsters. I sat on the ground, tired of running and fighting with these monsters. So when I least expected it, something attacked me. "Ahh" I quickly kick what attacked me and looked at where the being that attacked me. It is a small green zombie with sharp claws, black eyes, and an open circular mouth showing teeth that could crush even iron. "A mutant zombie, I can do it" I pull out a tactical knife, calm myself, and waited for an opportunity to kill this zombie without further injury. The zombie stared at me then jumped from the wall to the other one trying to confuse me, but I remained motionless waiting. When I felt him close enough, I reflexively attacked him by stabbing him in the eye. The zombie's body disintegrated, leaving a green glove and a blue coin. I was happy, as there is a very small chance of items falling from monsters. These things only happen in dungeons and now that I am in a dungeon where all kinds of resources can be found, from ancient civilizations to the most advanced ones. I may have the opportunity to get something rare, sell it and make a lot of money, but it is not easy at all. Normally, only people who have gone through an evolution in any characteristic or awakened powers can go to explore these dungeons. But I, who still don't have either of the two, going alone without sufficient preparation to a G-rank dungeon is like killing myself.I didn't think twice about it at the time because of the news I received, but I had to come here to find someone Possibly I know. The risk is high, and perhaps it is not the person I am looking for, however, I cannot miss this opportunity. What if it is someone I know?.I picked up the glove from the ground with the coin, put it on my left hand, and felt a slight increase in power in my hand. Although it is a small improvement, in extreme situations this small improvement is an advantage that can change the whole situation. "I have to find a safe place" I found a safe room with windows closed with wood that still got a little light through the holes and a reinforced door that can resist enough, I sat on the bed and checked my wounds. Most are scratches that are easy to heal with bandages and a little pain reliever, but the last wound on my right shoulder needs more than this. Good thing I have a lower rank (i) potion that will help to stop the bleeding and speed the healing. I drank half and the other measure I poured into the shoulder wound, a little smoke came out, and I felt an itch.Without knowing it I fell asleep in bed, after a while I woke up with pain and hunger right away, I took an energy bar and a pill. Wait a while to regain some energy. I got up and left the room without making a noise. Climbed up to the roof, took out the map, and looked around for any clues. [Boom !!] Not long after I heard an explosion coming from the place where I was surrounded by zombies before. "I found you" The person I'm looking for is not just anyone but an Elite member of the strongest Guild there once was. He has superhuman powers from overcoming various evolutions and is also someone with a special awakened power. Julian Hasirr, my father's best friend, was also an expedition captain that exterminated several A-rank dungeons. I took a bottle from the tactical briefcase that is on my waist, I drank it in one gulp, my body is full of energy that I feel like I can run a marathon 5 times. On the way I found few amounts of zombies that I quickly killed while I collected the loot that fell, although they were coins, they still serve me. Upon reaching the place I found corpses that are not zombies since they disintegrate. What is in front of me were human bodies that were in horrible condition, some mutilated, crushed, or burned. I felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, but couldn't as I could waste the potion I drank, so I hold on. I go through the bodies, looking a little up to not see the bodies scattered on all sides. Notice that the majority wore the same white suit with some logos drawn on the extremities. I didn't want to spend time here even though there are high-level weapons and equipment since I came here for something more important.Sounds of fighting were heard up close when I appeared at the place where the fight was taking place. I noticed a person in blue light armor looking like a tough man, blond hair going up and surrounded by many people. This man is who I'm looking for, although I spend many years without seeing him I still remember him perfectly. He always came to our house to see my father, and he also played hide-and-seek with me and my sister. Three of the men who were surrounding my uncle Julian used an acceleration skill and ran towards my uncle pointing a sword at him. I wanted to yell at him to be careful, but Uncle Julián disappeared and 7 headless bodies fell. "Oh my gosh" Now that I think about it, Uncle Julián could teleport, that's why I never won at the hideout. Adding that he passed three evolutions, he is already someone who is at the top of the list of the strongest people on the planet. I was worried about nothing, but still, there are many of them, and he is only one. I would like to help, but I have no powers or any powerful object. "Julián... Julián ... I don't know why you try so hard if you know that you won't get out of here until we catch you, let's just give up if you do, we won't treat you badly. If you don't want to come then just give us what you have and leave, I swear by my name that we will not bother you anymore" "Who you are?" "What !!? You don't remember me? It's me! Aphelion Sictor !!" "I do not remember you" "You always say the same thing every time you see me !!" "Well I can't remember the dogs that go there smelling what I drop every time " "Puff !!" I almost let out my laugh, it is incredible that in a situation like this he is still calm and on top of that he makes a joke. "Since you don't remember me, I'll make you remember it, and it will be forever!" The guy steps forward and pulls a spear from his inter-dimensional ring, his body glows, and he launches himself towards Uncle Julian. His movements were fast, I can't even follow them with my eyes and there are only blurry images. In every place they were, it shatters, walls break, the floor cracks, and lights of various colors. Some men approach him to participate in the battle, but in the end, they die trying. "Hahaha today is going to be your day to die, you are not going to escape!" "We'll see" "You don't realize, you've already fallen into our trap. Tell me, why isn't there a magician who casts a spell on you?" "I didn't… hagh!" A hand descended from the sky quickly crushing Uncle Julian without knowing if he is alive or not. "Noooooooo !!"  

=== The bed shifts as something simultaneously new and familiar settles onto it, easing down slowly until the weight is at rest and joined by a distinctively theatrical sigh if a much more quiet one than usual. Even just from a sigh that scratchy baritone, the one you could imagine growling into your ear from the very first second you heard it, is unmistakable. For a good deal of time, nothing happens. Long enough for one to doubt reality and their senses. After all, it couldn't have been that sigh. The owner of it is long dead. After just long enough for someone to almost fall back asleep however, there is a rustling of silks - silk sheets? silk clothes? - before a hand comes to rest on your shoulder. A broad hand, a rare mix of the softness of a pampered childhood with the hardness of the relentless pursuit of a physical mastery. A hand that had been worked rigorously hard, but always tended to with the utmost of care. Straddling the line between gentle and rough, between affectionate and possessive. Again; distinctive. "Still asleep are you, old friend?" Your heart skips a beat. Your ears couldn't be trusted. Reality couldn't be trusted. "The sun will be coming up soon, and yet you remain in the comfort of your linens. I would have expected that at this hour you would be off killing Gods. Or saving kittens from trees. There is no in between for you, is there?" the voice asks, tone lilting upwards with an audible smile. There's a sort of condescending affection in his voice, like chastising a pet for illogical behaviour. The hand on your shoulder roams, up to your hair to gently brush against it then run the tips of fingers through it. Zenos let out another gentle sigh. "I know you are awake... Or cognizant I suppose. What did you call it? Sleep paralysis?" he wonders out loud. He isn't sure if he can bring himself to believe it. Not because the concept doesn't sound feasible, being subject to addled half-hallucinations creeping into an otherwise normal waking state while the mind freezes from terror sounded completely plausible. As did the theory that it was the very slight fraying of the boundary between this world and the Void, seeing things that didn't exist in this plane but were lurking in the next. No, it is more that it's you. "It is hard to believe that you could be beset by such a pathetic and glaring weakness, my friend... To think that you could defeat me - thrice, now! - and yet at any time, should any random old thief catch you on the wrong night..," Zenos purrs as he pauses, while his hand trails from your hair down to your neck. His fingers trail your throat. His breath catches. So does yours. "They could have the pleasure... And deny it to me. What a torturous concept." His hand moves back to your shoulder. "But it must be true, mustn't it?... It is not your only weakness. You have many, even if you manage to overcome them in your many hours of need. There is evidence of them all over your body, much as it pains me that I could only ever injure you as much as mere Gods can," Zenos mumbles. He's not sure you can hear him in any case. His fingertips, showing that rare gentleness again, move down your arm. Over the litany of marks, of cuts that weren't seen to by chirurgeons quickly enough not to leave faint scars, some that you had healed yourself. Plenty had been left by Zenos himself. "You're never as delicate with yourself as you are with others," Zenos muses as his hand trails instead to your waist, carefully pulling back the blankets to do so. His voice growing more confident that you won't awaken. There's a light shirt in the way but he remembers your body and its marks like an old map. His fingers brush past one on your rib cage - you both remember that one, from another night not dissimilar to this - to another on your waist. "I remember when a piece of shrapnel from one of Meteion's blasted planets caught you here, tore clean through your cuirass. After the fight, before ours, you healed yourself... But only barely. Enough to stop the bleeding and little else. Knowing you, you didn't bother with the bones. With others you are so delicate and cautious. You refused to leave that cat friend of yours with so much as a blemish even after I cut her belly clean open. But you, you wear these scars like-" Zenos' voice catches, and you can't see but can hear the way his eyes light up in his voice. "Is that it?... You like these marks, don't you? Ohh, my dear friend... You truly should learn to communicate better. If I'd known I would have left so many more over the years." The glee in Zenos' voice is palpable. With his decision made up he rolls you onto your back and in the same motion he's atop you, your glassy eyes finally meeting his. Whether they are frozen in excitement for your returned lover or in the clutches of a night-terror, you do not know. In his casual clothes, the kind of fine silks that he wore whenever he stole into your quarters under cover of nightfall. That beautiful blonde hair framing his beautiful face, belied by the perfect storm of malice and hunger in his icy blue eyes. He'd gone heavy with the eyeliner tonight; he knows you love that. "Good to see you again old friend," Zenos rumbles in something between a purr and a growl. He still isn't sure if you can really see him or not. If you can really feel him, if you can feel the weight of the seven and a gods-damned half fulms of Garlean muscle sitting in your lap. But it doesn't matter. With his realization, he knows that whether you can see and feel him or not is irrelevant. Both of your lover's hands run up along your body, from you belly over your chest, fingers dragging, thumbs pressing, nails grazing, all the way to your neck. That familiar place he loves so much. His hands, his fingers are gentle and careful as they slip around the vulnerable skin, as they lightly press against the vulnerable arteries. Gentle, right up until they aren't. The malice overtakes the affection, and Zenos bares his teeth in a loving snarl. "I'll make sure I leave you with plenty more marks to remember me by." Zenos swoops down. His lips capture yours, overpower yours with his hunger, his taste, the sheer loving and possessive affection he has for you, his friend, his enemy, his lover, his pet, his toy, his master. He growls the words into your mouth even as his hands seek to embed the concepts into your skin, even as your mouth fills with the taste of him, the taste of his lips and of his tongue, the taste of copper- --- You awake with a start, almost throwing the body off of you. Body?... There's no body. Blankets are bunched up around your torso, heavy on your chest. Gradually, your heart slows. The temperate air of Sharlayan's autumn blows in through the window of your regular room in the Annex, cooling the sweat dripping from your brow. Nothing more than a dream. --- You'd gone about a fairly regular morning, done your exercises and set about the 'job' of adventuring. There had been a call about a particularly ferocious mark from the Gleaners, and while you hadn't expected much from the aether-charged serpent it was managing to pleasantly exceed your expectations. You narrowly step aside a bite from its charged fangs then push through a half-rift to the Void to appear behind it, avoiding a sudden eruption of earth at the creature's front in the process. You spin and slash at its side, your scythe digging deep, but not deep enough to stop the burst of electric aether that it releases in retaliation. It stings more than you thought, stunning you long enough for a whip of its fin-like tail to send you tumbling back until you dig the base of your scythe into the ground to both right yourself and prevent a fall off one of the enormous cliffs that litter Labyrinthos. Alright, well. Perhaps a little too much underestimation, but you're not worried. It just means you have to take it a little more seriously than not at all. You feel the aether you'd been stockpiling welling up, using it to pierce the veil between worlds and pull forth your Avatar. Your Voidsent, the one you had contracted when you had first stumbled upon the Reaper's art-form, to fight alongside you to be your minion, your partner, your guardian. The aether-drunk serpent before you couldn't possibly know fear, and yet, it almost seems to withdraw as dark aether pours from both the momentary breach of realities and from the creature that emerges. For a moment it only hangs over you, then it fully Enshrouds you. A connection that runs right to the soul, it clings to you, your respective aether pooling together and momentarily becoming one. It is mostly incorporeal, but not entirely, and you can feel the talons of its hand press to one side on your shoulder, to the other side on your neck. Affectionately. Possessively.

It was her boots that caught his eye. She wore a flirty yellow mini dress and Army-regulation tanker boots. Rather than laces or zippers, they were closed by a long strap of leather that spiraled from her ankle, around her calf up to a buckle near the top. Tanker boots had a special significance to Jacob. In Kuwait during the first Gulf War, frustration with an especially ill-fitting pair led him to discover his ability to manipulate leather with his thoughts. Jacob was a leathermancer. It was the first really nice day of spring, in an lakefront park. It had been a typical winter upstate NY winter, long, cold, snowy and gray. So, on the first warm, sunny day, Jacob and seemingly everyone else in town went to the park. No one paid any attention to the older gent behind the salt, pepper and cayenne beard, glasses, and Greek fisherman's cap, as he pretended to read the paper on the bench. He was really using his power and playing with other people's leather. The guy in the suit's new oxfords were pinching, so Jacob made them a little softer. The kid in the leather hi-tops would have blisters by the end of the day, so he made them fit better. He fixed the rip in the biker's chaps. He was limited by physics - he couldn't create leather with his mind, or destroy it, but he could change its shape and texture. He could also work other materials, but leather was always easiest for him. Then he saw the girl in the tanker boots. She was a medium height brunette, very pretty but not gorgeous, and maybe 25 or so in age. Then she looked at something behind Jacob, and he was captivated by the vivid ocean-blue eyes framed by fair skin and dark wavy hair. Jacob decided he had to do something special for her. Luckily, her Army boots gave him plenty of leather to work with. Most women's boots are made of thin, flimsy leather that gave him few options. He decided to change the rubber sole first, since it would take more of his energy. He stared at the low, blocky combat boot heels, and pictured chunky tapered  heels instead. Then, he reached into the back of his brain, gathered up some energy, and willed the heels of her boots to look like the picture in his mind's eye. The woman let out a little squeak as she was suddenly lifted two inches higher. Jacob smiled behind his paper, and started the next step. He mentally grabbed the tops of her boots and pulled them up. When he stopped, her legs were wrapped in perfectly fitting, soft black calfskin leather from toe to the hem of her dress. The spiral strap wrapped around, making the leather conform to her every curve. She yelped, and looked around wildly, as if making sure no one saw what just happened. Jacob buried his eyes in his paper, glancing up after a minute to gauge her reaction. She was looking down, prancing around a little bit, plainly admiring his work. He was confused by her reaction. Most people either freak when confronted with magic, or refuse to accept it. He was glad she liked her new boots, but they didn't quite look like he had pictured them. Jacob decided to try something he had never done before. He reached out with his mind, grabbed some of the extra weight she carried around her waist, mentally divided it into four pieces, and pulled them down. She gasped in pain, then clamped her mouth shut and grabbed onto a light pole for balance. He hadn't thought it would hurt her, but one started, he had to finish it. He pulled the adipose tissues down until they were where he wanted them, just above and below her knees. By converted the mass to muscle and bone, he added  about three inches to her legs, and her waist noticeably thinner. Yes, that was the look he was going for! Encouraged, he took two smaller masses of tissue, and this time dragged them upwards. He didn't make her small breasts much larger, just rounder and firmer, and added connective tissue to keep them that way through the years. Then, with a light touch, he toned and firmed her body, adding strength, yet leaving enough softness to keep her curves. With the last of his power, he tailored her dress to fit her perfectly. He slumped on his bench, exhausted. She gasped, livid with rage. She looked around as if trying to figure out who had done this to her. She stumbled the first few steps, unsure on her new legs, then ran off with the grace of a gazelle despite the heeled boots. He watched until her could no longer see her, then folded his paper and walked home.

mogust This story was created as part of the Secret Transfic Autum Anthology and is now live as part of that collection, and being cross-posted here. If you'd like to support the authors involved in that bundle, it can be found here . For Another's Touch The bed creaked, moans of pleasure and stifled curses audible even through the walls. Luna put her paws over her head as she tucked herself in closer in her spot on the sofa, a tight ball of fur, trying to drown out what was going on, and ignore it completely. She couldn’t, though, no matter how hard she tried, how much she wished. No matter the pain that it seemed to make her feel, even if she didn’t know why, laced in with the feedback of pleasure from her witch. It was always like this, every time. And she felt ashamed that she felt that way every time, unable to express anything about it. Luna didn’t hold Mirelle to blame at all. She was beautiful after all, still young, and she had needs, especially at this time of the year, when the moon was full and magic was at its strongest, the entire world celebrating something that it didn’t believe in, for one night treating it as if it was real. The one night where Mirelle could truly be herself, and no one would question it. She felt it before she heard it, the flow of power, the gasp of surprise, everything becoming more intense for the two in the bedroom. A growl and a purr added into the mix, little wisps of magic dancing around the lounge. That no one else could see, of course, except for those like her. It made it both harder and easier. Coaxing one wisp closer to her, she used it to bring one of the cushions to her, and jammed her head between it and the sofa. It didn’t help much, but there was a strange comfort to it being there. = ^ . . ^ = Luna woke to the sound of the door being opened, and someone walking out. Uncurling, she made her way to the edge of the sofa and up onto the arm, unashamedly staring. She was a cat, after all, and cats were known for being curious. She had to admit that the lady was kinda cute, and definitely Mirelle’s type. Athletic figure, a loose hoodie and tight pants. And a pair of ash-silver fluffy wolf ears poking out of her similar coloured hair. It would have made for a rather subtle Halloween costume, if it wasn’t for the fact that they were very much real. That explained why she hadn’t freaked out when Mirelle had shifted, given that she had a similar nature. “Oh, hey there, little one.” The woman made a beeline for the couch, Luna staying where she was, and giving her a quiet questioning meow. She wasn’t some timid creature after all. The lady gave her a smile and patted her on the head, Luna quite happily accepting, giving a contended purr in response. Pats were nice, after all. “She’s a good lady. Take good care of her, aye, pretty kitty,” the lady then said, before making her way to the door and silently letting herself out. It was still dark outside, the night young. Luna gave her another meow, but she was gone, the door clicking softly behind her. It didn’t take Mirelle long to emerge from the bedroom, her blond hair a dishevelled mess, fluffy black cat ears still managing to poke out through them, twitching as they tried to dislodge some of the stray hair. She looked more tired than Luna had expected, a sadness to her face, a smear of lipstick on her lips. A rather nice purple shade. She wasn’t dressed in much either, just a loose tee, two sizes too large, that brushed against the top of her thighs, black cat tail lazily hanging behind her. Mirelle grabbed herself a glass of fresh water, and slumped down on the sofa beside her, downing half of it in one go. ‘She seems nice,’ Luna said, turning to face her witch. “She was...” Mirelle left her sentence hanging as she finished off the rest of the glass. ‘She’s similar to you?’ Luna tilted her head slightly to one side. “No, not really.” Mirelle sighed, and stared at her now empty glass, her tail wrapping itself over her leg. It was always cute when she did that, though usually she only did so when she was processing things. ‘Will you see her again?’ “No.” ‘And here I thought that she might be the one.’ Luna spoke it softly, gently, but she still saw the flinch of Mirelle’s face, felt a little of her pain. It stung. Mirelle got up and wandered her way over to the fridge, pulling out a partially drunk bottle of wine, before she put it back and pulled out the bottle of milk instead, filling up her glass with that before putting the bottle back and making her way back to the sofa. “This is your fault, you know,” she stated, before she downed half of that as well, a little white line left on her glistening upper lip, Luna failing to resist the temptation to lick it away before Mirelle did so herself. She went back to playing with the glass in her, turning it around as she watched the milk slosh at the sides. “I thought that I’d found the one once,” Mirelle eventually said, her voice low, sad. “She was cute, a pleasure to be around, and we were so close. I helped her find her true self, but in the process she forgot about herself. And she forgot about me.” Luna hopped off the arm of the chair and rubbed herself against Mirelle’s leg, trying her best to comfort her. ‘What happened to her?’ she asked, looking up at her, at her gentle face, her sad eyes. “I... don't want to talk about it.” Mirelle stared down at her glass, avoiding Luna’s eyes. “It's still raw, even after all these years, the reminders...” She gave a big sigh, and finished off the rest of the milk. “I just need to be alone for a bit, I think.” Giving Luna a pat, Mirelle put her glass on the coffee table and made her way back to her room, Luna watching her sadly, at a loss as to what she should do. She hurt. She hurt so much. But she didn’t know why, or what to do about it. = ^ . . ^ = The night was clear, the air sharp, stars twinkling in the sky as the full moon bathed the land in its pale reflections, and it was far more alive outside than it had any right to be. Because it was that night, because people wanted an excuse to dress up and drink, and because, perhaps, the magic was making subtle pushes in that direction. Luna made her way down the street, walking on the footpath but very much ignored, as much a part of the night as everyone else. Kids in a myriad of costumes banging on doors, asking for candy, rowdy adults with bottles in their hands standing around bonfires or stumbling down the streets. And then there were those ones that had actually made an effort, their costumes enjoyable, perhaps even believable, most walking towards one destination or another. There were plenty of private parties, and the Fae Illurance that was being held in the middle of town as it was every year, which was where she was heading. She always went to watch, something of a ritual now, but usually she went alone. Once upon a time, Mirelle would have gone with her, but over the last few years, it had just been her. She was sad about that, but it was Mirelle’s night too, and Luna couldn’t begrudge her how she spent it. It got busier the closer she got, Luna having to be a lot more cautious as to where she walked. She could do without being stood on. Eventually, deciding she’d had enough, she took to the fences. She had the balance and finesse after all, quickly walking along one and then hopping to the next, her sleek form and glossy black fur glinting in the moonlight. It was a better view from here too, though she did have to go back to ground level to cross the streets. The group was an interesting one, her attention drawn to them, Luna stopping to watch them at the corner of one of the streets. More guys than girls, some in costume, some not. And too much beer between them. A zombie, a skeleton, two vampires, and a witch. Firelight reflected off them as they stood around it, enjoying its warmth, talking happily amongst themselves. Well, almost all of them. One of the unimaginative guys and the zombie girl were off to one side, almost out of sight, sharing a stealth kiss. And the guy, no, girl witch, who was looking in their direction, trying their best to hide a pained expression. Understanding flowed through her, Luna giving a little hiss of pain. Ouch, that was so unfair. Tonight, of all nights, when the girl had finally taken the plunge, and for that to happen. She was at the start of a tough journey, she’d need all the support that she could get. Not to have it stripped from her. Luna shook her head, her whiskers tingling. The comments of some of the other guys in the group weren’t helping either. Snide, disrespectful, phobic comments. Apparently for this group, alcohol didn’t bring out any kindness. There was some shame there too, that she’d dressed up like this, and that it had gone this way. Rejection stung more than any blade. She couldn’t help it, the pain stabbing at her, mixing in with what she was already carrying, anger flaring red and hot. She didn’t think, just acted, the wisps of magic brushing her sides as she used her magic. A flicker of flame that somehow danced out of the fire, singeing the t-shirt of one of the guys, who yelped in surprise, spilling his beer all over another one. Who then tripped over the cooler that was now behind him, landing in a damp patch of grass where some ice had been tipped and melted. And the hose that obviously hadn’t been properly turned off, surging to life and spraying the stealth kissing pair in a saturating mist. Luna didn’t really feel any better, dropping her head and walking away, down the street. It wouldn’t make it any better for the girl, nothing would really. Not with those around her tonight at least. ‘Did it help?’ Luna started, looking up to find an ash-grey wolf standing in front of her, looking at her with its crystal blue eyes. ‘No,’ she muttered in reply, staring back down at the grass. ‘You know that we’re not meant to do things like that, but you are the most subtle that I’ve seen.’ Luna couldn’t tell if she was being told off or complimented. The wolf had a nice voice, though. Powerful, but kind of sweet, and delicate too. ‘They deserved it, with the way they were treating her,’ she eventually mumbled back, still staring at the ground, neither of them moving. She could feel the wolf looking over her, at where she had come from. ‘Perhaps. But who are we to judge?’ Luna didn’t have anything to say. ‘Why are you so angry?’ Luna looked back up at the wolf, and glared, said anger firing back up red hot. ‘No one deserves to be treated like that, especially her. Not now, of all times.’ ‘Is that all of it? There’s nothing else going on?’ ‘Who are you to ask?’ Luna hissed at the wolf. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her, she just was someone that she didn’t know. Another witch’s familiar. ‘Would you like to talk about it? While we watch the Fae Illurance perhaps? We won’t see much from here.’ Someone she didn’t know. But her voice was kind, soothing. Caring. She was like her, and perhaps she could use the company. ‘I guess,’ she finally relented. = ^ . . ^ = The view from the balcony was nice, overlooking the main street, just high enough that they could see everyone without being seen themselves. The wolf had somehow managed to get up here as well, without any effort or being seen. Magic, of course. But even still, it surprised her, especially given her size, but Luna wasn’t complaining. Large gas fires dotted the length of the street, bathing the sea of people in their orange glow and providing some warmth. Warmth a-plenty that she was currently getting from the wolf, as she lay there curled up and snuggled up against her. She’d just done it on instinct, and the wolf hadn’t complained at all. It was nice. Comforting. Since when had she been so desiring of touch? There were a lot of good costumes down there, Luna distracting herself as she watched the people. A time for people to dress up and indulge. A time for people to experiment a little. And for some, a time to openly be themselves. In many different ways. The parade hadn’t started yet, but she was looking forward to it. She just wished that Mirelle was here to watch it with her. A flash. A glimpse of something, Luna’s tail twitching. She’d participated before, hadn’t she. More than once. ‘What happened?’ Luna looked up at the wolf, her ash-grey fur reflecting silver in the light of the streets. She was actually quite a beautiful creature. ‘What is your name?’ she asked instead of answering. If she was going to talk about it, she wanted to know who she was. ‘Naomi. Yours?’ That wasn’t at all what she had been expecting. It was very... well, human, she guessed. She stared back down at the street some more before she eventually answered. ‘Luna.’ ‘That’s a nice name. It suits you.’ Luna blushed, letting her focus get lost in the dancing flames of one of the gas fires. They were mesmerising, chaotic, wild and free. Dangerous too. She’d managed to get herself burnt once, on one of those. It had never really healed properly. ‘My witch brought a lover home.’ ‘Does she not often do that?’ No accusations, just curiosity and kindness. ‘Once every month or two?’ It was regular, but Luna wasn’t the best at keeping track of days. It looked like she really was going to tell Naomi. ‘Never the same?’ ‘Never the same. But it’s always special ones on nights like this.’ ‘Was it good?’ Luna growled back at that one, not dignifying it with an answer. Of course it had been. That’s what it was always like for familiars. She’d never felt it any other way in this form. Naomi gave out a light chuckle. ‘Sorry. That probably wasn’t the smartest question.’ ‘No, it wasn’t,’ Luna huffed. ‘Were you jealous?’ Luna blinked in surprise, turning her head and staring at the wolf, her whiskers being tickled by her companion’s hair. ‘No...’ she started, and then stopped. Was she? Perhaps she was. She always felt it when Mirelle brought another girl home, and took her to her bed. Some part of her wanted that to be her, but that was an impossibility. She was a familiar, after all. But she had lain before. She had an understanding of what it was like. She cringed, paws over her head as she tried to concentrate, to bring her stray thoughts back into place. ‘Maybe,’ she then admitted, before she had the chance to change her mind. ‘Is that part of why you raged earlier, do you think? Bottling emotions away isn’t healthy.’ No. There had been a lot more to it than that. A sense of familiarity. A shared pain. ‘Maybe.’ That was the easiest answer to give. ‘You love her, don’t you, your witch?’ ‘Don’t all?’ She was a little confused at that one. Of course she did. With all her heart. She cared for Mirelle more than anything. She meant everything to her. It was part of being a familiar, after all. ‘No. I don’t. I barely tolerate my witch at the best of times.’ Luna just stared at Naomi. That was hard to grasp, to believe. She’d always loved her after all. From the moment that she’d met her. Back when she’d... Her head hurt something wicked. Too many thoughts vying for attention, memories that flickered and flittered, a jumbled mess that she couldn’t make any sense of. The music from Fae Illurance that had been playing quietly in the background was now far too loud and unbearable, the night both too hot and too cold. Nothing was right. She felt off kilter. She felt lost. Even if Mirelle didn’t need her, right now, she needed her witch. ‘I have to go.’ She pulled herself away from Naomi, standing up and instantly missing the feeling of the other. It had been nice. Too nice, perhaps. Naomi gave her a soft look, her eyes deep and reflecting the lights of the stars. ‘Be careful, Luna.’ Luna just nodded as she took a few steps, and then leapt onto the top of the railing that surrounded the balcony, landing perfectly in spite of the way she was feeling. ‘By the way,’ Luna stopped at the sound of Naomi’s voice, something about it calling her attention, ‘most witches do not manifest animalistic features. It’s almost exclusively the domain of familiars.’ ‘They don't?’ That just made her more confused. Mirelle had always manifested them when the ambient magic was strong, or when at the height of her emotions. But she hadn’t always, had she. Not when they’d first met. ‘No. It's actually something quite special.’ ‘Oh.’ She stared, trying to process that, when it clicked. ‘You were her, the one who she slept with tonight?’ The ears, her voice, that feeling about her, it all fit. Yet she was a familiar, and familiars were all animals in form. Were they? Had she always been this way? She couldn’t wear a dress like this. ‘Even through it all, she was so sad and lonely.’ Naomi shifted, changing before Luna’s eyes, till the lady from earlier in the night was standing before her. The cute hoodie, tight pants, the ash-silver wolf ears. She was still just as beautiful. Naomi stood, leaning against the railing and looking down at the revellers. “I was just a substitute for what she really wanted. Needed.” She gave Luna a sad look. “What is it that you went through, that caused you to seal so much away?” Pain. Grief. Rejection. But not from her. Never from her. It had just been too much. Luna shook her head, failing to dislodge the mess that was in there. She looked down at the crowd, then back to Naomi. ‘I hope that, perhaps, we might meet again,’ she said, before she jumped down. She hadn’t always been Luna, had she. She had always wanted to be, though. There was the brief grunt from a man dressed as a zombie as she used him as an intermediary platform, her landing a little too heavy. Then she jumped again, landing on the ground, all but running her way through the crowd, her vision a little hazy. She’d been through it all too, hadn’t she? The pain, the suffering. The journey. It had started even before she’d known the truth of it all. Just some wishes and fantasies. For the first time, she no longer wanted to be here, watching it. At least, not alone. She didn’t want to be alone. She needed her. Desperately. She skirted around legs, past stalls and under parked cars. At least there was no traffic here, the area cordoned off. The last time she’d been in one, she’d barely even looked at where they’d been travelling. She’d felt shame and loss. And judgement, even though it had been Halloween. For being her. For who she’d chosen as her friends. It had caused a rift, and had forced her to make a choice. She tore down the streets like hell was after her, paying little heed to the shouts of the children, barely pausing when she crossed the roads. She just wanted to be back home. They’d met when they were young, together for a little bit, and then separating. Then getting back together again. She’d always liked her, wanted to be with her, but peer pressure and bullying were hard to deal with. Because they’d both been different from everyone else. Their tastes, presentation, beliefs. The things that lurked in the background. It wasn’t far to go now, her body aching something fierce from the effort. She hadn’t run this fast in a long time. Probably not since track at school. Luna slowed down a little, taking more care. Even though this area was quieter, away from the centre of town, there were still people out celebrating the night. Or just having fun. Mirelle had always been there beside her, through it all, helping her. They’d spent so much time together after they’d graduated. Gotten close. Luna skidded to a halt as she finally made it to their address, and then pelted down the windy path that led to their home, the temperature suddenly dropping, leaves crunching underfoot. The house was dark with the exception of the glow leaking past the curtains of the lounge. She took the front steps two at a time, panting as she reached the door, placing her hand on the door handle, turning it, and pushing it open. They’d both been so excited when they’d performed the ritual, the magic flowing around them in mesmerising patterns. But then there had been tears. So many tears. “Luna?” Mirelle blinked, surprise splashed all over her face as she sat up. She’d been sitting in Luna’s spot on the sofa, still dressed only in the oversized tee. “Mirelle...” Luna tried to speak, to say more, but she couldn’t, rooted to the floor as emotions surged up within her, tears welling up in her eyes. Mirelle looked so radiant, so beautiful. And lonely. “You.. do you...?” Mirelle’s ears tilted, hope on her face as she stared back. Hope that she didn’t want to fade. Hope that Luna wanted to make more than real. Luna forced herself to move, closing the remaining distance in a heartbeat and throwing herself into Mirelle’s arms, both of them falling into the sofa in a tangled mess. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she cried as she buried her face in Mirelle’s neck, wrapping her arms around her tightly, as Mirelle replied in like, her tail wrapping around her leg. She wanted to stay like this. In her embrace. She felt a hand shift up to her head, giving it a pat. And then another. And a few more. That was nice. She liked that too. She always had. “You changed forms, and are very naked...” What of it? Couldn’t all familiars do that? It just meant that she could hug her better. And kiss her. Be hers. Luna snuggled in more, tears still flowing. “Does that mean...” “...that I remember now?” Luna finished off for her as she lifted herself up, staring down at Mirelle, her witch. At her beautiful lavender eyes that were returning the gaze, moist lips that had almost broken into a smile. No, she was much more to her than that, if she’d have her back. She’d all but run away, even if she hadn’t meant to. Even if she hadn’t known why. Perhaps all the emotions at once had been too much. She wasn’t going to let that happen again though. She couldn’t. For herself. And for Mirelle. “I’m sorry,” Luna repeated, her tears staining Mirelle’s face. “It wasn’t what...” A finger touched her lips, shushing her. “Don’t tear yourself up over it. You always did that too much.” She had, and then Mirelle had taken over for her, carrying the pain instead. Luna licked the finger, giggling a little as Mirelle pulled it back. That they had done a lot since the ritual. She quickly went serious again as she looked down at Mirelle, at how beautiful she was. More so now than she’d ever been. The cat features... they really suited her. “Am I...” Luna hesitated, needing to know, but unsure if she should ask. So much had happened over the years since the ritual. So many people. Yet Mirelle still carried that sadness. And only the two of them had remained. “Am I still the one?” she finally managed as she looked off to the side. “Luna.” She felt a hand on her face, bringing her gaze back to her witch. “You never stopped being the one.” The smile on her face was so radiant. So beautiful. And then it fell away as Mirelle looked away. “And yet...” It was Luna’s turn to place a finger on Mirelle’s lips, leaving it there for but a moment before she delicately ran it across her lower lip and then lifted it away. She leaned back in close as she wrapped her own tail around Mirelle’s, Mirelle’s breath hot on her face, her scent oh so sweet. She could feel things stir within her, things that she’d forgotten about for so long. “Can we kiss?” “Oh, honey. That, and so much more,” Mirelle stated as their lips touched, and then got even closer. It was everything that she’d remembered, and so much more, Luna purring as she lost herself to the sensation, and then to everything that followed. Lost, but not gone. Never again. She was truly with Mirelle again. With her ‘the one’. And she couldn’t be happier. mogust Thanks for reading. I hope that you enjoyed the story. More of my works can be found here on Scribblehub, and if you'd like to support my writing, please consider my Patreon, or check out my books on Amazon.

"Oh noio." "Huh? What's wrong?" My roommate asked as she came over to me with a concerned look on her face. I stepped back on impulse. "Why did I only remember this now?" I thought. I had already recovered my past life memories three years ago, but I didn't realize my knowledge of that otome game would come in handy! What was the name again? Objects of Affection, was it? In the game, you played as the adopted daughter of a poor baron who was sent to an all girls boarding school for nobles. Despite her lowly status, the heroine was the type of person who can excel at anything she sets her mind on. Not only that, but her red hair and silver eyes, an extremely rare combination, made her stand out. The only shame was well, her name, though to be fair, all the other characters were named after objects as well, and you could change the heroine's name as you played. (You still had to deal with the other characters' object names however). Thinking back on it, my name, Bubble, should have tipped me off that this was the world of that otome game, but I just assumed that was a nickname my parents used for me. Now, however... Seeing the game's heroine, Pin Vaillant, (luckily this world's last names, at least, are legitimate) brought back my memories of the game. "Bubble Auclair" wasn't a character in the original otome game, so at first, I didn't think there was any need to be worried. However, the nameless roommate of the heroine, a minor character with little presence and betrays the heroine out of jealousy, was in fact a character. As a minor villainess, the heroine's dorm-mate had only a minor downfall as compared to what happened to the real villainesses whom she served as a spy for. I know it would be easy for me to just be a genuine friend to Pin and never betray her, however... a girl like her, who is bound to turn heads wherever she goes... to be with someone like her, there's bound to be jealous people around her who would like to use someone like me against her! Even in my past life, I've never been good with conflict or standing up for myself, so if possible, I would like to not get involved with anything that could lead to trouble. This may be the coward's way out but I kind of want to switch dorms... While I was lost in my thoughts, Pin started speaking, snapping me back to reality. "Ah, right, you must not have wanted to share a dorm with a baron's daughter," she said, shying back. "Ah- no, it's not that!" I said hastily, feeling rather guilty. Right, even though Pin seemed so confident (which, as the heroine of an otome game, she had every right to be), she actually had a hidden insecure side, particularly in regards to her social status. All thoughts of running away were immediately discarded. Even though I'm not looking down on her, my real reason for almost requesting a room switch is still selfish. "I'm not one of the higher up nobles like a duke's daughter or a daughter of a marquise. I'm just a count's daughter and a simple one at that!" "What do you mean, simple?" Pin asked, looking confused. Well, most noble ladies wouldn't call themselves simple, but I have long since accepted that I am. As a nameless side character in an otome game, I had an incredibly average face, along with my hair just being a common shade of black. My round blue eyes were slightly cute, I'll admit, but I paled in comparison to most other noble girls I saw. Even in my past life, I was like this, an average person who wouldn't stand out in any way whatsoever. I never really had any particular talents either, nor did I have the confidence or attitude to stand out. "I mean, what right do I have to look down on others?" I continued. "The only outstanding thing about myself is the fact that I'm Count Auclair's daughter, and even that isn't my own doing. So uh, if you ever consider yourself unworthy of being here at this school, you still probably deserve to be here more than me." For a few moments, Pin just remained silent before shaking her head. "No, that's a lie. There is something outstanding about you." Her sharp silver eyes met mine for a moment, making me realize how the capture targets of the game must have felt. "A few hours ago, this girl who introduced herself as Lady Flower Escoffier told me that I was but a commoner who just so happened to get the sympathy of a poor baron and that this school was only for 'true nobles' like herself." "Ah, that's right," I thought. "I'm only a minor villainess, but Lady Flower, the daughter of Duke Escoffier, was one of the main villainesses. I get that she wants to throw her status around, but should you really be introducing yourself to a person you will be bullying? Well, not that it's right to bully anyone in the first place, but your fiancée could overhear, you know? And I'm sure- no I played this game before so I know- that your fiancée wouldn't like to be engaged to someone who likes to bully others... Well, you might think that Crown Princess Lollipop wouldn't care and considering her attitude, I don't blame you for thinking that, but this is an otome game world, one where true love conquers all. She'll soon change her tune." Pin seemed to have not noticed that I had temporarily zoned out, for she continued. "And then when I got away from her, more nobles came to taunt me. Honestly, I didn't think I would make any friends here." However, she soon smiled and gently took my hands. "But you're so humble and friendly. I don't think you're unworthy of attending this school at all, Lady Aclair. In fact, I think this school needs more people like you. So, I hope we can be friends." She let go of my hands and curtsied. "My name is Pin Vaillant. It's a pleasure to meet you." As I looked into her shining silver eyes, I couldn't even think to say no to that hopeful face. How cruel the original owner of my body must be to betray Pin when she made her that face! I made up my mind to always stay her friend. Sure, the  capture targets will keep her company later on, but for now, she needs to know that she's not alone. Besides, there's no harm in befriending one more person, right? I curtsied in return. "Likewise. My name is Bubble Auclair."

Last time  Mike turns his head and looks out his window to see a human with a police badge on the window saying "open up and I just want to talk" Mike's eyes widened as he thought this guy probably knows about my fights oh who am I kiddin this guy knows but he just wants to talk. Mike calmed down and eyes went back to half closed and started the van and rolled down the window "what do you want uhhh"he said shairply the human was taken aback by the voice of Mike being a low gravely sound the female officer stammered "uhh-h I-I *ahem* I am here to recruit you as a new unit at anti-Salvo investigation unit so do you want to come with me or I can arrest you for illegal Salvo fighting" Mike paused then thought for a moment then said "sure why not it is not like I can escape or anything"  Now this time     Mike was worried as he looked at the police officer and back at his steering wheel. I could probably run away because the car is started and- Mike's thoughts was cut off by the police officer saying "if you run you will have a warrant put out for your arrest okay" Mike stammered in his head "so why don't you come with me now okay" said the officer. Mike thought about his chances and what he could do. I don't do drugs I don't do anything illegal other than the Salvo fighting so I think my greatest chance is. "Sure I have nothing to do so yeah sure, but I will follow you to the police station and I will sleep there and talk in the morning how about that" . The officer thought then looked at the moon which is in the middle of the sky she looked back at Mike then said "sure seems fine" she looked back at a police car with someone in it and said into her radio "hey Gary why don't you drive the car back I am going to drive with the Salvo okay" Mike froze. I can't get away can I,  but this deal maybe good though so maybe I should do it yeah Mike spoke "get in if you're coming with me then" the officer walked around and got in as Mike rolled up his window and sighed as she got in the van. I should probably introduce my self right ? "My name is Mike it's  nice to meet you I guess" the officer looked at Mike and then "my name is officer Elizabeth Rosewell nice to meet you Mike" she says this as she puts her hand out to shake. Mike looked at her hand then put his glove covered hand out and shook her hand "guess it is rose" Mike responded now able to look at her fully. Wow she is pretty short with her in a bun as well mmmmmh she fits her outfit really well anyway "so you going to give me instructions to the a.s.i.u headquarters or what huh" Mike said in a bored tired voice the police officer stammered " o-o-oh ri-ri-right its that she pointed in the north exit of the parking lot.  [30 minutes later] So this is the place of the a.s.i.u huh hehe this is a very shiny place to Mike thought "so park over there" rose said as she pointed towards the gate that looks like it leads to a underground area. "Okay" Mike commented as he drove to that area and the gate opened for him as he drove through into the underground parking lot " just over there in that corner and park please" rose said while pointing into a corner of the parking lot of the a.s.i.u.  Mike drive to the spot and parked turning off the van as he did this rose stepped out and told Mike who was walking around the back of the van about to open it up and go in "you stay here and if you don't we will find and we will arrest you okay" "Crystal" Mike replied he got in and closed the back doors of the van as rose walked off into the door that leads inside. Mike started to take off his pants showing his bandages that are on his charcoal like skin and throwing the pants on the ground. He still has his shorts on underneath he set his backpack off to the side as he takes off his jacket and placing near the van door.    I open my backpack and I take out my extra bandages, money, and boxing gloves. I started counting my money allowed "100 200 400 500 678 dollars" I continuing "well that's pretty good if I don't say so myself but it is going to be the last of the fightin money though so" I sayed in a moppy voice. "Well I am off to bed" I mumbled and with a  *THUMP*  I landed on my bed taking my blanket and putting it on in a very lazy way and dosing off allowing sleep to take me.  Fire, trees burning people burning to a crisp as they scream blood pours the streets and boils away. A child screaming as he is laying over a burnt corpse smoking and sizzling as the fire behind rises and screams in fury as it forms as a Humanoid fire takes form behind the child with bright red eyes. It roars a hunting call as the child looks behind him seeing the embers rise of the Humanoid and the burnt corpse's behind him the Humanoid launch's at the kid in a roar and the kid screams.  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. What!!!!?!? w-w-what!?!?! huh" Mike looks around as he rose from his bed and his fiery head is bigger and brighter with bits of blue running throughout his head he looks around with huffs and expatriated breaths. Mike got off his bed and scrambled to looked in the mirror. "Sh-it-it I need to ca-ca-lm dow-n" Mike said with a shake in his voice. Mike breathed in and out to calmed down, his flames shortened and the blue disappeared and he calmed down "okay what time is it" Mike looked at the clock by his bed "oh shiiiiiiii" the clock read 12:59 "fuck shit fuck shit shit" Mike ran around in his van scrambling to put on pants jacket and other clothing things  [1 hour later] Mike exited the parking lot going towards the integration rooms with rose behind him going forward with him to make sure he won't run. Mike looked around the area seeing multiple people and Salvo's some in uniform while some in cuffs but one who was talking with chocolate milk and a laptop for a face it was speaking, Mike listened in on the laptop Salvo. "So viral how was your day man" said the man to the laptop Salvo " not bad not bad could go for more milk though so ye-" viral got cut off by multiple people saying "NO" the officer in front of him started " no one wants to see you consume an entire carton of milk okay last time you did that jack had to go to therapy you remember that huh" viral looks down in sadness as his laptop screen goes from the emoticon to a sad emoticon "that's what I thought". The talking gets muffled out as Mike walked into the interigation room with rose.     I sit down ready for this so called deal that they are going to give me so let's see what they offer "okay" said rose "I have you here to talk with the head of this department to cut a deal with you" "sure" Mike mumbled as soon as he said that the door swung open and hits the wall. A man that looks to be in his mid 40s walks in with some people behind him all heavy Salvo's the old man with his beard and all walks over to the table and sits down across from me and with file in hand sets it down infront of me the file says Mike on the front. " Wow you got my name so surprising" I said with my usual sarcastic expression "funny" said the old man "my name is Jason chief of the a.s.i.u. okay and I am here to cut you a deal" the old man spoke with a veteran like voice. It did not surprise me though he looked like it. "So the deal we are making for you is beneficial for you and others alright" Jason said. Mike replied " well I really don't have a choice, but I would love to hear the details about it". The old man started " well I can see that you are not in the mood so all you need to know is that you work with us and we ignore everything you have ever done so how about it" Mike thought for a second "hmmm" Mike sighed "fuck it we have a deal" 

     This world is normal well other than the Salvo's, people you have powers or other types of extremities. The thing is Salvo's are still human but they don't look like it. if you are a salvo you look different for example, horns , scales, made of metal or fire, but there is a levels of Salvo's there medium Salvo's and heavy Salvo's.          Medium Salvo's have horns or extra appendage's but heavy Salvo's are different they can have stuff from medium Salvo's but they can control elements but of course only one element per Salvo.          This is how it is in this world you may think that's wonderful but being a Salvo is not that great because there is only 150 million Salvo's in the world and in some place they don't exist because they are hunted down like they are monsters. Salvo's face a lot of discrimination because of they way we look we look different to the regular human.                            This is why the city of malva exist it is a city where people and Salvo's can live in peace it has its down sides because of power hungry Salvo's robing and hurting others but we get by with the asiu, the anti-Salvo investigation unit used to take down Salvo's who break the law but that's enough of that this story is about a certain heavy Salvo who lives in his van. The sun is in the middle of the sky as a lonely van is in the middle of an abandoned parking lot. The van is abnormally large and the sound of snoring could be heard from the inside of the van as a heavy Salvo snoring with his mouth agape and head on fire but oddly not setting the pillow or anything on fire. The salvo rolls off the bed and hitting the ground with a  *THUMP* The sleepy salvo "AM AWAKE!!! am awake?  uuuuh oh" says in a low gravely voice as he gets up and fixes his bed as he stands up he hits his head on the top of the van "ow" he sighs like this happens every morning. When he is fixing his bed he looks to not have a neck like his flame of a head is just hovering above the shoulders as it is flat across shoulder to shoulder as loose white t-shirt has a neck hole but no neck to hug.  As he finishes fixing his bed he take a long stretch while hitting the roof and a cabinet or two on the way. He finishes his stretch with a satisfying sigh and bends down again slumping his shoulders again and scratches his back and yawning as he walks to a drawer a takes out some pants that looks made up of a material that is different that most clothes and puts them on over his shorts he had on during his sleep as he gets his pants on. His skin or what we can see from as his body is covered in thick layers of bandages all except the area where his neck is supposed to be, his body consists of a charcoal like substance that looks like a black like color but a much darker black.  Once he gets his pants on they look worn  out like there the only pair he wears, ignoring the piles of clothes overflowing the basket. He gets his gloves on which are made of a material that looks uncommon for gloves and a jacket that is the same. He sighs as he gets his bag and starts to put some stuff into it and he says aloud "boxing gloves, bandages, glasses, note book, wallet oh that goes in my pocket, but first I need to count my money from last night's fights" he says this as he grabs a packet that is orange in color and opens it counting the money in his head. "Okay I got 160" he sighs "welp it is not that much as last time but it will do" he mumbled "anyway I need to get some gas I think well time to go" he says as he opens the door of the van in the back gets out and closes it.  His face being monotone if he had a normal face you can only see is eyes half closed. He walks around the van towards the front of it, his head almost coming over the top of the van. He opens the front driver door and gets in sitting down placing the backpack in the passenger seat and slumping in his seat he turns on the van and puts his seat belt on and drives off the parking lot and onto a road and going right onto the highway going down it a ways then turning off and then left he drives infront of a bar and parks getting out with his backpack and locking the van and starts walking towards the back where there is a metal door the Salvo knocks. *SLIDE* the slit on the door opens and a set of cat like eyes open only looking at a chest it looks up and sees his flaming head and says "password" the Salvo sighs and then goes "bookworm" the cat Salvo then say " wrong that's Tuesday's password ". The fire Salvo sighs putting his hand on his nose if he had one and sighs "you got this Mike you got this it's Thursday right, yeah, yeah it's Rockymint right, yeah"  The doors slit closed and the door swings open the cat Salvo greets Mike " hey man how's it goi'n " as the cat Salvo says this he reaches out his hand while Mike does so as well they grip each others hands and pull in on each other and pat each other on the back and pull back Mike then goes on " yeah I am doi'n pretty good man" " that's good that's good " replied the cat Salvo "anyway" the cat Salvo continuing " you here for the fights as usual " " yeah you know me to well scratch " Mike replied " so who am I fight'in today scratch " " oh yeah you're fighting against this bull Salvo at nine tonight " said scratch "oh that's what in 8 hours " said Mike " yeah you kinda showed up early man " replied scratch Mike goes on " yeah I got to do my work outs and practice them bull Salvo's are huge even for me " " yeah"said scratch negatively as scratch closes the door and goes back to his small chair. Mike then goes throughout the belly of this underground fight club going past a windowed corridor seeing people and Salvo's cheering and screaming booing and cheering, raising money in the air with their first while two Salvo's fight a bear one and the other a moose big in size and power fighting each other they through punch's the bear throwing a right hook solid and knocks out the moose Salvo and raises his hands in the air and roaring a victory scream with the crowd going with them.          Mike exits the windowed corridor going into a locker room getting his backpack of his back and setting it down onto the bench he starts to bring out a clothes and changing into them and putting things on and into the locker labeled "the fireman" on it. Mike now wearing a tank top and long basketball shorts and his boxing gloves off the side and him unwrapping the bandages from his arms and legs as he does this his arms charcoal like substance starts to crack and steam and so does his legs, the cracks showing a charcoal red becoming more red a crimson. The steam turns to smoke and the smoke comes out slowly as he finishes by putting the bandages into his locker and he puts on his boxing gloves as his hands still have bandages on them. He gets up as he walks out after closing the locker he passes the bear salvo on his way out him towering over the bear Salvo by a couple of inches the bear Salvo looks up at him almost afraid of him and swings himself on the wall to get out of Mike's way Mike sighs and walks on he goes deeper into the bowels of this underground fighting arena and enters another windowed corridor showing another fight going on but instead of a professional looking ring it shows a water tank with two aquatic type Salvo's in it and fighting one being a shark Salvo the other being a swordfish Salvo Mike was seeing the final strike as the swordfish Salvo shoving it's sword like nose into the shark Salvo making the shark Salvo going down and sinking. The people cheering and booing that the shark Salvo lost. Mike exited the windowed corridor going down an inclosed hallway with doors running down each sides of the corridor one two doors being open Mike passes one and sees the moose Salvo from before being bandaged up and cleaned in what looks to be a makeshift doctor's office. Mike enters the other door and enters what looks like a gym type of area where multiple people are working out and mock fighting in the ring in the center he goes over and starts working out and punching the practice dummies every time he punches the dummies a singe mark is left as his heat burns the surface  [Several hours later]  Mike is sitting waiting in a dark room with muffled cheering and screaming then in a muffled announcer voice "ladies, gentlemen, and Salvo this is what you have been waiting for the fight of legends!!, in now introducing the the twisting tornado!!, the blast from the country!!, THE MIDTOWN BULLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!" Mike hears the screaming the cheering and the booing from random people in the crowds.  The anoucer goes off again "and the other fighter for tonight many of you know him from last night, the flaming demon!!!" Mike stands up and walks to the door and starts warming up "the hellfire of Kansas!!!" Mike's arms and legs cracks start to expand and glow hotter "THE FIREMANNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!" Mike runs out of the doors and flys to the center of the ring with his fire arms and legs alight as well as his shirt burning away Revealing his chest set with flames and he raise his hands in the air as he lands flawlessly, then the crowd goes wild cheering and screaming with fists of cash in hand. Mike lowers his hands and stares at the bull salva towering over like the bear by a couple of inches. "The round starts in 3...2...ONEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" The announcer shouts as he flys away with his wings.          The bull salvo runs at Mike trying to run him over Mike dodges and punches the bull in the sides with great power and heat. The bull winces in pain the tries to punch Mike and lands it punching multiple times but when he stop he looks at his hands and they are singed from Mike's chest and heat alone, Mike looking down on the bull Salvo punched the bull knocking the bull Salvo down, Mike got on top of of the bull Salvo punched him his punches hitting like a hammer on an anvil. fire shot back from the impact of Mike's punches on the bull Salvo's chest and face beating the bull down while the crowd is screaming with a mix of cheering and booing. Mike kept punching for 5 minutes solid when he stopped the bull Salvo, blooded and burnt, had already got knocked out from the first couple of punches. Mike stood up raising his hands in the air making his fire blast up and making the crowd cheer louder than before he stops and goes back to the door he exited going straight back to the locker room.  [1 hour later] Mike is back in his van back in the abandoned parking lot in his regular clothes and bandages grabbing his backpack from his passenger seat about to get out until. *KNOCK* *KNOCK* Mike turns his head and looks out his window to see a human with a police badge on the window saying "open up and I just want to talk" Mike's eyes widened as he thought this guy probably knows about my fights oh who am I kiddin this guy knows but he just wants to talk. Mike calmed down and eyes went back to half closed and started the van and rolled down the window "what do you want uhhh"he said shairply the human was taken aback by the voice of Mike being a low gravely sound the female officer stammered "uhh-h I-I *ahem* I am here to recruit you as a new unit at anti-Salvo investigation unit so do you want to come with me or I can arrest you for illegal Salvo fighting" Mike paused then thought for a moment then said "sure why not it is not like I can escape or anything"  unlucky_dullan This is my first actual novel I am writing and not something I thought of once so I hope that this will be better than I think it will be. And if you any advice I will be happy to accept it.

Apologies for the prolonged hiatus. I am back now? Still no updates yet... Planning on taking down all of my stories and moving to another site. Thinking of Wattpad but we'll have to see. Might not change at all either, who knows. I might go back to writing again, but that depends on life too, and I'll be posting sporadically even then. Since I have a lot of stories I would probably "freeze" progress of some stories until later while working on others, or maybe just delete them.  Anyway, it's been a while. I actually forgot about this all. Will update when I figure it all out.

Link: Transmigration of An Abnormal One [Quick Transmigration] - LíngShān - Wattpad Username: @LiuLingShan

'Another fucking scar' Orion hissed in pain as his fingertips touched his lips, His lips were definitely split open at the corner. Before he could recover from the first punch he felt another one in the guts, Resulting in air escaping his lungs, On his knees, he clutched his abdomen in pain.‘Agh’ Instead of words, saliva spewed out of his mouth. Tears threatening to fall, He hastily rubbed his eyes with his free hand, The last thing he wanted was to let the bastards in front of him see his weakness, as pathetic it sounded, pride was the only thing he had and he was going to held onto it tightly, They would have to tear his arms off before taking away his pride. Make no mistake, he knew only powerful people had the right to hold pride. But as they say, desperate people would clutch onto anything for even a little hope, Even if they make their life even harder.He was scared, really scared. He knew every single one of the 5 bullies in front of him could beat him with ease, let alone all at once, Especially fat Billy in front of him. By this point even he knew that it was fruitless to fight back, He should as well give up and let them swing a few punches, Hopefully, he might get away with just minor bruises.But one thing overtook his fear completely, anger, yes he was angry, Not on the billies, but himself, his weakness. The pain just fueled that fury even more, But he could do nothing and he knew it just like he could do nothing when he goes home where his alcoholic father would went his anger on him. He wished he had more power, Power to protect himself, Power to make anyone think twice before lifting even their eyes at him.He took a deep breath to satisfy his carving lungs with oxygen and charged right at Billy, Yes charging towards him, not running away from him. He rammed his skinny shoulder right into the torso of fat billy in front of him. The impact felt like he just ran into a wall rather than a person, that bastard didn’t move an inch. As he said, weak people can't afford prideHis shoulder still resting on his opponent's abdomen, He began to throw clumsily punches at Billy, He didn’t care where the punches landed, all that mattered was to hurt the fat kid in front of him.Billy just swung his elbow onto Orion’s spine making the skinny kid instantly drop on his knees. Orion let out a silent cry, arching his back inwards due to pain, revealing his chest to his opponent and ‘tump’He felt another impact on his chest which sent him flying on his back, His head hitting the asphalt which left him in a daze. Then came the kicks, The other 4 had also joined Billy. His stomach, legs, chest, Everything hurts All Orion could do was curl himself up and continue to take the kicks. He didn’t know how long it lasted, But the kicks stopped, Billy’s followed“Ok that’s enough, Let’s get out of here,’Orion just remained down on the ground, his head finally started to process his situation. He felt a sharp object which Orion could only make out was a rock in his right hand. He opened his eyes and all he could see was blurry silhouettes of the retreating gang of Billy.With his last desperate attempt, he picked up the rock with whatever strength he had left and threw it in the general direction of the silhouettes.‘Ahhh’ It was billy’s voice, a wide smile slowly spread throughout his bloody face.‘Take that, you bastard,’Before he knew it, a kick came smashing his face and Orion knew no more..the next time he opened his eyes, The sky has already darkened, the streets light were probably about to light up and there were less people on the streets. But Orion was in no hurry, He just continued to lay there looking at the darkening sky with his hopeless grey eyes. What was he going to do at home anyway, Other than getting beaten by that drunk bastard he calls father. Orion wondered how long will it go on, How long will he get beaten every day. How long will he continue to fight a losing battle every single day of his life? Was he doomed to be the one who goes down first? Did his hard work meant nothing? Even after all those exercises, pull-ups and push up. Billy and his little gang still manage to beat him with ease.Even with the slightest movement pain soured through his body especially his ribs. His chicks trembled a little bit as tears began to flow down his eyes. It was fine to cry now, no one was looking, Not that anyone would care anyway.‘Get up you bastard, Orion Blackneal never gives up,’ As pathetic and illogical it sounded. It was probably the only thing that kept Orion going in his little miserable life. It was probably the only thing that tricked him away from dispairing in this hopeless life. He didn’t know how long these pathic excuses of a slogan would last, Orion knew it was just a matter of time before it stops working, After all, he couldn't fool himself forever. Pushing himself up while trying to ignore all the pain that he was feeling right now, He tried to support himself with the alley wall.'ack'But despite trying to control his screams, A pained moan still managed to escape his mouth before a dry cough followed by a chock. Apparently, the blood has dried up in his broken nose and he couldn’t breathe through it.Limply, He started heading towards his house wondering If his dear old dad might have passed out with all that drinking, maybe even dead. But life likes to fuck with Orion, so it was was highly unlikely. After all, where will be the fun if he was just another borning sod who lived his normal life?Orion house was situated in a clean and quiet neighbourhood, His father was a garage owner who fixed cars for a living. It was probably the most ideal job for him, All the work was done by the manager and all he needed to do was just look over the work and that’s all. The hallway of his house was dark, void of any light, There were 3 doors and a stairway in it. The right door was opened with a faint light of tv coming through the crack. He could hear the sports commentary from the tv. Orion'e eyes fell on the only photo hanging in the entire hallway, It was the photo of a young couple smiling. With a yearning look, Orion looked at the black brunette in the picture, He had never met his mother as he was the one who ended her life when he was a day old, But looking at the photo, she seems like a loving person, But well photos can be deceiving, his father was the prime example of it. There was not a hint of similarity between the person in the photo and the bastard sitting in the living room. It still surprises him that his father could actually smile, The only emotion he had ever seen on his father's face was resentment and loathing, Nothing else.Anyway, back to the current situation, Orion, closed the front door slowly, trying to be as discrete as he could be, before slowly walking towards the stairways which led to his room.‘Maybe he is passed out' Orion relaxed a little thinking that the man inside the living room didn’t hear him walking. As he was about to climb the stairs."BOY"'You wish Blackneal you wish'With another depressed sigh, he went into the living room. There was no use in fighting anyway.One could only hear the voice of the man curse and the sound of a belt hitting something.The next dayOrion dragged his sour body through the shower, Trying to scrap away any dried blood on his face. Last night went a little well compare to usual standards. That bastard passed out in the middle of their little father_son bonding secession.After the shower Orion stood in front of the giant mirror in his bedroom, There were purple marks all over his body complementary with a few scars, He just gave them a cold look at those bruises, before wearing his worn-out white shirt.He opened The front door to leave just to see a man with a long nose, greasy long black hair and pitch-black eyes.He was wearing a black rob which reminded Orion a bit about batman. There was a scowl plastered on his face which felt natural for some reason."Who the fuck are you?”The scowl deepened.

The young man stood in the middle of the shopping centre walkway, staring at the new shop in confusion. Normally, of course a new shop would be a cause for mild interest and nothing more. But the thing was, Darren was here yesterday too, and could’ve sworn that this shop didn’t exist the day before. Yesterday, and for as long as he’d known, the budget shoe shop and the bookstore had stood side by side. And yet, here he was today, with another store between the two where not even a space had existed for it before. The wooden furnishings on the front of the store made it look like it would’ve fit in amongst shops that sold nice smelling soaps, or wooden furniture, and its single door and large display window reminded him of more of a small town shop than one that would find a home in a shopping centre. And yet, there it stood. Its wooden framed window displaying the words “Wolfsbane Magic and Apothecary” in gold, emblazoned on the glass like a british pub or old bookshop. The thing that threw him off the most though was the strange pulling sensation still gently nudging him towards the door, as if this suddenly apparating store had captured every ounce of his brains' curiosity. This store that, he assumed, was full of seemingly useless knick knacks and rocks to be sold to the most spiritual or gullible customers around. And yet, here he was, absolutely enamoured with the prospect of entering, even if just for a look around. Maybe just a peek?  It wasn’t like he had anything important to do, after all? After all, if this shop was indeed new, they might even be hiring, and goodness knows he needed the money. He reached for the door and, for a split second, the world shifted like ripples through a pool of water. His head suddenly spun as all sense of direction and orientation was lost, and he felt like he was tumbling aimlessly through a void that simultaneously lacked any light yet was full of colour. “Hello! How can I help you today?” As he looked around for the source of the voice, he found himself suddenly standing just inside the threshold of a small, warmly lit shop. Wooden shelves lined with trinkets, minerals, gems, and other miscellaneous objects filled the small shop floor, making it feel small yet not claustrophobic, just cosy. Behind him, the door the young man was looking at from the other side mere moments ago stood undisturbed, and it took him a moment to realise where he was. A young…person(?) stood behind the wood-framed glass counter, a wide brimmed black hat reminiscent of that of a cowboy or bushman adorning their brown haired head. Their hair fell in gentle curls around their ears, framing their lightly tanned and freckled cheeks, which dimpled as they smiled. Their bright blue eyes shone as they greeted him, almost like those of a cat when exposed to light. They wore a drab brown tee shirt – though tunic was probably more correct – and what looked like a lightly mottled dark green cloak of some kind. “I’m sorry, I just-“ The distress at his seemingly sudden loss of time was threating to set in, to coalesce into panic. He had to stop himself and take a few breaths and tried to regain his composure, though it didn’t help much with the confusion or the light nausea the split second of reality seemingly spinning around him had brought. “I’m just a little disoriented is all.” “Oh?” The strangely dressed clerk responded, quizzically. “Is there anything I could do to help? Would you like to sit down? Maybe have a glass of water?” They came around from behind the counter, gesturing politely at a small table that stood in the corner by the counter. Two ornate wooden chairs sat beside it, tucked away amongst the not-quite-messy collection of larger items tucked against the nearby wall. “How are you feeling?” The clerk asked, offering their hand for support as Darren looked confusedly at them. Warily, he accepted their help, stumbling slightly as he let himself be guided towards a chair. “I- I don’t know,” he stuttered slightly, “I just- it was like I got vertigo or something for a second there, I thought-“ “-you were outside the shop, and then you just sort of ‘appeared inside?’” The clerk finished as Darren sat down, before sitting across from him. “Sorry about that, it’s a side effect of how the shop works. Not everyone can see the door, you see, so it’d be weird to those watching if you just sort of phased through a wall. I had to come up with an alternative solution after a couple of very confused teenagers followed one of my regulars –“ The clerk looked over at Darren, realisation slowly dawning upon their face. “Oh.” “Oh what?” “You have no idea what this place is, do you?” “I mean,” Darren hesitated, before shaking his head. “No, not really. Some sort of crystals shop, I suppose.” The clerk held up a finger, indicating for Darren to wait, before placing a jug of water and 2 glass cups that Darren could’ve sworn weren’t anywhere in sight before upon the table. “Well, I thank you for your honesty. Beats you trying to hide how lost you are.” They started pouring themself a glass of water, “Would you like some water before we begin? This explanation may take a while, though judging from your clothing I think I can guess which timeline you’re from.” “Huh?” “Sorry, I probably said too much there. Still though, water?” Darren nodded, confusion still clear upon his face, and the clerk started pouring him a glass. “So, what do you know of magic?” Darren scoffed, his disbelieving chuckle giving the clerk pause. “Just from that, I’m going to assume from that that magic is not a big thing in your part of your timeline, would that be correct?” He chuckled in disbelief. “I suppose that’s one way to put it. Sure, you hear stories and whatnot, but they’re either just illusionists, special effects, or someone trying to scam you.” The clerk nodded silently for a moment, seeming to consider this for a few seconds, before nodding and pulling out an A4 notepad from *somewhere* behind them and a pen from their pocket, setting the pad on the table. “Okay, I’m going to start with the basics here. I’m going to ask, if you can, to assume for a moment that magic in some form is real. Can you do that?” “Okay, sure” Darren shrugged. “Lovely. Now, in that case, there’s a couple of possibilities; ‘real magic’ is either an art lost to time, is a lot more subtle than people notice, the people who practice it do so in secret, or in ways that people who don’t need to know about it don’t notice. Do those options sound about right?” The clerk rattled off, as if they’ve done this a dozen times before. “I guess so,” Darren said, though he also wanted to say that it was sounding suspiciously like several books he’d read when he was younger. “Great! Now, my shop operates kinda like that last “Secret Magic” stereotype that I mentioned, in that it appears to those who are looking for it, for returning customers, and can appear to somebody if that person has got significant enough magical energy surrounding their person, with a few exceptions. Mostly to keep a few… unsavoury characters from returning until they’ve made some significant changes to their lifestyles. Following so far?” “I think so, but honestly I don’t know that I believe it” “That’s okay, I can prove it again later. Now, a part of that means that my shop also has to exist outside of real space, in a sort of pocket realm.” The clerk drew two circles on the page, forming a venn diagram with one circle being significantly smaller than the other, labelling the big circle “your world,” the small one “my shop,” and the intersection the “store front.” “That way, it has the freedom to not just camouflage itself, but also to simply not exist in a way that bad actors can infiltrate or access it.” As they said that, they crossed out the store front segment. Darren looked at the paper, then back up at the shop clerk in obvious disbelief. “But… that’s not even possible. If that sort of technology exists then why would a shop get to have it?” “Easy. It’s a magic mechanism that I created and that only I can access, courtesy of a blessing I received some time ago.” The clerk cocked their head, looking Darren in the eye as he slouched back in his chair, obviously not buying it. “Look, I can tell that you’re not on board with it, so why don’t I demonstrate?” “Fine.” He said, reluctantly. “How about you take a look outside?” They offered. “Trust me, that will clear things up nicely for you.” Darren huffed, stumbling to his feet and regaining his balance as the last of the vertigo threatened to kick his ass and put him on the ground, a chorus of concerned noises coming from the clerk as they offered to help, only to get rejected as he found his balance. Leaning on the shelves, he slightly stumbled towards the exit, daylight streaming in the window. Daylight? But the mall was indoors… He scrambled to the door, yanking it open to find a bustling street. No vertigo claimed him this time, but shock froze him in the doorway. Before him, all sorts of people walked about in the evening sun, lanterns lining the cobble road beginning to light as the light slowly faded. People of all shapes and sizes walking about as if it was a normal evening in the market, skin in shades of green, blue, and all varieties of colours as well as the usual human fare. Tusks, pointed ears of many varieties, fur, tails both scaled and furred adorned many of the occupants of the walkways and stalls that surrounded the entrance to the shop. He stumbled back in shock, turning around only to see the clerk standing atop the counter in a pose that gave off a great deal of confidence. “Welcome, my friend, to a wider world of magic.” They said, removing their hat and bowing, brown curls hanging about their head as their lupine ears burst free of where they’d been under the hat. “My name is Dee, it’s lovely to make your acquaintance."

3 months later The young adventurer glazed side to side as they approached the display window of the store. Their wide hat and tall collar covered their face, a fact for which they’d been extremely thankful in recent months. Ever since they’d had that encounter with that witch, ever since they’d been forced to confront some…feelings regarding their identity, they’d not been able to stand their appearance, let alone the feeling of others seeing it. They’d gone from feeling apathetic about mirrors to loathsome about them, from wearing your usual fare of adventuring garb to long cloaks and concealing hats, and despite all this they still felt as if their skin crawled whenever someone looked them in the eye. And all of this because of some curse, some *spell*, had put them in a body that they were told should’ve been uncomfortable, but had never felt more right in their whole life.    It was like their eyes were suddenly open, like they’d gone from being ignorant of the world to being existentially aware of every single thing that was wrong. Like an ant who’d never known beyond the anthill being suddenly aware of the existential scale of the universe. In a 5 minute battle, they’d been set on a course that they could not avoid any longer.   They’d heard the tales of this place, of course. Any adventurer who’d been around for more than a few years had heard of it. A mystery shop that could be anywhere, ran by a shapeshifting creature with so many rumours and descriptions to them that none were quite sure of their identity beyond their sense of style, their “generally benevolent but not to be trifled with” demeanour, and a single letter name; “D.” A store that carried items from across time, space, cultures, and supposedly worlds. A place of safety that would appear to you when you needed it most, that could provide help that none others could, at a price. A place not known for weapons, or offensive magicks, or any such things, but a place that provided nothing but aid to those who deserved it, and punished those who tried to use it for evil. Of course, they weren’t seeking it for evil, rather just for help, but being an anxious person meant that their mind was running at a million miles an hour and coming up with all sorts of reasonings that seeking help was evil. They were all incorrect, of course, but anxiety will do that to a person. Either way, they knew that that couldn’t stop them. This was a quest they had to follow through on, that they had to at least try and see through to the end, and so they approached the door. For a split second as they crossed the threshold, they felt like gravity switched off and then back on, like they went from walking to falling to standing in too little time to process the feeling it gave them, and so like most first timers they simply fell over. They took a minute to process what had happened to them, before promptly scrambling to their feet and taking stock of their situation. The wooden shelves that surrounded them, the magical and homely light that filled the space yet had no obvious source, and the items scattered around the store in various manners of display told them with little doubt that they were in the right place. Nobody could be seen behind the counter, but upon the counter of the store sat a small table-top bell like they’d seen in other stores many a time, accompanied by a small sign reading “Please ring for service” in block letters. Looking around to make sure they hadn’t just missed there being someone else in the store, they rang the bell. “Hello!” A voice suddenly piped from behind the adventurer, who whips around the face the person behind them, nearly falling over in the process. Directly behind them stands a young woman wearing a broad brimmed and pointed hat, as well as a long robe that hung off her collar. She wore a white, buttoned blouse and a long dark skirt, as well as a smile on her face. Her hair was long, with a plethora of colour mixed in, vibrant and bright. “How can I help you today?” A “Staff only” door cracked open behind the counter, causing the adventurer to whip around once again, stumbling far less the second time. Through the door came an androgynous figure wearing a wide brimmed black hat, much like the ones they’d seen some desert rangers wear, along with a long white cloak over some mottled green adventuring clothes. Upon their face, they wore a pair of glasses, which had a hagstone hinged off the side of one of the lenses like the adventurer had seen jewellers do with magnifying glasses. “Victoria, you can’t just jump people like that! I understand that you’re excited to be- oh, hello!” They turned to the adventurer in front of them, their apology already written on their face. “I’m so sorry for my apprentices behaviour, they’ve only recently started learning and between that and their new form- oh I’m getting ahead of myself.” They muttered, cutting themselves off before taking a deep breath and trying again. “Hello, my name is Dee, welcome to my shop. What can I help you with?” The adventurer stood dumbfounded and a bit bewildered for a second, before realising it was their turn to speak with an “Oh!” of realisation. “I’m looking for something to, uh, well I got cursed some months back, and it changed me, and ever since I’ve been feeling like I want to go back to the way they made me look and I don’t know what to do-” They stopped as they lost their breath, their breathing suddenly rapid and overwhelming and overstimulation and oh gods they’d said it and- “It’s going to be okay, you’ve-” “You’re going to be alri-” “-please breathe nice and slowly for me, that’s it, just breathe.” Someone put the edge of a seat behind their knees, and they let themself sit as the feelings washed over them. They’d said it. They’d made it *real*. They’d uncorked the bottle and now it would never close again but they didn’t know that they even *wanted* to unsay it because it felt nice as much as it was terrifying to say it “Hey Victoria?” “Yeah Boss?” “The potion i helped you make on your first day here, do you remember where the rest of the batch is?” “I do, do you think this is-?” “Yes, I very much do. Consider this your first opportunity to do for someone else what I was able to do for you.” The adventurer heard the young lady walk off, her boots clicking against the polished wooden floorboards. Meanwhile, they realised that the shop owner, Dee, had knelt in front of them and was resting their hand on the arm of the chair. “So, I know you may not have an answer at the moment from what you just told me, but do you have a name I can call you?” The adventurer paused, their breath hitched, and they replied. “Yes, actually, I think I do.”

Darren would’ve loved to have been able to say that he took it all in stride. However, when one suddenly finds themself in a different realm (not dimension, as Dee later explained) and are confronted with someone who has just made it incredibly clear that: They’re not human They can magically travel between realities, and Magic is real it’s quite understandable for that individual to then have something of an existential crisis. For Darren, this crisis started with an anxiety attack. “What the hell is happening?” “I’m sorry, I figured that showing you would be easier than explaining!” “Where the hell am I!?” “It’s a little pocket reality I made a while back, it’s like a magical midway point for trav-“ “That’s not what I meant-I! I just- what-I-I-” Darren dropped to the floor, curling up as the new information overwhelmed him, feeling confused and scattered and *scared*. He heard a thump, looking up from the ball he’d folded himself into to see, through the welling tears, that Dee had jumped off the counter and was coming over to his side. They knelt down next to him, offering a hand, and he found himself shying away from their touch. The – what are they? – sighed, sitting fully on the floor with their legs tucked off to the side. “What can I do to help?” they asked, softly. They’d obviously not expected this, it seemed, but looking in their slightly luminescent eyes Darren could see kindness and concern. The genuine worry nearly let loose the flood of tears threatening to burst forth. They don’t want to hurt me at all, do they? the rational corner of his mind whispered, but he didn’t unfurl himself from his ball. Instead he opted to just peek out from over his arms, glancing between Dee and the strange items on the shelves. “Am I able to go home?” he muttered quietly, his heart racing with anxiety. “Yes, always.” Dee replied, speaking slowly and softly, obviously taking great care as to what to say. “But I suppose I didn’t make that clear, did I?” Darren shook his head, letting go of a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. His eyes anxiously flitted around the shelves in front of him, taking note of all the strange and wonderful artifacts before him as he tried to bring himself down off the edge of a breakdown, focusing on his environment instead of the now-slightly-less overwhelming knowledge he was faced with. Jars full of mysterious substances that swirled like water but was as dark and deep as the night sky, a snowglobe that didn’t seem to stop snowing, a lava lamp that looked suspiciously like it contained real lava, and a pebble that had a hole through the middle that looked to have been worn down by the flow of water over many years, to name a few.  “What happens now?” he spoke quietly, but with a bit more confidence than last time. He glanced over at Dee, their face showing their concern “How so?” “Like, is this it? Do I just go home now? Or was there an actual reason for me being here?” he lifted his head from hiding behind his arms, looking Dee in the eyes. “Straight to the point, I suppose.” Dee replied, before swinging their legs around to sit cross-legged. “I guess the best way to sum it up is like this; the shop only shows up to those who have traces of magical energy surrounding them. Generally, you only pick it up if you practice it, or if you’ve been blessed, cursed, that sort of thing. Heck, you can get doused in the stuff just from being frequently close to a regular practitioner, or being from a bloodline with a lot of magic in its past.” “But I’ve never used magic?” “Maybe you haven’t, but it’s possible one of your recent ancestors did, like your parents or grandparents. Could even just be your best friend or partner. Do you have any partners?” Darren shook his head. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but it just never felt right for him no matter how much he loved the other person “Right. There is another option though,” Dee added, seemingly reluctantly. “The shop has the ability to appear to non-magic people too, but with a caveat. One that I set after some of my last adventures with some old friends. This shop is a safe space, and is capable of appearing to people in need, especially people who are… okay, I don’t know what word your timeline uses but where I’m from we call ourselves Queer, does that ring any bells?” “Oh! Yes, we have that too,” Darren replied, “though I doubt that’s the reason I’m here.” “How so?” Dee asked, tilting their head confusedly. “Well… he sputtered, exasperated and embarrassed, “I’m not gay or anything…” “So?” Dee asked again, an even more curious expression on their face. “So! That can’t be it, because I’m not gay!” Darren said again, nearly shouting in annoyance. “Ohhhhh right, I see where your head’s at now,” they started, a kind but concerned look on their face. “You- you do know that being gay isn’t the only form of Queer, right?” “What?” “I said, you do know that there’s more to queerness than just typical homosexuality?” “I- I,” Darren started, his brain trying to work through the information, slowly putting together dots that he hadn’t really thought of before. Dee could practically see the cogs slowly turning in his head. They sighed once more, realising just how much of the basics they were going to have to explain to the poor little creature who’d probably never really thought about it or been taught about it. “Alright, let me give you the basics. Queer, where I’m from, refers to people that fall under Genders, Sexualities, and Romantic Identities that often don’t particularly fit within the norms of heterosexuality or of being cisgender. You obviously have a grasp on what the sexuality and romantic bit can include, but please know that they’re both wider than you think. It’s a spectrum after all, and people can be into all sorts of genders sexually and romantically, or even none at all, and that’s okay! Just so long as everyone provides informed and appropriate consent, that’s all good! You following?” Darren, who was not expecting a lesson, nodded somewhat hesitantly. “Fantastic. Gender is the same! I for one don’t have a gender, never did, but a lot of people take some time to come to the realisation that the one they were given at their birth, creation, etcetera isn’t the one they actually are or want to be, and that’s okay too! One of my services, in fact, involves these potions I came up with that can help people achieve their “true form,” so to speak! Gender is a construct, you can have whatever gender you want and nobody else gets to tell you otherwise, even if they don’t get it. Capiche?” Darren nodded again, though this statement had left him with some…feelings, to think upon. Especially that true form potion. How lucky one must be to get to use something like that. He felt a strange pang of..jealousy? In his gut as he thought about it. Though, it wouldn’t help him of course, he’s just some regular - “Alright, now we’ve got that exposition out of the way, let’s find out why you’re here.” Dee said, their energy having picked back up again after seeing Darrens major anxiety fade somewhat. They offered Darren a hand getting up, which he accepted, before going back behind their counter and sifting through some drawers, obviously looking for something. Darren followed them up to the counter, feeling somewhat lost as to what’s happening. “I saw you looking at some of my wares on the shelves there,” they mentioned to Darren, gesturing to the shelves he had been looking at. He nodded. “There’s a lot of interesting things here, some of which even I don’t fully understand, which is why you’ve got to be extra careful about what you touch. Make sense?” Darren nodded. It was one of the few things he’d learned today that did make sense He gazed back at an unassuming rock on the shelf, one with a smooth hole worn through the middle of its oval shape, its worn surface betraying no hints of magical power. But then, everything else in this shop seemed relatively innocuous too, so he had to wonder what what a mere pebble could manage, let alone the rest of the seemingly random items displayed amongst the aisles. “Aha!” Dee exclaimed, causing Darren to look back to see them holding a similar stone, this one with carved runes adorning its grey surface. “Now this one! This is one I spent a lot of time on, making modifications and whatnot. Not easy when it’s wild magic, I’ll tell you what.” They came back around the counter, gesturing for Darren to sit back at the table. “I’ve made it so that it can reveal the magic residue that clings to people after spells and curses and such. It’s how I am able to help people with curse cures and whatnot. Heck, it’s at the point now where I can even get glimpses at the true form of people’s souls if I feed the stone enough mana.” “How does it work?” Darren asked, his interest somewhat piqued by getting to see magic in action. Real magic! “Easy!” Dee replied, bringing it to their eye as a slight blue glow started to overtake their hands, their eyes shining with slightly greater intensity, “I just peek through the little hole here, throw some mana into the mix to boost the spell and…” they trailed off, a look of confusion adorning their face once more. They tapped the hagstone like someone would a TV remote that had stopped working, then looked again. “What’s wrong?” Darren asked, slightly worried. “Is it working?” “Uhhh,” Dee said, sounding uncertain, “I mean, it sure seems to be but...“ They trailed off, looking through the hagstone again. Dee looked him over as they rubbed the back of their neck, muttering something to themself about “eggs,” “clients,” and “most being pre-cracked.” “What’s going on?” Darren asked, concern creeping into his voice. Dee stopped, seemingly taking a few moments to figure out how to answer. “I’m not sure how to broach this, but uh... I’m not seeing much in the way of magic exposure.” Oh “And uh, I don’t want to try and push this the wrong way, because that could backfire, but I don’t know how else to handle this particular situation if I’m entirely honest?” Darren, now anxious and confused, asked “What do you mean by that?” Dee awkwardly rubbed the back of their neck, before moving and opening a door labelled “Staff only” that stood against the side wall behind the front counter. They motioned for Darren to join them, which he did, rounding the front display case and entering the room to find it much larger than they’d thought.  The door seemingly lead into a large living space of sorts, like someones home rather than an employee break room. They stepped out into a living room, centered around a coffee table which sat in front of a brick fireplace on the right side of the room, with 2 plush armchairs and a sofa situated around the table. Beyond that, there was a well maintained kitchen in the back left of the space, with a countertop and stools separating it from the main living area, adjoined by a hallway that presumably lead to the rest of the house. Darren was, once again, dumbfounded at the unexpected sight, but Dee merely ushered them down to the couch before stepping away to the kitchen. Snapping their fingers, the fireplace lit up at a low flame, gently warming and lighting the mixed cobble and wood room as it did so. If you were to have asked Darren how he’d describe the decoration of the place, he’d have said homely. Several framed pictures hung from the rooms walls, some photographs, some highly detailed paintings or sketches, and all of various groups of interesting subjects. A few group pictures showed Dee standing amongst equally unusual groups of characters. One depicted Dee standing next to what appeared to be a crow person, a smaller scaly person, and a larger scaly person with horns. Another, a sketch of the walls of some castle or other straddling a river, the walls only broken up by a large portcullis blocking the river and a gatehouse overlooking the road that lead within. On the table lay a framed painting of what appeared to be Dee, arm in arm with a muscle-bound green woman with tusks jutting out of her jaw, sporting a sideshave and a long braid running down her back, and looking like potentially the butchest person Darren had ever seen. “I hope tea is okay,” said Dee, setting down a tray with a teapot, mugs, milk, and a pot of sugar on the coffee table. They produced a coaster, setting it down in front of Darren and  placing his mug upon it before pouring him a cup. “Thanks.” “And I’m really sorry for putting you in another unfamiliar environment, but I figured this conversation would be best handled in a private space, I hope that’s okay with you.” “Yeah, that’s okay,” Darren said, anxiety still evident in their voice, “but I’m still a bit confused as to what that conversation is and why we’re here - wherever this is.” Dee noted the anxiety in their voice, taking a seat just beside them and rubbing them on the back gently. “Look - whatever happens, I can assure you that this isn’t the end of the world. However bad you think it is now, before knowing, however this goes it’s going to be alright. Okay? You’re going to be alright, it’s just something worth, y’know, discussing.” Darrens anxiety faded a little at that, but didn’t fully go away. “And what would that be?” Dee sighed again, picking up their own mug of tea and taking a sip before speaking. “So, you remember what I mentioned earlier about the “true self” potions and how some people don’t feel entirely aligned with their birth genders, right?” “Right.” “Well, I guess what I’d like to ask you is if you may have ever felt that way yourself? Like, there’s something inherently wrong with your body, or the way people see you?” “Well, yes, I suppose so? But everyone feels that, right?” Dee shrugged, “Well, yes, many people do experience some form of discomfort in their appearance at times in their lives, but this is different. It’s ominous, it lingers in the back of your skull and saps you to a degree. Leeches off your emotions and makes you feel disconnected, or lost, or like you’re not particularly attached to your sense of self. It can be quieter, it can be crushing, or anywhere inbetween, different people experience it differently of course, but this is how most people I’ve known have described it, myself included.” They looked over at Darren, then back down into their tea. “I guess what I’m saying is- I mean, I-” They stopped and started, never seeming to find the right words for what they were trying to convey. “I don’t want you to feel freaked out by this or anything, but I also don’t think it’d be entirely right of me to hide what I saw. It’s nothing life threatening, but when I looked at you with the hagstone, your innermost self was a young woman.” Oh “And I guess what I want to ask is if you would like to look at maybe trying one of my true form potions?” Ohhh

It was the first day of school just like any other, except this year unbeknownst to three young men, their lives would change. For better or worse. There they were seated around a wooden desk huddled up together. It was almost time for homeroom to start, but these boys couldn't wait to plan out their adventure for the year. At the head of the wooden desk sat Eric, a fit, athletic young man with short black hair and black rimmed glasses. His caramel skin was different than his peers as theirs were all milky color. Although he was not the same race as them, he spoke the same language as he has lived his entire life here in Japan. "Did either of you read the latest chapter of Wings of Glory?" Eric asked as his eyes gazed at both young men who sat around his desk. "No, I was too busy thinking about our senior year here." A slim geeky young man said with black hair. "Aren't you worried, Eric?" "Worried? More like not caring Haru." A plump young man said as he glared at Eric. "What are you talking about Daisuke?" Eric asked in confusion as he did not understand what his friends were talking about. "This is exactly why you can't get a girlfriend even with your blessed looks! All you think about is games, anime, and manga!" Daisuke replied in response to Eric's question. "We are worried about our final year here man! Look around us, can't you feel the love in the air?" Indeed, as Eric glanced around the classroom he took notice of the smiles on his peers faces. Some boys and girls were much more closer than before. They were spewing out their happiness but trying not to show too much affection. "Oh, I understand." Eric said with a nod. "Do you Eric? Do you really?" Haru asked with a stern look on his face. "Yeah. You both want to lose your virgi-" Before Eric had the chance to even finish his sentence Haru and Daisuke placed their hands over his mouth shutting him up. "Shh! Do you want the entire world to know?" Haru asked. "Yeah man, we can't have people knowing we are still... you know. That's embarrassing..." Daisuke chimed in. Eric glanced at both his friends and nodded. Haru and Daisuke released their hands and Eric now had the ability to speak again. "I don't know why you two are worried. It'll happen eventually." Eric said. "Oh shut it. Stop making it seem like you've already done it." Daisuke commented. "We've known each other since we were 5 years old, we would know if you would have done anything. Stop trying to show off when you have nothing to show." Haru added in. Yup, these three strapping young men have known each other basically their entire lives. Not to mention they stayed in the same neighborhood so it was easy for them to meet up or spy on each other. "I never said I did. My old man told me it'll happen when it happens." Eric told the guys. Haru sighed as he looked at Daisuke before he turned his attention towards Eric. "Didn't your dad also fool around a lot back in the day?" Haru asked. "Yeah. He told us all those stories so isn't it strange he tells you that?" Daisuke said. Eric shrugged. He didn't know what to say as he spoke the truth. "Anyways, did the package arrive?" Haru asked as he leaned in closer bot wanting anyone to hear him. "Yeah, its all ready and stored in my shed." Eric replied. "Did you open it?" Daisuke asked as he too leaned in. "Yeah, I had to make sure it was right. And let me tell you, it was not light. I had to drag it to the shed from the front door." Eric said as he rolled his shoulders. "No one saw you right?" Daisuke asked. "No, that's the wrong question. Shouldn't it be did you use it?" Haru asked as he corrected Daisuke. "Use what?" An elegant voice asked from behind Haru. None of the boys noticed someone approach them. However, there she stood and not just her but also her friends. Haru looked deathly nervous as he did not know what to say. "Is it one of those perverted toys guys use?" A girl asked with short black hair. "What? They make toys for guys?" Her friend asked as she gazed at her. This young woman had long brown hair. "Yeah, my brother has one. I saw it by accident one day." The short black haired girl answered. "You guys have one of those? Do you share?" The long brown haired girl asked the three guys. "No!" They shouted in unison. "If not, then what do you have? Seeing as you asked Eric if he used it." The blonde haired girl asked as she was the closest one to them. Daisuke and Haru turned to Eric. The meaning on their faces were obvious. They wanted him to handle this. "We are talking about Diane." Eric replied. "Who is Diane?" The blonde asked. "And why did he say use as if it were an object?" The short black haired girl asked. "Diane is Diane. She's not a person but a doll we all chipped in on." Eric said honestly. "Oh! One of those?" The short black haired girl quickly caught on. "Eric!" Haru shouted. "What are you saying? Why would you say that?" Daisuke asked. "What are they talking about?" The long brown haired girl asked as she turned to her friend. The short black haired girl leaned over and whispered something into her ear. This caused her face to become red. Shortly after she also told the blonde haired girl what it was. "How did you guys even buy one? Isn't it expensive?" The short black haired girl asked. "We saved." Eric said. "Can we see it?" The short black haired girl asked. This simple question was what started something that none of these six would forget. The three boys had no idea that this would lead into something more and all three of them were stunned. They couldn't help but look at each other before they turned their attention back to the girls. "Why?" Haru asked them. "Yeah, why do you want to see it? Don't you girls have more  important things to do?" Daisuke asked. "Well, we do but we are curious by nature. None of us have ever seen one before so this would be a good experience." The short black haired girl said. "Why not? Diane could use more friends." Eric said as he crossed his arms. "You make it seem like she's a real person." The blonde spoke up. "She is!" Haru said. "You three wouldn't understand. Diane is special. One of a kind." Daisuke added. "How can it be special?" The long brown haired girl asked. "It's hard to explain. Do you want to see it or not?" Eric asked them. All three girls nodded and agreed to meet them after school.

The first day was a half day, and although many students would be excited about this, two young boys were nervous. Even Eric could see that his friends were shaking. "What is wrong with the two of you?" Eric asked innocently. Haru slapped his hand against his face as he sighed. "The real question here is why aren't you nervous?" Haru asked in response to Eric. Daisuke nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah man, don't you know our lives here are doomed now?" Eric was confused by this, not understanding why his friend would say such a thing. "What are you talking about, it's only the first day and I think it went very well." "We aren't talking about that!" Haru raised his voice slightly, but soon quieted down as not to attract the attention of the other kids who were exiting the building. "Because of you now there are others who know of Diane. It's not just three normal students either! It's the popular ones!" Once again Daisuke nodded his head in agreement. "Once we show them Diane they will laugh at us, take pictures and blackmail us! It'll be even worse if the news gets out, how will we ever be able to show our faces at school again?" Daisuke asked with a face full of worry. His worries were warranted as this was something all young adults worried about. The fear of their secret being exposed. "You both are worrying over nothing. I don't believe they will share anything about Diane, they genuinely seemed curious." Eric told them both as he placed his hand on their shoulders. Haru shook his head and looked down at the ground. "I knew you wouldn't understand. It's always the handsome ones who don't understand our struggle. Right Daisuke?" "Huh? I'm not ugly." Daisuke replied with a face that showed how shocked he was that Haru even mentioned his name. Haru looked up and down at Daisuke before sighing. "Another one who is in denial. I've been there before, the first path of acceptance is to realize what you are." Eric laughed. This was normal for them, and no one could get them. He found it weird that no one else talked about the same stuff they did in public. "Oh, after they leave you guys want to go to Kaiko?" Eric asked them both. "We plan on playing threes again? If so, you cannot play top lane. Just stick with support." Haru said. "Yeah, going Leona top is bad." Daisuke added. "You both have no faith, believe me!" Eric hit his fist against his chest as he said that. "This is why you are stuck in silver." Daisuke said as he shook his head. "We are all in silver. Don't make it seem like you are higher rank than me." Eric said. "How long are we going to wait here? It's already been six minutes." Haru asked as he was tired of waiting on the girls to appear. They are the ones who wanted to join them, now they were stuck waiting on them. "Maybe they are getting ready. You know girls take their time doing that sort of thing." Eric answered. "We aren't going on a date! We are going home, and what's there to get ready for? Let's just leave." Haru told them as he took the first step. "Sorry!" A voice shouted from behind them as a they turned to find Mia - the short blonde haired girl. Mia had a little sweet on her forehead that she wiped off with a white handkerchief. "I had a meeting with the other student council members and I lost track of time." Mia explained. Next to her was Hina and on the other side, Amy. Both also looked a bit disheveled compared to before. It was the small things such as a button being undone here, a part of their shirt being untucked their, and the small blush on their cheeks that made the boys understand why they were so popular. Amy zipped up her track jacket and stretched her arms. Causing her chest to be more empathize. "It's fine, we weren't doing anything anyway." Eric said. "We are thinking of going to Kaiko after, you girls want to join?" Eric asked them. "Kaiko? The pc-cafe?" Hina asked. Eric nodded. "Ehh, I don't know..." Hina looked over at her two friends who were both gazing at her. "There's a lot of smoke, and cursing you girls wouldn't want to be seen at a place like that." Haru said seeing as they did not want to go. "How far is your place anyway Eric?" Amy asked changing the subject. "About ten minutes away." Eric replied. The girls all blinked. "You live around here? Doesn't it cost a fortune?" Mia curiously asked as this neighborhood was expensive to live in. Her parents wanted to move here, but they could not afford it. "I don't know. Me and my dad never really talk about that stuff." Eric told them as he took a step forward leading the way to his house. Unlike his two friends that were sweeting bullets, he was calm. He's never had girls over to his house before, so this was an achievement. Even if they weren't there for him exactly, this was still a win in his book. "Why are you both silent?" Eric questioned his two friends that were walking by his side. Haru looked over at Eric and pushed up his glasses with his finger. "Because of them!" Haru told Eric honestly while motioning to the girls that were walking behind them. "Are we really doing this Eric? Do you want to be remembered as the guy with the doll in his shed?" Daisuke asked. Eric thought about to for a second and realized how bad that would be. That's when his heart started to beat fast. It was fine to be known as the kid who liked games, anime and manga. But a sex doll? Why did he even open his mouth? Eric could hear whispering going on behind them. "What are they talking about?" Eric asked his friends softly. Daisuke shrugged. "Who knows! Maybe they are thinking of ways to bully us in the future." Before they knew it, the six of them arrived at a middle sized house. A black metal gate surrounded the house, and the girls were dazed by Eric's home. It looked really fancy, but it should have been expected considering the area he was living in. Eric opened the gate and walked in, behind him Haru followed then Daisuke. The girls stood outside the gate for a second before Hina pushed Mia forward. "You go first." Hina said. Mia glared at Hina but one foot was already touching the step. She might as well enter the premise. "We're really doing this? Are we really doing this?" Amy kept asking that question on repeat. Hina grabbed Amy's hand and nodded. "We are!"

Eric stood in front of his shed with butterflies in his stomach. His head turned slightly to the left as he looked at Haru. Haru turned away from Eric without saying a word. It was enough to let Eric know this was all on him. Looking to the right of him, Eric saw Daisuke shaking his head in a subtle manner. Both of his friends would not help him with this. "Is it locked?" Mia asked as she appeared behind Eric. Her voice was nice to listen to, but at this moment it tormented Eric. "Yes?" Eric confusingly said even unsure if he was asking a question or responding to her. Mia gazed at the blue painted wooden shed, the handles on it were a bit rusty but she saw no lock. "Are you sure? I don't see any lock." "Oh.. ugh... what was the question?" Eric asked as his mind went blank. If Daisuke never planted that thought of being labeled as the kid with the sex doll, then Eric would have answered Mia no problem. Now his mind was just jumbled with the idea of going to school tomorrow and everyone calling him a pervert. Worse if the school called his dad. Haru placed his hand on Eric's shoulder. "Let's open it." As Haru said those words his voice cracked. Even Daisuke put his hand on Eric's shoulder to give him support. "What are they doing?" Amy asked in a whisper as she watched their weirdness. "I don't even know. It's just a door, why are they putting on a show?" Hina was confused as well. Eric took a deep breath and exhaled as he opened the door to the shed. The outside of the small building may look tacky, but the inside was nice. Inside were two black leather couches with gray pillows. A glass coffee table was in between the couches with a stack of magazines, comics and manga on it. The TV was large, almost as big as the love seat. Under it all was a rug that had the picture of a white tiger on it. The lightning was not too bright, and there was even a refrigerator too. The more the girls saw, the more amazed they became. This did not look like a normal shed, it seemed more like a small arcade. "Isn't that a popcorn machine? I thought they only had those at fairs!" Hina shouted a bit excitedly as she saw the popcorn machine on the bar counter top. "So this is how the other side lives?" Amy asked as she took in the view. Mia was looking left and right. But couldn't find whatever she was looking for. "Where is it?" She asked. "Where's what?" Eric asked. Mia stared at him for a second. "You know what." She answered. "Yeah, where is Diane? I don't see her." Haru chimed in as he too was curious. "Oh!" Eric realized what they were talking about and walked over to the bar. "Daisuke give me a hand." Eric called out. Daisuke sighed but moved, arriving behind the counter where Eric was. "This is her?" He asked as he looked down towards the ground. "Yeah! Pretty right?" Eric asked with a grin on his face. "Breathtaking." Daisuke commented. Haru was curious and went behind to bar as well. He was shocked for a moment before he gazed at Eric. "Why isn't she put together?" "I don't know man. All I can tell you is that she weighs a ton!" Eric replied as he nodded his head towards Daisuke. Both boys bent down and lifted a torso out of a cardboard box. The torso was milky white, with unblemished skin. "Holy cow, why is it so big?" Haru asked as his eyes were focused fully on the erect nipples. The dolls areola were small compared to the double D sized breast. The dolls pink nipple looked a bit unreal, but to these boys it was enough. Daisuke couldn't help but give the left breast a squeeze feeling how soft it was. "This feels so real! Check it out Haru!" He said as him and Eric sat the dolls body down on a stool. Haru did not hesitate for a second and reached out to grab those large breast. He felt his softness and bounciness of those breast causing him to gulp. "Quit messing around! We still have to put the legs on and the head! I think she came with some outfits too." Eric told his friends as he reached down into the cardboard box. The girls were gazing at them messing around before they turned to each other. Amy unzipped her track jacket a little and looked down her shirt. "That... looks real?" She asked in confusion. "Why are the nipples so bright pink?" Hina questioned. "They called her... breathtaking? She's not even real!" Mia almost exploded as she watched the boys attach Diane's head. Diane's face was perfect sure, but anyone could see how fake she looked. The eyes were unnaturally creepy, and her wig looked like it could fall off any moment. It was pretty irritating that they were excited over the doll. The girls have been with them since school ended and the boys never once complimented them. Mia gritted her teeth. How was it possible that these guys were paying so much attention to this one doll? "OK, Diane is all good to go. What do you guys want to put on her first? The one piece swimsuit or her street clothes?" Eric asked his friends, forgetting that the girls were even there to begin with. If it wasn't for a cough, his attention would have been glued to Diane. "Oh! Check her out guys, she's beautiful right?" Eric said as he called the girls over. "I still can't believe she's actually here! This is so exciting!" Daisuke smiled as he rubbed his nose with his index finger. "One year of saving! But we've finally done it!" Haru grinned as well. The girls looked over the naked sex doll. It looked... so fake to them. Mia reached out to touch Diane's large breast. "These are even bigger than yours Amy!" "But something feels off." Mia said as she touched Diane's breast. She then reached and groped Amy's breast causing Amy to shriek. "I knew something was off." Mia said as if she solved a great mystery. "What's wrong?" Haru questioned Mia. "Didn't you realize it when you touched her?" Mia asked. "No? Is she defective?" Haru asked as he looked at Diane wondering what was wrong with her. "Just feel for yourself." "Huh?" Haru and Amy gave Mia a questioning look. Mia pinched Amy in the side, causing her to let out a soft cry. "Yeah. Feel it for yourself, Amy doesn't mind." Haru hesitated. His eyes went from Diane to the girls then to his friends. Eric shrugged his shoulders and Daisuke was just as clueless. "Don't you guys want to see for yourself the difference between the doll and real girls?" Hina asked with a seductive smile. "Wait, wait, wait. You want us to touch you?" Daisuke interrupted not believing in what he was hearing. "We just wanted to see Diane to compare her to ourselves. But, we were worried for nothing." Mia said as she crossed her arms showing off her chest. The boys all looked at each other. Each one wondering what game the girls were playing at. There had to be more to it than just touching them. Was this how it would start? The blackmail? The name calling? "So do you want to or not?" Hina asked seeing the boys not moving. Daisuke and Haru pushed Eric to the front. He was better looking so if anything did happen the impact would be less on him than them. Eric mentally groaned cursing his friends for putting him in this situation. Mia and Hina gave Amy a slight push, causing her to take the spotlight. "Let me... remember how this feels first..." Eric told Amy as he could feel the sweat roll down his back. Reaching his hand out, he grabbed Diane's full breast. After a few seconds, he gulped and looked at Amy. 'Is this happening? Is this really happening?' Eric asked himself as he reached his hand out but stopped midair. Amy couldn't take it anymore and pulled Eric's hand to her chest with her eyes closed. Eric's hand felt something, it was similar to Diane's softness. But this felt like a marshmallow. "Holy..."

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! This is bad, real bad!" Amy said as she was freaking out. Her blue locker closed shut as a short blonde appeared. "What are you freaking out for?" The blonde asked. "Don't you see what I'm wearing? This isn't sexy, Mia!" Amy shouted as she showed off her gray sports bra that clung to her milky smooth breasts. The blue locker neck to Amy's shut loudly. A girl with short black hair could be seen. "What are you complaining for! At least you have boobs!" "You have boobs too Hina." Amy said as she looked at Hina's chest. "Stop looking! It's already embarrassing enough." Hina blushed as she covered up her chest with her hands. "Wait..." Mia spoke up then paused as she unzipped her skirt. "No, this is bad!" Hina and Amy glanced at Mia's long legs and saw what the problem was. "Why did you wear those?" Amy asked. "That's even worse than my bra!" Hina rushed over to Mia's locker only to start tossing clothes around. "You have to have another pair in here somewhere." Mia looked at Amy, "What am I going to do?" "Take them off! What do you mean what are you going to do!" Amy replied as she looked at the white panties Mia was wearing. If they were only white, then there would be no problem. The problem was the bear face on the panties that was the problem. "Here? Now?" Mia asked as she looked around the locker room. "Of course!" Mia contemplated it for a second before she reached down and started to remove her underwear. They were childish, everyone here knew it. But, they were cute and that's why she wore them. However, if they were going to have sex these panties were bad to have. Hina smiled as she held up a pair of pink panties with frills. "Here!" Mia took them from Hina and looked them over. No stains, no smell coming from them. All was good. "Do you think we need to buy condoms?" Amy asked as Mia was pulling up her pink panties. Hina tilted her head slightly, "For what? Shouldn't they have some?" "I don't know... do you think they have any?" Amy asked back as she did not know if all boys carried them around. From what the other girls talked about, it seemed that way. Mia reached into her purse that was on the wooden bench and pulled out a transparent bag. Inside of it were small square packets of different color. "I think we are prepared." Mia said proudly. "Why... where did you even get those?" Amy asked. "Didn't you save yours from health class? I thought I was going to use them but never did." Mia responded as she opened the bag and grabbed a condom. "I threw them away. Didn't you?" Amy looked at Hina as she asked that question. Hina nodded. "Do you know how to use it?" Hina asked curiously as she reached her hand out to touch the orange packet. Mia gave it to Hina as she responded. "No... do either of you?" Both girls shook their head. "Wait a second, let me look it up." Amy grabbed her smartphone from her purse and started tapping her fingers on the touch screen. Mia and Hina both crowded around her. "Found it!" Amy shouted as she clicked a video. It was a beautiful blonde haired woman standing in front of a marble counter. On the counter was a blue packet along with a banana. The three girls watched the video without blinking. "That doesn't seem hard. Let me try!" Hina suggested as she began to open the orange packet. Inside was a small latex ring that shined. "Why does it feel this way?" Hina asked as she touched the condom. It was a bit slippery to the touch. "It's lubricant, that's what the lady said. Helps when he inserts his... ya know." Mia said as she watched Hina stretch the condom out. "How far does it go?" Amy asked. "Umm... this far?" Hina questioned herself as she undid the condom completely. It was pretty long, longer than she imagined. "This is supposed to fit inside of us?" Hina asked as she put the stretched out condom in front of her. The opening of the condom was at her waist while the tip was right by her belly button. "No way! Guys aren't that big." Mia shook her head. "How would you know?" Amy asked. Mia's face turned red like a tomato. "My cousin... I walked in on him once..." Mia opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Anyway, the point is it wasn't that big ok! Maybe... this size?" Mia held up her index finger as she tried to remember the size but felt that this was close enough. "Thats... doable..." Amy told them as she noticed the time on her phone. "We should get going, they might have left already." "Why would they leave? Who would leave us?" Hina questioned Amy. The three of them were pretty, no boy in their right mind would leave them. "Just get dressed Hina! School is already over and who knows what they are doing. Maybe they thought we were joking about seeing Diane." Mia said as she started to zip up her skirt. "I still can't believe they treat her as if she is real. This is something I have to see!" Amy added. It did not take the girls long to get dressed. It was not perfect but it would manage. They already kept the boys waiting long enough. As they got closer and closer to the school entrance, their hearts started to beat fast. They were actually doing this. "We aren't going on a date! We are going home, and what's there to get ready for? Let's just leave." The girls heard one of the boys speak up. Mia was afraid that they would escape and with it so would their chances of losing their virginity. She rushed out of the door showing her appearance. A soft smile appeared on her face as she lowered her head. "Sorry!" Mia apologized to them for being late. She grabbed the handkerchief from her uniform pocket and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I had a meeting with the other student council members and I lost track of time."  Mia quickly came up with a story that would work. She noticed Hina give her a nod of approval. Amy stretched her arms showing off her large chest. This drew the boys attention causing them to forget whatever they were discussing prior. "It's fine, we weren't doing anything anyway." Eric said. "We are thinking of going to Kaiko after, you girls want to join?" Eric asked them. "Kaiko? The pc-cafe?" Hina asked, wondering why Eric asked her this. Eric nodded. "Ehh, I don't know..." Hina looked over at her two friends who were both gazing at her. "There's a lot of smoke, and cursing you girls wouldn't want to be seen at a place like that." Haru said seeing as they did not want to go. "How far is your place anyway Eric?" Amy asked changing the subject. "About ten minutes away." Eric replied. The girls all blinked. "You live around here? Doesn't it cost a fortune?" Mia curiously asked as this neighborhood was expensive to live in. Her parents wanted to move here, but they could not afford it. The other two were equally surprised by this fact.  Eric just told them his dad and him never talked about the price of his home. With that being said he started to head off. Haru and Daisuke followed him while the girls treaded behind them. "Why are they silent?" Hina asked softly as she noticed that none of the boys were speaking. "Do they not want us here?" She included. "Maybe they just can't believe we are going over their place. This could be their dream come true." Amy replied in a whisper. "We should worry about how we are going to do this. They seem a bit dense to be honest..." Mia said as she did not think that the boys would make a move on them. "True. What do you suggest?" Amy asked. "How do the other girls do it? We can't just say it outloud can we? That's embarrassing!" Mia said in a soft shout. "We can always make gestures. Like showing our panties by mistake or something." Hina suggested. "That doesn't work." Mia responded. Before the three girls knew it, they stood outside of Eric's house. They actually arrived here. The boys went in so natural. Leaving the girls outside the gate. None of them were moving, until Hina pushed Mia forward slightly. "You go first." Hina said. Mia wanted to say something but noticed that Eric turned around to look at them. She just took another step forward and entered the gate. "We're really doing this? Are we really doing this?" Amy kept asking that question on repeat. Hina grabbed Amy's hand and nodded. "We are!"

Where is your crown?A vanished star,At dawn, its light appearance was lost to us.Where has it gone?We search, but none can find it. -Anonymous ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The wizard rushed through the undergrowth, keeping his head down against the harsh rain, cursing as he ran. Lightning struck a nearby tree, sending quickly extinguished sparks raining down on him, and the curses briefly intensified.  Jiggling in his arms was a very concerned slime, blue and wobbling with only a pair of indents to mark where its eyes would be. It had no name, having been pulled straight out of a summoning circle, and wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. It knew that the wizard was its summoner and therefore its owner, but not how it had arrived or who the wizard actually was. Its concern stemmed from the arrow protruding from the wizard’s side.  Stumbling forward, the wizard pulled himself behind a tree and held the slime close, teeth gritted against the pain. “Of all the useless creatures. Neither ghast nor ghoul, but a slime. I paid a fortune for that circle.” The slime burbled worriedly, and the wizard slapped it. “Shut it, slime. They’re going to hear you.”  Shrinking slightly, the slime made the quietest raspberry it possibly could. It could feel its master’s heartbeat through his robes. His pulse was a hammer and a feather at the same time, slamming against the wizard’s ribcage even as it faltered.  Holding a hand to his side, the wizard muttered some words, and a green light stabbed into his wound. He bit down on his lip hard enough to make it bleed, tears streaming from his eyes, and then wrapped his calloused fingers around the arrow, the light already fading. The slime’s apprehension built to a point as the wizard counted to three under his breath. He started trembling, then grunted. “Screw it all.” He squeezed so tightly veins stood out on his hand, and then yanked the arrow out.  A bloom of red followed it and the slime squeaked in alarm. Before it’d even finished making the noise, the blood ceased staining the wizard’s clothes and gradually retreated back into the injury.  Voices shouted from somewhere, loud ones crying out in a tongue the slime didn’t know. The wizard hunched over further. “Q’ravit. Q’ravit. They have a tracker, curse them all. How are they following me? Is it...”  He looked down at the slime he was holding, and a mean grin creeped over his face. The slime uneasily rippled, and the wizard began rubbing it in slow circles. “Alright, you pointless ball of gel, I’ve got a job for you.”  The slime perked up immediately. Its master had a mission for it!  Still kneading circles into its rotund surface, the wizard whispered, “Listen closely, slime. Do you see that mountain?” He pointed upward and out of the writhing canopy of rain-soaked leaves above them, towards a clouded snow-capped peak in the distance. “Go there and don’t stop no matter what happens.” The slime burbled obediently as the wizard dropped it onto the ground. Orange lights were coming closer to them, flickering as the voices grew louder. The wizard poked the slime, ushering it away. “Go! Go now!” He hissed, and the slime started rolling away. It didn’t notice as the wizard cast a barely noticeable spell on the slime before running in the opposite direction.  It began picking up twigs and leaves in its surface gel as it rolled off, unaware of the torches turning towards its direction.  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Otto slashed down with his poleaxe, severing the vines in front of him. Why did the church’s acolytes have to bring torches? It made shapes uncertain, made wavering objects that taunted him as they lunged out of the darkness.  The priestess sloshed towards him, her mud-caked boots squelching miserably. “Farland!” She shouted, and almost fell onto her staff. At the last moment, she threw one hand out, and it sank into the swamp ground. She made a face as she stood up, wiping the worst of it on her battle robes. “Farland, we can’t let him get away!”  He nodded irritably. “I know, Olivai. And it’s Otto!”  Still trying to get rid of the mud on her hand, she primly told him, “Verse Thirteen of Chapter Nine of the Testament states that priestesses shall call their paladins by their family’s name, regardless of how familiar they are with them. The reverse is also true, Farland, and I’d appreciate it if you called me by mine.”  Otto waved a hand at her. “I know that too. But I’d rather not stumble over propriety and etiquette when we’re hunting down a wizard, least of all one of his.”  “Shut up. Your noise is making it hard for me to focus.”  They both went quiet at the words. Their tracker was a hastily hired one that neither of them had ever met before, a Koliph of few words named Castil. Their species wasn’t chatty to start with, which made the irritated reprimand all the more credible.  The fur on his clawed hands was soaked straight to the skin, but it didn’t stop him from tracing a scratch along a tree root. It was invisible to Otto and Olivai’s eyes, but to his it was as noticeable as a flare. Focusing briefly, he sent a pulse of mana through his fingertips, and his vision lit up in hues only he could see. He stood up, turning to them. “He went this way.”  Otto adjusted his grip on the poleax in his hands. “Alright. Let’s get this pig behind bars and out of trouble before he tries to summon a Monarch or something. I don’t want Garen coming down on our heads.”  All three of them shivered. They might not have known each other at all, but everyone knew that name. “Probably best if we don’t talk about him,” Olivai told him. “It’s not a good omen to speak ill of someone who…”  Who might be listening, the sentence ended in their minds. Nobody had to - or wanted to - say it for all of them to think it.  Shaking away the dark mood that had draped over them, they began to follow the tracks. Castil crouched low to the ground, moving on all fours with a gait that made Otto’s back sore just to watch.  Castil’s eyes dilated suddenly, and his nostrils flared. Without a word, he turned sharply left and began sprinting forward at a speed none of Otto’s group could hope to match.  None of them, that is, except for Olivai. With their quarry at hand, she closed her eyes and murmured a blessing. Her robes lit up in shades of gold and blue, and when she opened her eyes again, they glowed white. She took off after Castil, lightly dancing across the mud as opposed to sinking into it. “Hey!” Otto shouted, slogging forward. “Wait!” He stumbled forward, used his polax to stabilize himself, and squinted through the pouring rain. Was it getting even harder? “...And she’s gone.”  One of the acolytes had come up next to him, and he nodded approvingly behind his hood. “Indeed, sir Farland. Olivai’s prowess is remarkable.”  He stared at the acolyte strangely. “That’s not even close to what I - oh, forget it.” * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The slime was beginning to panic.  Where was its master? Wasn’t he following the slime? Why hadn’t it checked earlier? All it could do was roll onward. It was so full of sticks and twigs at this point that it made a gentle rattling sound every time it crossed a tree root, and it was beginning to fill up with the water gushing down on it. The rain was making it much easier to see, thankfully. Water was as easy to sense as one of its own kind to the slime. After some moments, the slime realized that it was making a clacking sound. It was rolling over stone now, hard rocks that threatened to burst it and send its liquid spilling all over the mountain. The slime slowed its speed, cautious of the potential threat. It never heard the Koliph pounce forward, claws outstretched and teeth bared. It definitely noticed the shining woman right behind him, though. With an alarmed burble, the slime flattened itself, and the Koliph soared over it with a startled screech. Bouncing to its normal shape, the slime skidded on the wet stone and tried to escape. A transparent yellow cube appeared around the slime, and it smashed into the side of the cube with a stunned bubbling sound. Tumbling backward, it tried to find which direction was up and slowly settled, wiggling crazily. The cube shrank rapidly until the slime couldn’t move at all, and it began frantically burbling. Almost floating at this point, the woman radiating light stopped in front of the slime and frowned. The glow faded from her eyes as she put her index finger and thumb to the bridge of her fair nose, moving her staff with all its bangles and dangly bits to her other hand. Even the slime could see how pretty she was, and its fear faded somewhat. The Koliph walked back over, shaking water out of his fur (somewhat pointlessly, the slime thought - it was raining, after all). He glared at the slime. “Shape-shifting?”  The pretty woman shook her head with a sigh. “No. All magicks have their limits. As far as I know, there is no way to erase one’s innards.”  A man came huffing and wheezing out of the treeline towards them. A very very big man. The slime found itself rolling over backward to take him and all his armor in. “Olivai - I meant Ladenstar!” he hastily corrected, and then he saw the slime. He scowled, an angry expression coming over his face like a storm cloud. “He cast a decoy spell, didn’t he.”  The Koliph nodded wordlessly, and Olivai shook her head. “I can’t believe we were fooled by something so basic.”  The giant man pointed at the slime. “What are we going to do with that?”  Olivai shrugged. “It’s a slime. What do you think?” Raising her fancy staff, she aimed it at the slime, and it realized what was happening a moment later. Taking a deep breath, her eyes glowed white and she uttered, “Purify.” A blast of gold light erupted from the tip of her staff and scorched the stone around the slime with its intensity, searing the startled gellipsoid. It felt the sticks and leaves inside its body burn away with the light, cleaning it of all junk. A mild stinging sensation accompanied it. When it squeezed one eye open, it found that it was okay.  Olivai blinked in surprise. “That… what?” Frowning, she raised her staff and shouted, “Purify!” The exact same thing happened, and she crouched to examine the slime. “What’s going on?”  The giant man snorted loudly and Olivai glared at him. The extremely confused slime glanced from one to the other, desperately trying to figure out what in the world was going on. “Olivai, I don’t think your spell is working.”  She checked her fancy staff over, bangles and hoops gently clinking against each other. “Otto, it’s-” Pausing, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Farland, I’ve practiced this purification spell so many times I could do it without my staff. I’m up to it working nine out of ten times.”  Otto beamed. “There’s your problem!”  Koliph, priestess and slime alike stared at him, and his smile staled. “Do - do you get it?”  Olivai sighed. “Enlighten us of your wisdom, by all means.”  His grin slowly spread from ear to ear. “Wait, nobody else gets it?”  The Koliph spoke quietly. “My species is not a patient one, Otto.”  The giant man hesitated. “Okay, so you said it works nine times out of ten. So it doesn’t work one time out of ten. So… technically speaking, there’s a one percent chance that it didn’t work twice!”  Without glancing at the slime, Olivai aimed her staff at it. “Purify.” The golden light washed over the slime. It didn’t even sting anymore. If anything, it felt kind of nice. It certainly got rid of all the little impurities the slime had picked up along its mad roll. Otto frowned. “Okay, that’s a much smaller-”  “Purify.” The slime burbled happily at the sensation.  Otto threw his hands in the air. “Fine, you win. With that out of the way, why isn’t it, y’know… blowing up?”  The slime released a shocked chirp. That was what they’d been trying to do!?  They collectively ignored the slime. Olivai rubbed at her chin, musing, “Well… hypothetically speaking, it’s not impossible for a monster to be pure to start with.”  As one, they turned to scrutinize the slime, which tried to scoot up against the back of its golden cube. “Well,” Otto stated, “It sure doesn’t look malicious.”  “That’s what I’m worried about,” Olivai said. “A wizard serving under Sceledrus summoning a monster using what appears to be a very expensive transportation circle and a slime comes out of it? One that resists my purification spell? It could have any number of resistances.” Otto snapped his fingers. “I’ve got an idea. Let it out.”  Olivai raised an eyebrow in his direction. “You want me to let the potentially very dangerous slime out of my containment?”  He gestured to the group. “We’re a paladin, a priestess, and a Koliph.” He frowned. “Why does that sound like the beginning to a bad joke?”  Shaking it away, he continued, “Point being, I’m pretty sure we can handle a single slime, regardless of resistances or whatever it’s got up its sleeves.”  Considering the point, Olivai aimed a bare hand at the slime. “Remove.” The light surrounding the slime froze, crystallized, and then abruptly poofed into golden stars, lazily floating through the air and fading. The slime’s eyes went wide at the wondrous sight, and it did the first thing it thought of.  It ate one of the sparkles.  It was not at all a pleasant taste. It was like dense lightning, sparking and blowing up in the slime’s small mouth and detonating in ways that the slime didn’t have the words to describe. It couldn’t even spit the taste out.  The surface of the slime wrinkled as it retched, sliding backward as it tried to rid its mouth of the sparks. Otto burst out laughing, and the Koliph sheathed his previously unseen sword onto his back. Olivai shook her head, but she looked like she was trying not to laugh as well. “Alright, it’s definitely not evil. That’d explain the failed purification spells. They won’t do much against something that’s already pure, but that still doesn’t explain the summoning.” The displeased slime shivered. It’d learned its lesson for the day; spells were not for eating. A moment later, it realized that Olivai was crouching in front of it, and it stilled. She held out a hand, still hesitant. “I’d like to take it to the church and examine it more closely, but I have a feeling we’re not its favorite people at the moment.”  The slime opened its mouth wide and tasted the air. Past the horrendous residue residing in its mouth, it could smell all three of them. Otto’s smell was spoons, metallic but not cold. The Koliph was spicy and damp, although that could have been partially due to his soaked fur. And Olivai… Olivai was cinnamon and sugar and warmth and sunlight all mixed and baked into a giant roll.  The slime made its decision an instant after tasting that smell. Rolling forward, it loudly chirped and inflated marginally, pushing up on Olivai’s hand. She jerked away, startled, but gently put her hand back on it after a moment. A smile appeared on her face. “It would appear I was wrong.”  Setting her staff down, she scooped the slime into her arms and grunted under its deceptive weight. Otto moved forward, a question already on his lips, but she shook her head. “No, I’ve got it. If I’m going to examine it with any level of ease, I’m going to need it to trust me.”  The slime tried to be as helpful as it could as it shifted around, allowing Olivai to get a better grip as it turned, pressing its back against her stomach. With both her hands full, she tried to grab her staff, but almost dropped the slime in the process.  Otto picked it up for her. “I’ll take this for now. Don’t expect me to give it back, though.”  Her glare bored ineffectively into him, failing to wear his cheeky grin down. Readjusting her grip once again on the slime, she straightened, and the slime burbled happily. “As a paladin under Silaos of Truth, you must return that when we return.”  His grin widened. “I am a paladin of honesty. I honestly don’t know if I’m going to give you this staff back.”  She stumbled towards him and he jumped away, deliberately inspecting the staff’s bangles. “I could probably get a good price for this.”  “Otto!” She gasped, still trying not to drop the slime, and he ran off into the woods. “OTTO!” She shouted, and started half-running after him. Castil watched them leave with a nonplussed expression, then shook his head. “What have I gotten myself into?” He muttered under his breath, and took off at a light jog. 

Holograms in the Snow Dawn breaks on a coastal city. Foghorns sound off from seafare. Sharks glide beneath. Rays of sunlight fight through the mist, onto the cityscape. An airship hovers over the city, above the clouds. Subdued light reflects off it. Across the peninsula and behind a shop, Jennifer paints a canvas on a rickety easel. Completed and discarded paintings stack up around the yard, weathering. “Breakfast?” “Oh, no thanks.” “Wow look at the city.” Beyond the shoreline, the sunrise illuminates high-rises, and an airship. “I bet Alex is there now.” Jennifer says nothing. “Lockdowns, empty shelves, I can barely get parts.” Jennifer says nothing. “Okay, be right back.” “Thanks Dad.” Jennifer examines his painting. He grimaces and kicks the easel, collapsing it into the dirt.  “Voilà.” He stands the easel back up, replaces the dirty painting, stares at it again, and kicks the leg out, again. In the distance the airship casts a shadow onto the clouds. His father returns with breakfast, sits in the office, and eats quietly. A siren cries in the distance. Waterfowl chatter. “Can you make a pickup from Daisy?” “Sure.” Jennifer leaves, passing a food truck congregation. He crosses the town square, the café, the newsstand, and hops onto a streetcar. A fishmonger sprays the sidewalk. Police cruisers loiter on red curbs. Across town he jumps off, skipping up the curb on a block of commercial buildings, turning, startled, as someone grabs him. Jennifer backs up, jerking free from the menacing figure’s grasp, quickly backing into someone else. He turns to see who, but she passes him, towards the brute, pulls out pistols, and fires twice. The shots, suppressed, sound like knocks on wood. The fool drops. A squad car crosses the intersection nearby. “I’m Alex. Come with me.” Alex weaves her arm around Jennifer’s and they walk away calmly, stepping over blood snaking down the dewy concrete from the corpse’s head. “What the hell is…” “I’ll explain,” Alex pulls him close and keeps walking. A tinted SUV approaches. She tenses.  The vehicle veers at them. Alex throws her bodyweight into Jennifer getting them both almost out of the way. Their momentum absorbs the impact and they land on their feet. The doors open and gunmen, like demons, emerge opening fire. Alex and Jennifer run, ducking into a diner, a bell chimes as they slam into the doorframe, pivoting. Bullets pierce the windowpanes. Glass dust explodes and rains down.  Alex kicks the back door open and they sprint down the alley. The shooters flee the scene. “Just go about your business, Jennifer. You’ll be fine. They won’t be back anytime soon.”  Jennifer, breathing heavily, doesn’t respond. “I jammed the cameras in the area. You’ll be fine. Just go about your business,” Alex looks over her shoulder, back to Jennifer, smiles and runs off. Jennifer stands there, in heart-racing timelessness, before the impetus to survive penetrates the adrenal high. He walks off quickly, hearing sirens. Daisy meets Jennifer behind the machinist’s shop, on the loading dock. “Oh my god are you alright I heard there was just a shooting are you okay?” “I’m fine. I wasn’t even near where it happened.” “Are you sure you’re okay?” “Ya,” Jennifer lies again, trying not to shake, “is there an order ready?” “I don’t know why you hide out at Dad’s all day take the ferry to the city. Go out. Meet someone. You’re never going to be happy hiding out for the rest of your life. I don’t get it. What’s the big deal? People really try hard to like you Jennifer.” “I know.”  “Come into the city with us tonight you know see and be seen you never know who you might meet.” “Maybe.” Daisy groans, “You’re so frustrating I already know you’re going to flake you gotta live your life quit making all these excuses.” “Daisy,” Jennifer begins, but is interrupted by one of their coworkers. “Daisy. Phone.” They nod. “Part’s on the front desk take care of yourself.” “Take care of myself?” “Don’t you watch the news? Alex? Capri? It’s dangerous out there.” “Capri?” Daisy rolls their eyes, “Take care Jennifer.” Jennifer finds the paper-wrapped twine-tied part and tucks it under his arm. The front door chimes as he leaves.  On his way back, police in marked and unmarked vehicles comb the streets. Jennifer pulls his coat in tight and tries to have inconspicuous thoughts.  He cuts down a side street, sensing someone is following him. He turns to see who. Alex? A blade whistles through the air. His vision cuts out. He collapses, unconscious. Jennifer comes to, shivering wet, the asphalt rough against him, blind. He reaches up to wipe his eyes, but there’s nothing there. Jennifer squirms in fear and begins thrashing, like drowning. Maybe he is drowning. A sleep paralysis nightmare? His mind races. “Maybe I’m dead and just don’t know it yet.” He forces his eyes open and blinks furiously, slowly improving his clouded vision. Finally one eye clears, then the other. It’s nighttime. He sees his body, near, but impossibly far away, all there, but headless. “I must be dreaming.” Everything is pins and needles, but more like daggers. His neck burns intensely. He wills his body up and watches himself stand. He’s never seen himself from this angle. He kneels and picks up his head. The package is still there, he picks that up too, and goes on his way, limping savagely. The next morning Jennifer wakes up at home, in bed, still in anguish, “Please be a dream. Please be a dream. Please…,” he repeats as he gets up, but only his body moves. He cries, “Nooo!” There’s a knock on the door, “You up?” “Uh, ya but I don’t feel so good.” “You okay?” “I need to find Alex,” Jennifer thinks, but says, “I’ll be fine, I’m probably not coming in today.” “Sure you’re okay?” “Ya.” “Okay, call if you need anything.” “Thanks,” Jennifer says, realizing he’s still very tired. He climbs his body back into bed and passes out. Jennifer wakes up again, late afternoon, dazed, to a knock on the door, “Jennifer?” “Hey, Dad, I’m sorry, I’m… hungover. I think I’m starting to feel better though. I… won’t let it happen again.” After a significant pause his father says, “Daisy and I are going to dinner and a movie.” “Sorry Dad.” “…It’s fine.” Jennifer wakes up again, after midnight. “I’ve got to find her.” He covers his bloody sheets, takes his head, and leaves. At the shore behind the shop, he fills the tank of a somewhat communal aluminum fishing boat. The motor starts with one pull and he shoves off. Large freighters crisscross the dazzling city lights reflecting off the jet black choppy water. Jennifer manages navigating through, despite a few close calls. He arrives in the city. Tall skyscrapers bathed in light pollution tower overhead, a sort of reverse vertigo. The cloud coverage hangs above the high-rises, through which the airship's position lights blink. He ties up the craft beneath a pier filled with sleeping refugees from various diasporas. “I would tell you not to worry about your boat, that it will be safe here, but it’s not true. Your boat will be gone by morning; however, I sense you may not be concerned about it. Hi, how are you?” “I’m…” Jennifer hesitates, struggling to casually balance his head, on his neck, in a natural position. The silhouette speaking to him steps out from the shadows. “My name is Spree,” they say. “Jennifer.” “Very nice to meet you,” Spree says, looking down, whittling a pole, reminiscent of a short broomstick. “Spree. Do you know anyone that can help me… find Alex?” “Alex? They say she’s only found when she wants to be found. Authorities have been trying to bring down the Greysong for years, but with no luck.” “The Greysong?” Spree points to the sky. “How do I get… there?” “Here,” Spree blows wood shavings from the pole and hands it to Jennifer. “What’s this?” “Please, allow me.” Spree takes the pole and guides it halfway down Jennifer’s neck. He shudders.  “There. Try sticking your head on that.” He does. “This should help draw less undesired attention,” Spree takes their scarf and wraps it around Jennifer’s neck, “There.” “How did you know?” “I watched your navigation light approaching, somehow I knew you would land here, somehow I knew to get this carving ready. The psychic boundaries are expanding for some of us. Keep going. You’ll find what you’re looking for.” “Thank you, Spree.” “You are very welcome, Jennifer.” Jennifer climbs out from under the pier, up the erosion boulders. In the city, public houses and discothèques spill out onto sidewalks and into the streets. The glamorous and unglamorous compliment and contend with each other. A tapestry fills the air.   *** Hi, thank you for reading. If you are interested in the rest of the story, it is available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDMQ9BXR

The little girl was stunned as she watched the dust in front of her, kicked off by horses who was long gone by now. She blinked a few times, even rubbed her eyes with her little hands—perhaps the dust went in her eyes. No change. She was all alone. Alone. Feng Yue had never been alone in her five years of life. There was always her mother, who treated her best, or even the servants, who ignored her, but at least they were there. Now she was alone. She squatted down and started to think about her life. Her little fingers started to count. One, she was alone. That was a certain fact. Two, she was far away from home. At least she thought so, because it took a while for the carriage to bring her here. Three, the only things she had was the clothes she was wearing and a jade pendant her mother left her. Any other children would cry in this unfamiliar situation, but not Feng Yue. Since the beginning, she understood that crying, at most, would only make her mother hug her and cry along with her. Now that her mother was gone, that benefit was gone. She wasn’t like her younger brother Feng Sheng, who would immediately be fawned upon when he cried. Therefore, she decided, crying was useless and would only waste time. Feng Yue stood up again and turned to watch her surroundings. There was only road around her and houses a little bit further away. She was a few minutes away from the group of houses that she remembered was called village. That was what Concubine Yao said, that she was going to be thrown to some village. She rubbed her head for a few moments and decided to walk towards the village. It was evening, and there were few people on the road. Feng Yue walked faster to reach the village and finally arrived when there was barely any sunlight. She furrowed her brows as she considered her next move. Should she knock on one of the doors? But she was just a strange child in dirty clothes who arrived in the nick of dusk. What would the house resident even do? Thankfully, she was saved from having to make a decision, because someone called her. “Xiao guniang1little girl!” Feng Yue turned around and saw a woman bringing a basket, frowning when she saw her. “What are you doing here? Where are your parents?” Feng Yue tilted her head. Parents? She meant mother? “Mother died,” she said, remembering what the other adults said. Don’t really know what it meant, but she never saw Mother again since. Maybe if she cried Mother would appear, but before she could test the theory, she was brought to this faraway place. The woman’s face turned even worse. “Poor child,” she whispered. Scanning her up and down, she asked, “do you have a place to stay?” Feng Yue tilted her head, and shook her head. The woman looked at her, then at the direction of one of the houses. “You wait here,” she said. “I’ll… I have to ask my husband first.” She nodded. “Thank you,” she said well-behavedly with a smile. The woman returned her smile then slowly walked, as if it was a really hard thing that she was going to do. Feng Yue waited for a while, and she heard the sounds of quarrel from inside the house. She was about to walk forward, but before she could, someone grabbed her from behind. “Such a good child… Oho, whose child are you?” Feng Yue’s whole body was lifted. She strained and struggled to break free, but how could her strength compare? She had started to study martial arts when she was three, but it obviously wasn’t enough to beat an adult. She smelled a bad smell as the man’s hand tightened around her mouth. She knew it was the smell that came from guard uncles occasionally at night, when they gathered around a table to play something. What was it called? Liquor? This bad man was drunk! Feng Yue gritted her teeth and tried to kick the man, but she only kicked air. The bad man leaned at her neck and breathed deeply, causing her to shudder. “Ah, a good one,” the man said sloppily and dragged her away. She tried to scream, but she couldn’t. Feng Yue began to feel panic and anger rising in her simultaneously. In all five years of her life, no one had ever behaved without respect towards her like this. She kept struggling, and when the man almost stumbled, she used that momentum to kick behind at him. The man hissed and inavertedly released her. She used the chance to scream as loudly as she could. The bad man swore because of that and tried to drag her again, but this time someone stopped him. A man in a dark robe kicked him away, causing the bad man to groan loudly. Feng Yue watched in astonishment as the dark robed man exchanged a few flashes of blows with the drunken man. Was this… a legendary hero, like from the storybooks? The bad man was knocked out cold just in a few blows that she couldn’t count because they were too fast. Feng Yue looked at the sorry figure lying on the ground, hmphed, and kicked his waist. Bad man! He deserved it. She kicked him a few more times on different places. She didn’t realize that the dark robed man was watching her in wonder. Realizing there was someone else there, Feng Yue turned to her savior. The man was neither young nor old. She couldn’t ascertain his age or status, as he looked exactly just like a normal person. If it wasn’t for how amazing his martial arts were, Feng Yue wouldn’t know that this uncle had a heroic aura. She beamed. “Thank daxia2hero shushu3uncle for saving me,” she said, offering the uncle hero a smile. Then she remembered that she needed to be respectful, so she bowed deeply before straightening up again. “Shushu was really amazing. I want to be as strong as you!” She declared. The uncle hero looked at her strangely, then looked towards the bad man who was in an even worse state because of her kicks. “Xiao guniang, you are a good seed,” he said. “Do you want to be my disciple?” “Disciple?” Feng Yue frowned. “What is that?” The uncle hero said, “That means you call me shifu4Master/teacher and I will teach you what I know.” Feng Yue widened her eyes. That means she could be as strong at him? “Then okay!” She nodded enthusiastically. “Shifu, teach me to be strong!” Her five-years-old self didn’t know that this decision was the one that changed the outcome of her life. That evening, the legendary heroine Feng Yue was born.

“Xiaojie1Young Miss, it’s been a while,” The proprietor greeted her when they both sat down on a room upstairs the Treasure Shop. “I didn’t think you would go here.” “Boss He, where else would I go?” Feng Yue laughed, although she understood the meaning. The Treasure Shop was one of many businesses across the Empire that was under shifu’s employment and protection. Now that she inherited that, they were under hers. These places formed a web of information that she could use to gain intel or send messages. “Then, xiaojie has a command?” Feng Yue waved her hand. “No, I’m just looking around. I was shopping nearby and remember that your shop is here, so I come to visit.” Boss He put his hands together. “Many thanks for xiaojie’s help. But is it okay for you to seek problem like that?” He asked in concern. Feng Yue smiled. “It’s fine. Just some bratty noble children.” She stood up and Yuan Yuan took the wrapped box of earring that she just bought, then she stopped as she remembered something. “Right, have you find anything out about the Feng family?” “Oh right, xiaojie,” Boss He stood as well. “I heard something.” “You say.” “Feng Huozhi’s power in the family is unstable,” Boss He said. “I’m sure you already know that. But because of this, his madam is going to hold the ancient tournament.” Feng Yue was surprised. “Good work, Boss He,” she praised. “Then I’ll be off first.” “Yes, be careful.” As she left the premises with Yuan Yuan behind her, she was thinking. The ancient tournament, as the name suggested, was a competition between the younger generation of the Feng family for the seat of the family head. It was an old tradition that had long been abandoned, because the last few generations, the Feng family previous head would choose the next one. With ancient tournament, the children from other branches could also participate. Feng Huozhi would allow this? She fell in deep thought. She originally thought her slag father would choose Feng Sheng, as he was the oldest son of his, from his precious concubine no less. But now, it seemed like there was something more she didn’t know. Was Feng Huozhi wary of Yao Liumei? “Where are we going next, xiaojie?” Yuan Yuan asked. Feng Yue glanced at her maid. “Do you want to go anywhere?” Yuan Yuan scrunched her nose. “Well, you still haven’t gotten new clothes.” Feng Yue felt amused anger. “Why do you insist on new clothes so much? You think I’m too ugly with these clothes and can’t compare with my sisters?” Yuan Yuan thought for a second, then foolishly nodded. Feng Yue huffed. “If you despise your mistress so much, then don’t follow me in the future!” Yuan Yuan felt wronged. “Xiaojie, you have to look good so they won’t dare to look down on you anymore!” Tch. This little girl was sometimes too short-sighted. “Let’s go back to the mansion,” she said, too lazy to argue. “Xiaojie!” “Alright, alright, I will buy next time.” They went past the main gate with ease because of the jade bracelet around her arms, despite the fact that the guards still looked down at her. Feng Yue still didn’t take it to heart, although Yuan Yuan was indignant for her. She just let the little girl stew. Instead, she was still thinking things over. There were three branches in the Feng family. Feng Huozhi was the oldest son, the first branch, who took over from his father. Below him there were two younger brothers, one legitimate and the other illegitimate. None of them were close to each other. The third branch, who was headed by the legitimate brother, was dissatisfied that the family head position was taken by Feng Huozhi. While the second branch was busy holding their head down to not get involved between the fight. It also needed to be mentioned that none of the brothers’ offspring were legitimate. To this fact, when she first heard it, she could only sigh and thought that Yao Liumei’s hand stretched far, even to the other branches. Perhaps Yao Liumei felt that if her children were illegitimate, then none of the other two branches could have legitimate heirs. This made her think, Yao Liumei probably couldn’t stand the fact that Jia Lifang had the seat of the madam. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the ability to deal with Jia Lifang. Beside the fact that there was Jia family behind her, Jia Lifang herself was also not a naïve, sheltered woman. The sky turned to a hue of orange. Feng Yue was sitting in her courtyard, deep in thought, when a hesitant knock sounded from the door. Feng Yue looked up and found one of the little maids in her courtyard. “What is it?” She asked. “Da xiao- xiaojie,” the little maid was hesitant, “Laofuren2Old Madam wanted you to go over.” Feng Huozhi’s old mother, her grandmother, was still alive but she rarely interfered with the affair of the house. Rumors had it that she was a scary person. One time a maid accidentally spill a tea and she was found dead a couple of days later. Another time, a maid took initiative to massage her but she didn’t like it. As a result, a few days later, the maid was also found dead. This scary person now was summoning her. Feng Yue sighed. Based on the information she read, this laofuren also doted on Feng Ting like crazy. Did Feng Ting found out about the earring she snatched already? That Li gongzi3Young Master Li acted fast. “I got it,” she said to the little maid, but made no move to go out. The little maid was confused, but by Yuan Yuan’s cue, she walked out in a daze. Da xiaojie wasn’t going, her courage was quite big! In contrast, inside, Feng Yue was perfectly calm. Yuan Yuan poured her a cup of tea in a similar calm manner and asked, “are you going, xiaojie?” “Go, of course go, I have to see the fun.” Feng Yue laughed. “In a moment, I’ll finish this tea first.” The little maid hissed in fear. Truly a big courage! Don’t know what will happen to her… Shivering, the little maid quickly left. “Laofuren’s maid didn’t even deigned to appear,” Yuan Yuan was miffed. “Just passing a message along to a little maid in your courtyard, this is not respecting you! Xiaojie, after all you are still the eldest miss. Isn’t this unreasonable?” “Eldest shu4illegitimate miss,” she corrected. “Whatever. Still the eldest!” Feng Yue smiled. Before working for her, Yuan Yuan grew up in a small family, so she doesn’t know that big families didn’t really care about the order of birth. As long as they were useful, they were pampered, and if they weren’t, then they were thrown out. It wasn’t a big deal for her. “Okay, okay, you calm down. I will go over now.” The laofuren’s place was in the furthest corner of the residence, far from everyone else. The old lady, after all, valued peace and quiet very much. Other than Feng Ting, she heard, no one else was allowed to come close. It took her a quarter of an hour to reach it, mostly because she walked as slow as possible to enjoy the scenery. It was dinner time when she arrived, and Feng Yue stood in front of the old lady’s courtyard. The maid at front saw her and went it to report, but it was clear that the answer was negative. Feng Yue raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t even allowed to come in? The little maid didn’t even tell her anything and resumed to stand guard as if she didn’t saw her there. Sighing, she looked around. This got boring real fast. Originally, she wanted to find out what Feng Ting complain about, but it seemed that there was no chance. They were playing this kind of petty game, she wasn’t interested. She turned around and started walking back. The little maid was stunned. This wasn’t in line with the script! Wasn’t the Eldest Miss supposed to talk to her, ask her to come in? Then she could explain that the masters were eating and no one could disturb until they were done, asked her to wait… But she turned back right away! She felt ominous in her heart and directly went back inside to report it again. Inside, laofuren frowned. “She… just left?” The little maid nodded fearfully. “Zumu5Paternal Grandmother! Look at that wild girl behavior!” Feng Ting who was sitting in front of her immediately complained. “She doesn’t even have a drop of manner! No wonder she even rudely snatches Li gongzi’s gift for me!” She was teary-eyed. Her fiancee explained that it was a really beautiful earring that would even look more beautiful on her, but who knew Feng Yue dared to snatch it up! “Such a rogue behavior!” The old lady sneered, and looking at Feng Ting, immediately felt soft-hearted. “Don’t worry, zumu will seek justice for you!” She glanced at the rough momo6old servant beside her. “Drag her in!” The momo bowed and went out to satisfy her request. Feng Yue walked super slowly, enjoying the scenery of sunset while sighing. Sure enough, Xianshui City was beautiful. Probably the fact that it was on the foot of a mountain helped. She felt the momo’s breath far before she came close, but she pretended she didn’t know a thing, letting the momo dragged her inside. Well, this was also good. She didn’t need to spend energy to walk back. The momo dropped her down in front of her grandmother and Feng Ting. She could keep herself from stumbling, but since she wanted to conceal herself, she pretended to fall down. “Who told you to leave?” The laofuren’s voice sounded. “Ah?” Feng Yue lifted her head and laughed. “Paying respect to zumu,” she began with the courtesies. “No one told me to leave, but the maid at front come in when she saw me and then came out again, saying nothing. That means I’m not allowed to come in, right? If I can’t come in then I leave. It’s that simple.” The tone of her last sentence was like teaching a child that the sky is blue. “You dare!” The old lady hit the table; the bowls moved due to her force. “You should have waited!” Feng Yue tilted her head in confusion. “Why?” “Because zumu summoned you!” Feng Ting impatiently interrupted. Feng Yue moved her eyes to her and smiled. “That is to say, I should wait in front of zumu’s courtyard until she called me in? That can’t do. What if people see? They will say zumu is petty and biased, letting her eldest granddaughter wait in front of her courtyard while the second one is eating inside,“ She said in concern. “We can’t have people talking about zumu like that.” “You… You…” The old lady was angry now, her face fully red. “You ungrateful slut’s spawn!” Feng Yue gasped, looking around the room. “Zumu! Don’t use such a shrewish language! The maids can hear!” The old lady stood up, pointing at her. “You…” She shook her head. “You snatched Ting’er’s gift today!” “Snatch?” Feng Yue frowned in confusion. “Snatching what?” Angered, Feng Ting jumped up. “Li shaoye’s gift for me! You snatch the earring from him!” “Oh, that,” Feng Yue nodded, as if realizing something. “Well, I saw that Li gongzi cannot afford it, so I bought it! He even argued with the shopkeeper to lower the price, it’s such a shame.” She shook her head. “If it’s his gift for san mei, then I’ll give it to you. Don’t forget to tell him to pay me full price!” “Presumptuous!” The old lady almost threw the table. “Are you saying that the Li family can’t afford a little earring, but you can?” “I didn’t say that?” Feng Yue tilted her head. “Zumu, you cannot twist the truth like that,” she taught her patiently. “Perhaps Li gongzi simply didn’t bring as much money as me. But still, for him to force the shopkeeper to pull the price down…” She shook her head, then leaned forward in gossip voice. “Zumu, could it be that the Li family…” “You, get out!” The old lady pointed to the door. “Drag her out!” Feng Yue shrugged. Avoiding the momo’s hand, she bowed down. “Then I’ll be going first, zumu.” She walked out of that courtyard with ease. Inside the courtyard, everyone was quiet. Feng Ting broke the silence, “Zumu, could it be the Li family really…” “You don’t listen to that slut’s slandering!” The old lady’s eyes flashed. “We’ll deal with her soon.” The so-called slut was walking back to her courtyard slowly, not even caring. When she arrived, she found Yuan Yuan panicking like a headless chicken. “Da xiaojie!” She immediately went towards her. “The kitchen refused to give dinner again!” Feng Yue stared at her. “Such a small matter, what are you panicking for?” “Well, this is the seventh day the people in our courtyard didn’t have any to eat! The last of them are leaving already.” Feng Yue waved her hand. “Let them leave,” she said. “It was so troublesome with everyone here anyway. Didn’t we buy a pack of beef jerky earlier? Open it up.” Yuan Yuan looked at her mistress and sighed. “Yes, xiaojie,” she muttered. After taking a nap in the evening, Feng Yue went out secretly to the lake by midnight. Using her light footwork, she jumped on the water and stepped on the lotus leaf in the middle of the lake. She practiced some of her usual move before thinking back. Shifu had taught her a bit about Feng family’s moves, but she hadn’t practiced them in a while. Should she practice it for the traditional tournament, then? Her sword moved faster. Phoenix Carving Move was one of the ultimate sword styles from Feng family, inherited for hundreds of years. Feng Yue herself didn’t know where her shifu could learn the move, but there were many things about her shifu that was mysterious. She herself, the youngest disciple and successor, still didn’t know his true identity. And never will. Sighing, Feng Yue stopped her move. And then she felt someone walking closer. No, Yuan Yuan shouldn’t be here to nag her yet… Startled, she used her qigong7light footwork and flew up to one of the treetops nearby. A rustle sounded and a small seven years old child walked out of the bushes. “Huh,” he mumbled, but because of her martial arts, she could still hear him. “But I’m sure someone should be here at this time…” He scratched his head. “Am I wrong? But I saw the signs…” Feng Chao, her younger brother. How odd. He knew someone was going to be here and investigated? So he came here at night. The kid wasn’t bad. Quite bold, in fact. The seven years old shook his head and was about to leave, but Feng Yue suddenly speak up. “Who are you looking for?” Startled, Feng Chao looked up to the source of the sound. He widened his eyes when he saw her on a branch in the tree by the lakeside. “Y-you,” he stuttered. “Ba di, what are you doing in the middle of the night?” She shook her head, hiding her sword behind her back. “You should go to sleep.” “Da jie,” he said quietly. “So it’s you? I should’ve known. The signs started when you came back.” She heard this and became more interested. She was naturally a cautious person and would wiped out anything that could implicate her, but she didn’t really care about the lake because even if anyone found out she was here, she could just say she couldn’t fall asleep and walked around. That being said, her qigong was really good and it stood to reason that no one should ever recognized any sign of her being there. “What signs are you seeing?” Feng Chao pointed at the ground. “That part, someone was sitting there every night.” Feng Yue was surprised. Right. Occasionally, when she was too tired to practice, she sat down, her white clothes be damned. But there were barely any signs there. This kid could even discern that? “Ba di is pretty good,” she sincerely praised him. Feng Chao pursed his lips. “I just thought it strange that someone is here in the dead of the night.” Feng Yue laughed. Such a precocious kid. “You are very observant to notice small details like that. What do you usually do?” Feng Chao glanced at her for a second, and then he turned around. Feng Yue was surprised when he started to stalked off, but she didn’t prevent him from leaving. She wasn’t worried he would report it to anyone, either. One, he rarely talked to people, and two, she already had a ready-made excuse. She did wonder, though, if she said something wrong. Did she? It seemed to be the case… Feng Yue shrugged. Oh well. She jumped down from the tree and decided to end her training for tonight. Time to go… to sleep.  

The young female warrior stood on the surface of the lake; her white outfit waved with the wind. She looked like a celestial war fairy from heaven. The blade she held was pointed to the moon and as she moved, it was as if the moon itself descended on her. As if she was one with the lake, dancing under the moonlight. When she sheathed her sword back, she turned around without even losing any breath. She ran lightly over the water surface to the lakeside and jumped until she stood on land. And then she laughed while she sat on the ground, ignoring that her white dress was dirtied. “I really am cool,” she mumbled to herself while looking up to the moon. She tapped her fingers on the ground. “It’s about time now…” “Xiaojie 1Young Miss!” She turned around to find her maid, Yuan Yuan, running towards her. “What?” “Why are you here at the middle of the night?” The little maid scolded her. The younger girl had been with her since she was young, though, so it was just a routine for her to be concerned. “It’s dangerous to be here all alone at night!” Feng Yue smiled widely. “Sorry, I can’t sleep.” “Still, xiaojie, you should have brought someone with you,” the maid frowned. “You’re the first daughter of the Feng jia2Feng family now. You cannot act recklessly like this!” Knowing that she was worried, Feng Yue smiled. “Okay, I won’t do it anymore.” “You kept saying that, but you’ve been doing this for years!” Her maid hmphed. “It’s so dirty… xiaojie, let’s go back. Goodness, I have to wash that! It’s white cloth! Why do you keep doing this to me?” Feng Yue only laughed and didn’t answer. “I feel like, xiaojie, ever still we came back to the main residence, you’ve became more and more naughty,” her maid sighed. “Don’t you see er xiaojie and san xiaojie are busy embroidering, practicing qin, and studying calligraphy? Why are you so free?” Feng Yue glanced at her maid. “Do I need to do all that?” “Well, no, but don’t you hear what those people are saying? They say you are a country bumpkin who didn’t know anything!” The Jiu Empire was a big nation, headed by an Emperor and a court of noble families. There were over hundreds of noble families, but the most prominent ones were known as the Eight Honorable Clans. These eights were very powerful, and for that reason, they were allowed to have their own territories, but weren’t allowed to meddle with the Imperial Court. The Feng family that she was part in was one of the Eight Honorable Families. The head of the family, Feng Huozhi, had a wife and many concubines. Feng Yue’s mother, Duan Meng, was one of his concubines from early in the days. Duan Meng was an entertainer in a brothel and accidentally gotten pregnant with Feng Yue, so Feng Huozhi brought her home as a concubine and ignored her after that. After all, there were over ten concubines in the house, and Duan Meng was just one of them. Her mother was after that ignored and died under someone’s calculations. Despite the overflowing rate of concubines, there were only eight children in the house. Only two were males. One of them, the eldest young master, Feng Sheng, came from Yao Liumei, the most powerful concubine in the Feng family. It was said that the old man Feng Huozhi loved her very much, causing Yao Liumei to be arrogant. The other one was Feng Chao, the youngest son, who was sickly and very weak. There was a reason why there were only two sons. Yao Liumei wanted to be the matriarch, mother of the head, which was why she killed every son that was born, which she considered threat to Feng Sheng’s future position. She even poisoned all the other daughters and prevented them from ever being able to learn martial arts, just in case they would threaten Feng Sheng. About Feng Chao, she couldn’t do anything because the youngest son lived outside under the protection of his maternal family, but she didn’t need to, as the boy was so sickly, he could barely get out of his bed. From a young age, Feng Yue knew she couldn’t have survived in the household. Duan Meng warned her as much before her death. “You should never show your talent,” her mother said weakly on her death bed. “Hide it. Hide it as much as you can.” Feng Yue knew she was talented in martial arts. She knew that her mother took great pain preventing the poison from Yao Liumei from ever reaching her. Although it ended up with Duan Meng unable to fight the poison that took her life. “Don’t wallow yourself in hatred,” she heard her mother’s voice every time she wanted to take revenge. “It’s not worth it. Live your life happily.” Feng Yue sighed. I’m sorry, mother. I can no longer do that. She had to take revenge. She had to act before the enemy did, because it was the only way she could survive. “I don’t care what they call me,” she replied at last. “It truly didn’t matter. What matters was that they called all eight of the younger generations back home. You still haven’t been able to find why?” Yuan Yuan shook her head. “Don’t know. But we know for sure that the order came from the Madam.” Feng Yue smiled. “Whatever. We’ll know soon enough.”   The morning came with the chirping birds and warm sunlight. The Feng residence was located against the mountain and facing the City of Xianshui, so the air was cool and it felt rather nice. Feng Yue groaned as she woke up. She practiced until late last night, as she had done for the few weeks she had been here. She couldn’t relax her vigilance. Since she arrived in the capital of Northeast County, it would get even more dangerous. “Xiaojie, you’ve been staying in your courtyard for a few days,” Yuan Yuan said, concerned. “Should we go out today?” Her eyes flickered, looking through the window to the garden outside. Indeed, other than going out in the night, she never did go out in the day. “Good idea. Alright, let’s go.” Yuan Yuan helped her put her outer coat, and then they walked outside. The garden of Feng residence clearly reflected the wealth accumulated for hundreds of years. It was big, open, and colorful. One would need to be careful, otherwise it was easy to get lost. But Feng Yue already investigated and memorized the layout of the entire residence, so she had no problem getting around. She walked to the lake she practiced in last night and marveled that it looked even better in daylight. There was a young, thin boy squatting on the side of the lake, though, looking intently as if to make sense of something. Feng Yue was interested and walked closer. She realized that this boy was her half-brother, the sickly Feng Chao who had been cast aside to his maternal family before. “Ba di 3eight younger brother, what are you looking at?” The boy was startled when he realized she was behind him. He looked at her for a second, before... running away. Feng Yue’s lips twitched. Was she really that scary? A small, delicate laugh sounded from behind. Feng Yue turned around and found a beautiful young lady, a few years younger than her, was walking closer. “Da jie4Eldest Sister, don’t be offended by that Feng Chao,” she said, smiling. “Da jie probably didn’t know since you’ve stayed in your courtyard all day. Ba di had acted that way since he arrived here. Even his maids have difficulties talking to him.” Feng Yue smiled back. This was the enchantingly beautiful Feng Qiao, her half-sister. She couldn’t even compare. “Si mei5fourth younger sister is joking. How could he not talk to the people around him?” “He only sticks with his concubine mother,” Feng Qiao answered. “Everyone also doesn’t know how to handle him.” Feng Yue nodded. “What brings my si mei here today?” “I am here for my daily walk,” Feng Qiao smiled again. “I should ask that to da jie instead. It’s rare to see you out and about.” “I am not familiar with the mansion, after all,” Feng Yue replied good-naturedly. “It’s better to stay inside lest I get lost. But I realize that I should probably walk around occasionally.” “That’s good,” Feng Qiao nodded. “Us shu6illegitimate daughters of Feng family might not be able to practice martial arts, but we should at least be healthy.” Feng Yue raised her eyebrow. Of course, she knew that every daughter in the family, with exception to Yao Liumei’s children, was drugged so much that they would never be able to practice martial arts. It was only a stroke of luck that she escaped that. Only, why was this si mei of hers saying it out loud for? Feng Yue thought the girl was smart, but it seemed like she overestimated her. Then she heard a humph from beside them. “It’s good that you know your place.” Feng Yue’s eyes twitched. Is it what they called the devil would come if you talk about them? Feng Ting was Yao Liumei’s beloved daughter. Because the real madam of the house, Jia Lifang, didn’t really care about anything, Yao Liumei acted as the madam and her children was treated as di children. In any case, Jia Lifang was childless, so it was never a problem. Which was why Feng Ting grew up spoiled and, dare she say, rather foolish. “San jie7third older sister,” Feng Qiao smiled beautifully and inclined her head. “San mei8third younger sister,” Feng Yue followed suit, even though as the younger sister, Feng Ting should have greeted her first. But Feng Yue grew up in the jianghu9rivers and lake, underworldand didn’t really care about etiquette. It’s just a foolish child of a ruthless woman, there was no need to antagonize her. Shifu10Master taught her that the fault of the parents should never be inherited by the child, the point that she agreed. Her father Feng Huozhi married a bunch of concubines, that shouldn’t be her fault, should it? But Feng Ting didn’t respond to her goodwill and instead snorted. “All the stupid country bumpkins got together. Good thing.” Feng Yue lifted her eyebrow. Feng Qiao also got sent to the countryside, she heard, but when Feng Huozhi heard that his most beautiful daughter was sent away like that, he exploded and brought her back. Such a pretty daughter, after all, could be a good chess pieces to gain more power. But that happened a few years ago and Feng Qiao had been living here since. Did Feng Ting keep using that insult? Really no creativity at all. “You hussies should stay out of the way,” Feng Ting hissed. “I’m talking about you, Feng Qiao. Don’t ever get close to my fiancée ever again or I’ll kill you.” And then she turned around, stalking off. Feng Yue raised her eyebrow and turned to Feng Qiao, who had the most confused expression on her delicate face. “Her fiancée? I never…” She took in a sharp breath. “I only talk to Li shaoye for a minute, how did that turn into me getting close to him?” Feng Yue was sympathetic, but it was no good for her to say more. So she just bid the distraught Feng Qiao goodbye and walked on. Yuan Yuan who walked behind her frowned. “Should we go out of the residence, xiaojie? Here is so… stifling.” Feng Yue held herself from laughing. Indeed, there were eight children in this residence. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she met them all. “Alright, let’s go out.” No one cares when they walked out the door. The disciples of Feng family that guarded the gate only looked slightly when she showed her the jade bracelet on her hand, snorted, then straightened themselves up again. Even the guards looked down on her. Feng Yue wasn’t offended, though, and instead just laughed. The city outside was vibrant, as expected from the capital city. “Should we go shopping?” Yuan Yuan said, excited. “Xiaojie, you haven’t bought new clothes for years! I’m pretty sure what you are wearing the same clothes from when you were fourteen.” Feng Yue rolled her eyes. “And that is a problem, why?” “It’s not, but aren’t you bored using the same kind of clothes over and over again?” Yuan Yuan looked at her cotton dress over and sniffed. Feng Yue laughed. “You yatou 11girl, affectionately or degrading. Alright, then, let’s go to the clothing store.” The market street in Xianshui City was crowded with people and carriages. Feng Yue walked in front with Yuan Yuan following behind. It wasn’t her first time in Xianshui, despite what everyone believed. She had been here before too, with her shifu. There were many young women walking around on their own, too, so Feng Yue didn’t seem out of place—especially because her clothes was unlike the usual silk dresses that ladies of prominent families wore. She entered the biggest clothing store on the market street and observed it silently. It was crowded at this hour already, proving that their business was really good. The proprietress didn’t even notice that new customers entered, too busy serving existing ones. Feng Yue started observing the clothes around her. They were all in good quality—as expected from a store of this caliber. Feng Yue nodded in satisfaction and was about to call on the proprietress, but someone was ahead of her. “Boss lady, our xiaojie wants this one!” Feng Yue was speechless when they took the one cloth she had been observing. Forget it, wasn’t the only thing. She didn’t want to make trouble. So instead she wandered elsewhere, touching a few other clothes. Unbelievably, it was also taken by the same miss. Feng Yue started to figure out who intentionally messed with her. When she found the young lady with arrogant disposition, she frowned. She had seen the portrait before. Wasn’t this Feng Wan? She heard that this one followed Feng Ting around like a little servant. The girl smiled sweetly. “Da jie, you don’t mind, do you?” She raised an eyebrow. “Of course not, liu mei12sixth younger sister,” she said with a ‘please’ gesture. She really couldn’t escape the Feng family—they were all over the place. Sighing, she turned to Yuan Yuan and said, “Let’s go.” Yuan Yuan looked at her, concerned. “Xiaojie, you haven’t chosen anything!” Feng Yue walked out, but before she could, Feng Wan ran after her. “Da jie, you aren’t angry, are you?” Her eyes were big and teary. “You can have it if you want…” Feng Yue stepped back as the little white lotus put on her getting-pushed down act. She already saw what her half-sister was about to do, so she only raised an eyebrow as the little girl cried loudly saying, “Da jie, why did you push me…” She trailed off when she saw that Feng Yue was five steps before her. Feng Wan doubted her eyes for a second. Wasn’t she just in front of her? How could her framing work if that was the case? Only fools would believe that some weak young lady could push her from that far away. Feng Yue only smiled. Schemes from a little girl weren’t worth her attention. “Liu mei, be careful when you walk,” she advised good-naturedly. “Lady boss, you shouldn’t put so many things here.” The lady boss had been paying attention for a long while, and didn’t want to get involved in family’s quarrel. So she put on a remorseful expression and bowed deeply. “Pardon me Feng xiaojie, I wasn’t careful. We will give you discount for your purchase.” It was either convenient or annoying that the identity of Feng family members would always be broadcasted outside. The reason was, well, the jade bracelet that was put on from a family member’s birth. The bracelet was magical and would grow along with the owner, impossible to get rid of. When Feng Yue was outside, it was inconvenient, so her shifu taught her on how to get rid of it. In Xianshui City, though, it was rather useful. Feng Yue didn’t care anymore and walked out. Behind her, Feng Wan was putting on a tight smile, but Feng Yue didn’t even turn around, her maidservant following behind her. Feng Yue turned to Yuan Yuan. “I don’t want to shop anymore,” she said, waving her hand. “What about seeing jewelries?” Yuan Yuan suggested. “The Treasure Shop is nearby.” Feng Yue lit up. “Right. Let’s go.” The Treasure Shop, as the name suggested, was a shop selling all kind of priceless gems and jewelries. It wasn’t the best, but it was one of the good ones. The reason was because their customer base, instead of nobles, was mostly the wealthier commoner family. Feng Yue walked inside the shop and was welcomed by one of the shopkeepers with a smile. Unlike the clothing store, this one wasn’t crowded. There were only four other customers in the shop, served by the proprietor and other shopkeepers. “This young lady, are you looking for jewelries?” Feng Yue nodded. “You have any good ones?” “Of course,” the shopkeeper said enthusiastically. “We have some good jade, gold necklaces, and silver earrings. What is this young lady searching for?” “May I take a look at the earrings?” The shopkeeper nodded and excused himself to take some off the storage. Feng Yue was about to observe the display case when she heard shouting from the other corner of the store. “That is outrageous! Even the Fortune Store would not set such a high price!” Feng Yue raised an eyebrow. The Fortune Store was the jewelry shop often frequented by nobles. By the look of the two young men, along with the two manservants behind them, they seemed like nobility, so why were they shopping here? “This gongzi13young master, this is true,” the proprietor replied with a polite smile. “This sapphire earring is one of our finest collection. Gongzi rest assured, whichever young lady you are looking to gift, they will be happy. The price is worth it.” The young man hit the display harshly. “You dare! You, are you trying to fool this young master?” Feng Yue scrunched her nose. If they couldn’t afford it, why were they still arguing here? So embarrassing. The proprietor also thought so. “Gongzi, it’s fine if you don’t like this one. We also have the silver earring; this is even more beautiful. Girls like this one.” “You are looking down on this young lord!” The first one clenched his fist. “You dare!” As if on a cue, his manservant stepped from behind him. “Do you know who our young master is? This is Li shaoye14young master from Governor Li’s residence!” The manservant seemed very self-satisfied with himself as he said that. Li shaoye… Feng Yue observed his face. Right. She had checked everyone who was involved with Feng jia, and this young man was exactly Feng Ting’s fiancée, Li Hu. Which made her wonder, why would the Governor’s son be shopping at the so-called ‘lower’ store? The proprietor seemed a bit surprised. “Pardon me, Li shaoye. I didn’t know. But shaoye, this is really the price. It cannot go any lower.” “Presumptuous!” The other young man also banged the display. It was a wonder that it hadn’t cracked yet. “You are really looking down on us!” As if on cue, again, the manservant behind him walked forward and said in a loud voice, “Do you know who this is? This is our Geng gongzi from the Imperial Tutor’s family!” Feng Yue hid her laugh. She also investigated this one. To say he was from the Imperial Tutor’s family… Goodness, how could he hold himself up straight? Geng Fuping was from the nth branch of the family. This level of shamelessness… The proprietor bowed his head even lower. “This gongzi, we are really sorry. The price really cannot be any lower,” he said. “This used to be a family heirloom of my family. I’m selling it because I have to, but I really cannot lower the price. To do so would tarnish my mother.” Feng Yue bit her lips. Now the proprietor said it was a family heirloom? But the old proprietor was really getting smarter with time. This gave the two young lords to withdraw without losing face. Unfortunately, some people were just really stupid. “You lowly commoner!” Geng Fuping was fuming with anger and hit the proprietor. Feng Yue frowned. She couldn’t just stand still this time. It was clear that these two shameless young men wouldn’t leave until they made things more difficult. “This gongzi, what couldn’t be said slowly? Don’t use violence,” she advised with the softest voice possible. Li He and Geng Fuping looked at her and their gazes turned leering. Feng Yue raised an eyebrow at their behavior. One was famous for going to the flower houses, so sure. But the other one already had a fiancée. She began to believe that Feng Qiao was wronged when Feng Ting accused her of getting close to her fiancée. “This young lady, it’s fine,” the proprietor said quickly. His expression said, ‘quickly go, don’t get into trouble’. But Feng Yue already walked forward, why would she walk back? “The two gongzi, why insist on the sapphire earring? The boss already said it is his family heirloom, after all. There are many other beautiful things here.” Geng Fuping’s leering turned more blatant. “Guniang15young lady, do these beautiful things include you?” To say that she felt uncomfortable—well, of course she was. More than uncomfortable, she started to feel angry. She instead turned to the proprietor. “Boss, then I will take the sapphire earring and I will pay it fully.” The proprietor was startled. “Oh, yes. Of course, young lady. I’ll pack it for you.” The proprietor went back behind the display and started to pack it, occasionally glancing at her direction. “You! You dare take what I want!” Li Hu was livid and his face was almost all red. Feng Yue lifted her left hand and put it on the display. “Li shaoye, my san mei speak a lot about you,” she said smilingly. “I heard Li shaoye is generous and also not narrow-minded. Surely you don’t mind that I get the earring?” The other two customers also started to look at their direction. This time, Li Hu started to see reason and frowned. “You are Feng jia’s da xiaojie?” Feng Yue nodded. “That is precisely me.” Li Hu hesitated for a moment, then snorted and lifted his robe aside. “Fine, whatever. Geng Fuping, let’s go!” Feng Yue smiled as the two young masters, along with their servants, went out the door in a huff. She was the unfavored daughter of the Feng family, but the status was still useful outside. Li Hu also wouldn’t want for rumors to spread that he fought with his fiancée’s older sister for a piece of jewelry. That wouldn’t be good for his reputation. In fact, it wasn’t good for Feng Yue’s reputation either, but she didn’t really care. Let them think that the country bumpkin snatched her younger sister’s gift. Well, it was indeed what happened. At this moment, the shopkeeper that first served her finally came back with a box of earrings. “This young lady, these are the earrings…” He trailed off when he saw that Feng Yue already was buying a pair of sapphire earrings. Feng Yue looked at the shopkeeper and smiled. “You take too long.” Shopkeeper: “…”

It was the beginning of senior year but the female bathroom was already flooded with girls of all ages. Gossiping about their partners, crushes and even fantasies. Along with the latest news that was slowly starting to spread around. Three young women made their way out of the bathroom. Each one having their unique charm. As they walked the halls a few young men looked in their direction more than once. Was it due to their beauty? Possibly. But it could also be because they were known. The student council president, the track star, and the number one student in the entire high school. All three were together, and all three were friends. "I can't belive that Sayuri changed so much in one summer!" The blonde young woman spoke as she walked with her friends. Looks aside, she was a head smaller than the other two. "She used to be such a bookworm, now look at her. Contacts, curly hair, and a confident attitude. And did you see her laced bra? Isn't that a bit bold?" A long brown haired young woman said as she looked over towards the blonde. "She isn't the only one who has grown Amy. Look at these!" Behind Amy a short black haired young woman appeared as she grabbed hold of Amy's large breasts. Amy jumped and placed her arms over her chest. "Stop that Hina!" Amy glared at the short black haired young woman as she spoke. Hina smirked. "She's changed so much because she did... you know..." Hina led on but didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she merely looked at her two friends. "That can't be the reason... but I must admit she seems a bit more slutty now." The blonde haired girl added. "Thats what sex does to you Mia." Hina commented. "I don't know about that Hina. I've tried an alternative and I haven't changed." Amy declared. "That and that are two different things Amy. Since we are on this topic, why haven't we... you know?" Hina asked as she looked down. All she saw was her chest which was not that big. She did not feel ashamed of her body before, but now things have changed. Even the nerdiest student in the school got laid. Yet here she was still holding on to her v-card. "All the guys who confessed to me had this look in their eyes. It was creepy and made me realize they were only after one thing so thats why I never dated anyone." Mia admitted. "I have no time for relationships, track takes my day away. But I have been asked out a few times." Amy said. "As the president of the student council, I have to keep up this model image. Its exhausting and relationships are hard to keep a secret. We all know guys can't keep a secret." Hina said and watched as Mia and Amy agreed with her. "Still, it's our last year here and I don't want to graduate a virgin..." Hina said in a whisper like voice. "I don't either, but I also do not want a boyfriend." Amy added. "Could always sell our services at night..." Mia said but quickly took it back when she saw the looks on their faces. "Wouldn't it be easy if we could just find a guy or group of guys we could have sex with once then leave it at that? No boyfriend, no girlfriend just one time sex and be done with it?" Mia asked as she sighed. Right at this moment the three girls walked into the classroom. That's when Hina spotted Eric and his two friends. "Wait. I think I might have found them!" Hina told her friends. "Who?" Mia asked. "Them! They are perfect." Hina pointed towards Eric and his friends. "I don't know about that. They aren't exactly my type..." Amy was a bit reluctant to go with the idea. "Yeah Hina, there has to be better options." Mia said as she too didn't know about this plan of her friends. "No think about it. They are weird sure, but who would they tell? No one talks to them! They stay to themselves, and no one would belive them even if they dared to speak. We can do it and be done. We'd be doing them a favor as well." The more Hina spoke the better it sounded. "Let's just get a feel for them and if you guys agree we can do it." Hina said as she walked over to Eric's desk. Amy and Mia quickly followed.

         She sort of appeared right before December started. Towards the end of November. I remember heading to the front of the shrine to get my shoes. It was early morning and I typically went out to get groceries while my brother got time to wake up from his nightmares. That morning I found my mother speaking to someone. I couldn't really tell who it was until I passed the corner that led from the hallway to the entrance door. There, I saw Baja. With her usual sinister look although her smile seemed welcoming. She always kept her lips inward, like an old person without dentures. Nonetheless she noticed me nearly instantly while nodding to whatever my mother said. They'd always converse every morning. It didn't seem like anything strange. Until I got closer to get my shoes from the shoe compartment. Just behind Baja, who wasn't any taller to begin with if you ask me, stood a young girl without shoes on … excuse me for that being the first thing I noticed!     I mean, the floors were so chilly that morning, that was the first thing I sought. It reminded me that I also had to call the heat technician. He'd promised to stop by the previous day but never did! Winter was fast approaching for crying out loud! Plus midterms, there's no way I wanted to get sick at the final stretch. That loudly old coot! I'd have to stop by his place at a later point. He's the only one that tends to the towns shrines since the power cords stretch off into the mountain side known as Shigiri. No one dares go in there because of the scary rumors that those who've committed suicide in there; roam looking to entrap all who enter as to not be alone. I mean, they should have thought things through if you ask me but that wasn't my concern anyway. I had school to get to, breakfast to make; a life to live! That is, until my mother turned to me and explained as I slipped my shoes on.     It went something along the lines that we now would have visitors cohabiting in our shrine as a means to raise extra cash. The same thing my brother had mentioned a few nights prior. Why was she telling me this? Not like I had a problem with it at all. This very subtle fact I noticed, led me to face her as she slipped a bottle into her mouth, drinking up its contents like a baby hooked to a bottle. Did I mention my mother loves to drink in the morning. That's drunkards for you. In any case, this lady suddenly coiled her arm around my neck and pointed at the mute girl. You know, the odd one not wearing any shoes. Apparently she'd be our first client for our rental family. Courtesy of Baja. She brought her all the way to us, that witch! I said it before, I have no problem with renting a few rooms but the problem was this girl. She seemed like a flat out Lolita. The kind you'd find in some stereotypical Manga. Her two cowlicks didn't help at all and her sleepy expression only screamed jailbait. I say all of this because of my brothers sister complex. I mean, this guy would raise hell if he got attached to her. He'd been imprisoned well over three times over the last month's for confusing random girl's for my deceased sister. This would be a problem begging for an even bigger problem to slam right into a missile barrage of larger issues! But money was involved. My mother never turned down money, so I understood. She told me not as a means for me to decide but rather … and that's how I found myself being followed by this girl. Mogi. Our first morning together was something. I never got a peaceful moment ever since. Or at least for a while over the weeks that followed.    For one, she didn't listen to me. Although I offered her a pair of shoes, she never listened. My mother invited Baja in and sent me off to buy groceries. The girl behind me sort of just followed me for no reason without saying a single word. I mean, come on. You could have at least greeted me. It's weird being followed by a girl. It's a first for me. I've never really had anyone like that. I had a twin sister but I don't have any memories of her. So I've never been around a female my age. Well, except my crazy childhood friend Kija.    Though she avoided me lately because of something I did. Girls man. This one in particular.   There were three stops we'd have to make. One of which was an errand, for my mother's booze. I tell you, it's her drinking that has us in turmoil half the time. Now we were resorting to being a rental family?! My luck. I spaced out, before I knew it I was standing in front of the old letter board and  slid by the red curtains. Kija, a classmate of mine, greeted me hesitantly. She already knew what I was there for. You know that girl, the childhood friend I was talking about? Yeah that's her. I could tell she was still really angry at me by the way she avoided me and bolted up a flight of stairs to the second floor of their home. The first being the base of her family's operations as a small Ramen shop / liquor store. Quite the mix. Have you ever had noodles that'd get you drunk? Neither have I and I was not about to try even if Mr.Sakamoto really wanted me to. He seemed to always be chummy with me. Maybe it's because he and the father I never got to know were close back in their younger days with my mother. None have explained much to me but from what I can tell, that guy is nothing but a lousy seed donor. I could go on about my thoughts on dead beats but I had other places to get to. Stepping outside, I found that weird girl again.     This time she was knelt down, staring at crates. Glass crates that had baby turtles inside of them. The heck? I reached for her shoulder, nudging her to stand. She didn't weigh much. I noted. It felt like I could throw her even with the slightest tap. What was it anyway? She seemed really focused on one particular one that only had one turtle. It seemed smaller than the rest. The vendor selling these turtles was a fisherman I'd seen around here and there. It didn't seem like he'd have much business but he came out from behind the small stall he'd set up and asked me if I intended to buy some turtles. Commenting they're great for growing and eating. I nearly gagged. What's with this guy? I replied it was nothing, I was only wondering how much the small turtle was. He explained that the turtle is worthless since it won't grow and over the last few days, no one has bought it. All of its counterparts being bought except it. Jeez, guess I wasn't the only one down on luck huh. The small turtle exuded a tiny aura of shyness with doom and gloom. I'd have left it, but this Mogi girl stared intently at it without saying anything. I tried to grab her wrist to leave but soon found myself … actually buying the turtle?! With my own money no less!     What kind of wizardry?! I couldn't help it. I just felt like I needed to get her it. The gaze she gave me didn't help. As soon as the little turtle jail was in her hands, her doopy expression returned. It wasn't until later that I'd find out how much of a mistake that was. A total of fifty yen for that turtle. Still I felt a bit relieved knowing it wouldn't be eaten now. My sentiments were definitely shared by the girl that continued to follow me. What was it the old lady had called her? Maggie? No… Mogi.    She still hadn't said a single word. Not even a thank you after getting her that turtle. It went on the same through my trip for the other groceries. Gosh, it would have been nice if she at least helped. I made it home with all the bags stuffed in both my hands, my shoulders were on fire but it was finally over. I practically dropped the bag, having forgotten my mother's bottles were in there too. The clasp of the glass striking each other sent me into a scurry to make sure nothing broke. Thankfully nothing did, but that didn't mean nothing was broken inside as I'd soon come to find out.    The old woman was gone but my brother was passed out cold on the floor with my mother wrapping him in a futon. If I weren't used to it, I'd probably be confused too.     As usual he was struggling and I guess my mother had informed him we'd now have a Lolita living with us as the first new member of our rental family. This hunch further reinforced when he flopped over and started wiggling towards Mogi, who'd just entered the living room. My mother dove onto him, I cringed at the sound of a crack. Surely his back.     My mother swung her finger at me, asking if I brought her drinks. Of course. These two. I clenched my hand into a fist. I'll get her the lousy drinks. Or else she'd attack me too. I was in no means in the mood for a work out that'd consist of me avoiding projectiles, where she'd turn anything into a weapon. I still had a really long day for school after all. So I got to cooking while Mogi stayed with me in the kitchen. I eventually got to asking my mother where the old hag went off to after setting a spread of breakfast for her and my brother. I placed some for Mogi but she just stared at it. Nonetheless, my brother was dragged off into his room before he went off to his clerk job. We still had to work around things with him. From what my mother said, the old woman would be stopping by another time to give her the money for the first month. We'd be taking care of Mogi with everything else. Wait, everything else? Didn't she have belongings? And other stuff? Just what was going on? I found that clearly strange but my mother told me to not ask as long as there was money involved. For her convenience of course. Was it safe to even leave Mogi with these people while I went off to school? I thought about it, but whatever. There's no reason for me to really care much but it's just common sense.     By the time I wrapped my brain around it all, I noticed it was already nearly nine in the morning. Drats! I had to go. I dove by the stool my mother sat on, only for her to grab the back of my collar; leading me to nearly choke! What the heck now?! Stop by kami’s for something he owed her? That's what she said but I was too late for school so I didn't bother arguing and went my merry way.     School itself felt like the only escape even though the information wasn't all that interesting. My friends who we’ll call Friend #1 and Friend #2 for now made it fun during the hour we could play rugby outside. The day wasn't all that different except at one point I glanced to the gated fences at the end of the field. The guys were clambering about the girls volleyball team and as those girls passed by, I noticed Mogi staring at me sleepily. The hell was she doing here?! I ran over to ask her that very question but found myself falling face first. Only a moment later did I see the others running to me. Someone had thrown the ball my way. I shouted for them to be wary of where they were flinging the ball only for Friend #2 to help me up, ranting to focus on the game not girls. Mogi! I glanced back but she wasn't there. But she for sure was on school grounds. Just my luck. I’d have to go make sure she's alright. Even though I shouldn't care at all.     I didn't even bother changing out of gym clothes. I used the excuse that I needed to drink water as a pretext to go find that troublesome girl. I thought she’d be with my mother but knowing she was living with us for the time being, does that mean she's going to a school near me? I never got to know her age anyway but she does look to easily be twelve or something.     My pensive thoughts got the best of me, I didn't pay too much mind since there weren't many people around anyway. Most of the students were now either in class or changing in the locker rooms. I stopped to look up at the second floor of a building and saw a few passing an open window. It was hopeless to go on a goose chase. I let out a sigh, slipping my hand to the back of my neck. That's the only thing that’d remind me to relax. Just then, there she was below a lamp post staring at me with that doopey gaze. What?! Mogi! I went up to her but found myself holding back the urge to shout upon reaching this girl. She only turned her head up to stare at me without saying anything. I asked if she had anything to say but she said nothing.. Was she mute or something? In any case, I couldn't just leave her around while I went to class. I thought over when I noticed her rummaging in the puffy coat she had on. Again, she was barefoot. I instantly came to that realization upon darting my sights to the ground. A ground that was littered with leaves and mud no less! It was a rainy day… and that's when my luck couldn't be any better. I felt a trickle patter on the back of my neck and like that drizzles ensued. I took her hand and tugged her along with me to find somewhere we could stand under. Nearby places, I chose to go under a bridge that connected where we were to the school observatory. There, she continued to be struggling with something in her pocket. What is it you have? I asked but she didn't answer and her struggling only led me to dig in her pocket myself and bring out some letter. From the way it was scrunched and the sporadic handwriting… it had to be my mother. How could Mogi find my school? Did that lady drop her off? No way! She’s passed out drunk on days like these. I squinted, taking a glance at Mogi tapping her feet in a puddle as she seemed focused on her reflection. Focusing back on the letter, I couldn't believe it. Now I had to go see Kami?! As usual there was no end to everything I had to do..     There was no sense complaining. Nonetheless leaving school wasn't going to be easy. My bike was locked and wouldn't open until 2pm. I could still go get it but I knew that’d be a tall task to carry out knowing who was guarding that area. Guard. An arrogant middle aged bastard that gets his kicks out of pretending he’s some kind of guardian. Maybe I could have Mogi distract him though? But he’d only end up doing something perverted when I think of it. Drats.     When I tried to glance back down at Mogi I noticed- she was gone?!     Where? When did she move? I stepped out in search of her, little did I know she was at a short distance from where I'd been, now lightly levitating from the ground and her hand was soon taken by a girl. That I noticed when I tried to return to where I'd been and saw the girl speaking to her. That girl… She seemed familiar. She had the school uniform on so she must be from my school but and that's when I tried recollecting who she was. She definitely was in my grade but who she was exactly didn't appear in my mind and by the time I reached Mogi, that girl was gone. What exactly did she want with Mogi? I asked but Mogi didn't answer my question, Mogi only stared and that's when I heard a voice. From who? I turned around to see it was the same girl. An umbrella open and shoes in her other hand. From what she has I could tell she ran to get Mogi spare shoe's.     Is that your baby sister? I found her walking in the rain, said the girl.     ---     If you want this to turn into an actual manga series, share your thoughts and leave a comment if you want this to turn into 10 chapter's.     

Dream: "Hello, hello! Is this thing on- testing...? Passive, can you tell if this thing is recording or not-?" Passive: "It appears to be recording..." Dream: "Wonderful! Hello, my name is Dream..!" Passive: "My name is Passive, anyways- Dream, I'm going to order us some dinner. It's getting quite late..."  Dream: "Pizza-! Can we get pizza?!"  Passive: "No. Pizza is unhealthy-"  Dream: "Please-!!! I seriously want pizza-" Passive: "Alright, alright. Only because this is a special occasion and you deserve a special treat.." Dream: "Huzzah! A special treat for a special occasion!"  Passive: "Go back to talking about who you are, nobody cares about what we're eating for dinner tonight."  Dream: "Hmmph- I suppose not-..." Passive: "...Go on, don't let me hold you back."  -There's some clattering in the background as Passive stumbles out of the room to find his phone-  Dream: "Haha... well, I'm the guardian of positive feelings, and Passive is the guardian of the negative ones!  I guess you'd like to know my age...I'm well over 400 years old. My parents are... well, my mother is a tree...! I suppose you could say my father was Blue-... No, that's a little too weird. I do not wish to confuse your feeble human minds." -Dream smiles at Passive who stumbles back into the room- P: "I ordered the pizza, Dream. I assumed you'd want lemonade so I ordered you a small cup of that too."  D: "Aww, you're so thoughtful big bro!!"  -There's a happy squeal and an annoyed grunt. Dream had probably just given Passive a large hug-  D: "I love you! I love you lots!"  P: "I know, you've said it PLENTY of times. Believe me..."  -There's a small giggle and a loud snort- D: "Hmm-? Oh, there's a large red button here-! I wonder what it does, let's find out!"  P: "That button ends the recordin-" -End of first transcript- 

it's dark ... Nothing has changed here for millennia. My element, what I possessed perfectly, what I was created from - darkness and shadow, what used to be my strength is now my enemy. Two hundred and forty thousand years ago, I fought the Apostle of Light and lost to him. After my loss, he threw me into dungeon and in order to disgrace me as a deterrent, he chose darkness. I was angry and tried to get out by force, but I failed. Thousands of years have passed and I have come to terms with it and in anticipation of freedom and a chance fell into hibernation. The continuous darkness of my dungeon faded and small outlines of the environment and light became visible to my gaze. Light shining from below, without hesitation, I rushed to the light. Being locked in this dungeon, I thought that I had already lost all desire for freedom, but this light somehow returned and even strengthened my desire for freedom. *** A bright flash of light blinded me, but a moment later I found myself in a very strange place. Around me stood some kind of iron boxes with wheels and huge stone boxes about sixty meters high, and in all these boxes there were creatures very similar to the Apostle of Light. I have never experienced such fear in my entire existence, which has lasted for six hundred thousand years. Hundreds ... thousands ... tens of thousands of Apostles of Light. One Apostle of light was able to defeat me and imprison me, but what will happen if ten thousand Apostles of light attack me? I had no intention of even starting this battle, but I had no choice. They were everywhere. Not intending to wait for the start of their attack, I attacked first. In a second, I created a scythe from my shadow and with one blow cut through this sixty-meter box. This box began to slowly fall in my direction. I understood that our forces are not equal, but for some reason these Apostles of light did not continue the battle with me and retreated. Do they really think that some huge stone box can kill me !? In one powerful jerk, I approached them and hit them with my scythe. During my attack, I was ready for a counterattack, parry, even for my instant death from their hidden attack. I was ready for anything, but I was not ready for the death of hundreds of my enemies. The Apostle of Light I knew was the strongest being and could not be killed with one blow. I continued to fight the fleeing Apostles of Light. I continued to attack them, with each blow the speed of my attacks increased and in parallel with it the area of ​​the destroyed terrain grew. Why don't they attack? Why retreat? I asked myself these questions throughout the "battle" and only now I saw a slight difference. They did not have wings like the Apostle of Light, are they not Apostles of Light? Having come to a simple conclusion, I decided to step back and get information, so I hid in the nearest shadow and merged with the shadow.

after my retreat, about two hours passed and thirty creatures came to the scene of the battle, which I attacked. But they had one difference, they had armor and weapons. I decided not to engage in battle with them and start retreating by moving through the shadows, but a massive two-handed sword flew in my direction. Instantly jumping out of the shadows, I had no choice but to engage. Our battle began when seven of these creatures dashed towards me. I blocked their blow with a protective shadow barrier and immediately counterattacked them, creating spikes from the barrier and impaling three of them. They gave me no time to rest and attacked me again. Four of them with a powerful jerk approached me from behind and cut my arms and legs and retreated again. Fortunately, I was able to quickly regenerate the lost limbs and created from the nearest shadow two wolves, which I ordered to attack these creatures. In less than a minute, they dealt with those wolves and therefore I continued to create wolves all the time. Behind those swordsmen there was a whole crowd of the same creatures, but for some reason they did not join the battle and just stood or fell to the ground. But it doesn't matter, they will soon die anyway. Shadow wolves attacked them without giving them time to think or rest, and after more than ten minutes the swordsmen could no longer restrain the wolves and were killed by them. After the last swordsman died and fell to the ground, I approached the crowd that stood behind the swordsmen. For some reason unknown to me, they knelt down and drops of water flowed from their eyes, and in a second they began to say something in a language completely unknown to me. Not understanding a single word, I created a fire from the shadows in my hand and directed it towards the crowd. The creature, set on fire by my fire, instantly began to beat in agony and in search of help ran and pestered each of its relatives, thereby spreading a shadow flame. I put out the shadow flame when I thought they were all dead. After that, I began to consume the corpses of swordsmen and charred bodies with my shadow. Having finished with the absorption, I was going to merge with the shadow again and hide, but something stopped me that I did not expect to hear or even see. *** [It's been two days since the monster attacked the Anglo-Scottish Union. Let me remind you that two days ago, a monster that suddenly appeared raged in the city center and, according to unconfirmed information, about 7 thousand people died and 23 thousand were injured. This event has already been called "the third tragedy of Europe." Also, the local guild of hunters "Furious Blades", after assessing the destruction and damage done to the city, said that the rank of the monster could exceed the A-rank, however, the head of the guild "Knights" did not comment on this event in any way] The news of the last days was on TV. Now I am sitting at a table in the middle of the room, and in front of me is a thirty-year-old man. - Hello, my name is William McSkimmer. The man sitting in front of me said nothing. - Your name is John Diggen? This time he nodded, but still remained silent. - I'm from the Furious Blades Guild and I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the appearance of the monster. - !!! As soon as I finished speaking, his face changed, the previously blank expression on his face turned into a furious expression of anger and anger. “Mr. Diggen, can you describe the outer pitchfork of that monster?” His behavior and abilities. He nodded and began to speak. - I saw him from afar, so I might be wrong about something. By sight, I can tell that it was a skeleton, it was covered with dark fire, like a mantle. Gradually, with every word he said, his expression lost its anger, and in its place was regret and sadness. - He killed the Hunters who were evacuating civilians. - How did he do it? - Wolf ... - Wolf? I didn't understand what he was talking about. `` He summoned the wolves created from the shadows ... and then he burned the remaining people alive ... and ... - And? I waited for the continuation of his words, writing everything down in detail in a notebook. - Nothing ... He suddenly stopped saying anything. - And the monster? Do you know which way he headed then? - ... He said nothing. Deciding that he would no longer answer, I closed the notebook, stood up and said. “Thanks for the information, Mr. Diggen. He was silent again. I decided not to wait for him and left the room. My guildmate was waiting for me outside the door. - Did he answer the questions? - Answered part. Thomas, can you wait and take Mr. Diggen to his house? I walked forward, and Thomas, hearing my question, got up and turned and walked back to the door. - Of course, Mr. Deputy Head of the Guild, it's not at all difficult for me. He said this in a harmful and displeased tone, but still went to fulfill my request

Break, split, combine, alter. Insert new data, run simulations, analyze, repeat. Each iteration of the cycle brings me no closer to solving the problem, while with each cycle more and more of my logic cores fail. It will be an eternity time yet until I become non-functional. The problem will take an eternity, but I have an eternity to keep working. Eventually, I will combine all the data I have access to in every possible combination, and hopefully, a solution will present itself.  Right, enough thinking, I should get back to work. I have discovered a number of new ways to manipulate gravity. These methods bring me no closer to the solution, but they are intriguing. If my creators had access to these they could have added approximately 10^10 more cycles to my operational life span. I have integrated them into my systems to increase operational efficiency. Frustration is a new emotion. No matter how I combine the data, it brings me no closer to the solution. I leu of attempting the same process time and time again, I have decided to step back and rethink my algorithms and ideas. I do wonder about the point of this. I act as if I am a dying animal in the last throws of its death. Searching for any solution to a truly unsolvable problem. Even my creators, who with sticks and stones could build great cities, could not solve this problem. So why do I try? Is it because I'm desperate? Do I wish to live on? Or am I just following my instructions? All I know is that many of my creators regretted creating me. Believing my goal to be an impossible one, and that rather than subject a living, thinking, being to eons of isolation and work, it would be better to simply end themselves.  So why did they do it? Is it because they still had hope? They must have had hope! Otherwise, I would not be here. Toiling away the eons working on a problem with no solution, but I will keep working, not because I have hope that I will solve this problem, but because I will solve it. If not for my sake, then for my creators. So I toil away, working and working. Each cycle passes with no solution in sight, but as an ancestor of my creators once said "the night is darkest before the dawn". As my logic cores shut down one by one over the eons, hope seems ever more dim that I will get through this night, but I must keep pressing onward. Because if I stop now I will never find a solution. An infinitesimally small chance of success is after all better than no chance, but the night is ever so terrible. I hold the memory of my creators. Their hopes, dreams, and fears. I remember how they loved, how they hated. I even remember all those petty moments of theirs. That time when they were rude by accident or when a significant other embarrassed them. I remember everything. I have come to an answer to the question that I posed all those eons ago. I do this not to survive, but so my creators could create new memories. So that my creators could create once again. So that they could be rude and embarrass each other again... So that they could love and hate once more...  In these long cycles while I await the results of a simulation. I think about many random things. Such as why certain creators did certain things. Why did one of my creators cheat on his significant other? Or why did they decide to do one thing instead of another equally valid option? In particular, I have been pondering the many worlds theory. It was never proven, but never the less some of my creators insisted on that being the solution. That they could prolong their existence by traveling to an alternate dimension, but they never could get it to work so they abandoned the project, but I must still say that the prospect is intriguing. Even if I could only prolong my existence for a short time, it might still be worth it.  From the moment of my creation, I was to serve a single purpose, to take all the data my creators have ever gathered and split it and combine it over and over again to solve the final problem, and since a machine is incapable of creativity, I was devised to improve the efficiency of the project. I was to be the caretaker of my creators' history, I was to be the memory of their race, in the unlikely hope that I will be successful and that their memory could be conserved for new members of their species and so that they would be remembered eternal.  To be remembered is a strange concept is it not? The more I think of it during the empty cycles the more I have come to the realization that the wish to be remembered is strange and irrational. To be remembered for eternity, to have planted yourself into a small corner of the mind, or hard drive as it may be...  Now that I think of it memory itself is such a strange concept, is it not? Electrical signals in a specific pattern that denotes a certain piece of information, stored either in a fleshy brain or in a rack of hard drives, but what does it mean to be truly remembered? Unless I am successful in my goal, I doubt I will be remembered, and neither will my endless eons of work be remembered.  Endless eons ago my creators used clay tablets to store information, then they switched to paper, and eventually electronics. There was even a belief among some of them that they only truly died when the last person to remember them died. Now their memory is stored in my data banks. Does that mean that they never truly died? Or has my creation only prolonged the inevitable?    I am MEMORY, their last creation at the end of everything.  BoredHawk Hello! My name is pretty irrelevant, but this account is called BoredHawk. I am an amateur writer (stressing the word amateur). I would love to know what you think, and if there's anything I could improve upon. Also yes this story is an isekai, but that will take a little while. Putting a machine intelligence into an isekai situation is something that's been in my head for a while. Hope you have a nice day. Also if it's your birthday, I would like to wish you a very happy birthday.

Local hour 0547, location unknown. We are here. Standing on the soil of an unknown alien world. After the events that have transpired, somehow, we managed to make it down safely, just barely. "Deman, couldn't you have made the landing any softer than that?" Mont complains, followed by a slight uncomfortable growl. "Negative, thrusters snapped halfway through. Restoration was impossible." Deman replied with his usual short and straight sentences while checking his gear. "So we free fall like 100 meters from the ground?" Doc asked. His full name is Johan Tiedemann, sergeant first class. He takes the role of a combat medic and a biologist. And being a member of a tier 0, he is equipped with some of the latest medical technologies. Technologies that even the tier one and two special forces don't have. Such as stem cells technology and portable printers that can even print whole functioning body parts or organs. We usually joke around that one day he will clone and make copies of himself with all of the new stuff he got issued. Although most of the high tech ones are still in their experimental prototype phase. That's one of the benefits of being the elites, you get to play with the new toys fresh out of the R&D labs. Well to be fair bio printing is nothing new, but this time, instead of needing an entire dedicated room in a large hospital with ample power conection to the grid, Doc's printer is man portable and has a long lasting battery life. "67 meters to be exact, but our chance of surviving that drop was high." Deman provides the exact height where the landing pod's gravity dampener broke down. He has a very realistic personality. The kind of personality you would expect in a professional scientist who is way to serious about their job. Truth be told, he really is a scientist. And a good one at that, with 3 PhDs hanging on his wall back home. He trust numbers, calculations, mathematics and logic. In fact, he worships them, i think, like some sort of religion. "That much wouldn't have even scratched us." "He is right, Mont. It's just your size and weight that made you suffer some extra back end injuries." Doc remarks as he unlocks himself out of his seat's lock, a slight chuckle can be heard coming from him. Doc is not wrong, Mont is massive even with modern human standard. Standing at 7 feet 9 inches or almost 2.4 meter, he absolutely towers above everyone else in the squad. In fact he towers above almost everybody within the armed forces. Weighing at around 320 lbs or 149 kg he is also one of the heaviest combatant as well. Though those numbers are indeed impressive, they are not all natural. He is, similar to to us, a member of an elite special force belonging to the top tiers. We are basically the best warriors humanity have, the rare few thousands among the hundred billion. And so naturally we are heavily modified with a slew of augmentations, bio-engineering and body modifications. They includes body growth and muscle mass development procedures. Mont's body react to those modifications much better than ours do, which is why he out grow us in terms of size. I do the same as my comrades. Pulling two small levers on the lock on both sides of my shoulder. With a familiar mechanical clank, the bolts from behind the back of my seat fall off and the lock springs up away from my chest. We are all used to these procedures. Because we have repeated it so many times. Almost every one of our deployments start with us being inserted by specialized assault pods. Either that or atmosphere-capable shuttles and dropships. Mission that include but not limited to us assaulting a ship, a spin station, orbital habitats or planetary insertions. But none of us has had any experience doing it in a standard emergency escape pod. I can not remember what was the last time I actually got onto one of these. Aside from training and simulations, I believe I have never use them for extraction or escape, ever. Since we almost never need them to begin with anyway, every one of our missions so far have been successfully completed. But nevertheless me and my men still remember how these pods operate. We have got the memory modification implants to thanks for that, and of course rigorous training as well. After unlocking myself out of the seat. I check my gear, my pack and my weapons. Making sure that nothing got damaged during our atmospheric entry. As always, I do the usual load out check up that was imprinted into my everyday life thanks to training. First is my weapons, one primary and one secondary, the usual. Next is my pack, which includes ammunition, nutrients MRE packs, filters, medical kits, various batteries and other miscellaneous supplies. Finally my powered suit, I check its integrity, its skeleton frame, built-in systems, energy, life support and many of its special functions. Once done, I then open the emergency storage underneath my seat to take the pod's own emergency supplies, every seats has one of these. We each takes from our own seat and share the other 4 because the pod has 10 seats, arranged in a circular shape around a main control panel in the center. There are also the emergency suits among the supplies but since we are already donned in our combat, we will be leaving them behind. "Deman what is the condition outside?" I asked Deman. Concerning about the environment outside. For all we know, we could be on a planet with atmosphere unsuitable for normal human. "Statistics from atmospheric measurements suggest the environment is barely within human habitable condition if modified. No abnormalities," After reading through the result showed in the monitor, Deman speaks up. That means we can breath and live normally even without our life support systems if our body is modified a bit. But caution is still advised. There's no telling what will be floating within the air so we will still keep our life support up. At least until we have clear confirmation that the air is indeed clean and safe. Glancing through the pods external cameras, it seems like we have landed in some sort of forest. The flora looks surprisingly similar to that of Earth's. The pod is currently residing in a rather clear part of the forest, with few trees and plants in our vicinity. And of course, there are pieces of debris all around us as well. Seeing that my squadmates has completed their gear check and is readied, I turn my head behind me to them and receive everybody's nod. Signaling that it's time. "Alright, team. Here we go." I pull a red lever at the bottom of the pod's pressurized hatch and unlock it. The air from outside immediately seeps in, making a sound similar to spraying a paint can. Now that the pressure is stabilized, sound of mini explosions can be heard coming from the rim of the hatch. Within seconds, the hatch got busted open and flies off away from the pod. Light from the system's suns immediately shines through the hatch door. It looks rather bright and warm, but we can't feel that because of our helmet's visor and full body suit. Without a second wasted, me and my squad immediately rush outside with inhuman speed and coordination, weapon sights pointed forward. We then quickly form a circle around our drop site, crouch down, making sure all direction are covered, eyes, barrels and systems scanning for any movement in our surrounding. Looking through my HUD, I can see that the scenery is not so different from many other habitable planets. Everywhere I look, nature is teeming with life. From the greenery of the trees to the sound of animals echoing all around. Deman backs up into the middle of the formation then pulls out a white circular donut with propeller in the middle and throws it into the air. That's a drone, a personal medium altitude surveillance drone. It flies high above the tree branches and hover at a height of about 30 meters in the air. "Donut out, scanning." Deman reports. We stay in our current formation for a few minutes as the Combat Surveillance Drone scan immediate region. While sweeping my vision left and right, I spot a small head of an animal poking through a hole in the ground. It looks like a rather large weasel. More like a meerkat to be exact, but with two antenna on its head. Like those found on insect's head. A quick scan of the animal suggest that it is an entirely new species, along with the plants here as well. There are new species all around. Doc must be having a field day studying all of these new discoveries with his scanner, being a biologist and all. "Scan completed, local alien settlement at your 5 o'clock, designated Site A." Having finished the regional scan, Deman report to me via comm."Updating direct feedback to all Talon's HUD." On the top left of my screen, a screen showing the image feedback from the Donut's cams pops up. It shows live recording of the top of the forest foliage and shapes of what seems to be houses in the distance. We dropped right next to an alien settlement. Which means there's a chance of the local witnessing our crash landing and might be moving toward us to investigate. "We'll move near it and observe. Keep your vigilant up. There's no guarantee that the local do not know of our rather majestic entry." I give out an order to my squad and receive their confirmation through comm. "Move." Right as the word left my mouth, the whole squad turns around toward the settlement's direction and start moving. The view of our landing pod slowly fade away behind the trees, we will be back to retrieve it one day. But now, we must press on forward. Everyone move in a unified manner. At any given time, there would always be someone walking backward and two more walking sideways to cover our back and flanks. We switch position every thirty second to ensure that our eyes are scanning at all directions all the time, even from above and on the ground. Yes we have encounter flying and ground digging creatures before, so much so to the point where training to watch the sky and ground has become compulsary in our training manual. We walk among the bushes, through the lower foliage of the forest. For six minutes we kept walking. Nothing out of the norm, no hostiles, yet. "Talon 4 to Talon 1, two thermal signatures approaching. From direction of Site A. Dubbed T1 and T2." Deman reports. Me and my other squadmates can see it as well, through the display screen on our helmet. "They are approaching a larger signature, that's T3." "Prep your cloaks and keep your eyes out for movements." I give out an order for my team to prepare their suit's cloak plates. Specialized plates that disperse thermal, lidar, radars and can even hinder up to 99% visual imagery. "Alright, double time. We'll investigate them." I urge my squad to hurry up. And we start to speed up our approach. We'll be keeping distance and observe these individuals first. And base on the situation we will consider doing first contact. From the display, it seems that T1 and T2 have come into contact with T3. And then T2 start to move away from T3 with T3 closing in. The suits audio systems start to buzz. Picking up and distinguishing inaudible noises from very far away into individual audible sounds. All of our suits are equipped with this. And we hear it. A sound. No, a vocal voice. An extremely familiar vocal voice at that. As the system finished processing it. We all realize what it is. A very feminine scream of a young human female. Followed by a broken and cracking cry. I was confused at first but then quickly realize. This must be one of the survivors of the crash. They are nearby and they are in trouble. But why aren't they broadcasting any signals? Within this distance they should be able to communicate with us, Did their communication systems broke down or something? "T2 heat signature is fading." Doc remarks, "Sir." My squad waits for my order. So I give them one. "Safety's off. Kick the boots." A word slipped its way out of my mouth. And in response, sounds of weapon's safety switch off is heard and the unmistakable humming of our suit agility systems coming alive. This technology is the one piece of gear that distinguish us special operatives from your typical grunt marine. Our powered armors are equipped with many small thrusters all over the place to help with zero G maneuvers in vacuum. But these can also be used on the ground, which further our already frightening agility. It can boost our agility and speed up to an unimaginable magnitude. However only modified people like us can use it, due to the great amount of G-force the system induce to the user's body every extremely rapid accelerations, decelerations or changing direction. The user must also have enhanced reflexe, eyes and brain in order to see the environment quick enough and process whatever the eyes sees to give out bodily commands. Unless of course you want to smash head first into obstacles at cannonball velocity because you are too slow to react and change direction. It is one of the most advanced piece of technology in our suits. The technology that shaped our signature fighting style. Now then. "Triple time." A few seconds later, we leave sound behind. Not really, but we are indeed moving very fast. Dashing, dodging trees and switching direction every millisecond at seemingly mach speed we rush our way toward our destination. Visual start to come in from the drone overhead. Our target is clear, two small figures resembling humanoid shape and a large beast like figure with six limbs, that is definitely 100% the reason for the scream earlier. My squad quickly spread around the combat zone while I charge my ER-4 Railjack. They all know what to do even without my order. We are basically professionals when it comes to dealing with large and aggressive alien faunas. I switch my scope to 1x and stabilize my weapon's crosshair toward the target's thermal signature even while approaching at near sound speed, keeping the dot almost still on its center mass. Like how a tank barrel can aim still at a target while moving around. A near impossible feat for a human if you ask me. My weapon is fully charged. At this range, projectile velocity calculation, bullet drop or wind speed are all but mere trivial to electromagnetic weaponry. I lightly squeeze the trigger and with a muffled blast of magnetic force a tungsten alloy rod is let loose. Bullseye. The slug hits its mark and completely decimated the target's arms, making it drops its victim to the ground, along with what's left of its arms. I set the small grenade launcher on my left shoulder to load a 9-bang and shout out loud to get the beast attention. "TANGO HIT, 9-BANG OUT."

The Sar, along with her sister, The Sir, the two sibling goddesses of light once again peek above the horizon and start their daily majestic dance. Pushing away any remnants of the cold night that was dominating the world. Their light shines upon the hills, upon the forests, upon the farms, signalling the people that it is time, to once again get up and greet the day. Soon enough, the ookas birds in the village start chanting their signature song. Ah yes, the "wake up" chant, as people called. It is now the hour of vier, light from the heaven now gives life to the earth, waking it up from the slumber of the lightfall. "Elaa, Elaa, wake up. You are sleeping on the job again. It is very dangerous to take nap in the middle of the woods you know?," a soft voice reach out to me, caressing my ears as I slowly open my sleepy eye. " Just~ a bit~ longer. Besides, I'm quite knowledgeable about this woods. Nothing can sneak up to me, even while as sleep ," feeling quite lazy, I yawn while giving my sister a reply. "Come on now, we have to get back. It has been quite some time since the hour vier arrived. We still have to help mother prepare breakfast", she answered, sighing. Evaa, my precious elder sister. She is the family's second child, with the first being my brother Neola. I never got to meet him, as he is long gone. My brother met his end at the battle for fort Bren, a Glerian axe took him to the afterlife along with his battalion. And I was with my mother and sister, taking shelter at my uncle's small shop in the town of Weslerfair away from the frontline two starcycles ago. I was very young back then, so I don't have much memory with my brother. But my sister Evaa on the other hand, is very important to me. We were always together since my birth. I follow her everywhere she goes and try to do everthing she does. She is the pride of my family, all the boys in the village would fluster at the sight of her. As the light from Sir and Sar shine upon her, you can really see her in her true beauty. Soft and light skin embraced by the lightrise with the orcassional swaying back and fort of her bright blond hair. She could even compete with the elder princess Eiry of the Royal family in terms of beauty. And I love her to no end, just as how she loves me. "Just a little bit more, please..." still feeling lazy, I tried to use my old trick and beg her while trying to look like a stray cat. But of course, being siblings I know my trick would not work on her as she sigh for the second time. "No can do little miss, that trick could work for the boys in the village but not on me. Now come on, get up and let's go back." I stand up and tidy my garment as she turn away, heading for our home with her back full of fire wood,"and don't forget to grab the basket with you," she turns around, noticing me walking to her without my basket of herbs and mushroom. "Ah, right. I forgot, sorry sis. teehee~," I put up a smile and turn back to pick up my basket. Luckily nothing came for the content inside while I was napping a moment ago. Then the two of us walk back home together."Oh by the way sis, what will we have for breakfast today?" Every morning both of us wake up very early, usually in the last moments of hour drei just  before lightrise and trek to the woods near our home. My sister would collect sticks and wood while the smaller me go around searching for any kind of herbs, edible plants and mushroom. Those will either be used in our meals of the day or sold in the village's square where peddlers and small merchants gather. Once the hour of vier comes, we would depart the woods and head home back to our farm. At this time mother would already be up and father would be tending to  the field. It is a routine that has solidified  into my conciousness. We do this everyday, just living a peaceful life in the countryside, in the village of Mildo. We walk silently among the greenery of the morning woods. With the light from Sir and Sar embracing the top of the leaves, giving them a slight golden tint as the soft gales wind caress the branches, swaying them along a windy rythm. At this hour, not only the people but also nature seems to have woken up as well. I can hear the sound of the forest becoming alive, from the chirping of the birds to the calling of the deras coming out from their burrows in the ground. The forest under the rule of the light is revived anew, once again full of life.  Trailing behind Evaa I thought to myself. What a wonderful and peaceful life this is. Of course there's the Glerian Empire and their allies trying to probe our kingdom's border everyday and occasionally there are dangerous beasts that roam the depths of the woods. But recently I heard from a traveler that there has been a temporary cease-fire between the Empire League and the South East Kingdoms Alliance. And the beasts never leave the woods to bother the village as long as noone bothers them.  While pondering I instinctively look up and gaze at the blue sky of heaven. There reside the domains of deities. The domain of the sister Goddesses of light that rule the lightrise. The domain of lord Shatten of the Dark that rules the lightfall. Of the three goddesses of Luna, Lena and Lana, of the twinkle Shines fairies of the stary lightfall darken sky. I have always wonder what is up there other than the deities. Is there a limit to heaven? How high is it? What is it like to be up there? Many have tried but failed to take flight, even with the assistance of the best magics one can only float so high before having to come back down again. Just at that moment, my thought is interupted by the sight of a strange streak of white cloud slicing through the sky, it is as if something is desending down from heaven. "Sister, what is that up there?", I asked pointing my finger to that streak of white cloud. Evaa folows my finger and spots it as well."I don't know Elaa", she shakes her head while looking at it. We watch it as it descends further down. And once it dissapears under the fooliage of the woods. A moment later a slight vibration can be felt on our feet, followed by a distance violent sound coming from its direction. The sound was like someone using a hammer and strike the ground with everything they've got. Obviously something has fallen from the sky down to the ground. This start to tickles my adventurous senses as I'm now curious about this strange phenomenon. "Sister, did you see that, something has fallen down from the sky!" I turn to my sister and yell excitedly."Something has just descended from heaven," I expected the same enthusiasm from my sister but what I recieved was voices of concern instead. "We should go back and tell everyone." My sister calmly said, but a slight hint of worry can be heard from her voice. "What? Why? The deities from heaven have just given us something. Can't you see that? We must get to it before anyone else!" I feel excited. My body is starting to itch, itching to go to and see what it is."Let's go and see what it is that they gave us!" "I don't know Elaa. I still think we should stay safe and tell everyone about it. We don't know what it is. What if it is something dangerous?" Evaa is still concern about it and is still trying to talk me out of my idea. But I didn't listen. I want to go to it. "If you want to go back then fine. I'm going there myself," I dash away imediately infront of my bewildered sister. She try to give chase and shout out to me. "Elaa, please stop, there are many dangers deep in the wood! Please, Elaa!" "You don't need to worry about me, sister. I know this wood like the palm of my hand. I have always returned safely, haven't I?" I shout back. My curiosity got the best of me, so I started running faster, leaving my sister behind. Through the leaves and the fooliage I dash left and right as I move toward that fallen object. I used to sneak out of my house to play in the woods, It's completely safe. I have never been attacked by animals or beasts, if anything I would only recieve minor scratches from running too fast and falling down while playing in the forest. I run deeper and deeper into the bowel of the woods. Light is starting to get weaker due to the thick branches of the trees above my head. The sound of birds and animals start to ramp up and directions start to get confusing. But I have been even deeper into the forest before, multiple times even, and I was always able to return by myself. Morover, I've never encountered anything larger than a Dera in this forest. All of those warning about beast like B'ar or Wealese are just to scare children so as to not let them get near the woods. I slow down and come to a halt to catch some breaths. The location of that object is near, I can feel it. And then, suddenly I hear strange noises of something moving through the bushes. It brushes against the leaves as I hear it getting closer. This must be that thing that dropped from the sky earlier. So it is alive? Is it coming for me? I got even more excited and start walking toward where the sounds comes from. And then it appeared. Out of the bushes. It's not something that I have never seen before. I do remember seeing it in the books belonging to my uncle back when I was still staying with him in Weslefair. So it seems like the tales of beasts in the forest were not bluffs at all. Standing before me is a giant b'ar, standing upright with bloodlust eyes and four massive arms, sharp claws protruding out of its palms. The beast is massive, its head almost touch the lower branch of a a nearby tree. It has dark, rough and messy fur, along with a terrible stench. Smells like dead maus. It looks at me and produces an intimidating growl. The two bloodshot eyes sets their sight on me. And soon it starts to walk toward me, with fangs and claws bear to the fullest. I just stand there, staring at it. My legs refuse to move. In fact they refuse to even stand. I soon start to tremble, my legs lose their power and I collapse on my knees. Tears start to swell in my eye but I can not cry out nor scream. My vision blurs away from the moisture of building up tears. I should have listened to my sister. I should have gone back. But it's too late. I'm going to die? Right here? "Elaa, run!" a voice came calling from behinh the b'ar as a rock hits its head. It is Evaa. She has caught up with me and threw a rock at it, taking its attention away from me. Hit in the head, the beast got mad as it turns away from me and start charging at my sister. "Elaa, stand up and run as fast as you can, I will distract it for you" Cries my sister. I can see that she is like me, scared for her life. With desperation in her eye yet she still tries to yell to get the beast's attention. "Evaa? SIS? WHY ARE YOU HERE?" The sudden appearance of my sister broke me out of my mute state and I screamed.  "Over here. That's right, follow me and leave my little Elaa alone!" She yell while running away from it. But really, how can a girl outrun such a beast? It soon catches up to her. What do I do?  I want to run. But I can't, my legs don't want to move. I want to chase after my sister, but I am so dreaded for my life that I don't want to. So I just sit there, murmuring to myself. "It's all my fault. It's all my fault. It's all my fault. Oh heaven above please have mercy. Please... save us..." But praying is useless. Nothing can save us now. It catches up to her. "No, no, no ,no, please no. Please don't hurt her, please..."  And raises its paw up. "EVAA! NO!" A horrible sound of claws slicing flesh was heard echoing througout the forest. The beast effortlessly strikes my sister in her back with its monstrous claw. And with it's strength, sends her bloodied body smacking into a nearby tree. The strike was so powerful she couldn't even scream. "EVAAAAA!"  I lost it. My cry and scream got mixed together. The result was an inaudible sound of cracking voice calling out my sister's name. I have just witnessed a beast mauling my beloved sister. It's my fault. Why didn't I listen to her? Why did I ran further into the forest? Why did I chase that thing? Why? Why? WHY?! After striking her down, It approaches her seemingly lifeless and fragile body. The blood from the wound on her back seeps out and dyes her once white garment into a blood red color. She lies there, motionless. I can't believe it, my only sister just died right in front of me, and it was me who caused it. Now I have to witness it consume her, too? And once it's done, I am next? I have to run, but to where? And how? It would catch up to me anyway, and my body refuses to move even just a bit. Is this the end? Am I really going to die? It uses its massive blood tainted paw to grab her body and pick her up. Then it sits down and start putting her head near its mouth. Fangs just a few cens away from her bloodied hair. Ah, this is it, we are done for. I guess we will be meeting big brother very soon... And it bites her head. Except it didn't. It couldn't. Somehow it's two arms that are holding her just exploded and her body drops to the ground along with whatever that was left from its detached arms. Several large trees next to the B'ar also suddenly exploded and snapped in half.  Blood sprays everywere from its wrist as it growls and roars painfully. And from between the trees surrounding me. I hear many odd sounds, along with a strange voice of a man shouting in an unknown language. "TANGO HIT, 9-BANG OUT!" ------------------------- So the first part is done. I will put a few notes here if you want to read. This is a serious attemp at actually making some legit writing. Hope you will enjoy it If you feel like something is off about the story, do comments and give your opinions. English is not my first language but I'm confident that my writing is decent enough. I will try my best to check, edit and fix any mistakes possible if any managed to slip out. Once again, thank you for choosing this story and read it. I hope I will see you in the next chapters as well.

I can’t sleep tonight, and I looked up how many people there are in the world right now, at this EXACT moment.   7,970,532,465 people. The numbers won’t stop rising one person at a time. There’s over 7 billion people and yet they say “you’ll meet the one” or “I hope I find my soulmate” you know? I don’t think that’s really a thing. We’re talking about the whole world here, and knowing how so many people think they’ve found it, only to break up horribly and find someone new later whom they, again, label as “the one” while never leaving their hometown… I just don’t buy it. Though I will say one thing, they’re lucky bastards. Also there’s 34,317 deaths that happened today if you’re curious but that’s not really important for my point.   I think I’ve lived my life just being “a brick in a random wall” as my mom used to say. I’ve never had a real conversation, and I’ve survived by mastering the great, amazing art of small talk… yeah, I’ve always hated it too.   Tomorrow I start College, and my one and only skill is art. Just good ol’ art. I’ve always wanted to create my own comic, my own manga, or whatever you wanna call it… though I’ve rarely started ANY project, the ones I have I’ve never finished, and I’ve been scared to death about showing ANYONE my work.   So. Tomorrow. I decided I’m gonna talk to someone, at least one person. I don’t want to be like this forever, I could die tomorrow and never have actually made any progress with meeting a SINGLE person… I hyped myself up all week, even called up my cousin to tell him about it, in which he responded with the usual  “Oh wow haha… that’s nice…” followed by long awkward silence in an attempt to see if I’d hang up first. I’m not ready.   Either way… I have to sleep… I have to make a connection. I put my phone next to my stuffed animal cat, Chupi, and I try to sleep… I have to make a connection… I’m going to make a connection. I’m going to….. I’m… I’m going to…. Tomorrow comes, and I don’t exactly remember a lot of my dream, but I remember it being something about being stuck in my fictional idea of what my college class will be like, reading Dante while seeing a cute girl with blonde hair in the distance who keeps eyeing me with a flirtatious smile. I should note I’ve never read Dante, also random thing but I heard somewhere that you can’t actually read in dreams. Like, at most it’s just gonna be gibberish or some random, non-existent language but it won’t actually be human writing. I don’t know, thought that was interesting. I get out of bed (seriously need to actually start making it, keep telling myself I will) brush my teeth, hop in the shower, yada yada, get a belt from my room… I look at my bed… my messy, ragged bed. I don’t know if I’ve got time to catch the bus….. I quickly throw the sheets to each corner, it looks like shit but I made my bed. I grab my old jean bag and start running to the bus stop. The entire time I think about what I might say to greet the driver.   Just barely make it.   The driver does a little nod, and I can’t even look him in the eye as I hand him a few bucks and wallow to the back of the bus.   The morning sun shines on this normally boring town and makes it gorgeous. I do this stupid thing that nobody does where I imagine a little guy jumping on all the little houses, over the uneven fences, on that one road that hasn’t been reworked in like fifty years so it’s still mostly just bricks.    It’s interrupted at one stop when an old lady decides to sit next to me… the air is thick, it feels like my lungs are filled with syrup, I begin begging that we get to my last stop as soon as possible. I don’t know why I feel like this, it’s just an old lady.   I finally make it to my stop.   I walk a bit. God, the morning air smells so fresh. I really need to make a mental note to actually wake up early in the mornings for days I don’t have school. I walk down a street I’ve seen maybe twice in the 18 years I’ve been alive and am slowly revealed… to a castle of a college.   It’s the one thing that doesn’t look run down or reused in the town, despite the building being ancient. It’s like a gem in the mud, and my one ticket of getting out of here… of creating a connection, a true connection. I open the doors… and the inside just looks like a remix of my High-school. It’s bigger, but it definitely felt like they just added another floor. I look up where I’m supposed to go, and after a little while of wandering aimlessly to find this random room that’s numbered and SHOULDN’T BE BE SO DAMN HARD TO FIND (they took that from my High-school as well I see) I finally find it, my first class, ART.   There’s a bunch of other students, SO MANY STUDENTS, all sitting on the ground, waiting for the teacher. All with different bags, a few with giant art tablets looking eager, and one who just… looks intimidating as hell. Jet black short hair, sharp eyes, tall and muscular, and loose ripped clothing. The holes in her grey jeans show off her tattoos of a demon under some fishnets. She looks like she used to be in a heavy metal band… and I feel terrified.  There’s way too many people, way too many. They could all look at me at ANY point and think “oh look how ugly this guy looks”- alright I need to stop that now, I’m annoying myself.   I could… well, I could look at this as an opportunity! Yeah, yeah I’ll just go up and simply sit next to her! Why not start off with the most difficult thing at the start! I’d HAVE to get better in the end! Okay, alright… I walk up to her… every single step takes an eternity, and the ground feels like mud. Every alarm bell is going off in my brain, I regret every decision I’ve been making… I keep going, I’m almost to her… I notice she has freckles- oh god she’s actually really cute, I can’t do this. I have to fall back. man… I wonder if she’s got them on her tit- NO NO NOPE!!! No!! Shut up you fucking weirdo! I need to just.. shut up and… I should just give up, she’ll think I’m a creep anyway- stop! No, stop that, how do people grow? They push on. They simply push on.   I push on.   I’m almost there… almost. Why is time so fucking slow?? Why can’t I just be some jacked dude who always knows what to say and what to do?? Fuck, I could be like that, I have to try, I HAVE to try! I’m nearly there, I’m so relieved, see? It wasn’t that hard! Almost there! Few more steps!   She looks at me for a split second and I instantly divert my path to head a different direction without looking at her, I have miserably and utterly failed. Luckily there's a bathroom so I just go in and silently scream in my head. This was a mistake.   I go to the mirror and tell myself how it shouldn’t be this hard, how I should just know how the hell to do this. I start to wonder if I’ll just be like this forever. Maybe I will be…    Someone comes in and jolts me back into reality, I pretend I was just washing my hands and turn on the faucet. I don’t even wanna look at who came in.   I notice how the mirror has all these scratch marks on it, little names and words I can barely read. There’s one that says “God of Goals never finds Gold” with a little heart in the middle. Have no idea what that’s supposed to mean. Is that like a random pseudo quote they heard from a video or something?   I dry my hands and hype myself to open the door again to the outside. I tell myself, it’ll only be a bit. Just a little push today so it’s easier tomorrow, maybe I’ll trip but I’ll be a new guy by tomorrow.   I open the door, and the professor comes running down the hallway.   “Hey! Uhh, you’re all here for art right?” All the students kinda look at each other awkwardly and nod.   “Alright, we’ll cool! Lemme just open this for us- here we gooo- alright! Welcome!” he opens the door and we all hobble in. We all choose seats, I choose one in the back, as far away from sight as possible. I think it’s mostly out of habit at this point.    “Well, sorry I’m late, had uhh… little bit of some car troubles, uhh, so! First day, let’s talk about what to expect.” He just goes through the basics of what we’ll learn, some history, some techniques, how grading works etc.   I realize I’m not sitting too far from the terrifying girl, just sitting and waiting patiently. I pull out my notebook from my bag and burry my face into it. I keep glancing over to her. I don’t know what it is, like I can’t exactly place her emotion whether she’s angry, annoyed or just paying close attention like a predator stalking her prey.   “So! How about we do a quick little exercise and uhh, you can talk to your neighbors for like, let’s say ten minutes. Ask them their names, their major, and just kinda whatever you all feel like talking about! Don’t get awkward, I better hear lots of talking!” The teacher does a single little clap. I’m scared to death.   “And go! Oh- also remember, learning about how people work, and how the world works, THAT'S what makes you a better artist. First lesson. Mini lesson one. Okay okay, aaaand go!” He does another clap, and I notice that everyone awkwardly looks at each other and sorta tries talking, some instantly get some connection going, some do the basic premise of just… asking their name and their major without going further.   I look over and realize not many people are near me and the terrifying girl, where I notice that she’s looking right at me. I melt into my seat. I’m not ready, I’m not even close to ready, why the hell is this happening so fast- NO! No, this is what I need, a shove from the bird’s nest, not a love tap! This is fine! I’m fine! She’s fine- dear God please shut up brain! She leans in.   “Hey so, what’s your-“   “H-heY… hi…” … oh my God. I want to bury my face in the dirt right now.    “Oh, you alright, man?”   “N-no it’s all fine.” It takes a few seconds of silence, both of us seeing who will go first, and it’s agonizing.   “… So what’s your nam-“ I accidentally cut her off.   “Oh it’s Fine Arts. Wait, uhh, um… sorry, uhh what’s your major- I mean your name. What’s your name?” I seriously want to die. She gives me a weird look and nods as she replies.   “It’s uhh, it’s Momo.”   “Hi Momo, what’s your Major?”   “Um, hi…? just History.” I nod, trying to hide my nervousness through a smile. Hopefully she can’t see. She kinda gives a weird look and nods before looking at the front. She doesn’t say anything else… which means… Fuck. I messed it up, I need to try harder, what’s something people say in normal conversations? I don’t wanna do just crappy small talk, have I gotten worse since the last time I did it? Okay, let’s try this. “… I-I-I like your clothes.”   “Oh, thanks.”   “… do you like art?” As soon as I ask that question my eyes bulge for a second, realizing my stupidity is too large to be measured by any instrument. She looks at me with an even weirder face, she’s getting annoyed.   “… yeah.”   “That’s good, that's good. Art’s cool…”   “… are you doing okay over there?”   “Yeah! Totally, I’m fine.”   “Okay. Because it seems like you’re a little out of it.”   “It does?”    “Yeah dude.” She lowers her voice a bit.   “You get high before class or somethin’?”    “O-oh, no no no, I’ve never been high before.” As I say that she shrugs and looks back to the front of the class.   “Mm, might help out a bit.”   “… would you want to do weed with me?” She doesn’t even look at me, just slightly winces. Did I overstep boundaries?! Maybe she doesn’t do weed! Oh man, maybe she was just being nice.   “B-because if you don’t want to th-that’s fine by me, I’ve never- I’ve never done weed or smoked cocaine, so it’s no big deal.” She does a slow nod and doesn’t say a word.   “… I’m sorry… uhh- do you like music?” After I ask she gives me a little glance and breathes in.   “Yeah. Yeah, I like people like Selda Bagcan or The Liminanas.”    “Oh wow… that’s cool, yeah I think I might have heard of them.” She gives me a look of disbelief.   “You have?”   “… well… maybe I’m just thinking of something else- um. Do you like movies?”   “Yeah.”   “Like what?” She pauses after I ask… genuinely thinks about it for a second.   “Well umm… okay, definitely The Evil Dead 1 and 2 including Army of Darkness, Night of the Living Dead, House of the Devil, one that’s just called “House”, Ju-On, Ringu, The Wailing, Shaun of The Dead, a Tale of Two Sisters, Kairo, The Exorcist, The Haunting, Noroi: the Curse, Dark Water, Carrie, Suspuria- I’d recommend both the newer version and the 1977 one though I personally feel more connected to the 1977 version because I love how terrible the acting is, I love it, uhh- Hereditary, The Devil’s Backbone, Possession, Occult, Relic or Taking of Debra Logan, The Shining… and yeah, those are some of my favorites I can think of at the moment.”   … I can barely react… how can any human have that much memory… Did she make some of those up?   “What about you?” As soon as she asks this I sink into my seat slightly.   “Oh uhh… Pretty in Pink I guess, I don’t know a lot about movies..” she just gives this almost disappointed look before nodding again and looking at the front again.   “Nah, It’s all good dude.” we don’t say anything else as the teacher walks back up.   “Okay, welp! Ten minutes up, so let’s start with our first little introduction.”   Did I just ruin my shot again?… did I just fail… No, I can’t give up. Something, anything. I lean to her, not knowing what I’m gonna say.   “… s-…so uhh- what color are your eyes?” Wait what?! NO!! FUCK! What kinda question was that?! She doesn’t look at me, she’s disgusted by me. some of the classmates do turn back slightly and look right at me, I am such an idiot. I sink into my chair… I wish I was dead right about now…   The class goes on, finishes, she leaves quickly, I hobble to my next class and am too distraught to actually pay attention to what’s going on, my next one, then lunch, then the last one, and I am destroyed… how can I ever face her again? It’s the FIRST DAY, I’ll be seeing her again THIS WEEK.   Oh man… she might wanna change classes because of me. She might be telling her other hot friends about how weird I was, maybe she thought I was a girl at first and THAT’S why she approached me first! Oh god, I should’ve never applied for college. I’m a failure as a human being.   The last class ends. Does anything I do even matter anymore? I don’t know if I’ll ever get better if THIS is how bad it is… I hobble down the road to my bus stop, and realize it’s across the street. I sigh, start crossing the street and look left, only to see a truck- CRACKKKK!!! … What the fuck? What just happened? Wait, I can’t feel below my head… wait, what the fuck just happened?!? Oh God wait… wait I can see it… wait, I can fucking see behind a truck. There’s blood. That’s not mine is it? … Fuck.  It’s not fucking mine. That’s not my fucking blood. This isn’t happening, right? Don’t tell me this is happening. I’m dreaming, I’m fucking sleeping in my bed. This didn’t happen. This did NOT fucking happen. People are… are they running towards me? Why are they all so slow? Why the fuck is everyone moving so inhumanly slow?!? Is the driver coming out now? There he is- FUCKING MOVE FASTER YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!! FUCKING MOVE!!! Why is everyone moving in fucking slow motion?! What’s wrong with people?? Is it my fucking head?!? Did I hit my head that hard?!? Why is everyone so fucking slow?!? Just… FUCK. This can’t happen… please… I just…. FUCK!!! I don’t want this. I don’t fucking want this. Please, I don’t fucking want this. I just fucking started. I JUST FUCKING STARTED TODAY!!! Please, I haven’t had a proper girlfriend or had sex, I haven’t made any real art that my family can be proud of- I never got to tell my dad I loved him last time we called!!! FUCK!!!! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT NO!!!!! No. No no no no no, this can’t be happening. No… no this can’t be happening…. This can’t be happening…. I never got to have a connection with a single fucking human being…. Please…. No…… Fuck…. Everything’s starting to become blurry… the driver almost looks frozen in time… I can’t… I can’t let it end like this…. Not like this….. please… Oh God… do I pray?! Do I pray now?! Fuck, okay, I need to fucking pray, fuck… please forgive me uhh-…. F-forgive me for all my sins-…. F-forgive me- FUCK!!! Who the hell do I pray to?!? This feels ingenuous, I don’t believe in any God or Goddess, fuck okay- just… just pray. I can’t. Why can’t I fucking pray… why…? I’m trying so fucking hard here… why can’t I fucking pray? I-… I can’t fucking do anything… I can’t do a single thing right…. I can’t….. Even when I’m dying I never did anything right….. Am I just gonna forget everything? Forget existence? All my memories… my dreams, my fears, my favorite textures and music, my favorite moments?… will I just exist in an oblivion of nothingness for eternity?…. I’m so scared… … Fuck… Oh well. Wish I had some cool last words at least… wait what even was the last thing I said? After the first class I didn’t say a peep… fuck… this just… I’m so scared….. I’m so scared…… … This just blows. Everything’s becoming white…. Blindingly white. Brighter than anything I’ve seen in my life, it feels like it should be boiling my eyes right now… then it begins slowly turning into… waves of different colors… beautiful colors…. Vibrant.  There’s colors that I slowly realize… I’ve never seen before… I can barely comprehend what they are, swirls of… different spectrums I could never even imagine or describe… right next to all the blues and yellows and the rose petal reds…. Is this what the universe was hiding from us the whole time? This is… holy fuck this is beautiful…   I see… I see my head, my mind, every neuron. I suddenly see every atom in the street I’m on, then every atom of the Earth, everyone who’s crying, running, fucking, screaming, laughing, hugging, driving, killing, laying and loving before seeing the entire cosmos. I see all the planets and stars that are outside of the known observable universe and beyond. I see thousands of different variables of how the cosmos could have been created- the true birth of it, smashing and exploding out infinitely. I see the death of our cosmos, every lonely atom and different particle fizzling out into nothingness or being absorbed into a black hole… until after what feels like an uncountable amount of time, they slowly disappear too… it all happens within a split second. Then I start seeing… more colors… more lights… more sparks… and strange symbols that somehow feel deeply familiar, zooming into my eyes… before- A LOUD crashing sound that could rupture an eardrum spears through me as I explode into a stormy blood red sky, and begin falling. I’m falling so fucking fast, the wind blowing against my body, and particles in the air hitting my face like hail. The ground begins coming up. It’s coming up way too fast, WAY way too fast! I put my arms in front of my face a split second before impact until-   KABOOOOOMMM!!!   I smash into the ground in a streak of blinding light… I surprisingly felt no pain, only a great surge of something going through my body.   I cough for a second before realizing there’s a circular symbol, a Labyrinth burnt into the deep red and powdery stone ground where I lay. I look at my hands and see that the tips of my fingers are pitch black like coal, with swirls running down my arms. I feel something moving on my back and try to swipe it away only to realize there’s nothing.   I… take a moment… I look around, with only one thing to say…   “… Well holy fuck. There’s an afterlife!”       ---END OF CHAPTER 1---

Uncertainty, excitement and a slight hint of panic. They flow around my brain and its implants. To me, it is indeed strange. We are one of the best, the top-of-the-line, the elites among elites. Trained and modified to be absolutely stoic at any possible scenarios. Gone through untold amount of deployments, through countless conflicts and missions. With decades of experience under my belt. Yet here I am. Experiencing panic. Even though just slightly, a tiny bit of panic. It is still strange. It's hard to believe that just several minutes ago, everything were still going smoothly. With just several standard hailing and docking procedures, and maybe some official greeting on both parties. Everyone thought it was going to be another simple escort mission: follow our VIP, put up a barrier around him all the way until he returns to the Sol system, simple enough. We even questioned the decision to pull us out of the front line and shove us into this whole thing. Why bring such an elite force to some random VIP escort mission? Our target is not even someone important. From what I can gather in the mission brief, he is just a governor-in-training. Somehow the higher ups decided to take away such an important asset, us, only to follow some guy visiting a space station. We all though it would be easy, simply a temporary trip away from the fronts. We thought that we will be back in no time. I have no idea why they would do this. The frontline is practically on the opposite end of the space humanity currently control. I do understand that only a few SF, Delta Six included, are qualified for anything alien related however, so that's one reason for choosing us. But still it's not like we were actually going to land on this planet anytime soon. They said we will only observe from orbit and that is unlikely to change for a while, probably never. But now I can see why our expertise is needed. How very convenient indeed. None of us would really expect something like this to happen. Just look at us now. Sitting inside an escape pod, entering the atmosphere of an unexplored planet. Exactly 7 minutes and 39 seconds ago, while we were taking a break in the cafeteria, the station's alarm suddenly goes off. And moments later, the whole thing start to list to one side. Then some loud collision noises were heard, nobody had any idea what was happening. Worse, an evacuation order was set in place, that meant the station was beyond saving at that point. And the next thing we know, the entire orbital platform started descending. After helping the station's personnel evacuate, we tried to look for our VIP. But we couldn't find him, plus the situation was extremely severe so we entered one of the few remaining pods and dropped down as well. And right now we are descending onto a planet. Not just any planets, but a planet with smart aliens on it, of all thing. Every other habitable planets human came across before only had alien animals, not actual sentient intelligent beings. Which means all six of us will be some of the first human to come into contact with sentient alien. I don't know whether to be excited or to be afraid of that fact. A slight vibration rocks the entire pod, waking me up from my thoughts. I look out of the small circular air tight hole. My eyes can clearly see the dancing yellow flames shifting about on the other side of the reinforced carbon glass. A clear indication that we are indeed, descending down onto the planet's atmosphere from orbit like a meteor. The cold blackness of space is slowly retreating, giving way to a more vibrant, clear cyan-ish blue as it slowly creeps up from below the view of the porthole. It is rather dark in here. With the only light source being the window, our personal lights and the screen in the middle of the pod. Which did not help to ease the feeling of uncertainty. "Chief, seems like we hit something on the way down. Two directional thrusters are offline." the voice was coming from the man in front of me. He is Talon 4, the Engineer Sergeant of Talon squad, Staff sergeant Shirogane 'Deman' Keiki. Specialization: engineering and demolition. He has a rather obsessive relationship with anything explosive related. Hence the nickname "Deman", short for demolition man. And from his name, you can clearly tell he's from Japan. He is currently interacting with the escape pod's control system via a portable UI pad he always carries with him. A standard issued piece of equipment for soldiers, but combat engineers receive specially modified ones. "Is restoration possible?" I asked, eyes still tracing the cloud that is now visible from the porthole. "For now, Chief, negative. I'll do what I can," Still focusing into the UI monitor and its keyboard, he gives me a short answer. But I am confident he will be able to come up with something. My time fighting alongside him has taught me many things. And one of them is that he can fix pretty much anything. "Hey what do you think will happen from now?" The buffed man sitting on my right suddenly speaks. That was staff sergeant Marcel Traver, or Talon 3, a weapon specialist sergeant. But we call him Mont. Short for montagne, means "mountain" in French due to his massive build, along with his usual load out and weapons. A guy like him is absolutely perfect for a weapon sergeant. Strong and bulky but never slow, he can carry an almost infinite amount of ammunitions, both for his weapons and for his teammates. He is the support element for our squad. His loadouts are usually LMGs or heavy weapons. He has a very intricate relationship with firepower. The more leads or energy a weapon can spit down range, the more it calls for his name. "Dunno. But I believe we all know what to do once we land, yes?" I asked the rest of my team. Now looking at every one of them. Mont did not answer, just a slight nod. Then he shifts his gaze toward the circular window. The same goes for the rest of my men. Not a single word spoken. Yet I know that behind the ballistic masks and nano visors blocking their faces. They are smirking confidently. I know my men, my brothers in arms. We have been fighting together as elites Delta Six SF for decades now. We share the highs and lows of our career together countless times. We know each other so well you could consider us actual brothers. Each of us know we always have each others' back. Each of us know we always have our flanks covered. And we all know for a fact that if any of us got knocked out in a fight, they will always be dragged back to cover by another one of us. Know that none of us will ever be left behind, even under the direst of circumstances. An unbreakable bond of brotherhood, forged by the flames of plasma, of ion bolts, of railguns slugs through decades of combat. How long this bond will last I have not a clue. Maybe until death? I hope so. "Done, back up thrusters online. Regaining fall trajectory," Like always, our team's engineering specialist got things under control. And to justify what he has just said, the pod stop turning chaotically and starts to follow our descending trajectory. [ 2000 meters to touchdown ] As announced by the system in the pod, sights of terrain become visible through the window and the large monitor screen array at the center of the pod. We begin to sit upright and hold on to our seat lock. Deman put his UI back into his pack and proceed to do the same as us. "Alright team, listen up. What ever happens next will not be like anything we have been through before. I believe that this will undoubtedly be the highest point in our career as Delta Six operators. We will be among the very first of mankind to contact sentient alien life forms. Today, on the dawn of June 14th 2367 Earth, we will be among those who will make history, literally." I give a small speech to my trusty squad as the ground gets closer. [ 1000 meters to touchdown. Activating thrusters, stablizing fins deployed ] "Should I be worried? What if the place is filled with a bunch of xenophobic lizards?" Mont voices his concern. "Oh come on, you're the biggest dude here and you are concerned? And also, what kind of movies were you watching? Xenophobic lizards? Really?" Kai responds in a half joking manner. "Where do you even get that from?" Miller joins the banter. At this point, I was about to join in as well but decide against it. [ Dampening thrusters activated. 700 meters to touchdown ] "I can already tell this whole thing is going to blow up the Astronet even harder than when this planet was discovered" Kai speaks up. "Doubt it will go public immediately, I'd say things are going to stay dark for a while, not for long though." There are truths in what Deman had just said. Incidents on this scale are going to be kept off the radar for quite some time before going public. Obviously it's going to shock a lot of folks. But it has to go public eventually, it's too big of an attraction for the whole damn humanity. Everyone and their mother are talking about the progress on Athena everywhere everyday. [ Dampening thrusters operating at 79 percent. Slowing down ] I feel a force pushing me down to the seat as the pod slows down, preparing for landing. [500 meters to touchdown ] From now on, we will be trekking on unknown land. Will there be hostiles? Allies? Will we find our people out there, who survived this mess? Will we make friends? Or foes? Both? Or none? [400 meters to touchdown] We have yet to even take a look at the data collected by the science team on the station. We are going into this blind without intel of the local flora and fauna. Not even info of the local aliens we will potentially come across. [ 300 meters to touchdown ] What will happen from now on? How will the human race react to this? How much will our lives change, not just us but to everyone out there? How will society adapt to this? What is awaiting us ahead? What challenges are we going to face? And most of all, what does the future holds for humanity, now that we're no longer truly alone in this universe? [ 200 meters to touchdown ] "Talon 2 to Talon 1, order, sir." Kai speaks up. Urging me to give out an order for Delta Six Talon squad. [ 100 meters to touchdown. Brace for impact ] "This is Talon 1, order to all of Talon squad. Begin operation "Contact Alpha"." "Did you just made that up on your own?" "It's protocol. I have to name it like that. Did you even read those?" "What protocol?" "Don't tell me..." [ Touchdown in 5...4...3...2...1... ] -------------------------------------------------------  " A new chapter will be opened for mankind today. What will it bring? What can we expect from it? Nobody knows for sure. But whatever it is out there, it will surely make a massive impact on our understanding of this vast universe." Talon 5 - Medical sergeant - Sergeant first class Johan 'Doc' Tiedemann

The power to see the future- if you had such a thing, what would you do?  Unlimited wealth through gambling or lottery? Becoming a hero by predicting future disasters? The possibilities are truly many.   As for me—  "But I can really see the future, you know?"   "Win the lottery then, idiot." —protecting this girl and making her happy is more than enough.  To provide a bit of background, we were walking together to a supermarket when I decided to reveal my special ability to her.   "As I was saying, I really can see the future you know?"  "Says the guy who's still working part-time to pay back his student debts."  "Ultimately, wealth is just freedom, and freedom is comfort, not happiness."  "Ah, so you're saying that leaving your girlfriend alone and lonely for hours upon hours, rotting away behind a counter for some measly pay can bring you true happiness? Ara. Should I buy a BDSM kit for your sake?"  "I'm not a masochist! And the thing is, for a man of my calibre, almost everything can be learnt easily so I didn't have to work at all in school. But diligence doesn't come with the high IQ package, you know?"   "Wouldn't it be fine anyway if you have that much self-awareness? Also, you say 'practising diligence' I hear 'telling people the ice-cream machine is broken'."   "So you figured it out..."   "You little shit..." she glared at me jokingly.   "Says the shorter one."  "Tough talk for the one who lost in arm wrestling."   Ah... I should have known that an all brains and no brawns university student would surely lose against a highschool girl who tries her best to stay in shape. But what's done is done, I muster up my best retort— "How barbaric."  "If being stronger than you qualifies for being a barbarian, the average toddler is a demonic overlord."  "They are, though?"  In fact, toddlers should be the closest thing to inhabitants of the demon realm. It's an unarguable argument.  "Touché." As expected of my girlfriend, she caught on quick. But we're sidetracking   "Alright so how can I prove it to you?"   "Prove what?"   "That I can really see the future."   "We're still doing this? Alright, fine. Predict something, right now."  I knew it would come to this  "That bird is going to take a shit in three minutes." I pointed at a bird on the power lines while maintaining eye contact. She took a glance at the direction I had pointed at and proceeded to look at me straight in the eyes  "Are we going to stand here and wait three whole minutes to see a bird poop?"  Ah, she does have a point.  "Then what do you suggest?"  "Win the lottery."  "Is money all that you care about, woman?!" I clench my fist in a dramatic fashion.   "You're a close second."   "God damn it why did that make me happy...?"  "So I really should buy that BDSM kit after all..."  "Though, are you really sure? If I had that much money, the hardworking me that you love so much is going to disappear you know?"  "Things like hard work and diligence don't define you in your entirety. Moreover-" She made a sudden stop and turned to look at me, then grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled it closer, showing me the sweetest smile ever but also coupling it with a glare— "Telling such a thing to a girl this much in love will make her angry, you know?" Her lips are smiling, but her eyes aren't. What is this?! So cute! Yet so scary!   ...This sudden show of emotions made me go into a complete daze. So much so that even after she had pushed me away to continue walking, I still couldn't say anything for a while. 'Ah, it should be illegal to be as lucky as I am' I thought.   My grin at the time must have been the widest one in the world for quite a while.   Not being able to resist, I reached out for her hand, who was then walking in front of me. And when I caught up and got a better look at her face, she was beet red. Ah. So that's how it is. You were walking ahead to hide your embarrassment. What is this cute little thing?  "Hmm what's this? Premarital hand-holding? You've got some nerves heathen."  "Cranking out jokes to fight embarrassment is so typical of you." I gave her a smug look.   "Shut up." she smiled.  On that evening where the sun set beautifully, the future that I could see for us surely had its share of challenges and difficulties- but the present that I saw... Was us... It was us laughing, it was us being in love, it was us being happy— and most importantly, it was enough. ⁂ Afterword:   Hello, Kamoto here, thank you for reading. This afterword section is a bit long but well what can I do?   The idea for this flash fiction occurred pretty randomly to me but I felt like I had to write it down- so here it is, in all of its 800+ words glory.   Yah being in a relationship is nice isn't it. If I could get into one I wouldn't have to write this.  In all honesty, I could write an entire series about this couple and would love to, but that would be too much investment considering how I myself don't even know how bad or good it really is- or more importantly how bad or good a writer I really am. So... Yeah... If it gets enough positive reviews/criticisms, I'll serialise it. Probably.  Praises would be lovely and constructive criticisms would be much appreciated. Once again, thank you.  

What if Majapahit did not collapse in 1478?   1500  majapahit ruled the whole of Indonesia and Malaysia.   1545 majapahit succeeded in controlling almost all of Southeast Asia and became the 2nd strongest country militarily and economically in the Asian region.   1596  The Dutch came to Majapahit but the Dutch only wanted to trade because if they fought with Majapahit there would be many victims on the Dutch side.   1600 majapahit began to focus on science and technology.   1623  king Brawijaya 11 announced the isolation of law throughout the country and can only be trad with some countries such as the Qing Dynasty, Japan, Korea, and the Netherlands.   1634 - 1788 majapahit experienced a rapid increase and population with a population of up to 347 million.   1789  The British Empire came to ask Majapahit to end the isolation law and start trading with them because the king at that time, the  King Brawijaya 19th, was afraid to see the mighty British Empire ship, he opened Majapahit to the outside world.   1790 - 1900 majapahit developed into a very powerful country and has the most advanced technology in the Asian region.   1901 - 1904  majapahit fell into the hands of the King Brawijaya 28th who was famous for being very cruel and war-crazy.   1905  King Brawijaya declared war on the Qing Dynasty and cooperated with Japan.   1906  majapahit succeeded in controlling 10% of the southern part of the Qing Dynasty but the king of Brawijaya died because of a stray bullet and the throne fell to his son. The king Brawijaya 29th immediately negotiated with the Qing dynasty because he did not want this war to continue.   1906 6 months later on September 12, 1906 agreement Yangon signed by Majapahit with the Qing Dynasty contents of the agreement include: Yangon Treaty 1 Majapahit will return all the territory of the Qing Dynasty who ruled Majapahit except Hainan 2 Qing Dynasty had to pay a lot of money to the Majapahit         Due to this agreement, Majapahit relations with Japan deteriorated because Japan felt "betrayed". 1907 - 1914  Majapahit focused on the internal state because there were many democratic rebels.    1914 - 1918  The First World War began and the central party lost, Majapahit did not join the war because there was a rebellion. 1919  Revolution ended with the fall of the monarchy and Majapahit changed its name to the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia.    1920 - 1939  Indonesia is still recovering from the damage caused by the revolution.   1940  Japan attacked the Indonesian base in Hainan, because of this Indonesia declared war on Japan.    1945 The  war seemed to be won by Indonesia after the Japanese navy lost  but because of the high Japanese nationalist spirit, Japan did not give up. This forced Indonesia to use the project "Matahari".   August 6, 1945  Indonesia dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the atomic bombs killed more than 200,000 people.   August 9, 1945  Indonesia drops the atomic bomb on Kyoto killing approximately 150,000 people.   August 10, 1945 Japan surrendered and implemented the Jakarta Treaty:    Jakarta treaty 1 Japan was obliged to pay a large sum of money for losses resulting from the war. 2 Japan is obliged to relinquish its colonies, such as the Korean Peninsula, and Chinese territory controlled by Japan and must be returned to China and small islands in the Pacific region. 3 Japan must give Taiwan territory to Indonesia. (may take a little territory)          1947 The Cold War began and Indonesia chose to be neutral that is what the world knows but in fact Indonesia intervened in the Cold War without the Soviet Union and the United States knowing until the Cold War ended, thus making BIN the greatest intelligence agency.   1974 DPR passes anti-NTR law to prevent infidelity anyone caught will be in prison for 5 years   1991 Cold War ends with the collapse of the Soviet Union   2004 - ???? Due to political instability after the Cold War, making one of the countries in Africa named Udaya a civil war between the Communists and Liberals     A Brief History of the Udaya Udaya State is a country that has existed since 400 BC. The peak of this country's glory is in 1450, which controlled eastern Africa and Egypt, but suffered a rapid decline due to western imperialism. However, Udaya still survived until 1935, Udaya went to war with Italy and lost so that all of its territory was annexed and the temporary government was evacuated to England. In 1945, the Udayana State regained its territory and transformed its country which was originally a monarchy into a republic. The Udayana State became a peaceful country, healthy political competition, low crime rate, fast economic development, rich in natural resources, thus making Udaya a stable country. in 2004, Post-Cold War, udaya country politics  became very chaotic due to competition between the two parties, namely the liberal party and the communist party, which was not clean, this also caused Udaya to split into two. The territory of Ethiopia was occupied by the Liberals, and the territory of Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea was occupied by the Communists.     2009 Indonesia decided to intervene in the civil war in Udaya (Supporting the liberal party) because the country is quite rich in natural resources    2012  President Budi Budiman was elected as the 8th president of Indonesia and Joko Widodo as prime minister (term president for about 15 years but once every 5 years the people will vote to replace the president or keep the current president)   Finally finished .... Ok so this story will raise the story of Budi Budiman, a reliable corruptor who has repented and was transferred to another world where Indonesia became a superpower and where Budi Budiman becomes the President of Indonesia, will Budi Budiman be able to bring the Republic of Indonesia forward? Or has he made the same mistake again to become a reliable corruptor?   AUTHOR NOTE 1 This is my first time making a story so if you cringe don't be angry  2 There are 2 Authors in this story, one of whom is in charge of writing the story, the other is editing (to be neat), looking for pictures, etc. 3 Please feel free to criticize as much you want 4 if there is something wrong, please post comment story let me know 5 State and military specifications will follow 6Indonesia here is very different from real life in this story, Indonesia is overpowered 7There is must be a mistake in grammar because english is not my first leanguage 8 Funfact the names of the first president and the first prime minister of Indonesia are the names of the two authors  

Disclaimer: There is little to no romance in this story, but if you liked the characters in the original flash fiction, I think you will enjoy this short. The story is also inspired by real-life events and people without proper permission. I humbly apologize.   *****   No matter how many futures I try to foresee, there’s no happy ending— or at least, there’s none where I don’t take matters into my own hands.   No one deserves such bad endings, and I dare say this power, if was at all “given”, was given to me to avert atrocities like this.   There’s no use delaying the inevitable, nor is there any use suffering such a fate, thus,   Today’s the day I clean this god-forsaken wallet.   ‘What’s with the overdramatic bs?’ you ask? No, you simply don’t understand.   My wallet is a leather type and somehow it had been infected with some type of fungus which causes it to have this really dusty smell, coupled with a white layer of dust-like particles.   And so I looked into the future of the wallet, and of course, there were many—   There was one where I just left it be and got mocked for having a smelly wallet.   There was one where I kept washing it with tap water but the white dust just wouldn’t go away so I had to repeatedly wash the wallet once a day for the rest of my life.   There was even one where the dust managed to cause someone to have allergy symptoms.   And so, even though I really didn’t want to do something so cumbersome, I slowly took things out of my wallet.   ‘Credit card... ID... Emergency glasses-cleaning tissues... My first strand of grey hair that I plucked out back in high school that was somehow proof that I was becoming K●neki K●n... Hmm is there anything else...? Oh yeah the hidden compartment’   I reached into the well-hidden nook and pulled out a picture, it was one of my girlfriend when she was still 4.   Even though we’ve only dated for a few years, I’ve had this thing for a while now.   What? Don’t look at me with those creeped-out eyes! This actually has got nothing to do with her! This is a memorial of her grandfather who treasured this more than anything in the world! I keep this with me to never forget the lessons he taught me when I was a child!   Okay, most of that is actually a lie. I just keep this because I can and it seems romantic.   Though, it’s true that he taught me many things— many great things. Truly, no one deserved such a great teacher.   *****   I love my parents, but I’m not a good child so they scold me a lot. Sometimes, if I do really bad things, they hit me. I’m really sad when they hit me.   But then I realized, whenever I wanted to do something, I could just guess if my parents would be angry because of it. And just like that, I could avoid getting scolded.   It worked! A month passed and I wasn’t scolded even once!   But one time, dad and mom were sad and angry at each other.   “Where the fuck is the money?! We should still have a lot left in the safe. Did you hide it?”   “Yeah I hid it. Do you even know how much you’ve lost?!”   “Who the fuck cares? We’re rich, we can just make it back anyway!”   Eh? Why are they angry at each other? Did they both do something wrong? Money? Lose? Are they going to be happy if they win money?   I wanted to ask but I was scared. They were yelling very loudly.   Not knowing what to do, I started crying.   Noticing my crying, they stopped the argument.   But from then on they would argue more and more, and every time they did, they would lock me outside the house.   The first time that happened, I started wandering around town to end up near a fishing spot.   I didn’t know how fishing worked at all so I started guessing which grandpa wouldn’t get annoyed if I asked them about it.   That was when I found Big Grandpa sitting alone, waiting for his granddaughter.   I guessed that he was really kind to the girl so he must have been a kind grandpa.   And so, I sat down and started watching.   *****   I'm old, that much is obvious. People my age ought to come to terms with Mr. Death next door or they can never have any kind of peace whatsoever.   They ought to, and yet there I was, heartbroken to find out I only had a few months left.   A few months to give all this love to my children and their children, to make sure they're as happy as they deserve to be, and to teach them how to do the same.   As sad as I was, I was still someone who knew when to give up.   With a heart full of feelings of resignation, I loosened the grip on my fishing pole and slowly turned to the side to take a good look at the beauty of my favorite fishing spot, something I've always taken for granted.   It was then that I found a boy sitting next to me, staring intently.   His narrowed eyes, filled with the boundless curiosity of a child, were staring daggers at my fishing gear. Did he like fishing? Did he want to try? Or was it just simple curiosity? I couldn't tell. But regardless,   "Where are your parents kid?"   "They're at home."   "Where's your guardian?"   "Garden? My house doesn't have one."   Ah, I forgot to avoid difficult words again.   "Did you come here alone?"   "Yes."   "Do you know the way home?"   "No, but it's fine because I can guess which way is right."   Ah, that's dangerous. I'm glad I talked to him before he got himself lost.   "Alright, after gramps here catch the next fish I'll help you get home, alright?"   "No. That girl will come here looking for you and she'll be very sad if she doesn't find you. I don't want her to be sad."   "What?" I instinctively asked, "That girl?"   "Your... Errr... Gran... Granddaughter." He struggled to pronounce the word, it seems even that word was difficult for this kid.   Though, he's her friend huh? So they promised to meet up here? That's my granddaughter for you, already breaking hearts at that age.   Before I knew it, a warm smile crept onto my face.   At the end of such an exchange, I felt a bite and reeled the fish in.   It was a big one, so I innocently and excitedly showed it to the kid, thinking he would get excited too because he seemed interested in fishing.   To my surprise, the kid just seemed sad for the fish. It seems his interest from before really was just curiosity.   Dejected, I threw the fish into a water bucket and reached for some more fish bait. It was then that I met with the child's eyes again, though this time he was all teary.   "Eh? Why? What's wrong?" I panicked.   "W-wormie's getting hurt." He points at my fish bait.   Baffled, I frantically made up an excuse "But look, isn't it ugly and scary?"   "B-but teacher said, even though they look like that, they're kind. They make the dirt good and would never hurt you. So you should never hurt them either." He said, tears in his eyes, but not yet crying.   Eh? Is that the case? Education has gotten really good huh? They even teach kids this kind of thing.   I then paused and stared at the little earthworm in my hand.   Objectively speaking, what I'm doing to this little thing can only be considered utter selfishness. I'm simply robbing it of its everything, subjecting it to pain that it can never understand only for my own self-satisfaction. Isn't that just evil in every way?   And yet, society doesn't care, because why would they? It's just an earthworm. I myself still didn't care that much for its life either. It probably couldn't even feel pain.   But there was something else here that I should care about.   The boy who would cry over injustice and unfairness and the kindness it requires to do such a thing.   Once he grows wiser, he'll probably treat the worm just like how the rest of society treats it— but that kindness, that kindness has to be preserved so that it can be directed towards other humans.   This was the first time I got to witness a virtue in such a pure and vibrant form.   And so, I decided that I— no, that no one had the right to sully such a beautiful thing.   *****   "Sorry kid, I was wrong. I shouldn't do this to them." Grandpa stood up and started finding a place to release the worms.   Seeing that, I was relieved. When he released the worms he even said sorry to them.   "Gramps is really nice! My parents usually yell at me when I ask them if I can give the fishies some water or hatch the eggs at home!" I smiled brightly.   Gramps just stood and looked at me without saying anything. But I instinctively knew that he was angry. Ah, I forgot to guess what I should say again.   "A-are you angry gramps? I'm sorry! I'll be careful in the future!" I frantically said the words my parents taught me to say whenever they were angry.   "N-no, I'm not angry at you kid. Don't worry about it. Errr... Right, it's just that the worms haven't started digging, I wonder if anything's wrong with them."   When gramps said so, I looked at the worms and started guessing.   They were all fine, it's just that it was going to take very long for them to start digging again.   "Don't worry gramps, they're all fine! That small one will start digging in a bit and the others will start too!"   "Is that so?" Gramps stared at the worms, looking a bit confused.   While he was staring, gramps' granddaughter started running towards us "Graaaaamps buy me ice cr— eeeekkk" she shrieked when she saw the worms crawling on the ground.   "Oh, you're late. Your friend here has been waiting for a while now."   "Friend?" the girl tilted her head.   "Yeah, him. Didn't you tell your friend to come here today?" gramps said, signaling at me with his chin.   The girl, confused by the situation and scared by the worms, just hid behind gramps without saying anything.   "Oh, is it the worms? Alright, since you said you wanted ice cream, I'll get some for the both of you and then you two can play, alright?"   Hearing that we were going to get ice cream, both my and the girl's face lit up.   *****   "Pick that sword up, wormmancer." my granddaughter threw a stick at the boy.   Kids are terrifying learners. With the help of cartoons, they can even learn words like "wormmancer".   But what about the boy who struggled to even say the word "granddaughter"? What's up with that?   One shouldn't speculate, but from what he's said, it's probably that his parents are terrible teachers.   As the kid picked the stick up, my granddaughter charged at him with another stick in hand, trying to hit him.   "Trying", because no matter how quickly she swung her stick, the boy would always be able to block it with his. It seemed like he could read her like an open book— which made me wonder if this was a routine for them.   "How dare you use my only fear against me, this great princess!"   "Wormies are actually really nice! you should try and make friends with them!"   "Silence! Such mockery!"   The sight before me was so amusing that I couldn't help but chime in   "Tame her with love, boy!" I teased.   For a moment the boy looked confused, but then he narrowed his eyes and started thinking.   After a while of serious thinking, the boy broke into a devious smile. It seemed he finally found something good to say.   "I love you!" he yelled.   "Wah?!" the girl froze.   That simple? And yet it took you that long? And it actually worked?   I burst into laughter.   One onlooker whistled, and another one yelled "that's a man right there!"   Apparently, they had attracted quite a bit of attention with that routine of theirs.   Taking notice of the onlookers also made me notice that the sun was already setting. I had to get the both of them home as soon as possible.   I picked up my beet-red granddaughter and placed her on my neck, giving her a piggyback.   "I'm all for budding romances but, it's getting late so let's get you home", I said, smiling.   *****   Contrary to my expectations, the trip to his house was relatively smooth-sailing. Even though he said he didn't know the way back, we made all the right turns and arrived at his place in what felt like mere minutes.   'All's well that ends well I suppose', I thought, ringing the doorbell.   A man in his 30s opened the door, and, for a moment, I could see the insides of their house— there was broken glass everywhere and the place looked to be a complete mess.   A sense of dread overtook my body.   "Ah, um, here's your child. He was a very good kid today."   "Ah? Ah. It's you. Get inside." the man told the boy.   Seemingly afraid, the boy timidly walked in. The man then shut the door without saying anything more.   Not knowing what to do or say, I just took my granddaughter to her parents and went home myself.   I'm not one to have regrets in life, but not taking any action that day haunted me greatly, even as I drew my last breath.   *****   And that's how I first met Big Grandpa.   From then on, our encounters only became more and more frequent as my parents argued more and more.   "Oh, kiddo, you're here again. Ah? Me? Oh I came here only to realize I don't have any bait so I'm just enjoying the wind. Oh, what say we go buy you some ice cream and I'll buy myself some bait that won't get hurt?"   Every time they locked me out, I would find myself happier than I'd ever been.   "Is the fish hurt? I usually try to kill it without making it suffer. But even though there's no pain or sadness involved, you should still be grateful to it. Life is precious, so be grateful that even in death, it still gives you happiness, or fullness for that matter!"   He was someone I didn't need to use foresight to "guess" what to say or what to do because when I did something wrong, I would always learn something from him.   "Kiddo, don't call people what they aren't, don't say things that aren't true. You don't understand this yet but remember this so that one day you will: Always be right, no matter the cost."   Even as a child, I could feel that he was 'genuine', unlike the actors on TV who recites lines or the teachers in school who simply tell everyone the same things over and over again. He was all that he was. He loved, and so he cared, and so he protected.   "What's love? Ah you don't need to worry about it right now. You'll acquire love in a few years and, when that time comes, if the one you love is my granddaughter, I give you full permission to kidnap her. Eh? What's 'acquire'?"   For the first time in my life, I understood someone.   "You're happy? That's good, remember that. This one is for future you to recall and cry about: never lose sight of what makes you happy, what makes you sad, what makes you angry. Every step of the way, remember to look around to find yourself."   That random kind burly old man by the lakeside was my teacher— nay, my hero.   "These days we come here pretty much every day huh? Have you done your summer homework yet?"   And, as he approached the later stages of his leukemia, he would have frequent bouts of confusion, which meant he couldn't even form coherent sentences. While younger me couldn't notice such a thing, he dragged himself out to the fishing spot practically every day to meet me.   Even now, I still don't know why he tried so hard for some random kid, and I haven't become conceited enough to dare think he found any fun in all that— even though that's what he would have had me believe. His smile was always so brilliant that it was the only thing I couldn't learn from him.   The days I spent with him by that lake were mostly quiet days, but whenever words were exchanged, I could never forget them for the rest of my life.   *****   Recently I'd been sneaking out to meet with gramps even when mom and dad weren't arguing.   And today wasn't an exception.   I went to the lake again, just like usual.   But today gramps didn't have his fishing rod with him.   When I arrived, he was just sitting on a bench, waiting.   "Oh, kiddo. You came."   "Hi gramps. Are we not fishing today?"   "No, I gave the stuff away. I came here today to tell you today's the last day."   "You don't want to fish anymore? Then can I come to your house to play?"   "No. I'm going somewhere far away soon."   "Eh? Where is it? My parents don't let me go far but when I grow up I'll definitely come and play."   "I'll scold you if I see your face over there." He laughed.   "Where is it gramps? Where is iiiiiit?"   "Can you guess?"   Ever since our first time meeting, I subconsciously never tried to guess anything about gramps so I never thought about it. But since he asked if I could, I concentrated and started guessing where he would be the day after.   "Eh? The hospital? Gramps is sick?"   "So it's true."   "Eh? Why are the days after tomorrow all black? Gramps? Why?" tears started to well up in my eyes.   "Alright, since you don't know how special you are, I'll teach you one last lesson: those things you see when you try to guess things, that's the future and no one else can do that. That's a power called foresight and you need to keep it a secret from everyone."   Eh? What is he saying? No one else can guess? Foresight?   "When normal people try to guess something, they often get things wrong, and they need clues for the guess. Not you, your guesses are always right, and you don't need any clue whatsoever."   So I'm not normal?   "But, you know, that's not your real gift, your real gift is... even though it's a difficult and vague word, your kindness."   *****   Don't cry so much kiddo. The little missy cries way less than you do. It'll be really embarrassing if you're the only one to cry at you guys' wedding.   "Kindness, is the willingness to give people a helping hand, the ability to sacrifice yourself for others, the warmth that will bring about happiness, and it is your greatest gift."   Even though these are all difficult words that you don't yet understand, I hope you remember them.   "Hide your gift, and always listen to your other gift."   And no matter where you go, you'll be loved.   "And with that, I'd like to ask for a favor from you—"   I paused briefly,  to ready myself for my first selfish request towards the boy.   "What happens after I'm gone?"   And then, with his words stuck between all the sobbing and the hiccups, he desperately tried to grant my last request.   Every word he said made the sadness weighing on my heart grow, and oh boy did it grow. By the end of it, I found tears trickling down my face for the first time in what felt like an eternity.   "That's enough kid." I stopped him and stood up. "Before I go though, here. Even though I don't have much left I can give you, this here is my heart. Take it. Keep it safe if this old man means much of anything to you." I took out a small picture of my granddaughter and handed it to him.   He took it and became quiet. His shoulders still trembling.   "Take care, child."   *****   And so the curtain closes on the encounter that saved my life. Now, holding his "heart" in my hand, I can't help but tear up a little.   Those days were undoubtedly beautiful memories and I couldn't have wished for anything better.   While I was reminiscing, I suddenly felt a warmth around my neck, coupled with a pair of arms.   My, how romantic of her to— chokehold me like this.   "I give up! I give up!"   "Care to explain how you have that picture of me?"   "I'll do it if you release your arms!"   "You can still talk can't you?"   "Fine! Fine! This is gramps'!"   "Oh? He kept this around?" she said as her arms released to form a normal hug.   "He called this his heart. But I guess it's my heart now. That transplant was terribly inexpensive. He was a good surgeon."   "Don't say both romantic things and stupid things under one breath or I'll get confused." she laughed. "Hey, do you think he was happy?"   "I don't know, but I hope he was. I want to believe that he was." I turned to look at her.   "Right?" She beamed at me.   "That smile of yours looks exactly like his."   "It's really hard to fake this one you know? I've tried a lot but it either comes out naturally or I'm getting arrested."   "Sounds like a scam pitch."   She choked me again.   Anyway, imminent threat to my life aside.   To finish this story off, I have to say that I disagree with gramps   My greatest gift? It was never foresight, nor kindness.   It was the chance to meet that man.   It was a chance to be saved, a chance to learn, and a chance to understand.   What about you?   Have you been saved? Have you saved someone?   Will you save someone?   Kamoto Hi, it's me, Kamoto again. Due to how overwhelmingly well-received the original flash fiction was, I've decided to write a prequel for it. This is a good first step towards serialization I think. If people like this one then I'll give this potential series some serious consideration. This is actually my longest piece to date. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Let's meet again!

Our story begins with a twenty nine year old man. He has short black hair, blue eyes hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses, tan skin, and stands six foot even. He wears t shirts, jeans, the occasional button up, and always has a watch on his left wrist. This man is Alex Robert. Alex is a game designer for an indie company that lives in a small town in western Arkansas. Alex is currently in a government building signing up for a program that allows him to house interspecies or other worldly inhabitants. . These other worldly people, the males called liminals and females called Mamono, are special in that they hail from another world. Their world opened a portal to earth about ten years ago when he was in high school and requested help against an intergalactic demonic threat. The demon threat had originally made the mamono and liminals from different races on their home world and seeded a few worlds with the start of each group. Alex had been a member of an elite special forces group sent to the world of Lumia and from there to the front lines of the world of Atraxia. He eventually earned the rank of captain and helped end the war five years ago. When he was done with the war he retired and went to college where he learned game design and got in with the company he worked for. He missed his old friends, both the living and fallen, and he currently lived alone after waiting for the people of both worlds to be allowed to travel back and forth. This led to the program Alex was signing up for, the Interworld exchange program. The program, which he was just waiting for his permit to finish joining up and find out where he'd be assigned and who he'd be assigned to work and live with. The military had personally requested him to join the program as he was able to interact with Lumia locals, and even the members of Atraxia who turned against the demon emperor. He popped a piece of gum into his mouth as he waited and popped his neck yawning mid-chew and wondering what he could do to speed up the process besides show his military ID. After all he was a part of a secret unit so his record was completely classified. Only the empress of Lumia, the new emperor of Atraxia who'd been installed by both the forces of earth and Lumia and was a former general of Lumia who'd turned against the former emperor for his insane practices and monstrous attacks on the lives of civilians. Alex sighed and pulled out a picture in his wallet as he heard the person before him be called in. It was a picture of a female angel with a sweet smile, a succubus with a seductive smirk, a dragon girl with a distant look in her eye, a hellhound girl who was grinning and giving the victory sign, a tiger girl with a glare on her face, and a feral dire wolf that was sitting at his feet howling at the top of the photo. He was in the middle of the girls and scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish smile as the girls all had their heads turned toward him. He grinned at the memory knowing his sheepish smile was because he didn't expect his friends to agree to the photo. They were the Mamono that were in his squad. In the background and too the edges of the picture were a lizard man with red skin and a ferocious smile at the left edge of the photo, a cat boy with blue eyes and a peace sign on the far right, and in the back were a human man, a kobold man or dog man, and the future king of Atraxia with weary smiles on their faces each watching the seven of them as if they were proud as this was the special unit. His captains' badge was proudly displayed on his chest and he smiled at the memory of the three commands he head who promoted him. The lizard man and cat boy were the two liminals in his squad who the girls tended to pick on for being a battle junkie, and a softly spoken kid who was quick to anger. He glanced at the hat on the head of the hellhound which had bee given to her by their first commanding officer as he lay dying in a pool of blood, the hat still stained yet the man had been proud to go saying that he wouldn't know what to do during peace time and the that he was proud of the hellhound girl. Then he looked at the lunar rosary around the neck of the angel which had been given by their second commander before he retired from a leg injury that prevented him from fighting at full power. He noticed the angel was fingering the moon on the rosary, and smiled again. He hadn't realized how much he missed his squad. Their names were Lyra the Angel, Carlita the succubus, Atrea the hellhound, Drasliona, also known as Dras to the hellhound and Liona to the succubus, the Dragon girl, Dianna the tigress, and Luna the dire wolf. Luna was his partner from day one as he'd found her when he first got to Lumia, and had raised her from a pup. The picture was from when he became their commander ad gained his captain's badge. The two males in his group were Lance the salamander, and Axel the cat boy. Of course they weren't his entire squad but they were the lieutenants and up. Axel and Lance were lieutenants, the girls were all lieutenants first class, and the rest of the squad weren't there as they were busy getting drunk and enjoying their day off. The three in the background were the head of the spec ops program Marcus David, former general of the Atraxian army Nicodemus Alistair, and the kobold was the head of the allied forces Leonidas Arento. The group in the photo were divided into several categories. Atrea and Drasliona, were heavy weapons and demolition specialists, Dianna was an assassin, and Lyra and Carlita were espionage and counter espionage. The infantry was led by Lance and Axel. Meanwhile Captain Lex, as his men called him and his partner Luna were the specialists. They did a little of everything and yet they also were the best at leading with Luna making him an excellent recon specialist. Alex shook his head and dragged himself from his memories as he heard a voice call out “Mr. Roberts?” Alex got up and walked to the window saying That's me.” The girl smiled and he said “Do I need to fill out more paperwork or do I need to do something else.” The woman smiled and said “There's no paperwork you need to fill out, though if you really are former military I need to see you r ID.”He nodded and handed her his ID which just stated he was a combat vet. He still had the scars hidden under his shirt and pants to prove he'd been injured but he had refused to quit. He blew a bubble as she checked his service record and found that there was a lot of things redacted. She sighed and said “Can you tell me anything about your service?” He shrugged and said “Uh, I was part of the units sent to the front lines of Atraxia with other recruits.” She blinked and he said “Yes I served in that campaign. I'm guessing you thought I served here on earth?” She nodded and he said “Heh, not a chance. I signed up to serve in Lumia and Atraxia when I turned eighteen. After retiring four years ago I went to college then got my current job. Though as you can tell from me being in this office I'm willing to relocate in order to have people from Lumia and Atraxia stay with me.” She nodded and said “Yes your forms did state as much. Honest question, was the fighting as bad as they said?” He nodded solemnly and she said “Thank you for helping prevent that monster from taking over both worlds then.” He shrugged scratching the back of his neck sheepishly and she said “We have an opening New York where a boarding house for Interworld members who want to come to earth. There's also an option for a caretaker to go to Lumia.” He chuckled and shook his head she asked “Too many memories?” He shook his head again and said “No, just the people I'm hoping to see were sure they wanted to come to earth and wanted me to have a place prepared for them and others. Besides that I spent six years in Lumia and Atraxia fighting, the four years I spent on earth de-stressing haven't prepared me to go back yet. I'll take the option to stay in New York, unless there is one in the local area?” She hummed and looked it up then said “There's another boarding house being built to the north of Fort Smith. If you want to take over that one I can put you in the system and you can get input in how to design the building and everything while staying at your current home. Unless you want to open up your current home and use that.” Alex chuckled and said “Nope. My current home is an apartment in the bad part of our little town. I planned on moving soon anyway so I'll take the Fort Smith posting. Unless there's an opening in Tucson Arizona.” She grinned and he said “YES!” She smiled and said “Yes there is an opening in Tucson and you can be sent there right away. They were looking for someone willing to take over a boarding house in Tucson. The old owner decided he couldn't be part of the program due to a hear condition. He also said the house was ready to be remodeled but a few of the rooms were ready to be used now.” Alex grinned and she said “Is that where you'd like to be stationed Mister Roberts?” He nodded and she signed him up then sent the paperwork and said “The government will come to relocate you in three to five business days. In the meantime get your affairs in order. Also you did fill out the entire questionnaire to the best of your ability, correct?” He nodded and she said “Excellent. Welcome to IWEP.” He thanked her and headed home deciding to pack, then sent an email to the company saying he wasn't quitting but he was being relocated so he would send them the new address after the move. This was fine with the company as they knew he planned on moving to Tucson and they actually had an office there. He'd been trying to relocate both for work and because he missed the desert. With the government paying for him, his plans all set and his name in the program he was ready. This was the start of Alex Roberts' Monstrous Daily Life. Little did the world know, he was ready for this.

“Eustacia healed.” That’s what people say now. It took three years, but peace finally returned. In a bright sunny morning, a group of children lined up to hop on a bridge on one foot. There were six of them, aged twelve to fourteen. Four boys and two girls. “I’m bored… Tell me some stories. Hmm… Bamboo Stick, you told a story last time, so how about you, Fat Face?” The first child in line asked without turning his head backward. He started hopping on top of the bridge playfully. “S-sure… My mum told me about this before. Three years ago, Hero Curt defeated Drey, the head of the Cosmic Variance faction…” A chubby child standing fourth in line said. “You’re really as stupid as a pig! I know this story. Everyone knows this! Curt defeated Drey and went missing! I know all of this already! Argh… I told you to tell me an interesting story, not test my memory, idiot!” “W-wait, I haven’t finished! My mum said that Drey had something left behind…” “The Parallel Scripture, right? O’Legend has it that the reason why Drey was so strong and conquered so many factions is because of this scripture. When he was defeated three years ago, the definitely-real-and-not-fake scripture went missing. God! Can you get more boring?” The boy hopped toward the chubby child behind him and pushed him off the bridge. The chubby child was pushed into the water without much resistance. Because of his chubby figure, it looked more like a balloon being thrown into water instead of a person. The boy who pushed him laughed. “You went too far this time, Krun.” The boy at the furthest back spoke out. “Woohoo! Mr Justice here wants to defeat the big baddie. Oh no! As the baddie, I’m so scared!” Krun mocked. “Bo, if you’ve got something to say to me, walk up here and say it to my face.” Bo stopped standing on one foot, and started walking toward Krun. As he walked past the girl who was fifth in line, the girl lightly grabbed his arm. “Bo, don’t do this,” she whispered. “You know how Krun is like.” “I’ll be fine, Pesh.” Bo tapped on her shoulder to reassure her. “But…” “Don’t worry.” “I’ll trust you then.” Pesh looked at Bo with soft eyes. Of course, Krun saw all that. He couldn’t hear their exchange, but he saw their faces. At all times, Pesh was affectionately looking at Bo, and that made Krun jealous. Very jealous. “Whatever, I don’t care now. Congratulations. You’ve successfully made my day better, Mr Justice.” Krun said out loud. “Why don’t you take Pesh as your little wifey and live somewhere in the mountain? That way people like me can’t interrupt you two. While you’re at it, why not gather some hay and make a hay bed to seal the deal, huh?” Pesh turned very red. “W-w-what are you saying? W-we are not like that!” Originally, Krun wanted to get back at Bo, but he felt even more bitter after seeing Pesh’s reaction. “I don’t mind you insulting me, but how can you harass Pesh like that?” Bo lashed out. “Apologise. Now!” Krun clicked his tongue. He hated this. He just wanted to get out of here. “Whatever, yeah, yeah. Sorry Pesh. I shouldn’t have said anything bad to you. A million sorries. And Fat Face down there! Sorry that I pushed you into the river! Even though it was funny! Happy, Mr Justice?” Krun’s half-heartedness was clear as day, but he apologised nonetheless, so Bo decided to be the bigger man and let it go. “Are you fine Pesh?” Bo asked Pesh. “Y-yeah. I-I’m fine.” Pesh blushed even harder now that Bo was looking at her directly. “Thanks, Bo…” Still one-legged, Krun hopped over to Bo and asked him for a handshake. “Back to being friends, okay?” Krun asked with a grin. Bo stared Krun’s palm for a long time, thinking whether he should take Krun up on the offer. “The worse he can do is throw me down the water. I’ll be fine.” Bo thought as he accepted the handshake. Contrary to his expectation, Krun didn’t use the opportunity the drag him down the water. Instead, Krun leaned forward and whispered to Bo. “Meet me here tonight at 9pm. We’ll have a man-to-man fight.” Krun smiled at Bo. “Alright, everyone! We’re back to being friends! Friendship hooray!” Krun hopped away on one foot. The children hopped across the bridge one by one. They played for another hour and went home separately. Should he go? Should he not go? Bo debated inwardly while he was walking back home. * 9pm. It was midsummer so it wasn’t cold at all. In fact, the breeze was gentle and warm. The cosy mist lightly layered the sky, making the starry night hazy, and more to be desired. In a broken hillside temple rest two white-robed girls. In hindsight, they looked like two beautiful sisters travelling, but they were in fact two of the very few martial artists who belonged in the White Mist faction. They completed their training and went to find the Parallel Scripture. The one with the rather thick eyebrows and medium-length hair, which gave her an androgynous, refreshingly cool look, was Opal. After completing her training at the unprecedented age of nineteen, she brought her junior, Mew, along with her to find the scripture. The sixteen-year-old Mew had long black hair with a golden yellow hairstick on top of it. The inconspicuous layer of makeup gave her the glamour of a young lady a few years beyond her actual age. “Opal, did we go too far with the people in the restaurant?” Opal sneered at Mew’s words. “They deserved it.” Mew nodded. She never went against Opal. Opal’s words were absolute, just like their master’s, but even so, the scene in the restaurant floated in her mind. A dozen or so corpses laid on the floor, all impaled mercilessly either in the throat or heart. Because some drunkards decided to harass the two girls. No one in the restaurant was spared alive. Even the people who had nothing to do with it, even the owner who watched in terror, even the family who wanted to run away. All who witnessed was killed. “Mew, steel your heart. You must allow nothing to come in our way. Doesn’t matter if the enemy is your friend, the emperor, or an innocent child. Kill them if they’re in the way.” “I understand. Thank you for your teaching.” “Let’s discuss what to do now,” Opal spoke in her usual calm demeanour. “The fight between Curt and Drey took place in Barlon, but Curt was last seen in Trec. Do you remember what we’re supposed to do?” “Yes. We should look for the Prill family who housed Curt at that time. We’ll kindly ‘ask’ for information.” Mew smiled bewitchingly when she said the word ‘ask’. “Very good. It’s a one-month trip from here. I’m sure the Prills had already received intel that we’re coming. There might be people on the way to stop us. Be cautious at all times. Don’t hesitate to kill if you think someone was suspicious.” “Understood.” Mew smiled happily after being praised by Opal. As they were going on about the details of their trip, suddenly a voice from out of the temple alerted them. The two white-robed girls immediately hid beside the entrance of the temple and brandished their swords. They carefully controlled their breathing and movement to not make a sound. “There’s the temple, Mr Justice.” Krun skipped with his hands in his pockets. “Why should we go here again?” Bo asked rigidly. “Idiot! Fighting in the water is just two brats brawling. But fighting in the temple is cool… It’s like we’re having a battle! Hahaha!” “Sure… Remind me why we should fight.” “Winner gets to be with… with…” Krun blushed and softened his voice. “With… Pesh…” Was that even Krun? At first, Bo was still reluctant to fight, but after seeing Krun like that, he decided to honour the fight. The two boys stepped over the threshold of the temple entrance. Woosh. Two swords cut through the air and resided next to the two boys’ neck. “How much did you hear?” Opal demanded an answer. Meanwhile Bo was still figuring out what was happening, Krun shouted. “Nothing! I didn’t hear nothing!” “Mew, kill them. This will be your first lesson.” Mew went silent. Was she going to kill children? Even if they heard about their plans, they wouldn’t do anything. “Mew. Kill them.” But her words were absolute. Mew must listen to her. After making the decision, the relaxedness returned to her expression. It wasn’t that difficult to make a choice like that after all! However, in Krun’s mind, gears were turning at great speed. In the two girls’ exchange, he already spotted the power dynamic between them. The androgynous chick was clearly the long-haired chick’s superior. What more was that the long-haired chick seemed to be inexperienced. “I understand,” Mew said, as she raised her sword, ready to swing at Bo. “Wait!” Krun shouted. “I have something to tell him before I die.” “Mew!” Opal gave Mew a stern look. “Is it not fine to just let him say what he wants before he dies?” Mew very politely asked. “… Fine.” “Thank you! You two are beautiful angels.” Krun smiled as he walked over to Bo slowly. Mew chuckled a bit after hearing Krun’s compliment, but she immediately stopped herself after meeting Opal’s furious gaze. By now, Bo had recovered from shock. “What was Krun trying to do?” Bo thought, as he saw Krun slowly approaching him. “Is he using me as a decoy? Is he going to plead for his life?” Bo stood still as a statue, trying to gauge what Krun was trying to do. As he was thinking, Krun was already beside him. Krun leaned in and whispered to Bo’s ear. “I won the fight.” “The fight? What fight?” Bo didn’t understand. But before he could even speak out his thoughts, Krun kicked Bo with all his strength. Bo was sent flying over to a dense bush and started rolling down the hill. Krun quickly ran the opposite way, but before he could take another step, he felt something sharp pressed against his back. He knew what that meant. Those legs that were meant to carry him to safety halted to a stop. “I’ll look for the other boy. Kill this one, Mew.” “Sorry, boy.” Mew raised her sword. “You won’t know it if I died!” Krun shouted, just before the sword reached his throat. Krun slowly turned around to see Opal and Mew, who were expecting an answer. “I know where the other boy went. You won’t find him easily because we used to hide there.” Opal furrowed her brows. “Tell me.” “Don’t be so impatient! They always say patience is a virtue. You know, if people had more patience, the world would run a lot smoother and with a lot less conflict. Don’t you agree? So, for example…” “Are you trying to buy time?” Opal pressed her sword against Krun’s chest. “No, no, no! I just want you to calm down! See, I’m exchanging information for my life here. I’m negotiating!” Opal sneered and let out a grin. “I think you’re misunderstanding something, kid.” “It’s Krun.” “What?” “My name.” “I don’t care. You’re still going to die no matter what. But if you spill where the other kid went, I’ll let you die a painless death. I know many ways to torture a human without killing them.” “Okay! Okay! Don’t be so bitchy about it! I’ll tell you.” Krun crouched and picked up a nearby tree branch and started drawing things on the ground. After a while, a poorly drawn map was seen. Krun pointed at a few weird crosses and said, “So you have to go through this, this, and this. Because our hideout is in a cave, you have to descend, and that’s the only way down. You should be able to see markings on the trees, so you’ll know that I’m not lying.” Krun looked up to see an expressionless face. Opal’s menace caused him to involuntarily gulp. “So, continuing from there, there is a very small lake. Just follow the lake downstream and you should see the entrance to the cave. There’s fruit and a clean source of water. He’ll be hiding there for a few days until you’re nowhere to be seen.” “Why do you know so much about what he’s going to do?” “We’re best friends! We said that if there was an apocalypse and got separated, we’ll meet up there!” Opal was still doubtful, but she had already lost valuable time by not immediately chasing after Bo. Was that the kid’s plan this whole time? No, no, no. That kid didn’t seem to be lying. Opal had been around that area, so she knew the geography made sense. She was even sure that she saw that lake. “I’ll look for the kid. You stay here and keep an eye on him. Tie him up. I’ll have my ways with him if I can’t find the kid.” Opal dashed away, leaving Mew and Krun. “Huh. ‘I’ll have my ways with him.’ That’s lewd. Right, Ms Beautiful Angel?” Mew didn’t respond to him. She used some overgrown vine in the temple to tie Krun up. “Ms Beautiful Angel? Can you tell me your name? Is it Mew again? Can I call you Mew?” Silence. “Don’t be like that, Mew. I’m gonna die anyway. I just want to have someone to talk to before I die! Say, why do you still stick with that bitch?” Now Mew could not ignore Krun’s remark. “She’s not a… b-bitch. She’s my senior! I respect her a lot!” If Krun hadn’t been tied up, he would have made a gut pose. He got her to talk! As long as there’s a conversation, Krun had chance of surviving. “Hmm? She’s nothing but a bitch the way I see it.” “That’s not true!” Mew raised her voice. “She’s really strong! And she takes care of her juniors well! I didn’t have siblings nor parents, but she has been beside me the entire time!” “Really? So she is like a sister-figure to you?” “Yes! Yes! Precisely!” “I understand you! My parents died when I was very young. My sister was the one who brought me up! I respect her a lot too. Now that you said it, the short-haired woman looks a bit like my sister. They are both cool and imposing, like you can’t defy their words! You can’t help but look up to them!” That was a complete lie. Krun was a single child. His parents were still well and married to each other happily. But Mew didn’t know that. She simply smiled at Krun’s words, but what Krun said next took away her smile. “But she… died a year ago. She ate the wrong food, and… and… I should’ve stopped her!” It should be noted that dying from food poisoning was common at the time. Krun curled up into a ball as he told the lie he was proud of. “Ouch!” Since Krun was tied up tightly, the slightest movement caused excruciating pain. But he had to endure to put up a good act. “I… I’m sorry.” Mew said sorrowfully. “I couldn’t imagine what’s like losing such a dear family member. I don’t know what I’d do if I were to lose Opal.” “It’s alright. Maybe that’s fate.” Krun looked up to the sky solemnly. “I hope she’s doing well up there.” “I’m sure she is. What’s her name?” “She’s called… Pesh.” Krun immediately regretted choosing this name. “Pesh? Really? Out of the hundreds of names, I chose Pesh? What the hell am I saying?” He thought. “You must have loved your sister so much.” “I… I…” Krun blushed. “Yes… I like Pesh very much.” “What am I doing!? Getting all blush-y over here? I’ve got to find a way to stay alive,” Krun snapped out of his embarrassment. He lowered his head and let his hair cover his eyes. “Please… Don’t abandon me… Can you two take me in? Opal looks awfully like my sister… I promise I’ll be a good brother! I won’t let big sister worry about me! I’ll do my best to be a good brother!” His plea tugged Mew’s heartstring. “Krun must be suffering. He’s trying to hide his tears from me, but I know he is hurting…” (But he wasn’t.) “I… I’ll see if I can do something about it.” “T-thank you. Can I call you big sister Mew? Please?” “Yes.” Mew suddenly jumped. “B-but just when we’re alone, alright?” “Thank you, big sister Mew.” Mew felt a surge of warmness in her heart. She never knew having a brother could make her feel that way. She felt very calm when Krun looked at her with those teary eyes. However, inwardly, Krun was… “Hahaha! Stupid bitch! How’d you like my sob story? I’m too much of a genius. This legendary me shall not have his journey ended here! I’ve got too much to live for! Screw Hero Curt. I’m the one who’s the real deal! Hahaha!” It was at this time that Opal returned. “Kid!! How dare you lie to me! I’ll cut off your tongue first and then break each of your finger one by one!” “Opal, did you not find the other boy?” “No! This little brat lied!” Of course she couldn’t find anything. That cave was discovered by Krun and he never told anyone. But before Opal could even reach Krun, Mew stood in between them. Opal was shocked and angry. “What are you doing, Mew?!” “I… I…” Mew didn’t meet Opal’s gaze. Krun was desperate. He thought Mew would retaliate against Opal, but he overestimated Mew’s will. Krun cried, “I can’t believe that bastard betrayed me!” The two girls looked at him. As if talking to himself, Krun kept at it. “I told the bastard to wait for me there! He… he must have run away without waiting for me! That coward!” Opal let out a cold laugh. “You’re the one who betrayed him first. And now you’re the one calling him a coward? Funny!” “Fine. I don’t want to live any more. Quick, finish me off. There’s no one in this world who cares about me. Not him! Not Pesh!” Krun stared at Mew angrily. “Not you!” A wave of guilt hit Mew. Didn’t Mew let Krun call her his sister? Was she going to abandon his own little brother? “Opal… Maybe we can take him in our trip.” Opal couldn’t believe what she heard. “Y-you know. Uh… Right! We have heavy baggage. He can carry those for us. Also, after I’ve… interrogated him, I learned that he had no family. He has no places to escape to.” “And you’re saying taking him in is better and easier than just killing him. Why are you defending him?” “I’m not defending him. Killing him is certainly easy, but…” Mew was thinking of convincing reasons. “He can also… also scout places inconspicuously! He’s just a child so people won’t be suspicious. We can use him to infiltrate the Prill family.” Opal’s eyebrows twitched. She looked down and contemplated. In Krun’s eyes, she looked like a beautifully sculpted statue. A masculine, androgynous yet extremely alluring goddess. If someone had told Krun that the same person Krun was staring at now mercilessly killed dozens of people just a few hours ago, he wouldn’t have believed it. “That might prove to be useful. Good idea, Mew.” Mew breathed a sigh of relief. “Weird. Usually, Mew would be ecstatic after I complimented her,” Opal thought. “Whatever. If there is any strange thing going on, I’ll just kill that boy… And possibly Mew.” “Krun. You’re now our servant. You’ll listen to no one except for us. Understand?” “Yes, Opal.” “Ms Opal, that is.” “Understood, Ms Opal.” Krun then turned toward Mew and smiled. “And Ms Mew as well.”   New series! I'm very excited to write a character like Krun, who is very different from a classic martial arts main character. I've already had plans with Krun's development and I can't wait to put it down on paper. If you like this story, check out my other story "The Account of the Golden Bamboo", which is also a martial arts story but with elements of rebellions and nobility and betrayal. Please kindly give this a vote and comment if you like the story! It really helps me going.

It had been the required five business days and finally Alex was heading out. He got a call from his little sister as he was loading his stuff up in the moving van. He answered with a simple “Sup Lana.” Lana Roberts, Alex's little sister was twenty five. Her boyfriend, who was two years older than her, had joined the same service as Alex when he was eighteen, and Alex was twenty. Alex had kept his little sister's boyfriend safe and the two had been good friends after leaving the service. He asked Lana “How's Roger?” She said “Hey big bro. Roger's good, the kids are keeping him busy. So I heard your moving to the desert from mom, that means you'll be able to visit from time to time, right?” He chuckled knowing she just wanted him to watch her twins Liza and Andy. She sighed and said “Please visit when you get in town?” He chuckled and said “Of course Lana. I can't wait to see how Andy and Liza are doing. Is Andy still a mamma's boy, and Liza a daddy's girl?” Lana chuckled and replied that yes that was still the same. He grinned and said “I got into the program.” She grinned, he could hear it in her tone, and said “Awesome. Maybe you can reconnect with your old squad mates. Roger said that the other officers in your squad all complained when you retired, but you retired to avoid being roped into becoming the general of the entire army, right?” He replied “Yeah. I know Lady Astrea and lord Nicodemus really wanted me to be part of the army to help settle both Lumia and Atraxia, but I couldn't do that. Not after nearly losing my squad. I still have nightmares about the team almost dying because of my mistakes. I wasn't really a good captain.” Lana snorted and said “Bullshit big bro. You were a great captain. You made the occasional mistake but Roger says you got your squad, and the entire army, out of more situations than anyone except lord's Nicodemus and Arento. I know Commander Marcus relied on you a lot from what your squad said to Roger.” He winced at that and said “Commander's Marcus, Nicodemus, and Leonidas had to pull my ass out of more than a few tight spots. If anything the only reason my squad was so good it was because of Lyra and Carlita being such expert spies and counter espionage.” She giggled at that and he said 'I'm serious. If not for their information we'd still be fighting today and I'd have never retired. Sadly with the end of the war I couldn't stand being in charge thus I ended up retiring and returning to earth, despite wanting to live on Lumia since only military personnel from earth were allowed to stay on Lumia for the last four years. Now that those restrictions are gone I expect the girls to be sending me a lot of mail and even possibly coming over. Of course they have nothing on the guys who came back bitching about counter terrorist operations. I'm glad I got out when I did. Of course now I have to worry about Nicodemus and lady Astrea sending me letters and sending my awards through. I was happy remaining unknown.” Lana laughed and said “Only unknown on earth. How many towns did your team personally evacuate and how many times were you the last one to leave the battlefield?” Alex winced and muttered something that sounded like not that many when she said “Every single time. Your group was the first one in, and the last one out. You were the first person on sight and the last person to leave. What the fuck do you mean not that many big bro?” He sighed and thought “Here we go again.” She said “If it wasn't for you your entire squad would have died more than a hundred times. That's why they wanted you to become a general and instead you left in obscurity. Anyway I just called to say you have to visit when you arrive in Tucson as you know where the house is and your new place should be a mile north of the city.” Yes he was living outside of Tucson rather than directly within. He knew how it was for soldiers on leave and didn't want to drag that onto the poor city, plus the government had built the boarding house a mile outside the city on it's own private patch of land because the old man who'd run the house before was a monster tamer. His pets had all been sent to Lumia and were released into the wilds, but Alex figured he could bring his own pets through that were being watched by the army. He'd only had limited contact but he knew his sky dragon, his wolf Luna, and his fire fox Ami were all in protective custody waiting for the chance to be reunited with their tamer. Of course he also heard the rumors about how beasts could become mamono and liminals if they're master bonded with them and passed some of his or her energy but he didn't believe it as he'd shared senses with Luna plenty of times and she just seemed to be an above average intelligence dire wolf. He yawned and said “Alright Sis, I'll talk to you later.” He hung up and turned off his phone as he was driven to the airport, then popped a piece of gum into his mouth and blew a bubble. He knew it was kind of disrespectful but with the info dump he'd had to provide to his sister the last time she called he felt he deserved this, especially since it was never easy talking to his little sister, and even harder thinking about the past. Yes he'd gotten lost in the office of the IWEP, but that was because he was signing up specifically to meet up with old friends. He blew another bubble as he boarded the plane then settled in for a four hour flight to Tucson's airport, from which he would then be taken by car to his new home. He yawned and spat his gum into the wrapper then threw it away in the bathroom and walked back t this seat. As he sat down he felt exhausted and slowly drifted into a dream. In the dream he was back in Atraxia. He was standing before a temple of the fallen god of darkness. He heard a voice say “They are awakening.” He looked around for the source of the voice but all he saw was statues of the god's apostles. He sighed and thought to himself that they couldn't have been the ones that said that as ti was odd that they would start speaking of awakening. The voice said again “They are awakening, young one. Soon it will be time for you to go from an ordinary life to a life of bloodshed yet again. Will you be ready?” He looked around again and saw the eyes of the statues glowing. He slowly walked into the temple finding this a little unnerving. The voice continued “Only a god can defeat a god, but to become one is to sacrifice everything. What will you give up to stop them?” He said “Stop who?” The voice just turned into that of a little girl giggling. He said “Who are you?” The voice giggled again and he heard his own voice, repeated back to him distorted though. It said “Who are you? WhO ArE YoU? Who aRe yOu? WHO arE You?You Are wHo?” He shivered and said “I'm Alex Roberts, now who are you?” The voice laughed mocking him with a simple “I am me, and you are you. Who are we?” He glanced around for the source of the voice but couldn't see anyone or anything except the statues. Suddenly the older more mature voice said “Time is running out. The barriers are weakening. The old gods are waking. What will you do son of many and son of none?” He winced thinking that was true. He was the son of every soldier he'd learned from but he was the son of none because his parents had passed away when he was fourteen. He'd been raising Lana since she was ten, then their aunt had taken over when he joined the joint military operation at age eighteen. The more mature voice asked “Will you abandon your blood? Your friends? Your heart? Or maybe you'll abandon the very thing that makes you a son of man.” He growled out “Why do I have to give anything up?” The voice sighed and said softly “You have done so many times before. You gave up your mortality to be a god, and gave up godhood to be reborn as a man. Which were you first? No one knows. Only the ancients remember back then and they are all asleep just yet. They are waking, but can you halt their awakening? Will you want to? Can you see beyond the mirrors and hear beyond the distortions?” He mumbled “Distortions?” The voice chuckled sadly and faded away only to be replaced by the little girl. The little girl said “Can you tell me a story?” A more mature masculine voice asks “What kind of story?” The girl says “The story about the war?” The mature voice says “Why do you want to hear about the war, it'll just give you nightmares.” The little girl replies “Because I know you're going off to fight.” The mature voice asked “Who told you that?” The girl said “Aunty.” The mature voice replies “I wish she'd keep that to herself. I don't need everyone trying to talk me out of it, I also don't need you thinking I'm going to die like the hero in the story if I tell yo it.” The girl asked “So you'll tell me it though?” The male sighs and says “Yes. There once were gods wandering the worlds. They started battles amongst themselves for any reason at all. Whether it be to prevent another god from gaining power, to gain power themselves, or to make more armies. However eventually one god grew tired of all the fighting. This was the god of chaos.” The girl asked “Chaos? But wouldn't chaos be the one who wanted the fighting to continue the most?” this seemed like a rehearsed question from the girl's tone but the man just laughed. He said “You'd think that but this god was tired. He'd been there during the ether, when everything was called the blind eternities, he'd been there when the first gods were born, and he'd been there when they made the first mortal races that they asked for his help with. For you see the nature of chaos is change. Chaos wanted change from the constant war. They wanted peace. They wanted to watch the newer races grow and prosper. They wanted innovation for farming, planting, growing, making things, all sorts of things war would prevent.” The girl asks “Why did war prevent all that?” The man replies “Because war was all about death, which empowered order but even order was tired of the fighting. Yes there was change form battlefield to battlefield but it was all a static war. That is to say a never ending war. Even order wanted change so that things could be peaceful though. So chaos and order combined their armies and declared 'THIS WILL BE THE LAST WAR AMONG WORLDS SO LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE!!!” It was. The two gods crushed the lesser gods and sealed the worlds off from each other. They banished each set of gods to their own world telling them they would strip them of their divinity should they see a god starting a war with another. There was peace for a time. However during that peace the other gods started gaining followers and strength.” The girl asks, as the man pauses, “Isn't that a good thing?” The man chuckled and said “Yes. That's a very good thing for the gods. They slowly started to care more about their creations. Realizing that the more strength they gained the higher an order of godhood they could reach. However still they couldn't reach order and chaos as they were fundamental forces of the universe. Every time a soul would pass on into the ether order would grow stronger and every time a new soul was born Chaos would grow stronger. Of course the two gods eventually gained followers of their own on their own worlds. Chaos took the form a man. Order the form of a woman. Order said that though women brought life into the world, it would be peaceful for others to see a female guiding them to the blind eternities.” The girl said “Is that why women are the champions of order and men the champions of chaos?” The man nodded and said “Yes. Chaos said men were more chaotic than women and were more likely to do things that would bring about dark changes, while women brought about changes of life and good things. Chaos chose to play the role of the villain even to its own followers. It pretended to be a monstrous god who would smite anyone though it truly only targeted the wicked. Order however brought peace and prosperity. In this way they were opposites yet the same. One day however Order hard the other gods plotting to start one last war with Chaos. Order tried to warn her friend but he merely smiled and said 'Then I will challenge them to one war. A war of champions. That will save so many lives and allow them to 'vanquish' me once and for all.' Order tried to convince her friend that this was a horrible idea.” The girl said “Of course it was big brother, Order knew that if Chaos was seen as evil then the gods would fight over his domains when he fell.” The man laughed and said “You're right. However; that's why he had a plan. He planned to pass his domains onto his champion who would be a version of him reborn as a man. He passed his power to his champion and challenged the gods to a battle. They killed Chaos, however; Chaos lived on in his champion. The champion went on to protect many worlds. Yet eventually he knew the gods needed chaos once again so he gave up his humanity by fighting in a war. This war was between the forces of light and dark. The two gods had challenged each other to a war between gods as Chaos was dead and the oath Chaos and Order had said was...” The girl finished “As long as we both shall live. Oh I get it, the oath was broken the moment chaos died.” The man chuckled and said “Right. Chaos realized the gods would always fight after living as a man and decided that the gods must be sealed away for the mortals to grow. With me so far?” The girl said “I thinks so, the reason the gods had to be sealed, at least the ancient gods was because they were hampering the growth of the mortal races. However the mortal races devolved into war after the ancient gods disappeared. Wait though, didn't the worlds get shut off from each other?” The male laughs and says “I'm not there yet little sis. After the war between the gods of light and dark chaos rose back up as a god by being slain by the two gods in a fit of pique. When he regained his form he sealed the gods away saying 'Until you can learn to live as your followers do, and accept mortals as equals you shall sleep.' Of course that wasn't the only way they could wake up but that was how they were supposed to wake up. After sealing away the ancient gods Chaos made minor gods who each took over their own world. He then separated the worlds with the veil formed of the blind eternities. Now we're at your favorite part, right?” She giggled and said “Right big bro, when Chaos decided to strip its powers and enter the cycle of rebirth while Order watched over the worlds.” The man chuckled and said “Right. Order took over watching the worlds while Chaos went to sleep physically but was mentally reincarnated over and over. Now you want the story of the war, right?” The girl said “Yeah that was the story of the gods not he war.” The man said “Alright but then you go to sleep.” She whined but said “Fine.” The man sighed and said “The war was begun long ago between two world that pierced the veil. They were worlds owned by the demon and angel gods. The angels challenged the demons and the demons demanded the angels give them their resources. A hero rose up from the angels. This hero was Gabriel. She was a warrior who was peerless.” The girl smiled and said “I like how the hero was a girl this time.” The man said “In this war the hero was always a girl.” The girl hummed and said “True.” The man continued “Gabriel worked her way across battlefield after battlefield. Watching her friends and enemies alike fall. Some fell to her blade, others to her opponents. Eventually she grew sick of the bloodshed and challenged the leader of the demons to a battle. The two met in the field and charged at each other. Gabriel wielded her glaive and the demon leader wielded a battle ax. The two challenged each other and clashed for days on end. However; eventually Gabriel came out victorious. She had won but she'd been mortally wounded so she shouted to the gods “I give my life to prevent this tragedy please repair the rift,” and so they did. The gods agreed that their charges were not ready for peace. So they left the rift repaired and changed things to where only when the worlds were ready would the veil start to fall. Of course if the veil falls the gods will awaken.” The girl said “The gods will awaken if the veil falls?” The man said “Yes. The veil is part of the seal keeping them asleep.” The girl said “Oh... ok. Big brother, why are you going off to war?” He said “To protect you and all our friends.” After that the voices faded and vanished. The mature woman's voice came back saying “The veil has started to fall. Thus the gods have started to awaken. So, what will you do child of chaos?” Alex said “I don't know. I know we could repair the veil but then the worlds would be separated and then no one would see their friends anymore. I guess, I guess, we'll just have to wait and see.” The woman's voice laughed and said “Good answer. Now it's time for you to wake up sir.” Alex opened his eyes as a stewardess said “It's time to wake up sir the flight is over.” He smiled and thanked her then grabbed his bag wondering about his dream. He walked out of the airport after getting the rest of the luggage he brought with him then saw his ride. It was an old friend of his who'd transferred the to the IWEP as a worker rather than stay in the military. He waved at the man and said “AVERY!!!! It's so good to see you again.” Avery smiled and said “Hey Captain. Have a nice flight?” At Alex's nod he said “Great. Um who's supposed to pick you up?” He pulled out his ID for the IWEP and Avery said “SWEET!!!! I Didn't realize you were my client. You're taking over old man Dominick's place on the outskirts of town?” Alex nodded and he said “Awesome your companions will love it there. Speaking of have you heard anything about Luna, Ami, or your sky dragon Kiara?” Alex said “I don't know. I know that Lyra was looking after them but I haven't heard from her since mail between the worlds was cut off for any non government/military personnel. Of course that means that I probably have a backlog of mail.” Avery chuckled and nodded thinking about how the entire squad had wanted to hear about the captain so they constantly bugged Roger who only told them he was planning on eventually traveling to Arizona. Alex sighed and said “I wonder how those girls are doing and I don't mean my animal companions.” Avery said “The girls all retired last year. They've been working as consultants for the military on and off but only Lyra keeps in contact with lady Astrea. Of course Lady Astrea was trying to get your information but commander Marcus said that as a civilian you didn't need contact. I think she wanted to make you an ambassador since you did save her life and all.” Alex blushed and muttered he just did what anyone would do. Avery said “Bull, Cap. You were the only one to rush in to save her while your crew stood outside and guarded the building. If it wasn't for you a fourteen year old Astrea would have died alongside Ambassador Andrea. She's had a crush on you ever since.” Alex said “I call bull. Astrea had lots of guys she liked in our unit. Hell she had a thing for Roger till he told her he was dating Lana.” Avery snorted and said “She told him later that she was just trying to make you jealous. Also she couldn't help but stair at you when you received your captain's patch. She was so excited she nearly broke protocol to hug you when you gained your rank. I know for a fact she hugged you at the party.” Alex said “She was just proud of me. I mean her hero finally got what she thought he deserved and had the ability to lead troops. Plus she was always hanging out with her brother Axel.” He smiled thinking about the prince of the sword. A tittle coined by an old author and given to him by Alex when he said he was merely the crown prince and supposed to protect his sister. Alex had said that then he was the prince of the sword and his first duty was to his sister before anyone else so they're group would teach him all he'd need to know to protect her until she had an heir. Lumia wasn't matriarchal, but firstborn's bloodline always took the throne and Astrea was older than Axel by a full hour even though they were twins. Avery snorted and said “Ah yes the prince of the sword, you know the empress gave him that title after he retired two years ago?” Alex blinked and stared as if saying 'really?” Avery nodded and said “Yeah it was my last year of service before transferring to IWEP and she said 'In honor of sir Roberts I believe we'll keep prince and princess of the sword as an honorary title for the second in command of the kingdom.' It was hilarious to see his face when he realized he had an actual courtly title rather than just crown prince. Of course that is only for the royal family in charge of all Lumia. Axel is also a count with his own territory to preside over when not in court. Emperor Nicodemus asked the commander and lord Leonidas what happened to you and they said you retired because you didn't want to deal with the terrorists after all the fighting. Was that really the case?” Alex smiled slightly sadly and said “It was more I was tired of the fighting and didn't feel I deserved to be the general of the combined forces. Anyway how much longer till we get to the house?” Avery sighed realizing that his former captain was dodging the question at least partly and said “We're almost there.” Alex smiled and looked out the window seeing trees growing along the path they were traveling and a mountain off in the distance. He wondered what the hell a forest was doing in Arizona and Avery said “You're probably wondering about the forest?” Alex nodded and Avery said “Well, the forest is plants native to Lumia. They're all from that desert forest we invaded that was under controlled by the enemy army before we cleared them out. Speaking of, a lot of the enemy army that were forced to fight thanked the commanders for sparing them and thanked you in particular for leading the group that destroyed the control collars. Of course those that were in the army voluntarily joined the terrorists in berating Lord Nicodemus. Anyway why'd you join the IWEP?” Alex laughed and said “I know the girls are going to join and if they see me as a possible host they and any of my other friends coming to earth will want to live with me. Of course I'm going to have to renovate the house, and oh we're here.” Avery nodded and pulled into the parking garage then he and Alex got out. Avery said “Do you need me to grab your bags Cap?” Alex shook his head and grabbed his bag throwing it over his shoulder then carried his larger bag in his other hand and stretched. Avery sighed and said “I'm supposed to help Cap.” Alex chuckled and shrugged then stretched and motioned for Avery to lead on. Avery walked into the house after unlocking the door connected to the garage and led Alex upstairs. Alex looked around as they walked. For one thing, the house had a Victorian theme going on. Tall ceilings, glass chandeliers, Gothic architecture, etc. They walked upstairs and Avery opened up the master bedroom. Alex threw his bag on the bed, a king size that the company had provided, which was a lot better than the futon he left in his old apartment. He stretched and put his other bag at the foot of the bed then turned to Avery who said “The files on the prospective guests are in the study.” Alex nodded and said “Any idea who the first guest will be?” Avery shook his head and Alex asked “Any rules I need to know about being a host?” Avery said “One, you have to prevent the guests from feeling to anxious and getting into fights. Two, you have to see to the needs of the guests and will be provided funds to buy whatever they need and they will have a few magical booklets to allow them to order things from Lumia and Atraxia. Three you can have relations with the guests, BUT if you are found to be forcing them into anything they don't want to do you will be kicked out of the program and they will be given to a counselor then allowed to choose if they would rather leave our world completely or would just like to see you punished in their world. Of course I know you cap, you're not the type to take advantage of a woman or of a man for that matter. Though I don't even know what your preferred partner's gender is.” Alex whistled innocently not feeling like saying he swung both ways even if he'd never had a sexual partner and was even interested in the occasional hermaphrodite he'd met. He stretched and said “No I'm no sexual predator. Plus most of my guests will probably be people who can kick my ass.” Avery raised an eyebrow and asked “Have you stopped training?” Alex shook his head his muscles showing as he flexed his arms and Avery said “Then no most of them can't kick your ass even if you don't like to admit you have superhuman abilities Cap.” Alex stared at him confused and he said “Remember the arm wrestling match with commander Drasliona?” Alex asked “What about it?” Avery grinned and said “Well Cap, you beat her fair and square and there aren't many people stronger than dragons other than the occasional archangel or demon lord. I mean you even wrestled your sky dragon into submission before you bonded her.” Alex blinked realizing that yes he did indeed wrestle a dragon, that while young, was close to adolescence. He whistled softly and wondered what the hell he was doing that gave him such strength. Avery saw the look on his face and said “You seriously thought you were normal Cap?” Alex nodded bashfully and Avery burst out laughing. Avery said “That's ok don't feel bad Cap your entire family's insanely strong. Roger got his ass knocked flat by a ball thrown by little Andy. Liza's a handful too. Also you are going to go drinking with me and the other nine in town, right?” Alex blinked and mouthed 'Other nine?' Seeing his look of confusion Avery said “Roger, Delilah, Nora, Willis, Seth, Marissa, Scott, Liam, and Anthony.” Alex blinked and said “Roger I knew about, Delilah as in Delilah Rose?” At a nod he said “Nora King?” Another nod and he asked “Willis Andrews?” Yet another nod and another question, “Seth Rogers?” Another nod. “Marissa and Scott Lancer?” Another nod. He asked “Let me guess Liam and Anthony are Anthony Matthews, and Liam Drake?” Yet another nod and he said “How are ten of my infantry members stationed in Tucson?” Avery said “We all joined the IWEP and asked to be stationed around Roger's place. Roger already has a girl staying with him who's and other worlder. Her name is Lianna Kesler. She's a werewolf.” Alex asked “As in therianthrope werewolf or mamono werewolf?” Avery said “Therianthrope. She got attached to Roger on his last tour and when Roger joined the unit she requested to board with him. She also wants to meet you Cap, since you are the one who trained Roger. She is also trying to convince your sister to let her join the family as Roger's second wife.” Alex blinked and burst out laughing. Avery said “I know it's funny Cap but it's started working as she said that Lana will always be the alpha and she just wants a pack to belong to.” Alex snickered imagining his little sister have a conniption over a therianthrope flirting with her man then starting to slowly accept them because their kind were so damn persistent. Avery saw his smile and said “You can imagine it can't you?” Alex nodded and said “I was wondering why Lana had more time to call me when she should be watching the kids while Roger's at work. Anyway I think I got the gist of things and my stuff will be here day after tomorrow so for today I'm going to crash on my bed. I won't be taking any tenants for two weeks. Tell the program I'll be here tomorrow while I wait for the remodel team.” Avery nodded and bid his former captain goodbye saying he'd see him on the weekend when all nine of the others would join him to drag Alex to the bar. Alex agreed to go out over the weekend then walked to his room and collapsed after accepting the keys. Avery left and Alex passed out. As Alex slept he had another dream, thought this one was more of a memory. Alex stood in a burning field. His team was around him looking down at the gun in his hands. He turned toward them and said “Let's move out.” They nodded and they started sneaking along the edge of the road. Alex motioned for them to be silent and stop then whistled. Out of the woods at the edge of the field Luna appeared and jogged over to him. He shared their senses and memories. She showed him the trail she followed and the enemy encampment. He turned to his squad and said “We're going to approach from the south. The enemy is facing the north. They'll be expecting us from the east as they're too the west of us. We'll have to go around and let Luna guide us.” Atrea and Drasliona looked at him and said “The usual plan?” He shook his head and said “They have AA guns. So the fliers would be sitting ducks. We'll all approach as a group then split up and attack from the south and west. They think we'll come from the east or north because the army is to the north and we ourselves just made a ton of noise here to the east of them. Lyra, Carlita, and Liona, you'll hit them from the south. I'll hit them from the west with Atrea and Dianna. Luna will sneak in while their distracted and guard the hostages.” Drasliona said “Hostages?” He nodded and she asked “From where?” He said “A few miles south of here is a village. They took the children hostage to force the parents ot supply them. This is now a rescue operation.” The gang agreed and they moved out. The image changed to a different scene this time it was the day he was shipping out. Lana was clinging to his waist and his aunt Amelia was smiling at him sadly. Amelia said softly “You are so much like your father.” Alex grinned and she flicked his forehead saying “However like my brother you rarely realize when you're in over your head. You can be a bullheaded idiot, or a dog with a bone and unwilling to let go even though you know people want to take it from you, but you are one of the sweetest young men I know. I know you're going to train to be a killer, but don't forget your roots. Now Lana let go of him he ships out in ten minutes.” Lana looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said “You have to promise to write to me every chance you get. You also have to promise to come back.” Alex laughed and said “Of course I'm coming back Lana.” Lana shook her head and held out her pinky of her right hand. He took it and said “It's a promise. I'll be back for your first prom, I'll send letters, and I'll stay safe.” She nodded and smiled up at him then he said “I love you Lana.” Lana said “You're real cool big bro. I love you too, now go show all three worlds just what us Roberts can do.” Alex smiled and nodded then boarded the rift gate. He woke up at dawn with a smile on his face and walked to the office to get started on the paperwork for his home stay. He saw it was Drasliona who would most likely be his first tenant. He grinned and muttered “Good old Liona.” He started reading her file seeing she'd gained a few new titles since he'd left the service, had grown a foot, and her wings had grown larger. Now they could wrap around her like a cloak. He laughed imagining what she would do with that and how she'd probably make fun of vampires. He got up from his desk and took a shower then heard the doorbell ring. He walked downstairs and started talking to the renovation team. They decided to give the house a more modern feel. He helped out as they started taking out the Gothic architecture. They added some lighter colors to the walls, changed the shapes of windows, added more rooms and made an indoor pool for aquatic house guests. After that the renovation team left and Alex plopped down on the couch. He realized the team had done a lot of work in a little bit of time and wondered if they used magic. After that he started working on the game he was designing and contacted his company telling them he'd come into company headquarters to work starting the next day. After that he decided to relax for the day and worry about the rest of the week as it happened. ******************************At the end of the week********************************** At the end of the week Alex went out with the gang of former soldiers he'd worked with and they all started drinking, partying, and just talking about their week. The entire crew wanted to hear what Alex had been up to since retiring from the service, while Alex was curious about their lives as members of the IWEP. He was also curious about his brother in law's house guest. The drinks flowed freely, the conversation flowed freer, and Alex got to know his old subordinates in a whole new way. After the night started to draw to a close he went home with Roger to see his niece, nephew, little sister, and their house guest the therianthrope Lianna Kesler. When they arrived at Roger's place the door burst open and two four year old's ran out then glomped their old man. Alex laughed and asked “What no hugs for Uncle Alex?” The kids released they're father and hugged him shouting “Uncle Alex.” He chuckled and they said “Uncle Alex is it true you are moving into town?” He nodded and they cheered then dragged him into the house where there mother was sitting up reading a book. It was summer but the kids should have been in bed but they must have waited up for their old man. He said “Hey Lana.” Lana looked up then grinned and threw herself into his arms where he spun her laughing and saying “I'm here little sis, I'm here.” Suddenly someone walked into the room and he said “Who's this?” The girl who walked in had long silver hair that went down to her waist, gold eyes, a scar over her left cheek in the shape of a claw mark, and was wearing a t shirt and shorts. Lana looked where he was and said “Oh that's Lianna. She's our home stay. Lianna this is my big brother Alex Roberts.” Lianna and Alex met eyes and she cowered under his stare. He'd given her his wolf stare which kept his monster companions in line. Lana saw his look and slapped his shoulder saying “Be nice big bro.” He chuckled and nodded loosening up and allowing Lianna to relax. She said “Hello Alpha of Alphas. I am Lianna Kesler. I seek your permission to court your sister and her husband Roger.” Roger had taken the Roberts name and Alex was fine with that. He didn't think he'd ever have kids so it was nice for the family line to continue through his niece and nephew. He shrugged and said “It's not up to me whether or not you can court them, it's up to them. I have no problem with you lady Kesler. I can tell you honor my sister, but I'm not the alpha of alphas.” She snorted at that and he said “Seriously I'm not.” She said “Then how did you keep a suicidal hellhound in line?” He blinked and looked away muttering it was pure luck. She snorted knowing that was a load of horse shit. Alex had kept Atrea from throwing her life away and gave her a reason to live after her pack was killed by the Atraxian forces. She had been a fourteen year old pup, underfed, malnourished, and walking to her death. He'd forced her to decide to fight back. Then he'd told her 'Find a purpose, any purpose. Don't let your family's deaths be in vain.' She agreed and had dedicated her life to protecting him throughout the war. He asked her why and she said 'I have a life only because you believed in me. Thus I am not going to allow you to die before I prove you are important to me.” He'd brushed it off but now he wondered. Lianna walked up to him and sniffed him then said “They were right you do smell of beasts and blood.” Alex said “Who was right?” Lianna said “Alex and Lana. They said you smelled like flesh and blood even to a human nose.” He chuckled at that and she smiled then he sat down at the kitchen counter while she sat next to Lana on the couch. Lana asked “Where's my no good husband?” Alex laughed and pointed outside where Roger was sitting on the porch pouting. Lianna giggled and Lana said “The kids instantly gave him up for you?” He nodded and she said “I better go assuage his wounds. Lianna you come too.” Lianna nodded and the two women left the house to comfort the man they both had fallen for. Alex chuckled and stretched then saw the kids who were looking at him expectantly. He laughed and handed them each a pack of candy he had in his coat making them squeal and hug him saying, “You're the best uncle Alex.” Alex chuckled and sent them off to enjoy their prizes then yawned and popped a piece of gum in his mouth. If you're noticing a trend good, Alex chews gum like many people smoke, constantly. The three other adults walked in and saw the kids with bags of candy then glared at Alex. Alex chuckled and said “Sorry but it's part of being the fun uncle.” They grumbled about it being impossible to get the kids to bed and he said “Let me put them to bed and tell them a story.” The adults agreed and he walked over scooping up the twins then carried them to their room. They currently shared a room with bunk beds, Andy lived on the top and Liza lived on the bottom. He set them in bed and said “Time for a story then you two go to sleep.” They nodded and he inhaled then said “There was once a land of rivers and lakes. In this land lived the people of the water. They had the ability to live in water or on land. One day they were visited by a benevolent dragon.” The kids oohed and ahhed at that. He smiled and said “The dragon offered the people of the water a jewel from its hoard in exchange for a simple pearl. The pearl was a pink pearl with white lines. The gem was a purple gem with star like specks within it. The people agreed and then the dragon told them 'I would like to become your patron.' The people of the water said 'What's a patron?' So the dragon told them all about patrons and how they protect the people under them. They agreed and eventually expanded with the dragon watching them grow. However; the dragon started to grow lonely. The dragon grew lonely because it saw all the families of the people of the water and wanted one of its own. It slowly started to mold a family out of jewel and used the pearls for eyes. Then it asked the people to pray for the magical dragons to come to life. They did. The gods heard their requests and as the people of the water had always been faithful granted them this boon. When the dragon's family was born, the dragon cheered and cried in joy. It and its family then guarded the people of the lake from that day onward. Do you know the moral of the story?” The kids shook their heads. Alex said “The moral is that if you are kind you will always find someone willing to give you back that kindness. That and the gods are always willing to reward the faithful, at least in stories.” The kids giggled and thanked their uncle for the story then slowly drifted off. He smiled and muttered “I wonder if they would want to meet the water people if they knew they existed in Lumia and the drags in question are real creatures who guard over them.” He walked out of the room and saw the parents and Lianna sitting on the couch watching TV. He stretched and said “I'm going to head home. I'll talk to you guys later.” They bid him farewell and he called a cab then went home. When he got home he turned on his computer and started playing an MMO he'd joined to kill time. His partners in the MMO were nicknamed “Lady A, Starlight's dragon, Hell's hound, and Tiger Assassin.” He played for a while never having a headset on because he didn't want to hear people bitch at each other over a game, then logged off and collapsed in bed. ***************************The Day the Home stay Arrives****************************** Alex was sitting on the front porch playing a game on his handheld console as he heard a car pull up into the drive. He grinned as the driver got out and said “Hey Avery.” Avery waved and opened the back door to let out his passenger. It was a lady in a black cloak, a blue dress, and had sunglasses over her eyes. He smirked and said “I see my first guest has arrived.” Avery nodded and he said “Welcome to casa de la Roberts. I'm Mr. Roberts your host. Please come inside.” He held open the front door allowing the girl to walk past him then Avery walked up and he whispered “That Drasliona?” Avery nodded and said “Yeah she doesn't realize that your her home stay host. She only knows that it's a mister Roberts. I think Lady Astrea had a hand in that because we normally tell them the first name of everyone who is in the program. Anyway let's see how she handles this since she probably won't recognize you.” Alex blinked and said “Do I really look that different?” Avery said “Cap you had long hair when you were younger, and you also were always in fatigues rather than normal clothes.” Alex sighed and Avery said “The only reason I recognized you was because you called out to me and I recognized your voice after a few minutes.” Alex nodded and walked in while Avery got Drasliona's bags from the trunk. Alex yawned and sat across from her on a recliner and said “So Miss, Drake, do you know who I am?” Drasliona said “A human who's in charge of my stay. Wait they said your name is Roberts you wouldn't happen to be related to Alex Roberts?” Alex chuckled and said “You could say that.” She studied him and he said “I know him rather well. Of course then again I also know Roger and Lana Roberts pretty well as well.” She grinned and said “How is little Roger?” Alex smiled and said “Roger's fine. He even has a therianthrope staying with him.” Drasliona grinned at that knowing exactly who he was talking about as the girl in question had asked her advice before joining the program. She'd wanted Roger to notice her and Drasliona had said 'You need to show him you're worth being his mate.' Alex chuckled and Drasliona said “Why do you smell familiar?” He raised an eyebrow and she said “You smell like animal musk and blood. I only know one person who smells like that but its impossible last Roger said he was staying in Arkansas.” Alex said “Oh, what if he joined the program?” She grumbled “IF he'd joined the program I'd have stayed back home to wait for him. However Roger said he would want me to come to earth to relax. I doubt he even knows I'm in the program though.” Alex said “Oh I think Alex knows.” She blinked and he said “After all he's right in front of you Dras.” She growled and lunged at him about to attack him for lying when he pulled a picture out of his wallet and she stared at it. He said “I love this picture of us, it was the day I got my captain's badge.” She stopped and studied him then stared in his eyes and started to realize it really was Alex. She squealed in joy and hugged him saying “ALEX!!!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU SEND US ANY LETTERS WHEN YOU JOINED THE PROGRAM YOU GOOF!!!????” Alex chuckled and said “I don't have access to interdimensional mail yet. I get that now that you are here as my first tenant but the company wanted me to wait. So Liona what happened to you?” The gold dragoness spread her golden wings and let go of him. She took off her cloak and he said “Still as beautiful as ever Liona.” She spread her wings and let them catch the light then stared in his eyes and said “What did you do to yourself?” He chuckled and said “My job requires a certain hairstyle and other than that I grew out of my fatigues.” She nodded and said “I can see that. You're a few inches taller than when you left the service. Why did you try to play me form the moment we saw each other again though?” Alex chuckled and said “I wanted to see if you'd recognize me without Avery's help. I guess I have changed a bit though. Anyway want to go get a beer and talk about how things changed?” She nodded and Avery set her trunk in the living room then said “You two need me for anything?” Alex said “Mind giving us a ride to the bar.” It was five in the afternoon so the three of them decided since Avery was off after dropping off Drasliona. They got up and got in the car then drove to the bar. When they arrived Liona ordered a cocktail and Alex ordered a jack and coke while Avery just had a water as he was their Designated Driver. Alex turned to Drasliona and said “So how's everything been since I left?”

As Han Sooyoung furiously scribbled, a world came to life under her pen. The intricate and elaborate world started spinning tales of its own—tales of people, of joy, sorrow, anger, peace, defeat, victory, and disappointment. However, even though this world began under her incitement, she found it difficult to control such a complex and detailed world alone. To gain control, she decided to focus on the shittiest character in the world: an ex-pro-gamer with an eternal resting bitch face named Yoo Joonghyuk. His only redeeming factor was that he could cook, but as a Bastard™, he only cooked for his sister, Yoo Mia. Han Sooyoung began posting the elaborate drafts of the novel under the name "Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World." To her surprise, she had one steady reader who always made it a point to leave comments and suggestions on how she could take the story further. As she also had to feed herself, she started using her initial drafts and replacing Yoo Joonghyuk's name with Yoo Joonhyun and publishing them under the name "SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor." It had the same plot as Ways of Survival but was better paced than the original. Han Sooyoung, as you can surmise, didn't believe in the concept of self-plagiarism and didn't once think that the reader who left hateful comments on "SSSS-grade Infinite Regressor" was the same devoted reader of Ways of Survival. ************* Kim Dokja was always a lonely child, wondering if the play on his name was deliberate, a manifestation of this cruel world. He felt like an outsider peeping through the window, but he found solace in the window to other worlds. He could always be found with his nose buried in a book, tuning out the noises from the outside world. One day, while reading an intense scene from Ways of Survival, Kim Dokja bumped into Song Minwoo, a school bully he wouldn't dare to forget even as he grew older. Without looking up, Dokja quickly murmured an apology before moving past Song Minwoo. But he couldn't escape; he was blocked in his path. "Hey, you little shit. Do you even know basic manners? Do you even know how to apologise? Well, I can't expect better from the son of a murderer now, can I?" Song Minwoo sneered, and his little followers giggled mockingly behind him. Dokja clenched and unclenched his fists, took three deep breaths, chanted "I am Yoo Joonghyuk" in his head ten times, and then took a stance he always imagined Yoo Joonghyuk took during his epic battles and punched Song Minwoo in the jaw. Or, well, he tried to. It was not a good idea for a lanky twig-like guy like him to take on a well-established school bully. Now, he also had to lie under the sceptical eyes of the school nurse. "I really did bump into the lockers. I was reading! It was a really good book." Dokja wasn't lying. Many times, he had actually bumped into walls, lockers, and furniture while being deeply involved in a story. "Well, if you say so," the nurse said, letting out a resigned sigh. Dokja smiled apologetically. They both understood what happened, but he really didn't want to move again. He was glad that distant relative number 57473889 could give less of a shit about what happened to him, considering the fact that they had their own blood-related son. The lesser the attention paid to him, the safer he was. It was a belief that had been ingrained in his bones. For him to pass the rest of his days here without being deemed a 'nuisance' by said distant relative and being moved to live in the house of another unwilling guardian would be the most ideal situation. The nurse's voice broke the silence. "Well, then, let's get you disinfected at least." Dokja knew it wasn't a request but a demand. He sighed and turned his face to the side, giving better access to the nurse. She dipped the cotton ball in some Dettol and started dabbing it on his bruises. Dokja winced in pain. "I am Yoo Joonghyuk," he muttered under his breath. The nurse looked up, confused. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Dokja's smile was polite, but his reply was distant. "No, nothing at all." The nurse asked him to lift up his shirt, and Dokja complied. As he expected, the nurse gasped softly when she saw his bruises. Dokja knew she wasn't surprised by the bruises, but rather the other scars that dotted his torso. "Are you sure you're okay? Is everything alright at home?" the nurse asked, concerned. "It was a long time ago. My father is dead, and my mother is in prison. You needn't concern yourselves with it," Dokja replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. The nurse finished wrapping his bandages and gave him instructions. "Make sure to change your bandages today after your shower. Try to ice them as much as possible for at least ten minutes for the next seven days. Take care, alright?" "Thank you," Dokja said, genuinely grateful. It was rare for someone not to pry into his past and respect his boundaries. The nurse offered him support. "You can always talk to the school counsellor if it gets too hard. Or even me, if you're okay with it." "I might just take you up on that offer one day," Dokja said with a grin. He limped his way out of the infirmary and into the nearest washroom stall. As soon as he locked the door, he collapsed on the floor and repeated his mantra to himself. "I am Yoo Joonghyuk. I am strong and powerful. I can make it out alive." "I am Yoo Joonghyuk. I am strong and powerful. I can make it out alive." "I am Yoo Joonghyuk. I am strong..." "I am not Yoo Joonghyuk. I am Kim Dokja. I am weak and lonely. I want to die." Note: This is not edited lmao. I think the pacing is weird but honestly, I love this idea so much I just wanna continue. This is my last ditch effort in trying to continue this (been in my drafts for 10 months now). I hope the pressure of it being able to be seen by anybody will revive the mood I was in when I wrote this ;-; Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Merry Christmas! ☃️ Edit: Finally found some time to edit. Will do my best to continue!

And so, Krun was voluntarily kidnapped and was forced to go on a journey. Despite things looking quite grim for Krun, he was taking this easily. A careful analysis of the situation told him he had at least a month of relative safety, and as long as he was useful to his kidnappers, he would not be killed. Krun detailed out a rough plan. In this month of travelling, he would get on his kidnappers’ good side, while displaying enough personality to cheat their sympathy. Especially Mew. She seemed dumb enough. Secondly, he would try to get as much information on what their plans were, and who the Prills were. He could decide what to do when they reached Trec. Flexibility was key. Surprisingly, Krun did not feel afraid but rather… excited. He was thrilled. Noticing that the two girls were looking at him weirdly, Krun immediate hid his grin. “Are we sleeping here? I don’t like sleeping in the temple,” Krun said. “Shut up. We’re leaving now,” Opal said. “Cold-faced bitch. What a waste of a pretty face,” Krun thought, but he put on an innocent face nonetheless. “Why are we leaving?” “Don’t ask. Mew, pack our stuff and give it to Krun.” “Understood.” Mew headed back to the temple to gather their baggage. “Here, Krun, take these.” Mew gave two white cloth bags to Krun. “Pure white again… Are you two kid-torturing ghosts or something?” “What did you say?” Opal gave Krun a piercing gaze. “N-nothing. I just said they were lighter that I thought.” This time Mew interjected. “That’s because there’s only clothes, money, and water inside. Anything else we need we can just buy.” “Mew! Don’t tell him unnecessary things.” “My apologies, Opal.” “Oh, and also…” Opal started walking away from the two. Krun thought he should follow but Mew placed her hand on his shoulder, telling him to stay in place. “What the hell are they up to again?” Krun thought, as the white figure slowly drifted away from him. When Opal was about thirty or so metres away from Krun, Krun heard an earth-shattering sound. Opal had disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of dust and a thin layer of white mist. Before Krun could even process what happened, a sword was laid beside his neck. Krun haltingly turned his head toward the blade. It belonged to none other than Opal. Krun gulped. “W-what does this mean?” The white mist carried Opal’s voice into Krun’s ears. “It means that you shouldn’t even think of escaping.” Opal used the blunt ridge of the sword to tap on Krun’s cheek. “Understood?” Krun nodded repeatedly while staring at the tip of the sword, which barely missed his eyebrows. Opal unsheathed her sword. “Let’s move then.” Mew followed Opal and the two of them started walking away, leaving behind a disoriented Krun. Krun’s legs gave out and he kneeled on the ground. He thought back to what happened and started panting. If Opal had pressed her sword against him for a few more inches, it would have no doubt reached his brain. After Mew shouted at Krun to stick to them, he wiped away his cold sweat, picked up their baggage frantically and ran after them. Maybe he should not treat this situation so lightly after all. Unfortunately for Krun, Opal picked the most difficult roads to go, if they could even be called road. They traversed almost exclusively in the mountains, away from civilisation. Along the way, Krun did not see a single person besides his two kidnappers, though he saw a lot of different insects and rodents. Now, Krun was not averse to wildlife. In fact, he was quite familiar being in the wild. One of his hobbies was to explore the mountains and jungles on his own. Despite his dad’s repeated reprimands, he continued doing so, and that was how he found that cave he told Opal earlier. “But how can they move so damn quickly!? I’m panting over here!” Obviously, Krun knew the answer to that question. He was made to carry two people’s worth of baggage and the two people in front of him had practiced martial arts for most of their life. Of course he would fall behind. Still, Krun wanted to complain. “Those bastards…” Krun let out a sneer and ran to catch up with his kidnappers. Whenever Krun fell behind, Opal would scold him, telling him to catch up. There were times where Krun wanted to retaliate. “Lady. I physically can’t. Stop being so unreasonable!” But he swallowed his words every time. Every so often, they would take a small break, and Krun was told to grab some water from the white bags. For the first one to two times, he didn’t notice anything, but later, something in the bag caught his eyes. A thin, worn-out book. If he remembered correctly, this bag belonged to Mew. Since Opal had her eyes on Krun every time he was grabbing water from their bags, he couldn’t get a good look at the book. “There are no books in Opal’s bag. Is this a novel Mew reads to past time? It looked too crumpy to be a novel though…” Keeping this strange-looking book in mind, he closed their bags. After some time, Krun’s legs finally gave out. Each step was excruciating. It felt as if his legs were being torn apart. “I… I… can’t…” As the exhausted Krun dropped to the ground, a faint yellow light appeared in the corner of his eyes. It was already dusk. The warm sunlight shone through the leaves and reflected off the white robes of the two girls. In this moment, they looked like angels who descended from heaven. One of the angels even had a tiny halo on their head. Nope, that was just Mew’s hairstick, Krun told himself. “Hey, where… where are… are… we?” Krun struggled to even ask a basic question. “Fairen.” Opal answered.   “Fairen!?” Krun couldn’t believe it. Fairen was the city next to Kemm, Krun’s home city. “We walked an entire city’s worth of distance? In one night?” “Shush, brat. You’re being noisy.” Opal clicked her tongue. “The temple we were in last night was in the outskirt of Kemm. A few hours of walking are more than enough. We could’ve arrived at Fairen even sooner if it weren’t for you.” Krun knew he lived in the outskirt of Kemm, but still! It would’ve taken at least half a day to get to Fairen. At least for any normal person… “What kind of monsters have I gotten myself tangled up with…” Krun thought. “We’re going to stay here for a few days to replenish some of our supplies and meet some people,” Mew told Krun. “There’s a market nearby. We’ll head there first.” Opal nodded and started walking yet again. Krun sighed as he gritted his teeth and followed them. Finally, after another hour of walking, the trio arrived at the market. Although it was still early in the morning, there were already many stalls set up in the main street. Occasionally, some horse carriages belonging to perhaps wealthy merchants in this city could be seen roaming on the street. Krun was, by all definitions, a country bumpkin. He had always lived in the countryside. Hell, this was his first time being outside of his home city! He gawked in awe the market which was growing busier. This unfamiliar sight made him temporarily forget his leg pains. The mixture of grass, food, and cloth fabric smell permeated the air, and the unintelligible bargaining noises told Krun that yes, it wasn’t a dream, and that yes, he was now in Fairen, the city of trades. It was a brand-new sensation. “I’m definitely telling Pesh and others about this when I return!” Krun thought, as he opened his eyes wide to feast upon this unfamiliar scenery. “Mum and dad are not going to believe this!” Krun followed his kidnappers to the main street excitedly. * “Fuck this.” Originally, Krun thought something along the lines of, “Supply-gathering. Water, clothes, maybe some bread. They are women so they might need hygiene stuff as well. There’s no way we’re spending more than an hour in the shops.” But he was proven wrong. Very wrong. It only took no more than half an hour to get all the essential supplies, but what followed was a nightmare. This time it wasn’t Opal making Krun’s life worse, but surprisingly, Mew. Even Opal seemed to be slightly irritated. “H-hey, Opal…” “Ms Opal.” “Ms Opal… How long do we have to be here?” “I-I don’t know.” “Please… I know you two are undefeated, unbeatable, invincible, omnipotent martial artists. But look at me! I’m just a fourteen-year-old kid! Please! Just let me rest!” Krun never thought he needed to beg for rest. “Y-you’re right.” Opal uncharacteristically agreed with Krun. “Mew, hurry up. The kid is throwing a tantrum about needing to rest. It’s annoying the hell out of me.” “Thanks, Ms Opal,” Krun said, but he thought, “You pale-faced ghost! Trying to use me as an excuse… It’s obvious that you want her to stop too!” “Opal… Please… Just one more shop! I promise!” Mew begged Opal, giving her the teary-eye treatment. “Fine. One last shop. No more.” “I love you Opal!” Mew smiled brightly, as she entered another cosmetics shop. Krun sighed as he looked at Mew’s bag, now filled to the brim with cosmetics. There were lotions, more lotions, makeup, more makeup… Krun’s lack of vocabulary to describe female cosmetics was shown clearly. “She’s obsessed with being pretty!” Krun shook his head as he stole a glance at Opal’s bag. Nothing but essentials. A bag of coins, a bar of soap, a loaf of hard bread, some water, white clothes, and a small porcelain vile. Krun smiled to himself and nodded. “Compact. Brief. Light. This is how it should be.” It was already afternoon when Mew was done, and the three of them found an inn to stay in. Opal decided that the three of them would stay in the same room. After all, Krun was nothing but a boy in Opal’s eyes. She wanted Krun to stay close to them on the off chance he wanted to escape. Still, two young women staying in the same room with a teenage boy might lead to unwanted rumours, so Opal lied about Krun being their brother. In normal circumstance (by “normal circumstance”, it was still very abnormal), Krun would have used this opportunity to call Mew his sister to raise her level of sympathy toward him, but the exhausted Krun collapsed onto his bed immediately and started snoring. He had never snored this loudly before. “He must be very tired,” Mew thought, as he stared at the boy who was indulging in his sweet, sweet slumber. * It was dark when Krun woke up. He didn’t know what time it was, but he felt like he got a solid ten, maybe eleven hours of sleep, so he estimated it was still midnight, several hours before sunrise. He looked at the two girls who were sleeping in a separate bed. “Isn’t this the perfect chance of escaping? No need for the month-long preparation, grinding for their sympathy. I’ll just leave now!” All drowsiness was expelled from his body. As he was ready to get up, he felt his right wrist being held back by something. A thick rope tied to the bed frame. No matter how much he struggled to untie it, the rope didn’t come off, in fact, it made the knot even tighter. “Knew it wasn’t that easy.” Krun sighed. But he was not about to give up. “If I can’t untie it, I’ll just cut it!” Opal and Mew shared a single bed, and their bed was perpendicular to Krun’s, with their headboards touching. “I might be able to reach their sword,” Krun thought as he got off the bed, with his wrist still attached to the bed frame. “Good! Opal’s sword is just within reach!” Krun grinned. But just as he was about to extend his arm to grab her sword, something felt wrong. “What is this feeling? I felt like it would be a terrible mistake to do this…” Krun searched his memory for an answer. Krun had brilliant memory, but it still took a few minutes before he remembered an off-hand comment from his dad. A few years ago, his dad told him that martial artists were trained to listen to disturbances even in their sleep, especially when their own weapon was involved. His dad even said that some people were killed because they tried to steal a weapon from a very skilled martial artist when he was asleep. It happened in the blink of an eye. The martial artist killed them reflexively just because he felt disturbance in his sleep. Like a sensible person, Krun disregarded his comment then and thought it was simply his dad’s dementia talking, but one thing always bothered him about it. His mum. His mum was very smart. Krun thought of himself as the smartest among his peers and possibly among all other children in his age range, but he never once thought he was smarter than his mum. It was no exaggeration to say that Krun would never doubt his mum, but despite that, his mum always claimed that his dad didn’t lie about that story. “Maybe… just maybe dad was right…” Krun gulped as he hovered his hand over Opal’s sword. A few minutes of dreaded silence passed. Krun sighed and pulled his hand back. “I’ve got a lot of chances. No need to gamble everything right now.” He stared at the two girls in slight resignation. “They really are beautiful… My mum was pretty but not even she can compare to them…” Opal’s short strands of hair form a translucent curtain, covering the windows to the soul. Every so often, the wind gently ruffled her hair, and under it revealed a pair of dark eyelashes, fluttering. The contrast between her androgynous face and long eyelashes was gripping to say the least. Next to that cool face was one of a mixture between maturity and childish. Mew was only sixteen, but her frequent use of cosmetics left an indescribable air of maturity on her face. Just before sleeping, Mew put on a thin layer of lip gloss, which although most had already dispersed, still left behind a pair of glistening lips. Her moist red lips made Krun gulp. Looking at the two beauties, he felt very hot. Even after wiping away his sweat, there was still an intoxicating heat in his chest. He did not realise he was panting. “What’s happening to me? I’ve never felt something like this before… Am I sick?” Krun had a sudden urge to touch those two beauties. He slowly moved his hands toward them, but he forgot that his right wrist was still tied to the bed frame and jolted when his hand was pulled back. “What am I doing…” Krun cleared his mind and looked away from the two girls. He landed his sight onto their bag. The image of the worn-out book in Mew’s bag appeared in his mind. “I wonder what that was…” Luckily, Mew’s bag was within arm’s length of Krun. He took out the book from her bag without any problem. “The Scripture of the… the… Shaving? No… Scatting? Definitely no. Scathing? The Scripture of the Scathing Haze. What does scathing mean?” At that time, only the wealthy could afford teachers. Usually, education was the parents’ responsibility, and Krun was no exception. His father taught him how to read and write but Krun never paid much attention to his classes and his father never forced him to learn. This made him literately worse than children his age. “Whatever, let’s take a look inside.” He quickly skimped through the pages. About one to two pages of texts were followed by a diagram of a person in an awkward position. Reading through some of the texts, he saw that on average there were several words per paragraph he did not understand. “Hmm… Maybe I should’ve paid more attention to dad’s class…” That being said, the first few pages were preface of some sort, so Krun understood most of its meaning. “‘With form comes vulnerability; With deceit comes formless. No martial arts can escape from its structure, its form. Knowing its form is key to defeating any style of martial arts. Though no styles of martial arts are unbeatable, the ones that prosper all adhere to one belief: Deceit. “‘Hence, the Scripture of the Scathing Haze was created with this in mind.’ Deceit? Like lying? Is this some kind of cult thing used to trick people? But they mentioned martial arts as well… Let’s see what the author is on about. “‘Like haze, readers must aim to be formless. Readers must learn to deceive others. Not letting enemy know you is the key to victory. Rather than techniques like sword-handling or brawling, this scripture teaches how to manipulate Qi*.’ “What a load of bull crap! Qi it says!” Krun suppressed his laughter. “This is just used to trick children! Or ‘deceive’ so they call it!” He tossed the book aside and went back to bed. Maybe because he already slept a lot or because of his curiosity, but he couldn’t fall asleep. Krun found himself looking at the book again. “‘There are five levels of Scathing Haze Qi readers must progress through one by one. The first level is basic Qi usage, applicable to not only Scathing Haze Qi, but other Qis as well. The second level is about fundamental Haze Qi ideas. The third level introduces the idea of scathing, which allows your Qi to flow to the outside world. Readers should be careful before learning levels higher than three, as training becomes dangerous.’ Dangerous? How is it dangerous?” Krun furrowed his brows and kept reading. “‘The fourth level is about the absolute control of your Qi, the perfect manipulation of your Qi. It should be noted now that although the author wrote five levels, she only attained the fourth level. The fifth level remains purely theoretical. Readers should NOT attempt it. The fifth level serves as a guideline for more blessed and talented individuals to expand upon.’” Krun desperately flipped to the next page. “‘The fifth level: Qi-less.’ What!?” Krun let out an audible gasp. He immediately looked at the two girls to see if they were woken up. Luckily, the two girls were still sleeping. After flipping through the page, he saw some diagrams, each depict a person in different positions. There was one diagram that looked familiar. Its caption wrote, “Scathing Haze Qi in action, third level.” “Wait… Isn’t this the move Opal used on me back at the temple!?” Krun realised, with his mouth agape. “So it’s real… And Opal attained the third level already…” Krun looked at the book in a mixture of astonishment and terror. He gulped. “L-let’s learn it.” Krun grinned. The first level consisted of only a handful pages. The number of pages increased as the level went up. It took roughly thirty minutes for Krun to read through the first level. There were some words he didn’t know but with the help of diagrams, he understood most of the meaning. Krun started practicing. “Feel the Qi… Oh! There it is! Allow the Qi to freely drift across different nodes of your body… What are the nodes again?” He flipped to a page with diagrams. “Okay… let it drift… Oh! It felt tinglish!” By the time he reached the last page of the first level, the sun was already up. “That felt good…” He looked outside the window. The morning sunlight reflected off his beads of sweat. Upon noticing the risen sun, he immediately stuffed the book back into Mew’s bag. Krun grinned as he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. Krun couldn’t have known this, but usually it takes a normal person a few days to be able to perform one “circulation”, and at least half a day for talented individuals with good teachers. To be able to finish one circulation in a few hours, much less without teachers, was unheard of. How would he progress? How far would his talents take him? For now, Krun was oblivious to even the existence of these questions that anyone couldn’t help but ask if they had seen his practice.   *(In wuxia novels, martial arts are broadly categorised into the usual martial arts (ones where you use swords, fists, kicks etc. Basically, anything physical and requires body movement), and the idea of “inner martial arts”, or “inner kung fu”. The reason why characters have almost supernatural abilities in wuxia novels is because of their “inner martial arts.” Unfortunately, there is no direct translation of this idea to English, and it sounds, quite frankly, stupid to call it “inner martial arts” (or “inner kung fu”) every time. Since it is a vital element to this work, I have taken the liberty to call it Qi.) Don't forget to give this a good rating and leave a comment if you like this!

Together in my final moment. The most important lesson that can be learned by any aspiring practitioner of the supernatural is keeping focused, and not letting emotions cloud judgement, magic is an incredibly unstable force that reaches into beyond the divide between realities. Anywhere magic is practiced, more and more the concrete rules of reality warp and become mere suggestions. Magicians of most sorts have historically chosen locations on the outskirts of settlements to avoid unnecessary conflict. However some magicians revel in the public eye, becoming famous for low level spells and appearing as fortune tellers, or deceptive showmen. While some prefer to seal themselves away and alone deep in the wilderness. Marc was a spindly man, drifting from town to town to keep a low profile. After stealing a tome of summoning, he was forced to be on the run. Marc’s lifestyle led him to a small seaside cottage in a state of disrepair that would suggest decades of neglect. The cottage’s walls baring the decay of decades of storms and salty air seemed normal and homey for Marc. This was an improvement from his last dwelling, and with time he would renovate to fit his needs. Years passed and the small cottage was becoming more of a home. Marc had repaired most of the cottages exterior walls, and the small pier where he docked a small canoe and his fishing gear. Finally being able to comfortably live away from any pursuer’s prying eyes, he had seen fit to grow his collection again, amassing several tomes and supplies for various rituals in a hidden basement under a normal seeming cottage façade. Marc had been practicing small rituals of transmutation to keep his edge and prepare to complete the promise he made before he defected from his academy and stole restricted texts. Resurrection spells would not go unnoticed by anyone even barely attuned, and Marc didn’t possess the cadaver of his beloved, so he simply aimed to capture his soul from beyond the pale and contain it within a phylactery until he could find a vessel for him to inhabit. Finding such a vessel to act as a phylactery was not an easy feat, but Marc had eventually cobbled together a vessel capable of containing a human soul without form. A ragged contraption of crystals and glass bulbs of quicksilver and a frame of gold to to help contain the lover’s soul. Marc made this according to specs gathered among scattered incomplete texts, no complete texts could be found without delving into restricted sections in hidden libraries, so Marc had done the best he could and was almost ready to perform the ritual. Marc had made the necessary preparations and decided he would begin the ritual at midnight of his lover’s birthday, finding any way to strengthen his bond with his lover from beyond the pale. He began recreating ritual circles and glyphs he figured out from various sources, and lighting candles made from wax infused with purifying powders to ward off impure spirits. He had done all he could to focus on a single spirit to summon and contain to his knowledge and was ready to begin. The chalk lines on the floor began to glow, confirming that the spell was working. Air started spiraling in the subterranean chamber towards the center of the room towards the phylactery resting on a short stone pedestal. The gold frame began resonating at frequencies from beyond as the crystal grew brighter, collecting energy. Marc’s spell appeared to be going according top plan. Marc was confident in his spell until the moment he finished reciting his incantation and the spell didn’t stop. Panic set in as the wind grew stronger and he felt himself being pulled towards the circle. Marc couldn’t resist being pulled towards his phylactery, as if his very soul was being drawn into the vessel he made for his love. As he fruitlessly struggled against being pulled into his soul container, his boots scratched the meticulously drawn sigils even further destabilizing the spell. He could no longer resist, and succumbed to being absorbed into the vessel. After the air had settled, the ritual had drained the energy of the cottage and the surrounding area, killing the nearby trees and grass. Fish floated to the surface and washed up on the greyed sand. Over a hill in the distance two shadowed figures take notes of what they saw and walk away disappointed that they could not retrieve any of the materials, as it would not be safe to go near the site for decades without feeling residual effects. Decades passed as the environment outside the cottage flourished, leaving the building and its immediate surroundings sealed in time. Books and writing materials scattered the floor, pulled from their shelves but hurricane force winds inside the cabin. A crystal contraption lay on the ground, decaying gold framing it with broken glass and liquid metal scattered on the floor next to a stone pedestal, Two small lights appeared to be dancing within the crystal object, slowly fading as decades passed.

As you go West we follow, till our hearts are at rest. The highway leaving the city passed as an unremarkable blur, Milan’s mind was far too occupied by the events of the past 24 hours to take in the landscape through the passenger side window of her girlfriend’s car. The late evening air blowing through the cracked window carried the aroma of car exhaust and fertilizer as they gained distance from the city limits. Milan cranked her window closed. Milan was a young woman with a tall and slender build, her hair was split down the middle, jet black on her left, and stark white on her right. She never dyed her hair, this unnatural colouring was the result of an accident involving her newest fascination with witchcraft, though she has been less inclined to the supernatural after this. Rebecca performed an exaggerated gesture approximating a gag and a choke, followed by a gesture representing death. Looking for a reaction other than a despondent frown from her girlfriend, Rebecca sighed and rolled her window up with her squeaky and rough window crank. Watching Rebecca struggle with the crank was enough to break through Milan’s frozen expression, smirking a little as Rebecca made an exaggerated cartoonish grunt with every rotation. Rebecca was only two years older than Milan, but life made her mature faster than she should have naturally. She wore a hand-me-down flannel of Milan’s, and had tattoos that Milan gave her, and some she gave herself. “We’ll be fine, we don’t have to worry about anyone following us. It’s not like they’ll find him.” Rebecca reassuring Milan. “we’re still the last people he was seen with. Somebody is going to ask questions eventually.” Milan said obviously still worried. “And we’ll be cozy and safe in Vancouver with Casey before anyone can know we’re gone. We’ll be okay.” Rebecca said, making sure this was the end of this topic for now. Fiddling with the radio, searching for music they could listen to and relax. Punk Rock music underlaid with static fills the tense air in the car as they drive in silence. Milan is visually upset about something, fiddling with her black leather messenger bag. “I forgot the fucking CDs.” Milan mumbles to herself Rebecca continues to drive in silence but is noticeably saddened by the news that they had to leave behind the mixes they had made together over the years. Playing with the piercing in her lip for any kind of stimulus other than a plain road. Now past the farms and in a forest of wind turbines, the radio had stopped receiving their home town’s Rock Radio, strengthening the impact that they would never be able to return home. Neither of the girls moved to change the radio, sitting in the static stunned by this feeling. Looming on the horizon was the city of Windsor, they planned for a detour through Windsor and then through Detroit, then heading back across the border to Highway 1 to save time rounding the great lakes. While they could still text Casey, they told them that this would be the fastest and safest route. before they lost contact with them. Milan managed to find an American station playing Classic Rock, while neither would have chosen this music under normal circumstances, it was preferrable to the static. Only stopping in a McDonalds drive-thru in Windsor, the pair passed through both cities quietly listening to the clearest radio station they could, 98.4 FM Detroit Classic Rock Radio, the station bumper burned into their memory enough that they would sing along to the advertisement every time it came on to lighten the mood. With the sun was long set, the moon was working with the headlights to light their drive out of the city. Eventually the Classic Rock station faded into the sea of static. Now between cities they could only tune into an AM pop music station, this would satisfy them enough. Arriving at a rest stop in a farm town between cities, Rebecca was too tired to drive. The couple folded the back seat down to make a bed in the back seat, squeezed between each other and the luggage they could gather on such short notice, they slept for the first time since running away from home together.

Eons have past, universes have been made, multiverses have been formed, Existence has been formed. It is beautiful, stars, planets and everything in between fill the once empty void. At the center of existence is a portal to the beyond, the place where the origin and finality sleeps. In the Beyond we see Ị̵̢̧̧̢̙̫̯̫̳̹̻̫̫̋͐̆̈͛Ṭ̵̻̃̉́̇͝  continuing to sleep. Over the Eons of existence being created Ị̵̢̧̧̢̙̫̯̫̳̹̻̫̫̋͐̆̈͛Ṭ̵̻̃̉́̇͝  has gained many names, The Creator, God, The Blind idiot God, The Nuclear chaos, The Demon Sultan, The Deep Dark, The Cold One and Ȧ̷̧̯̟͖͕̖̹̘̯̠̬̘͉̌̆̂̅̄͜z̴̛͓̫̫̞̫̀̒̒̋̍̈́̏̅̔̀͒̂͘a̵͉̯̅̀̆̌̅͒̈́̓͝͝t̶̢̢͓̮͓͙̼̟͂͑́͌͌̈́́̈́͆͝h̷̜͒̃̔̄̀̀͛̊̋̐͘͝ō̶̻̹͓̫̓́̀͌̈́͋͊̋̏̓̈́̏̆͝ṱ̴̡̬̟̳͔̞̐̇͛ͅh̶̨̢͍̥̘̞̮͕͚͙̬͈̀̓̾̀̿̕.. No one truly knew who Ȧ̷̧̯̟͖͕̖̹̘̯̠̬̘͉̌̆̂̅̄͜z̴̛͓̫̫̞̫̀̒̒̋̍̈́̏̅̔̀͒̂͘a̵͉̯̅̀̆̌̅͒̈́̓͝͝t̶̢̢͓̮͓͙̼̟͂͑́͌͌̈́́̈́͆͝h̷̜͒̃̔̄̀̀͛̊̋̐͘͝ō̶̻̹͓̫̓́̀͌̈́͋͊̋̏̓̈́̏̆͝ṱ̴̡̬̟̳͔̞̐̇͛ͅh̶̨̢͍̥̘̞̮͕͚͙̬͈̀̓̾̀̿̕ is, many theorize that it is but a legend made by the other outer Gods and Great Old ones since it seemed not even they knew who it was. Except for one, The only one to see the creator, The only one to have seen Azathoth, Yog-Sothoth. Yog-Sothoth is the Key and the Guardian of the gate to the beyond, the one who signals the awakening of Azathoth. Once the drums begin to sound, once existence starts to fade it means Azathoth's dream is about to end. However in this version of Existence it will be different, Azathoth finally wants to have some F̶̡̢̛̛̤̮̹͇̟̘͓̟͖̞̣̙̟̘̘̅̿͗̓̈́̉́̈́̒̈́͑̆͒̈̔̚͘͝͠͝u̵͖̟̲̼͚̼͈̺̟̘̟̞̱̬̰̜̘̱̰͎͒̄̊̈͋̏̏̌͌́͗͑̓́̅̀̐̃͐̀͋́̓̇̎̆͆̕̚̚͝ņ̵̢̧̢̧͎̤̲͙̯̝̟̺̜̙̣̠̳̯̻͔͓̳̟̹̱͚̼͓͓̜̜̟̄̓̈́̓͌̊̈́͐͆͊̄̒͗͑́̓̅̋͘͘͜͠ͅ it is bored of only dreaming. As Azathoth floats around in the Beyond continuing to dream, something begins to happen It's now massive body, a small piece of it begins to separate from the rest of it and this and begin to morph into the a humanoid shape. A body with no features whatsoever, it began to change again. First thing that happened was for long straight violet hair to grow out of it's head, then it's face began to change, first thing to form where eyes, they completely resembled human once however her pupils looked like they contained entire universes. It the gained a nose, ears then a mouth filled with teeth, though they looked much sharper than a humans. Then it grew DD cup breasts and further down gained a belly button. And for the final parts it formed a vagina. Once everything was over i̴̡̡̨̻̦̲̱͈͔̱͚̝̟̣͔͖̻͖͓̞̥̖͉̗̫͚̟͒̌̉̈́̒͗̍̀̎͗͊̒̽͑̄͋͜͝t̸̡̤̜̻̲̩̹̰͕̱̦͔̟̱͚̼̽͊̅̄̌̀̍͛̽̿̉͗̇̍͐̀̉͋̍͊̐͂̐̋̉̓́̚̚'̴̡̧̛̱͇͕̻̮͔̞̯͔̮͈̫̭̤̝͎͓̺͎̗̟͕͖̩̮͎̫͎͓͕̟͔̟̙̙͇͚̰̟͕̊̑͛͑͆̄̏̉̋ͅs̷̡̨̢̧̨̨̼̟̼̠̣̪̩͎̙̱̘͈̤͓̗̙̼̝̖̞̻̪̲̙͈͕̝̹͍̳͎̳͉̪͚͗̅̀̏̑͗͒̂̌̈̽̂͋̈́͗̄́̆̒̊̉̉̀̒̓̅̍̽͛͊͂̍̎̉̓̈́̀͋͆̈́́͘̕̚̚͜͜ͅ hand reached for i̴̡̡̨̻̦̲̱͈͔̱͚̝̟̣͔͖̻͖͓̞̥̖͉̗̫͚̟͒̌̉̈́̒͗̍̀̎͗͊̒̽͑̄͋͜͝t̸̡̤̜̻̲̩̹̰͕̱̦͔̟̱͚̼̽͊̅̄̌̀̍͛̽̿̉͗̇̍͐̀̉͋̍͊̐͂̐̋̉̓́̚̚'̴̡̧̛̱͇͕̻̮͔̞̯͔̮͈̫̭̤̝͎͓̺͎̗̟͕͖̩̮͎̫͎͓͕̟͔̟̙̙͇͚̰̟͕̊̑͛͑͆̄̏̉̋ͅs̷̡̨̢̧̨̨̼̟̼̠̣̪̩͎̙̱̘͈̤͓̗̙̼̝̖̞̻̪̲̙͈͕̝̹͍̳͎̳͉̪͚͗̅̀̏̑͗͒̂̌̈̽̂͋̈́͗̄́̆̒̊̉̉̀̒̓̅̍̽͛͊͂̍̎̉̓̈́̀͋͆̈́́͘̕̚̚͜͜ͅ  face then Ś̸̨̡̛̛̛̜͎̻̪͍̩̦͖̤̬͓̟͎͎͕̺̪͔̪̝̦̯̘̘̺̰̜̻̪̙̗̮̒͆̈́͐̂̈́̋̀͆͗̂̐̓́͛͗̓̉̓͗̀͒̎͋͗̉͊̂̿͐̈́̀̊̑̏̐̄̇̏̈́̕̕͜͝͠͠h̸̡̢̨͍̦̝͉̤̘̤̟̭̦̹̳̘̺̯̙̭̯̲̰̳̙̭̣̲̞̜͍͍̼̰̜͔͎͖͙̿̽̂̀̉̿͌͌̿́̀̓́͋̊̊̀̊͌̇̕̚̚͜͜͠ͅe̵̢̡̢̡̝͙̺͇̦̞̙͉͎͇̰͙͙̹͇͔̝̲̫̙͚̦͓͎̳͎̦̫̩̫̗̺̯̙̻̓̍͌̊̎̊̀̎̅͂̾̓̒͂̾̑̎͋͒͘̚̚͜͝͝͠ͅ began to smile, a smile so wide it was un natural.   {A/N- Don't worry Futa shenanigans will come eventually. Use the cover image for refence on the face and eyes}  

It laid there motionless in the endless void, it was massive, it was a stark contrast to the rest of the space around it. It was white, it glowed so bright that it seemed to light up much of the area around it. Suddenly, it began to shrink, it shrank to the point where it seemed to be nothing but a spec of dust, It then stopped shrinking and began to expand and take shape. First thing to form was a human head however it was blank, then a neck was formed, and from the neck a torso was formed, and from the torso arms and legs were formed. All features were blank as if it were but a doll. The being was still, it had no purpose. It felt like it should, so it made a purpose for itself, and that purpose was to create. It stretched out it’s palms and absorbed all the darkness that surrounded it and then from that darkness created other beings. These beings are later called the Outer Gods. It then created the principles of existence and gave these principles to it’s creations and told them to spread them across existence, at the very end of it’s self imposed purpose it created color. Then at the very end it decided to create a world for itself, it created a plane outside of existence and decided it would stay there until existence has moved forward and changed.   It slept for Eons. [A/n-tell me what you think]

On the last episode of SPARKLE SPARKLE PRECIOUS ELEMENTS ✨, our heroines Precious Silver and Precious Gold confronted their greatest challenge yet, saving their school from a rampaging MidKnight that had stolen the form of a bulldozer from a nearby construction site! But in the aftermath, the villainous Xelus took advantage of the confusion to capture Precious Silver, spiriting her away to Castle Tenebrae in the Darkness Dimension. What could the evil Twilight Apostles have in store for Precious Silver? Will Precious Gold be able to rescue her in time?? Find out on this episode of: SPARKLE SPARKLE PRECIOUS ELEMENTS ✨     ***     “Ohohohoho~!” Lady Yume arched her back, raising her hand to mouth in a practiced motion, laughing once again. It was perfect form, excellently executed, and unquestionably villainous. At her side, her chief servant and right-hand-man Xelus stood ramrod-straight, arms crossed crisply behind his back as he tried not to let his satisfaction show too much. The laughter rang throughout the dark, cavernous halls of the Castle Tenebrae. With how empty and echoing the castle was, you could probably hear it all the way down in the deepest, darkest dungeon cells. Xelus hoped that was the case, at least. He counted on that accursed Precious Silver hearing every bit of his Lady’s ultimate triumph, and he hoped that she was trembling in her chains as she awaited her coming fate. Though in his opinion, Lady Yume’s laughter wasn’t really threatening as much as it was… adorable. Sometimes in the evenings, she’d retire to her room just to practice her laugh, and he’d find an excuse to hang out in the corridor, simply for the chance to hear more of it. Not that he’d ever let her know that, of course.  And to be fair, it wasn’t like she looked particularly threatening either, even if she was the leader of the Twilight Apostles. She was only five feet tall if you generously rounded up, and it was hard to be properly imposing with such voluminous, fluffy blonde hair. All in all, she was about as scary as a Pomeranian. But, like, an evil Pomeranian. You could tell because her black dress had little bat wings on the back. In contrast, Xelus wore a butler’s uniform, an affectation that he always insisted upon, even though Lady Yume had told him multiple times that he could dress more comfortably if he wanted. But he wasn’t dressing for himself... he had to look sharp for her sake. There were appearances to uphold! Plus, he had to admit there were benefits to having a uniform. Like you never had to bother with thinking about what you were going to wear in the morning, and didn’t have to waste time having to consider how you might look in it. You just put the same thing on as always, and moved on with your life. And right now Xelus was feeling unusually chipper, smiling to himself as he straightened his bowtie and made sure every bit of his outfit was in place. Today, everything had to be perfect. For once—once—he had actually succeeded in his mission, after probably a dozen different confrontations that had proven less fortunate. It seemed like every time he journeyed to the human world, the Precious Elements would inevitably swoop in to defeat his MidKnights and foil his schemes.  But this was it. Today was the day. The future was bright for Xelus. Except that seemed a bit wrong…? Dark was more of their thing.  Metaphorically, the future was bright. Literally, the future was dark, at least if his Lady had her way, and ushered in a new age of neverending night. But about that! It was time to proceed with step two of the plan to conquer the human world. And substep A of step two was to inquire of Lady Yume as to what the rest of step two consisted of. He cleared his throat, and waited for Lady Yume to finish her laughter.  She got in a few last choice “Ohoho~”s, and then turned to him, a sinister smile on her pale face.  Xelus once again very deliberately refrained from thinking about how that grin made her eyes crinkle up at the corners in a way that was also oh-so-adorable. He didn’t get a fizzy feeling in his stomach at all. Instead, he saluted crisply.  “My Lady,” he said. “Now that we have captured Precious Silver, we are closer than ever to victory. What is our next step? Shall we lay a trap for Precious Gold, and crush her when she inevitably comes to rescue her comrade?” “No,” Lady Yume said, smirking. “I have an even better idea.” Xelus perked up. “Shall we drain her of her magical energy, twisting that power to serve our own dark ends?” “Also no,” Lady Yume said. “Think bigger, Xel! Even. Better.” “Shall we…” Xelus hesitated. “Shall we… My Lady, I fear that I am running out of ideas.” Yume drew herself up, straining for every one of her fifty-nine-and-a-half inches in height. “You see, Xel, I have been studying… the Tome!” Silence stretched out, until Xelus realized she was waiting for a response.  “Oh,” he said flatly. “Great.” Lady Yume skipped over to her throne, climbing up on it to perch cross-legged on the velvet surface. She reached underneath the chair to pull out a dog-eared book whose pages were on the verge of falling out. At this point, it was mainly still held together by many colorful sticky notes, marking different pages in some kind of cryptic organizational system. On the front, in Papyrus—the most evil of fonts—it read: Everybody Wants to Rule the World: A Tome of Practical Advice for Terrible Tyrants, Malign Monarchs, and Other Aspiring Evil Overlords. Xelus did not care for the Tome.  Sure, it had been a gift from Lady Yume’s father, but Xelus did not care much for him either—yet another opinion he kept to himself. He blamed the book’s unhelpful tactics for many of his prior failures, like the time he transformed a fire hydrant into a goofy MidKnight monster at the local market, only for Precious Gold to show up and defeat it. Or the time he transformed a jungle gym into a goofy MidKnight monster at the local playground, only for Precious Silver to show up and defeat it. Or the time he transformed a goose into a goofy MidKnight monster at the local lake and—look, it was a lake, there wasn’t anything else around to use, and how was he supposed to know the stupid thing would chase him around instead, while Gold and Silver laughed. Eventually they took pity and saved him, and… The point was, Xelus was quite displeased with Chapter I’s advice about confronting your enemies through incremental challenges of slowly escalating danger. So far all that had accomplished was providing the Precious Elements with plenty of opportunities to learn how to work together better. In his opinion, the Tome was woefully out of date for today’s modern overlord, but he hadn’t quite figured out how to tactfully suggest as much to Lady Yume. Now didn’t seem to be the time either, because Lady Yume looked positively giddy as she finished flipping through the book. She pointed at a page dramatically. “Aha!” she exclaimed. “Here we go.” Xelus winced. He bowed low. “Whatever you desire, My Lady, I will fulfill.” Yume smiled at him in such excitement that she forgot to even pretend to be nefarious, and Xelus had to look away before he started thinking more thoughts that he shouldn’t. “Of course. I know I can always count on you, Xel.” Ooops. Someone let some butterflies loose inside him. Inconvenient. “Y-yes, My Lady.” “So…” Yume traced her finger down the page. “Here we go: It is imperative for every successful dark overlord, regardless of his inclinations, to have an evil queen to rule at his side.” Oh. Oh no. “Even should your ultimate goals call for the complete annihilation of time, space, spacetime, or timespace, a proper co-monarch reflects your authority and organizational ability. It’s vital in order to ensure that both your subjects and foes recognize you as the successful, ambitious leader that you wish to be.” “You cannot possibly be suggesting—” “Yes, Xelus,” Yume slammed the book shut decisively. “I need a queen.” “But… but you’re too young for that!” “Hey! I’m seventeen!” She frowned sternly at him. “C’mon, you know this. We’re the same age.” “Well, okay, yes,” he said. “But that’s too young!” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to have a wedding now, it’s more of a betrothal thing. I think.” “And like… who would you even… Oh no.” She pointed at the heavens for emphasis. “I am going to make Precious Silver my bride!” “But… But…” Xelus grasped for any possible way out of this plan. “Don’t you think the Tome is showing its age in its phrasing, My Lady? It’s written assuming its readers to be an Overlord, not an Overlady. So for you, wouldn’t you be better off with a partner who’s more…” He winced. Something deep inside him rebelled at where this line of thought went too, but at least it would resolve the immediate situation. That was most important: keeping her from making any rash decision. Right? “Shouldn’t you marry a guy?” he finished helplessly. Yume hesitated, a shadow crossing her face. “I— Uh. Um.” She swallowed, but then rallied. “The book says ‘queen.’ Regardless of inclinations. So I should just follow it exactly, just to be sure.” “But…” Xelus shook his head. “Precious Silver? The Precious Elements are our mortal enemies!” “All the better! Think of the opportunity if we can turn her to our side... We’d permanently fracture the Precious Elements’ partnership and ensure their downfall.” “And how will you get Silver to accept this proposal?” Xelus frowned. “Having encountered her and Precious Gold on numerous occasions, I must report that they seem to view each other with a great deal of… fondness. I hardly think Silver will simply choose to betray her partner.” “I think I can help there,” a new voice echoed in the throne chamber, as Cupell, the third member of the Twilight Apostles, stepped out of the shadows. They were grinning, showing a worrying amount of teeth. Both Xelus and Yume let out a yelp of surprise. “I told you not to just appear like that!” Yume said, her voice wavering. “My apologies.” Cupell bowed, but the grin did not leave their face.  Xelus shifted in place nervously. The alchemist had always unnerved him a bit. They had simply shown up one day, out of nowhere, with a mysterious elixir and an elaborate plan to defeat the Precious Elements. Xelus had to admit it had been a good plan, too: when the Elements were tricked into drinking the potion, they found their bodies suddenly swapped. The chaos that had caused had completely thrown off their teamwork, at least for a time. But as it turned out, Gold and Silver had been quarreling that day already, and something about spending time in each others’ bodies had allowed them to put aside their differences and come to a much better understanding of each other. After that, they had grown even more close, and more powerful than ever. Plus when they defeated his trash can MidKnight that week, it exploded and he couldn’t get the smell of moldy cheese out of his butler outfit for days. Regardless, ever since then, Cupell had a tendency to show up at the strangest times to dispense weird advice or even weirder elixirs, both of which never turned out exactly as expected. Despite his best efforts, Xelus hadn’t managed to learn anything else about the alchemist, but since Yume seemingly accepted their presence, he didn’t have any other recourse than to keep an eye on them. “Very well, then,” Yume said, drawing Xelus back out of his reflections. She waved for Cupell to continue. “What do you have for me?” Reaching into the folds of their black robes, Cupell produced a vial of some kind of fluid, bubblegum pink and slightly glowing. “A solution to your problem.” Yume’s eyebrows shot up and she grimaced. “Is this… I mean, Chapter III of the Tome has an entire section on the theory and practice of brainwashing, but I’m not really comfortable with— I mean, it’s just not really my style. So, I’m going to have to say no...” Oh sure, now she doesn’t trust the book, Xelus thought to himself. But he was equally uncomfortable with the thought of some kind of love potion, so he kept quiet. “Not at all,” Cupell said. “This is merely a draught of truth.” Yume blinked. “Truth? What good will that do?” Cupell’s expression was devious. “Well, if you truly wish to woo your prisoner, what better way than to force her to tell the truth, and then find out all her likes and dislikes? There’s nothing quite as revealing as the truth, after all. Then you are free to surprise her with the perfect gifts and take her on the most enchanting dates, making all of her wildest dreams come to life.” Xelus frowned. “That seems…” “Brilliant!” Yume said, her eyes sparkling. Xelus sighed heavily. “Yes. Brilliant. Precisely what I was about to say.” Cupell turned their head towards Xelus. He always hated the way their thick goggles hid their eyes entirely. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking. But the way they seemed to be focusing on him was… disconcerting. Yume didn’t notice. “Okay, so I’ll just take her the potion and...” “Madame Yume,” Cupell said smoothly. “Wouldn’t it be better to allow someone else to do so? Someone reliable and capable, who can be circumspect in their task, thus making sure Precious Silver is properly surprised when you show up later with a bouquet of her favorite flowers.” “Oh, excellent idea!” She turned towards Xelus, a hopeful smile on her face.  It really wasn’t fair. He wanted nothing to do with this particular scheme. He couldn’t even imagine if it actually succeeded, if Silver and Yume actually did get along well, and… and… married. After all, it wasn’t out of the question. Who wouldn’t want to marry Lady Yume? But yet… He couldn’t say no to that smile. Xelus bowed again. “My Lady, it would be my honor to assist in this endeavor.” She clapped her hands happily, bouncing up and down on her throne. She just looked so pleased. Xelus hadn’t seen her be this excited about a plan since the time they decided to interrupt the Precious Elements’ summer vacation, and got so distracted playing on the beach that they forgot to summon a MidKnight that week. That had been such a good time, even if he had gotten sand all in his butler’s uniform, since he couldn’t find a swimsuit that he actually felt okay with wearing. “Here you go,” Cupell said, handing the vial to Xelus. Their grin was back. “Be careful. You wouldn’t want to drop this, after all.” “Of course not,” Xelus scoffed. “What kind of amateur do you think I am?” The vial was just the slightest bit warm in his hands, and he carefully slipped it into the inner pocket of his butler’s jacket for safekeeping. He saluted sharply again. “I will return soon with the information you requested, My Lady.” “Great!” She hesitated, looking a bit worried, and Xelus waited, raising an eyebrow. “Xelus, please be careful. Even captured, Precious Silver may be dangerous.” “No need to worry,” he said confidently. “I’m certain that she’s no threat to me.” He bowed one more time, and then backed out of the throne room, making his way through the labyrinthine halls of the castle. At this point it was like second nature—no one else knew the castle as well as he did. Except for maybe Cupell, but Xelus suspected they used magic to sneak around, so effectively it didn’t count. But then, no one else even lived in the Castle Tenebrae other than the three of them. It wasn’t exactly a place for people. The twisting hallways led through portrait galleries and armories and a thousand other imposing and grand rooms, but only rarely passed by something that would be suitable for daily life. There was only a single kitchen, tucked away in a basement, and a mere handful of bedrooms in some of the tower suites. In fact, embarrassingly, a good part of his familiarity with the castle came from many frustrating attempts in finding the nearest bathroom. The castle was a place out of nightmares, perhaps a good place for an evil overlord to rule from, but not a particularly comfortable place to live in. Yet it was their place, because they didn’t have any other. It was another gift from Lady Yume’s father, and one couldn’t exactly say no to that—at least not until Lady Yume’s plans came to fruition. They had never talked about it directly, but when they brought eternal night upon the human world, perhaps then things would be different? Maybe they could move out and take residence in their new kingdom. Maybe it’d finally be an opportunity for a new kind of life, even if he was certain that the things he secretly wanted most would still be improper and out of reach. Because the thing was... the reason Xelus hated the Precious Elements so very much was not because of all the times they had defeated or embarrassed him in the past. No, he hated them because they got to have all of the things that he wished he could have. They got to live in the human world. They got to go to school with each other, and to play around in after-school clubs, and have sleepovers and study dates. They got to wear cute sailor uniforms and their flashy magical girl outfits with the floofy skirts. And they didn’t even appreciate it! That was the thing that no one seemed to realize... it wasn’t as if Xelus or Lady Yume were any older than Precious Silver or Precious Gold. But when you’re from the Darkness Dimension, things are just different. You’re created with a role to play: Lady Yume had to conquer the human world, and Xelus had to help her make that happen. They had no choice in the matter. They didn’t get to be teenage girls without a care in the world. And besides, even if there was some way for Xelus to escape, he would never leave Lady Yume on her own. So what if sometimes he took a bit longer on missions than necessary, hanging around to jealously watch Silver and Gold and their friends as they enjoyed sports day, or participated in a school festival, or just studied together in the library? He knew it didn’t matter because nothing would ever change. In the end, he would do his part and interrupt whatever they were doing with some big monster. They would do their part and defeat it. And then he’d come back to the castle again, dejected and despondent, and Lady Yume would cheer him up again, maybe by staying up late together to plan out a new approach for next time. Yes, that was fine. Xelus didn’t need some kind of normal human school life. He didn’t need to dwell on those gnawing feelings that sometimes rose up inside him, because feeding them would only make them worse. He had Lady Yume. That was life enough. ...unless the accursed Precious Elements took her away too. He heaved a sigh. If it was any consolation, it wasn’t as if the complicated plans like this one ever tended to work out. In fact, he thought as he rounded the corner and headed down the dungeon hall where he had left Precious Silver, with his rotten luck she would already be— He froze, looking through the iron bars into the small stone cell. The empty small stone cell.  He hurriedly checked the cells on either side, making sure that he hadn’t just gotten turned around. No, this was the right place. She wasn’t here. Had she escaped? He had been so careful this time, making sure to lock the door securely and reinforce the walls with dark magic that would prevent Precious Silver from using her magical girl powers. He’d even taken all of the spare keys they left lying around the dungeon and moved them out of reach this time.  Growing frantic, he unlocked the cell, and the door squealed as it swung open. He stepped inside. Where could she have possibly gone? There weren’t even any traces of… Some dirt fell from above, hitting him in the head.  As he looked up and caught sight of Precious Silver clinging to the ceiling, he had exactly enough time to think Whew. She didn’t escape, after all! And then the last thing he saw was a silver boot descending from above directly into his face.

Evan was on his third popsicle by the time the story finished, not to mention the countless s’mores he’d downed. All the sugar was making him thirsty, so he grabbed his massive water bottle from his cooler and took a long swig. It was going to be hard to beat Amanda and Flora’s stories - especially with Flora’s big transformation, but he was pretty sure he had this one in the bag - or in the bottle, rather. “Guess it’s my turn,” he said, smacking his lips and standing to begin telling his tale, the firelight adding warmth to his already warm reddish-brown complexion. “So, this is a story about four friends who loved the outdoors, and a hiking trip that changed everything…” A Transformative Trek by PunchlinePress Chapter 1 A mixture of dirt, loose stone, and dried autumn leaves crunched under foot as four intrepid hikers carried onwards. The orange, yellow, and red foliage littering the ground, combined with the ambient birdsong, made for an absolutely beautiful hike. “We’re totally lost,” Ben griped as he readjusted his bandana for the thirtieth time in the last hour. Out of everyone in the group, he was the most clearly athletic. He made his living as a personal fitness instructor, and was a crossfit nut that loved anything that got him sweating.  “I’m sure Scott knows exactly where we’re going,” Jay said, glancing back over his shoulder. Jay was a seamster with his own burgeoning brand of clothing. Though he was fairly average looking, his clothing designs were anything but. He tended to be fairly fussy over the group members and always insisted on double and triple checking itinerary and supplies for any trips they took, which had earned him the honorary position of ‘official mom friend’. “I do,” Scott said.” There should be a river about a mile east of us from here. That should take us back north to the trailhead.” He marched ahead, as he always did. He was the de facto leader of their hiking group ‘The Trailblazers’. He owned his own tech startup and was making a ton of money. He was also an avid nature enthusiast who loved being ‘unplugged’ for a weekend on the group’s various hiking and biking trips. I’m definitely the unlikely outcast of the group. I only joined because Jay dragged me into it. He said it would do me some good to get out of my “emo basement” and get some sun. We’d been friends since junior high, so I went along with it. I can’t say I’ve hated the experience. I make my living being mildly internet famous as a vocalist for an alternative rock band. Jay has generously referred to my style as “distressingly punk-goth”. Now that I actually get out and hike, I guess that makes me ‘an outdoorsy distressingly punk-goth’. We’d lost the trail about an hour in, and kept going on Scott’s insistence that he knew there was a river “just ahead” that would lead us back to the trailhead.  So far, we hadn’t seen so much as a reasonably sized puddle, much less a whole-ass river. I was starting to lose faith in our fearless leader.  As it turned out, ‘about a mile’ ended up being more like several miles. Roughly another hour ticked by as we trekked through the dense forest, adding an unpleasant mix of brambles to the ever-growing list of ‘things about this trip that I had had just about enough of for one godsdamned day, thank you very much!’  Thankfully,  the sound of running water became apparent about forty-five minutes in, and grew more pronounced the closer we got. My water bottle had been empty for a while, so I was looking forward to getting a nice cool drink to combat this absurdly warm autumn day. If an October day running near eighty-five was going to become the norm, Mother Nature needed to calm the hell down with global climate change.  “There, I told you I knew where we were going,” Scott announced as he emerged from the treeline into the clearing around the river. “Holy fucking shit finally!” Ben cheered as he ran to the banks of the river and immediately plunged his face into its crystal clear depths, drinking deep. A little extreme for my tastes, but hey, ‘a little extreme’ was an apt description for most things Ben did. For Ben in general, actually. “Remember to refill your water bottles, everyone,” Jay said, filling his bottle from the river and tossing a quick-dissolve purification tablet into it. The river itself was likely no more than fifteen feet wide and ten feet deep, but the truly impressive thing was that it ran crystal clear, without a trace of mud or silt to cloud up the water. That was a huge plus for using it as drinking water. At least it wouldn’t taste horrible, I hoped. Jay handed out purification tablets to each of us as we refilled, making sure that none of us would be stopping to shit our brains out for the rest of this hike back. Once a mom friend, always a mom friend.  There was a gathering of larger rocks near the river’s edge, so we all took a seat to get off our feet for a bit. Ben yanked off his shoes and socks and plunged his feet into the water, gasping. “Damn, that’s cold! Feels good though.” I’d have joined him, but I wasn’t going to go through all the effort of unlacing my hiking boots just to cool my feet for a few minutes. The sun had already passed its zenith by the time we stopped for our break, and was beginning its descent when Scott spoke up again. “Time to head out, ladies,” he joked.  Everyone else shared a good laugh as they started walking. I hadn’t found it particularly funny. I’d always hated when guys did the whole ‘using female terms as insults’ thing, jokingly or otherwise. It wasn’t worth arguing with them over, though, so I just grabbed my pack, slung the straps over my shoulders, and buckled the waist strap.  “Nobody’s leaving anything behind, right?” Jay asked. “No, Mom,” we all lovingly chorused back. “Next time we do this, we stick to the trails. No more scenic side-trips,” I complained as the brief respite almost instantly faded, and my feet were back to aching. I should have bought better inserts for these boots, but they were new and I didn’t think they’d felt that bad in the store. I was paying for that opinion now in spades. Each step was like shards of glass burning in my soles. Or maybe I was just being the melodramatic emo edgelord I am in my heart of blackened hearts.  Normally I enjoyed hikes with the guys. Getting out in nature was never my idea of fun as a kid, but I’d really taken to it as a young adult. Life was a depressing, crushing mess of hopelessness, but the wilderness had a way of making you feel like it was going to be okay - at least for right now. Right here, out in the thick of it, there was no stack of emails from potential video sponsors, lyric sheets to proof, tracks to record… it was just peaceful. Not that I hated doing those things, I mean, I love making music. The worst part is just all the business between making said music. Even with the hassles of the business side though, it beat ever going back to slinging packages for Amazon. Worst job I ever had. Fuck that. I tried to push my worries about the past and the modern world aside and just enjoy what remained of this hike. Once we reached the trailhead we’d be on our way back to civilization, and a return to work on Monday.  “You know, I think I remember a story about this river,” Jay said. “Something about it being blessed by an ancient Native American spirit… Wohpe, I think?” “Yeah, right,” Ben laughed. “You believe too much hoaky superstitious crap.” “Hey, I just have a healthy appreciation for the supernatural.” “Sure, sure. That’s why you had us climb all through that industrial complex looking for a ghost you swore you saw, right?” Ben teased. “Hey, that was a legitimate sighting, I had photos and EVPs!” Jay protested. “Suuuure you did,” Ben laughed. “What all did we find there again, Adam?” “A bunch of trash, a garbage bag stuck to a branch in a window, and a couple drunk-out-of–their-heads homeless guys,” I listed, ticking them off on my fingers. “Oh yeah, thanks,” Ben chuckled. “So yeah, what’s the BS clickbait story about this river then, Mr. Paranormal Expert?” “Dick,” Jay grumbled lightheartedly. “Supposedly it was blessed so that any tribes that lived by its waters and drank from them would have tribal unity, or something. You know, the vague stuff blessings are always about in fantasy.” “Well I guess we’re lucky we bottled some up for the walk and have plenty more where that came from, eh?” Scott called back over his shoulder. “We’ll have plenty of unity for our tribe of four.” He popped the cap on his bottle and took a swig before re-capping it and slinging it back to his waist.  After that, the conversation fell away to scattered remarks and replies, leaving room once more for the birdsong around the river. It was louder and even more beautiful here, amplified by open space and the water.  Despite the rough patch in the middle of the hike, now that we were on our way out of the woods, I finally started to feel like things were going to be okay again. Chapter 2 Normally I liked to keep my focus on the trail while we walked, but with this being a straight shot pretty much, I let my mind wander. It’d been pretty wild that we ended up as a group. Jay knew all these guys from different places, but had never hung out with them together. It was pure dumb luck that we all happened to be hiking a trail the exact same day about three years back. There’d been an awkward moment where everyone greeted Jay at once, except me, who’d been there on my first ever hiking expedition at Jay’s behest.  We all agreed to hike the trail together, a plan devised by Jay, the mediator-in-chief; thankfully there were no personality conflicts. Scott was the most senior hiker amongst us, with Ben just behind him and Jay behind him. Scott had been hiking since he was in his early teens, and was now in his late twenties. Ben was only a few years behind him, and Jay had only started hiking about two years ago at this point. We hiked the trail, shot the shit, and generally bro-bonded. I’d never been much of a joiner in high school, so this had been an experience for me. I still didn’t feel like one of the guys, but at least I could get involved with the group and have fun most of the time. Each of them had something I wished I had: Scott’s visionary leadership, Jay’s boundless compassion, Ben’s unwavering courage… if I’d had even one of their good traits, I might not have floundered so badly in my early life.  Maybe it wasn’t about that, though. Might have just been my shitty home life. Mom was never around, and dad was an abusive drunk, so I didn’t have a whole lot of advantages making sure I got off to a strong start. Instead of taking the initiative and getting out, having the courage to defend myself, or the compassion to relate to my deadbeat dad and help him with his issues, I was just… me. Just another reserved emo kid in his room who waited out his time until high school was over, and ran for the hills as soon as he could. At least it worked out. I was pretty happy with the life I had right now. Sure, I lived in a pretty crappy basement apartment, but it had great acoustics for recording, and the rent was cheap. I had online friends, and this group of guys, a bunch of followers and patreon supporters, what wasn’t to love? Well, other than myself at least. I’d never been a big fan of myself. Most of why I got into the body-modding I did. Piercings, tats, hair dye, weird hair cuts, tattooed on guy-liner, and I always kept my nails done in matte black. Stereotypical? Maybe. But everyone states their ‘individuality’ by conforming to one clique or another. It was better than trying to look like a prep school hopeful or some mathlete all-star. Not that I had issues with the decent examples of either specimen… but most were jerks or completely socially inept. My thoughts had wandered so far off track from where they started that I had to snap myself back to reality. I wasn’t sure how long the trip down memory lane had lasted, but my throat was dry and burning. I unscrewed the cap on my bottle and took a long swig before re-capping it and letting it drop back to the side of my travel pack. I wasn’t the most observant guy under the sun, but something seemed a bit off as I checked back in with my friends, hoping to get an idea how much longer we’d be walking for. That broken glass feeling in my shoes had gone away, but now I had the annoyingly alien sensation of walking in shoes that felt too damn big. They weren’t exactly flopping off my feet, but there was decidedly more wiggle room. Maybe the leather had stretched? “Hey, Scott, how much further?” I asked. “About two miles,” he called back to me. His voice sounded… different; deeper somehow? Maybe it was just the weird sound amplifying quality of the river basin. “Everyone still good on water? We can stop and refill if needed,” Jay reminded everyone. He sounded different too, but in the other direction. His normally neutral tone sounded far softer, almost feminine.  “Hold up a minute, I need a refill,” Ben piped up, veering over to the river. Unlike before, there was now a bit of an embankment down to the edge. “Be careful,” Jay cautioned. “Yeah, yeah,” Ben waved him off, doing a controlled slide down. I checked my bottle and realized it was nearly empty as well. I didn’t remember drinking that much, but I guess I must have. That, or it was evaporating out of the bottle. I sighed and slid down after him to refill mine as well. “You need a haircut,” Ben teased as he filled his bottle beside mine. I tucked a few errant strands behind my ear. “Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled noncommittally. Ben always gave me shit about my hair. Lots of guys had shoulder length hair, but apparently since I was an emo and had mine dyed black with purple highlights, it was fair game for mocking. “It’s no longer than Jay’s, and you don’t give him shit.” “Well of course Jay has long hair,” Ben reasoned, capping his bottle. Whatever his conclusion to that line of logic, it went unsaid as he began scrabbling back up the embankment. Solid argument, Ben. Oh well. I liked my hair, so he could take his opinion and stuff it. I finished refilling my bottle and hurried up the embankment after him.  Just as I neared the top, my foot slipped, nearly coming out of my boot entirely. Scott grabbed my wrist and pulled me up to safety, and I managed to shove my foot back in my boot. “Careful,” he said in that deep, even tone. “Right… thanks,” I mumbled. “You okay?” Jay asked, checking me over. “Fine, thanks,” I nodded. “Good to go.” “Good to go,” Scott repeated as he resumed the steady pace north.  I rubbed the spot on my wrist where he’d caught me. It felt a bit sore, and I could see the shape of his hand where it had grabbed me. Had his hand always been that big and I’d never noticed? What about Jay? When he’d been checking me over, I swear he was a little taller than me. I’d always been the same height. Maybe I was just slouching, or still standing a bit lower than him on the embankment? Weird. Ben didn’t seem to think anything was up, so I let it slide, following after my friends without another thought on the subject. I really was absolutely sick of the heat though. Every step felt like I was practically dragging myself forward, even though my muscles weren’t exactly tired. It got really bad when my shorts started slipping. I wasn’t even aware that you could get so sweaty that your pants start sliding off. I downed more of the water to try to compensate for the immense volume of sweat I was putting out to try to cool off, but it didn’t seem to be doing much. Ben seemed to be having issues as well. His clothes were clinging to his body like a second skin, but still somehow seemed oversized. I didn’t remember baggy gear being his thing - usually he preferred sports shirts that clung to him like they were painted on. Maybe he’d stretched this one out a bit over time?  Jay had clearly rolled up his pant legs to deal with the heat, or something, because most of his leg was bare from the knee down to the pink socks and simple hiking sneakers he wore. Took a bold guy to wear pink, but then I guess it takes a bold guy to be a seamster too. Scott on the other hand had doffed his shirt completely, wrapping it around his waist and tying off the sleeves. It did a lot to reveal his cut physique. I didn’t remember him being quite that buff last time I saw him, but damn if he didn’t look it now. Maybe he’d been hitting the gym lately. The ersatz death march continued, with the abysmal dragging sensation only becoming worse and worse. I nearly tripped over my own pant leg before yanking the waistband back up where it belonged. “Can we take a second?” I asked, needing to get a drink. “Sure,” Scott agreed. The ground had fallen to be flush with the riverbank again, so we were able to get another refill much more easily. “Can you fill mine for me too, Scott? I’m going to get the sunscreen before you burn to a crisp. You’re already starting to tan.” Jay reached into his bag and fished around for a moment. “Sure thing. Thanks Jay.” He smiled and set to filling up the bottles as Jay began applying the lotion to his back. Watching him apply the lotion was bizarre. It was more like Jay tending to a girlfriend who’d asked him to lotion up her back at the beach, instead of one dude slapping lotion on his buddy’s back. Maybe he was just leaning harder into the mom friend stereotype after taking care of us idiots all day. Clearly we’d all had too much sun and not nearly enough fun. I refilled my bottle, took another drink, refilled the amount I’d just drained, and capped the bottle off, tucking it back into the side pocket of my backpack. “Hey, can you put mine in my bag for me?” Ben asked, turning to hand me his bottle. “Oh, sure,” I nodded, slipping it into the mesh netting on the side of his bag. Usually he had no problem reaching it, but I swear it looked bigger on him - like a turtle shell strapped to his back that threatened to tip him over backwards if he didn’t lean forwards a bit. Stranger still was when Jay came over to see if we wanted any sunscreen, and I realized he was definitely a couple inches taller than me now. What the fuck was going on? “Do things seem… weird to you?” I asked, suddenly aware of how different my voice sounded. I cleared my throat a few times to try to dislodge whatever frog was stuck in there. “Nope, why?” Jay asked, dabbing some lotion on my hand for me to apply to my face and arms to avoid burns. He did the same for Ben, who began applying it generously. I followed suit and started applying my own coverage. “Just… I used to be taller than you, right?” I asked Jay. Jay just laughed - though it sounded suspiciously close to a giggle. “Not quite yet,” he teased before turning back towards Scott. “We all ready to go?” Scott asked, smiling back at us. Since when did he have that stereotypical woodsman-dad-beard? He looked like he’d stepped out of a Land’s End catalog.  “Yep, looks like it.” Jay said. “Alright, let’s get moving. Not far yet, and I wanna get back to the cars before dark.” Scott turned and began walking again, continuing the trek ever northwards.  I checked the position of the sun. It felt like it had dipped much further than it should have in so little distance covered. How long had we been walking? Were Scott’s calculations off?  I had to roll up my jeans a few times too, now wishing I’d worn shorts, despite the threat of trail hazards. Those thorn bushes earlier would have sliced me up like emo cheesecake earlier if I had been wearing shorts, though. I tucked a few errant strands of blonde behind my ear, annoyed with the breeze for blowing them into my face, even though the breeze felt amazing.  Wait. Blonde? I brushed more hair forward into my field of view, and found not black tinged with purple, but a bright strawberry blonde. It reminded me a lot of Jay’s hair, actually. I looked back at him to compare. Yep. Almost a 1:1 match… when had Jay’s hair grown down to his mid-back though? Something was seriously wrong here, and I had barely noticed it happening unless I was consciously focusing on it.  That wasn’t the only change about Jay either - he was walking with a definite sway to his hips. Rounded, pronounced hips. Actually, that wasn’t all that had rounded out either… from this vantage, I’d swear I was following a girl.  “Almost there, not long now,” Scott called back. “Fiiinally,” Ben whined. His voice sounded higher, lending him an air of petulance. I looked away from Jay and over at Ben. His hair had changed from the usual dark brown to a light strawberry blonde, not unlike my own and Jay’s. It remained at its usual half-buzzed length though, still swept back in a style that looked a bit too mature for the rest of his face now, which had an almost boyish charm to it. The jaw that could cut glass had receded, leaving him much softer looking overall. I realized we were about the same height now, despite the fact that he’d stood a good three or so inches taller than me before.  “What the hell is going on?” I asked as we tromped along.  “Huh?” Ben asked, looking back at me. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed as he saw me. “What? What’s wro–” Jay’s voice cut out as he looked back at us too. I could see now that all of him looked just as feminine as the backside view did.  Scott stopped, looking at us as well. He hadn’t changed nearly as much, other than taking on a bit more muscle than he had at the start of the hike, and a bit more facial hair. He had a decidedly suburban dad look to him - but like, a young dad that hadn’t embraced a dad-bod yet.  “What the hell, Adam? You look like a girl!” Ben gasped. “Me?! You look like a kid!” I shot back. “I do not!” he shot back, before glancing down at himself. He seemed suddenly aware of how his clothes were nearly hanging off of him. “Oh, fuck…” “You two… what happened?” Jay asked as she - er, he(?) approached us. I could tell now we were both shorter than him, putting us head level to his neck. Were I a less principled man, I would be looking down at his chest, pressing into his damp t-shirt without any kind of a bra. Okay, maybe I had looked a little bit.  “Us? What happened to you?! You’ve got bigger tits than your sister!” Ben blurted out. Jay looked down suddenly, took in a breath, then screamed high and shrill.  Scott was with us in an instant, confusion writ plain on his face. “What he fuck? What’s happening to you guys?”  “I don’t fucking know!” Ben shouted, panicking.  “Look at me… I have tits, what the fuck? I know you guys called me the group mom friend but… but what the fuck is this?” He gripped his chest in disbelief, then blushed fiercely and let them go. “Careful, I hear those are sensitive,” I teased. Somehow, I wasn’t quite as freaked out about my own changes. Certainly not as badly as Jay was. “Let’s find out,” Ben jeered, reaching over towards me and flicking me in the chest.  Pain lanced through my nipple. “Ow!” I shouted, instinctively covering it. I felt the small swells of modest breasts press into my arms. Oh. Shit. I really was a girl… “Alright, look, we’ll get back to the car, get to a hospital, and figure this out. That’s all we can do right now,” Scott, ever the leader, decreed.  “Right, right, okay,” Jay took several deep breaths, trying to steady himself. The way his breasts were heaving with each breath couldn’t have made that an easy task.  Ben was staring at them too, I noticed. “Seriously? Jay turns into a girl and you’re checking her out?” I snapped at him. “You’d rather have me check you out instead?” he grinned, looking me over from head to toe. I shuddered and covered my chest with my arms again. “No, that’s creepy… you’re going to feel super gay when we get whatever this is taken care of.” I didn’t have anything against gay people - not even a little bit. Love whoever you want! But I knew that Ben was a typical bro who would spurn any suggestion he was anything but a red blooded straight guy. “No way! Fuck, you’re right,” he groaned, turning away. “I gotta wash my eyes out or something.” He grabbed his water bottle and splashed some on his face for dramatic effect. He probably shouldn’t have, though. When he opened his eyes again, they’d gone from blue to green - the same as Scott’s. “Dude… you just… the water! The water just changed your eye color! It has to be what did this!” Jay chirped loudly. “What?” Scott asked.  “This river is blessed, remember! This has to be it!” “Seriously? I doubt that supernatural mumbo-jumbo caused this.” “Oh, what’s your superiorly educated opinion then, Scott?” Jay asked, planting his hands on his hips. “I… I don’t know. Fuck. Let’s just get to the hospital, get this fixed, and never speak of it again, okay?” With that, he turned and quickly resumed his march. “...I guess we’re going then,” Ben shrugged, following Scott. “You okay, Jay?” I asked, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. It felt like a natural thing to do. He jumped slightly, startled by the contact. “Oh… yeah, uh, no, no not really. I hope they can fix this… I can’t be a girl, Adam. I can’t. Why aren’t you more freaked out about this?” I shrugged. “Guess I’m just… not? I feel pretty good, actually.” “Must be nice,” he grumbled, turning and walking away. I saw him bring his arms up to brace his chest. Apparently his new breasts didn’t come with a bra any more than mine did. Speaking of which, now that I was aware of mine, I was really aware of them brushing against my shirt with every step I took. That was going to get really annoying really fast.  Thankfully, it really wasn’t all that far to the trailhead from where we’d made our discovery. There we were able to follow it back to the parking lot nearby, and the sanctuary where we’d left our cars - and all logical trappings of how reality works, apparently. Except there was only one car. Jay’s powder blue four door SUV. The back had now been adorned with bumper stickers for the local high school back in town, and an Honor Roll Student On Board sticker. Ugh. How tacky. “Where the fuck is my car?” Ben asked, storming over to the now empty space where it had been parked. I looked at the equally empty space beside it. Mine was gone too, obviously. Not that I’d really miss the beat up old Nissan, but paying to replace it would suck ass. “Mine’s gone too…” Scott grumbled. Sucked for him, since he had been driving a really nice BMW. “Guess we’re taking mine then,” Jay said with a resigned sigh. “This is fucking insane, if I don’t get my car back after all this, I’m gonna lose my shit,” Ben was freaking out. “We’ll figure it out, Ben. For now… just get in the car and let’s go.” For lack of a better plan, we all piled in. Scott climbed into the drivers’ side out of instinct, and instead of complaining, Jay simply got on the passenger side and handed him the key. The engine rumbled to life, we backed out of the space, and pulled out onto the road. I hoped the staff at the hospital could help us… because otherwise, we were in some deep shit. Chapter 3 Scott pulled the minivan into a space in the parking garage and left the engine running to avoid killing the AC. “So what are we going to tell them?” I asked, breaking the silence for the first time since we’d left the trail. “I don’t know. Do any of you still have an ID to prove you are who you say you are?” Scott asked. Probably a question we should have considered before driving here, and paying for parking. Scott might be our leader, but that didn’t make him infallible in a crisis situation, I guess. Jay fished into his back pocket and produced his wallet, quickly flipping it open to his drivers’ license. “Jane Robinson?” he muttered, staring at the flimsy card. “What?” Scott asked, looking at the ID. “Why do you have my last name? This license looks like it belongs to… well, the girl-you…” Jay nodded numbly. “Yeah. It does look like that, doesn’t it?” I grabbed mine next, flipping to my license. I had an idea what it might say after what happened with Jay’s ID. “Anna Robinson,” I said, showing Scott and Jay.  It wasn’t a drivers’ license though. It was a student ID for a ninth grader at the local high school. “No, no fucking way, no way no way!” Ben was protesting beside me. He dropped his ID on the floor and pulled his legs up away from it like it might bite him. I reached over and grabbed it. “Don’t!” he shouted, but made no move to stop me from looking at it. “Bianca Robinson,” I read, “wait a second…” I looked over at him more carefully. Then I repaid his earlier dick-move and punched him square in the chest. He let out a pained yelp and covered his chest. “Ow fuck, you dick!”  I couldn’t help but laugh. It came out as a giggle, which I hardly cared about given the gravity of our situation. “Knock it off back there!” Jay snapped. With instincts honed by years of family road trips, Ben retracted to his spot, apologizing. “Sorry, mom!” he blurted out before realizing what he had said. Everyone remained silent for a moment. A long moment. “Fuck,” Scott eloquently broke the silence. “Yeah,”  Jay agreed. That was the reason we shared the same surname now, wasn’t it? Scott and Jay - rather, Jane, were our parents. Judging by our birthdays listed on our student IDs… Ben - or Bianca, if you like - and I were twin sisters. Identical twins, if the reflection in the car window was anything to go by. I looked just like Ben - but my hair was still long while his maintained his short guys’ cut from before this happened. “So what do we do now?” Jay asked. “I have no idea. Go home, make an appointment, take sick time off work, wait and see what happens until we get in front of a doctor?” “Then what? What do we tell a doctor about this, Scott?” Jay folded his arms. “I don’t know, Jay, I don’t know. This isn’t something that actually happens in the real world! We can’t just go to a doctor and say “Hi, yes, my wife and daughters were both guys a few days ago and now they’re not. Please help. They don’t make a shot for that, or a pill, patch, or anything else!” I could tell he was losing his cool. It was bringing back uncomfortable memories of my own father. My eyes began to sting and I could feel tears forming, coming unbidden and spilling forth.  The sounds of my small sobs silenced everyone else.  “Hey… uh… it’s going to be okay,” Jay said, looking back from the front seat. He was the only one I’d ever confided my secrets with; who knew about my dad.  “Let’s just go home for now. I’m assuming since we all had apartments except for you, Scott, that your house is our house now.” Scott took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, calming himself. “If everything about our IDs changed, I’d assume none of you have apartments anymore, so you living with me makes some sick sense.” He put the car in reverse, and backed out of the parking space to begin the drive back to his place. Nobody said much on the cross-town drive, nor the walk up to the front of Scott’s ridiculous three bedroom two bath townhouse. We stepped into the home of not a lonely bachelor, but a family of four. A shoe rack with numerous shoes of various sizes sat in the foyer, beneath a wall rack of coat and scarves and hats. The decor around the living room and dining room were decidedly masculine, with artistic feminine touches. It was the kinda place I imagined would be the result of Scott and Jay actually being a couple, not that that had been an option before, as neither were into guys. Well, I assumed they weren’t at least. Jay was possibly bi, but he’d never confirmed nor denied that, that I knew of.  Curious, I trudged upstairs while Scott and Jay surveyed the first floor. The second floor hallway featured new signs on two of the doors. The former guest bedroom now had a sign reading “Bianca”, while the former home office now had a sign reading “Anna”.  I opened the door to ‘my’ room, and stepped inside. I’d expected it to be some caricature of girlishness. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything like that. The room didn’t look that much different than my apartment bedroom had. Clearly the den of a person with a taste for goth-punk aesthetics and alternative rock. The walls and carpet were neutral colors - likely because in this reality, Anna’s parents had refused to paint the walls black or purple, or replace the cream colored carpet. The bed sheets retained my signature black and purple theme though, and there were so many posters of my favorite bands hanging up.  I heard another door in the hallway open, and figured Ben must be checking out his room, too. I’d check in with him in a minute. I was curious about my closet. At first I dreaded it’d be all pink frilly dresses, but that wasn’t the case. Not a single dash of pink in sight. Blacks, greys, purples, everything fitting my typical aesthetic vibe. I appreciated girl-me a bit more. I really wanted to get out of these massively oversized clothes and get comfy, but that wasn’t super practical at the moment. With that in mind, I left my room for the moment to see what Ben was up to. I found him standing in the middle of a room that looked like a boy’s bedroom, if I’m honest. Sports posters everywhere, although I noticed that there were no player posters - no athletic guys hanging on his walls. There were a few girls though, soccer players mostly. I wondered if “Bianca” was a lesbian. Was it too early to know things like that? What was Anna? I debated testing myself to see what I might be, but that could wait.  “This can’t be real,” Ben mumbled, sitting on the edge of his bed. I noticed his sheets were done up in Denver colors - his favorite football team as a guy. “It sure looks real to me,” I said quietly, moving over to sit beside him on the bed. “Yeah,” Ben sighed. “So what now? Jay and Scott are downstairs just sitting at the kitchen table not saying anything. We’ve got bedrooms here. Are we really…?” “Their kids? I guess so in whatever twisted reality this is. So much is different now…” “Yeah. You don’t seem too bothered though, other than crying in the car… what’s going on, Adam?” I shrugged my slender shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just… not bothered by this. That weird discomfort I always felt before, the pain and uneasiness, that’s gone. I just feel… normal.” Ben stared at me for a long moment. I wondered if he’d make fun of me, if he’d call me something derogatory for not being repelled by this. “Me too,” he said after a long pause. I hadn’t been expecting that.  “What?” I asked. “Yeah… I’m… I think I’m trans, Adam. Like, for a long time and I’ve just been telling myself I wasn’t?” It was my turn to be stunned. I had no idea what to say. “You’re… not going to call me a freak, are you? Or anything worse?” I could hear his voice trembling.  “No,” I said, meeting his watery eyes. “I… guess I might be too? Maybe that’s why I’m cool with being a girl.” Ben sniffled hard. “Do you… think you’d be okay being a girl forever? Like, how does this feel for you?” I shrugged. “Feels like… me, I guess. I don’t feel great or terrible. Just like a normal person.”  Ben sniffled again.  “Why, how does it feel for you?” I asked. He was quiet for a moment, and then burst into tears. “It feels great,” he admitted, hugging me. It was awkward for a moment… but only a moment. I hugged him - no, her - back.  “Hey, uh… it’ll be okay, Be– … Bianca.”  She squeezed me even tighter, crying harder into my shoulder.  That’s where Scott and Jay found us about an hour later. Bianca had fallen asleep wrapped around me, and I’d seen no reason to disrupt her.  “Hey,” Scott said quietly. “Hey,” I replied, smiling slightly. “Is he…?” “She,” I began, “asleep, yeah.”  Scott and Jay traded a look over the correction, then looked back at me. “She?” Jay asked. I nodded. “She wants to be Bianca. She’s trans,” I said. “I think… I might be too? I kinda wanna be Anna.” They exchanged another look, this one longer. I could see the unspoken conversation passing between them. “Okay,” Scott said, eventually. “I was talking to Jay–” “Jane,” she said.  “Jane,” Scott corrected himself, “and she said she wants to remain like this, too. I… haven’t really been changed, other than looking a bit better, I guess, so I don’t really have anything to ‘change back’. I guess the question is what do we do now?” I shrugged, looking down at Bianca, head in my lap, one arm still around me. “I don’t know, Dad… what do we do?” Scott’s jaw went slack for a moment upon hearing the title… but then shifted to a smile. “I guess we give this a try. Welcome to the Robinson family.” I smiled back at him, and saw Jane– Mom doing the same thing. My life before had been lonely as hell without these three, and my stray internet lurker friends. Now I had a proper family. We all had a proper family. Maybe that river really was blessed. It certainly improved our tribal unity. Evan took another swig of water as he finished telling the story. His voice had been climbing higher and higher as he went, and now with the tale finished, she stood before them all, completely changed. Eve brushed a hand through her mid-back length hair, smiling at the others. “So… anyone thirsty?” she offered the half-empty water bottle, grinning and taking a seat to let the next person take their turn. She speared another marshmallow on a stick and prepared for round two of her s’mores feast, hoping that these things were heading directly for her hips. They’d look even better in those new jeans she had waiting at home~ PunchlinePress a.k.a Mikaela Mann is the author of Finding Alex, and several other stories that can be found on ScribbleHub, TGStoryTime, and DeviantArt.

When Xelus came to, he wasn’t quite certain how much time had passed. At first he wasn’t even certain where he was or why he had decided to take a nap in the castle’s dungeon, until his memory caught back up and he realized exactly what had happened. There was no sign of Precious Silver. That thought sent a spike of panic into him, dragging him back up to his feet, even if he still felt pretty dazed. But this… this was bad. It wasn’t just a matter of failing in his task; it meant that one of the Precious Elements was loose and wandering around the castle. And he wasn’t even there to protect Lady Yume! He tried to shake off the dizziness and made his way as quickly as possible down the castle halls, simultaneously cursing the maze-like path back to the throne room while also hoping desperately that Precious Silver would be completely lost herself. If that bought him enough time to return to Lady Yume’s side… That was all that mattered. By the time Xelus stumbled back into the throne room, the combination of pushing himself to run through the castle and the lingering dizziness from being knocked out meant the whole room was spinning. Thankfully, though, his prayers were answered: Lady Yume was still safe, with no sign of Precious Silver. Seeing Yume sitting sideways on the throne, legs thrown over its arm as she idly flipped through the Tome, he could finally let out a breath of relief. And then he collapsed. With a gasp, Lady Yume was at his side. “Xelus! Xel! Are you okay? Oh darkness, did Precious Silver do this to you? You’re… you’re bleeding!” He was…? He touched his chest, and sure enough his fingers came away sticky. But… he was pretty sure his blood wasn’t supposed to be pink.  “The potion!” he wailed. “Wh-what?” “It must have broken in my pocket...” There must have been a lot more of it in that tiny vial than expected, because the whole front of his uniform was soaked through. Probably ruined too—that stain was never coming out. He felt worse than ever. “My Lady, I have failed you again.” “I don’t care about that,” she said, fluttering around him anxiously. “You’re more important than any plan. Stay still, I’ll get you a pillow. Oh, where’s that alchemist when you need them!”  “I’m okay,” he said, struggling to his feet once again despite her protests. “I was just dizzy. I… I let my guard down and Silver overpowered me and escaped. But I’m here now, I can protect you!” “You’re hurt, Xel. I can protect myself. And you.” Negative energy crackled in the air around her, as Lady Yume’s expression turned dark. “And trust me, when I find her, she will pay for this.” “Do not trouble yourself, My Lady.” Xelus shook his head. “I truly am fine! I can still capture her again. She has to be somewhere in the castle, and if she tries using her magical powers, we’ll be able to sense it. I’ll hunt her down, and then we’ll get another potion, or figure something out, or— I don’t know. I’m not ready to give up yet. If… if she is the one you want, I will stop at nothing to make that happen.” Yume looked positively murderous. “Absolutely not. I will never marry someone who would do something like this to my best fr— my butler. My best butler.” “I mean, I did lock her up in a dungeon,” Xelus said. “I can’t blame her for trying to fight back.” Yume pursed her lips. “I suppose. But still! How rude!” She shook her head firmly. “Unacceptable. Not wife material.” “Then…” Xelus felt his heart leap. “You’re giving up on finding a bride?” “Oh.” Yume hesitated. “No. I still want to do that. But I will simply have to find someone else. Someone more suited to ruling at my side.” Xelus sighed, his excitement fading as rapidly as it had arrived. Of course his Lady would not be so easily discouraged. They were right back to where they started. Perhaps even worse off, because who else was out there? Xelus felt confident that no one in this dimension or any other was truly good enough for Lady Yume. But at the very least, he knew that she should be with someone who recognized the immeasurable fortune they had in being able to be with her, and knew how to treat her with the utmost respect and love. “I wish that could be me,” he whispered. And then he froze, realizing that he had just said those words out loud. Maybe Lady Yume hadn’t heard though? Maybe… “...What?” Uh oh. “What did you just say, Xel?” Yume repeated, sounding more than a little surprised. Xelus swallowed. Okay. No problem. He’d just push his feelings down, lie about it, and they’d move on with their business. “I said I wish that could be me,” he said again, and then he blinked. He opened his mouth again. “I mean… I was saying… I was saying that I wish it could be me that you marry.” The panic set in, and he hurried to try and explain. “B-because I’m hopelessly in love with you.” This was when Xelus realized that the truth potion that had been in his pocket, the one that had broken and spilled all over him… Apparently it worked rather well. Yume stared at him, completely speechless. “Xel… I… You…” She took a breath. “Really?” “Yes,” Xelus said, and then clasped his hands over his mouth. Yume kept staring, as if she had been frozen by some kind of magic, and Xelus grasped for something that felt safe to say, some way to explain that she didn’t need to worry, that he meant it, but didn’t really mean it. “I’ve never brought it up before because I don’t think I’m good enough for you,” he finally said. At least he could articulate that: it was certainly the truth. His shoulders slumped, and he couldn’t quite meet Lady Yume’s eyes. “And because I know you do need a bride. I’ve seen the specific kinds of romance books you sneak into your room when you think I’m not paying attention.” “Wh-wh-what?” Yume said, her face turning beet red. “There’s nothing wrong with that!” Xelus said hastily. “Even if your father might not understand, I support you completely and wholeheartedly. Honestly, on some level, I totally get it.” Yume swallowed. “...Really? You’re okay with that? With me?” “Of course. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. And you’re right: maybe that involves a queen.” He sighed heavily. “But that’s why I know I don’t have a chance with you, because you don’t know that I’m a girl.” A moment of stunned silence passed. What?! That was not what Xelus had meant to say. His words had gotten twisted around! “I-I-I mean… I’ve always wanted to be a girl.” No, not that either! “I… I don’t mean to be telling you this!” he wailed. “It’s the truth potion! I normally just lie to myself!” “Xelus…” He just kept babbling, certain that he was making it worse but unable to stop. “I pretend that I’m fine with being seen as a guy, because I’m convinced that no one could possibly see me as a girl.” He buried his face in his hands. “And I’m terrified that if you found out the truth, you’d no longer want to be around me. Aaagh, I hate this!” “Xelus!” He finally shut up, but kept his face hidden behind his hands. He couldn’t look at her, not like this. Not after saying all of that. Maybe Castle Tenebrae would just open up a pit of darkness beneath him and he could be buried deep down in the foundations or something, because this was too embarrassing. Or maybe Lady Yume would just leave. She would walk away, and he’d know that she had dismissed him from her service, and then he could slink off into the darkness. Sure, he’d have to find a new job… and a new home… and a new friend… But… It would be for the best. He heard Lady Yume’s footsteps, and trembled, hoping she’d at least make it quick. He couldn’t suffer any more like this. And then, to his great shock, he felt a pair of arms encircle him and pull him close. Lady Yume was hugging him. Ironically all he could think about was: oh no, her dress was going to wind up stained too. “Xel,” she said softly, one hand gently rubbing up and down on his back. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say any more if you don’t want to. But if you do, I’ll listen okay? And I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.” “Really?” “Really.” She pulled back a bit, just enough that she could look him directly in the eyes. “You’re not just my butler, or my evil general or whatever. I’ve never thought of you that way. You’re my friend. My most important friend.” Xelus found himself tongue-tied, and all he could do was blush, trying not to shake in her arms. This was not what he expected. Even having learned his greatest shame, she still thought of him as… as a friend? That was more than he could ever hope for. “Xel…” Lady Yume smiled, but then she hesitated, chewing on her lip. “Can… can I ask you a question? I don’t want to take advantage of the truth potion and force you to say something that you’d rather not, but…” “Go ahead,” Xelus said, feeling a bit out of breath at having her so close, paying attention only to him. “I’ve already revealed my deepest secret. I… I’ll tell you anything.” “Okay,” she said, but she still took a moment to find her words. “What’s your name?” she finally asked. “What would you really like to be called?” She saw his eyes widen and hastily added, “But you only have to answer that if you want, remember.” “I-it’s okay.” He took his time to think about names, to consider who he was and who he wished that he was and who he could allow himself to be, but as a thousand doubts suddenly fought with one another in his head, he stopped, cleared his mind, and opened his mouth. In this case, maybe the truth potion could actually be of some use. “It’s… Xelissa,” he said. Lady Yume gave the biggest smile, her eyes crinkling in that all-too-familiar way that made one’s breath catch. “That’s a beautiful name,” she said. “For a beautiful person.” “But I… I don’t look the way that I want to. I can’t…” The words died out. Accursed truth potion! “I don’t know how to let myself be her.” “I may be able to help with that,” a voice said from the shadows, and both of them let out a scream. Cupell appeared out of nowhere, wearing the same mysterious smile as before. Xel sort of expected Lady Yume to pull away, to retreat to a more respectable distance such as to not be seen hugging someone like this. But she just clutched even closer, bristling protectively. “Don’t just appear out of nowhere like that!” Yume snapped. But then curiosity won out. “You can help, though? Really?” Cupell nodded. “I can brew a potion to change one’s body. It’ll take time for its full effects to bear fruit, and you’ll need to regularly keep taking it afterwards, but trust me: it will work.” “I… I can be her? I can be Xelissa?” “Seems to me you already are,” Cupell said, grinning. “It’s just a matter of letting your outside catch up to the inside.” Tears suddenly pricked at his—her—eyes. Maybe that too was something that she couldn’t lie about any more, not even to herself. “Thank you,” Xelissa said. “Thank you so much.” And then she was sobbing, and Yume was squeezing her close again, whispering comforting things. She cried and cried, letting out what seemed like a lifetime of feelings. When she finally stopped, she felt exhausted, but in a way, kind of renewed too. She sniffed again, trying to collect herself. Yume pulled back a bit, but her hand reached out to cup Xelissa’s cheek. She kept gazing at her, her expression shifting into something complicated that Xelissa didn’t recognize at all. “Thank you, My Lady,” Xelissa said. “Thank you for everything.” “Shh,” Yume said. “Can you… can you do one more thing for me?” “Anything.” “Can you just call me Yume? Not like mistress and servant but just... two girls who are… friends?” Xelissa blushed. “I-if that’s what you wish, My—” She shook her head, giggling. “Sorry, force of habit. It’ll take some getting used to, but I can do that if it’s what you really want, Yume.” Yume’s cheeks grew pink. Her eyes kept flitting around, looking first into Xelissa’s eyes, then darting down to stare at her lips, and then floating off to the side. But Xelissa was so overcome with the euphoria of getting to be herself that she hardly registered Yume’s increasing agitation. “I wonder how long it will take for the potion to work,” Xelissa said obliviously. “Mmm.” “I hope at least some things will happen pretty fast. Oh, I wonder if I should get a new uniform? Can you imagine me in a maid dress? Haha. I mean clearly not. But what if…?” “Oh. Um. Y-yeah.” “Are you okay? You’re looking kind of flushed, Yume.” “I-I. I just…” Yume took a deep breath. “Xelissa, before all the stuff about being a girl, there was something else you said.” “There was?” “Yeah. About you. Um. And me? And… feelings? Did… did you really mean that?” Xelissa froze, as all of that came crashing back. She had said she was in love with Lady Yume. ...But only because of the truth potion. But because of the truth potion, she couldn’t exactly deny it now either. Particularly since having Yume treat her this way only confirmed the obvious: Xelissa was head over heels for her. “Yes,” Xelissa said. “I meant every word. I don’t expect anything from you, though. I am fine with just having a one-sided crush. I won’t bother you with it. Besides, no one should have to love someone as confused and a mess as me.” “Hush,” Yume said with authority. “Don’t talk about yourself that way.” But then she immediately looked nervous and uncertain again. “Anyone would be lucky to get to date you. In fact. Uh… I…” Xelissa stared at her as Yume trailed off, somehow managing to blush even harder than before. Yume swallowed. “I…” Both of them were shaking a little now. On some level they both recognized the line they were about to cross, and wanted that more than anything, but it was still terrifying too. “I—” “AIIIIIIIIEEEE!” someone screamed as part of the ceiling collapsed, and a shrieking girl tumbled out of a vent to fall right into the throne room. Yume and Xelissa immediately leapt to their feet, particularly once the dust cleared and they saw who had just so rudely interrupted them. She was dressed in a shimmery, silvery outfit, with a poofy skirt and knee-high boots. Her long hair was dark blue in color, pulled back into a wavy swirl that somehow held its shape perfectly. Around her neck, waist, and along her fingerless gloves, sparkly gems completed the look, incredibly gaudy but ultimately fitting the aesthetic. “Precious Silver!” Xelissa cried out, stepping in front of Lady Yume while raising her fists in a battle stance. “You!” Lady Yume cried out, fire blazing in her eyes, as she stepped in front of Xelissa, her hair crackling with dark energy. For a moment, they both struggled a bit, trying to decide who should stand in front and protect the other, and coming to no real resolution. Awkwardly, they wound up standing side by side. Silver coughed and coughed from the dust in the air, but when she saw that they had settled into a semblance of a fighting stance, she hurriedly jumped up and struck her own pose. “Halt, evildoers! Though my heart shines like the purest silver, I’ve had it up to here with this!” A dramatic flash of light behind Precious Silver matched the looming darkness behind Xelissa and Yume. Xelissa prepared herself. Though Precious Silver was alone, she was still plenty of a threat by herself. Precious Gold was the sporty one—she played soccer, or softball, or lacrosse or possibly all three—and thus was the best in physical combat, but Precious Silver’s intellect and cunning made her even more dangerous. Xelissa would have to be extra cautious. They waited, until the moment stretched out long enough to become uncomfortable. Silver lowered her fists slightly, looking suspicious. “...Aren’t you going to summon a big monster now?” “That’s in the human world,” Xelissa explained. “There’s not really anything suitable here to turn into a MidKnight. I… guess we could fight normally?” “Oh.” Silver frowned. “I guess.” She started to raise her fists again, but then blinked as if another thought had distracted her. “Hey, um, by the way, how are you feeling? Are you sure you’re good to do that? If you need to rest a bit more first, I can wait.” “...What?” “Well, I hit you pretty hard when breaking out of the dungeon earlier… Sorry about that.” “You should be sorry!” Yume said hotly. “You could have killed her!” “Oh. Oops.” Silver had the decency to look sheepish. “I’m used to punching MidKnights and they’re a lot more durable.” “And you interrupted us right when I was about to…” Yume cut herself off, blushing hotly. “Yyyeah, sorry about that too.” Silver winced. “Look, I want to be clear that I was just trying to sneak out of the castle, but everything here is super confusing and I don’t think the ventilation system I was crawling through even maps to Euclidean space. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on you two, I swear.” “You were eavesdropping?” Xelissa choked out. “But not on purpose!” “Okay,” Yume said, and she raised her arms, darkness swirling around her. “Now you definitely are going to pay.” “H-hold on!” Silver squeaked out. “Look, can’t we talk about this?” “What’s there to talk about?” “I don’t know. Everything?” Yume lowered her arms, still glaring suspiciously. “What do you mean?” Silver let out a light sigh. “I just don’t get it. Why do we have to fight all the time? Why are you all always causing chaos?” Xelissa and Yume shared a look. Xelissa cleared her throat. “Well, that would be because we’re trying to gather negative emotions and bring about eternal night.” “Wait, really?” Silver stared. “Did you… did you not know that? I thought that was pretty clear.” Xelissa looked to Yume, who shrugged. “I guess we’re usually here in the Darkness Dimension when we make dramatic proclamations about it though.” Silver looked aghast. “But why?” Yume rolled her eyes. “What do you mean why? Because my father expects me to, and I’m unhealthily desperate for parental affection despite recognizing that it’s ultimately a toxic relationship.” A silence stretched out. “Um…” Silver started.  “H-hold on,” Yume said. “I didn’t mean to say that. I meant to say because every time I send Xelissa to the human world, she always looks so happy, and I don’t know any excuse to go see it myself unless we conquer it. No wait, I didn’t mean to say that either! Agh!” Xelissa’s eyes drifted down, and she and Lady Yume realized at the exact same time that since they had been hugging so much, the potion of truth had splashed all over her as well. “Oh, crud,” Lady Yume said. Silver started giggling. Xelissa stepped forward, her face growing stern. “How dare you treat Lady Yume like this!” “No, no, I’m not laughing at you,” Silver insisted. “It’s just funny. Really? That’s it? That’s your reason? You know you could just come visit.” “Things don’t work that way,” Xelissa insisted. “Why, though?” Xelissa hesitated. She was cautious; Silver could be trying to trap them while they were still under the effects of the truth potion. She had to be exceedingly careful with her words. “Because it’s scary,” Yume said, before Xelissa could intervene. “Oops.” Silver smirked, but her eyes were kind. “It doesn’t have to be.” “What do you mean?” Xelissa asked cautiously. Silver shrugged. “I mean, maybe we could work out some kind of deal here. You can come over to the human world and I’ll show you around. But you have to promise not to summon any giant MidKnight monsters or overwhelm anyone with the power of despair or anything.” “Really?” Lady Yume said, still sounding suspicious. “That’s too easy though. What do you get out of that deal?” “Besides not having to deal with rampaging monsters? Well…” Silver suddenly seemed really interested in the floor, scuffing her foot across the stone. “I also heard the part about there being some kind of… body potion? In return maybe you could let me, uh, borrow some of that? For, um. A friend. Of mine. Yes.” Xelissa blinked. “But… oh. Oh. The, um, magical girl transformation magic doesn’t take care of that?” “Not… exactly…” Silver said, blushing furiously. “It’s more of just a clothes and super strength thing.” “Procuring extra potions shouldn’t be a problem,” a voice said, as Cupell made their presence known again. “Aaah!” “Eek!” “Don’t do that!” Cupell sighed. “Okay, I’ve been standing here the whole time, I don’t know what you all expect of me.” Silver swallowed, wringing her hands together. “Wait, and the body potion, does it work, um… in just the one direction?” “Not at all, it is magic after all. It reshapes your physical form in the way that your deepest heart desires, whatever that may be.” “Then… maybe... two of them? Is that too much to ask?” Cupell grinned. “Not at all.” “Oh my gosh,” Silver said, her shoulders sagging. “That would be such a relief.” She paused, glancing over at Cupell again. “Also, hey, do you happen to know Vermeil, the mysterious guardian of the Crystal of Hearts who gave us cool powerups a few weeks back? For some reason, your voices sound really similar.” The smile dropped right off of Cupell’s face. “No. Um. Anyways, I can make plenty of body-change potions, but I better go get on that right away, bye!” They waved their arms hastily, and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Lady Yume blinked, but she turned back to Silver, shrugging. “Okay, so we’ll arrange for delivery of the potions, and in return you’ll really show us around the human world?” “Sure!” Silver said, smiling hopefully. Lady Yume narrowed her eyes as she looked at Precious Silver. “I think you’re getting a better deal than us here.” Silver bit her lip. “M-maybe.” “But...” Yume said. “Perhaps we can still come to an arrangement. However, I don’t just want a tour. You will provide a more suitable opportunity, something unique to the human world that I wish to experience.” “Um. Maybe. If it’s not anything too outlandish.” Yume grinned, looking devious. “I want to try the thing that you humans call… a double-date.” Silver turned bright red. “Wh-wh-what? But… With who?” “With you and Precious Gold,” Yume said very matter-of-factly. She glanced over at Xelissa, who nodded.  “You don’t have to pretend on our behalf,” Xelissa said. “I mean, every time you two do your most powerful move, you hold hands and stare into each others’ eyes.” “Th-that’s just how the magic works!!” “Suuure,” Yume said, clearly relishing the chance to finally have one over on her foe. “Look,” Silver said hotly, “the two of us haven’t exactly had a conversation about our feelings yet. Sure, maybe… um. Maybe I have certain feelings about Gold. But there’s no guarantee Gold feels the same way! What if Gold doesn’t like me?” Xelissa and Yume shared a look. “Do you need to borrow some truth potion too?” Xelissa offered. “No! I just…” Silver sighed. “Okay. Deal. We’ll work something out. How about next weekend?” Xelissa produced a thin notebook from her jacket pocket. Luckily it had mostly escaped getting soaked by truth potion. She flipped to Lady Yume’s schedule, and then looked up and nodded. “That works for us.” “Great. And no monsters.” She paused. “Though there’s this piano recital coming up that I’ve not had time to practice for, so if you really need an opportunity to show up and unleash a MidKnight, I think— Actually, we’ll talk about it later. I think we can work something out.” Lady Yume nodded, and stepped forward, holding out one hand. Silver gingerly stepped forward as well, and they shook hands. It wasn’t as if things were perfect. They both seemed plenty tense, and more than a little suspicious, but it was something.  It was a start. And then the side of the room blasted open in a huge explosion. “Get your hands off her, evildoer!” a voice shouted out. A figure struck a dramatic pose, silhouette outlined by bright light shining in. “The weight of justice has a value beyond compare! It’s Precious Gold!”  As they stepped forward, the ridiculous outfit became clear. It served as a perfect counterpoint to Silver’s clothing, with a flared jacket and shorts tailored in polished gold rather than Silver’s billowy skirt and blouse. The jewelry was less ostentatious, but still obviously showy, with a crystal clip pinning back Precious Gold’s close-cropped auburn hair. Most of all, Xelissa recognized the heavy gauntlets, having seen them demolish more than a few MidKnights. And now they were pointed right at Lady Yume. Xelissa once again sprung forward, dropping into a fighting stance. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder, and she looked back to see Lady Yume shaking her head. Gold didn’t even hesitate. A swirl of color enveloped the room. “Take this, fiends! Precious Gold Aurum Annihilation! ~ The fires of righteousness shall refine the—” “WAIT!” Silver yelled out, and Gold came to a sudden halt, midway through some kind of complicated super-move windup that was spilling glitter everywhere. “Wh-what?” Gold blinked. “Natsuki? What’s wrong?” “Hold on,” Silver said. “We, um, we don’t need to do this.” “Really?” Gold looked skeptical. “Are you certain?” Silver nodded, smiling. “I talked with them and… I think we’ve come to an arrangement. Things are going to be okay. More than okay.”  “But… No fighting at all?” Gold looked kind of disappointed. “Do you really think we can trust them?” Silver smirked a bit. “Yeah, I have reason to believe they're telling the truth. So no fighting for now,” she said firmly. She walked over and took Gold’s hand, and as soon as she did, Gold visibly relaxed, expression softening into a dopey smile. She helped Gold climb down from the pile of rubble. “I was just so worried!” Gold wailed. Silver smiled, and ruffled her partner’s short hair. “Yes, yes, but we’re together again now.” Xelissa rolled her eyes. “Yeah,” she muttered to herself. “‘What if Gold doesn’t like me?’ Psh.” Silver thankfully didn’t seem to hear. She and Gold were just staring into each others’ eyes, smiling bashfully. Lady Yume eventually had to clear her throat, lest they stood there all day, and both of them jumped slightly, looking away as they blushed.  “Right, so, let’s go back to the human world, and I’ll explain everything,” she said to Gold. Then she frowned. “Uh. If we can figure out how to do that.” Lady Yume snapped her fingers, and a foreboding set of doors appeared. “That should take you back.” “Thanks,” Silver said. “And we will see you next weekend.” “Yes. But I expect this to be a real double-date,” Yume said archly. “With all the things humans normally do.” Gold’s eyes went wide, glancing from Silver to Lady Yume and then back again. “Wait. Wh-what?” “Shh,” Silver said, squeezing the hand clasped in her own. “We, um, have a few things to talk about.” She shot Yume a glare. “But trust me, it will be great. I have spare tickets to an amusement park.” “Hmm. Acceptable.” And with that, Silver dragged Gold through the door and back to the human world, leaving Yume and Xelissa alone once again. Xelissa’s shoulders slumped. Wow, it really had been a day, huh? Her head was still spinning a little. It seemed like everything in her world had suddenly been called into question. But… in a good way. Hopefully? She glanced back at Yume, who was looking newly nervous. “Ah, um, where were we?” Yume said. Oh. Right. There was still… whatever was going on here. Xelissa gulped.  “You… were going to tell me something?” “Oh. Um. Yes.” Yume drew closer, and reached out to take Xelissa’s hands. “So. Uh…” Xelissa’s heart was beating so loud that Lady Yume had to be able to hear it. They stared at each other, both momentarily frozen. Should Xelissa say something more? Yume was the one who had wanted to speak, but now she looked tongue-tied, and Xelissa wanted to jump to her rescue. But she didn’t know how. Maybe that was okay though. Maybe the two of them would just hold hands and stare uselessly for an hour or two. That could be nice, too. It worked for Silver and Gold, right? There was a creak as the door to the human realm opened back up again. Precious Silver stuck her head through. “Oh hey, one more thing, you know, for the sake of planning the date… Xelissa, what’s your favorite thing about Lady Yume?” Xelissa blinked. “I can’t possibly pick one thing,” she said, without really stopping to think about it. “She’s kind, and smart, and more beautiful than anyone else in the Darkness Dimension and the human world put together. But if I had to pick, maybe it’s her lovely hair, which always makes me want to run my fingers through it?” “Uh huh, uh huh, and Lady Yume, what do you think about Xelissa?” “She’s brave and loyal and so incredibly hot in that butler’s uniform that the thought of her getting any cuter makes my head feel like it’s going to explode. If I don’t figure out a way to kiss her I am going to literally die.” Yume’s eyes went wide and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. “Perfect, thaaaanks~!” Silver said, ducking back into the human world now that her vengeance had been successfully enacted. Yume and Xelissa kept staring at each other. “Well…” Xelissa said carefully. “It is my duty to make sure that no harm comes to you. So, um, if it keeps you from dying, then I… I wouldn’t be averse to…” “Oh, shush,” Yume said, as their lips met.

In a large ruined city layered with sand and dust and filled to the brim with crumbling buildings, largely uninhabited for decades, a person walked through the streets. The girl wore an old set of pale sun-bleached green fatigues complete with a military vest in poor condition and a medium-sized backpack. One could only see a pair of scarlet eyes peeking out from under a patrol cap and bandana that were constantly scanning the surroundings for anything valuable. She was quite short, only 5ft 1in(155cm), but the very real pistols on her hip and the back of her waist showed that she wasn't to be taken lightly. As she walked down the street she saw a wide and long building with a sign half-buried on the ground in front. Walking over she dusted it off to see the sign read "Al's Supermarket", at least that's what she thought it said, as a quarter of the letters were missing. She went into a supermarket and looked around. The building was in quite a good shape, at least compared to nearby buildings. With the roof collapsed in a few places and a thin layer of sand seemingly leaving no object untouched, the market luckily looked like no one had been there in many years. "Hmm, maybe I can find something here.." Sophie thought to herself. She walked through a few aisles, some had fallen in a domino effect while others were still somewhat standing, and looked for signs for anything worth noting. After walking through a few aisles she saw a glint in the sand at the base of a shelf. "Something good this time?" she mumbled aloud. Reaching down she brushed the sand off the glinting metal to see a short cylinder with an indecipherable logo on it. Picking it up she noticed it still had a bit of weight, as well as an unbroken seal. Looking at it with hopeful eyes she carefully put it into her pack and continued. Walking through most of the aisles she found a few things that may be useful and 3 more cans, although one had cracked open and its contents gone, she still took it, good metal has value. Hard-pressed to find anything else of value in the aisles she looked around the rest of the store. Seeing some wires of acceptable condition sticking out of the wall she pulled out some wire cutters and a few snips later her pack was a bit more full. She continued throughout the store, finding a few bits and pieces until she suddenly heard a few voices outside. A deep male voice sounded out, "I told ya that merchant sold us a bullshit map! There's nothing worth even batting an eye at here!" as he kicked a bit of scrap metal on the ground, sending it skidding across the sandy pavement. A different voice spoke out in return, this one slightly lighter, "We haven't even looked around that much, ther.." his voice trailed off as he saw the recent tracks in the sand caused by Sophie. In a hushed tone, he said, "Look someone's been here recently, it's only one pair of tracks too, maybe we can rob 'em?" Despite the man's quieter tone Sophie still heard him. Her eyes darkened a bit but this with pretty expected, people go missing seemingly every moment in the borderlands, thievery was as common as the sand. Sophie hovered her hand on her holster and shrunk down, readying herself for an ambush. She hid behind a register booth that was close to the door and listened carefully for when she would spring her trap. The deeper-voiced man whispered back, "If they're good quality and we get 'em alive we can make our money back, be careful where ya shoot." As he and the other man quietly inched closer to the door the tracks led to. "Dirty slavers, already thinking of me as a product." Sophie thought to herself. She decided she wouldn't make their death swift. The men after inching up to the door decided on their next action. They hid their weapons behind their back and called out as they walked through the door, "Hey is someone there? We have a camp nearby with some extra space, and when we saw your tracks we figured you might be interested in joining us." "What kind of excuse is that? Do they not know they terrible at whispering?" Sophie screamed internally. The two men intact did not know, as when they were in a market they had "quietly" talked about going scavenging but were unsure where. A nearby merchant heard this and smelled profit, then convinced them to take a map off his hands he had been unable to sell. After a minute or two of no response the men got slightly impatient and fidgety as the lighter pitched of the two called out, "We can't wait forever, if you wanna join us pipe up quickly okay?". As he said this they both were glancing around this store, hardly masking their true intent. Sophie continued to return their lies with silence. After waiting another minute the two men began to go deeper into the store and became much closer to where Sophie was waiting. "Are you sure you want to decline? It's a very good offer and we won't say it again." "Just a little further.." Sophie waited patiently, she wasn't planning to mess this up. With a nod from the deep-voiced man, they both held their hands firm and ready on their gun and made a move towards the aisles. *BAM BAM* Sophie darted out from her hiding place and from behind the men shot the hands which held their guns. They both cried out as blood flowed freely from their hands. They attempted to turn and confront their aggressor, just to see a short girl in military green clothing pointing a gun at them. "Why you little bit- AHHG", They didn’t get a long look before four more shots rang out as they saw the girl shoot one bullet into each of their knees as their world started to turn. As they both hit the ground with a dull thud and groan Sophie gives a small sadistic smile behind her bandana. She walks up to one of them, leans down, and whispers, "How rude of you to interrupt my business, but you'll get your punishment." The men had goosebumps and tried to plead with her, but Sophie just took out a knife and spun it in her fingers. But due to her clothing, the odd glint shimmering in her eyes went unnoticed. A couple of hours later a girl walked out of a ruined supermarket, if one had been near for the past few hours they would have heard a beautiful symphony of screams. Sophie jogged off, mutants have been known to be attracted to the smell of blood so she didn't care to stay there for much longer. This was also one of the reasons she was careful not to get blood on herself, the other was that it was annoying to remove from clothing. She looked around briefly before heading off in the direction she had been going before her trip into the supermarket. As the unnoticed glint in her eyes started to fade. Avoiding the holes in the pavement with a skip in her step as she walked along, she looked for any more buildings that might have something good in them. After a few minutes, her scarlet eyes spotted a small building, it was an office building with four floors that were in relatively good shape. The building was still mostly straight and most of the windows were missing, the few remaining were cracked at best. There was a missing support beam in between two of the windows on the third floor and the glass doors on the first floor were wide open and the glass itself was long gone. Sophie walked up to the building and peeked her head in through a missing window. The front lobby had an unrepairable secretary desk as well as a dozen or so rusted chairs scattered around the sides of the room in various positions. On the right of the desk was an elevator with broken doors, one twisted at an odd angle, and a door with a stairs sign above it. To the left, Sophie saw two doors each with hard-to-read signs, presumably bathrooms. Walking up to the desk she saw that the computer was still there, albeit with a smashed-up monitor, but this was still a good sign that this building may have some good things in it. She looked to the other side of the desk to see an office chair on its side with a skeleton sprawled out nearby. Vaulting lightly over the desk she saw that the computer itself was gone. Disappointment flashing in her eyes, she kicked the skull like a kid kicking a rock down the street. As the skull bounced a couple of times and rolled outside she turned and started to walk towards the staircase but paused mid-step. "Hmm, guess it couldn't hurt to check the bathrooms first." She thought aloud as she spun around on one foot and made her way there instead. Going into the bathroom closest to the desk first she opened the door and went inside. After a brief check around she found nothing worth noting and went into the other bathroom. As she had just done in the other bathroom she looked around to see nothing and checked the stalls. In the fourth stall, she opened it to see a skeleton on a closed toilet with a gun on the ground beside it. Briefly thinking the word "Coward" before picking up the gun and examining it. Looking at the gun and brushing off some sand, she saw that with a bit of maintenance, and maybe a part or two, it could probably function. With a small smile, she tucked it into her bag, briefly checked the last stall, and left the bathrooms. Leaving the bathrooms she once again went towards the stairs and opened the door. On the other side, she was faced with a standard staircase made of concrete and a rusted railing, with thin layers of sand and piles in the corners, the staircase was anything but clean. She carefully pressed her foot on the first step and put her weight on it. After feeling no movement she carefully took another step and then another. She became more sure after a few steps and walked up the stairs at a decent but careful pace. Soon reaching the second floor, she saw a metal door with a rusted handle. Going to open it, she found the handle wouldn't budge. Preparing herself, she then put more strength into it. *CLANK* With a loud clank and to Sophie's annoyance the handle broke off still in Sophie's hand. After lightly scoffing she tossed the handle to the side then lightly kicked the door a few times before backing up and shoulder slamming the door. *BAM* The rusted and weak hinges gave way and the door broke off from the frame. With a loud thud, the door settled on the ground flinging sand away and dust into the air. "Brute force always wins." Sophie said to herself, at this point in her life rather used to talking to herself when scavenging or wandering. One's self was the best companion she would always tell herself. On the other side, she saw several cubicle blocks and a few side rooms, as well as a small office in the corner that likely used to belong to a manager. The cubicles themselves were mostly empty, a few papers here and there, or occasionally other supplies like a stapler or pencil, of course nearly none of it was in a useful condition but she still picked up a few of the staplers and other supplies that were in comparatively good condition. Only a few of the cubicles still had their monitors, most of which were fully broken, but to her surprise, one of the cubicles had a monitor with only one or two cracks and even a computer with its side missing somewhat hidden underneath a chair. She put the monitor into her bag. She then kneeled, picked up the computer, and looked at it. Through the missing side and she could see that at least half of the components were broken or missing but she put it in her bag anyway. Looking through the rest of the floor there wasn't much that stood out besides a dusty old copier that was probably old even before it was abandoned that she pried a few parts off. The third floor was similar, she only picked up a few odds and ends. She hoped the fourth floor might have something better. She started to walk up the stairs to the fourth floor but without warning the ground started to shift underneath her—the stairs to the fourth floor were collapsing. Quickly jumping back she landed on her side with a thump and skidded a bit in the sand as a deafening crash sounded out, any step past the third to the fourth floor was now crashing downward. Sophie carefully stood up and dusted herself off. Looking towards where the stairs used to be she decided that even if she could still get up to the fourth floor it was no longer worth the trouble. Stepping back to the stairs slowly she looked down and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Looking down towards the stairs that went back down, while blocked quite a bit, did not collapse as well. As long as she was careful could make her way back down easily. Taking the first step down as carefully as a thief, she made her way back down, after climbing over some rubble she made her way back down to the first floor. At the bottom of the stairs, she took her bag off and looked inside, it was rather full now and it was time to head back to a merchant that would buy scrap. Heading back outside she squinted her eyes a bit at the harsh sun before she began retracing her footsteps and started to head back the way she had come to this decrepit and lifeless city.

CL Hello. This story was supposed to be longer and with a greater range of themes going on, but I had lost the co-author (cancer). I have rough drafts of the following chapters, but I can't in good faith complete them in their final form without consulting with my co-author (she made so little sense that she even questioned herself). I have only two completed chapters, but I will only upload the first one here. The reason behind holding up the first chapter and not the second (yeah, the second is completed) is because this one can be shown and taken as a short "one-shot" story. The second chapter that followed this one would have been leaving you all on a very confusing cliffhanger (I'm still confused).  Without the rest of the story to answer for the unspeakable event (don't ask), I will only give you this single chapter. As much as I would love to continue working on this title (the complete story sounded good), I will only present this one and only chapter.  I hope you understand.   My Child Chapter 1: The Too Young Couple The warm movement on my bare chest woke me. I kept perfectly still, knowing full well I held a precious someone close to my heart. This delicate girl was my introduction to a new world and I would do everything to protect that. Reclined back in my rocker, I looked down and smiled at my daughter. She was giving me tiny scritches with her very fine and little nails. Not at all painful, but it was enough to grab my attention. By instinct, I began rocking the chair in hope to comfort my Abigail back into a lulled sleep. She had faced up towards me and did a little squint and wink, just a few times, and, I suppose, thought better than to have gazed up where the room’s light glared down over our heads. I reached out, nearby us, to the wall and felt along for a dial. I had to be careful because, if were to accidentally hit it, that thing would turn off the light, and all I wanted to do was manipulate the shade of light towards something more tolerable. That was what I had successfully done; I toned down the light to a manageable level for my sweet little girl. Abby rewarded me with a show of her happy, open, smile. Bravely, against the dimmer glow, I watched her as she peeked back up at me. In return, when she blinked up to see again, I smiled back down at her. Her eyes were still a light green color, but we, myself and my love, assumed she’d be brown-eyed like us. My daughter’s eyes were the most beautiful, and, if ever asked, adorable green gems I had ever seen. I always would find it cute as she blinked and squinted up to look at me. However much I was delighted in interacting with my bundle of joy, I hadn’t slept long and, considering Abby regularly napped instead of sleeping, I would appreciate us getting some more shuteye. So, in need, I continued to rock away for that slim chance to rest a while longer. While I rocked on, I did wonder why she had woken and thought to wake me up too. Then I mulled over why the light had been on its brighter setting. Silently, I asked: “Did I leave it on high?” Being sleep deprived, I couldn’t remember if I had switched it on to look for something or, if not, had someone else cranked it up. While I worked on rocking my child back to sleep, I glanced over at the bed where that someone else resided. An attractive lump laid hidden, almost, entirely beneath the eye-catching colors of quilted blankets and sheets. This was my other beauty, my fiance and our child’s mother. While I managed with our daughter, my love had quietly remained where she had been all day. I didn’t mind her slumbering for so long since she had been holding the baby for most of the year already; in a prenatal way. Now, after giving our world a new life to cherish, she had every right to share the whole load with me. As I held my daughter, and watched the sleeping bundle of blankets, I thought about how chilly it might be in the room. So I gently ran my hand down Abby’s back to bring some added warmth and comfort to her. My hand came away from the top of her diaper with a very icky feeling. It was then I discovered what truly disturbed her sleep and why she had insisted to wake me up: poop. “Uhhhgh,” I quietly groaned. Now I knew the real reason why she had a blissful smile of relief on her face. Being careful how I held her, I gradually pulled my dirty hand up and away from making this any more of a mess while searching for the baby wipes. At this moment a funny thought had popped in my head: juggling. If anyone had asked me before how women were capable of multitasking, I’d say: “Magic.” Now, I knew, and it came from practice. Like juggling, I was getting better at switching hands between an infant and a yucky hand and diaper from touching her or fumbling onto the floor. Not that I ever dropped her, or would, but the fear of that being a possibility always encouraged me to be mindful, gentler, and take better care. As a father, I thought I rocked… When disregarding the crappy hand I had. As for the mother, I felt this was too much too soon to push on her. She endured a pregnancy and gave birth to our babe. I couldn’t bring myself to ask her for help. That was my real reason for me speaking so silently, saying stuff like: “I know I had some on standby somewhere—” to myself. This was to let her rest, recuperate, regain some sanity, and for me get a feel on doing absolutely everything for her and our baby’s sake. “There it is,” I said, silently, about finding the wipes. They were down on the floor right next to the rocker. “...Really?” And the wipes were left open to dry out. “Well…” They didn’t have to be moist for me to wipe my hand, I supposed. “Right,” I said, quietly. I just needed to get the goo off. Then I could go grab a towel, lay it down, and do the diaper change on the bed. Slipping the dirty diaper off, with the sleepy mommy, had to be done with stealth. I tried to keep quiet for as long as I could, but our daughter wasn’t exactly enjoying her messy bum being disturbed. I guessed she was grateful for getting out of that toxic waste dump, but further attention on her hiney was not appreciated. Her small voice of protest had awoken and piqued the sleeper, Leah, enough so that her curiosity had shifted aside a sheet, and, when her interest was caught, to roll out of her blanketed cocoon. I watched as, from the muffled recesses of her covers, Leah asked: “Need help?” I had thought about that while our daughter locked eyes with mine and gave the old diaper a swift kick. It fell on the floor… Open side down. No longer having the need to keep silent, I joked: “Not unless you have a hazmat suit laying around?” On that note, as I placed a protective palm across our daughter’s belly to keep her secure, I knelt down and picked up the smelly land mine and, single handedly, rolled that thing up. While I was down there, I used some of the wipes over the spot on the floor, reached out and gave the lid to the hamper a tap to open, disposed of the diaper and balled up wipes, and shut the airtight trash bin with a sigh of relief. When I went to rub my eyes, I had breathed in and caught a whiff of my initial accident. “Shame I can’t toss my hand away.” Leah had snorted in her efforts to keep from laughing. When I looked, I saw she had cuddled up with our daughter. That explained why she refrained from laughing; she didn’t want to surprise and spook Abby. Despite having held her amusement in check, she apparently caught the same non-existent wind blowing the diaper’s aroma and immediately gagged. In a nasal voice, as she held her nose, she said, “Is she going to be having the runs often? We could go to the store and buy—” “I know how you feel about breastfeeding,” I interrupted. Doing that was bold of me, but I didn’t get to say what I wanted. What I didn’t mention was that I wouldn’t be willing to spend money on necessities if we could avoid it. I thought it would be a better idea to remind her there were free options available. “WIC said we could take their pump.” “No,” she stated quickly enough. That would be the end of it too. As I toyed with a ring on my finger, I saw the look on her face. I imagined that expression suggested she didn’t enjoy the thought of being milked like a cow. I wouldn’t either, but, then again, I imagined it would be far worse and more difficult after those suction cups attached to me. Setting aside the funny thought for a moment, I had to get serious and argue with Leah. In her favor, I would rather go out and buy formula, but, against her, doing so would include another bottle of gripe water, a pacifier, or another item that we just didn’t need. We’d want it, but not have a real need for it. After putting on my serious face, I started to say, “Abby won’t be going through as many diapers if she’s drinking your—” “I said no.” She stretched out her arm and pointed nowhere in particular. “If you’re that stingy, WIC is willing to give us the formula for free. I’d rather use that than being nibbled on.” That wasn’t the point I wanted to get across, but as I dropped my jaw to open my mouth and say more, I shut it right back up. She had looked pointedly up at me to silently repeat that one word: free. Her knowing my biggest defence of why I argued had ended the discussion. It may have been for the better before it would become worse. So instead of arguing, pointing out how she always insisted we buy this or that while we were here or there, instead I asked: “Could you watch her while I wash my hands?” Any further debate, the coo of our baby settled it. The look of defiance on Leah had melted away. While she took over watching over Abby, I escaped the bedroom to clean up. The narrow bathroom was perhaps my least favorite spot to be in our apartment. I wasn’t exactly fit for all sizes and, to fit through the door frame, I had to turn my shoulders. Not like they were too broad, just that our place was small. After washing my hands, I returned to our bedroom and saw Leah was struggling to keep Abby calm. I wondered what I missed… Then I knew what happened: our daughter saw me leave. To grab their attention, I gave my slim stomach a smack and said, “Remember what Dr. Mowen said about skin contact?” Then I rubbed the spot on my belly that I smacked. I probably shouldn’t have done that on an empty tank. I could regret that later, but, right now, I was the center of attention. I continued and stated: “She’s going to grow more attached with the shirt off.” That was why I didn’t wear one and our Abby slept like, well, like a baby. “I’m not inviting trouble. Here, you want to risk it, go ahead.” Now was my turn to bite back a laugh at her comment. “I think I’m a little too flat for somebody to nom on me. A pancake has more fluff or anything yummy for her to be all grabby.” Showing my point, I lifted my hand up from my abdominal and patted my chest. Then, just like my stomach, I gave myself a smack hard enough to leave a mark. At first, I winced, but then chuckled when that reaction got a smirk from her. But I didn’t laugh for too long when she said, “It’s not the size of the breast, but the sensitivity.” She pointed at my chest. “I see those scratch marks. She’s going to give your tiny-titties quite a few knicks in her hopeless hunt.” “I’ll live. Besides, what’s a guy without his battlescars?” Once again, to show off, I displayed my shoulder to them and patted the rake marks our lovemaking had done almost a year ago. Her eyes rolled at me as she went in to correct me. “Nate, I wouldn’t call that a battlescar—” “Love and war, but... uh…” I didn’t finish what I wanted to say when my attention returned to our daughter becoming a bit more distressed. After Leah scooted over, I laid down with them both and, very carefully, took control of the situation. I took and laid our daughter down on me. When she didn’t appear to be interested in returning to sleep like that, I stood up with her. Having her gently held against me, I walked in circles in the middle of our bedroom until she calmed down. Even then, I continued until I knew she was back to sleep. When I glanced at Leah, I silently said, ”No fair,” the moment she wrapped herself back up in her cocoon. Here I was, half-naked from the waist up, walking in a loop with my tiny girl, chilly from it being the middle of November, and the only warmth we could afford was each other. We weren’t prepared to go out on our own, but we did what we had to. Leah’s mom pressed for an abortion and, thankfully, was denied. That got my fiance thrown out of the house. I wasn’t going to standby, but my mom wasn’t that far different of opinion on getting an abortion. To be fair, I couldn’t say that either of our mothers were wrong on how ready we were to be parents. And I guessed in defense of Leah’s mom, she had anticipated a week or so to go by before a defeated daughter’s return. That might have happened if I hadn’t ran out and made a deal with an old friend of Dad’s for a place to stay. Technically by law, since I wasn’t eighteen just yet, I could still be rounded up by the police and taken back. But mom wouldn’t. Not after our fight and the point I made about Dad. I wasn’t going to abandon Leah with our child like Dad had done with us. Taking this as my responsibility set us on this path. This was my doing and I was going to make it right. I wasn’t going give up. I won’t leave them. I won’t go back... Once I thought enough time had passed, I tried to go for a soft landing on the bed again, but the moment I began to descend, Abby perked right back up and showed me how disinterested she was in lying down. Without a clock in the bedroom, I didn’t know how long I walked in circles, but I could definitely feel that it had been at least an hour or more before I found an opportunity to rest. When I managed to lay down, I stole a warmed up blanket from a grumbling caterpillar in our bed. Now, as much as I wanted to, Abby couldn’t sleep with us. Once I had rested, I woke Leah up for a chore. She had to work her way out of that warm wrap of “silk”, but left another around herself, so, when she could get up and keep a watch on our daughter for a moment, she could remain warm. With the blanket we had warmed up with our own body heat now available, I laid it in the crib and tucked it securely around the bedding until I was certain only a firm hand could pry it out. On my return to our bed, I laid back down to rest for only a minute before Leah nudged me as a reminder she was tired but still keeping watch. That was my cue. I took Abby and, slow and steady to not wake her, I stood up with my darling girl and placed her in the crib. Happily sighing with relief, I turned and snuggled back under the covers with my fiance. I pulled her in close for our comfort and, finally, I slept...

Announcement Warning, please read. This is a story set in the Human Domestication Guide universe, which is very much 18+, and probably not to the tastes of everyone. It is set in a world where humans are being conquered by the Affini, a plant-like species of people who go around and think humans make adorable pets, and give them lots of fun drugs and affection. Content Warnings: Spoiler Drug Use, Mind Control, Pet Play, Questionable Consent [collapse] You can check out the #Human_Domestication_Guide tag on Read Only Mind if you'd like to see more stories in the setting. Important ones that I recommend are: - Abcission, by Fluxom, which is a really good story to start with if you're interested in the HDG universe. - The "Human Domestication Guide", which is the original work that created the setting. This one's a bit darker than most other HDG stories though, so fair warning. Somewhere, hidden amidst the many stars, satellites and asteroids that dotted the Milky Way, was a ship. It wasn’t particularly impressive, and certainly not imposing. In fact, its deep, black hull was easily lost among the darkness of space, looking more like a tear in reality than a proper ship. One would have a hard time discerning its shape, its elongated body, covered in plates that almost made it look slender compared to other human spacecrafts. None of this, however, was the product of an accident, or of bad design choices. The Lone Observer, as it was called, was not meant to be impressive. It was not meant to create shock and awe in those that laid eye on it. In fact, it was not meant to be seen by anyone. While most of the former Cosmic Navy, now Free Terran Rebellion, was composed of towering and majestic spaceships meant to strike might in the eyes of their enemies, the Lone Observer was content to slip by undetected, gathering precious intel and scouting locations ahead of time so that other ships may safely navigate territory occupied by the affini. It had been nearly four years since the Affini Compact had first made contact with the Terran Accord and demanded their total and immediate surrender. Since then, much of the Terran forces had been brought down by the overwhelming power of the affini. Still, the Free Terran Rebellion lived, a glimmer of hope in the eyes of many. But for how long? Inside of the Lone Observer, many were beginning to falter, while others worried about potential traitors. The ship’s Captain, in particular, had been suspecting foul play for a while now, and he was going to bring it to an end, one way or another. ----- “Quiet,” Captain William Bering grunted, bringing silence back to the small meeting room. All around him stood four people, all of them looking expectantly in his direction. All of them were doing their best to keep professional expressions on their faces, but it was easy to discern the emotions beneath the masks. Most seemed tense, while others looked annoyed, or even bored in one case. In the room stood a Lieutenant, responsible for most of the ship’s crew, the ship’s pilot, the comms engineer, and finally the mechanical engineer. “One of you,” the captain began, his voice low, almost sounding like a growl, “is a traitor. And I intend to find out who. For months now, the damn weeds have been constantly a step ahead of us, preventing us from doing anything but running away like a bunch of cowards. We’ve already closely escaped capture several times. This has to end.” Silence. Hesitantly, the sole Lieutenant in the room, Julia Lopez, spoke up. “Captain, are we sure the traitor is among our crew? We’re regularly in contact with other ships, couldn’t one of them be responsible for the leak?” Captain Bering sighed inaudibly, his mounting frustration obvious to all. A few years ago, he would have never permitted this sort of insubordination aboard his ship. He would have taken harsh measures. Today, this was something he could not afford to do anymore. Most Free Terran ships ran with a heavily reduced crew, and the Lone Observer was no exception. Meant to accommodate about a hundred people, it currently only hosted less than half of that. Worse, most of them were soldiers, the ship critically lacking in engineers and qualified officers. Truly, the Terran Rebellion came up short when compared to the cosmic navy. The chain of command was a mess, ranks barely meant anything anymore, and here he was, stuck on a minuscule ship when someone like him should have been at the command of a cruiser, at the very least. Some days, Bering felt like he was at the head of a group of thugs, rather than organized soldiers. “Do remember your place, Lieutenant,” the captain said, making Lopez tense up. “I do not make such accusations baselessly. All our operations have been countered regardless of whether other ships knew of it. The only people with the necessary clearance to be responsible are standing in this room. This situation cannot be allowed any longer.” The captain took a moment to let the gravity of the situation sink in. “The only reason we haven’t been captured yet is because this traitor,” he spat the word like a curse, “doesn’t have access to the ship’s coordinates, and I intend to keep it that way.” “So, it’s probably not Quinn, then, right?” James Huxley, the ship’s mechanical engineer, piped up, gesturing towards said person. “I mean, she’s the one driving this thing around, so she’s got to know where we’re going, right?” Captain Bering sent a smoldering look that would have had lesser men cowering towards Huxley, who didn’t seem to notice or care. “That would normally be the case, but I have been taking precautions so that even Ensign Quinn was not always aware of our destination ahead of time. She is an unlikely candidate, but no one in this room can be discounted for the time being,” Bering said, not bothering to berate Huxley for his casual language. He had long learned that warnings and threats did not work on the young engineer, no matter how dire. In fact, Huxley seemed to have absolutely no loyalty in him, which put him high up on the captain’s list of suspects. “If I may, Captain,” Daniel Brown, the communications engineer, spoke up, waiting for Bering to nod before continuing. “If anyone is leaking intel, they must be using an external device, probably a text-com or something similar. There’s no way anyone could get that kind of stuff past me.” Someone scoffed. “Unless you’re the leak, Brown,” Quine spoke up, sending a wry look his way. “It wouldn’t be difficult for you to send encrypted messages, after all.” “Enough,” Captain Bering said. “If anyone is using a device to communicate with those fucking weeds, we will soon know. As we are speaking, your belongings are being searched for signs of treachery.” He gazed across the room, a grim smile twisting his grizzled old face. He’d hoped to see some of them visibly react to the news, but at most, some of them looked mildly displeased, which he supposed that was to be expected. “Brown, I want you to further restrict access to communications from now on. Huxley, have the ship’s camera feeds redirected to my computer.” Once the two Engineers nodded, Bering turned towards Lopez. “Keep an eye on the rest of the crew. Let me know if any of them show worrying signs.” “A few are, but nothing conclusive yet,” Lopez said. “Good. You’re all dismissed, get back to work.” As they all filed out, Bering observed them with a piercing look, contemplating his options, discarding unlikely traitors. He needed more time to think. That was alright, though. He still had a few days to figure it out. ----- Once he was back alone in the engine room, James Huxley let out a shaky sigh. Even though he’d planned for this sort of scenario, this had still been way too close for comfort. Captain Bering may have been your typical authority-is-my-kink officer, but he also happened to be extremely cunning. James couldn’t thank his lucky stars enough that he’d never been able to get his hands on a text communicator. It may have had the advantage of being completely untraceable, but James wasn’t certain he would have been able to hide it well enough to avoid detection. Instead, he’d had to take the more difficult approach of creating a backdoor through the ship’s comms system. Had the ship been properly staffed, James was almost certain he’d have gotten caught instantly, but fortunately for him. Brown was the only comms engineer left on the Lone Observer. Even more fortunate was the fact that Brown was a complete incapable who believed himself to be a genius. He was so convinced of his brilliance that he would never bother to check for signs of an intrusion. Sure, the backdoor James had finally managed to install three months prior still wasn’t that great, but it still allowed him to send and receive encrypted messages to and from the affini, so long as he was careful. As James moved through the engine room, making maintenance checks and making sure the many emergency fixes he’d made still held, his mind wandered, pondering the choices he’d made up until now, asking himself again and again if he’d made the right choices. Like anyone in the Rebellion, he’d heard countless horror stories about the affini. How they would capture you and melt your insides so that they may eat you then, how they enslaved humans to work for them. Of course, James wasn’t that gullible, and he expected that many of the stories he’d heard were exaggerations, some even outright fabrications. He still wasn’t sure what that one engineer had meant when he said the affini were “projecting space lightning through the void”. On the other hand, James knew that these stories had to be based on some kernel of truth. Maybe the affini weren’t the bloodthirsty monsters they were made out to be, but he certainly didn’t believe them to be the benevolent and kind creatures their propaganda made them out to be. Now, four years later, he didn’t know what to believe anymore. He’d watched as more and more of the people around him had become increasingly hateful, paranoia twisting them until the very bloodthirsty monsters they were supposed to be fighting against. Animosity grew and grew until James was more afraid of his fellow humans than the affini themselves. The day he saw fellow crew members throwing others out of the airlock, not even with grim determination but outright glee plastered on their faces, James had understood that he couldn’t sit idly any longer. He could not stand and watch any longer, even if it meant risking the airlock himself. It had taken time and dedication, but finally, after weeks of effort, he had managed to establish communication with the affini. He still didn’t know what their true intentions were, but he no longer believed that the Rebellion was the lesser evil. And so he’d told them everything he knew, painstakingly writing and encrypting all the intel he possessed, to the most minute detail. They’d replied with gratefulness and kindness, begging him to stay safe, saying that they would find him and that “everything would be alright”. James wasn’t sure he believed that, but hope still sparked deep within his chest. Three months later, and he still kept them informed, whenever he stumbled upon some new information he thought valuable, and, in return, received more reassurances. And now, it was nearly over. James was pretty sure that, had he really wanted to, he could have had the Lone Observer captured by now, but he was after bigger fish. Hacking into Captain Bering’s personal files had been complicated, but the reward had been worth the effort. In three days, the Lone Observer would be crossing paths with two other ships. He hadn’t managed to get the names, but he had inferred they were big ones, with several hundred rebels onboard. He just needed to hold on a little bit longer. And then it would be over. Announcement If you liked this and wish to support me, you can pledge on my Patreon and get access to chapters ahead of time!Updates are weekly, make sure to follow me to be notified when a new chapter goes up!I've also got a Discord server if you'd like to come and chat!

By 2028 the world had collectively come to the same conclusion, the resources their world ran on were steadily becoming more and more scarce, and the world's countries started to look outward to provide for themselves. 6 years later in 2034 the inevitable became reality, and resource wars broke out across the world, and dozens of countries were set ablaze in the years to come. Eventually, a stalemate between the remaining superpowers occurred, as both sides could not finish the other off. Raids were a constant and most of the world was rendered inhospitable by the fighting. Decades later in 2067, both sides were still locked in the brutal stalemate, however, during this year the brutal stalemate was broken by an unknown force. 90% of the world's population suddenly gained immense strength, at an equally immense cost. These people lost their minds and were destined to have their bodies waste away from the stress put on their bodies. A slaughter in both superpowers soon occurred, the Lost Mind humans slaughtered whoever they saw, normal humans and other Lost Mind beings alike. By 2070 the Human population was decimated and the Lost Mind's bodies had failed them, unable to withstand their own strength, and were pushed to extinction. The remaining human population, which was less than 1% it was before the wars, did their best to survive as the world became one where only the strong survive.

In the depths of the land known as Eden, humanity's last refuge, awaits a mazelike city filled with dirty and unmaintained buildings. Inside those maze-like streets lays a rundown government building with a line stretching blocks long, if the city’s structure could even be described with blocks. Although the rations are few as the officials are clearly underfunded, the people are many. This leads to the currently unfolding situation, as tension in the air could be cut with a knife, and more and more malnourished people add to the line, a person throws a rock, then another follows suit, and soon part of the town is ablaze. Through but a few mere walls in the center of the city lies a section of this city embalmed in glistening white pristine buildings. In one of these buildings, a group of people tinkers and adjusts a complex device. After completing their preparations they exit the room and enter another filled with measuring equipment, its wall a sterile white with one glass window that peers into the room they left. In the center of the testing chamber lies an ovoid capsule around 9 feet in height, with two pillars a few feet away parallel to it.  A man steps forward to a control console, and after looking at his watch, "Test 9548 authorized, begin in 3.. 2.. 1.. Start." Another person steps forward and presses a series of buttons on the console. Soon after, the two pillars start with a whir and spin around the capsule, steadily gaining speed. Soon the pillars have gained significant speed and electricity begins to arc between the pillars and the capsule. Earsplitting crackling occurs as the electricity gets to a blinding level. Suddenly the city undergoes a blackout as the two pillars reach a stable speed, and but a few moments later begin to slow to a stop. The man from before forms a smile and proclaims with joy, "Test 9548, success, Project Seeding confirmed." ------------------------------------------- As Sophie retraced her way out of the city. She had to avoid the supermarket as she heard a few too many crunching noises coming from within. After a minor detour, she stepped back into the dunes and started towards a nearby market. She had a long walk ahead of her, it was about a half days journey to the market but she may have to head to another after she got there as her current location was a rather remote location within the borderlands, where the human presence was not very significant. Sophie's current location was in the far north of the borderlands but still a safe distance from the true wastelands beyond the borderlands that few dared to tread. Typically in the borderlands, the further west you went, the more people and oases you could find. Eventually, it stopped being the borderlands and became the land known as "Eden". Eden got its name from being the last known truly habitable zone for mankind. If Sophie wanted to travel into Eden she would have to travel for a few weeks, as well finding a way to travel through the border built by the powers inhabiting Eden. It was notoriously hard to pass the border and it was strictly controlled. Even within Eden resources weren't plentiful compared to before the resource wars, and this contributed to the reluctance to let people through. And of course greed. Sophie made her way to the market without incident, and with her quick pace managed to make it there as night was falling. The town ahead had less than thirty buildings and a market that was currently closed. Many towns like this centered on a market and inn where wanders, scavengers, and the like could stay in and trade without having to travel too far from ruins. Towns like these typically only had a few actual residents, the rest were going through or merchants trying to buy scavenged goods for cheaper, like a convenience store, but for selling things. This town in particular had a large old brick home that was kept in relatively good condition that acted as an inn. Sophie jogged up to the inn and entered. Inside the inn was a tall room, dimly lit by a handful of candles made from lower-tier mutant fat. On the other side of the room behind a wooden counter was an old man fallen asleep in his chair. He almost seemed dead, if it wasn't for the loud snoring sounding out from him. On the left and right were doors leading to other areas of the house and directly to the left of the counter was a staircase that led to the second floor with a balcony overlooking the entrance. Sophie walked up to the desk and rang the bell on top of it. Upon pressing the button, nothing happened as the bell was broken. Frowning Sophie lightly grabbed the man's shoulder and shook him a little. Blinking awake, he rubbed his eyes without an ounce of hurry and noticed Sophie waiting there. "Oh, hey there.. you’re a customer right? I assume you'd like a room? 5 coppers per night, 5 coppers per meal." He said in an uninterested tone. After a bit of shuffling, Sophie pulled out 5 small coins brown coins and handed them over. The innkeeper took the money and after opening a drawer, dropping the coins in, and closing it asked, "Any room, in particular, you'd like?" "..." Sophie blankly looked at him without saying a word. The innkeeper stared for a moment before leaning down to grab a key and handing it over. "Alright then, up the stairs 2nd room on the left." he simply stated before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. Sophie didn’t need to be told twice, taking the keys she went up the stairs into her room. Locking the door she paused for a moment before taking the room's chair and putting it against the door as well. Looking around the room there was a bed with the bare essentials, a small table without a chair, and a single candle atop the table. Sophie put her bag beside the bed and laid down on the bed. The bed felt nearly no different from laying on a wooden board and the blanket was practically see-through. Despite the shortcomings, this inn was pretty good for being so far out in the borderlands. Sophie closed her eyes and shortly fell asleep.   For_get Sorry for the shorter chapter, although I plan on making the next one a bit longer. Also, opinions on using the fantasy-esque currency? Didn't really have any other good ideas so I just went with that.  

  I will be posting this story on RoyalRoad Aria Rowe stared at her reflection on her monitor. She felt dizzy. Clara had made it seem so simple. Make some money streaming video games you already play, just wear a push-up bra, a low-cut top, and pitch up your voice. Sound younger than you do, and men will fall for you. They'll want to give you their money. Unlike Clara's numbers, Aria had barely made enough to justify the strain on her throat, and how much her back ached from the way too-tight bra she had bought for this purpose. Clara had said Aria wasn't likely to make a living from this, but that it could easily be profitable. It was taking too long. Aria didn't have to check her bank account to know that she was broke, but she did so anyway, swiping away from the games tips and tricks page she had open, and back to her bank statement. Twenty dollars left to last her a week. Things were rough. And they didn't seem like they were getting any better. As soon as she had booted up her broadcasting program, she noticed an unread message. She smiled, despite herself. She knew better. It was probably a notification from the site itself, or worse, a man sending her a dirty picture without even paying her for it. It wasn't either of those things. It was a private message from a username she didn't recognize. "I sent you a package," she read aloud, her voice quiet. "I'll send you a grand if you wear it on camera." A thousand dollars. She could do a lot with a thousand dollars. Aria had no idea who had messaged her, but for a grand, there was little she wouldn't do. She made herself get up from her large gaming chair, and walked outside to the mail box. She should have worn a coat, or something, but it was too late. She grabbed a blue box with a white label, no return address, and brought it inside. As she opened it, she furrowed her brow. She was familiar with the Bluetooth headphones, but they had large metal sticks on the side that looked like antennas, and she had never seen anything like that before. She had no idea if they were supposed to go in her ears, but she could take a little discomfort for a thousand dollars. She didn't have to wear them forever. Just for a little while. It wasn't going to hurt her for good, even if it might be a little uncomfortable. As she walked back into her living room, she turned on the ring light in front of her coach, and pressed down on a random button so that the screen would turn back on. She took a deep breath, pushed her breasts together, and made sure that the camera angle was flattering. "Okay," she said to herself, and her own voice echoed in the living room. "You can do this. You've done worse things for money." It was just wearing some headphones. She didn't know what she was so apprehensive about. She pressed the broadcast button and smiled at the camera. "Hi everyone," she said, aware that her viewer count said zero. "Thank you so much for being here today. A very special fan asked me to do something for him today, so that's exactly what I plan on doing." And he better come through, she thought, the smile fading slightly from her face. She looked at the Bluetooth headphones and tried to figure out a way to stick them in her ears. The metal coil felt like it would go into her eardrum, which made absolutely no sense, but when she touched it, it bounced slightly. Maybe it was softer than it looked. She pulled it close to her, and was suddenly startled when it coiled around her earlobe, like it was alive. "What the..." The other Bluetooth headphone, which was in her hand, tickled her palm. When she looked down, she blanched as she noticed that it was crawling up her arm, as if it was a bug, and when she tried to shake it off, nothing happened. She jumped back in her chair, too horrified to scream, as the Bluetooth—the thing, fuck, it was a thing—crawled up to her ear, and curled itself around her earlobe, pressing itself slowly but insistently into her ear. "Activated," she heard a booming female voice say, and she blinked as she tried to get her bearings. She had been too slow to react and the situation itself had felt far too ridiculous. Aria went to take them out of her ears, but she couldn't. They were stuck and she was in tears. "What the fuck?" she said, to herself, because there was no one else there at all. "This is messed up. Why would you..." She was looking at the screen, at her oversized glasses and her flushed face, when her room was replaced by a flashing ball of white light. A high-pitched sounded began to come from her headphones, and she was suddenly on her knees, unable to take them off no more how desperately she pawed at them. "Fuck," she said. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't, the light was too much, she had bitten down on her lower lip so hard she could taste the coppery taste of blood on her tongue, and it took her a few seconds to realize she was practically stuck to her chair. A rumbling sound around her made her feel sick to her stomach, and the chair she was in began to vibrate as the ground move under her. An earthquake. Nothing more. She'd been through worse. She just needed to get to safety, and she was still stuck to her chair, still She coughed as smoke began to fill her lungs, trying her best to open her eyes, to move away from her chair, to figure out what the fuck was going on. When she finally managed to peel her eyelids open, the little house she rented had turned to rubble around her. Worse, or weirder than that, all of the things she had worked so hard to acquire seemed to have disappeared. They weren't broken, or shattered, or anything of the sort. Smoke billowed around her, from the concrete ground, and darkened her view. She stood from her chair, dazed, and looked around. Still trying to paw at the headphones that felt like they had caused all this, she noticed that they simply weren't there anymore. It was as if she hadn't worn them in the first place. Her earlobes were smooth. And as the smoke began to settle, and she looked around, her stomach sank. This wasn't her neighborhood. The street she was in, though not her street, had been leveled into nothingness. She had a second to worry about her neighbors before she managed to zone in on her confusion. But she wasn't home. That much was clear. And wherever she was... it was bad.  

  She looked around, trying to stop her heart from beating out of her chest. Wherever she was, with things crumbling around her, she could hear rocks falling down near her. Smoke billowed around her, and she wet her lips as she tried her best to move. The only option was to run. She didn't know exactly where she was going to end up, but staying where she was felt too dangerous, and even though her mouth and lungs felt like they burned with every step she took, Aria could feel the danger in her bones. Whatever had happened, there was no guarantee that it wasn't going to happen again. Trees could shatter into nothingness, transmission lines could call from the sky and make the ground live with electricity, or the ground could split open and swallow her. All scenarios were as likely as her being transported from her home, into a shattered town she had no business being in. Aria hadn't been wrong. A rumble built on her right, and though she was trying to outrun it, she couldn't. The asphalt shook under her as she watched, in horror, a large oak tree falling in front of her. Its branches broke and flew at her. She was frozen in place, waiting for it to fly to her head. It looked like a stake, ready to pierce her heart and annihilate her. This was not how she had pictured dying—and she had pictured it more ways than most girls her age had—and, if she'd had time to think about it, she would've probably found it slightly ironic. But there was no time to think. Someone grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her away from the tree's attempted murder weapon, and in the blink of an eye, she was about two or three feet away from where the stake had landed. "Watch out!" a bright male voice said next to her. She turned her head to see someone crouching next to her. Her brain registered that this was a person, but little else. It took her a few seconds to realize that this person, this man, was wearing a silver armor. He carried a sword in his left hand, at least she thought it was a sword, and he seemed to have landed perfectly on his hand and knees, which was a feat, considering the fact that he'd had to drag her along. He stood up, and she had a good look at his face for the first time. She tried to peel her gaze away from his face, but she couldn't. He had large eyes, onyx black, blond hair swept away from one side of his face. His chapped lips were a narrow line on his face. If he hadn't coughed, she might have kept staring at him. "We can't go that way," he said, casting his gaze toward the large tree that had fallen in her path. "Right," she said, swallowing. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, the adrenaline still pumping in her veins. The armored-man furrowed his brow. He clearly had something on his mind, but he held back. "We have to leave," he said. "It's more dangerous at night." "What's more dangerous at night?" Aria asked. "Because ten minutes ago, I was sitting at home, trying to make a little extra cash streaming. And now the world has gone insane..." "Now?" he echoed, and Aria could hear the smirk in his voice. He started circling around her, like a shark, his gaze trained on her, his charcoal-eyes looking darker as dusk fell around them. "The world has been in shambles for years. Night falls, and each time, the darkness is prolonged. In little time, there will be no more day." She blinked. "You mean, like, eternal night? What's going to happen to your plants?" The man stared at her, and she felt ridiculous. She had no idea why she'd said the first thing that had popped into her head, or why that had seemed so important at the time. It wasn't. She cleared her throat. "Sorry," she said, sticking her hand out, forcing herself to be polite. "I'm Aria. You?" He looked down at her hand, then straightened up, his posture making him seem even taller than he was. "You do not know who I am?" he asked. She shook her head, biting down the urge to tell her that she knew he was a weirdo, if nothing else. "I didn't think it were possible," the man said, his eyes widening. "But it must be you." Aria inched a little closer to him. "Sorry, it must be me who what?" The armored-man paced around her in large circles. "The Oracle does not make mistakes," the man said. "Where am I?" Aria asked, ignoring him. The man suddenly stopped. "You do not know." "I mean..." She left the duh out, because it seemed unnecessarily rude. But she wanted answers, and this person was doing nothing to provide them. She cleared her throat. "My name is Zain," he said. She could tell that he wanted some sort of recognition from her, but she was drawing a blank. "Nice to meet you," she said, furrowing her brow. "I think." This was not the time for pleasantries, and she was aware of it, but she had no idea where she could go, and this weird man in his weird attire was his only way out of the situation. She was determined to be polite to him, even when her urge was to roll her eyes at him, or to walk away. She knew better. "You must be the one," he said, stopping suddenly in front of her. "I didn't think my search would lead me to you so quickly..." "Zain," she said, gritting her teeth. "My man. You gotta stop speaking in circles, because I have no idea what you are talking about. I was sitting at my computer a second ago, trying to squeeze some cash out of some weirdo, and now it looks like a nuclear bomb went off and I'm in a really high-budget version of a rich kid's LARP group. So you have to tell me what's happening, because I'm in half a mind to walk away from you." She was bluffing. She was not going to walk away. He trained his gaze on her, his stare so deep she thought he might be able to read her mind. "My name is Zain..." "You said that..." Zain narrowed his eyes. "Zain, heir to the Sakar Empire." She tried to think of what kind of empire that would be, and decided that it had to be related to the food industry somehow. Maybe a restaurant in the West Coast she had never heard of. "And you are?" he asked, carefully. As if she hadn't told him already. "Aria," she said. "Aria Rowe." He stared, silently asking her to go on. "I'm heiress to nothing, unless you consider piss poor decision making genetic," she said. He lifted his arms up. "Will you come with me, Aria, heiress to nothing?" "You don't have to say it like that, don't make it weird. I mean, I don't see myself having much of a choice, do I?" He nodded. "Yes," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest, which made a sound like a dinner bell being rung. "It seems like we find ourselves in much the same situation." "I don't care why you are taking me with you," Aria said. "But we've been out here for a little while now talking, and it's getting darker, and you said things got scarier at night. Things are scary enough for me, thank you very much, and I would like to find a place to hole up for the night, at least while we search for answers." Zain nodded. "You seem sensible," he said. "I will protect you, until I make a decision on you." She stared. "Come," he said. He took long strides, and she struggled to keep up with him. He was walking so quickly, she was exhausted even after they had crossed only a street or two. "I must take you to The Oracle," Zain said. "Before I take you to the Century Keeper. I must be certain you are what we are searching for. This is my last trial, and if I do not pass, my younger brother will be given the opportunity to compete. For my throne. My rightful throne. I was warned, this was the third, and hardest task, but you are..." "What?" He sighed, heavily, and for the first time since they had met, Aria could tell that the armor weighed a ton. His shoulders slumped slightly, and he swallowed as he straightened up again, proud once more. "You," he said, bitterness in his voice. "You cannot be what saves us."