<blockquote>


    @LiamJAN


    Angels Guild has put out an official statement regarding the breakthrough earlier today. Here is a brief summary:


    - All tryouts will be postponed until further notice


    - Everyone injured during the breakthrough will make a “full recovery.” This includes Vice Guild Master Rector


    - Angels will work with those affected regarding compensation


    - They will conduct an “parallel internal investigation” regarding the breakthrough in conjunction with the Encampment


    @bethsickle


    FUCK, if god was good and actually exists then he should’ve killed rector. don’t @ me if you’re a angel bootlicker


    @roacyber


    At this point, the Union needs to label the Big Four as apocalyptics already. If they’re not intentionally causing the next Terrors, then they’re dangerously incompetent. It’s long been time to round up all these high-rankers


    @smrt105


    look at all the grifters and conspiracy theorists showing up today


    @Timothyjin


    Remember the names of these “pundits” who immediately call for Angels Guild’s dissolvement. They’re almost always on the payroll of the Union, because to them, Kosmos is everything they’re not. It’s envy, greed, and arrogance all wrapped into one. They’re despicable, soulless husks.


    </blockquote>


    [New message from Victor]


    [Victor]


    just got back home, docs finally dismissed me


    how abt you?


    [Conqueror]


    Same, all healed up


    Waiting on the GMs


    [Victor]


    rip


    idk what i’m gonna tell the girls


    [Conqueror]


    Didn’t Seraph personally go over everything with you?


    [Victor]


    yea i mean they’re smart


    at least chunhua is


    they’ll figure out that you were involved in primordial plaza


    [Conqueror]


    They know better than to ask directly


    [Victor]


    yeah well i’m gonna need the practice


    seraph linked me with her attorneys when camps start asking questions


    probably gonna talk with my family’s too


    [Conqueror]


    I’d do it right away


    Camps won’t ask questions, the union will


    [Victor]


    srsly?


    [Conqueror]


    You know how i said my apartment was suddenly flooded so we moved?


    [Victor]


    yeah


    [Conqueror]


    I lied


    Internationals came to my apartment the other day and threatened us


    [Victor]


    fuck dude…


    you okay?


    [Conqueror]


    Not the worst thing I’ve experienced


    [Victor]


    i mean about everything


    me and the girls were talking abt it


    your whole life fucking changed man, just a few weeks ago you were complaining about the big four and look at you now


    you sure you okay? angels aren’t blackmailing you or anything like that? cause i’ll pull you out, my dad’s no joke he has the clout


    [Conqueror]


    It was our choice


    My choice


    [Victor]


    thought you wanted a quiet life


    [Conqueror]


    Yeah well remember what I said?


    Peace has a price


    Apparently it''s singing with the angels


    [Victor]


    alright


    no matter what happens we got your back


    after today? my lips are sealed


    shame tho that tryouts got delayed


    :pensive:


    [Conqueror]


    Bright side you pretty much guaranteed yourself a spot in angels


    Saving Rector’s and Firebrand’s lives are pretty good achievements on your resume


    [Victor]


    heh well because i suddenly got implicated in an international investigation angels ain’t looking so hot anymore


    idk i really need to talk with my fam abt it


    they’re letting me rest b4 the big conversation starts


    [Conqueror]


    gl


    [Victor]


    thx


    one more question: wtf is your skill


    [Conqueror]


    Long story short, it’s an s-rank creation skill


    [Victor]


    obviously yeah why wouldn''t it be anything else


    anyway imma try to organize my thoughts and leave ya be


    gn


    [Conqueror]


    Gn, and thanks for looking out for me


    [Victor]


    yea a dumbass like you needs friends


    I dispelled the [DMs].


    “Was that Vic?” Aiden asked across the lounge, flipping his phone around his hand. In fact, he’d been playing with his phone for the past thirty minutes. The half-hour before that, he was practically eating a pencil. Waiting in the Office of the GMs for the past few hours would do that to you.


    I nodded and said, “He’s back home. What happens after is, well, it’s up to him.”


    Chie, like the rest of us, couldn’t relax. She was sitting on a pillow, using the main coffee-table as a miniature workshop area. Her patient was one of the [Yokais] that had been busted during the fight. One of the [Yokais] that *could* be repaired, anyway. “Erm, I know Seraph spoke to him about the Alternate, but do you think he’ll tell the Union anything?”


    I shrugged, rubbing my mouth. “Victor? He won’t say a thing; however, his family and their attorneys might say otherwise. If you look at the whole picture, he’s suddenly implicated because his friend happens to be an agent for a couple problematic GMs. His parents like me, but they might pressure Vic to throw Angels under the bus to protect themselves. Can’t say I blame them. It’s a natural reaction.”


    “Damn.” Aiden began tapping the back of his phone. “What kind of family does he belong to?”


    “Just the special kind,” I said. “His mom and younger sister are Traveling Healers; on the other side of the family, his father’s an O-6 in the Ordo Aerial Command and his older brother is an Expeditioner."


    Listing the Taslim family history got their attention.


    Aiden whistled. “Must be a lot of pressure to live up to.”


    “Yeah, no kidding. Accomplished mils on one side and healers on the other; and he’s the middle-child stuck in-between.” Normally, I would agree that the Taslims were a crazy family; however, I was the last one who should be saying that.


    Chie put a hand on her chest. “Then… Then do you think your friend can hold his ground?”


    I didn’t immediately answer, and that didn’t give much hope to either of them. I ended up saying, “It’s not guaranteed, no. Pressure from the Union, that’s… That’s something neither of us know much about. It’ll be completely new to him."


    “Considerin’ he fought an Alt, I think he’ll be fine,” Aiden said, having a small smile.


    “Yeah,” I replied, because why should I bring down the mood?


    Someone knocked on the door. We stood immediately.


    The doors opened and revealed the rest of the team: Seraph, leading the pack; Rector, who was up and walking like he didn’t just get a sword to the stomach; Leo, as tired as ever; and… And at the caboose was a little boy, no older than ten, wearing an oversized cloak that seemed to be purchased at a costume store. He had curly purple hair and dimmer purple eyes, but despite his age, he had a resting intellectual face—the kind that said, “I’m smarter than everyone in this room and I’m not afraid to remind you.” Clearly he wasn’t a normal child, because the average kid didn’t know how to levitate off the ground.


    “Good morning, everybody,” Rector said as soon as he entered the room. “I apologize for the wait—Alexander, why’s your jaw on the floor—?”


    “It’s because he’s looking at me,” the kid answered, scowling. “Did any of you tell him?”


    Everyone was silent or mumbling.


    Aiden took the bullet: “We thought you should explain.”


    “Thank you for your consideration, Firebrand, but damn you.” The kid sighed and stared at me. His gaze didn’t belong to his age bracket. “Yes yes, get your reactions out so we quickly brush this topic aside. Morgan Weyer, Problem, I’m the cosmologist. Did I graduate with a PhD at the age of seven? Yes. Did Master Alzahrani recognize my talents at eight? Correct. If you haven’t noticed already, I’m being sarcastic. I was a twenty-five-year-old man before I was cursed with this juvenile body. No, I won’t tell you how, and no, I won’t answer any further questions. Pleasure to meet you, Alexander Shen. I’d shake your hand, but my arms are too short to reach yours.”The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Today was full of surprises, wasn’t it? I smiled and nodded, because that was the only thing I could do. “Right, good to finally put an unexpected face to the name.”


    “Mhm, sure.” Morgan floated to the wall and stayed there like a taxidermied deer-head; I guess that was his way of sitting.


    Everybody settled in, sitting on or around the lounge, and the Guild Masters stood in front of their desks. It was a long day for all of us. Seraph and Rector had to take care of public and internal matters first. Shutting down the exams, talking to the right people, and they still weren’t done I imagine. After we leave, they’d go back to work.


    Seraph and Rector looked at each other, exhausted, dreading this conversation and more.


    Seraph spoke first: “If you’re concerned about the aftermath, don’t be. Rector and I will take care of everything; however, this means our priorities have changed. We discussed this with Leo and Morgan, and we decided that Morgan should take the lead given his knowledge and experience.”


    Rector hummed in agreement. “The internationals are showing their hand, so we’re officially on defense. We handled them before, and you know the protocols in case they do interfere. That goes for Chie, Aiden, and Alexander especially. When they hear about your involvement, they might chase after you. We’ll do our best to keep them off your tail.”


    Morgan spoke up, “Onto our matters, Sophos has initiated a new project regarding the Alternates. Don’t ask me what, because she hasn’t told me anything at the moment. In the meantime, your mission remains the same: investigate any occurrences and handle them accordingly. A different mouth is giving the same orders, essentially, because the real mouth is full of—excuse my language—manure.” (“I’d rather you swear, Morgan,” Rector said.)


    I raised my hand. “Speaking of, did Sophos say anything or is she busy at work?”


    “Curious about her opinions, hmm? We’ve already given her your statements regarding the Alt. She’ll…” Morgan paused. “Do something.”


    That didn’t give me much hope.


    “On that subject. Alexander,” Seraph spoke to me directly. “Your friend, Victor, assured me he’ll stay quiet about what happened, but how much do you believe him?”


    I glanced at Chie and Aiden before addressing her: “Fully, just not his family. I told the same thing to these guys here, but his feet will be taken to the fire. If he does give up info, it won’t be consensual.”


    Leo nodded and faced the GMs. “I did a little digging on the Taslims; his father’s a high-ranking airship officer. That’s a pressure-point to the Union. We can’t expect him to give up his family for us.”


    Rector groaned, “Right. At least we’ll be prepared, and at least he doesn’t know much anyway—”


    Metal clanged against the table. The conversation stopped. Chie scrambled to pick up her screwdriver. I never noticed, but she had been tinkering with her [Yokai] since the debriefing began.


    Looking at her expression just once, Rector’s shoulders dropped and he pressed his lips thinly together. “Chie…”


    “Chie, sweetheart…” Seraph muttered.


    “I-I’m fine,” she said, cradling her broken [Yokai]. “I’m just… I’m just wondering why. Why did the Alt look like you, Sera? Of all people, out of everyone! Why was it you? I’ve been looking up cosmo theories online and trying to wrap my head around it, but I can’t figure it out.”


    “I…” Morgan started, then banged the back of his head against the wall. “I’m not sure either. I read your statements, yes, but I want to hear it from the survivors.”


    That meant the four of us.


    I looked at Aiden. Really, it was us two. We saw “Seraph” and caught every detail of her.


    He nodded.


    I took the stand, “It was ‘Seraph,’ I think. A different ‘Seraph,’ one with two [Wings] instead of six.”


    Seraph amended, “[Wings of Seraphim] began as two wings and grew as I developed. Really, I had two wings throughout my late teens and early twenties, I believe? Idris?”


    Rector’s lips moved around, unconvinced. “I think so, I can’t do the math right now.”


    “Well, whatever the case, ‘she’ kept saying this one name over and over.” I rubbed my ears, her screams still ringing in my head. “‘Nathan.’ You guys know who he is—?”


    As soon as I said that name, the room turned into a freezer.


    I think I stepped on a landmine. “I’m—”


    “It was Sera,” Rector muttered so quietly that it scared me. “That Alternate was Sera.”


    Seraph clamped a hand over her mouth and hugged herself with her other arm. “Nathan… Nathan is Kosmos’s real name.” She gulped and lowered her hand. “No, to be more accurate: you know him as the strongest Slayer in the world and the only SSS-Rank in history, Kosmos. To me, he was and always will be Nathan Hyun, my husband and the father of our child.”


    That… If that was the case, then…


    “Then why?” I asked her. “Then why was ‘Seraph’ screaming his name like he died?”


    “I don’t know. There were several times when he scared me—scared all of us—but I don’t know. I…” Seraph paused and began to connect the dots on her own. “You said this ‘Seraph’ had two wings, correct?”


    I nodded.


    She looked toward her VGM. “Idris, are you thinking the same thing?”


    He was admiring his shoes. “Of course I am. If ‘Seraph’ had two wings, then she was most likely younger than all of us. The only timeframe that makes sense is…”


    Seraph finished his thought, “Was before ‘Kosmos.’ And before Kosmos, there was only Nathan. Alexander, do you know what [Total Body Rejection] is?”


    I affirmed, “Yeah. My uncle has [Registration Rejection]—wait, are you implying…?”


    “Yes, I am.”


    Shit. They were both autoimmune diseases of a similar nature. With the Slayer System, everyone was born with a “conceptual seed” that allowed the PPS to “grow” once [Registered]. Uncle Ali wasn’t born with this “seed,” so if he [Registered], [Rejection] would kick in and he could lose his life. However, he was perfectly healthy otherwise. For Nathan? God… He had the “conceptual seed” but his body rejected it, producing the same effects as [Registration Rejection] but it was constant, lasting for every waking second of his life. Anyone who had [TBR] was, well, they lived a miserable existence with a shortened lifespan on top. Nobody in recorded history lived beyond thirty, and living to that point might be considered torture in itself.


    So this… This was new information—groundbreaking information. Nobody knew much about Kosmos’s personal life, only rumors. Every appearance he made, he wore a full suit of armor equipped with anti-perception features. The man underneath the helmet was a ghost. What information we did have, it came from Seraph and Rector by association. I... I’m starting to see the reason behind the secrecy.


    You don’t simply cure [TBR].


    You don’t simply cure [TBR] and become the world’s only SSS-Rank Slayer.


    Seraph recognized the conclusion I’d drawn, and she confirmed it again, “Nathan wasn’t given a long and comfortable life. His parents abandoned and left him in an orphanage. Every morning, breakfast was accompanied by a cup of pills. To him, the outside world was a TV, a bookshelf, and his bedside window—and his only friend was another boy who had to take care of him.”


    Rector put a hand to his eyes and morbidly chuckled.


    Seraph inhaled, trying to keep herself from falling apart. “D-Despite that… Despite everything, he was happy. I still remember those days. His endless optimism, how he laughed at himself, the beautiful hope in his eyes, his smile—oh, the conversations we’d have. We would talk all night about his favorite Slayers and guilds. He loved to fantasize himself as a high-ranker, slaying breachers and helping others like him. But… But we both knew that they’d likely remain as fantasies. So I promised myself that I would make them a reality: to create a guild dedicated to the world, to humanity. Because Nathan represented the best of us: an angel, someone whose soul was pure and beautiful. I…”


    Seraph stared at the ceiling. “I was always afraid that on one unsuspecting morning, he would never wake up. That day never came, but our future had. It’s everything I prayed for. Everything. Twenty years later, my Nathan hasn’t changed at all. He may be taller and wrinkles are starting to show—but he’s still the same boy who taught me what ‘love’ means. It’s… I’m sorry, I…”


    She deeply exhaled and laughed at her own ramblings. “I didn’t mean to talk for this long. I haven’t given you a clear answer, but—”


    “It’s alright, ma’am,” I said, looking toward the others. “We understand plenty.”


    No one disagreed, everyone nodded.


    Morgan spoke up, “It’s valuable information, yes, thank you. To reiterate… Our current theory is: the Alternate impersonated Seraph not as she is today, but as she was about two decades ago. And for some reason, she mourned a death that never came to be.”


    Seraph rested a hand on her chest and nodded profusely. “I-I think so, yes. Idris—?” (“I’m running with whatever he says.”) “Then yes. Yes.”


    Morgan floated off the wall. “So be it. If it wasn’t obvious already, Rector isn’t in the right state of mind and I don’t think any of us are. We should call it a night and regather ourselves tomorrow. I’ll share this info with Sophos and get her thoughts on the matter. The rest of you? Sleep. God knows you’ll need it.”


    Rector clapped. “You heard him. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll update you.”


    We all slowly stood—except for Chie, who was cleaning her mess. I faced Seraph, and through the bodies, she found me.


    I opened my mouth. She shook her head.


    “You ready to head back?” Leo asked, patting my shoulder.


    “Take care of yourself, you two,” Seraph told us. “Make sure you eat.”


    If she commands. “Alright,” I said. “Alright.”


    ***


    Gradually, half the team left, leaving only Chie and Aiden in the room.


    Aiden worriedly said, “Idris—“


    “No no, don’t start this now.” Idris held the kids by the shoulders, rubbing them, but his hands were slow and his eyes were slower. “Go home and rest, okay?”


    Chie was holding her broken [Yokai] in her hands. “B-But—“


    Idris patted her head, caressing her dirty hair. “It’s an order.”


    She was still reluctant to leave—no one could blame her after what had transpired—but ultimately, Aiden convinced Chie, by simply holding her hand.


    “Let’s go, babe,” he said. “We have a lot of work tomorrow.”


    “Okay…” Chie replied so quietly that it was borderline silent. “Please take care of yourself.”


    “We will. Now get out of here.”


    They left, and the Office was quieter than ever before. Today had finally ended, but tomorrow was going to be longer. Because, well, although Sera preferred to be rational and have empirical evidence for her theories, something told her this was the beginning of the Mother Alternate’s rampage. To create an Alt based on her was…


    “Sera,” Idris reached out to her.


    She was looking out the window—like how Nathan would, when he had been an Angel—and said, “I couldn’t tell our whole story. It would’ve been too long and much too confusing. I still remember what I said, hehe. ‘Pathetic little man, teach me the ways of humanity.’ Can you believe how ridiculous I was?”


    “You weren’t exactly an ordinary teenage girl,” said Idris, standing beside her. “Quite the opposite.”


    “That’s true, I wasn’t. I…” Sera sighed and rested her forehead against the glass. “I don’t know, Idris. I can’t imagine my life without him. I can’t imagine this world without him. If Nathan had passed back then… I think I would’ve gone insane like how my Alternate had. But why…? Why did she live in a future that never happened?”